Laced with Fear (Cash Bar Book 1)

by Hayley Faiman

  Since he’s my vice president, I don’t hold back. I tell him what Ginger said, and that I need to get the hell down to the hospital.

  There are four prospects tied to a chair in front of us, and we’ve just started demanding answers. However, I have to go. I cannot stay here, not when Ginger needs me.

  “Go to them, we got this. I’ll keep you updated. Do the same?” he asks.

  Lifting my chin. “I need everything on that woman, everything you found and more,” I growl.

  “I’m on it, Snake,” he confirms.

  Leaving the men, I hurry toward my bike. It doesn’t take me long to ride to the hospital, and I’m thankful that I’m on my bike. Once both feet are on the ground, I run toward the NICU.

  I expect Ginger to be a complete mess, and my mother-in-law to be pissed the fuck off. When I walk to the door, I see neither scenario. Both are sitting in front of Evalyn’s little bed and they’re quiet, just watching her. Ginger must sense me because she slowly turns around and a look of relief crosses her features.

  “I need to know it all,” I demand.

  “I’m going to the restroom, I’ll be back in a few,” Roberta announces.

  She leaves, and I sit down in her chair, letting out a sigh. My body finally relaxes a bit, seeing with my own eyes that neither of my girls are harmed.

  Ginger tells me everything that cunt said to her, each word causing me to become angrier and angrier. It will never end, not ever, not as long as someone in that fucking organization is still breathing. Goddammit.

  “I can’t leave her here,” Ginger whispers, looking from me to Evalyn.

  I grunt. “Fuck no, you can’t.”

  Standing, I walk toward one of the nurses that I’ve seen a few times. “I need to talk to Evalyn’s doctor,” I demand.

  Her back stiffens and I know I’ve been too harsh with my tone, but I don’t care. I’m fucking scared, and I don’t do scared well. She nods but doesn’t speak as she hurries over to a phone, her eyes fixated on me and fear looming in her gaze the entire time.

  No less than fifteen minutes later, the doctor walks through the door. Roberta is back in her chair, but I don’t want the women to hear me, so I meet the doctor halfway. “Is there a problem Mr. Gordon?” he asks.

  “I need to take Evalyn home, tonight if possible,” I announce.

  His lips press together, and he narrows his eyes. “I’d like her to gain some more weight, Mr. Gordon. Can you tell me why you need her to go home all of a sudden?”

  “I have cause for concern, about her safety,” I state.

  I’m not feeding him any bullshit, and I’m halfway tempted to just fucking take her. What would he really do? Call the cops, the same ones that are on my goddamn payroll?

  “I assure you, Mr. Gordon, Evalyn is perfectly safe—” I hold up my hand to stop him from going any further.

  “Who is Nurse Billingsly?” I demand. I memorized that cunt’s badge the first time she gave me a bad gut feeling.

  The doctor’s brows tug together and he looks from me to Evalyn, then over to the nurse who is assuredly watching us, then back to me. “She shouldn’t be on this floor,” he mutters, almost to himself.

  “She was here twice, and she threatened my wife. I need my baby home with me, where she’ll be safe.”

  “I understand your concern, but Evalyn has an alarm on her ankle, nobody could take her, even if they wanted to,” he lamely explains.

  Taking a step closer to him, I reach out and fist his crisp white shirt in my hand. “Listen, you pencil dick fuck. I’ve been nice, and I’ve explained to you why I want my child home. I could go into detail about the things that could happen to a baby, that could hurt her, without her leaving this facility.

  “Honest to fuck, I don’t even want to think about it, let alone say it. So, I suggest you release my goddamn daughter, and you do it fast before I decide you’re on my radar. I have a feeling that you don’t want to be there, or put your family there,” I growl.

  He shakes his head and swear to fuck, he looks like he’s about to piss himself. “Okay. I’ll sign off on her release, but you have to swear you’ll follow my instructions to a T. If for any reason you even suspect there’s a problem, I want you to bring her right back here. You can stay with her the whole time, I don’t care,” he rambles as his body quakes with fear.

  “Sounds good,” I grumble, releasing him and smoothing his shirt out. “Hurry on up, now,” I hiss.

  His back straightens, and he rushes off to gather up paperwork. Turning back toward Ginger, I make my way over to her.

  “I don’t even want to know what you said, do I?” she asks on a whisper.

  I grunt, refusing to answer. “I’m going to get the Jeep and bring it around. The car seat is still inside, right?”

  “Why?” she breathes.

  I give my woman a grin. “Because we’re bringing our baby home,” I announce.

  Roberta gasps beside me, but my eyes are focused on my woman, and my woman only. Her bottom lip starts to tremble, and I watch as tears fall down her cheeks. I hunch down and place my hands on her outer thighs.

  Ginger reaches for me, her hands cupping my cheeks. “Thank you, Pres,” she whimpers.

  I lean forward resting my forehead against hers. “Anything for my girls, peaches. Fucking anything for you two,” I truthfully admit.

  Once the doctor returns, I sign all of the release paperwork while he gives specific instructions to Ginger about the care of Evalyn. Fifteen minutes later Evalyn and Ginger are being wheeled down to the exit and I rush over to the Jeep, bringing it around for them. I help them load up into the car.

  Handing the keys to Roberta, I let them both know that I’ll meet them at home, and that I’ll be right behind them. I watch as they take off, my entire world in one vehicle.

  Pulling out my cell, I call Free. “What do you know?” I demand.

  “She’s not from here which we already knew. She moved about two months ago and got a job at the hospital. She’s from a little town up north, in the middle of nowhere’s land. I need to dig into that town, I have a feeling it could lead us to the compound,” he mutters the exact thought that popped into my head. “She doesn’t have an address listed anywhere, not here or her hometown. She’s been picking up her paychecks right there at the hospital. That’s all I have so far.”

  “What about the prospects?” I ask.

  He lets out a snort. “Quint admitted to being knocked over the head the other day. Was embarrassed he let someone get the drop on him. When he came to, his prospect jacket was gone, but he found it a few hours later in the parking lot. Thought he somehow took it off and left it there, some stupid shit like that. Whoever did this came onto our land more than once, undetected,” he growls.

  “Fuck,” I hiss. I tell him that Evalyn is home and that I won’t be able to get back to the clubhouse until the morning. He’s in charge, and to find out as much as he fucking can between now and tomorrow morning. “In the morning, we’re crackin’ heads and taking names. I want this cunt of a nurse’s head.”

  “Sounds good, Snake,” he says.

  I straddle my bike and point it toward home.

  Back to my girls.

  GINGER

  In the hospital, Evalyn was such a quiet baby. She was so small and sweet. Something happened to her between then and now though. She’s definitely found her voice, and she doesn’t mind even a tiny bit about boasting it loudly. Well, as loudly as she can.

  She was up every hour, on the hour, last night. I didn’t mind, in fact, I was happy to get up with her. Although, she could sleep a little more today and I would be okay.

  My mom and Prescott left about an hour ago. Pres took her to the airport, then he went to the clubhouse. He swears he won’t be gone too long, but I know him.

  I know that there’s something big going down, not to mention, he loses track of time very easily when he’s down there at the clubhouse.

  Evalyn screams in my arms, so I
reach for the bottle and slip the nipple in her mouth. She latches on quickly and I smile down at her as she sucks down the milk.

  Rocking her, I’m unable to take my eyes off of her, she’s absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was never going to be able to bring her home with me, and here she is, finally in my arms at home.

  Once she’s eaten, I change her, and take her up to her room, placing her in her crib. I grab the baby monitor from the dresser, and walk out of her room, turning it on so that I can hear her if she needs me.

  Making my way toward my bedroom, I decide to lie down as well. My eyes are almost closed when I hear a noise. My heart starts to race in my chest, it pounds, and I strain to hear more of whatever that noise was.

  It happens again, and I sit up. I leave the monitor in my room, and make sure Evalyn’s door is closed before I grip my cell in my hand and slowly walk downstairs.

  “Fuck,” a voice hisses and my back straightens.

  “Goddamn man, you’re going to wake them up,” Prescott’s voice booms. I let out a sigh of relief and continue down the rest of the staircase.

  “Too late, you already scared the shit out of me,” I mutter as I walk into the kitchen.

  Prescott’s lips lift into a grin and he walks toward me, pressing his lips to the corner of my mouth. “Sorry, peaches,” he murmurs.

  “What’s going on?”

  He lets out a long sigh and takes a step back. “Jones’ group must have had a serious plan in case he was taken out. It was them who took our shipment, and of course that bitch was working in the hospital. They were beginning to infiltrate our town, in hopes of wiping us out, and taking over the entire territory,” he explains.

  “So, what happens now?” I breathe.

  Prescott shakes his head once. “Don’t worry, peaches. I got all this shit under control. Just came here to check on you both.”

  I tell him that Evalyn has been fussy, but she’s been eating and nothing seems out of the ordinary for her. I mention that maybe her extra fussiness is just because of her new surroundings.

  “Probably, peaches. You go get some rest, yeah?” He bends down and presses his lips to mine.

  I nod in agreement, with a yawn, then make my way back upstairs. I press my ear against Evalyn’s door and she’s quiet as can be. I sit down on my bed and am surprised when Prescott’s voice filters through the room. I walk a little closer to the door so that I’m able to hear him better as he talks to Free.

  “We have a lead on their compound. We’ll get together a group and call in some reinforcements to see what we’re dealing with there. Motorhead got that cunt from the hospital and she’s at the clubhouse.”

  “I was able to track down our truck, but our merchandise was gone,” Free states.

  “Luckily, we’ve got enough in our savings to cover an extra shipment, but it puts a hefty dent in it,” Prescott says. “We’ll just have to keep dealing with them until we find their true leader, their power source.”

  Free grunts before he continues. “They’re going to continue being a pain in our asses, aren’t they? For how long?”

  “For as long as it takes, brother. I want them away from my family, but until they’re eradicated they’ll keep coming back. We need to go to the source and wipe them off the face of the earth,” Prescott growls.

  “Fuck yeah we do,” Free agrees.

  I close my eyes tightly. I’ve felt stronger, braver than I ever have, but right now it’s as if it’s all gone out the window.

  I feel weak, and scared.

  No, I feel terrified, fear climbs up my throat and I try to hold back my whimper. They’re never going to leave us alone, and they’re going to terrorize us, and Evalyn.

  “They won’t do shit, peaches.” My eyes pop open and I’m surprised to see Prescott standing right in front of me. “They won’t ever touch you again, and they’ll never touch Evalyn.”

  “How do you know?” I whisper.

  He wraps his hand around the base of my throat, leaning forward before he whispers. “Ginger, I know because I won’t let them. Not ever again. I’m aware, they won’t catch me off guard, and I’ll always be looking for them. I will disassemble them. It’s a fucking promise,” he growls.

  I nod, taking a big gulp of air before I continue. “I don’t want to be scared, Pres. I want to be brave, and strong, but I’m full of fucking fear. It will never go away.”

  Prescott squeezes my neck gently “You’re brave, peaches. It’s okay to be fearful of them, they’re unknown. They take no mercy, but you know what?”

  “What?” I whisper.

  “Neither do I. They will all burn to the ground, and I’ll be holding the accelerant. They’ll watch me laugh as they burn, and I won’t feel one ounce of remorse. Not one fucking ounce of it.”

  My lips tip with a small smile. “That’s awful,” I whisper.

  He grins, his smile wide and bright. “It’s the goddamn truth of it, though. I will protect you with my life, and I’ll destroy any fucker who attempts to hurt you, Evalyn, or the club. It will not be tolerated. How they thought they could come here, and take you from me, and take my club, I don’t know. They’ll learn though, every single one of them will learn.”

  “I love you, Prescott,” I murmur.

  He dips his head, his lips brushing mine. “I love you so fuckin’ much, peaches.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  SNAKE

  Leaving Ginger and Evalyn at home, Free and I head back to the clubhouse. I want that nurse for myself, and I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of torturing her for information. Not sure what that says about me as a man, looking forward to torturing a woman, but right now she’s not a woman to me, she’s a goddamn animal.

  Motorhead and Fish are standing outside of the warehouse door when Free and I arrive. They both lift their chins and step aside, allowing me to walk into the metal building. Crooner is inside, sitting across from the nurse who is tied to a chair exactly where I left her.

  “Tell me where that compound is,” I demand.

  She smirks but doesn’t speak, her lips pressed firmly together. Rage fills my body just at the sight of her, let alone her silence making it boil stronger. I step closer to her, leaning down so that my face is all she sees.

  “Do you think you’re being a martyr for your cause?” I whisper.

  “I will be rewarded,” she states.

  I chuckle, turning my head to the side for just a moment before I whip it back to her. “Maybe the devil will reward you, but I’ll tell you that the pain you’re going to suffer before you get to where you’re going won’t be worth it,” I hiss.

  She leans back and then forward, spitting in my face. Thankfully she misses my eyes, and her spit lands on my forehead. I wouldn’t want any diseases from this cunt.

  Lifting my hand, she flinches. I don’t slap her like I want to, instead, I wipe her spit from my face, straightening my body when I do.

  “Cut her pants off,” I growl.

  Crooner grunts as he stands beside me. I watch as he slowly makes his way over to her. He’s still moving at a turtle’s pace, but I’m just glad to see him up and moving around anymore. I hear the warehouse door open and close. Turning my head slightly, I watch as Fish and Motorhead walk into the room.

  “A prospect and a brother relieved us. I personally didn’t want to miss this shit,” Motorhead announces.

  “Ready, Snake,” Crooner growls.

  Free chuckles and I turn back to see Nurse Billingsly. She’s shaking as tears stream down her face. She’s not the tough bitch she thought she was after all. “What are you going to do to me?” she asks on a whisper. Her eyes wide with obvious fear, her bravado all but disappeared.

  “Depends,” I say. The room stays silent for a beat, but she doesn’t ask anymore, so I decide to offer the information up to her. “Depends on the information you give us. You tell me where the compound is, how many men protect it, and how many women and children are there. Then I won’t do anything but slit
your throat. You don’t… it’s fair game on what happens to you. We can get real fucking creative.”

  Her resolve is slipping, so I patiently wait while she weighs her options. Something about what I’ve said doesn’t trigger the response I thought I’d get. Her spine straightens again, and her eyes narrow on me. “You’ll never find them, and you’ll never know how many strong we are. How many armies we’re creating, one-by-one. I won’t tell you shit,” she states.

  I pull the knife out of my waistband, walking back over to her. Her thighs are spread and tied to the legs of the chair, her pants and underwear cut and ripped from her body. I press the tip of my knife to the inside of her ankle and slowly drag it up her calf to her knee, stopping right there. “You sure you don’t want to tell me anything?” I ask, my eyes on hers.

  “No,” she whimpers as her body shakes.

  I shake my head once. “Seems like a painful thing to endure. I won’t kill you today though,” I whisper.

  “You won’t?” she asks.

  Free chuckles behind me. He knows my plan and knows that I have so much more in store for this bitch. “I won’t. You think that you can threaten my wife, talk the way you did about my baby, and then threaten my club as well, and I’ll just give you an easy death?” I ask tipping my head to the side. I continue dragging the knife farther up the inside of her thigh, stopping when I reach her pussy.

  “Last chance,” I warn.

  Watching her face, her eyes pinch closed tightly as do her lips. She sucks in a breath as her body tightens, preparing for the knife I’m about to insert into her cunt. She has some serious loyalty and I should praise her for that, too bad she’s fucked up in the head.

  Slowly I slide the knife inside of her and she lets out a scream. I smirk, the tough bitch ain’t so goddamn tough when a knife is fucking her. “Ready to talk?” I shout over her cries.

  “Never,” she hisses.

  Blood coats my hand as I pump the knife in and out of her a few times. Her eyes start to roll into the back of her head and that’s when I stop. Standing I take a step back and look down at my handiwork. Free hands me a towel and I clean my knife off, setting it on a nearby table before I clean my hands.