Wayward Soul

by K. Renee

  I don’t realize she’s going to slap me until I feel her hand make contact with my cheek. My head jerks back and my hand goes to my face. I can’t believe she hit me. Well, actually, I can, but still…

  Dom stands up and pulls me up next to him. “I know you don’t approve of my lifestyle and I’m fine with that, but she’s your daughter. You're supposed to love her no matter what. She’s not a business deal, and I won’t stand around and let you hit her. Just be glad I was the one here and not her old man because he would put you in the ground for even touching her.” She stares at him in shock.

  Hell, I’m a little shocked myself. My mom shrinks back from him, telling us to see ourselves out because she doesn’t want filth in her house.

  We walk outside and Dom stops me before I can reach his bike. “You okay, Case?” he asks. I rub my cheek again and he pulls me to him. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. You deserve better than these people.”

  I try and swallow the lump in my throat. “Okay,” I whimper.

  Wiping the tears from my eyes, I get on the bike behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. I wish Gunner was here.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  My head is throbbing and my vision is hazy. What the fuck happened? I didn’t have anything to drink last night, so I can’t be hung over. I look around and I try to move my arms, but I’m tied to a chair. The bedroom is dark and I don’t hear any noise coming from the house. Who the fuck tied me up?

  The only thing I can think about is Casey. Her beautiful smile, her auburn hair falling in her face, the way she is passionate about the people she cares about, the look in her eyes when she said she loved me… I won’t let him take her from me.

  “Alec,” his scratchy voice says, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I spit at him.

  He shakes his head at me. “Now, my boy, that's no way to greet your father.”

  “Fuck you! You may be my father by blood, but you will never be my family.”

  Laughing, he walks over to me and dangles my phone in front of me. “Well, son, you may want to rethink how you talk to me. I am thinking about bringing your little girlfriend back here to hang out.” A smile forms on his lips and he starts to type something on my phone.

  “You fucking touch her and I’ll put a bullet in your head without even thinking twice,” I yell, trying to shake loose from my restraints.

  “Well, you know, she really has a bangin’ body, son. You did real good with this one.” He looks at the screen and whistles. “Damn, son. Look at this. My, my. She is a fucking looker.” Turning the phone so I can see the screen, he shows me a picture she must have just sent.

  The picture is of her with nothing on, and she has one arm covering her lush tits and the other on her pussy. Fuck. I can feel myself get hard. I know the exact sounds she makes when I put my hands on those spots on her body. The picture disappears and I see the conversation. He’s been talking to her! That motherfucker is acting like me!

  “Well, Alec, I was thinking of bringing our dear girl back home. What do you think?”

  He’s going to act like me to lure her back here and there is nothing I can do about it.

  “You know, you and your whore of a mother are going to get what’s coming to you, but I’m starting with this little redhead. I’m going to let you watch me take her over and over again. That little bitch won’t know what hit her by the time I’m finished.”

  “I can’t wait to fucking kill you, you stupid bastard!”

  I watch his fist come flying at my face and all I can do is try and duck my head, but I don't move in time. His fist smashes into my left cheekbone and I hear it crack. He lands a few more blows until I can’t keep my head up any longer. Wincing, I spit blood on my hardwood floor.

  I can feel the blood dripping down my face and can taste it in my mouth. “Alec, should I ask your little girlfriend to come home now? Or do you want to spend some more time getting reacquainted?”

  “You’re such a goddamn pussy,” I snarl. “If you were a real man, you wouldn’t have to tie me up to kick my ass. Hell, you wouldn't beat a woman that’s half your size, either! You’re just a fucking coward!”

  He grabs my hair and pulls my head back. “You little shit. I am twice the man you are. At least I don’t try and act like I am a fucking badass. You couldn’t even find me. Who's the fucking bitch now?”

  “Fuck you. Untie me and we can see who the bitch is.”

  Pushing my head away, he just laughs. “It will be more fun when I get your girl here and you can’t do anything about it. All you’ll be able to do is watch. And, trust me, I will be happy to take all my anger out on her.” He smirks and walks back out the door.

  My hands are going numb and the only thing I can think about is Casey. He’s going to bring her here. I can’t allow that to happen. Looking around the room, I don’t see anything that I can use to free myself.

  I can feel my pocket knife still in my pocket. If I can only get it out and cut the damn ropes off. They are cutting into my skin and the more I move, the more raw my skin becomes.

  A few minutes later, he walks back in, grabs my head, and sticks a syringe into my neck. The world goes dark again.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  While Brant’s been busy, I have been spending time with Anslie and the twins. All the club whore’s keep whispering about Brantley already having an old lady and how she is going to be pissed about Anslie. But I told her if she really wants her man, she needs to fight for him and stop letting people get between them.

  “Case, can you get me that bag?” Anslie asks, trying to get Sev dressed. I hand her the bag, then check my phone. “You’ve been checking that thing all morning. Why don’t you just call him?”

  “He’s probably busy. Plus, I don’t want to seem clingy. What if he has another girl or something?” I ask, pouting. “Ugh, I hate being that girl. I never complain about a guy not calling me. Typically, that’s what I am looking for, but he’s different.”

  She looks up and stares at me before saying, “Case, you're in love with him, right?” I nod. “Then do something about it. Make the move and tell him you can’t stand being here. Hell, tell him what your mom did to you. I know that’ll get him to come here. Please don’t be like me and let him slip through your fingers. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have made promises to you.” She walks over and wraps her arms around me. “Casey, I love you like a sister so I’m telling you this with love. Get off your ass and go get your man.”

  I give her a watery smile and hit the CALL button on Gunner’s name. It rings and rings, then his voicemail picks up. I leave him a message, telling him to call me when he gets a chance, then hang up.

  Anslie gives me a sad smile, telling me to try again later or try texting him in case he’s on a run and can’t talk. Last time he was on a run, he was gone for a whole day.

  I spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out with Anslie and the boys, watching movies, eating popcorn, and playing games.

  When Brant finally comes into the room, the boys are already passed out. Looking at Brantley, I can tell he wants me to leave, so I grab my phone and my shoes, then make my way down the hall to my room.

  As much as I love everyone, I don't really want to be here because there is nothing here for me. I wish things between my family and me were different, but I could never be what my parents want me to be. They wanted perfect little clones of themselves because they were unhappy with everything in their own lives. That’s just not me and it never will be. I want to have fun and live free. Even if Gunner doesn't realize we are meant to be together, I won't stop fighting for us. I will show him that our souls are tangled together and we won’t ever be able to get them untangled. Plus, I don’t want to. I want him to be my forever.

  Waking up in the morning, I realize I am still dressed and my hair is all over the place. After showering and getting ready for my day, I check my phone for any messages or calls. My breath catches whe
n I see his name on my screen.

  Sexy biker: Babe, sorry I missed your call. I’ve been thinking about you, though. Can’t wait to see you.

  Me: Miss you more, Gun.

  For some reason, he’s not calling me beauty anymore. That’s weird. He always calls me that, unless he’s trying to get a point across. Maybe something's wrong. I pull up Anslie’s number. It rings forever before she answers breathlessly, “Yeah?”

  Smirking, I say, “Hey, dirty bitch. I need to talk to Brant really quick.”

  I hear her whisper something, then he gets on the phone. “Yeah, Case?” he says. I can see why he turns Anslie on so much. His phone voice is sexy as hell!

  “I think something’s wrong in Seattle,” I say quickly. This is starting to feel like déjà vu, but Gunner isn’t here to make me feel better.

  “What do you mean something’s wrong?”

  He probably won’t believe me, but I have to try. “Gunner is acting weird. He won’t answer my calls and when he finally texts me back, he doesn't call me by my nickname. You both call Anslie and me by our nicknames, not our real names. Please call him and see if he’s okay.”

  I hear his sigh. “Okay, Case. I’ll let you know what he says, yeah?”

  I let out the breath I was holding. “Okay. Thanks, Brant,” I whisper.

  I end the call on my phone and lie back on the bed. Not knowing what’s going on is killing me. It’s almost like I can feel there’s something not right going on back there. Now I just need to find out what.

  Chapter Thirty

  Waking up, I see it’s light out again. How long have I been tied up here, and why haven’t any of the guys noticed I’m not around? I hope he’s not trying to get Casey here. My girl is smart. She’ll figure out it's not me texting her. I know she will.

  I try and use my strength to move the chair across the room to where I know my gun is hidden. Leaning forward in the chair, I am able to move, but I have to go slow because of the way my feet are bound to the chair. I get about two steps before the door flies open and crashes against the wall.

  “It seems that your little girlfriend is a lot smarter than I gave her credit for, Alec. She seems to think something happened to you. Your ‘brother’,” he uses air quotes, “is calling you like crazy, so I had to throw him off the trail. It looks like I am going to have to bring her out here sooner, and I won’t get to torture you until after she’s dead. Don’t worry. I’ll still let you watch.”

  The phone starts to ring again and he walks over to me with it. “Answer it. If you let them know anything is wrong, I’ll kill you, then go after her.”

  I look at him with disgust as he puts the phone to my ear. “Yeah?”

  “Gunner!” she says breathlessly. “Oh, my god. Are you okay? Where are you?” I feel some relief hearing her voice.

  “Hey, beauty. Yeah, I’m okay. Just went looking for him. I need you to stay where you are and don’t come here. Okay? Promise me.” He looks at me with hate in his eyes. He wanted me to bring her back here, but I won’t. My girl will never be near this sick son of a bitch.

  “Gun, I miss you. I promise. I’ll stay here. Just don’t disappear again.” I can hear the sadness in her voice and it kills me to know she’s hurting because of me. “Gun, Brant wants to talk to you really quick.”

  “Yeah, put him on,” I say. Brantley and I know each other better than anyone else. We can get our points across without words.

  “Gun?” The asshole is staring at me, trying to get to me say something I’ll regret.

  “Yeah, brother?” How do I say something without it being obvious?

  “What’s up, brother? Everything okay? You find him?”

  I sigh, looking up into his face. “Yeah, B. I’m all right. Kinda got a lot going on. I need you to do something for me, though." I can see him staring at me, almost like he's wondering what I am going to say.

  "Yeah, cuz. You know I got your back. What do you need?"

  Here goes nothing… “I need you to make sure my girls are taken care of. Remember when we were in high school and they called your dad because of the spray paint?” I can hear him whisper something to someone, but I can't make out the words.

  "Yeah, Gunny. I remember. We always had trouble up our sleeves, which always entertained Dad. You know I'll always keep them protected. Let me know if you need anything, brother. Case wants to talk to you again. Hold up."

  Gunny. Shit, I haven't heard that name since I was fifteen. He used to call me that when we were planning things against the others. "Gunner…,” she whispers into the phone. I think she knows something's wrong, too.

  "Yeah, beauty?"

  "I love you." I can hear the tears in her voice. It's killing me that I can't do anything to stop her hurt.

  "You're my soul, baby. Don’t forget that." I hear a sob come across the line and my dad has a smirk on his face. Now he knows how I feel about her and he's going to use it against me. However, only one of us will die here, and I'll be damned if it's going to be me. "Beauty, I got to go. Listen to B and don't go anywhere alone. I'll see you soon." Hanging up with her is one of the hardest things I've ever done.

  I hear his snicker and I want to string him up by his balls. "Now, wasn't that just something? I can't wait to get my hands on that girl. I'll definitely take my time with her. Once I'm done with her, I think I’ll see how your mom is doing. Does she still look the same? Or did she become a biker whore like her sister?"

  "Fuck off. Stay away from my mom. You and I both know Uncle Nick won't take too kindly to you coming near my mom again." I rock the chair as much as I can and he jumps back. Ha! He's scared of me getting free. "How the fuck did you even get into my house in the first place?”

  "You really should watch who you let into your club, son. You can't trust everyone nowadays.”

  I fucking knew it. The only person who knew about my father was Abe and he's been acting strange the last few days. "You and I both know that the rat is going to eat a bullet just like you are,” I say with a grin.

  He hits me in the eyebrow with the butt of the gun. I can feel my skin split open and blood starts to pour out of the cut.

  "Too bad you're tied up at the moment because your friend, Abe, is at your little clubhouse telling your brothers you went looking for me and you’ll be gone for a while. So don't worry. They won't be breaking up our little party anytime soon.”

  I can feel my eyebrow swelling, the blood gushing. I try moving some more and I can feel the ropes loosen up a bit. I'll wait for him to leave before I keep trying. If I can at least get my arm out enough to reach into my pocket, I should be able to get free.

  He keeps talking, but I'm not even listening. He can go straight to hell. I'll be ecstatic when this motherfucker is gone and out of my life for good.

  When he finally gets tired of listening to his own voice, he gets up and leaves the room. Time for me to get to work.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Fuck. Casey was right. Something is going on in Seattle, but I don't think I'll get there in time to help. When Gun was talking about the time my dad got called for an incident at school, I knew he was code. My old man wouldn't have cared about us spray painting anything."Doll, go find my dad, please." Anslie nods and goes running out of the room. Casey is a mess and I want to make sure Gunner comes home to her. "Case, you okay?" I ask, wrapping my arm around her.

  She nods, then asks softly, "Is he gonna be okay, Brant?"

  "We'll do everything we can to make sure of it. Just stay here and don't leave the compound. I'll bring Gunner's mom here, too, just to be safe."

  She just nods as Sev and Remy come out of the playroom. "Was wrog, Antie Casy?" Remy asks, coming up to give her a hug.

  She pulls him to her. "Nothing, little man. I'll be fine." Sev comes up and kisses her cheek.

  Anslie and my old man come in, followed by Prez and Dom. Anslie walks straight for Casey and the boys. "Doll, take Casey and the boys to the playroom."

  Anslie starts
to get up, but Casey doesn’t want to leave. "No! I want to know what's going on!" She looks over at Dom. "Please. I need to know he's okay."

  My dad smirks and tells her she can stay until the time comes for it to come in front of the club. I know Ans is going to want to stay now, too. I try and keep her away from club business, but it’s going to be a losing battle this time. I turn to the boys. “Boys, go to the playroom until your mom comes to get you." They both nod and make their way to the next room.

  "What's going on, Brant?" my dad asks.

  "I'm pretty sure Jaron has him,” I say as calmly as I can.

  "What do you mean Jaron has him? What the fuck is he doing going after Jaron alone? He fucking knows better." Casey and Anslie both flinch at my dad's words.

  "I don't know the whole story, but I don't think Gun went after him. I think it was the other way around. They are probably somewhere in Seattle. Gunner sent Casey here for a reason. He knew something was coming, but he didn't know when.”

  Walking over to Anslie, I pull her into my body and she wraps her arms around my waist. Casey is shaking her head. "Before we left Seattle, he told me someone was threatening me. He wouldn't tell me much. Just that I needed to come back to Vegas until things blew over. He said someone from his past was going to hurt him by hurting everyone he cares about.” She starts to cry and Dom walks over to her and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

  "I'll make a call to Johnny. See what he knows,” my dad says, pulling out his phone.

  "I'll send a couple of the boys out to them. Tell Johnny they'll be on their way within the hour,” Prez states.

  "I’m going, too,” I say. Anslie looks up at me with fear in her eyes.

  Prez just looks at me with a frown and shakes his head. "I need you here, Brant. I just got my daughter back. I won't let you go off and get hurt.”