by Erin Osborne
“Don’t you dare talk back to me again. Next time, the punishment will be worse. I can’t wait to send this shit to the club. We’ll see how truly alone you are in the world when they don’t come for you,” Lloyd screams in my face, his spit covering me.
As he leaves the room, I let the pain fill me and the tears spill over. All of his bidders just watched him beat me. Now, they’ll see the effects of the beating as I let the pain and blackness take me over. If I’m not conscious I won’t realize what he’s doing to me and I won’t feel the pain any longer.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bounce
IT’S BEEN TWO days since Lloyd took Sydney. I blame myself, and only myself because I should’ve killed the fucker as soon as he was in the clubhouse. Instead, I beat the shit out of him and we sent him on his way. Men like him will never change, and the beating I put on him only resulted in him taking the one woman I’ve ever wanted in my life.
We have church in a few minutes to see if Specs found anything else. I have to have faith in my brothers or I won’t keep my shit calm. If I didn’t trust them or knew they would have my back, have Sydney’s back, I would be losing my shit and tearing the town apart inch by inch until I find her.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out. There’s a message from an unknown number and I hesitate opening it. My curiosity wins out in the end and I open the message. Pictures and a video show up in the message along with what appears to be a link of some sort.
The pictures are all of Sydney. She’s been beat to hell and her eyes are once again swollen, her face has fresh bruising on it, and there’s more bruising on her body, including her stomach where our baby rests. Then it strikes me she’s handcuffed to a bed naked. The pictures show her body from various angles including a clear shot of her pussy; a pussy I’ve been the only one in.
When I switch to the video, I see Lloyd beating the shit out of her. He’s landing punch after punch on her fragile body and she’s just taking it because she can’t move away from harm. I’m clenching my phone so hard, I can hear it cracking as he yells at her and I hear her crying and screaming in the background.
Breaker grabs my phone from my hand and shuts the video off. All I see is red and I snap.
The table right next to me goes flying through the air as if it weighs nothing at all. Chairs are the next thing to go flying. Nothing is safe from me as the few men in the room stand there and watch me destroy the common room. The only thing they do is back out of the way if something goes flying close to them.
“Someone fuckin’ stop him!” Blood yells, barely breaking through the pain and rage filling me after seeing those pictures. “Lock him the fuck down before we don’t have a damn thing left in this room.”
Breaker, Carver, and Vanish tackle me to the ground. The breath leaves my lungs and it takes a minute before I can breathe again. Not to mention a tackle from three big fuckers like these men fucking hurts. I won’t be surprised if I have a bruised or cracked rib because of this.
Once I’m being held down, I see Tonya making her way inside. She’s got Karson in her arms and I know I have to lock my shit down so I don’t scare the shit out of him. That’s the last thing I want to do. So, I take a few deep breaths and nod my head to the guys holding me down. They release me and I get up to my feet.
“Why do you have him in here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even as I continue to see those pictures and video in my head.
“You need to calm down and focus. You’re not doing that with whatever you just got. However, I know you’ll stay calm if Karson is with you. So, you’re going to spend some time with him,” Tonya answers.
I take Karson from her arms and he burrows into my neck and chest. He knows I’m upset and I can’t do anything to hide that from him right now. But, Tonya’s right, I instantly feel a calm wash over me with him in my arms. Karson has the power to take away some of the pain because he’s a piece of Sydney. He may not be hers biologically, but she’s raised him and they do share the same bloodline.
Walking out the back of the clubhouse, I sit down on a picnic table with Karson. He never once lifts his head from my body. I think he needs me as much as I need him. Breaker walks out a few minutes later and doesn’t say a word; he doesn’t have to. He’s out here because he has my back the same way I’d have his back if he were in the same situation. We sit in silence until Colt sticks his head out the door and tells us it’s time for church.
Breaker and I walk in the clubhouse and we head into church. Yes, I still have Karson in my arms and I’m not going to let him go. They want me calm, they’re going to have to deal with it. If not, Tonya can take him and I’ll let my rage flow freely and not give a fuck who I go off on.
“I see we have a new member in with us today,” Blood says, a small smile on his face. “Welcome to our meetin’, Karson.”
The guys all welcome him and I feel a smile cover his face. Until Blood hits the gavel on the table that is. Then, he loses the smile and wraps his arms tighter around my neck. I wrap an arm around his back and hold him to me. This is the only way we’re going to get through this until Sydney is back home.
I won’t be able to give her myself, but I’ll make sure Karson is safe with us at the clubhouse and if he wants to be with me when I’m not out searching for his sister, he’ll be with me. Santana and Tonya are the only other two he really goes near when he’s walking around. I don’t blame him when he’s never been around men and we’re all so tall and rough looking.
“Specs, what have you gotten since bein’ back here?” Blood asks.
“Not much. Lloyd doesn’t have anythin’ in his name and no one’s speakin’ about where he is. Either they’re afraid of him or they truly don’t know where he is right now,” Specs answers. “We’re the only ones lookin’ for him. But, you’re not gonna like this next part.”
Specs’ eyes are on me and I brace for the news we’re about to hear. I wrap my other arm around Karson so I don’t throw something with my free hand. It’s the only way I’m going to stay in my seat and have some molecule of calmness flowing through me as I hear whatever it is Specs is about to tell us.
“The link you were sent is for a live auction site. Lloyd is goin’ to sell Syd to the highest fuckin’ bidder. Men have already started biddin’ on her,” he tells us.
Several men around the table want to shout out and cuss right now. They’re refraining simply because of Karson being in the room. Right now, we’re all ready to have Tonya come get Karson so we can swear and let our anger out. Instead, he remains in my arms as Specs clicks a button and the site pulls up on the wall opposite of me. Thankfully, Karson can’t see it as his face is still buried in my neck.
There’s a countdown clock in the corner and just under that is the current top bid. It’s already nearing a million dollars for a woman. Men are willing to pay money for women to bend to their will; to torture, abuse, and rape as they see fit. After watching Lloyd beat on her, the bid is sure to go up because there are some sick fucks out there who get off on that. They’re the ones who are going to want her to break her spirit and use up everything she is until there’s nothing left of her at all. They’ll dump her unceremoniously in an unmarked grave and that will be the end of her and our child.
My pulse speeds up and the rage flows over me as I look at her prone body on the screen. It’s the same as the photos and video I was sent earlier and this is the fucker’s way of taunting us. Of making sure we know he thinks he has the upper hand. Before I can ask him to remove the images from the screen, Specs clicks the button again and the live feed disappears.
“Okay, so we have less than three days to find her and get her away from this fucker. I want him taken down and her brought out alive. Half of you go out searchin’ now. When you come back in a few hours, the rest of us will head out. I’ll stay here so I can help get Karson down for bed,” Blood says, turning his attention toward me. “The rest of you, get the hell outta here and leave no fuckin’ sto
ne unturned.”
Blood hits the gavel against the table and we all begin to file out of our church room. I walk into the common room and see Tonya sitting with Heaven and Santana at a table. There’s plates of food out for us, but I can’t eat. The only thing I want to do is get on my bike and head out to search for Sydney.
“Buddy, I need to leave you here with Tonya and Santana. I’ll be back soon, okay?” I ask, putting Karson down in the chair between the two women he knows the best.
“I want sissy,” Karson says, tears filling his eyes.
“We know you do, buddy. We’re gonna bring her back to you as soon as we can,” I assure him, hoping I’m not lying to the little boy.
After sitting him down, I ruffle his hair and place a kiss on the top of his head. Vanish, Crave, Ledge, Digger, and Greek head out with me. I’m the first one on my bike and I start it up before putting my helmet on. As soon as I have it strapped, I pull out of my spot and leave the clubhouse. I don’t bother waiting for the other men to catch up with me because it’s not like we’re going to go in one large group. We’re all going to go our separate ways and try to find anyone we can to ask about Lloyd and find out where the fuck he is.
I’ve been out on the road for hours and hours. Vanish and the rest of the guys have gone back to the clubhouse a long time ago. I’m not giving up though. I’ll be out here until I’m too tired to go on any longer. Or until Blood demands I go back to the clubhouse.
When I’ve been riding around, I’ve seen several women who ‘work’ for Lloyd in his stable of women. None of them seem to have seen him since Sydney went missing. A few of them are sporting bruises and they’re scared to death of him. I’ve offered them a way out of the life and a safe place to stay in order to entice them away from Lloyd and into giving me any information they may have on a secret place he’d be. Still nothing. I’ve even offered money or told them I’d take them to get their next fix instead of having to fuck someone to get it. Still nothing.
I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket so I find a spot to pull over. As soon as I have my phone out of my pocket, I see Santana’s name appear on my screen.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“I left to get a few things so I can stay with Karson. There’s a box I have at my house of Sydney’s papers. Something was telling me to look in at so I did. Lloyd has a house in Sydney’s mom’s name. It’s not in Brighton Hills. It’s three towns over. Will take you guys well over ten hours to get to,” she tells me.
“Get the paperwork and take it to the clubhouse. I’ll meet you there so we can give it to Specs. Thank you,” I say, hanging up the phone and sliding my phone back into my pocket.
I point my bike in the direction of the clubhouse. By the time I’m pulling in the parking lot, I see Santana getting out of her car and heading inside. She stops when she realizes it’s me and waits for me to back my bike into its normal spot and shut it down. As soon as I’m off the bike, I’m walking at a fast pace inside the clubhouse.
“Specs?” I ask Vanish who’s sitting at the bar with a beer in front of him and one of the sweet butts on her knees in front of him.
“In his room,” he answers.
“Take that shit in your room. You forget Karson’s here?” I ask him.
“Sorry, Bounce,” he says, getting to his feet and pulling Tempest with him toward the rooms.
Santana and I head back in the same direction. I knock on Specs’ door as soon as we stop outside of it. I enter only once I hear him bark out ‘enter’. We go in and Santana hands over the papers to him.
“What’s this?” he asks, looking it over.
“Lloyd has a house in Sydney’s mom’s name. These are the papers for it. She found them after her mom died and put them in a box of things to send to my house for safe keeping,” she tells him.
Specs immediately gets to work pulling up whatever information he can find on the place. He’s got maps and all sorts of other shit up on several different screens. I can tell he’s getting excited when he pulls out his cigarettes and lights one up. When he’s concentrating and trying to figure something out, he doesn’t smoke at all.
“What have you found?” I ask him, not being able to wait any longer.
“Get Blood and get him in here. Now,” Specs says.
I pull my phone out and call our President.
“What?” he growls out.
“Need you in Specs’ room now. Santana found somethin’ and he’s located somethin’ because of it,” I tell him.
“Be right there,” he says hanging up.
Within minutes, Blood is walking through the doorway and into his room.
“Boss man, you still got that friend up in Heighton?” Specs asks.
“Yeah. Why?” he asks.
“That’s where Lloyd has Sydney. His car is parked at the house right now,” he says, pointing out the car in front of a dilapidated house on one of the screens.
“I’ll make the call now. Bounce, round up the sober guys and have the others meet us at the gas station on the way out of town. He’ll get her out of there and somewhere safe until we can get up there and get her,” Blood tells me as he leaves the room.
I pull out my phone and keys from my pocket. Santana is standing there with tears streaming down her face as she sees the screen with Sydney laying on a bed naked. She can’t tear her eyes from the screen as her hands lift up to her mouth to stifle her sobs.
“Santana, thank you. Go up to my room and get in bed with Karson. I’m not sure when we’ll be back. I’ll let you or Tonya know as soon as we get her,” I tell her, leading her from the room.
She nods her head but can’t stop crying. Once I have her in my room, I send out a mass text and begin pounding on doors before opening them up. Blood and I have Vanish, Crave, Greek, and Colt as we leave the clubhouse. Specs is staying to keep an eye on Sydney via the live feed while the rest of us head out. He’ll keep us updated.
“Your friend goin’ to help out?” I ask Blood.
“Yeah. He’ll be there in a few hours. He was away on a fishin’ trip,” he answers.
We all climb on our bikes and make our way out of the clubhouse parking lot. Blood leads us to the gas station where the rest of the guys out searching join us as we head to Heighton. It’s going to take a long time to get there and I hope Blood’s friend can get her out of there before we manage to make the ten plus hour journey there. That’s my only thought as we rev our engines and push our bikes to the max in order to get to Sydney.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sydney a.k.a Delight
AS I BEGIN to wake up, I can feel eyes on me. I still have no trace of time as to how long I’ve been with Lloyd. My entire body hurts and my stomach is upset as I try to slow my breathing so I don’t get sick. It’s no use. Because of the beatings and lack of nutrition and water, I can’t stop the need to get sick.
I turn my head to the side and it’s the same time Lloyd reaches out to touch me and get in my face. So, I get sick on him. This only serves to anger the man in front of me. He takes it out on me with punches to my sides and legs. For some reason he’s leaving my face alone this time. Maybe one of the men bidding on me asked him to stop punching me in the face because it’s already so battered and bruised. I have no clue.
“Stop! Please, stop!” I yell out as his fists get closer to my stomach where my child rests.
“You vile bitch! How dare you get sick on me! You’re going to pay for this,” he yells repeatedly as his fists continue to land anywhere he can.
I scream out in pain and in sadness of possibly losing my unborn child. At this moment, that’s the only thought in my head as Lloyd continues to punish me. Only when he’s deemed I’ve had enough punishment, does Lloyd leave the room I’m in. I’m covered in blood and cuts from his latest beating.
The pain is so much, I pass back out. It’s the last thing I want to do, but I can’t stop the pain from making my weakened body succumb.
When I wake back up, there’s a
man in the room with me. He’s an older man and not one I’ve seen before. The man is clean and there’s not a smell of body odor emanating from him. I know just from this alone he’s not here because of Lloyd. Still, I startle in the thought of him being the man who bought me. This is the man who will end my life once and for all.
“Are you here because you bought me?” I ask, my voice weak and broken.
“No, sweetheart. I’m here to get you outta here. We don’t have much time. Here are some clothes I brought for you. Let’s get them on you and then we’ll get out of here and somewhere safe for your guy to come get you,” he says.
The man uncuffs me from the bed and helps me get into the clothes he brought. There’s a loose pair of sweatpants and an oversized tee-shirt. Once they’re covering me, he picks a bag up before picking me carefully up into his arms and leads me from the house. I see Lloyd knocked out and handcuffed to a chair in the middle of the room. His legs are even strapped to the chair so he’ll have a harder time getting close to anything to break free.
We head outside and I have to close my eyes against the harsh sunlight. It’s too bright when I’ve been in such a dark and dingy room for however long. He sets me down in the passenger side of a truck and lays me down in the back seat. I’m grateful for the chance to lay down without the restriction of being cuffed to a bed or other piece of furniture.
“How do I know you’re here to save me?” I ask, not really trusting the man who got me out of the house.
“Blood sent me to get you. He said to tell you Karson is safe at the clubhouse with Tonya and Santana,” he answers me.
Knowing he wouldn’t know about Karson or Santana unless he talked to someone at the clubhouse, I sink back in the seat and let myself relax for the first time in God knows how long. I’d sleep just because I’m exhausted, but the thought of seeing my brother, Santana, and the club members soon has my adrenaline pumping. Well, everyone but Bounce. I know he has no interest in seeing me or having anything to do with me. The only reason the club is helping find me is because I was an employee. Nothing more, nothing less.