Toxin: Dead Souls MC: Prospects #5

by Rylan, Savannah

  I sighed. “And why’s that? I’m too pretty to bleed out in the street?”

  He slid his leg over his bike in front of me. “No. Because I need information from you.”

  “There they are. I’ve got them!” someone yelled.

  “The alleyway. I see them down there!”

  “I’ve got you now, you little bitch.”

  And when a bullet soared by me, I cried out in fear.

  He struck his bike back up and tore away from the alley. Men shot at us from the rooftops of the buildings we’d been stationed between. And I feared for my life. I clung to him again. Tears crested my eyes. My thigh burned more than anything I’d ever experienced, and my feet wanted to do nothing but rest. His bike skidded along the asphalt. Cars honked their horns as we blew through red lights and tore through stop signs. I felt the jostling of alleyways, even with my eyes closed. And I felt those alleyways give way to back roads. That gave way to main roads. That gave way to neighborhoods we zoomed through.

  I’m going to die tonight.

  Just as quickly as the gunfire started up, it ceased. The revving of those black SUVs could no longer be heard. I peeked out from beyond this man’s back, trying to figure out where we were. And when I heard the crashing of waves beside us, I lifted my head.

  The ocean was beautiful at night.

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  The man’s voice ripped me from my trance, and I looked at him. Stared into the back of his head. I peeked around, leaning to the side as I tried to figure out who the hell he was speaking with.

  And I saw an earpiece in his ear.

  How did the guards not see that?

  “Uh huh. I’m heading back. Got someone in tow that I think can help us. Yep. Our cover was blown. Not for the reason you think. Grave, will you—Rock, just—Brewer, tell them to shut the hell up.”

  I furrowed my brow before resting my cheek against his shoulder. Despite how much I wanted to throw this man off the cliffside that passed by us on the left, I still needed him to stay alive. Until I could figure out my next steps—or get in touch with Phillip—I had to play nice with the egotistical asshole.

  And, apparently, whoever his fucking friends were.

  7

  Toxin

  I ground my teeth together as I sped off toward the clubhouse. Why the fuck was this woman upset? I’d saved her ass. Ripped her out of the clutches of the mafia. Did she not understand what I’d given her? The freedom I’d just handed to her? Did she not understand the assholes she worked for? Assholes that wanted her dead, apparently!?

  I swallowed my growls.

  Her body pressed itself against mine. Her legs wrapped around my body. I kept stealing peeks down at her feet and the smallest part of my heart went out to her. Those blisters ripped me back. Took me back to a time where I felt helpless. Disposable. Used and abused.

  If anyone gets it, it’s me.

  Maybe the mafia had brainwashed her. Or maybe, she had some Stockholm Syndrome going on. Maybe they’d rewired her brain through training over the years or some shit like that. I’d understand that. I watched my mother go through it back in New Mexico. Back when I was a child.

  Back before she helped me escape.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Her voice piped up as I came to a stop.

  “Back to my clubhouse,” I said.

  “What clubhouse?”

  “The one where I stay.”

  “Why are you taking me there?”

  “Does it matter? Not like I’m taking you back to the mafia.”

  She scoffed. “Are you always such an asswipe?”

  Are you always such a bitch?

  I bit down onto the side of my cheek to keep from saying what I really wanted to say. Instead, I sped away from the light once it turned green. Natasha squealed before she clung to me again, and it made me grin. She seethed with anger against me. She had no choice, though. No choice but to trust and rely on me. At least, until we got off this damn bike and out of closed quarters.

  “Are we there yet?” she asked.

  “What are you, four?” I asked.

  “How much longer do we have? I’ve got a phone call to make.”

  “You won’t be making any of those at the clubhouse.”

  She scoffed. “And why the fuck not?”

  I sighed. “Because I just ripped you away from the mafia. For all I know, you’re going to call them to come pick you up and it’s going to put everyone at risk.”

  “You’re a dick.”

  “And you need to shut up.”

  I figured she’d slap me. Bite me. Do something to retaliate. But she didn’t do anything. Instead, she sighed and loosened her grip a bit. Trying to put some distance between us. That didn’t last long, though. I took turns a little sharper and sped a little faster. Forcing her to latch back onto me.

  This woman needed to know exactly the kind of situation she was in.

  “Are you going to kill me?” Natasha asked.

  It caught me off-guard how nonchalantly she asked that.

  “Why would you think that?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Are you?”

  “No.”

  “Are your friends?”

  “No. You’re safe with me.”

  “So, would they if I wasn’t with you?”

  I shook my head. “No. They wouldn't.”

  I pulled into the parking lot of the clubhouse and turned my bike off. I knew I had fucked up my mission. But at least I didn’t get myself killed. Now, the mission had changed: get Natasha to trust me enough to start spilling dirt on the people she worked for. Maybe, amidst all the waitressing she’d done, she had some viable information she didn’t know she had. Or something like that.

  Then, I heard Natasha giggle.

  “What?” I asked.

  I slid off my bike and watched her, but all she did was quirk an eyebrow.

  “You’re not going to offer me a hand?” she asked.

  “You’re a big girl. You’ve proven that enough tonight,” I said flatly.

  She rolled her eyes and got off the bike. And while I expected her to let out groans and gasps of pain, she didn’t. She clenched her jaw with a temperamental look on her face but didn’t complain about the pain in her feet. It made me wonder how long she’d been working for them.

  Or what had happened to her if she complained.

  “So, this is it?” she asked.

  “Yep,” I said.

  “This is the almighty clubhouse?”

  “Yep.”

  She nodded as her eyes scanned the building.

  “Looks like a piece of shit.”

  I was ready to duct tape this woman’s mouth closed.

  “Come on. Inside. Follow me,” I said.

  But when I started walking, she didn’t follow.

  “You coming?” I asked, not bothering to look back.

  “I’ll come when I’m ready.”

  “There’s a storm brewing over the ocean. You going to stand in the rain and let your feet get infected?”

  And once she sighed, I heard her making her way for me.

  I led us into the clubhouse, where all the guys stared at us. Grave, with his eyes ablaze with frustration. Rock, with his jaw raking against the damn floor. Brewer, with his eyes narrowed and his nose curled up. And Saint, with a look on his face I couldn't decipher. I didn’t want to take the time, either. I was tired. In a monkey suit. And in desperate need of a shower.

  So, all I did was shrug before I escorted Natasha down the hallway.

  “Not going to introduce me to your—”

  “Shut up and follow me or walk until you find someone else to deal with your shit,” I said curtly.

  “Um, I’m sorry. But from the sounds of it? You need me more than I need you.”

  “Says the girl who just got rescued from people willing to fill her with lead.”

  “They didn’t want to fill me with lead until you felt the need to play cowbo
y.”

  “Sorry I didn’t want to see you get raped.”

  “And sorry you think that’s new to me.”

  Her words sucker-punched me in my fucking gut. An anger unlike anything I’d ever known spilled over me. Someone raped her? When? Who? What was the fucker’s name and where did he live?

  I wanted to know all these questions.

  Because my fingertips suddenly craved blood.

  “This is your room,” I murmured.

  I pressed the door open and flicked on the light.

  “Not much in the way of decoration,” Natasha said.

  “It’s got a bed, a bathroom, and things you can use to clean up your feet. Have fun,” I said flatly.

  “So, you’re just going to leave me here and hope your friends don’t kill me in the middle of the night?”

  “Trust me, if anyone here wants to kill you, it won’t be because of your presence.”

  “Wow. You really know how to talk to the ladies.”

  “Usually, their mouths are too full to be talking if I’m in the picture.”

  “Ah, a big dick joke. Classy.”

  “I’m not the one wearing a low-cut flapper dress and a cheap push-up bra.”

  She glared at me. “Say something like that again and see what happens.”

  I gazed into her eyes. “I’m not the one wearing a low-cut flapper dress and a cheap. Fucking. Push-up bra.”

  Her chest panted with anger. Her skin flushed from her cheeks to the base of her neck. Her dark eyes ignited with fire, and when she licked her lips? My eyes followed the motion. They glistened for me. Hot pillows of softness for my cock to fall between.

  “You have no idea what I’ve been through in my life,” Natasha said softly.

  “And you have no idea what I’ve been through in mine,” I murmured.

  My face fell a little closer, my body stepping a bit toward hers. She didn’t move, either. Didn’t back away. Or close the door in my face. Or push me away. Her eyes danced between mine. Her breath pulsed against my lips. And as my eyes found hers again, there was something in them I couldn't place.

  It gave me pause.

  “What’s your name?” she whispered.

  Damn it, Toxin. The fuck are you doing?

  I jerked away, taking a couple steps backward.

  “You can call me Toxin. Now, get cleaned up and get some sleep. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

  Then, I left her alone to do whatever the fuck it was she needed to do.

  8

  Natasha

  What the hell was that about?

  I watched Toxin backtrack, taking his musky scent with him. I reached out and closed my door, then locked it for good measure. The last thing I needed was him coming back. The last thing I needed were his lips against mine. The man was a dick. An absolute asshole.

  But I want to kiss him.

  That didn’t make any sense, though. I didn’t like him. If anything, I wanted to slap the living shit out of him. I backed up until my legs hit the edge of the bed. I fell against the mattress, still staring at the door. My fingertips came up to my lips. The heat of his breath had been unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I cupped my hands together. I linked my fingers to keep them from trembling. I didn’t like the electricity slowly working its way down my spine. Making me shiver as my mind tried to make sense of the night and what had just happened.

  Ivan’s going to find me.

  The mafia had been my only protection. Phillip had been my only protection. I was more than willing to let Mr. Williams have his way with me tonight because I knew the guards would gun him down. I knew they would’ve found me and protected me. Like they always had. But now, Ivan would surely find me. Especially now that I was no longer under the protection of the mafia. I knew Ivan. I knew how his mind worked. He wouldn’t stop until he found me again. It wouldn’t shock me if, after all this time, he’d still been looking for me. Looking for his “property,” as he so called me sometimes.

  His willing little slave.

  Someone knocked on the door and I jumped up. I hissed at the pain in my feet as a shadow moved underneath the doorway. The knock came again, and my heart seized in my chest. Was it Toxin? No, he’d just come barreling in. Because he didn’t give a shit about privacy. That much he’d proven tonight. Was it another one of the guys? Come to take a look at the cheap girl I apparently was?

  “Hey, Brynn. Just leave those clothes in the hallway. She’s probably cleaning up.”

  I narrowed my eyes as Toxin’s voice wafted through the door.

  “I just want to talk to her,” the female said.

  “I know. And tomorrow, you can. But right now? She’s been through a lot. Let her sleep.”

  “You think maybe she saw Diesel?”

  “I didn’t see Diesel. So, I doubt she did.”

  “Then, how can she help us? Why did you bring her back here? We have to find my husband. Please, Toxin.”

  “I know, Brynn. I know. And we will. I know she’ll cooperate with us. Talk with us. Just—give her time. It’s been a hell of a night. Set the clothes down and let’s get you some water.”

  The tone of his voice was soft. Soothing, almost. Why hadn’t he spoken to me like that? It sounded so nice. So lovely. So… kind. Tears rose behind my eyes. The only person who ever spoken to me with that kind of kindness was Phillip. And now, he’d surely be gunning for my death, too. Unless he wanted to meet that same death with me.

  I hate my life.

  I sat back down on the bed and wiggled my way out of my clothes. I tossed my panties to the side and put my dress in the trash can. Then, I took off my bra. The night had been so insane that I’d completely forgotten about my tip money. About my phone. About my keys. It all came spilling out onto the floor. And as I stared at my phone—surrounded by almost three thousand dollars’ worth of tips—I thought about calling Phillip.

  Would the mafia take me back if I surrendered?

  Slowly, I reached for my phone. I picked it up, then pressed down onto the screen. I scrolled to Phillip’s number. I hovered my finger over it. One touch, and this might all be over. One touch, and they might come find me and give me a second chance.

  One touch, and they might snipe you from two thousand yards away.

  I put the phone beside me in bed and gathered up my money. I picked up the keys to my moped and snickered at them. No doubt, that thing was probably torched. Stripped down for evidence before being doused in gasoline. I tossed the keys into the garbage, too. They were worthless now. And after stuffing my money into the bedside drawer, I tucked my phone underneath the pillow.

  I needed a story before I called Phillip.

  I limped into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. I sat on the edge of the tub, sighing as the steam wrapped me up. I closed my eyes. I flexed my feet. It’d take them days to heal. Days to really look better again. I sat myself down in the bottom of the shower and cleaned myself off. I washed my skin with the only bar of soap I could find. I used the cheap shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair. Twice over, actually. Then, I carefully washed off my feet.

  Hissing as the pain coursed through my veins.

  I watched the dirt swirl down the drain. My makeup dripped along my cheekbones. I splashed water in my face, watching the black of my mascara and the tan of my foundation swirl around in the water. I sat there, allowing the hot water to pelt against me until there was nothing left. Until no dirt swirled and no makeup tainted the water.

  Until I felt somewhat whole again.

  Will I ever feel truly whole again?

  I turned the shower off and slipped out of the tub. As I walked on my bare heels, I reached for a towel. One that smelled like must. I wrinkled my nose and wrapped it around me, trying to ignore how many other people might have used this towel. And after wrapping another one around my head, I went and sat back on the edge of the bed.

  Giving myself a moment to breathe.

  I closed my eyes and cracked my neck
. I stretched my hands high into the sky. Holy shit, a shower hadn’t felt that good in a very long time. Months, easily. A quake worked its way through my body. One that involuntarily shook my head. A lopsided smile crossed my cheeks before I flopped back onto the bed. My back, bouncing against the mattress. I closed my eyes. I went over everything that had happened tonight. Including the first time I had laid eyes on Toxin.

  Who would’ve known he was such an asshole?

  My eyes fluttered open and I sighed. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. That always seemed to be my plight. I debated on whether or not to tell my new captors about Ivan. About what I’d run from and what I was scared of coming into contact with. Would they care? Would they protect me from him if he ever turned up?

  I didn’t know. Toxin didn’t really strike me as the kind of person that gave a shit either way.

  I slowly sat up and stripped myself of the towels. I tossed them to the floor, figuring I could bother with them in the morning. I mean, they already had a smell to them. Not like letting them air-dry would make a different. But as I started looking around for something to put on that wasn’t my outfit from tonight, something caught my ear.

  Voices, coming from down the hallway.

  I furrowed my brow as the sound grew. I pushed myself up off the bed and made my way for the door. I opened it and peeked my head out, completely forgetting about the clothes that had been left for me. And when I looked down, I saw them. Multiple articles of clothing just for me.

  I quickly picked them up but left my door ajar.

  Curiosity got the best of me. So, as I dried off and got dressed, I listened. I listened to Toxin’s voice as it rumbled down the hallway. I listened as multiple grown men talked over one another at once. After slipping into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, I hobbled back over to the door. I poked my head out. I looked both ways before slipping out into the hallway, creeping closer to their conversation.

  And as I perched at the corner of the main hallway, I heard their voices loud and clear.