by Sam Crescent
“What were you hoping would happen?”
“That we’d get lucky. Those assholes would show themselves, and then we could go home.”
“They’ve been doing this a long time. They know the drill. When the heat starts on them, they either move town, or wait for it to die down. The city is a good place for them though. I wouldn’t be surprised if women weren’t already gone.”
“Why?”
“In the city, it’s a big enough place for women to get lost. If there’s a runaway or a kid in the foster system, often someone doesn’t report them missing and just assumes they’ll turn up. Time starts to pass, and before they even realize their mistake, the kid’s long gone, sold, and they’ve moved onto the next person. Then of course there are the prostitutes that walk the street at night. No one is going to report them as missing. What you need to realize, Lewis, is if they can find someone, they will. They can operate under the radar.”
“I don’t like it.”
She saw he was really struggling to deal.
“Don’t. Don’t beat yourself up about this.”
“You were loved, Mandy.”
“I know.” She kissed him again, hoping that she could offer him some kind of comfort, but there was nothing for her to give. “Are we going home?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I want to keep you safe forever.”
She laughed. “You will. I love you, Lewis. I believe in you.”
“I’m not going to use you as bait.”
“I guess the other guys have come up with a similar solution. Using me to get to them.”
He held her just a little bit tighter. “They think if you start to make an appearance by my side, and with our wedding, it could lure them out. We’ll all be ready for anything that would happen.”
Part of Mandy knew it would come to this. Even as they ran to his island to get away from the danger, she knew they wouldn’t have much choice but to take matters into their own hands.
She would never forget this time she’d spent away with him. “We’ve got to go back. You know what they say is right. The only way we can carry on is if we allow the rest of the world to see us.”
“We’ll go back, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. I don’t give a fuck what anyone else says. That is what I say.”
She laughed. “Have you already organized our return?”
“Yes. It was why I came to get you. I can cancel it at any time.”
“We can’t. This is it, Lewis. I guess in a way it’s our final stand against them.”
He pulled her down for a kiss and she took it, knowing that the moment she left the island, her life would be in constant danger as long as Elijah and Robert were free.
****
“‘Billionaire Lewis Cox just recently announced his engagement. No one knows much of the woman in question, other than her name is Mandy Watson, but it is sure to be the event of the year as everyone waits for this love to blossom,’” Jamie said.
Lewis pulled Mandy against him, kissing her neck. All of the Billionaire Bikers MC were standing in his penthouse apartment. They had been back to reality for a week. Lewis had caught up on some of the major contracts that had been causing problems, and of course with the news of his engagement, it had answered everyone’s questions as to why he was away. He’d been alone having a romantic getaway with the love of his life.
“It’s not all fun, though,” Blake said. “One of the newspapers has called her a gold-digger, and has even started a bet on how long your marriage will last.”
“I don’t give a fuck what they think,” Lewis said.
“The marriage is real, then? I know you’ve been in love with her, but I didn’t know it had moved that far,” Russ said. “I’ve been out of the loop for a little while.”
“Mandy’s the love of my life. I asked her to marry me, and she agreed.” All the guys knew he’d wanted to wait to give Mandy the chance to recover.
“He’s going to be doing a pre-nup, though. I’ve told him to do that,” Mandy said.
“I told you it’s not happening.”
“That’s going to cause a major stir,” Jamie said. “I like this. Are you going to the charity event next week? It’s for disadvantaged children. It can be the first real photo opportunity for your girl here. We can have her dressed up in the finest, and then we can showcase her to the world as your bride.”
“I hate doing that shit. You know I always arrive around the back of the charity, and leave without anyone catching sight of me,” Lewis said.
“Yeah, but this is your chance to really get in there and show the world that you mean business. A couple of shots of the two of you together, smiling at each other, it’ll sell the story,” John said.
“That could really work,” she said. “He thinks I’m his property. Elijah, the man Robert works for. He thinks that by rights I’m all his. I was his biggest success, and his biggest mistake. I know things that terrify him. I know how he works. Seeing me on the arm of a rich billionaire, and if you touch me, it could draw him out.”
Lewis didn’t like it, but what he was starting to see was that it didn’t matter what he liked or disliked. He had no choice.
“You’ve all got to be there,” Lewis said. “I’m not going to an event unless I’m one hundred percent sure that she’s safe. I won’t risk it. This marriage will be real. Mandy is the love of my life, and I’m claiming her as my own.”
“Another old lady into the mix. Anna and Temperance will be pleased. They can’t wait until all of you have fallen in love with your women,” Russ said. His old lady was Anna. She was one of the women they had saved from traffickers.
Temperance was Richard’s PA, but he had entered into a ménage with her and her best friend, Jay.
Mandy tensed in his arms, and he squeezed her shoulders, trying to offer her comfort.
“So, first we need a kick-ass dress for the charity gala. Then we’ve got to have a few outfits for outings. You know, dates. You’ve got to go public with this,” Blake said.
“He’s right. The entire world will be watching,” Sean said.
“I’m a businessman, not a celebrity.” Lewis didn’t like being on display or pandering to the press.
“You’re a billionaire about to get hitched. In this day and age, that means something. A bachelor taken off the market,” Russ said. “It’ll happen for every single one of us. You’ve just got to see that.”
“What about the club?” Lewis asked. Since they’d been away there hadn’t been much to do for the club. The women who serviced them had been paid handsomely to take a break, and of course to keep their mouths shut.
“Until our enemies are gone, I say we work like this for now. Sticking to secret meetings. Working together to bring them out. Mandy and Anna have to be safe,” Dave said. “We can’t let our enemies get a hold of them.”
“I bet it’s not like this for any of the other MCs out there,” Lewis said, getting more agitated as the day wore on. He was pissed that he had to play by ruthless fuckers’ rules. He wasn’t used to being told what to do. It had been a long time since anyone had any kind of hold on him.
“We’re not like other MCs,” Jamie said. “This is what we agreed to. We don’t put ourselves or anyone at risk. Mandy is the biggest risk, and she’s our best asset for the club. Using your relationship, we’re hoping it’ll drive this guy crazy and draw him out.”
Lewis didn’t like it, and even as Jamie and Blake made a date to help dress Mandy, he couldn’t be swayed.
“Do you find it weird that I’ve got two men to dress me rather than the two women?” Mandy asked, taking a seat on the sofa.
He stared at her, wondering what the hell he was going to do.
“Everything is going to be fine,” she said. “You’re worrying way too much.”
“Anna and Temperance are not good enough when it comes to fashion. Blake and Jamie know their stuff, and can get it together.”
He took a seat beside her,
and she placed a hand on his knee. “I know you’re worried.”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“You’ve never been in the public eye before?” she asked.
“No. I’m a businessman. I had other commitments. Pandering to the fucked-up needs of the media has never appealed to me. I donate to charity, keep lots of men and women in a job. I do my bit.”
She took his hand, locking their fingers together. “I’ll be there with you. At least you’ve got nothing in your past to hide. I’ve got a lot.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve made sure your past will stay hidden. I would never subject you to that.”
“You’re a good man, Lewis.”
“I’m surprised you’re not kicking my ass with what’s about to happen. You know Jamie and Blake won’t stop at the clothes. You’re going to be primped, pampered, and tortured beyond your wildest dreams, all in the name of looking the part.”
She groaned, pressing her face against his shoulder. “I’ll do it for you. I’m not into the whole being tugged and pulled about. I can handle everything else.”
Silence fell between them, and with it, Lewis’s thoughts returned to their time on his island.
“You’re thinking again. You look really sad.”
“I wish we could’ve stayed on the island for a little longer.”
He looked at her, and saw the sadness in her eyes. “I dreamed of an island like that whenever life got a little too hard. My imagination was the only thing holding me together. I’d think about being alone, or free to walk down a beach and stare out at the vast ocean. One of the journeys we took was via a boat or something. I think it was a small yacht. I hated the water. The ocean was spread out for days. I wondered if there were sharks in the water, and if I just jumped overboard, would it even matter. Before I got a chance to climb over the edge, they pulled me back on board. I was locked up for the rest of the journey, and I prayed for us to be shipwrecked. How messed up is that?” She kissed his lips. “I don’t know why I just told you that.”
“There were moments during my search that I thought I was getting close to you. That I could feel you near.”
“I think we were close to each other at a couple of times. Probably missed each other by a matter of minutes. You’ve got me now, Lewis. I’m not going anywhere. I won’t jump into the ocean in the hope of being eaten. I know you hate this, and what you’ve got to do, but you’re not alone. I’ll be with you, by your side.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Terrified. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I love you more than my own life. You mean the world to me.” She kissed his lips again. “I can do whatever you want. All you’ve got to do is ask, and I’ll be there.”
“You won’t be alone, baby. I promise.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her head. So many times over the years he’d been close to finding her, only to have her pulled from his grasp. He couldn’t lose her, not now, not ever.
That was his biggest fear, that if he was to blink or relax, she’d get taken once again.
Chapter Ten
“You’re torturing me on purpose now,” Mandy said.
She stood in the middle of the apartment dressed in some weird ensemble that had feathers peeking out of the back. It was horrible. The fabric irritated her skin.
Blake and Jamie were both laughing as they took pictures.
“I’m not wearing this.”
“We know you’re not, but it was so funny to see if we could get you into it. I totally win, by the way,” Blake said.
She watched as Jamie handed him over twenty dollars. “You’ve got to be kidding me. How could you bet on something like this?”
“Quite easily. Don’t worry, darling. You don’t have to wear that. I told Jamie we’d get you into it, but he said that we’d not be able to do that. I win.”
She rolled her eyes and moved behind the partition they had built for her to have some privacy. She removed the garment, and then an arm appeared around the frame. They were both so sweet. She took the dress from him and began to work it over her body. This was a shade of deep blue. It was a dark and eerie color. The fabric molded to her size sixteen curves, which she was ever so impressed with. She no longer had to earn the right to eat.
The dress dipped at the back, and was modest at the front. She loved it so much.
Stepping around the partition, she smiled at the two men. “What do you think?”
She nibbled her lip, really liking this one and hoping they felt the same.
“That is beautiful,” Jamie said. “You look stunning.”
“That’s the dress,” Blake said, agreeing.
They snapped a couple of pictures, and seconds later they both smiled. “Lewis agrees.”
“You’ve been giving him a little view of the dresses?”
“It’s his right to look,” Jamie said.
“I’ll package these up.” Blake began to fold the dresses that had been sent to them.
Moving back behind the partition, she removed the dress, placing it carefully on the back of a chair as she changed back into a sweatshirt and joggers.
“So, erm, do you think this will work?” she asked, grabbing the dress. She found the hanger for it, and was careful as she placed it back, using the partition to keep it crease-free as it hung.
“We’re hoping it will draw him out, or get him to make mistakes.”
“Have you been getting people to check out the local docks or abandoned warehouses?” she asked, taking a seat.
“We’ve had everything triple-checked.” Jamie leaned back. “Lewis purchased all the available warehouses. There’s nothing in the surrounding city.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to him. No matter what. He has to be taken care of.” Mandy stared down at the ring he’d given her. At the island, he’d not had a ring on him. The first day they were back, before he’d even gone to work, he’d placed the engagement ring on her finger, and asked her to promise never to remove it.
“I want to be serious for a moment,” Blake said, taking a seat in front of her. “There’s a reason we want all of this to be public.”
She tucked her professionally dyed hair behind her ears and waited.
“All of this could be done without the need for publicity. Lewis has dodged the press for years. We all have in our own way. Our names are always linked to some model or something. It’s all rumor. No actual facts.”
“Okay, why are you doing this?”
“You get seen in public. Your face becomes recognized. We’re trying to do this for your added protection. You’re just a woman who is marrying the love of her life. No one needs to be any the wiser.”
“The case was a huge one, Blake. We can’t hide that forever.”
“It’s the case of a lifetime as well. Girl next door goes missing, and the guy of her dreams can’t give up. It can be spun any way we want. It’s the value of having a lot of money. We can do what we want. I’m already all over the press,” Blake said.
“He owns one of the newspapers. It’s why we can get certain things public and not others,” Jamie said.
She’d figured that out. There was a lot over the last few years that they were able to keep under wraps. It was kind of shocking how much, but she didn’t judge.
During her life, she had learned that all it took was enough money, fear, and violence, and anyone would do whatever the hell you wanted, no questions asked.
“What is the end game in all of this? Elijah and the men don’t walk in our circle.”
“But they might. There’s a reason this is an expensive business. We have reason to believe that they could be people we do business with.” Blake leaned forward, his hands pressed together. “We want two things from this. One, for you to be seen. In our minds that makes you well known. Public property, and not someone who is easily taken. Two, it will expose them. We’ll get to see who we’re up against.”
“Do you think they will come to the party?”
“We know that our contact is going to be there, and so is Robert. There’s a risk with this gala. So many big names, they’ve got no choice but to up the law enforcement there in case anything goes wrong.”
She took a deep breath. “Does Lewis know everything that you’re doing?”
“He knows some of it. He doesn’t know that Robert Jones is going to be there. Lewis isn’t the best actor when he knows what is expected of him. The element of surprise will help us,” Jamie said.
“So all I’ve got to do is be seen and play nice.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard now.”
“Of course not. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
She was terrified.
What if Elijah risked it to see her?
Could she handle seeing him?
Whatever happened, she needed this to end once and for all.
****
“You’re shaking,” Lewis said, taking hold of her hands. He’d never known her to be so afraid. Mandy was a strong woman. She’d been through so much that she rarely showed any kind of fear.
“It’s all new, you know. The press. The lifestyle. It’s all a little overwhelming at times.”
She stared out the window. All he wanted to do was protect her, to keep her demons away, but no matter what he tried to do, he couldn’t stop it.
“I thought we had gotten rid of the men who had kept you trapped.”
“Do you really want to talk about this now?”
Their driver was in the front, and they had privacy. “It could help to relax you. Talk to me, Mandy.”
She released a sigh. “There’s always men trained to do certain things. Mostly they’re like soldiers. They just keep an eye on the girls, and keep everything in order. There’s always so many of them. They’re more like guard dogs, to be honest. There to snap and bite if one of the women got away or had a little too much mouth on her. They keep the women in line. Then you have the men who train them. Some women are just sold. They work locally in brothels, or sent on the street. If you don’t get there, you’re sent to be trained. When you’re trained this means you’re put up for auction, and men all over the world can buy you. That’s not all. They sometimes are sent lists from buyers of the kinds of women they like. A shopping list, if you will. All of this is dealt with by one man. The one who runs everything, who pays the money to the guard dogs. That was Elijah. He was the one who owned me. Elijah took me, trained me, owned every single part of me. I wasn’t allowed to … be myself. I couldn’t have anything or do anything.” She released a breath, and he knew she was shaking inside. “He was the one who gave me the final beating. But he wasn’t the one who threw me in the cage.”