Beast (Salvations Bane 2)

by Marteeka Karlend

  “What’s that? Didn’t hear you.”

  “Easy way,” he repeated a little louder.

  Beast stayed there a few moments longer before pushing himself up and slowly straightening to his full height. He jerked his head, indicating he was to go with Tool. Normally, he’d have sent another man with Tool, but he doubted either one of them would put up much of a fight. Anything they’d had left in them fled the moment Jeremy pissed his pants.

  “So, that leaves little Miss Debbie,” Beast said, turning back to the woman. She wrinkled her nose delicately at the strong smell of urine.

  “None of that proves anything. Anyone could have gotten my phone, and who knows what was said at the gym. You’re not going to intimidate me into a confession.” She grinned at him. “Call the police and have them take me in. I’ll be out before morning.”

  “You get the same choices as your friends, which is really more than I should give you. You lured Fleur here, making her think you were her friend. This wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment thing. It was a deliberate act. A planned attack on an innocent young woman you led to believe you thought of as a friend. You betrayed her trust and put her in danger all while pretending to offer a safe home and a job to help her find her own way after her life had gone to hell.”

  Debbie shrugged, crossing her legs. At any other time, Beast might have been distracted by those long legs she displayed to their best advantage under the micro mini skirt. Now, it just annoyed him that she thought he could be that easily diverted.

  Fucking bitch.

  “Look,” Debbie said, sitting back, her hand tracing the edge of her bandeau top just over her breasts. “I’m sure we can work something out. Fleur is fine. She wasn’t hurt and she’s safe now. No harm, no foul.”

  Beast didn’t say a word. Just held her gaze steadily. She continued to stroke the skin just above her top in a seductive manner. The woman was really beautiful, and she knew it. Creamy skin, plump, ruby lips, a lush, womanly figure, and golden hair that was shiny and silky and gleaming under the office lights. She was exactly the type of woman he’d normally go for except for two things. First she was despicable, deviant, with no moral compass whatsoever. Beast had done some pretty horrible things in his lifetime, but he’d always followed his own sense of right and wrong. This woman followed the dollar and the thrill. Nothing else. Second, when he thought about sex with a woman, it wasn’t a sleek blonde he was seeing. It was a curly-headed pixie who was in no shape mentally or physically to take on a man like him.

  Goddamn. He was so fucked.

  “Are you done?” He was tired of this game. He had other things to take care of. Like Fleur.

  Debbie merely shrugged one smooth, elegant shoulder. “Fine. Whatever. Just call the police and be done with it.”

  “Police wasn’t one of your options.” He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look bored when he was annoyed as fuck and pissed as hell. “Easy way. Hard way. It’s not that difficult.”

  She gave a little delicate snort. “You’re not going to beat me.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Just call the police. Or better yet, call your DA buddy. I know my rights. I’ll still be out by morning.”

  “I left you for last intentionally.” Beast raised an arm and beckoned Venus to them. “I’d like to introduce you to Venus. She’s someone I trust, but she has a… questionable background.” Venus gave Debbie a superior grin like she was really looking forward to what was about to happen. “I’m entrusting Venus with whatever happens next. I don’t deal out punishment to women because I’m too fuckin’ big and strong. I could do more damage than I intend. Venus here has no such problems. Not because she’s not lethal. Just because she’s more normal in size.”

  Venus snorted just like Beast knew she would. Of all the members of Salvation’s Bane, Venus was probably the most lethal. In all respects. Because of her looks, people tended to underestimate her. It was usually their last mistake.

  “Pretty myshka.” Venus trailed a finger down Debbie’s cheek leaving behind a thin scratch where her fingernail cut into the tender flesh. Her Russian accent was heavy. Her nails were so sharp, Debbie either didn’t register the impossibly thin cut, or thought Venus had just touched her with those nails. After all, a lot of women sported them. They looked sharp. No expectation they’d actually be razor sharp. “You and I shall have such fun.” Venus’s voice was silky smooth and purred like a cat.

  Finally, Debbie looked like she realized the scope of her situation. “Y-you won’t do anything.” Her voice shook slightly but she did manage to only look a little nervous.

  “Can and will,” Venus said with a grin. “I only need know if you choose easy way or hard way.”

  Debbie looked from Venus to Beast and back a couple of times, as if judging how much was an act and how much was them trying to cow her. Beast could have answered that question, but he doubted the girl would believe him. Sure enough, Debbie found her bravado and put it back in full force. “Consider your bluff called.” She stood up and stabbed Beast in the chest with her finger. “I want my lawyer.”

  Venus glanced at him. “I take it she choose hard way?” She tsked several times, clicking her tongue. “I so hate to mess up pretty face.” She smiled brightly. “I just have to find other ways to cause pain.”

  “Take her below,” Beast said. “Let her watch the brothers punish her friends and know they’re getting off easy compared to what she’ll be getting.” He glanced at Debbie, feeling a bit of the tension drain from him. Venus would take care of this. Take the bitch to the very edge and have her begging for death before it was done, then not give it to her. “Make sure she suffers.”

  “Oh, that you can be sure, brother,” Venus said with a sneer toward Debbie. “My myshka here is about to get lesson she’ll never forget.” She shrugged. “Unless I break something inside her pretty little head. She looks fragile.”

  “You don’t scare me,” Debbie said, lifting her chin.

  Venus casually lashed out, much like a cat, with those razor-like fingernails, leaving three gouges on the left side of Debbie’s face. The girl yelped and clapped her hand over her cheek. When it came back wet with blood, she actually screamed.

  “Now you see, myshka. Unfortunately for you, revelation came too late. You are mine now.” She shoved the woman out the door, taking her to the basement to join the others. No one would hear them scream. No one would find them until Beast was good and ready. As promised, the three men would go to jail. Debbie might make it out alive. If she did, she’d likely wish she hadn’t.

  Beast picked up his phone and sent a text to Tobias, one of his security people. When the club needed a mess cleaned, Tobias was their man. Beast had a big fucking mess he needed cleaned. And the pissants in the basement and the girl were only the beginning.

  His gaze focused on the bartender and the man he’d intended to mentor. Beast decided that was what pissed him off the most. He’d misjudged the kid’s character horribly.

  “Can we go?” Darrin actually looked hopeful, even though, having witnessed everything so far, he had to know he was in deep shit.

  Beast didn’t answer. Didn’t look at the kid. He couldn’t. If he did, he was afraid he’d kill the little motherfucker.

  A couple minutes later, Tobias knocked on the door before opening it slowly.

  “You needed me, Boss?”

  “Yeah. Take these two to the clubhouse. I sent Thorn some information. I haven’t gotten a text from him so I’m guessing he’s not seen it yet. Tell him to make sure he’s with Havoc when he reviews it. It’s something both the president and vice-president need to see together.”

  “I take it you didn’t send it to Havoc?”

  Beast just snorted. “That son of a bitch never answers a text message. He figures if it’s not worth a call, it’s not worth his time.”

  “Fucker,” Tobias chuckled. “Any other instructions?”

  “Yeah. Make sure they’re as uncomfortable as possible until Thorn de
cides what to do. I’ll be along shortly. Got something to take care of first.”

  Tobias turned to New Kid and the bartender. “All right, you little bastards. Come with me. And by all means. Try to escape.” Tobias might not know what was going on, but he’d been around long enough to know an order like the one Beast had given him didn’t bode well for the two men.

  Beast felt nothing but satisfaction. But how would his little Fleur regard him when she found out?

  * * *

  Fleur’s back was on fire. She lay on her side and hugged a pillow to her. She barely put her head on another pillow because the feeling of smothering was still too fresh in her mind.

  “I can give you something to help with the pain and to help you sleep,” Doc said. “You’ll be much more comfortable.”

  “Tylenol and Motrin,” she said.

  “Something stronger,” he urged. “You need to sleep to heal.”

  “Tylenol and Motrin are all I need. Thank you.” She didn’t want to lose her wits about her ever again. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me but I really need to go.”

  “You should really wait until Beast -- err, Gideon -- gets back.” Doc gave her a worried look. “He intended to get you out of here himself. Take you back to the clubhouse so we could make sure you were good through the night. The stuff they hit you with was pretty potent.” He turned away from her and went to a sink across the room and washed his hands. He’d put some antibiotic cream and another cream that soothed the sting on her back with gloves, but, apparently, the guy was a real healthcare worker. Showed in his hand hygiene and use of protective gear, too. “You may not feel much of the effects of the drug right now, but if you get up and move around you could still get dizzy. It’s usually best if you take it easy for twenty-four hours or so.”

  “I’m good,” Fleur said. She really wasn’t, but she didn’t want to stay with strange men one second longer than she had to.

  “Is your car outside?” Doc’s question should have been casual, but she got the feeling it was anything but.

  “I came with Debbie. If you could just get me a cab I can go home and get my car.”

  Doc put his hands on his hips. “Once Gideon gets back, he’ll see you get wherever you need to go.”

  “Gideon,” she said. “You mean Beast?”

  “You know him then?”

  “Not exactly. I’ve seen him at the gym a few times. Everyone calls him Beast. It fits.”

  Doc smiled at her. “I guess it does. Anyway, you’re not in any shape right now to go anywhere other than to sleep. The sooner you give in and just sleep, the better you’re going to feel.”

  She knew he was speaking the truth because her body was telling her the same damned thing. “I don’t… I’m afraid to sleep.”

  Doc nodded solemnly. “Because you don’t feel safe with all these strangers and no one familiar around you. Understandable.” He sat in a chair next to the cot where she lay. “But let me give you something to consider. Gideon and his team called me in to care for you. Whether it was for your safety or to prevent them from getting sued doesn’t really matter. They still brought you help with the goal of making sure you were going to be OK. If any of us were going to hurt you, no one would have gone to this trouble to make sure you were out of the situation you were in.”

  When he put it that way, Fleur felt silly not doing what he told her. “I’m sorry,” she said, not looking at him. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, but I’m used to being on my own. I guess I just feel safer not relying on anyone right now.”

  “I understand that, too. I’m just asking you give us all a chance. Especially right now when you’re still not feeling well. After that -- tomorrow -- you can reevaluate. But right now, you need someone watching over you. I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you drive, and I’m not sure how much help your friend, Debbie, will be.”

  “Not much,” she muttered. “I’d ask you to take me to a hospital, but I can’t afford it. Even if I did, there’d probably be questions I don’t want to answer.”

  “Money isn’t a problem if you want to go to the hospital,” Doc said without hesitation. “You want to go? Just say the word, and I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of. But, yes, there would likely be questions. None you have to answer, but I doubt you’d be able to stand your ground with that many people on you about it, no matter how gentle they were.”

  “I take it Gideon got the men who did this.” Fleur didn’t like that she sounded so vulnerable. She’d learned after her parents had died that people took advantage of you if you looked weak.

  “Gideon has it all under control. Yes.”

  “I guess I’ll just wait then,” she said. “You’re right. I do feel like shit, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to go to Debbie’s.”

  “Good. Rest. I can still give you something stronger for pain. It would double as a sedative to help you sleep.”

  “No. Whatever you put on my back helped. I think I’ll rest easily enough.”

  He gave her a slight smile. “And you won’t sleep too deeply.”

  Fleur didn’t bother denying it.

  Doc looked like he was about to say more, but the door opened and Gideon entered the room. She knew they called him Beast. Right now, he looked the part. Fleur shrank back, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest defensively. She couldn’t help herself.

  “Whoa there girl,” he said, taking a step back. “I ain’t gonna hurt ya. You know that.”

  “Ease up, big guy,” Doc said. “She’s good, but this hasn’t been easy on her.”

  “Fuck,” the big man muttered. He cleared his throat and gave a slight smile before sitting on the edge of the cot where she lay. “Doc says you need someone watchin’ over you for a little while. Now, I know you’ve been living with your friend, Debbie, but you can’t go back there right now. Tomorrow, me and a couple of the boys will take you there to get your stuff, but now’s not the time.”

  “All my things are there. I can’t just leave them.”

  “Why not? It’s just one night. Besides, Debbie won’t be there for a while. All your stuff will be safe.”

  “Is she OK? She didn’t get hurt too, did she?” Much as she hated herself in that moment, she almost hoped Gideon would say she had been hurt just so Fleur could spare herself the pain of knowing her friend betrayed her.

  He sighed heavily. “No. She’s not OK, but not because she got hurt like you did. She’s not OK because she helped those guys hurt you.”

  Even though she’d known it was coming, actually hearing it confirmed nearly gutted Fleur. Over the months she’d lived with Debbie, Fleur had come to really consider her a close friend. “Guess my judgment in people seriously sucks,” she muttered, trying her best not to lose it.

  “We’ll discuss that later,” Gideon said. “Right now, we need to get you to the clubhouse and to a room where you can rest comfortably.”

  “Why do they call you Beast?” The second she asked the question, Fleur wished she hadn’t.

  He snorted. “Cause I’m fuckin’ big.”

  “Yeah. I guess you are. Is that the only reason?”

  He cocked his head as if thinking about it for a second. “I’m mean.”

  Doc barked out a sharp laugh. “You got that right.”

  Gideon gave Doc a sidelong glance. “But not to you. I’m a pussycat to you.” That made her giggle. Which was apparently what he was going for. “There. See? I’m not so bad. Now. Can I take you back to the clubhouse so you can sleep off the rest of that drug?”

  What did she really have to lose? Doc was right. If he’d wanted to hurt her, he’d have done it already. “Yes.”

  “How bad does your back hurt? I don’t want you uncomfortable.”

  “Not bad. Between the Tylenol and the cream Doc put on it earlier, it doesn’t hurt at all right now.”

  Gideon looked up to Doc. “Was she in bad shape?”

  “Not too bad. There were a few thin cuts
, but it was mostly welts. She should be fine in a day or two. Sore tomorrow.”

  “OK then, Sunshine,” Gideon said. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  He lifted her gently and cradled her against his chest. For some reason, Fleur felt the need to inhale. Deeply. Taking his scent inside her. There was a slight sour tang of sweat, but not unpleasant. Kind of like how a lemon smelled sour, but not in a bad way. Underneath that was a woodsy, earthy scent. And a faint trace of gasoline. All man.

  Gideon carried her down the hall and out the back. She’d been afraid he would take her through the club, and she wasn’t certain she could have faced that.

  “Relax, Sunshine,” he soothed. “I’ll get you into Doc’s vehicle here and we’ll take you back to the clubhouse.”

  “Doc’s going with us?”

  “Yes. I want him close in case you need help.”

  “I’m only going to be there until tomorrow,” she said. “I hardly think it’s worth the effort.”

  “Worry about that later,” he said. And another red flag went up. She thought about making him discuss it now, but what was the point? Nothing was going to get solved tonight anyway. She had nowhere else to stay and none of her possessions. She’d taken some money with her, but not a lot. Any money she’d made had usually been in the form of odd jobs for cash, so everything she had was at Debbie’s beach house. Yeah. Definitely something to worry about when her head was clearer. Once the vehicle started moving, her head spun every time she glimpsed the streetlights whizzing by during the drive.

  She and Gideon sat in the back seat while Doc drove them. When she groaned her protest of the speed, Gideon hooked his arm around her and pulled her head to his big thigh.

  “Close your eyes,” he said gruffy. His big hand stroked her hair, massaging her scalp. “We’ll be there in just a couple of minutes and you can get out of the car.”

  “Just a little motion sick,” she whimpered. “My head spins sometimes.”

  “I know.” He continued to stroke her hair, the gesture almost tender, if somewhat awkward.

  Once the vehicle came to a halt, Gideon opened the door and hauled her out, once again cradling her in his arms. It was natural for her to rest her head on his shoulder, but when she realized she’d slid her arms around his neck, she jerked them back. Thankfully, he said nothing. Just carried her through what was, presumably, the clubhouse. Doc went ahead of him, opening doors and fielding questions, mostly with “none of your business.” No one seemed to take offense or even look flustered. Some chuckled and clapped Gideon on the back or patted him on the shoulder. One or two patted her head gently. Strangely, she didn’t feel threatened. She was tired, though. Tired beyond belief.