by K. J. Dahlen
The questions running through his mind were who was she and why did Blade want to hurt her so badly?
An hour later, she began to come around.
At first, when she began moving, Breed got to his feet and sat down beside the bed. He waited patiently for her eyes to open.
She turned from one side to the other and groaned as pain made her wince. Then her hand brushed against her cheek and she groaned again. Then she laid very still and her eyes slowly opened.
Breed could see the warm brilliant blue of her orbs when she slowly turned her head to his.
To see him sitting there so close to her she startled back a bit and had to groan in pain and her hand went to her belly. Pressing gently, she looked at him again. She opened her mouth to speak but her mouth was so dry, no sound came out.
Breed grabbed a bottle of water from the table next to the bed and opened it. “Just sip this or you’ll get sick and that won’t help your belly.”
She nodded and took a few sips at first, just enough to wet her mouth. When that stayed down, she took a longer drink to satisfy her thirst. Then she handed the bottle back to him. “Thank you,” she mumbled hoarsely.
“So, who are you and why did you come here?” Breed sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his broad chest.
“Well let’s see…” she began. “I’d—rather not tell you my name— and I have no idea where here even is…” her voice sounded croaky as she attempted to speak again, “T-the last thing I knew I was just outside of Decatur, Alabama.” She wet her lips and asked, “Who the hell are you and where am I exactly?”
“Do you know what day is?” Breed interrupted with a question of his own.
She frowned and looked at him with a question in her eyes. “P-please tell me, it—it’s Tuesday?”
Breed just stared at her for a moment then slowly shook his head.
She took a deep breath. “Well, it was Monday the last I knew.”
“It’s Friday. And we’re about ten miles outside of Chattooga, Tennessee.”
She flopped back down in her bed and looked shocked. “How the hell did I get here and where did the last three days go?” she whispered.
“Do you remember how you got in the dingy and on the river?” Breed wanted to know.
She looked shocked as she frowned at him. “I was in a dingy, on the river?” she whispered incredibly.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Breed frowned.
She thought about that for a moment then told him, “I remember getting off work Monday afternoon. I got off early because my grandfather was having a dinner party that night and I went out to my car in the parking lot. When I went to unlock my car, someone hit me from behind. When I woke up, I was in a van with three men. My hands were tied behind my back and my head hurt….” She let out a sigh as her eyes drooped closed and she seemed to be out of it again.
Breed took her hand and felt surprised as the warmth from it made heat rise all along his skin. “Hey…Hey!”
Blinking and looking a bit lost, her eyes opened again. She stared at him. “Who are you?”
Breed shook his head. “You were telling me about how you got hit in the head.”
She fell quiet for another moment, as she seemed to have to think about what he was saying. “Well… they drove a long way and the one man kept asking me questions about my grandfather. He seemed to know him rather well. He kept telling me that grandfather would pay to get me back. I tried to tell him he wouldn’t. My grandfather couldn’t be bothered. While he has the money, he doesn’t particularly care for me or my cousin Joey.” She shook her head. “He didn’t much care for our parents either and they were his own children. But this one guy said he’d better care. Joey owed them big money and he said my grandfather would pay.” She turned her blue eyes at Breed again. “He wasn’t happy about the fact Joey lied to him about grandfather. He told me his name was Blade and that I should remember that name.”
Breed frowned, “And did he say why you would remember it?”
She nodded. “His name would be the last name I would ever say when he shoved a knife into my heart if my grandfather didn’t pay.” She stared at the cut he wore. “He wore one of those too, only his says Hade’s Messengers.”
“The fucker” he muttered low as he looked down at his vest then up at her. He then watched her eyes closely as he asked her, “When did he stomp on your abdomen?”
“When I called him a fool to think Joey was honest enough to con him into thinking he would get money for me. That’s when he began hitting me. The last thing I remember is his foot coming down on the belly. I have no clue what happened after that.” She kept her gaze locked on his. “My grandfather is a lot of things but a caring man isn’t one of them.”
“Just who is your grandfather?” Breed asked while feeling confused.
“He’s a man I love to hate and hate to love.” She hung her head. “His name doesn’t matter right now does it?”
“Well, I think it does as we have to let him know you’re not with the Hade’s MC anymore, don’t you?” Breed pointed out.
She shrugged. “He wouldn’t have paid anyway.” She turned her head away. “His name is Brian Williams. He works out of Huntsville, but is moving his offices to Birmingham.”
“And you are?”
“Kizzy Williams.”
“And who’s this idiot Joey?” Breed wanted to know.
Kizzy sighed hard. “My grandfather had two children of his own. His son David was my father and his daughter Joy was Joey’s mom. Joey’s last name is Bassette. My parents were killed when I was fourteen in a car accident. Joy wouldn’t take me in as she could barely be a mother to Joey and Grandfather took me into his home but it wasn’t by choice. The state told him he could afford to pay for my care and it didn’t matter if he did not want me. He didn’t want to be bothered or pay for my way. His colleagues also told him it would show the world what a good guy he was if he did it. My grandfather was all for looking good but no one knows what went on behind closed doors.” She shivered.
“What happened?” Breed was interested now.
“I would rather not say and leave it at that.” She glared at him. “One thing I will say is Joey didn’t like the fact I was closer to grandfather than he ever got. Only problem with that is I never wanted to be close to the old man and Joey only enjoys taking my grandfather’s money. My grandfather is a miserable man who has never been told no. He thinks if you throw enough money at a problem, that problem will go away. As long as the problem wasn’t family, he was fine spending it but he thought when a person reached a certain age, they should fend for themselves.”
Chapter Three
Bred sat and listened. It was this way with most of the blueblood types or the wealthy. Caring for money and not for family. Green was better than red to them. His father had been the very same way.
She shook her head and looked down at her hands. “How Joey convinced this Blade bastard he could get money for kidnapping me is beyond anything I could come up with.” She scoffed. “My grandfather is more than likely pissed that he had no hostess for the party he was having on Monday.”
“You think he deliberately lied to Blade about getting a ransom for you?”
She nodded. “I know he did and so does Joey. Grandfather hated paying out the money he earned through his own hard work to pay anything for me. He often reminded me that I owed him when he paid my school fees, even though he collected a hefty amount of life insurance when my parents died. He paid Joey’s debts so the whole world wouldn’t know Joey was a deep failure. But me? No way. I was just his granddaughter, no one important.”
“So why would Joey set Blade up then… to take the fall for kidnapping if your grandfather wouldn’t pay?”
She wouldn’t look at him or say anything.
Breed got the feeling she knew the what and why of Joey’s plan. In the silence, he sat and thought about it for a few minutes then suggested, “Joey knew your grandfather w
ouldn’t pay, so he set Blade up to take the fall. But why?”
“Because he’s stupid,” Kizzy told him. “Joey thinks that if there’s a pending kidnapping charge on Blade that he won’t come after him when Grandfather doesn’t pay.” She shrugged. “Then again, maybe he thought Blade would just kill me outright when he didn’t get the money. Joey is not a caring man either. At least grandfather never set someone up to die…I don’t think so anyway.”
Breed frowned. “You think Joey set you up to die?”
She rolled her eyes. “It wouldn’t surprise me a bit.” She looked down at the blanket covering her lap. “There is someone I should call however, grandfather’s attorney, Matt. Matt would be the one Joey would call to set up the payment with. If anyone knows what’s going on, it would be him.”
Breed shook his head. “Would this Matt care one way or the other about you?”
Kizzy shrugged but didn’t say anything.
Breed saw the look in her eyes change and he had to shake his head. Did she have no one in her life that cared if she was alive or not? He always had his mom and the tribe and now, he had the brothers of Rebel’s Blood. Then he remembered she didn’t lose her own parents until she was fourteen. At least, she had that much. “And your parents? Were they good to you at least?” He had to know.
Kizzy smiled. “Oh yeah, my parents were great. Going to grandfather’s stunned me. My dad never really had too much to do with his own father but we would visit his sister sometimes.” She paused then added, “Until Joey got mean. I think I was ten when he went overboard that year. My dad was so mad that we never went to visit his sister again. Then four years later, they were gone.” She shook her head.
Breed didn’t know what to feel. He had never been around anyone who just flat out did not care about anyone but themselves. This poor girl came from a whole family and world that acted this way.
Kizzy settled down in the bed again and closed her eyes. “I think I’ve answered enough questions for now. I feel like sick to my stomach and… I hurt everywhere…” She pressed her hand into her belly as nausea rolled through her body. Turning her head away from him, tears leaked from her eyelids.
Breed watched her for a moment then got up and walked out of the room.
Cowboy watched them from the doorway to his own room. He’d heard everything but remained quiet. He didn’t need to be told to watch over their guest. He would do that anyway.
Breed stomped into the main room and went straight over to the bar. He grabbed the Black Velvet bottle and tipped it up with pouring it into a shot glass first. The whiskey burned his throat and warmed his belly.
His MC brothers, Greer and Monster joined him but not too close. Breed did have a temper when he was pissed and right now, the man was looked beyond pissed.
“So boss what’s going on?” Greer asked.
“She thinks her own cousin set her up to be killed by Hade’s crew. He owed Blade money and told him he could get his grandfather to pay a ransom if he took the girl.”
“Is her cousin stupid or just a moron?” Monster growled. “Doesn’t he know what kind of man Blade is?”
Breed snapped his head over at Monster and growled. “That fucking piece of shit knows exactly what kind of man Blade is. I think he set her up to die and I think she does too.”
“Would her grandfather pay the ransom?” Greer asked.
“No, he wouldn’t. She says there is no way he would have. She knew it and so did her cousin.” Breed scowled.
“Did you find out her name?” Greer wanted to know.
“It’s Kizzy Williams.”
More than one of the brothers gasped.
“Not Brian Williams’ granddaughter?” Maverick asked.
Breed turned to face him. “Yeah, that’s the one. What do you know about Brian Williams that we don’t?”
“I know he’s a great business man but a horrible human being,” Maverick exclaimed. “He’s worth billions but kicked his orphaned granddaughter out at seventeen. He told the press she was going to college but no one knew where. She still hosts his dinner parties and such.”
Breed nodded. “She said she was getting off work Monday to go to his house when Blade and his boys snatched her. She’s been floating in that fucking dingy for three full days and nights with no food or water. She doesn’t remember how she got in the dingy either.”
“Wonder how pissed Blade is right now?” Maverick pondered out loud
Breed took another swig of the whiskey. After he swallowed it, he suggested. “Maybe we should keep an eye on him and see what’s going on down there? I’m also thinking two of you should go keep an eye on her cousin and her grandfather. There’s something brewing between those two and I’m wondering what that might be.”
“Do we make our presence known or can we do this the sneaky way?” Maverick smiled.
“Oh, by all means do this the sneaky way. We’ll learn what we need to know that much sooner and they won’t know it until it’s too late.” Breed grinned. “I need two man to watch Joey Bassette and another two, to watch Brian Williams. This way, if we see they are doing something or up to no good, the men can move in and snatch them. Then I need a couple of guys to watch the Messengers. I need to know what everyone is doing. But be careful, Blade might be looking for her and I don’t want him to get a clue where she might be.” He paused then said, “And see if you can find out who Williams’s attorney is. She mentioned the name Matt but he might be someone we can contact if we find something.”
“I’ll see what I can find out. May have to break into his accounts to do it but he’ll never know.” Crow grinned.
“Be careful,” Breed warned his IT man. “We have to stay out of this completely until we know more. Neither side can know where she is right now.”
“How bad is she hurt?” Greer asked. “I know Blade beat her some, by what I could see.”
Breed nodded. “He fucking cut her and then he stomped on her abdomen. I’m surprised he didn’t crush her ribs.”
When four of the dozen men sitting there got to their feet, Breed called out again, “Leave your cuts behind. Watch only and if you see trouble, call for backup first.”
“Prez,” Maverick called out. “We know what to do. Some of us are reckless but we’re not suicidal, just rejects.” He chuckled slightly.
Each and every man there was here because after serving their country, they didn’t fit in with society or that’s what they were told. They’d seen what hell really looks like and there were some things they couldn’t unsee. Rather than stay were people feared them, they gathered here. Some of them were half breeds like Breed himself was, they also found no real place in society.
Here, they could breathe and not worry about it. Here, they blended well with the others. They could talk about what they had done in the name of their country or in the name of their own families and not be looked at like they were baby killers or dangerous offenders. Here, no one judged them.
There were a few law breakers, though some had been in the pen, or in some law trouble a time or two. But often, they were in some dispute and got the short end of the shitty stick. However, all of them liked being part of a legitimate MC, one with honor.
Chapter Four
Breed stood in the doorway and studied her. She was sleeping again, but he knew she was healing from the trauma of the last few days.
Cowboy joined him and silently they moved away from the door.
Breed led the way down to his office and then poured a shot for both of them before he spoke.
“Is she doing okay?” he asked his medic softly.
“Physically? Yeah, she’ll recover from the beating she took.” He shook his head. “She’s a tough chick and this isn’t her first rodeo, I’m thinking.”
“What else?” Breed demanded. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“She talks in her sleep, did you know that?” Cowboy asked him.
“Now, how would I know something like that?” Breed gla
red at him. “I just met the woman.”
“Well, she does. And her grandfather is a real bastard. He took a scared fourteen year old girl who had just lost her parents and worked her like a slave.”
“What did she say?” Breed was curious.
Cowboy shook his head. “She was worried about missing the party Monday night, how her grandfather would be so disappointed in her and how she owed him money for everything he did for her while she lived with him.”
“What do you mean?” Breed frowned.
“She was so out of it, that when I tried to ask her questions, she answered them but she didn’t realize it, I don’t think.” Cowboy shook his head. “She kept saying in her sleep how she owed and would be in trouble now. I asked her for what. He got the insurance money from her parents like she told you but, the old bastard didn’t want to take her. He was going to let her go into the system until he learned he wouldn’t get the insurance money. Then I asked her more detailed questions and I learned that he turned around and kept track of every penny he spent on her and when she started working, she had to pay that money back. He was taking half her check for his payback even though he got over a million dollars from the insurance when her parents died. That’s why she was so agitated, she did not make it to hostess his party, and he would be angry with her.”
“Fucking hell.” Breed growled. “No wonder she said she hated to love him and loved to hate him. It didn’t make sense to me before now.”
Cowboy nodded. “I believe that. It sounds about right from what she said. Brian Williams really needs a wakeup call.”
Breed agreed with him. “Well, I got some of the brothers checking things out. Two are going to watch Joey and grandpa and two are going to spy on Blade and his bastards. If they find out she’s here with us, they will come for her and try to start a war none one of us wants.”
“Now boss…” Cowboy shook his head. “You know that ain’t true. Blade would do it in a heartbeat if he could get to you. He really hates the fact that you’re his half brother. He’s blaming you for something his bastard father did before either of you were even born.”