Beast (Salvations Bane 2)

by Marteeka Karlend

  Beast knew that, one day, all three would go too far. He was afraid that time was close, and it had everything to do with little Miss Fleur Durant. Which left only Fleur. There wasn’t much on her. Her last address was in Tennessee, but she’d apparently moved. If she’d made Palm Beach her home, she hadn’t secured any kind of residence in her name. It was possible she was staying with Miss Johnson.

  As he thought back to that moment in the gym, Beast pulled out his phone, which was linked with the security camera feeds for the club. Something was still nagging him, tickling the back of his neck, as it were. Maybe it was just the girl. She’d been… lovely. Fragile. Not normally the type of woman he went for, but she called to everything protective inside of him and he’d somehow latched onto the memory.

  Reviewing the feeds, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There were camera feeds even in the private rooms paid for by members who wanted to have private sessions with subs they’d met or brought with them. No place, not even the bathrooms, was off limits. Salvation’s Bane had no desire to gain the reputation of a club where rape could happen. Every room was monitored closely with video and audio surveillance, against the law or not. Since the club was owned by the men in Salvation’s Bane, they had complete control over the footage they recorded and who had access to it. Bane themselves would take care of any assholes using their club to assault women. No need to get the police involved.

  Not getting what he needed on his phone, he decided to have a closer look in his office. He had larger monitors and greater control over what he saw from there.

  At first glance, nothing looked amiss. There was some kinky play going on all over the damned place, but nothing out of the ordinary. Most of the couples going at it were ones familiar to him. A few were newcomers, but, still, nothing that raised any red flags. Everyone was behaving themselves. More or less.

  Then he turned to the private rooms. Still nothing… until he came to one with people in it he didn’t recognize. Fucking masks. The room was normally rented by Azriel Ivanovich, part of the Shadow Demons in Rockwell, Illinois. According to the key card, Azriel was the occupant. Beast made it his business to know every member of the Playground and who they regularly brought with them. Most took the hint and introduced him to new partners. The two men currently in Ivanovich’s room were most decidedly not Azriel Ivanovich. With the masks on, he couldn’t positively identify either. The girl they’d brought to the room hadn’t moved since he’d started watching. Which was a huge red flag. So he backed up the feed…

  “Goddamn motherfuckers!” Beast snagged a radio as he shoved away from the console, headed straight to the room in question. “I need anyone not actively engaged in a security issue to suite 2187.” Three guards answered immediately. “And bring the Goddamned tasers.” Two more security responded moments later. Something he made a mental note of.

  Less than a minute later, he was outside the door in question at almost the same time as Lock and Tool. Only a couple seconds later, Ripper was at his side with a case of tasers. Beast snagged one as he gave a solid kick hard enough not only to break the door frame, but to splinter the door off the hinges.

  Without further instructions, he tased one of the guys who’d been ready to thrust inside the woman tied to the bed. She gave a sharp yelp and turned her head to the side. Her eyes were wild and wet with tears. How she was breathing, he had no idea. She had a cloth gag stuffed in her mouth, and the pillow was thick and molded to her head. He could barely see one silver-green eye above the pillow.

  This time Beast didn’t bother with the taser. He was too furious. Grabbing the nearest man by the hair as the guy turned around, he yanked, smashing his fist into the side of the guy’s head once before flinging him out of the way. At the same time, Ripper shot the other guy with his taser. The bastard froze, his body tensing as the current ripped through him until he collapsed on the floor. It was all over in a matter of seconds. The men were slammed against the floor, their hands zip-tied behind their backs, and the girl freed.

  That didn’t satisfy Beast. Nothing would, except blood and more than a little of it.

  “Take those motherfuckers to my office,” he snapped. “They’re gettin’ ready to learn a lesson they’ll never fuckin’ forget.”

  “You can’t touch us!” The one who’d been tased was starting to fight again. “My dad’s lawyer will eat you for breakfast!”

  Beast took the two steps separating them and backhanded him so hard it spun him around. Blood flew from the younger man’s mouth, painting a bright spatter across the wall.

  “Ain’t no fuckin’ lawyer in the whole Goddamned world can get your ass outta this one, kid. You’re gonna get a beatin’ like you ain’t never imagined.”

  “Easy, dude! He ain’t kiddin’ ‘bout his old man.”

  Beast slowly turned his gaze to the security guy who’d spoken. The man was fresh out of the Marines. Good service record. Beast had thought the kid would be a good fit for ExFil, but he was starting to rethink that assumption.

  “You know what’s goin’ on here?” His voice was soft, but anyone who knew him would be able to tell he was riding the edge of eruption.

  “They’re havin’ a good time. It’s why people come here, Gideon.” The kid’s name was Darrin Montgomery, but Beast just called him New Kid. Because he was new. And because of shit like this.

  “You and I will be havin’ a talk later, New Kid. In the meantime, let me make it clear to you that your job is not to make decisions. Your job is to do what I fuckin’ tell you. I’m the one who makes the fuckin’ decisions. I have all the information. What was going on here was not play.”

  Beast turned back to the bed. Ripper and Lock had untied the girl and turned her to her side. Her back was a mass of welts and shallow cuts he’d have to get Doc to look at. Her eyes were wide and terrified, the pupils dilated. He’d bet his last fucking dollar the girl had been drugged. Hell, from what he’d seen on the feed they’d practically dragged her into the room, one of her arms over each of their shoulders as they’d entered.

  “Ripper, once she’s settled away from here, follow her movements backwards on the feeds. I want to know exactly what happened from the second she set foot on the property and who else I need to kill before tonight’s over.”

  As he’d hoped, both the young men in custody and New Kid looked decidedly nervous. Also, as he’d hoped, none of them said a fucking word. Good. He’d made an impression.

  With swift, angry movements, Beast ripped the masks off first one man, then the other. “You’ve got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me!” Currently in his custody were fucking Jeremy Hay and Greg Kinson. “God fuckin’ dammit!” He turned to Ripper. “Change of plan. That one,” he pointed to Jeremy, “has a brother in here somewhere. Wherever he is there’s bound to be another girl in trouble.” He got on the radio. “Priority One,” he said. “Be on the lookout for a man named Ben Hay and a young woman, Debbie Johnson. Ripper will send pics to your phones. Take the masks off every motherfucker in the whole Goddamned place. Find them and bring them to my office ASAP. Notify me if there is a girl in need of assistance.”

  He looked up at Lock. The other man met his gaze with a grim one. “If she’s not been drugged, I’ll turn in my resignation.”

  “Keep your Goddamned resignation. You’re right.” Beast nodded curtly. “Take her to a private room in the Cooling Station. Make her comfortable and wait with her until I get there. Call Doc, too. We’ll need him.” The Cooling Station was on the top floor of the three-story building. It was a place Doms could bring their subs after play to rest, rehydrate, and bring down as softly as he felt she need.

  “I’ll see if there’s anyone she wants me to call for her.” Lock was a good choice for this. He’d make sure she was kept comfortable and safe.

  Beast knelt down in front of the girl beside the bed. He hadn’t recognized her at first because her hair was down and her eyes weren’t that startling silver-green he’d noticed at the gym, but it
was the same girl. Where before he’d admired her, now everything protective in him powered its way to the front, demanding he take care of her. Well, he could do that. Just not in the normal sense of the word. He was about to open Hell’s gates on her attackers.

  God have mercy on their souls.

  Chapter Two

  Everything sounded like it was coming from inside a deep well. Fleur couldn’t get her bearings, but she knew she wasn’t safe. There was a sharp prick at the bend of her elbow, and she tried to pull away. Gentle hands prevented it and the pain was fleeting so she settled, her mind not wanting to focus, but she still couldn’t make herself pass out. She whimpered, trying to ask where she was but unable to form the words.

  “Everything’s gonna be OK, girl.” The voice was gruff, but not unpleasant. In fact, it was oddly reassuring. Fleur had learned early in life she couldn’t trust just anybody, but she thought that voice cast some kind of spell that made her want to trust him. “We stopped it and we’ll protect you until you feel better. Just rest for me. Can you do that?”

  Could she? Fleur didn’t know. She wanted to, but her mind refused to take even that little command and just surrender.

  “Where’m I?” Her voice was slurred. No wonder, either, because her mouth was as dry as cotton.

  “The Playground. I’ve got you in a safe room where you can rest.”

  At the mention of the club Debbie had pushed her into going to, Fleur’s eyes snapped open. Her mind tried to think, to figure out how to get her out of there, but the room spun and everything was fuzzy and distorted. Kind of like she imagined a bad trip on acid or something would be.

  “Easy now. Don’t go gettin’ all upset. I told you. We’re gonna protect you.”

  Fleur shook her head, trying to clear it. When she looked up at him, she was surprised to recognize the man the voice belonged to. “You were at the gym this morning.”

  “That’s right. Good. You’ve got your wits about you.”

  “Why’re you here when you were there?” Her words were still slurring, but she had to know. She had the feeling something had been very wrong at the gym.

  “Honey, my club owns both the gym and the Playground.”

  “Oh, no!” She’d been right. Somehow, she’d been set up. Was this guy her enemy? Was he with the men who’d taken her to that horrible room, tied her down, and beaten her? Just thinking about it made her realize her back was on fire. It was a testament to just how drugged she was that she hadn’t noticed it before now. “Please don’ hur’ me anymore…” Fleur hated how weak and pitiful she sounded, but there was no way she could defend herself in this condition. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Begging was all she had. If this man chose to hurt her anyway, there was absolutely nothing she could do.

  “Hey, hey. Take a breath.” A big and rough, but gentle, hand stroked hair back from her face as well as the tears away. “You’re safe. No one’s gonna hurt you again. I swear it. Doc here is giving you fluids so you’re not so dehydrated. If you can answer some questions, he’d like to give you some medicine to help your back. Is there anyone you need us to call for you? Someone to come be with you?”

  God, she wanted to believe him! How long had she wanted to hear -- and believe -- she was safe? Too damned long to actually believe this guy.

  “I just need to get up.” She tried sitting, but gentle hands pushed her back, not letting her lie on her back, but urging her to stay on her side. Had it not been for the pillow earlier, making her feel like she was going to smother, she’d have wanted to be on her belly.

  “You’re too sick right now.” That was another voice, presumably Doc. “Just rest. Let us call someone for you.”

  She let out a little whimper before answering him. “Debbie Johnson. Her number is in my phone.” Fleur tried with everything in her to focus her eyes on either of the two men. She thought one of them grunted at her preference of who to call, but she couldn’t be sure. The first one was nearest her, the one she recognized from the gym. Just as she’d feared, he was a big as she’d remembered. She’d heard people call him Beast and remembered thinking how much it fit. He was absolutely huge. Arms much bigger than her thighs, powerful shoulders, a chest that seemed to go on for miles… Yes. He was aptly named.

  “There you are,” he said. The smile he gave her was more a baring of teeth, but it was somehow reassuring. Like he was just waiting for someone to mess with her so he could prove he meant what he said. “I like it when you look at me.” When she said nothing, he continued. “You see me, girl? Know I mean what I say?”

  Oh, yeah. She saw him. He definitely meant what he said. “Yes,” she whispered. She thought it alarming he didn’t acknowledge her about Debbie. She had a bad feeling the woman she’d called friend wasn’t really her friend.

  “Good. Doc here’s gonna patch you up so we can move you someplace more comfortable. I’m gonna find out what drug you were given so Doc knows what to expect with you. You’re safe with us. No one’s gonna hurt you.”

  He kept saying that, but Fleur was glad of it. She felt like the more she heard it, the more likely she was to believe it. She must have truly believed him, because she nodded her head and closed her eyes. The second she did, oblivion claimed her.

  * * *

  Beast knew the woman slept when her eyes closed. Doc gave him a curt nod and went back to work on her hurts. Those little motherfuckers were getting ready to pay. Big time.

  “Don’t forget to find out what she was drugged with before you beat someone unconscious,” Doc warned. “If it’s something too powerful, I might have to take her to the hospital.”

  “Noted,” he said. Normally, he’d be offended by Doc’s reminder, but if he were perfectly honest, his main goal at that very moment was to pound the living fuck out of the two men currently waiting with Lock and Tool in his office.

  He stood, unable to resist brushing the hair from Fleur’s forehead. One of his fingers found its way through a curl and tugged. Her eyes opened slightly, still a little dazed. Then her lips curled into a soft smile, and he was torn between melting for her or wanting to punch whatever motherfucker she thought she was smiling at other than him. In all his life, Beast could never remember a woman affecting him like this. He hadn’t even seen her as a desirable woman. God help him if he ever did, because the lass was definitely lovely.

  She had a little pixie face with delicate, high cheeks. Her brows were a light golden brown and her eyelashes a slightly darker shade of brown. Her little bow of a mouth, he knew, made the loveliest smile he’d ever seen. But it was her eyes that were so startling. A mesmerizing silver-green, they didn’t look real. Almost like contacts, but he knew Doc would have removed them if that were the case. No. Beast would bet his life that everything about Fleur Durand was real. She was a true natural beauty. And too Goddamned trusting for her own good.

  “You need to get a handle on this, Beast,” Doc said, giving him an amused glance. “Otherwise, we’re gonna have dead bodies all over the fuckin’ place, and we can’t bring that kind of attention to ourselves.”

  Beast shot him an annoyed glance but said nothing. What was the point? Doc was right. It’d be touch and go as it was with the Hay boys. Once Ripper got the footage and information he needed, he was going to give the young men a choice. If they chose poorly? Well, he’d choose for them.

  The walk to his office only angered him more. He kept seeing Fleur in the gym as she’d looked at the woman she’d considered a friend. It was hard to reconcile that face with the one on the woman lying in the bed two floors up. That woman was nearly broken, and with good reason. Her back hadn’t exactly been shredded, but much more of what those boys had dished out to her and it would have been. The more he thought about it, the madder Beast got.

  No. Mad or angry were too insipid for what he was feeling. Enraged was a better word. Beast was Salvation’s Bane’s enforcer. He not only enforced the rules that kept them all safe, but he punished those who didn’t follow the rules, and
he protected the people he was responsible for. That included the clubs. Early in their venture, more than one person had learned exactly how serious he was about his responsibilities. It was why people rarely put a toe out of line in any of their clubs or gyms. Or the MC. He ran a tight ship. What had happened tonight was a serious breach of everything he held sacred.

  The door opened at his approach and Ripper poked his head out. “Thought you were outside,” he said. Instead of the ready smile, he met Beast with a grim expression on his face. “Found the other Hay boy and the woman. Woman keeps saying she got separated from Fleur and that she’s never seen the boys before tonight.”

  Beast snorted. “Of course she hasn’t. Did you get the feed from the gym?”

  “Yeah. When you texted I wasn’t sure exactly what I was looking for, but I found it soon enough. They were careful. Only time they had contact was right before Fleur got there. They all stood together chatting. After Fleur left, the boys gave little Debbie an envelope. Can’t confirm there was money inside, but it sure as hell proves she’s lying.”

  Clenching his teeth until his jaw ached, Beast took a deep breath before entering the office. As much as he wanted to let his temper loose, now wasn’t the time. He’d save that for the gym.

  Inside, the Hay brothers sat with their arms crossed, smug expressions on their faces like they were above anything Beast thought to thrust at them. The Kinson boy had a similar look on his face, but he wasn’t as confident. It was probably more for the benefit of his friends so he didn’t lose face. The Johnson girl looked appropriately concerned and outraged, sitting well away from the guys.