by Brook Wilder
We walked out of the police station and Seth motioned to the truck in the visitor’s parking lot. “Figured we didn’t want to ride bitch.”
My hand firmly clamped on Nathan’s shoulder, I shot the former biker a grin. “No, I don’t. You don’t have to do this, man.”
Seth pulled open the driver’s side door. “What? You think you’re forcing me to do this? Man, I need some excitement in my life and this should be enough to get me through the rest of the year.”
I shook my head as I forced Nathan into the back before climbing in the passenger seat. “You have weapons?”
Seth slid into the truck, pointing at the duffel bag at my feet. “Best I could do, but it will be enough.”
I nodded. “All right then. Let’s go get my woman.”
Seth cranked the engine and we pulled out of the parking lot, turmoil in my gut. I had finally gotten out of that cell, but I felt like I was still there, my hands tied on helping Leigh. What if she hadn’t survived Mac’s initial kidnapping? What if I was going to find out that she was dead?
I couldn’t handle it.
Drumming my fingers along the windowsill, I caught Nathan’s angry gaze in the mirror. “Time to sing for your life.”
“I shouldn’t tell you shit.”
“You are doing this for Leigh,” I reminded him, knowing that was the other man’s weakness. Hell, she was my weakness, too, and I wanted to take her in my arms and never let go. “No one else.”
His anger faded. “Take a right at the next light.”
“Good man,” I said, giving him a tight nod. If he really was supposed to meet Mac, I could potentially get Leigh back and end this feud with Mac.
It could be all over with today.
“So, you love this girl, huh?”
Ignoring Nathan, I heard the question in Seth’s voice. “Yeah, I do.”
“Good. I’d hate to know we were rescuing a booty call.”
I laughed. “God I’ve missed you, man.”
Seth grinned, his eyes on the road. “Sounds like we are about to spend a lot of time together. You really quit the club?”
I stared out of the window. “Yeah, I did.” The funny thing was, I didn’t feel the loss like I thought I would. I hated the fact that Chains and I would be at odds because of what happened back at the club, but he knew he was in the wrong. This wasn’t just because of Leigh. This was the fate of his club on the line and he was unwilling to put his damn neck out to end this rogue club.
I didn’t know what was going on with the club president, but he had to figure it out soon. If not, he was in danger of losing everyone. “How did you do it?”
“What?” Seth asked.
“Walk away.”
He sighed. “It wasn’t an easy decision, man. I wrestled with it, but at the end of the day, I didn’t care to see that clubhouse. I wanted to see Alisha in our house, with that big smile on her face. I realized then I didn’t give a shit about the club anymore.”
Yeah, I knew the feeling. This was more than Chains not being willing to help me find Leigh. This was the fact that I was just tired of the club business. There was no meaning in what I did anymore. Hell, I hadn’t even participated in it like I used to since I had started seeing Leigh.
And this shit with Mac had pulled me further away from what was really going on.
I was really going to walk away, and something told me I wouldn’t regret my decision.
That is, if we rescued Leigh. If we didn’t, well, I wasn’t going to be a nice bastard to deal with and maybe it was best that I did stay with the club.
Chapter 22
Leigh
I held my breath as the door opened, the sun blinding me yet again. My entire body was cramped now, my mouth dry, and there was a nauseous feeling floating around in my stomach from the lack of food.
But I was still alive.
“You’re still alive,” he remarked, motioning for one of his men to stand beside him as he reached for the key. “That’s good.”
I didn’t say anything as he swung the door open, not moving an inch. If he wanted me out of this cage, he would have to come in and get me. I knew with the additional person now I couldn’t get away, but I could make his life miserable and wish he had never taken me to begin with.
It was clear to me that it was working given the exasperated look on his face. “Go get her,” he said.
The other man climbed into the cage, grabbing my ankle and forcing me to scoot out unless I wanted to be dragged out. The moment my feet landed on the floor, I groaned, nearly stumbling as the feeling started to slowly come back into my legs.
My kidnapper watched me as I struggled to stand, glee in his eyes. “Hurts, doesn’t it? You are lucky I’m a nice guy and didn’t force you into something smaller.”
“You call this nice?” I questioned, rubbing my calf.
He leaned forward, a leer on his face. “You have no idea what I am capable of.”
I knew he was trying to scare me, but he had no idea what I had gone through in my life. “And you have no idea what I am capable of.”
A gleam of appreciation slid over his face as he straightened. “Well then, I hope you keep that feisty attitude for where you are going, Ms. Greene. If memory serves me right, you tried to go there before, but were waylaid by the Bitches.”
Oh no. He was talking about Mexico. If I went across the border, Jonathan would never find me.
I had to stall and stall big.
Straightening to my full height, I made a great show of holding my stomach. “I hope you will take it easy on a pregnant woman and let me use the restroom first.”
His eyes widened. “You’re pregnant?”
I nodded, caressing my bump. “Please.”
He rubbed his chin. “Interesting. Take her to the bathroom and be quick about it. We have a tight schedule.”
The other man grabbed my elbow and pushed me through the door, barely giving me time to move my feet before he was shoving me into a sparse bathroom that smelled of urine. “Make it quick,” he said roughly, before turning his back.
I looked around, my small flicker of hope turning into despair as I found nothing I could use to hit him on the back of the head. Everything was either bolted down or impossible to remove in the short amount of time I was going to have.
So, I did my business quickly, grimacing when there was no toilet paper in sight. I felt horrible, dizzy, and lightheaded now. My hand throbbed from the cuts on the palm and my pajamas were covered in dirt and machine oil that had been in the cage.
It was hard to look for the positive.
Still, I lifted my chin and refused to give in to the desolateness I felt. This was not the end.
I had survived far worse. “I’m done.”
The biker grunted and instead of pulling me out of the bathroom, moved aside so I could do so, back to facing my kidnapper. “Won’t you think about letting me go?” I asked, figuring I had nothing to lose.
He stepped forward, his grimy finger running down my cheek. “You are lovely, even with that haughty look about you. No wonder Two Tone is in love with you. You see? You take a man’s woman and he loses his shit. I imagine he’s losing his shit right now, knowing you are in my hands.”
My entire body trembled internally. “So, he’s alive.”
He shrugged, his eyes roving over my body, lingering just a bit too long on my breasts. “Maybe I should have a look at what you have to offer. I hear pregnant women are sexual animals.”
Swallowing, I took a step back, my bare feet scraping across the cement floor. “Don’t touch me.”
Laughing, he pointed to my stomach. “You’re lucky you are carrying his bastard; otherwise I might plant mine in there. Come on. We are gonna be late.”
Late to what? The other biker grabbed my arm and I was propelled forward, toward another door and forced to walk across the hot pavement to a waiting truck. Where was he taking me?
More importantly, who was going to be waiting when I got there?
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The biker pulled up the rolling door and stepped back. “Get in.”
“I-I can’t pull myself up,” I said, cupping my stomach. I wasn’t trying to stall; I really couldn’t.
He let out a curse and picked me up, depositing me into the back. “Please,” I begged, hoping to appeal to his softer side. “Don’t do this.”
My kidnapper grinned as he reached for the door. “The cartel will have fun with your bastard. Good luck, Ms. Greene.”
The back plunged into darkness and I cried out, falling to my knees. They were taking me to the cartel like before, where I would be sold to the highest bidder or worse, made a cartel girl, and forced to pleasure them all.
That was, if they let me live once they found out I was pregnant.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I scooted up against the wall of the truck, glad they hadn’t tied me up this time. This was it. I didn’t have any fight left in me. I couldn’t change the trajectory of my life any longer.
Why was I going through this again? I had fought so much to get my life back to normal and had fallen in love.
My future should be bright, but instead, it was about to be very short-lived.
“Oh, Jonathan,” I whispered, holding my stomach. “I’m so sorry.” He would never know how much I loved him; how much I was sorry for what I had done to him. I wanted to make up for hurting his feelings, for attempting to push him away, and I wouldn’t be given the opportunity to do so.
The truck’s engine cranked and I let the tears flow, my life hanging in the balance. Jonathan would never find me now and if he did, years later, I wouldn’t be fit to touch him, much less pick up where we had left off.
I really didn’t even know if I wanted to fight anymore. Maybe it was time to admit defeat and look for a way to end my life before either of us suffered.
It was a coward’s way out, but it was the only way to ensure I still was in control of my life.
Sitting up straighter, I forced myself out of those dismal thoughts. It wasn’t over yet. I could still fight, no matter what the outcome was. I could still try and save my life and that of my child’s, no matter what happened in the end.
They would have to take me out of this truck eventually, and I wasn’t going to go easily.
I would find that fighter’s attitude I had developed and give them all a piece of what I had learned after my time with Brad.
I wasn’t a quitter.
“Forgive me,” I whispered to my child, nestled in safety for now. I wasn’t going to give up, not until there was no hope.
And as long as I was alive, there was hope.
Chapter 23
Two Tone
Seth pulled the truck to a stop in the copse of trees off a familiar dirt road. “What the hell happened here?”
“We blew a hole in the field,” I grumbled, looking back at Nathan. “You sure this is where you were supposed to meet him?”
“Yeah,” Nathan said in a quiet voice. “I memorized the route.”
“What’s so special about this place?” Seth asked as I opened the door.
I hopped out, grabbing the bag as I did so. “I didn’t peg Mac as a fool for coming back to the same place twice.”
“Maybe he’s tired of running,” Seth suggested as he joined me at the front of the truck. “What’s the plan?”
I pointed to Nathan. “He’s going in to get Leigh. Once she’s clear, I’m taking Mac out.”
“Simple plan,” Seth commented, resting his arm on the hood of his truck. “You know Mac will be expecting an ambush.”
“I know,” I said tightly. “But this has to be the end of this shit. It’s gone on far too long.” Mac was going to die today, whether or not he handed over Leigh.
“All right then,” Seth said, blowing out a breath. “Good thing I’ve been keeping up with my gun skills with the wife. I can set up over there with my rifle, cover things at a different angle.”
“I’ll be over here,” I said, pointing to a pile of brush near the hole we had blown into the field. I didn’t have a scope, but it would be close enough for me to reach Leigh if shit went haywire.
She was my sole priority today.
Walking back to the truck, I pulled open the door, motioning for Nathan to get out. The moment his feet hit the ground, I slammed him against the truck, my gun pressed against his temple. “We are here for Leigh,” I growled, pressing the cold metal into his skin. “Nothing else. If she dies, you die, you understand?”
“I don’t want her hurt,” he said in a small voice.
I believed him, but that wasn’t going to save Leigh. “Just putting it all out there so that we understand each other.”
He growled. “I got it.”
I let him go, walking away before I really did shoot him. He was the reason Leigh was in the hands of a madman and I wasn’t going to ever let him forget.
After gathering my supplies, I had Nathan go stand in a spot that both Seth and I could watch, setting up methodically for the fight of my life. It was all about to come to a head and I was prepared.
I had been prepared for months now, wanting to kill the man who had caused all this turmoil in the Jesters club. Though I was about to be out of the club, I still was going to take the shot and end it. It would be an homage to Chains and my planting a fist in his face, hoping that the club president would be able to pull the edges back together and start to mend the club.
I was firm in my plans, though. Once Leigh was back in my arms safe and sound, I was going to give her all the attention she deserved. I wanted to be there for the rest of her pregnancy, move her into my house, and get a real job. I wanted to go home to her every night, watch our little family grow into a bigger one, and then watch us grow old together.
That was my wish now. I didn’t need the killing, the escape, the funds.
I needed her.
It wasn’t long before a bike rolled up to the meeting spot and I felt the burn in my veins as I watched Mac climb off, his gun trained on Nathan.
He was here, but he was here alone.
Where the hell was Leigh?
Mac approached Nathan and I held my breath, wanting to hear every word. “Where’s Leigh?” Nathan asked, looking around. “You said you would bring her if I got that asshole arrested for her kidnapping. I did my part.”
“You did,” Mac replied, holding his gun. “But I heard he walked out of jail this morning, along with your ass.”
Nathan’s eyes widened. “No, he didn’t! Give me Leigh and let me go!”
“No can do; deal’s off,” Mac said, right before he put a bullet in Nathan’s head. I fired immediately, taking Mac down before he could do any more damage, and raced over, seeing the bubble of blood coming from his stomach. He wouldn’t survive that wound, but he would suffer before he died, which was why I had done it.
“You,” he groaned, not bothering to reach for the gun near him. “You finally got me.”
“Where is she?” I asked instead. “What did you do with her?”
He grinned, blood dribbling out of his mouth. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Shit,” Seth said, breathing heavily as he reached my side. “The other dude is dead, but I got it on video. Alisha can use it to spring you.”
I didn’t care about me. Raking a hand through my hair, I turned away from Mac. “Call Alisha. My bet is that he’s trying to get her across the border.” If he succeeded, I would never find her alive again. The thought twisted my gut. She didn’t deserve to be put through this.
Reaching for my cell phone, I dialed Chains’ number. “What?” he growled into the phone by way of greeting.
“Mac’s dead,” I answered. “Leigh’s still missing, and I think she’s headed to Mexico. Hell, I need help.”
“I’ll dispatch the drones,” Chains said. “For her. Not for your ass.”
I grinned into the phone. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I watch
ed as Seth did the same. “Alisha is sending patrols to the usual routes, but she said to tell you that if they use another road, Leigh’s gone and there’s nothing she can do to help.”
Unfortunately, I was well aware of the fact. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime,” he said, looking down at Mac. “The bastard’s dead.”
I followed his gaze and sure enough, Mac was no longer breathing, his eyes unfocused and glazed over.