Oh, God!
I reached for the counter, sucking in deep breaths. If I wasn’t careful I’d hyperventilate. Hearing that name had brought back all kinds of fear-provoking memories. I grabbed my stomach, feeling it churn. God, I had to get a grip. It couldn’t be the same evil fuck who’d ruined my childhood and teenage years, and my mom.
Beads of moisture dotted my forehead, and I began to feel faint. I went to the sink, turned on the faucet, and splashed some water onto my face. The kitchen door opened behind me, but I ignored whoever came in, praying that it wasn’t Stone. I reached for a paper towel and blotted my face dry, before slowly turning to face him.
He frowned. “What the fuck? You look like you’ve seen a fuckin’ ghost.”
I wet my lips. “I, I—” Oh, God, what the hell could I tell him? That hearing the name of a man from my past terrified me so much that it made me sick? Made me want to run to the other side of the world? I realized that Stone wanted some kind of answer. I gripped the counter when I felt another wave rush over me, and my vision began to fade in and out. “I think I’m coming down with what some of the girls have.”
I swayed. Stone took two giant steps and then I was lifted up into his arms.
“Baby, why the fuck didn’t you stay in bed?” he growled down at me.
Was that concern in his voice? I avoided his eyes, afraid that he’d see the lies. “It, ah, just hit me.”
I closed my eyes when we walked through the bar, unwilling to make eye-contact with any of his men. If they were concerned they kept it to themselves, but I felt their eyes following us. It didn’t take Stone long to reach his room, and then he was laying me down onto the bed.
“I have business to attend to today. You stay in bed, got it?”
I opened my mouth to tell him that that wasn’t necessary, that I wasn’t really sick, but then how would I explain my reaction? Besides, I needed to get a message to my sister, and that might mean leaving the club for a little bit.
When he straightened he just stared down at me for a long minute. Guilt had me imagining what the quiet contemplation in his knowing eyes meant. Had he guessed that I was lying? I wanted to ask him about Wildman, but fear kept me quiet because if I didn’t ask then I wouldn’t know, and I could convince myself that it just couldn’t be the same man that I’d known and hated while growing up.
He couldn’t be.
Chapter 10
STONE
Something was fucking wrong. I was good at reading people, and my gut was telling me that Rachel was hiding something. Oh, she’d had a reaction, there was no denying that for a minute. She’d turned white and looked like she was about to hurl, but I fucking knew that it wasn’t the flu going around the club. If it were, she’d be bent over the toilet right now.
For now I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I had club shit to do and didn’t have time to mess around, not in the way I wanted to, anyway. I pulled my gaze from hers and took her curvy body in from head to foot. That was a fucking mistake because sick or not, she turned my dick to stone and I wanted to fuck her again. She must have sensed it, too. Why else was she blushing like a fucking virgin and lowering her eyes?
I smiled inwardly. “Why are you blushing, sweetheart?
Her gaze flew back up to mine. “Must be the, ah, flu.”
“Yeah,” I said with a smirk, crossing my arms. “Well you hurry up and get better, baby. The faster you do, the faster I can get my dick wet inside your sweet pussy again.”
Her cheeks turned redder, I chuckled, then turned and left. My brothers were waiting for me. Rebel had got word to us that Wildman hadn’t wasted any time in returning to the Predators’ club house after he heard their president, Killer, was fucking dead. Thanks to Lynch’s old lady, Kat, she’d rid us of one problem while dumping an even bigger one into our laps. For years the Wild Marauders had to put up with the Red Devils existing in their backyard.
BJ, Boomer, Max, Bulldog, and Pit Bull were still seated when I got back. Someone had gone behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of scotch. Shit, we’d already been through one, but I knew when tempers ran high we fucking consumed enough of the hard stuff to replace the blood in our veins with pure meanness, and the fucking need for war. None of the brothers wanted Wildman and his killers in our town, but if he patched-over what was left of the Predators, that’s exactly what would happen.
Seeing a full glass in my spot, I reached for it and threw it back before even sitting down. Christ, the liquor burned like acid going down, and settled in my gut as if it were toxic fuel. Some of the brothers chuckled, but all my VP did was refill my glass.
“She sick?” Max asked after setting the bottle back down.
“Not fuckin’ sure.”
“Seemed like something she heard out here got a reaction out of her,” Pitt Bull added.
I shrugged. I glanced up as Darby and Trudy walked into the room. They looked like fucking zombies, with their make-up smeared all over their faces and their hair sticking out everywhere. It was obvious that they were both hung over and had just crawled out of bed.
“You bitches sick or just hung over?” BJ chucked.
Both gave him the finger and continued toward the kitchen door.
“Lulu and Sissy over that shit yet?” Max questioned.
“Almost,” Trudy answered. “Must be a twenty-four hour bug, but don’t get excited. Rhonda woke this morning tossing up her cookies.”
“Fuck, man,” Bulldog looked at his brother, and then at me. “Hope we don’t get that shit.”
A low chuckle went around the table. Most of us knew that the twins had probably double teamed Rhonda for most of the night. She was their favorite, and one or both of them often monopolized her time.
“Let’s get back to Wildman and what we’re gonna do. Gather up the brothers and meet me for church in fifteen.” I reached for my whiskey, and as I tossed it down I saw Rita swinging her hips my way. I kicked back my chair and stood up with the rest of my crew.
“Hey, baby.” Rita walked right up to me. She put her palms against my abs and ran them slowly up over my chest.
As they continued to wind around my neck I reached up, took hold of her wrists, and pulled them away. I saw right through her playful pout to the nasty scowl underneath it. She couldn’t hide her reaction to my rejection, but I didn’t give a fuck. I had everything I wanted right now in my room.
In my bed.
“Not now.”
“You’ve said ‘not now’ the last three times, baby. You haven’t fucked me since you came in with that bitch. You gonna let her have everything?” she asked.
Now I was scowling. “Let me fuckin’ clarify things for you—you and I weren’t exclusive. You think your cunt was the only one I was fucking?”
Rita’s face flushed with anger, but she was smart enough to keep it under control. “I don’t mind sharing you—”
“Like fuck,” I cut her off. “You think I don’t know that you scared the other girls into staying away from me? The only reason I let you get away with that shit was because I don’t like going after my brothers and I knew you kept yourself for me.” She didn’t bother denying it, her expression said it all. “Your only mistake was in thinking that it would earn you a place at my side.”
“If anyone has the right, it’s me. Everyone knows I’ve been your main girl for two years.” She slapped her hands on her hips.
“And your fuckin’ point is?”
She just stared at me for a minute, and I could see she was sorting shit out in her head. Why the fuck was I wasting time with her? I was about to walk away when her hands began roaming up my torso again, her expression softened, and I knew that she was going to play the sex card.
“Come on, baby. You know I make you feel good. I know how you like it. No one else will satisfy you like I do.” Leaning in close, she ran the tips of her tits against me. “One last time?”
Desperation filled her eyes when I didn’t react. If she’d done th
at shit a week ago I’d have grab her, thrown her against the wall, and fucked her brains out.
My cock didn’t even twitch.
I pushed her back. “Not. Now.”
“Maybe later?” she cooed hopefully.
Christ, the bitch didn’t let up. Later I’d remind her what a sweetbutt’s role was in the club. Now all I wanted to do was get the hell away from her. “Later.” Some of the brothers were heading toward the office for church. They looked our way, smirked a little, but knew enough not to say a word.
We had shit to sort out, women were the least of my problems.
RACHEL
Fuck, where is she? I felt a headache coming on. Since Stone had taken off I’d tried to get a hold of Maddie half a dozen times. When I gave up on her cell, I tried her job, a couple of her friends that I knew, and even her rotten husband. Ronald answered his phone but wasn’t any help. He wasn’t concerned and said it wasn’t unusual for her to turn her phone off at work. I called her boss only to find out that Maddie was off for the next two days.
On top of the killer headache I felt total helplessness. Until I spoke to her and knew that she was okay, the worst-case scenario was at the forefront of my brain. Wildman wouldn’t hesitate to use her to get to me. Maddie had been the lucky one. We shared the same father, but had different mothers. She hadn’t come into my life until after my mom and I had escaped him, and she didn’t know the horrors and beatings we’d been put through. All she knew was that we’d run away from an abusive relationship.
Abusive relationship hardly defined the life we’d had with Wildman. The man was a monster, like Jekyll and Hyde. He’d caught my mother at a desperate time in her life, wooing her with false words and promises of love and protection. Maybe mom had been a little too eager, too naive, but she’d done what she’d thought was best at the time, not understanding until it was too late the hell that awaited us. She’d tolerated her mistake until Wildman had made it known that he wanted me.
Escape had come at a price, but the benefits had far outweighed the cost. Knowing what part of New York that my father’s family came from, she’d hunted him down, explaining our situation and hoping that he could help. Of course he couldn’t, he was dealing with his own shit with another broken marriage, and a young teenage daughter he didn’t know how to deal with. He hadn’t seemed to care or comprehend the danger that we were in, and, knowing how vulnerable my mother was at the time, had begged her to take Maddie until he got right.
Got right?
What did that even mean?
He was a poor excuse of a human being, and even worse as a father. He never once asked about me. We’d ended up helping him, and Maddie had arrived on our doorstep within a week. We’d both been beyond happy to discover that we each had a sister. There’d been no more running after that, and no sign of Wildman, and over time we’d adjusted to our new lives as a little family.
Still poor.
Still struggling.
But as happy as we could be together, until now.
I had to get a hold of her. Just sitting there in the room made me all kinds of antsy. I couldn’t even go out and look for her, warn her about Wildman. I was totally at the mercy of Stone and his club. I needed a vehicle. Pacing around Stone’s room like a caged tiger, high on adrenaline, was making me crazy.
There was a light tap on the door. Before I could say enter the door opened and Trudy’s smiling face appeared.
“What’s wrong?” I guess my expression gave my inner turmoil away. Her smile disappeared and she opened the door enough to slip inside the room. “Is it Rita? I ran into her earlier and she was in a foul mood.”
I wished. I could handle Rita. I shook my head. “It’s my sister.”
“Oh, no.” I was surprised when she took my hand and pulled me down on the bed next to her. “What happened?”
“I, um, haven’t been able to get in touch with her. She’s younger than me, and I’m worried about her. I need to find some way to get to town.”
“That’s easy, honey. I can take you into town.”
I hesitated. I didn’t really want Trudy around when I talked to Maddie. Would she let me borrow the car? I wasn’t sure if it was hers, or if it belonged to the club. I would have to think of a way to leave her behind, but first I had to get into the car. “Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure,” she responded. “We can go right now.”
We both got to our feet, and I couldn’t help but worry about what I was going to say if we ran into Stone. “I don’t suppose I could borrow a vehicle and go on my own? I appreciate your offer, but I’m not sure where to begin looking for her. It might take some time.” I hoped my tone sounded casual and indifferent to what her answer might be.
“Oh, honey, I would let you if it were up to me, but we’d have to okay it with one of the officers and they’re in church right now and no one interrupts church. None of the girls leave the clubhouse alone.”
“Are you prisoners here?” I snapped, feeling my frustration grow.
She laughed. “No, it’s for safety reasons. We’re Dark Menace girls, considered their property. They take care of us.”
She went behind the bar, reached under the counter, and then held up a set of keys. “Looks like we’ll be taking the black truck today.” She tossed me the keys, giving me a knowing look. “Let me run and get my purse. If you want, pull up and wait for me outside the door.”
Just like that, Trudy took off. I stood there, stunned, wondering what had just happened. Was this her way of giving me the opportunity to go alone? She had made a point of telling me what we’d be driving. Deciding not to over think it, I swung around and headed straight for the door. Once outside, I scanned the parking lot until my gaze landed on a black truck. It was bigger than I was expecting.
As I walked toward it, I tried not to bring attention to myself. I could see several men working in the garage. One of them gave me a wolf whistle, but I ignored him and opened the truck door. The lot around the club was full of bikes, clearly identified as Dark Menace MC by the logos on their tanks. Wings of fire framed a horned devil’s head, and the letters “Dark Menace MC” were arched above the head, the same flaming color as the wings.
The truck’s engine roared to life. I slowed down by the door to the club, wondering if Trudy planned on showing up. A minute later I was pulling out of the lot and heading for town, trying not to think about Stone’s reaction when he discovered that I was gone. I hoped this didn’t get Trudy into trouble. I liked her.
I decided to start looking for Maddie at her house. It was a good call, because when I rounded the corner to her street I saw her car in the driveway. Thank God! I’d no sooner pulled in behind her vehicle and turned off the ignition than the front door swung open. She ran out to meet me.
“Hey, sis, I was hoping it was you.” Her gaze moved over the truck. “Is this yours?”
I ignored her question. “Damnit, Maddie, I’ve been trying to reach you for hours, your phone must be off!” I hadn’t meant to snap at her, but the whole situation and my worry over not being able to reach her had given me such a pounding headache that I could barely see. “Maddie,” I forced myself to calm down. “You’ve got to leave here.”
She frowned, taken aback. “What? But why?”
I glanced around. Most of her neighbors were either elderly or unemployed and had nothing better to do than stick their big ears into other peoples’ problems. “Let’s talk inside.”
“You’re scaring me,” she said, closing the front door behind us.
“Good. You need to be scared.” We sat down at the same table where they’d cut Ronald’s fingers off. “You remember that man I told you about a long time ago? The one mom and I ran away from?”
She nodded slowly. “The one in Georgia?”
I nodded. “Yes. Only…,” I hesitated from saying what I had to because I knew that it would freak her out, and I still wasn’t positive that the Wildman affiliated with Dark
Menace was the same Wildman that had terrorized my mother and me when I was a child. Still, better to be safe than sorry.
“What?” Maddie asked impatiently.
I reached across the table and took her hands. “I think he’s here, Maddie.”
Her eyes grew big. “Has he contacted you?”
I shook my head. No need to tell her that he wouldn’t contact me. If Wildman knew where I was he’d simply show up and do what Wildman does. I may or may not survive. “No, because he hasn’t found me yet.” I gave her a serious look, hoping to get it through to her that this was a dangerous situation. “You need to go somewhere and hide out for a little while. This man won’t think twice of using you to get to me.”
“But this man doesn’t even know about me,” she began, “I—”
“Maddie, please, I know what I’m talking about. He’s not . . .” I struggled to find the correct words, wishing now that I’d told her everything years ago. As it stood she knew very little. “He’s not normal. The people he associates with are vicious criminals, and trust me when I say that you don’t want to be around them. This man likes pain, he likes inflicting it. You saw the burns on my mom…”
She shuddered. I didn’t want to bring up those memories. Mom had suffered so much at the hands of that monster. The burns and mental abuse were just a fraction of what Wildman had put her through the years that we were his captives. Mom had passed away from cancer three years ago, and for the first time I was glad that she was gone. It had been so hard getting her to leave Wildman, she was that afraid of what he’d do if he caught up to us. But once she knew what his intentions were regarding me, she had made it her mission to escape.
Dark Menace MC: Stone Page 8