She began undressing me with her eyes and I knew I had to get her out of my cabin before she stripped down to nothing and tried whipping me with something again.
“Relax,” she said, noticing my expression. “I’m not here for that. As much as I’d love to fuck you, I’m not going to beg for it. Not anymore.”
I relaxed slightly. “So, what are you here for?”
“I need money.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Money?”
She nodded. “I owe someone some money and if I don’t pay them… I’m afraid of what might happen.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to help you with that.”
“You owe me.”
“How do you figure?”
“The information I gave you. I’m pretty sure if I wouldn’t have done it, your precious little Jessica wouldn’t be alive today.”
“I already knew she was being hunted, sweetheart.”
“Well, I could have turned you in to the authorities. I still can,” she said, smiling.
“You’re threatening me?”
Her face seemed to crumble before my eyes. “I have no other choice. These guys will kill me if I don’t pay them the money.”
I stared at her hard. “How much do you owe them and why?”
“One-hundred-grand.”
My eyes widened. “Why?”
Her lips began to tremble. “I’d rather not say.”
“Why, Caitlyn?” I repeated. “You can’t spring this on me and then clam up.”
“Fine. I had them kill someone.”
“Who?”
“My stepfather.”
“Why?”
It took her awhile, but she eventually admitted that he’d molested her, growing up, and now he’d started in on another girl.
“He remarried, about five years ago, after my mother died. His new stepdaughter is only fifteen and he… he’s doing the same thing to her.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police instead of having him killed?”
“Because she wouldn’t admit it to me. But, I knew,” said Caitlyn, openly crying now. “I could tell. I just wanted to help her.”
“Did you try talking to your mother?”
“Yes, but she didn’t believe it. She even threw me out of the house, saying that I was trying to cause trouble.” She started sobbing. “I couldn’t let him do the things that he did to me… to her. I couldn’t.”
Sighing, I pulled her into my arms. “It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t know where to turn. These men… they said they’d do it for twenty-grand. That was the agreement.”
“They killed him for twenty?”
“Yes and now they’re threatening to kill me if I don’t come up with one-hundred.”
“Who are they?” I asked, pulling away from her. She was getting too comfortable in my arms.
“Just these two dimwits that I met.”
“Where did you meet them?”
She explained that she’d met the two guys at a bar, late one night. Both went home with her and eventually, they had a threesome. This occurred a few more times and eventually she started opening up to them. One night, she told them about her stepfather after drinking far too much, and it was then that they offered to kill him.
“And now they’re blackmailing you?”
“Yes.”
“Look, I’m not going to give you money. They don’t deserve it.”
“You’re not going to help me?”
“I never said that.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”
“Make sure they don’t bother you again.”
“How?”
“It’s better that you don’t know.”
She looked like a giant weight had been taken off of her shoulders. “You’ll really do it? Help me?”
“Yes. Just give me their names and anything else you can tell me about them.”
“I guess, the two bastards deserve whatever is coming to them.” She opened up her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here are their names,” she said, writing them down. “I don’t know where they live, but hopefully you can figure that part of it out.”
“What bar do they usually hang out at?” I asked “Write that down too.”
“Okay.”
“If I do this, I need something from you.”
“What?” she asked, now sounding hesitant.
“A plane,” I said. As soon as I got rid of the two pricks, I wanted to get the hell out of Alaska without waiting around for a commercial flight.
“Barney’s?”
I nodded. “Yes. I just need to borrow it for a couple of weeks. I’ll get it back to you.”
She bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. My husband might find out that it’s gone and report it stolen.”
“Tell him you’re renting it out to a friend.”
“Yeah, I can do that. He doesn’t fly himself, so it probably won’t get missed anyway. Not until he plans on selling it, that is. Regardless, I’ll make it happen.”
I leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You’re a beautiful woman. Quit giving yourself away.”
“My husband won’t touch me anymore,” she said with a sad smile.
“Then get yourself a new husband. Not a bunch of one-night stands who might try blackmailing you again,” I said, walking into the bathroom. I grabbed a box of tissues and brought it back out to her. “Here.”
She took one and wiped her eyes. “No matter what I’ve heard about you, I know the truth. You’re a good man, Jordan.”
That wasn’t really true, but I was working on it…
Chapter 42
Justin tried his best to calm me down, but I felt like I was losing my mind.
“We have to go look for them. Let’s go back to the cabin and see if they took Billy there.”
“It’s a crime scene right now. He wouldn’t risk taking them back there.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We wait for the police to do their job,” he said.
I groaned. “Yeah, right. I think we should try looking for them ourselves.”
“I’m all for that. What do you suggest?” he replied, folding his arms across his chest.
“I don’t know. Let’s just start driving through town. It’s better than waiting around here,” I said, feeling helpless.
“I agree.”
“I don’t’ know what I’m going to do if I don’t find my son,” I said hoarsely.
“We’ll find him.” He grabbed my hand and led me to his Harley, a black Road King. Justin got on first and then handed me his helmet. We drove to the cabin and when we arrived, both of us were surprised to see that the place was dead.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, expecting to see cops still wandering around the property.
Justin shut off the bike. “There was only one murder and it was pretty cut-and-dried. They have their witnesses and probably have all of the other evidence that they need by now.”
“Still, I’m surprised,” I replied, getting off of his motorcycle.
“Maybe they did come back this way,” he said, staring toward the lake. He removed his sunglasses and his eyes widened. “Holy shit. Watch out.”
The next thing I know, Justin was off of the bike and flying toward the water. When I noticed the eighteen-foot Stingray boat being untied at the dock, my heart almost gave out.
It was Phillip and Billy.
Phillip had his back to us; he didn’t even notice Justin racing toward them. At least, not until Billy turned around and pointed it out.
“Billy!” I screamed, running toward the lake.
Meanwhile, Justin successfully made it to the edge of the dock and leaped onto the boat before Phillip could start the engine. He landed on his back and I watched as both men went down.
“Mommy!” cried Billy, looking frightened as fists began to fly.
The untied boat began drifting toward the weeds.
“Help, mommy!”
“Hold on!” I hollered, diving into the water. Ignoring the pain in my thigh, I swam over and climbed on board.
“Enough,” shouted Phillip, who was now holding a gun toward Justin. I recognized it as being the one I’d been hiding in my purse. The one that had killed Slammer.
Dammit, I should have gotten rid of it, I thought. Cole had been right.
“Phillip, what are you doing?” I asked, trembling now.
He glared at me. “Don’t either of you move, or I’ll blow your damn heads off.”
Justin raised his hands in the air. “Settle down,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
Phillip aimed the gun at me. “This is all your fault, you stupid bitch. You just had to put your nose where it didn’t belong.”
“Where it didn’t belong?” I repeated angrily. “This is my son. You stole him from me!”
“You’re not fit to be a mother to this boy. Look at the kind of people you hang out with!?” he spat, waving his gun toward Justin. “Scumbags like this.”
“Mommy, I’m scawed,” sobbed Billy as I held him against my chest.
“See. You’re scaring him,” I said, trying not to cry. “Put the gun down, Phillip.”
Phillip’s eyes softened. “Billy, come here,” he said, ignoring me. “You know I’d never hurt you. Come to daddy.”
“You are not his daddy,” I said, clenching my teeth.
“Shut up,” said Phillip. “Now, Billy, come here.”
Billy shook his head.
Phillip’s eye twitched. “Remember what we talked about, son?”
Shaking his head, he clung to me even tighter.
“Put the gun down,” said Justin. “Before someone gets hurt.”
Phillip cocked the gun. “I’m going to count to ten. If you’re not off of this boat, I’m going to start shooting and yes, someone will get hurt.”
“No,” I said, raising my hand. “Don’t do it. Please.”
He began to count.
“This is insane. You’re not a killer!” I cried, knowing that we were losing control of the situation. “You’re Billy’s uncle. He adores you! Phillip, this isn’t how you want him to remember you.”
He laughed harshly. “Remember me? I’m not going anywhere. You’re the one who’s leaving this world. And this guy, too. Biker scumbag. It will be a better place without either of you. Believe me.”
I pushed Billy behind me. “Just let us go. We won’t even tell the police that you were here. Please.”
The sound of a boat whizzing by drew Phillip’s attention long enough for Justin to get to his ankle holster. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Phillip. “Put your gun down,” he hollered, cocking his own. “Now!”
Phillip’s eyes narrowed.
“I mean it. Put the gun down or I’ll shoot you right in the head.”
“I see this isn’t going to work out the way I planned,” he said, looking irritated. “I guess if I’m not going to leave here with Billy, I don’t want you to either.”
“Don’t. Please,” I said, catching his meaning.
“Phillip pointed the gun at me. “I have to. You’re not worthy enough to raise a Davis.”
Justin snorted. “Really, dude? A Davis? You’re not worthy enough to raise a Davis,” he mimicked. “Tell me something – what’s so fucking special about a ‘Davis’?”
Phillip stared at him haughtily. “You’re not one of them. That’s what’s so special.”
Justin rolled his eyes and shot him in the head.
***
I found Joanna tied up in the cabin. When she saw me, she cried in relief. “Thank God! Have you seen Billy?”
“He’s fine,” I said, cutting the duct tape from her wrists with scissors.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried. “He found us outside the hotel. He figured it out from the credit card I’d used to reserve the hotel room. I’m so stupid. I should have known better.”
“It’s okay. You’re safe and so is Billy,” I replied, giving her a reassuring hug.
“Where’s Phillip?”
“He… he got away,” I said, hiding the truth. I didn’t want Justin arrested for killing the asshole. I’d been surprised that he’d pulled the trigger so quickly, but I knew if he wouldn’t have, things would have only gotten uglier.
“Damn,” she replied, rubbing her wrists. “Where are Billy and Justin?”
“Billy is on the deck. Justin took the boat out to try and find Phillip.” He was actually taking Phillip’s body to a desolate place, to hide it.
“We should call the police,” she said.
“Already did,” I said, forcing a smile. “They’re trying to find him, too.”
She sighed. “Good.”
“Where’s my car?” I asked.
“It’s parked out in back.”
“That’s good. Do you have my purse and cell phone?”
“They’re in the car, too. So are your keys. Phillip has the gun, though.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She let out a ragged sigh. “Are we free to leave now? I just want to get the hell out of this town.”
“Same here.”
“I’m having the locks changed as soon as we get home and buying a dog. A big mean one.”
We walked outside, where Billy was seated. He was staring off toward the lake, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Honey, are you okay?” I asked, bending down. I stared into his eyes. He’d heard the gun go off and knew that Phillip was dead. I’d made him promise not to tell anyone so Justin didn’t go to jail. I knew it was a lot of weight to put on a young child and was worried about what that would do to him. “Billy?”
He nodded.
“He’s been through so much,” said Joanna, fluffing his hair.
“Yes. He’s my brave little man.”
Billy smiled at me.
“Are you ready to go home?” I asked him.
“Yes.”
I held out my hand. “Me, too. Let’s go get you into the car.”
“Wait. We can’t leave Tank.”
My eyes softened. I thought it was cute how Billy was so worried about Justin. “We won’t. Don’t worry. You really like him, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he replied. “He’s tough.”
“Yes, he is,” I answered. And not just physically. I wasn’t sure what I’d have done without him. He was like a rock for us at the moment. I was glad that I’d accepted the offer to stay at his club.
Two weeks later…
Chapter 43
“What’s that?” I asked, staring at the leather vest.
“I told you before, I want you to be my old lady,” Justin replied, holding the cut up proudly. “And this will let everyone else know to keep their hands off, because you belong to me.”
I smirked. “I do, huh?”
He grabbed my butt. “I own this ass. You even said so last night.”
“We were in the middle of having sex. I didn’t mean it literally,” I said, shooing his hand away. “Now, let me finish up, will you?”
We were in the room that Billy and I had been staying at in the clubhouse. We’d finally gotten the ‘okay’ to go home and I was just packing the rest of our things.
“You’re telling me ‘no’?” he pouted. “You won’t wear my patch?”
I sighed. Not this again. “We’ve talked about all of this before. Billy and I don’t belong in this… world,” I said, waving my hand around the room. Admittedly, it hadn’t been quite as bad as I’d thought.
“Come on now. It isn’t as bad as you think and everyone loves you. They’d protect you and Billy with their lives.”
I had gotten to know the members of his club and fortunately, after everything that had happened, they’d found it in their hearts to forgive me. Well, most of them. There were a couple guys who were still a little chaffed about Slammer and I couldn’t blame them. Hell, three weeks ago, if anyone would have told me I’d be walking ar
ound the Gold Vipers clubhouse, that Cole would be a new Prospect, or that I’d be sharing a bed with Slammer’s son, I’d have laughed in their face.
“If it was like this all the time, I’d be okay with it. But, some of the old ladies say that ‘when it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s fire and brimstone’.”
He let out a long sigh. “Forget about all of that. Forget about the club. How do you feel about us?”
“I like you. A lot,” I replied, biting back a smile. The truth was, I loved him. I really did. I’d even told him once during sex, but it had come out a whisper.
“I think you secretly worship me,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
I snored. “Right. Maybe your penis.”
“That’s what I thought. If you play nice, I’ll let you bow down and kiss it. But, you have to let me see some boobies first.”
“You goof. There’s no time for this,” I said, laughing as he tried pulling off my shirt. One thing I’d learned about him was that his mind was almost always on sex. Fortunately, he also had a great sense of humor. Admittedly, Justin was not at all what I’d expected out of biker club president. I’d have pictured an asshole, one who barked out orders and could cut you with a single look. The thing with him was that he almost always had a smile on his face and treated his brothers equally.
“All I need is thirty seconds,” he said.
“We don’t even have that. Did you forget that we have to finish up here and pick up Billy from Frannie’s?”
His face became serious. “Oh shit. I forgot. Jessica’s making dinner tonight. I told her we’d be there.”
“But, you said that you’d help me move back to my apartment and…there’s too much to do,” I said, relieved that we were finally going home now that Ronnie was no longer a threat. Apparently, he’d disappeared and someone called the Judge had put the fear of God into the president of that chapter. Now, thankfully, the Devil’s Rangers were no longer interested in me and I could bring my son home.
“You don’t have to stay long. She’s leaving for Vegas tomorrow and wants to make dinner for all of us. Including Raptor and Adriana.”
“Sammy’s going to be there, too?” Billy and Sammy had so much fun together.
Breaking The Biker (The Biker Series) - An MC Gold Vipers Motorcycle Club Biker Romance Novel Page 17