My teeth gnash into my lips with such force that I instantly start bleeding. The metallic taste of my own blood mixes in my mouth as I debate about what to tell Gavin. If I lie, I risk putting us in danger. And if I tell the truth, I risk him knowing that I caused whatever is going to happen to us.
I did listen to him when he told me to go home and act normal. I did exactly that. When I got back to the house, still soaked in my jeans and hoodie, my mom looked me over as if she could tell. Her voice was almost an octave higher as she asked, “What are you doing here, Vanessa? I thought you were supposed to be…” She never finished her sentence.
“Oh, I got caught in the rain outside the lab after our lunch break,” I lied, knowing she could read right through my overly cheerful facade. This wasn’t supposed to be how a girl who was just publically reprimanded and nearly beaten by her own father was supposed to act, regardless of the family she comes from. “I didn’t want to go back to class soaked, so I asked the professor for some time to run home and change, and she said I could. I’m just going to run upstairs and grab a new outfit, and I’ll head back for the rest of the night.”
She had already tuned me out, but it had given me a chance to make a break for the bedrooms. My parents’ door was still ajar slightly, giving me enough of a chance to see if my dad had taken his wallet off of the dresser. He had, and by now, he knew what I had done.
I knew I had to move quicker. Despite what Gavin said, being here at home was like a deer standing in the middle of a hunting ground. I was putting way too big of a target on my own back. Despite having a bag full of clean clothes, I still changed into the first outfit I could get a hold of—a light blue sundress with buttons running from the hem to the neck. It wasn’t exactly appropriate getaway clothes, especially if we were riding on Gavin’s chopper, but it would have to do.
As soon as I was dressed and had knotted my hair into a better braid, I marched myself back down to the living room where my mom sat silently watching her shows. I kissed her forehead gently taking in her perfume, the same she always wore, before whispering a goodbye. She never said anything back, nor did she try to stop me. It was as if she knew that this was the best and only choice for me, like she had said the night before.
My hand was on the doorknob when I heard him from the other side. He was like a low rumble waiting to burst out of a volcano. My feet stuttered back towards the hallway, and to my side, my mother appeared near my arm. We both listened to him as he jiggled the lock of the door and muttering, “I’m going to kill that fucking brat.”
“Run.” My mother pleaded with me, “Go out the backdoor. I’ll try to stall him.”
I turned towards her, giving her one last glance as I sprinted through the hallway, towards the kitchen. Behind me, the door flung open and slammed against the wood wall. My mother calmly said in her best, sunny voice, “Hello Jonah. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon. I was just taking a nap. Must have fallen asleep to my shows...”
Everything trailed off as I rounded the house, past the tree that leaned against my window, and through the bushes. I ducked, as I noticed the front door was still open. My father remained in the middle of entryway, raging at my mom. “Olivia! That girl! That whore daughter of yours stole my damn money!”
“Now wait, Jonah. You’re talking about Vanessa here. You know she wouldn’t do that. Are you sure it wasn’t one of your boys? Those new men you got protecting you, well, I don’t trust them much.”
“No, Olivia! It was Vanessa! I know it.”
“Well, she isn’t here for you to ask. She’s at school. She’s supposed to be in lab all afternoon and then doing rounds at night at the clinic. You’re just going to have to wait till she gets back.”
He doesn’t take the alibi. I heard him roar, as he pointed out, “Then why is her car in the driveway? Do you think I’m stupid, Olivia? Do you think you married an idiot?”
“Oh come on now, Jonah. One of her classmates picked her up while you were in the shower this morning. Annie or Andrea. I don’t remember the name. She said she didn’t want to drive that beater because the weather report said storms were on the way.”
My stomach turned violently as I realized that getting to my getaway car was nowhere near possible until he closed that door. And even then, I was going to have to get that old thing to start up without him noticing. I needed a miracle, or at least a plan.
And then it happened. I stood up a bit as I watched my mother bravely reach behind my father and grab the door, pushing it shut. In that second, I saw her eyes scan the yard for any sign of me. She was giving me seconds, just seconds, to make my run. I darted to the car, leaping over the bush concealing me. Luckily, I left it unlocked, allowing me to sneak in without being noticed.
There was a slam—a door closing. I ducked on the front of the seat trying to make myself as flat as possible, but it was too late for me. I only counted to three before there were hands around my ankle, pulling me out. I tried to kick back, to scream to call for help. But he was too powerful for me, and I’m yanked out of the car in one large pull.
My head slammed to the ground, hitting the concrete straight on. I picked myself up, but there was a sharp sting as he smacked the side of my head with the back of his palm. It landed right where he had hit me almost twenty-four hours earlier. The pain pulsated around my eye and shot up to my forehead.
“What do you think you’re doing, Vanessa? You think you can just steal from me, from your own father? Who do you think I am?” His yells were incoherent and all ran together. I could barely make them out over the sound of my ear buzzing.
“I don’t… I don’t…” I wasn’t sure what I was answering or trying to explain. Lying or telling the truth would get me nowhere now.
“I don’t want to hear it, you filthy, ungrateful child!”
He stood over me, his fists in a ball. I placed my hands over my head as I screamed back at him, “Please! Just let me go! Let me go!”
“You think you can run away? That I won’t track you down? You think you can make it out there on your own?”
“Please, daddy. I just want to go. Will you let me do that?”
All of a sudden, he moved. He stood to the side, his head hung low in his hands. A small chuckle came out of his mouth, as he turned back to my mother who stood in the doorway. “You did this. You raised this girl to be disobedient and disrespectful. Now she thinks she is better than us.”
“That’s not what I said,” I replied. “I just want to get away from the club. I’m tired of it.”
His head shot back in my direction, as he answered quickly, “Then you know what, go. I’ll give you a good head start. But you will be found. I’ll be sure of that. And if I don’t find you, someone else will, and by then, you’ll be crawling back to this house.”
“What?” I answered confused. “You’re letting me go?”
“Yeah. I want to see you fail. I want to see you suffer just so you have to beg me.” He walked over to me with his large feet scuffing against the stone. He reached down and pulled the purse from around my neck and dived his hands into it. He pulled out my wallet and the wad of cash I stuffed in there earlier. “But you won’t be doing it with my money.”
“I…I—” I couldn’t help but stammer. I wasn’t completely dumbstruck by what was happening. On one hand, he was giving me my freedom, but I knew it was going to come at a price. He wasn’t going to let me out of town without a fight or at least a chase. And whoever found me first wasn’t going to treat me with kid gloves.
I didn’t even finish my sentence. I only looked back to my mom who had not moved an inch since walking outside. Tears streamed down her face, as she held a hand to her mouth. I nodded in her direction before running towards my car. My parents disappeared in my rearview mirror. Each stood in their places, neither one moving. Frozen in time, I didn’t think I’d ever forget that moment…when I was given my chance to run by my own jailer.
The clock on my car’s dash read five o�
��clock. I only had an hour to get to Gavin, but before I could take off, I had one last stop. After seeing my mom like that, I couldn’t let her just sit there, not knowing whether I lived or died. That would be letting my father win. I had to, instead, set up a middleman with the one person I trusted.
Alice was beside herself when I showed up looking more bruised, battered, and wet than she had ever seen me. Her arms raised to me, pulling me in for a hug. It was the sisterhood of the daughters of the Pagans. We had now all been victims by our fathers and boyfriends. I was just joining the fold late.
“So he’s just letting you go?” she asked after I finished telling my story.
“Yeah, but he’s going to try to find me. I know he is. Gavin says he can get us out of the state, but I know my dad and brother better than he does.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Moses told me that there is some shit going down between Gavin and Martin. The whole drinks at the bar thing kind of spiraled, and some shit was said against your brother. I don’t really understand it, but I think Gavin knows more than he lets on.”
“I don’t really care, Alice. All I want is to just get the hell out of California. But I need to know that you will be my messenger when or if I do. I just want my mom to know that I’m okay. Will you do that?”
“Yeah, you know I will. But what about tonight? Where are you going to meet him?”
I blurted it out before I could stop myself, “Exit 28, Senators’ territory. Gavin knows it over there better than anyone else.”
Her mouth dangled open, as she took everything in. After a long, drawn out pause, she asked, “Are you sure this is what you want, Vanessa?”
“Yes.” I glanced back up at the clock. I was already running late. I’m never late, but today, he was going to have to wait for me. I looked back down at my friend who looked almost more upset than I was and reassured her, “I’m going to be fine, Alice. I’m going to be free… finally!”
“Just be safe out there. I trust you know what you’re doing.”
With that, I walked back out the door and to my car. The empty road should have given me pause, but I didn’t notice it. I was so focused on just getting on the highway, past Bloody Pagan-land. Crossing over to the other side was almost like a relief, a safety net. And Gavin still waiting for me in that mud soaked field only made the rest of my day melt away.
Now, he stood before me asking if I gave us away, and I couldn’t decide how to answer him. With the motorcycles roaring in the distance and both of us scrambling to just escape, all I could answer his question with was a simple, “Yes. I told someone.”
“Who? Who the fuck did you tell?”
“Alice. I told Alice.” My mind flashes to her. She wouldn’t have told anyone that information unless it was tortured out of her. I could only imagine what my father, and possibly hers, would do to her if they suspected that she knew where I had gone or what I was doing.
“We have to go, Vanessa.” He leaps into the front seat and starts up the car.
My mouth goes dry, and I can barely speak through the large lump in my throat. “No, Gavin. You go.”
“What? Are you out of your mind?” He turns back to me, as I step out of the backseat. He follows me, his hands raised. The lights of the motorcycles shine above us over the exit ramp. They are only minutes away.
“No. I’m not crazy, but I most likely got Alice killed, and now you’re next. I can’t let anyone else’s life be destroyed because I wanted to escape my dad. I want you to go, Gavin. Go back home and pretend like this never happened. Pretend like you never met me.”
He walks towards me, his legs striding through the rain soaked grass and gravel. “I can’t do that, Vanessa. Not now, not after what we’ve been through. I won’t leave you.”
“You have to, Gavin. This isn’t right.” We both turn our heads as the first motorcycle makes its way down the curve through the illuminated streaks of rain. “Please. Just go.”
He pulls me in tight against his chest. His leather jacket scrapes against my face, but I hold him even closer. A hand lifts my chin up towards him, as he says over the noise of the motorcycles nearly surrounding us, “I won’t forget you. I’ll be back.”
“Go, Gavin. Just go.” I push away from him and slip in the front seat of my car. My head turns to watch him pull his Harley out of the mud and on to the side street. His engine purrs under him as he takes off like a jet in the opposite direction of the gang of bikes moving in on us.
Moments later, I’m being dragged out of the car by my own hair. My brother spits at my feet as he asks, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Vanessa?”
CHAPTER 18
The rain hits my face like tiny daggers slicing into my skin. The visibility on the road is unlike anything I’ve ridden in before, and I can actually feel my bike slipping side to side as I try to stay the course. To my side, my mirrors light up with flashing yellow lights. They’re on my tail, maybe only a mile back.
This is my worst nightmare—being hunted down by my own club. Not that I didn’t think it wouldn’t eventually happen. Growing up an outcast to these boys, there was always some fear that I would cross a line or make someone angry enough that I’d be chased out of town. I just didn’t expect that after all that I’d done, it would come down to screwing with the club president’s daughter.
Then again, it was worth it. Her soft skin against mine, her fingertips dragging small cuts as I pushed into her, her hair unfurling before me… she may be young and inexperienced, but that was an experience I would never want to forget. I just wish it could have lasted longer. Whether it’s the thrill of the ride and the bike bouncing underneath me or my mind drifting back to Vanessa and those breasts bouncing rhythmically to my pounding, I’m still flying half-mast.
I shake my head, pushing back the thought of her. I can’t focus on that right now. While I know she’s in trouble, realistically, I also know that her father wouldn’t do anything too harsh to her once he brought her back. She would survive. She proved that to me already. But I am a different story. I am a body they could toss without question. No one would probably notice if I didn’t show up for work, at least not after the stunt I pulled earlier in the day after talking to Thad.
Thad. Shit. I press a button against the side of my helmet, turning on the Bluetooth. I shout Thad’s name into the speaker near my lips until I hear the familiar beep and the sound of a dial. My mind races, pleading with the buzzing on the other end of the phone. Pick up, Thad, I think. Come on, you son of a bitch.
“Hello?” A surprised voice comes over the line. “What the fuck is going on Gavin?”
“I’m being chased down by some Pagans—that’s what’s going on. How the hell did you know that?”
“It’s all over the comm lines. We’re supposed to be keeping a lookout for you. And if we catch you, we’re to report back to Martin.” There’s a pause followed by a long moan. “Shit. Who turned you in?”
“I’m not sure, but I think either our ex-vice president’s daughter, or her slimy boyfriend Moses.”
“Fuck! I knew that kid couldn’t be trusted. How close are they?”
“A half a mile back, or less. I’m going to turn off the frontage road and back on the highway. Hopefully getting further into King territory will scare them away before they start shooting. But I need something from you first.” I am practically howling over the sound of the wind and the rain against my headphones.
“What, man?”
“What you told me earlier, about Barber working with the Senators. Is that true? Did you find anything else out about it?”
The other line goes silent as I shout, “Thad! Are you there? Thad!”
“I’m--I’m here. I just, I don’t know, man. I don’t want to get myself in trouble. Hattie is expecting, and I can’t—”
“I get it. I get it. But I’m dead if I don’t have some leverage. Do you get me? I can keep you out of it. And you know I’ll protect you. But I can’t do that unless you give
me everything.”
“Okay, okay. There was something after you left. A shipment came in—lots of cash, probably at least eighteen thousand bucks. I was told to put it into the secret account—all of it. Then when I cut the checks, I asked Barber about it again; he told me that it shouldn’t be distributed.”
“Shit. That’s enough. I’ll think of a story. You won’t be hung dry.”
“Thanks. Just hope you don’t have to use it. Get to the other side, stay safe, and don’t let Martin catch you. He’s gunning for your head.”
“Literally,” I reply dryly before hanging up on him. My motorcycle careens off towards the exit ramp, going the wrong way. I ignore all of the red signs, as I hug the curve. A car skids by me, wailing on his horn. When I make it onto the highway, I skid across the two southbound lanes, across the median, and towards the other side where I come so close to an eighteen-wheeler that I can reach out and touch the rivets along its body.
BABY FOR A PRICE: Marino Crime Family Page 70