by Erin Osborne
After the first day, he left me unchained. I still get locked in the room, but at least my ankle is not shackled to the floor anymore. To do this, I’ve had to promise I wouldn’t attack him again or try to run away. Instead, I’ve been cooking and cleaning, posing for the pictures he’s had to take for whoever is coming for me, and even done one video of me wearing lingerie. It made me sick to my stomach to do as he’s asked, but it’s all a part of the plan. My plan anyway.
I’m still without clothes. Craig refuses to give me anything to wear so I’m stuck in the same bra and panties I’ve been in for days now. Honestly, I feel disgusting, but I don’t have a choice in the matter. The sooner I get in deep with him, the sooner I’ll be able to ask one more time for at least a tee shirt to wear. Hopefully.
Today, I’m back in the kitchen, cooking Craig’s lunch before he leaves for a few hours. He wants me to make grilled ham and cheese with a salad. While he’s gone, I’m to clean the house and start making dinner. All the things I used to do before I was taken from his house.
Placing the food in front of Craig’s chair, I let him know lunch is ready. I stand at the opposite end of the table and wait for him to take his seat before I sit down in mine. Watching him closely, he picks the sandwich up and I already know this is not gonna be good. He takes a tentative bite. Spitting out the sandwich, he stalks to my end of the table and grabs me by my hair.
“You call that shit food?” he asks. “It’s a soggy piece of shit and I don’t even want to try the fucking sandwich.”
Craig slaps me around a bit before landing a punch to my stomach. I drop to my knees on the floor as he grabs some papers and his keys from the living room. Leaving me in the kitchen on the floor, he reminds me the house better be clean and dinner better be ready by the time he gets back.
He leaves the house and locks the door behind him. Not only did he lock the handle, but he locks the deadbolt as well. Craig made sure there’s no way I can get out. All of the windows are nailed shut and have bars on the windows. The deadbolt has nothing on the inside to unlock it. So, I’m being held prisoner once again by a man I can’t stand.
Uncurling myself, I gingerly get off the floor and eat the food I’ve prepared for Craig. There’s nothing wrong with it other than now being cold. As soon as I’m done eating, I wash the dishes and go about cleaning the house so I can start making dinner. He wants lasagna, the way he likes and not how I usually make it, with garlic bread and another salad.
It shouldn’t take me long to make the simple meal, but with the pain I feel again, it takes me longer to do what I’ve got to accomplish. Since I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to get everything completed, I try to move as fast as possible. Craig could be gone for a few hours, a day, or he could be back here within a matter of an hour.
Once the lasagna is in the oven, I sit down on the couch for a minute. I need to rest a few minutes before I start searching the house. I’m going to find a phone or some other way to get in contact with Hawk and Chains.
My thoughts are never far from the men that have captured my heart and soul. I think about the time we got to spend together, the passion and love they showed me, and all of the things we never got to do. The things I never got to tell them.
I think about the way Hawk can be funny and loves to joke around when he’s not on club business or have a million other things going on his head. He makes me want to laugh and have fun when I haven’t in such a long time. There’s been nothing good or fun in my life in so, I thought I forgot how to laugh.
Chains is such the opposite of Hawk. He’s serious and has a protective streak a mile wide. I feel safe and protected with both men, but Chains makes sure I’m comfortable, protected, and have everything I could want or need. You would think he was the Enforcer or the Sergeant At Arms of the club instead of the Treasurer.
I wouldn’t change either men. They’re both perfect the way they are. Each man compliments the other and they work in tandem. That’s why sharing women works for them. Hawk and Chains know how to read one another without a single word being spoken between the two.
Since being here, I’ve started to re-earn Craig’s trust. Now, I just have to figure out how I’m going to get past him. My end goal is the same as always; get away from Craig and back to my men. Back to Satan’s Anarchy where women are treasured and loved.
I’m confident enough in my self-defense skills to take Craig down. Especially if he’s high off his mind. What I don’t know is what to do after I take him out. I’ll need to find the keys and figure out where the hell I am. It would be easy if I had a phone and could call Hawk and Chains.
They made me memorize their cell phone numbers shortly after I moved in with them. No matter what happens, the second I get to a phone, I’ll be able to contact one of them. I’m glad they made me memorize the numbers so all I need is a phone.
I’ve searched the rooms when I can and there’s no phone in here other than Craig’s. He keeps his phone on him at all times. There’s no way I can get to it unless I manage to knock him out cold. Then I’ll be able to fish the phone out of his pocket and call one of my men. It’s possible, I’ll just have to use all the strength I can muster up.
Knowing he’ll be home soon; I get up and pull the lasagna out of the oven so it can cool down a little. Taking the trays of homemade garlic bread out, I put it in the oven. There’s no way Craig should be able to complain about this meal. I’m sure he’ll try, but I don’t care. Tonight, is the night I get the fuck away from him once and for all.
By the time the salad is put together and I pull the bread out of the oven, I’m in heaven. The house smells of garlic and the lasagna. Smells I’ve always loved. I lay everything out on the table for Craig to sit down as soon as he walks through the door. I just need to bide my time and wait until he’s comfortable enough.
With the smells wafting through the house, my mind wanders to my parents. My mom used to cook and bake all the time. As soon as you walked through the door, you thought you were in Heaven. Aromas assault you and drive you right to the kitchen. There was always good food, baked goods, and anything else my mom finds on the internet to try.
It’s another half hour before Craig makes his way through the door. Immediately I know he’s high and probably been drinking. This could either be good for me or very, very bad. Craig’s temper has always been worse during the times I now realize he was high or drunk. I bite my tongue and walk into the kitchen to warm his plate of food up and place salad in a bowl.
“How long until dinner’s on the table?” he asks, slurring his words as he stumbles into the table at the end of the couch.
“Five minutes. I just need to warm your food up and it will be ready.”
“Okay. I’m gonna jump in the shower and then I’ll be down,” he tells me.
Honestly, this couldn’t have worked out better if I planned it. I keep the plate of food in the oven while I grab one of the cast iron skillets from the cupboard. It was buried deep in the back and I doubt Craig even knows it’s in here. Walking quietly up the stairs, I make my way to the bathroom door.
I can hear Craig on his phone as the water runs. The sound is muffled and I can’t exactly make out what he’s saying. But, it’s definitely something about me. Taking a chance, I press my ear to the door and realize he’s talking about me being picked up. There’s a mention of something tomorrow afternoon and I know without a doubt tonight is the night. It’s now or never.
Craig hangs up the phone and I hear him shuffling around before the sound of the water changes. I know he’s in the shower now. Quietly opening the door, I make my way in the bathroom. Craig is humming to himself as I hold the skillet high above my head and count to three before ripping the shower curtain back.
I hit Craig in the back and send him flying forward with the momentum of the swing. Before Craig can get his balance and come at me with a counterattack, I raise the skillet again. Hitting him in the head, I watch as he crumbles to the floor of th
e tub. There’s a sickening thud as his body hits the floor of the tub. I want to make sure I’ve taken care of the situation, so I hit him one more time in the back of his head.
Blood is mixing in with the running water, lulling me into a trance-like state. I’ve never hurt another person in my life. Tonight was a first. But, I know it’s either him or me and it’s time I start making sure no one takes advantage of me like Craig did again.
Finally, I shake my thoughts off and move. I search the bathroom for the phone I hear Craig on a few minutes ago. It’s not on the bathroom counter, so I lean down and grab his pants to search the pockets. It’s here. Thank God!
Craig is cocky enough that he’s never locked his phone. I turn the screen on and pull up the keypad so I can call Hawk. At the same time, I finally shut the water off and wait for Hawk to answer his phone. I really hope he’s going to answer even though he doesn’t know the phone number.
“Lo’?” Hawk finally answers.
“Hawk, thank God. It’s Cassidy,” I say, rushing through my words.
“Pixie! Where are you?” he asks as I hear a ton of commotion on his end of the phone.
“I don’t know. All I know is I don’t have much time. I knocked Craig out and took his phone. Get me out of here,” I say, relief and panic filling my voice.
“I’ll track the phone, baby. We’re on our way.”
“Please don’t hang up. I don’t want to be here alone anymore,” I plead with him.
“I won’t. Let me switch the call to the Bluetooth in my helmet.”
“Okay, Hawk.”
My body begins to tremble and my legs feel like they can’t support my weight anymore. I slump down on the bathroom floor as tears begin to stream down my face. I thought I was relieved the first time I got away from Craig. It’s nothing compared to knowing my men are coming from me this time.
“I’m back, Pixie. We’re on our way to you now. It shouldn’t take us more than a half-hour to get to you,” he tells me.
“Okay.”
Chapter Seventeen
Hawk
I’M WORKING IN my room, looking into Craig some more, when my phone rings. Looking down, I see an unknown number calling and I set the phone back down. I don’t want to answer the phone, but something in my gut is telling me I need to take this call.
“‘Lo?” I ask
“Hawk, thank God. It’s Cassidy,” I hear from the other end of the line.
“Pixie! Where are you?” I ask, standing up and running out of my room to find Chains and the guys.
“I don’t know. All I know is I don’t have much time. I knocked Craig out and took his phone. Get me out of here,” she says, her voice filling with something sounding like relief with an underlying tone of panic.
“I’ll track the phone, baby. We’re on our way.”
“Please don’t hang up. I don’t want to be here alone anymore,” she pleads with me.
“I won’t. Let me switch the call to the Bluetooth in my helmet.”
“Okay, Hawk.”
Running through the common room, I yell out that Cassidy’s on the phone and I’ve got a trace going on her call. Chains and the rest of the guys follow me out to our bikes. I place my phone in the holder I installed by my speedometer. Pressing the button on my helmet, I connect the phone to my helmet so I can still hear our sweet girl while the bikes are running.
“I’m back, Pixie. We’re on our way to you now. It shouldn’t take us more than a half-hour to get to you,” he tells me.
“Okay.”
Cass goes quiet and I’m not sure what’s wrong. She could be hurt to the point she’s slipping away from us. Or she could be going into shock. We have no clue what’s been done to her.
“Pixie, you still with me?” I ask, wanting to make sure she’s still here.
“I’m here, Hawk. I’m just so cold,” she tells me.
“Why are you cold? Are you bleedin’ anywhere?” I ask her, all of the possibilities running through my head.
“No. Craig knocked me around a bit, but nothing like the last time. I’ve got some bruises and things. I think I’m okay though. I just want you and Chains,” she tells me.
“That’s really good to hear, Pixie,” I tell her. “We’ll be there soon. Talk to me. Where are you right now?”
“I’m sitting in the bathroom. Hawk, Craig hasn’t moved since I hit him,” she tells me, worry lacing her voice.
“It’s okay, Pixie. If you knocked him out, that’s probably why he’s still not movin’. We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Can you hang on that long?” I ask her.
“Yeah, Hawk.”
I’m riding by Renegade because I have the trace on her call. Looking at my President, I motion to ride faster. We all speed up and cut our time getting to Cass in half. Muting the phone with my girl, I talk in the comms for a second.
“We don’t need to pull over away from the house. She knocked Craig’s ass out. But we need to get there as soon as possible,” I tell everyone.
“Got it,” Renegade says, pulling further out in front of me.
“Baby, keep talkin’ to me. Let me know you're still with me?” I tell Cassidy.
“There’s a lot of blood, Hawk. I hit him in the head,” she says.
“That’s okay. Head wounds always bleed more,” I answer, letting her know we’ll take care of it when we get here.
“I’m gonna leave the bathroom now. I don’t want to see him anymore,” she says.
I hear muffled movement in the background. She’s moving around so that’s a good sign. It means her legs aren’t too damaged and she isn’t hurting enough she’s constantly in pain like the last time. When I don’t hear any movement on her end of the phone, I realize she’s exactly where she was going.
“Where are you, baby girl?” I ask her.
“I came down to the living room. It’s one of the warmer rooms in the house,” she tells me.
“Why are you so cold, Pixie?”
“Because I’ve been in my bra and panties since I woke up here. Craig wouldn’t let me have any clothes to wear or anything,” she answers honestly.
I see red. No one deserves to see our girl in her underclothes. This needs to be kept from Chains for as long as possible. Obviously, he’s going to be seeing the condition she’s in and when we get there. Craig will definitely feel the pain we dish out when we get our hands on one another, for everything he’s ever done to our girl, even before we met her.
Glancing at my phone, I see we need to make a left turn and then we’re less than a mile from our girl. I turn the throttle and speed past everyone. There’s no way I’m waiting a second longer to get to Cass.
I’ve felt like I couldn’t take a full breath since she’s been gone. Like the blackness I manage to keep at bay when she’s around is suffocating me. It’s cliché as hell, but Cass is definitely the air I breathe and the light to my darkness. She makes my world brighter and it doesn’t seem like I’ve got the weight of the world on my shoulders.
Chains has said much the same thing when we’ve had a few minutes alone together. We’ve been split up for most of the time the last few days while Cass has been gone. It’s the way things are done in Satan’s Anarchy. We’re both with Cass and this way ensures one of us will always be around for her.
Pulling up to the house, I practically jump off my bike before it comes to a complete stop. Chains is right next to me as we run to the front door of the house. We take a second to listen to the sounds coming from the inside and don’t hear a damn thing. Stepping back, Chains boots the door in. It takes him a few tries to get past the deadbolt.
As soon as the door is open, we rush in to find Cassidy sitting on the couch. She’s huddled in the corner and doesn’t even look up as we storm into the house. We're not quiet by any means. Chains and I rush over to her. It takes her a minute to get out of her head, but she finally looks up at us and tears of relief fill her eyes.
“You came for me. You both really came!” she
cries out, jumping up and into our arms.
Chains and I both catch her with the angle she jumps up. Cass wraps an arm around each of us and holds us tight to her body. The color of my shirt is getting soaked with the tears coming from her eyes.
“I missed you both so much,” she says. “There’s something I realized when I was here. I love you both and I don’t want to lose either one of you.”
To say I’m shocked would be an understatement. I never would’ve thought that’s the big epiphany Cass had while here. I thought maybe she would realize she’s better than Chains and me. Or that she wanted to try being with other men. Anything but that she loves us.
Chains and I have no intention of letting Cass go. She’s ours and that’s how it’s going to stay. I know with certainty that she's the love of my life, but I didn’t want to scare her off by telling her that too soon. Now, I don’t have to worry about that. The only thing I need to worry about is telling her now.
“Cass, I love you more than words can say,” I tell her, pulling her in for a deep kiss.
“I love you too, Pixie. I’ve never been so scared of anythin’ like this in my entire life,” Chains tells her, pulling her in for his own kiss.
They break apart when one of the other guys clears their throat to remind us they’re here with us. That’s when I look down and get my first glance at Cass. She’s dirty, in nothing more than her bra and panties, her hair is a mess, and bruises cover her stomach and upper body. The second Chains realizes the condition of our girl, he almost loses his shit.
Instead of showing her his rage and pent-up aggression, Chains takes off with the excuse of searching the house for Craig. He doesn’t want him to wake up and get the jump on us. I give him this time to collect himself and get a handle on his anger so Cass doesn’t think he’s mad or upset at her. It’s the last thing she needs right now.