by Erin Osborne
Chapter Ten
Tech
IT’S BEEN A few days since Ash met the ol’ ladies. While I was in my room, I watched them on the monitors to make sure she was okay. I know she’s shy; it’s hard as hell for her to talk or be around other people. Even Fury and I are hard for her to deal with sometimes. Neither one of us blame her for her lack of a social life. Not only am I glad as fuck I get to be her one and only man, I fully blame her father.
Not being allowed to have any friends or only be in the public eye when it suited him is not a way to raise any child. He should’ve been encouraging her to go out and make friends. Do whatever it took to help her overcome being shy. With her in my bed and Fury my best friend, I’m hoping we can show her she doesn’t have to hide a damn thing from anyone here. Plus, I know the ol’ ladies well enough to understand they’re going to fully bring her into their fold. It’s what they do.
I’m in my room with Ashtyn when my phone pings with a message.
Gage: Gate. Now.
Two words. That’s all it takes to know exactly who’s here and what’s about to happen. Good old Senator Banks is at the gate. He wants his daughter back. It’s not surprising, considering her virginity is being sold by him. Currently, the high bid is almost two million dollars. Well, he’s about to be taken down a peg or two. Not only is Ash not a virgin, but he’s not getting his slimy, demonic hands on her ever again. I’ll die before I let her go.
Placing a kiss on her temple, I leave her in my bed after telling her I’ll be back in a few minutes. It’s not going to take longer than that to get rid of the douche canoe her father is. Leaving my room, I make my way to the common area where every member of the club is waiting on me. Fury has a sadistic smile on his face, bouncing on his toes as I walk straight through the door and toward the fucker thinking he’s taking what’s mine.
We all walk as a group to the gate where the prospect on duty has it locked up tight. He’s standing with his arms crossed over his chest while the senator stares him down. Yeah, he probably thought he’d be able to buy our guy, Alex, off. That’s not how we work as a club. While people would usually do anything for a quick buck, I thoroughly vet any potential member of the club to see if there’s any shit in their family or background showing they’re going to fuck around and put the club in danger.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” I question, walking up to the gate.
“You have my daughter being held here and she needs to come home. She’s mentally unstable and needs to get treatment,” he barks out his order, spreading his filth and lies.
“Nah, I don’t think we have anyone bein’ held against they’re will here. Do we boys?” I taunt, turning around to face my brothers.
“No one here fitting that description,” Fury states, laughing his ass off.
“Haven’t seen anyone here that’s bein’ held against her will. We got plenty of willin’ bitches here, though. Just had my cock buried deep in one,” Shadow says, not letting on it wasn’t his ol’ lady.
“So, you may want to rethink comin’ at us this way,” I warn, crossing my own arms over my chest to let him know I’m not intimidated in the least by him or his goons behind him.
“I know she’s here. My men followed her here.”
“Was that after they beat her up? Because I’m the one who found them beatin’ the fuck outta her in an alley,” I deadpan, glaring at his ass while he begins to squirm.
“I’m not sure what she’s told you. As I said, she needs help and I plan on getting her that help as soon as you turn her back over to me,” he tries changing his tactic.
“Not gonna happen. See I’ve been doin’ my own diggin’ and I know all your dirty little secrets. Money launderin’, cheatin’ on your wife before you had her killed with your youngest daughter, sellin’ Ashtyn to the highest bidder. Do I really need to continue the long list of your sins?” I question him, not even beginning to touch the tip of the iceberg with him.
“I’ve done none of that shit,” he yells out, losing his cool for the first time. “You can bet your ass I will have your club taken apart from the inside out. I’m not playing games with you slimy, scumbag, good for nothing bikers.”
“And the price, of over two million, for your daughter’s virginity is goin’ to bite you in the ass when her supposed buyer realizes she’s no longer pure. Ashtyn is mine in every fuckin’ way,” I taunt him further.
“You son of a bitch!” he barks out. “I’ll have you taken care of for this.”
Turning on his heel, Senator Banks takes off with his goons following him in a second SUV. Not a single one of us leave the gate until they’re out of sight and the dust has settled. I’m pissed as fuck. This is nowhere close to being over with the asshole. He’s going to try to come at us in anyway he can. We’ll be ready. However, I know this is going to kill Ashtyn. She’s going to take the blame on her shoulders for him showing up here.
“He’ll be back,” Gage says, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Callin’ Ramon to fill him in on what’s goin’ down.”
Ramon is our contact in the police department. We always fill him in on when shit hits the fan. Not only does he keep the heat off our back, he steps in when we need him to. While some of the shit we do is questionable (hello, I’m a hacker), most of our business is on the right side of the law. It’s good to have someone like Ramon in our pocket. Gage will inform him of the good senator’s visit while also telling him about Ashtyn being here with me. I won’t be surprised if Banks goes straight to the cops with the lie we’re holding her hostage here.
“Church. Now,” Gage hollers out as we all begin to make our way to the clubhouse.
After dropping off our weapons and phones, we all file in our room for church and take our seats around the table. Hopefully, if Ashtyn comes looking for me, the prospect will let her know we’re in church while leaving her father’s visit out of the equation. She needs to hear it from me and no one other than me. If I find out a prospect opens his mouth, he’ll be dealing with me directly.
“What all have you got on the fucker?” Gage asks after calling church to order.
“Money launderin’, tryin’ to sell his daughter, cheatin’ on his wife so there may be another kid or two out there he won’t claim, payin’ someone to fuck with her car before she crashed, makin’ sure his men beat the fuck outta Ash whenever they get close enough to her, beatin’ her while she was still livin’ with her, gamblin’ and owin’ the wrong men money. A lot of it. There’s a ton of shit he wouldn’t want to get out,” I answer my president. “I think Siren is still diggin’ into him, too.”
Opening my laptop in here, I see Siren sent me a message. She’s got something more for me. Pulling up the information, I see Banks owes a mafia family a shit ton of money. This could definitely be used to our advantage.
“Siren just dropped a fuckin’ jewel in our laps,” I let everyone know.
“What’s goin’ on?” Trojan asks me.
“Banks owes a mafia family a ton of money. They want his fuckin’ head,” I inform them. “We can play this one of two ways: get his ass locked away for everythin’. The family in question will know exactly where he is. Or, we can feed them information about where he is and let them handle the situation for us. I’m down for either scenario since he’ll get what’s comin’ to him either way.”
“I say we have him locked up,” Fury finally states. “It let’s Ash know he’s behind bars, along with his assholes. She can breathe free and grab what she wants from the house before puttin’ her past where it belongs. Tech can claim her ass like he wants to. Even if he won’t admit that shit to anyone. Never seen you this way, man.”
“I’m not admittin’ shit,” I let everyone know as they begin laughing. “There’s definitely somethin’ different about her. I’m just not sure I’m ready for one woman the rest of my life.”
“You either want her or not,” Trojan tells me. “I know more than one man here would step up and claim her right q
uick.”
I look around the table at the men I’ve called my brother for years now. I’d fight every single one of them in order to make sure none of them even think about my woman. No matter how bad I want to deny my feelings for her, Ashtyn is mine. She’s the only woman I want, the one I need in my life. She gives me light, feelings I never felt with another human being in my life. If I’m being honest with myself, I want everything with Ash. I won’t accept for any less.
“Alright, I say we hand over the fucker to the cops. Not our usual style, but it’s what will be best for the current situation. I’d rather take the fucker down and gut his ass for not only killin’ his wife but beatin’ on his daughter before tryin’ to sell her ass to the highest bidder,” Gage says, lookin at each of us. “Tech, once you have everythin’ in order, let me know so I can make the call. Unless you have someone else in mind.”
“I do. I’ve got a contact in the FBI from workin’ with Siren. I think the information will go further if I head that route instead of Ramon and the local cops,” I tell him.
Gage nods his head before calling church. Before I turn a fucking thing over to the fuckers, I’m going to make sure his life is in ruins. There’s no way in hell he hasn’t got money stashed somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding it. This part I’ll need Siren’s help for. I’ve already found some of his money but not all of it.
As I’ve been finding the money, I’ve been siphoning it out of his accounts a little at a time. It’s all going into an account I have set up for Ashtyn. I want her to be comfortable with her life and know she has choices. Yes, I want her to stay with me, but it has to be her choice to remain here. I’m not going to make her stay here or feel like an unwanted prisoner. I want her more than anything else in my life.
Heading to my room, I place a call to Siren. I need her to start working on this as soon as she can. Hopefully, she doesn’t have anything else going on right now, so we can take this fucker down for good. Starting with taking every last penny he’s been trying to hide from everyone after him, including the government. I’ll leave just enough in his accounts to turn over that information as well.
“What’s up, lover boy?” Siren asks me as she answers her phone.
“Need your help on somethin’,” I state, stopping just outside my door. “I want to make this fucker broke. I found several accounts he’s been hidin’ money in. Now, I want to find the rest. We’ll take it all and put it into the account I’ll send you. Leave just enough to hang him with the government on top of everythin’ else we’ve been findin’.”
“Gotcha. This account better belong to Ashtyn,” she demands as the noise on her end of the line fades away.
“Trust me, it is,” I inform her. “Had a visit from the twatwaffle a little while ago. Gonna turn his ass over to the FBI contact once we’re done with this shit. I gotta go talk to Ash before someone else lets her know he was here.”
“On it.”
Siren hangs up the phone. I send her the account information she’ll need before heading in my room. Ashtyn is sitting on our bed, reading some book. As I step closer to the bed, I see a half-naked man on the front of it, telling me it’s one of those porn books women like to read. What peeks my interest is the motorcycle on the front behind the man. She’s reading a book about MCs.
“Whatcha ya doin’?” I ask her, pulling her out of her reading haze.
“Reading,” she answers, her face a bright red.
“What’s it about?” I question her.
“You know, man meets woman, resists, and they end up falling in love anyway,” she evades my question.
“We gotta talk,” I tell her, prying the book from her hands.
Glancing down at the page she’s on, I notice it’s in the middle of what appears to be a hot sex scene. Interesting. I’ll have to look at this later and see what this is about. Maybe try out some of what she’s reading with her.
“What happened?” she asks, sitting up so we’re facing one another.
“You’re father showed up here. We sent him on his way. I made sure he knows you’re not bein’ held here like he’s tryin’ to spout. Gage also called our guy in the police department. He’s tryin’ to say you’ve been missin’ and you’re a danger to yourself. He needs to get you help apparently. I don’t know. You seem to be in your right mind to me,” I inform her.
“I’m so sorry,” she starts, tears filling her eyes. “I knew this would happen. I’ll get the things I left his house with and be on my way.”
“You’re not goin’ anywhere,” I order her, pulling her into my arms. “The safest place for you is right here behind our walls. He can’t get to you until you’re on the other side of them. Let us handle him. We’ve got a plan in place and it won’t be long before he’s taken care of. Trust in us. In me.”
“This isn’t about trust,” she tells me, pulling back slightly to look me in the eyes.
“What’s it about then?” I growl. “I don’t understand what’s goin’ through your head right now.”
“It’s about not putting anyone else in danger because of the bullshit my father pulls. He won’t stop until he decimates your club. This is why I’ve been on the run from him for a year now. Him being a senator ensures almost everyone believes the lies he’s spreading about me. Why wouldn’t they?” she says, her tears flowing freely down her face now.
“Tiny, he’s not gonna do anythin’ to the club or anyone in the club. We’ll make sure he’s put away before any of that happens. Because we’re gonna turn everythin’ over to the FBI, so he’s behind bars for a long time. Siren and I have dug up a lot of shit on him. Things I’m not tellin’ you because you don’t need to know that shit,” I promise her, knowing I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep it.
“We’ll see,” she says while averting her gaze from mine.
Pulling her in my arms tighter, we lie on the bed together. Ashtyn takes a few minutes to cry out her frustration, pain, anger, and any other emotions she’s got flowing through her right now. When she’s done, we remain holding one another as I turn on her favorite movie: 27 Dresses. Yeah, it’s a chick flick, but I’ll suffer through it for her.
Fury comes in to spend some time with us for a while after we go out and eat dinner. Together, we watch movies and talk about random, funny shit. Anything to keep Ashtyn out of her head for as long as possible. She doesn’t need to think about her father and all the ways he’s going to try to hurt her and us. It’s not gonna happen. Her dad is a dead man walking. One way or another, he’ll be dead sooner than anyone realizes. I’ll guarantee it.
Chapter Eleven
Ashtyn
MY FATHER WAS here two days ago. I’ve been thinking, plotting, and trying to figure out how to get out of here before anything else is done. I trust Tech as a man and in his abilities to follow through on his promise to put my father away for a long time. Who I don’t trust is my father. He’s got plans and contingency plans. Who knows what else he has up his sleeve? I sure as fuck never paid attention to him when I was living in his house.
Waking up today, I was alone in bed. It’s not uncommon. Tech is usually up and doing shit by the time I wake up. Normally, I find him at his computers. Instead of them all being on, one or two monitors are off. I’m not sure what’s usually on them, and I’m not about to ask him. I don’t want to bother him with my curiosity about shit he’s got going on.
My arm is bothering me more than anything today. It itches like crazy from the large cast covering me. Plus, it still kind of hurts. I’m done with the pain medicine, though. I don’t like feeling out of it and sleeping. Instead, I’d rather deal with a little bit of pain while finishing up my recovery.
The bruises and cuts have faded and scabbed over. They also itch like crazy because I know they’re healing. I can deal with that. My ribs still bother me when I move certain directions or stay in bed too long. That’s when my breath leaves me, and I have to take a few minutes to catch it again before I can resume whatever I was d
oing. It sucks, but again, I’m dealing with it. Tech hates I won’t even take a low dose pain medicine from Doc. He wants me to heal and rest as much as possible. I can’t do it, though. My concern is being alert so I can make plans and get on the road once again.
While Tech is not in the room, I decide to make my move. First, I need to get a shower so I can head to the common area. Then I can get breakfast while I try to get eyes on Gage. Since Tech won’t listen to me, maybe the president of the club will. Hopefully, he’ll listen to reason instead of trying to assure me nothing will happen. I know my father better than anyone here. Especially, what he’s capable of doing. The men he employs will do anything he pays them to. Nothing is off limits with any of them.
Taking a quick shower, I wash and shave everything. Dressing in a pair of new jeans the ol’ ladies got me, a long shirt with loose sleeves to go over my cast, and a pair of sneakers. Once my hair is brushed, which is not the easiest thing to do with a broken arm, I’m ready to head out where everyone else is.
Tech lets me go there, but not many other places. I’m still not allowed outside with or without anyone. They don’t want to take any chances of someone being on the club’s property without their knowledge. Even with the best security setup, things happen. I’m sure my dad knows someone who can get past their defenses, if he truly wants to.
Once I’m as ready as I’m going to be, I make my way out of Tech’s room. The only flaw to my plan is his door locks and I don’t have a key for it. I won’t be able to get back inside until he’s back or done with whatever business he’s on. I’ll find something to do in the main part of the clubhouse no matter what it is. Being one-handed is going to hinder me a bit, but I’ll figure something out.