***
“Her name’s Princess? Is that her actual name or a nickname?” Amelia asks me the following day. I’ve been telling her about P and Bethany captivesitting her while I’m on our run. “And it’ll just be her and a dark-haired woman? Are you leaving?”
With a huff, I get defensive. “You’re not supposed to be asking questions, remember? And it’s none of your business what I’ll be doing. I told you already, I have to work so the women will be checking in on you and making sure you have food.”
“Are they good people, though?”
“Am I?” I can’t help but ask, miffed at the tone of her inquisitiveness. “And you’ve met P already, she helped you shower.”
She blushes for some reason and doesn’t say anything else regarding Princess.
“If an old fucker comes in here smelling like smoke, you kick him in the nuts. Don’t hesitate, just nail him good and hard, straight away.” Smokey’s always been a pervert. I don’t think he’ll try anything, but better safe than sorry.
Her eyes widen. “What? Why on earth would I kick an old man? I’m not a violent woman!”
“He’s a pervert. My prez said the old fucker may drug you and try to fuck ya. I won’t be in here to snap his neck for you.”
Her lip trembles and I have to hold back my laugh. She’s not as hard now with all those suppressants leaving her system. She’s starting to act like a normal woman. It’s refreshing and beyond sexy. Just being in her presence has me strung tight. I want to sink my cock inside her so badly; it kept me up half the goddamn night. I’ve been jerking my cock enough with her here that I outta have bigger forearms in no time.
“Don’t get upset…I’m telling you how it is. Be a good girl and listen to me.”
She glares, her temper flaring up. I love it that she’s mouthy and feisty as fuck. Makes my dick harder than granite. “Don’t patronize me,” she hisses, and I flash her a predatory grin.
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want. You best not forget that. Besides, I wasn’t. I was telling you to fucking do as I said, just trying to be nice about it.” I shrug, and she sighs. “What now?”
She stares at the floor and admits softly, “I want to go home.”
“All this because I won’t be around for a few days? You’re going to miss me? I thought you hated me?”
“I don’t necessarily hate you, although I should, you did kidnap me. And to answer your questions, no, I won’t miss you.”
“But? I can hear there’s a but coming.”
“But, in here, you’re what I know.”
“Ah. So, it’s not me you’ll miss, it’s fear of the unknown that has your feathers ruffled.”
She shrugs, not replying. Amelia’s finally opening up to me, even just a little bit, and I have to go take care of business. Figures. I knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out on me for too long though. We’ll just have to pick back up where we left off when I return. She’s got two weeks of vacation, so I’ll have another week before the school will begin to notice her absence when I return. I’ve made progress with her this past week; I know I can get even further with some more time. This ride is coming up at the shittiest time.
“Look at me,” I command, and her gaze hits my chin. “My eyes,” I snap. She complies, and I tell her seriously, “Princess and Bethany won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t be far, just taking care of some work. I’ll be back before you know it, and everything will be okay.”
She stays quiet, and I give her a sincere look.
“Have I broken my word to you this far?”
She shakes her head.
“So, trust me when I say you’ll be okay. As long as you’re in my room, you’re safer here than in a police office.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say everyone here is extremely dangerous too. Your idea of safe and mine are clearly on opposite spectrums.”
“If anyone hurts you, I’ll kill them myself. That’s one promise you can count on.”
She doesn’t want to admit it, but I can see the relief in her eyes. Surprisingly, I really do mean my promise. If someone so much as fucks with her, it’ll be hell to pay, ‘cause I’ll be on the warpath in her name.
Chapter 13
Amelia
“Hey, girl, how you holding up?” The striking blonde from before greets. This time around, I don’t have a gag in my mouth and can respond with words.
“As well as I can be, I suppose, given my circumstances.”
She sends me a weird look. “I wanted to stop by and bring you a slice of lasagna. Did Blaze leave you any snacks?”
I shake my head.
“Ugh, that man is clueless sometimes. Guys don’t realize that if we’re going to be cooped up all day, doing nothing, we at least need some good munchies and Netflix.”
“I didn’t think this was a vacation, with the ropes and all,” I mutter snarkily. I expect her to cop an attitude in response, but she bursts out with a surprised laugh instead. She turns to the doorway and says, “See, I knew she had to be different if Blaze was unsure of what to do with her.”
“No kidding.” A dark-haired woman about the same height as Princess steps into the room, and I can see who the voice belongs to. She sends me a curious look, and I return it with my own. They don’t appear to be too much younger than me, and they’re in yoga pants and T-shirts, so I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that they aren’t part of the club whores.
“Bethany, this is Amelia. She’s the principal who’s been giving Maverick anxiety.”
I pale. Stuck in ropes, surrounded by bikers, including their women, and I’m clearly not their favorite person around here. I’ve met Maverick’s father before when I’ve had to call for him to be picked up. I’ve never met his mother though, as she’s always working when I call. Annabelle Teague is another. I’ve met her father but never her mother.
“Ah, Maverick,” I note. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Not sure how nice it’ll be if you keep giving my kid grief. I’ve decked bitches for less.”
Princess grins and nods. “She really has. It’s pretty entertaining.”
My stare meets hers. “And you’re Princess, I guess?” I question.
Her smile grows. “My brother was talking about me?”
I nod, chalking it up to them being siblings after all. Maybe that’s her role around here, being his sister that helps him take care of whatever he needs. I don’t think I could get on board with this sort of thing if I had a brother who was a gang member.
“He said your name is Princess, and he seems fond of you.”
“Aww, that little dickface,” she coos and Bethany snorts.
“Dickface sums it up,” she agrees, and I nod as well.
Princess giggles. “See, B? I like her, she’s got lady balls.”
Bethany shrugs. “Not sure she’d fit in very well, though. From what I hear, she has a huge stick stuck up her ass.”
“I’m right here.” I raise my hand and wave. “Also, I’m pretty sure there’s no stick in there.”
“We’ll see, I reckon.” She shrugs. I seem to have Princess’s approval, but this one’s going to be a little more difficult to get on her good side. Understandable since I’ve suspended her son in the past. In my defense, he shouldn’t be kissing girls, it’s against school policy. Any type of sexual misconduct is not tolerated, period. He’s starting early on the road of sexual harassment, and I won’t stand for it.
“I’m not that bad, really. I just have to do my job.”
“Look, lady, I don’t care what you ‘have’ to do. You be a bitch to my kid again, and I’m flattening your pretty face.”
I remain quiet but shake my head. I’ll never understand women like her, who are violent and justify it with nonsense.
“Let’s discuss that later,” Princess cuts in. “Right now, you need something to eat. You can throw a munch on some pasta, and we’ll come check on you later.”
I agree and ask, “He’s re
ally not coming back anytime soon?” It seriously bothers me, knowing Blaze isn’t around. I don’t know why, but the man is building some trust inside me.
Her head tilts, and she stares me down for a beat. “You like him.”
I shake my head.
“I call bullshit. It has to be unbearably boring in here, though, and you just gave me an idea.”
“I did?”
She nods, tossing a glance at Bethany. “Mav’s busy, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Let’s grab some cards and play Bullshit.” She grins. She must win a lot to be this eager.
“I’m down, but the prissy bitch won’t cuss,” her friend concedes.
“Wanna bet?” Princess retorts, and I cut in.
“I don’t know how to play.”
“No worries, we can teach you.”
My shoulders bounce, and my chest doesn’t feel as tight anymore at the thought of being left alone. “Sounds good to me.”
“Great. We’ll give you some time to eat while we round up enough cards and see if a few of the other ladies want in.”
My eyes grow wide. “Is that allowed?” I ask on a whisper.
She waves me off. “Shit, girl, who’s going to stop me? I’m the prez’s ol’ lady; I do whatever the hell I want.”
Still wide-eyed, I nod, growing excited to get the chance to meet more people here. Hopefully they don’t hate me like Bethany is on the verge of. Regardless, it’ll be better than sitting here and staring at the wall. I’ve tried to think of every way possible to escape, but it’s fruitless when there aren’t any windows. This will at least help the time pass.
***
Blaze
The ride’s long. Viking had us leave at night. Riding in the dark is a blessing and a curse. There aren’t too many cages on the road, but you have to be vigilant where wild animals are concerned. The cops usually leave you be, too, unless you run across a bored officer who wants to stir shit up. We can’t have any of that on this run, considering we’re strapped like we’re going off to war. 2 Piece, from the other charter, is following us in a truck loaded down with a shit ton of ammo and supplies. Viking wants us to hit the cartel hard, and ASAP, to draw some of the heat off border patrol. If we can take out a few of their cells, then ICE and border patrol can use more of their sources on cutting down the illegal border jumpers. The sex trafficking and drugs entering our country have amped up significantly. No one knows that, though, since the media won’t report on it. They’re too busy running with their own agendas.
We were briefed loading up, and Vike’s contact said twenty American soldiers were just slaughtered right outside our border, but no one’s reporting on that important story either. He said that the government is looking into hiring private mercenaries to help drive down the violence toward Americans. We’re mainly concerned about Texas, but them heading in from other states can be an issue. If it’s not taken care of swiftly, they can get farther into the states, and those places will see a spike in crimes. Poor people entering illegally will do anything they can to survive. I know that firsthand with the way we grew up with Jekyll. If only more people understood the true impact it has on our country, they’d be more apt in stopping it rather than promoting it.
After hearing Nightmare’s story about him getting attacked by the lions, I’m a little apprehensive about what we’ll find. I’m down to help out, but I don’t want to get attacked by a lion or any other wild fucking exotic animal. Another thing been riding on my mind is Doctor Amelia Stone. The bitch has been driving me crazy. I’m confident with women; they love me…but she’s an enigma. She seems to have no interest in me at all, then she rubs her pussy all over my fingers when she thinks I’m asleep. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?
I’m a man. I have my limits just like everyone else. When she did that, it took everything in me to hold back from having her. Hell, she wouldn’t know what hit her if I did make a move. I can’t, though. I promised not to, and I’m a man of my word. I may not be the best guy around, but that’s one thing I stick to.
“We’re close, brothers,” Viking grumbles to the group when we pull into the lot of an old motel. He distracts me from the path my thoughts were going down, and I pay better attention to my surroundings. He continues, “It’s ten a.m. now. We’re meeting up with the Nomads at seven p.m. Get some shut-eye and grub, then be ready to talk some business. We have a general plan in mind, and we’ll discuss it all when everyone’s rested and together.”
We nod our agreement and head for the front office. The old lady doesn’t bat an eye at us. I’m guessing this must be a frequent stay for the Nomads when they’re passing through. It must be why the prez stopped here. I hand over my thirty bucks, collect my room key and wheel my hog in the room with me. Ain’t no sheisty motherfucker jacking my shit while I’m passed the fuck out. I give the brothers around me a chin-lift on my way in and then position my bike across the door once it’s closed and locked. Just in case anyone tries kicking the door in while I’m sleeping, I’ll have a beat of a warning. You never know what kind of assholes are hanging around these tiny towns bordering Mexico.
I take a quick, lukewarm shower to rinse off the road grime and hit the sack. Another thing about these shit holes is that they never have good hot water heaters, so you get used to taking cold showers. Leaving the compound at two a.m. to ride all night had me working to keep my eyes peeled. It’s another thing entirely when you’re up, partying and dancing or whatever with a ton of people around. When it’s just the wind and the roar of our engines, it’ll attempt to lull you to sleep. I had heavy metal blasting in my helmet just to try and keep focused. A quick nod off on a motorcycle can end your life depending on your surroundings and your speed.
I send P a text, checking on my girl. I can send one tonight again before we bounce out of this shit hole, but then it’s river city. No tech allowed while we’re on these sorts of runs except for our comm devices. You never know who’s watching and may be keeping track.
The Nomads got in good with a contact years back, and it’s worked to our benefit. It pays to have a few contacts in high places when your club tends to break the law. We’ve learned through experience and have gotten smarter, so for the most part, we stay out of the cops’ path more often than not.
After hearing Princess reassure me that Amelia’s straight and the ol’ ladies played some cards with her while I was passed out, I can relax a bit where she’s concerned. I’m shocked Princess replied right away, but then again, she was probably waiting for her ol’ man to check in with her too. Knowing Viking, hard ass and all, he’d have called her as soon as he plugged his phone in this morning when we’d arrived. I can’t blame him; I’d do the same if I were in his shoes. Hell, I’m not even close with Amelia, and I was checking up on the woman as soon as I woke up.
I move my bike out of the way and crack my door open, popping my head out. Nightmare and Saint are both there, smoking cigarettes. I head outside, clad in jeans, bandana, and white socks. Fuck what anyone thinks, I just got up. “Hey bro, can I bum one?” I gesture to his pack. They’re all crushed on one end. He probably had them shoved in his pocket.
Night nods and holds the pack out to me.
I don’t generally smoke, but this is the first run of this nature that I’ve been on in years. I need the nicotine to chill my nerves the fuck out. Saint will snort a bit of powder for this shit. I don’t understand how that fucker functions so hyped up. I need a joint or something to calm me the fuck down. “You smoking again?” I ask. “Thought your ol’ lady put an end to that shit, brother.”
Saint passes over a lighter, grinning like a fool. Crazy pretty boy motherfucker.
Night mutters, “She’s not the boss of me.”
I snort, and Saint laughs outright. Nightmare’s so fucking pussy whipped it’s not even funny. He and Viking are two peas in a pod with their bitches. They’re obsessed and even fuck their women together from what I hear.
He sh
rugs it off. “She bought me the pack, knew what Mexico does to me.”
“Smart woman,” I retort.
“Nah shit,” he grumbles.
If I had to guess, he’s as stressed as I am and probably hangry. “You guys grab anything to eat yet?”
“I could go for some pussy, but Jude would cut my dick off. She already threatened before I left.”
I raise a brow, and he smiles maniacally in return. Of course, he’d take a good, secluded chick and turn her into a goddamn psychopath. “I was thinking food, brother.”
Nightmare replies, “I was gonna hit up the diner next door.”
“Bet, I’ll head over with you. I’m fucking starving.”
I quickly grab a white T-shirt and my boots, already picturing the club sandwich and fries I plan on ordering. Saint falls in step with us, commenting, “Only two more hours, brothers. Then it’s showtime.” He rubs his hands together with excitement.
Nightmare and I don’t say anything in return. Like either of us needed the reminder. I’m sure we’re both watching the clock today.
Chapter 14
Amelia
“Hey, I brought you breakfast,” Princess offers as she enters Blaze’s room the following day. I’d been up for a while, used to being on a strict school schedule for so many years. With Blaze in the bed, I seem to sleep longer than usual. I thought it was the aftermath of being drugged, but maybe it’s just him and his presence beside me.
“Thank you.”
“How are you feeling today?”
I shake my head, sighing. “I can’t remember the last time I drank more than a few glasses of wine.”
She laughs. “I told you, I can make some bomb ass margaritas. They go hand in hand with playing cards.”
“These men don’t care if you drink like that?”
She shrugs and takes a seat in Blaze’s big chair after setting the plate of food beside me. “It wasn’t a big deal yesterday since the club was busy riding. I won’t be getting that carried away again until they come home, though. I need to be ready in case anyone needs something.”
Heathen: Oath Keepers MC Page 12