by KJ Dahlen
“I might have your consent but what about his?” Monster countered.
“You don’t have my consent!” Joey argued as he struggled against the duct tape. “In fact, I’ll file charges on you if you try to take me anywhere.”
“Then you can share the next cell over, you little piece of shit for attempted murder,” Matt told him. “The moment you walked into my house, you’ve been taped by my security system. I’ve got not only your actions but audio as well.”
Monster shrugged. “Or I can leave you tied up in the closet and let you out again, when I bring him home but that might take a couple of days and as he lives alone, there’s no one here to let you loose.” He grinned at the kid. “It’s up to you.”
“You rotten motherfucker.” Joey snarled.
Monster knelt down to his level and whispered something in his ear.
Joey paled and began to tremble. After thinking for a few moments, he nodded.
“Sorry sonny, I need to hear the words.” Monster grinned. “I want it on tape, so you can’t fuck me up later.”
“Yes, I’ll go with you, you lousy bastard.” Joey snarled.
Monster reached out and tapped him on the cheek a little harder than necessary. “Atta boy.”
Now several hours later they were pulling into the compound.
Matt looked around the area and saw an orderly layout. Beside the clubhouse, there were other buildings, homes and work sheds. Everything looked nice and neat.
The bikes were all lined up and there were even other vehicles there as well. He looked over at Monster. “Some place you got here and most of it looks brand new.”
“This is our home, but we protect this place and the land around here. There are some people that would destroy it and us if they knew where it was located.”
“I understand and I shall keep your secret.” Matt nodded.
“Let’s get inside. I know my Pres wants to talk to you and the twerp.”
When they exited the vehicle, Monster opened up the back door. Reaching in, he grabbed Joey by the shirt and hauled him out. Then he bent over, tossed the younger man over his shoulder like a grubby sack of potatoes and escorted Matt inside the compound.
Chapter Three
Breed and Greer stood side by side in the main room, waiting.
When the outer door opened, Monster brought Joey in and Matt walked in behind him, everyone in the main room went quiet.
When Joey was tossed off Monster’s shoulder, he hit the floor with a thud. Joey groaned behind his gag until Monster leaned down and ripped the duct tape off his mouth.
Joey screamed at the pain of it and when Monster ripped the rag from his eyes Joey snarled, “You sonofabitch! Lousy fucking bastard.”
“Oh, shut the hell up,” Monster quipped as he smirked. “Quit being such a baby. At least the pain tells you you’re still alive. Embrace it and make it your own.”
“Fuck you.” Joey growled.
“No thanks, I don’t swing for the home team.” Monster walked away and stood beside his President.
Breed looked at Joey and shook his head. Turning his head to observe Matt he asked, “I could give a flying fuck about your boss’ business deals. That’s not why I asked you here. I understand Brian’s granddaughter was kidnapped and a ransom was asked for. Does he intend to pay this ransom to get her back? Yes or no?”
Matt hesitated for half a second before he answered him, but he did answer the man’s question, “No, he does not intend to pay.”
“Why?” Breed wanted to know.
“Because he’s a bastard of epic proportions.”
“She’s dead anyway, so why should he pay for a dead woman?” Joey sneered.
Breed turned to Joey and snarled, “And how would you know that?”
“Blade called me himself to tell me the good news.” Joey smiled.
Breed’s fingers curled into fists. “Why would he call you and not Brian with this news?”
“Because he was supposed to pay off my debt to Blade. I didn’t care if she came out of this or not. Now I don’t have to worry,” Joey explained without a bit of remorse in his voice at all.
Breed looked at Monster and Greer. “Put this prick in the cell, we’ll vote on what to do with him later.”
Both men weren’t small by any means. They walked over to him and stood one on either side. Reaching down, they grabbed him under the arms and dragged him away.
Joey tried to fight them, so they weren’t exactly gentle going through the doorways to the basement and they banged him up a bit. Monster could be heard telling him, “Thee stairs are tricky at best and unless you want to fall down them, I suggest you be good.”
Breed turned back to Matt and invited him to sit down. When Matt was seated Breed asked, “So tell me about Brian’s relationship with his granddaughter.”
“Why?” Matt wanted to know.
“I want to know why he wouldn’t pay the ransom.”
“Brian is a brilliant businessman but a terrible family man. This is not a secret by any means,” Matt began. “When his son and his daughter in law died, Kizzy was barely fourteen. The old man would have taken the insurance payout and allowed Kizzy to go into the system but the state told him the insurance would be used to pay her expenses until she reached her majority and the balance would be hers when she reached her majority. Brian wouldn’t accept that. He had no choice if he wanted to keep control of the insurance money. He had already put it into a trust that couldn’t be touched until she turned twenty-five. In case of her death, the trust would become a part of his estate.”
“And when does she turn twenty-five?” Breed asked, although he already knew her age.
“In two weeks.”
“Is he even concerned where she might be?”
Matt looked Breed square in the eyes and said, “No.”
When Breed didn’t say anything Matt asked, “Can I ask how you found out about this situation?”
Kizzy opened the kitchen door and joined them at the table.
Matt didn’t seem to be surprised.
“He found me in a dingy on the river a couple of days ago. I had been on the river for at least three days and I was almost dead.” She paused then asked, “How mad was he when I didn’t show up Monday for his party?”
“I don’t think you want to know,” Matt told her.
She nodded then said something Matt was shocked at, “That will make him happy when he can add another thousand on to what I owe him.”
“You owed him? What are you talking about?” Matt asked.
“He kept a list of what he paid out for me from the age of fourteen to seventeen. From school fees to clothing allowances.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Breed snarled.
Kizzy sighed as she stared at Matt. “He takes half my check as payback.” She shook her head. “Not only did he take the insurance money from my parent’s death but he’s making me pay back every cent he spent on me after they died.”
Matt shook his head. “The insurance money is in a trust that you will receive on your next birthday, although he instructed me to transfer it to his account in two weeks. He considers the fact that you are missing to mean you are dead. Joey thinks you’re dead already. And Blade has told him you’re dead. This is just crazy.” He stared at her for a moment then asked, “He’s really making you pay back the money he shelled out for you while you were growing up?”
Kizzy nodded. “He kept track of every penny. I used to have to beg him for spending money when I needed new clothes or school supplies. His house, his rules.”
Matt shook his head. I can only imagine what that sum was by the time you finished college.”
“I never went to college. I was lucky enough to make to high school graduation,” Kizzy told him with a scoff.
Matt just stared at her. “You never went to college?” He got up and his chair pushed back violently. “He kicked you out of his house didn’t he? You were barely seventeen and he told the world
you graduated early and were off to college when everyone asked about you.”
“I broke his rules and he found out,” Kizzy told them.
“How?” Matt asked.
“I began saving whatever change I had left at the end of the month. It was never much but I had a tiny bundle when he found out. I was learning to be independent and he didn’t like it. When I wouldn’t give it to him, he got mad and threw me out. That was when he showed me the book he kept of my expenses over the years. He wanted me so far in debt to him that I’d turn the money over without thinking about it.”
Matt stared at her for a moment. “You know that trust fund is more than doubled since he set it up, don’t you?”
Kizzy shook her head. “I don’t know anything about it. He never told me what he did with the money.”
“He saved it by putting it into a trust fund. The state told him if you went into the system the state would use it to pay your expenses until you reached your majority. He couldn’t let that happen so he brought you to his home.”
“Did you know Blade has hatched a plan to take down the old man?” came a voice from the doorway.
Everyone turned to see Shyla standing there with the help of Cowboy who had his arm around her waist.
Greer was just coming back up the steps from the basement and when he saw them standing there, he roared with displeasure and rushed over to push Cowboy away from her.
Monster paused at the top of the steps and shook his head at Greer’s actions.
“What the fuck are you doing out of bed, you crazy woman?” Greer growled.
Shyla glared at him. “What the hell are you doing? You are not my keeper. I have to tell Breed something I overheard before we left. I just remembered it.” She turned and looked at Breed. “Blade and Joey are hatching a plan to kill the old man. He thinks that with him gone as his only relative, he’s get the old man’s money. Or something crazy like that.”
Kizzy gasped. “He really did set me up to die, didn’t he?”
Breed reached out and grabbed her hand. Squeezing it slightly, he didn’t have to say anything.
Matt just shook his head. “Unfortunately for Joey, Brian’s got a will already set up. Neither of his grandkids will receive a dime of his money.”
Kizzy shivered. “I don’t want his money.”
“But Joey does and now Blade wants a piece of it too,” Breed gritted through his teeth. “And once Joey gets it, he won’t live long enough to spend it. Blade will make sure of that.”
“But Joey isn’t getting it, now is he?” Matt said out loud.
Kizzy snorted. “Don’t bet on anything with Joey. He’s got something up his sleeve for getting his hands on the money. You can bet your law degree on that.”
“The only thing he could do was set up another will and force Brian to sign it,” Matt suggested.
“If Blade finds him first, he’ll do just that, then he’ll make sure the old man dies,” Shyla told them all.
Looking concerned, Greer helped her closer to the table.
Matt shook his head. “Brian would have to die from natural causes for a second will to be valid. Otherwise, the courts won’t acknowledge it at all. He has safety guards already in place and even then, Joey or Kizzy won’t inherit.”
“Well, I bet Joey doesn’t know that part.” Kizzy shook her head. Turning to Matt she asked, “If I have a trust does Joey as well?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that. But I can tell you, you have two trusts, one set up by your father before you were born and the other is the insurance money. You already have access to your father’s trust. But Brian didn’t want you to know about that.”
“Who is second beneficiary if she doesn’t survive?” Breed wanted to know.
Matt looked him in the eyes, as he replied, “Brian.”
“And I never knew about it for a reason did I?” Kizzy’s eyes went blank.
“I’m sorry,” was all Matt could say.
Chapter Four
“Can you get her access to the first trust?” Breed asked.
“Certainly.” Matt nodded. “The court turned it over to her the day she turned twenty one. Brian couldn’t touch it until he petitioned the courts and as far as I know he hasn’t done that yet.” He shrugged. “He needs a death certificate to do it.”
Kizzy turned to Breed. “Do you have a bank account?”
“Yeah, of course I do, why?”
“Matt, can you transfer the trust to Breed’s account today?” she wanted to know.
“Sure, I can do that.” Matt smiled. “In fact, I would be happy to.”
“Hold on a minute,” Breed paused as he stared at Kizzy. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she insisted.
“But you don’t even know how much money is in there,” he protested.
“I don’t care how much is in there, don’t you see that?” she retorted. “It’s money my grandfather won’t get his hands on. That’s money my father set aside for me and Brian doesn’t deserve any part of it.”
“I can tell you the balance if you want to know,” Matt offered. “Since she is present it is within the boundaries.”
Kizzy shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how much is in there. I don’t care.”
“Very well.” Matt reached for his phone. “I’ll need your banking numbers.”
“Is this legal?” Breed asked before he got to his feet.
“Yes, the transaction will be legal. The banks will know it’s me when I give them my access codes,” Matt assured him.
Breed disappeared for a moment then returned to give Matt his paperwork.
Matt stepped away from the table for a moment then made his call.
“Babe, you know that’s gonna be more money than my bank has seen in a long time. Are you sure you want to put it there?” Breed had to ask.
Kizzy reached over and cupped either side of his face with her hands. Looking at him directly in the eyes she told him, “I know and I’m not worried about that money. I know I should be but there’s more to life than money. Use that money to do whatever you have to do. I don’t care. Maybe we can use it for those poor girls? My father put that aside for me. So what else would I do with it? You already told me I belong to you, right?”
“You do.” Breed nodded.
“Then no more questions,” she insisted.
Matt returned. “Its done.” He handed the paperwork back to Breed. “The money is being transferred today.”
“Will Brian be able to see the transfer?” Kizzy asked.
“No, not at all. You are of legal age now. He can’t touch that money without a death certificate anyway.”
“Good, now all I have to do is still be alive in two weeks when I turn twenty five.”
“I hate to burst anyone’s balloon here but what if Blade comes here looking for trouble?” Shyla asked.
“She’s got a point boss,” Greer added.
Breed grinned. “Even if he does come here, he won’t find us.”
“What does that mean?” Greer asked.
“We won’t be here. Will we cousin?”
Shyla smiled. “You’re moving us the holy lands aren’t you?”
Breed nodded. Turning to Kizzy and Matt he told them, “When the Cherokee of our tribe settled here, over a hundred years ago, they picked out a spiritual place nearby to become our holy land. Our church is located there and it is where we bury our dead. The past shaman of the tribe lived there all year while the main tribe moved away to hide the place from other people living close by. They fortified the mystery of the land by putting up barriers so no could find it. And even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to find whoever was staying there. Our tribe has been using the holy lands for decades when someone was hunting us and we will move there when the time is right.”
“We have to protect the girls,” Shyla snapped looking fierce.
“And we will.” Breed nodded. “Blade and the cartel won’t get those
girls back. That I promise.”
Shyla nodded, then winced. “And I think I’m going back to bed. But I had to tell you Blade threatened Brian’s life.”
Greer got to his feet, lifted her from her chair, and carried her down the hall.
Shyla looked surprised but did not say a word.
Breed watched them go and shook his head. “I hope that boy knows what he’s getting himself into with that one. His life will never be dull I can tell you that.”
Shyla closed her eyes and breathed in Greer’s scent as he carried her down the hall. She expected him to carry her back to the Infirmary but when he turned left instead of right at the first corridor, her heart beat a fraction faster. “Just where are you taking me, hot shot?”
“I’ve decided you belong to me and you’re not sleeping in anyone’s bed but mine from now on,” Greer stated calmly.
Shyla smiled sagely. “Oh, is that a fact? You decided that all on your own huh?”
“Yes, I did and before you blow up on me, I need you to know something.”
“And what would that be?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“When you came flying out of that trailer I never expected my heart to literally stop.” Greer paused in the hallway. “I mean I’ve met and been with a lot of women but none of them made my heart skip like you did at first glance. I mean fate hit me like a sledge hammer. I’m hoping you feel the same way but I can wait, if I have to.”
“And if I make you wait?” she asked with a raised brow.
“Don’t make me wait too long.” He growled. “I want you like I’ve never wanted any other woman but I know I have to wait. You have to be on board too. Just know when we do come together, you’ll be mine.”
“I need to know something too then,” Shyla told him. “If we do come together, and I stress the if part. I will not tolerate cheating. I don’t share my men with anyone.”
“And I don’t share either,” he growled. He leaned down and crushed her mouth under his and for a fraction of a moment, neither of them could move. Both were overwhelmed and so caught up in the power of that first kiss. By the time they broke away from each other, they were both panting heavily.