by Ryan Michele
“Who is this?”
There’s a hesitation, then, “It’s Breanna.”
I inhale deeply. This can’t be good.
“Samantha told me to call you,” she continues.
I’m hoping this is a call to get her out of that house. I was going to do it on my own. Just, with Austyn, I haven’t been focusing on it. I need to. This is my wakeup call. I need to pay more attention.
“Okay,” I lead, trying to get her to tell me what she wants. If she doesn’t want to leave, then it won’t matter because she’ll just go back. I’ve always assumed she didn’t want to be in that life, but I could be far off the mark.
“Samantha said you were going to get her out.”
“Yes.” I have to keep reminding myself she’s only fifteen, almost sixteen, but fuck, it’s like pulling teeth to get her to talk. She’s also socially awkward, being so sheltered her entire life. It’s another thing I have to keep in mind.
“Dad had me meet with William today.”
Bile rises up my throat. William is the leader, if that’s the correct term nowadays. He’s the one who determines your spouse match.
“He has men picked out for me, and I just can’t …” She trails off, and then I hear her soft crying on the other end of the phone.
“Tell me what you need, Breanna,” I prompt, hoping she comes out and says it. I try not to let the anger show through, afraid I might scare her.
“I want out. I don’t want to marry those men. Two are my cousins, and one is my half-brother. That’s just icky, Matthew.” Icky. It reminds me of how sheltered my siblings are from the outside world. She may be going on sixteen, but she’s much younger than that socially.
“Alright. When do you want me to get you?”
“Just like that?” She sounds surprised, but she should know I mean business from Samantha. No way I’ll let her stay in that place if she doesn’t want to be there. My thoughts are, if William and James think she’s old enough to be picking out a potential husband to be with for the rest of her life, then she’s completely capable of making the decision that she doesn’t want to be in that life.
“Yep. What’s the plan?”
“I …” She hesitates. I forgot again that I need to walk her through it.
“When will Mom and the kids be gone while you’re at home? Or would you be able to leave at school?”
“Not at school; too many people. It has to be at the house and with dark cover. Either while everyone’s sleeping or when Mom goes to church tomorrow night.”
There’s only one option there. “When Mom goes to church.”
“I’m supposed to watch all the kids.”
Fuck.
“So, they’ll be there then?” Shit.
“Yeah.”
Okay, change in plans.
“Here’s the deal, since the kids are home, let’s do it while everyone’s sleeping. That’ll be better than the first.”
“Okay.”
“Tomorrow night, one in the morning, I’ll be waiting outside the back left window to the basement. You’re going to crawl through the window, and then we’re out of there. Got it?”
“I’m scared. If she catches us …”
“It won’t happen, and even if it does, I’m not the same little boy I was when I left. We’re doing this quietly, so I don’t jolt the neighbors and they start making phone calls, then I have a mob or cops on my hands. Quick and quiet.”
“Okay.”
“You only pack what you need in a duffle bag. One. Don’t bring curling irons and shit like that. Only bring clothes and personal things that you can’t get at a store. Don’t start packing until everyone goes to bed tomorrow. That way, no one will catch you and ask what you’re doing.”
“Okay.”
“Are you okay?” I ask when she says nothing else and the dead air takes over.
“Yeah, I’m just scared, but I can’t do it. I have to leave.”
“You leave, that means no contact with the other siblings or Mom. You’re on your own, but I’ll help you get all set up.”
She sniffles. “I know.”
“Alright. I’ll be there tomorrow at one a.m. Be ready.”
“Thank you.” She clicks off the phone just as Austyn comes out to stand by me on the balcony.
“What’s going on?” she asks, leaning her elbows on the wrought iron railing.
Ripping my other hand through my hair, I answer, “We’re gonna go get my sister tomorrow night. She wants to leave.”
“Samantha?”
“No, Breanna. She turns sixteen soon, and they already have matches for her. Two are her cousins, and one is a half-brother. It’s not fuckin’ happenin’.” I toss out the smoke. “We need to head over to the clubhouse.”
She nods.
For this, I’ll need my brothers at my back.
“Let’s do this.” I glance over at Austyn. “You ready.”
“Not like I’m doing much but sitting in the truck, waiting for them to jump in. I’m sure I can hack it.”
Reaching over, I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and pull her lips to mine for a quick kiss.
“Can y’all not do that in front of me?” Nox whines, but I don’t give a fuck. We haven’t been around the guys since our relationship turned. Nevertheless, I make no apologies for kissing my woman. Fuck that.
“Shut it,” I order with a smile. “There shouldn’t be any trouble. I’ll be in and out quickly. We just gotta watch the neighbors.”
“Tell me again why we don’t just break down the fuckin’ door and take her out?” Rhys chimes in.
“We’re tryin’ to make her disappear. If they know I had anything to do with it, they’ll sick the cops on me so fast my head’ll spin. The cops are one of them around here and will have no trouble bouncing us all behind bars. Not only that, they’ll send out the lynch mob beforehand, and the less bodies we have to deal with, the better. We want a clean in and out.”
“Fuckin’ idiots,” Rhys grumbles, walking back to his truck. No bikes this time; too loud for the neighborhood.
GT clamps a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get her out and get the fuck out of here. This place is fuckin’ twisted.”
“You’re telling me.” I look down at my watch. “Ten minutes. I’ll radio if there are any problems. Only then do you move in.”
“Got it, Captain,” Deke teases, but not in a fun way. He’s still pissed about his hand being forced. What he needs to remember is he’s still a fucking prospect.
Not having time to deal with it, I kiss Austyn one more time then shut the door.
Everyone leaves while I wait. Those ten minutes seem to take for-fucking-ever. Like the second hand on the clock doesn’t want to move correctly. The house has no lights on, but two lights outside illuminate a lot of the space, so we’ll easily be seen.
There are two cars in the driveway, both empty. The neighbor has one light on, but it looks like it’s over a kitchen sink. That could possibly be one that’s on all the time, yet I don’t know for sure. The other neighbor’s house is dark. Even with them dark, my alertness is on high, making sure that all is clear.
My watch finally shows one o’clock. Austyn gives me a nod, and then I’m off, creeping through this little town like a thief in the night. Down the sidewalks and through the driveway. A dog barks in the distance, and I’m hoping it isn’t close. That’s the last thing I need.
Going around the back side of the house, I find the left window is open with no screen on it. At least she’s really ready to come with me.
“Breanna?” I whisper into the night.
Nothing.
Fuck, maybe she chickened out.
I wait, looking in the window and seeing nothing but darkness inside. Time starts to tick by. It’s funny how fast it goes when you want it to slow down.
“Breanna?” Poking my head in, I see movement off to the side. “Breanna?”
“Yeah, hang on.” She’s rummaging through something, which s
he should have done before I got here.
“We don’t have time to hang on. Move!”
“Okay,” she whisper-yells. “Be quiet; Dad’s here tonight.”
“You’re fuckin’ shittin’ me.” Of all the times for that motherfucker to show up, it has to be when I’m here and taking one of his prized girls. He covets the girls like expensive money because they are the ones who keep this lifestyle going. Stupid fucker.
“No. Now move.” She tosses a duffle bag out of the window opening, then tosses a second.
“Now,” Breanna says, and then a small body comes out of the window. Holy fuck.
“Breanna, what are you doing?”
“I’m not leaving her behind. She only has a few more years, then she’ll be in my shoes. She’s the last girl,” she says hastily, climbing out the window behind our younger sister Ashley.
My heart thumps loudly. This isn’t what I planned. Not two minors who now need places to escape. Fuck me.
A loud shatter comes from the window, one of the panes lays on the ground in pieces. Lights come on. There is no time to argue.
“Go. Down the road to the left until you get to the black truck. Get inside.”
I grab both the duffle bags, and then we head out around the side. The front porch light comes on as we get there.
“Go to the truck.”
Breanna stops. “He’ll be mad.”
“Fuckin’ go!” I yell just as the front door swings open with such force it hits the side of the house. My sperm donor comes out, wearing pajama pants and a T-shirt with “He’s the one” on the front. Asshole.
“What’s going on here?” James asks, quickly coming down the stairs and directly toward me on bare feet. Holding my ground, my feet stay planted as he approaches. “Who are you and what do you want?” he demands like he’s some sort of king or some shit and I’m supposed to listen to his bullshit. No, not happening.
He’s pudgier than I remember, and his dark hair has turned gray. His eyes show years of keeping secrets and how they are paying a toll on him now.
“Hey, Daddy-o. Remember me?”
He blinks repeatedly, looking me up and down. When it clicks in his head, his mouth turns in disgust. “Matthew?”
“The one and only. Seems you have a problem that I’m takin’ care of.”
He lifts his chin with confidence. “And what’s that?”
I lean in. “Two girls who want nothing to do with this life.”
His eyes round. “Charlotte, check the girls! What did you do to them?” His face turns a vibrant shade of red, and even with it dark, the glow from the light accentuates it. It’s not a good color for him at all. With his yelling, though, he’s going to draw attention and fast. That’s what he wants. He wants his minions to come out and get in my face. Idiot.
“They’re gone!” my mother wails, running out the door. “Matthew, what are you doing?”
“The girls want to come with me. I’m takin’ them somewhere safe where you can’t find them … ever.” I press the button on my walkie, knowing my brothers will be there momentarily. “James, I have enough information gathered on you to sink your entire operation. To close your banks and your stores—everything. Gone in a puff of smoke.”
I sense my brothers behind me, but it’s my sperm donor’s round eyes that tell me for a fact.
“See these men behind me? They’re my family. We protect each other with everything we have. You come after me or those girls, we’ll end all of this and you’ll have nothing left.”
Truth be told, I don’t have information that would destroy their operation, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get it. It’s a bluff I’m rolling with, seeing if he’ll take the bait.
“You can’t do this!” James exclaims.
“Please don’t,” my mother pleads, tears streaming down her face.
“She already has her future husbands lined up. Two cousins and a half-brother. Nice. That’s fuckin’ nasty. You look at me with disgust, but that’s where you’re wrong. You disgust me.”
“I don’t really care what you think of me. God has told me what He wants of me, and I’m following His rules.”
“Bullshit. You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you on the ass.”
“Brother, we need to go,” GT says from my side. That’s when I notice more lights coming on in the neighborhood. We killed the cameras on the road, so at least they won’t show us here.
“We’re leaving. Don’t come anywhere near us or you’ll be done for. Not only will I get your ass thrown in jail for your underage activities, I’ll destroy you. Think of this as my revenge.” On those parting words, I turn to my brothers, nodding, and then we all take off like shots.
I hear footfalls behind me, having no doubt it’s my sperm donor. Girls are such a high commodity in this world, he’ll do anything to keep them. Anything.
Turning around, I find he’s only a few beats behind me. I jump into an already running truck—thank you, Austyn—and we take off into the night.
In the rearview mirror, I see my father stomping his feet and waving his hands in the air, angry as all hell.
I’m going to need to find these two somewhere to go, now.
“Are you okay?” I ask the girls, who are crying in the backseat of my extended cab.
Breanna sniffles. “We’ll be fine. We just have to get out of here.”
Austyn reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll call Mom.”
I nod, thanking Christ that Princess has connections.
Chapter Twenty
The girls are petrified. I don’t blame them one bit. They don’t know me and trying to talk to them is like pulling teeth. Ryker said they don’t have very good social skills, which scares me. They need to be able to stand on their own two feet, but I fear they won’t be able to. Hopefully, wherever my mom has in store will help them get to that point in their lives.
“Yeah?” Mom answers on the first ring.
Looking out into the dark night, I tell her, “We have a situation.”
“Talk to me.” Her tone becomes alert instantly. That’s her sign for she’s all business.
“We have two girls. Breanna, who’s fifteen and …” I look to Ryker, not knowing the other one’s name or age.
“Ashley.” He looks back to the little girl.
“Eleven.” Her soft voice comes through a bit shaken.
I go back to the phone. “Ashley, who’s eleven. We need a place for them tonight.”
“Fuck.” She shuffles around. “Alright. Give me ten, and I’ll call you right back.” She disconnects.
“Call your dad for me,” Ryker says.
I dial then hand him the phone.
“Yeah. We have two girls, both my full-sisters. One’s fifteen, the other eleven. Princess is working on a place for them to go. We need them to disappear, and I don’t want to bring them to the clubhouse. Our father was outside and saw me … saw all of Ravage, actually. I threatened him, but I don’t know if it’ll work. The best bet is to find them a place now. Princess is workin’ on it.”
I don’t hear what my father says, and it makes me want to push speaker so I can.
“I’m going to head west. You and Princess tell us where we’re goin’.” A pause. “Right. Bye.”
Ryker looks over to me. “Looks like we’re goin’ on a road trip.”
My head falls back to the seat. I didn’t bring my laptop with me, and I just feel like it’s getting close to when JK fucks up. This isn’t good.
Ten minutes later, the phone rings and I answer my mom’s call. “Hello?”
“Alright. My guy can do it. Five a.m. in Stalemont, at the corner of Parish and Crest. Xavier and his wife Kim will be there. You give them the code. Tell the girls to go with him, and he’ll make them disappear.”
I search my memory, and it hits me. This churns in my gut. Ryker just got his sisters back, and now he’s going to lose them again.
“Right. Can Ryker know where they’
re going?’
“No. It’ll be a while for that, but I trust these people, Austyn. They will take care of the girls. Swear it.”
I lean my head back on a huff of air. I may not like this, but it’s the best way to go about it. My mom has never let me down, and I know she won’t start now.
“Right. We’ll be there.”
Clicking off the phone, I give Ryker the details, telling him the sad news. He already knew it would be like this and is rolling with it.
“I just want them safe,” is all he says.
My heart grows for this man for taking care of sisters he barely knows. He has so much love inside him. I ache for the little boy who lost his family so early in life. Not by choice, but because he was made to. Breanna and Ashley had a choice on what to do; Ryker didn’t, and that hurts.
Part of me wants to hold and shelter him from all this bullshit. It must suck, coming all back up to the surface and slapping him in the face. All I can do right now is reach over and hold his hand, giving him my strength and telling him that he’s not alone.
I try again to talk to the girls, but they look like terrified little rabbits and don’t respond back, just look at me with doe eyes. I’m just hoping that Kim and Xavier have better luck getting through to them.
All too soon, we are slowing down at the drop-off point. Ryker puts the truck in park, shutting down the lights.
“You’re going to go with some friends of ours. Ones we trust to take care of you and keep you safe.” Ryker pulls out a disposable phone and hands it to Breanna. “Only one number you can call on this, and it’s me. Only call if it’s an absolute emergency, do you understand?”
Her face is red and puffy. “Yeah.” She pauses. “Thank you. I’m scared. Very scared, but Samantha was trusting you, and I am, too.”
“Right,” Ryker says, opening the door to the truck, then opening the back door. I follow suit.
A black Tahoe awaits us, both doors open. A man with dark jet-black hair and a mustache to match comes forward. He has an edge to him that’s a little scary, and I’ve lived with bikers my whole life. Kim comes around the other side. She has long blonde hair and a killer smile.
“Hi, I’m Kim,” she says with a grin. “And this is Xavier.”