He takes me to a little room and gives me my street clothes and I’m allowed to change. Through the small opening in the door I can see who bailed me out.
The leader of the Mamedov Family and three Caucasian goons, all about six foot four, if not taller, stand there waiting for the feds to release me. They’re built like brick shit houses.
Shit! I hope the MC figures something out or I’m done for. I walk out into the little room that these four big Russians are waiting, I am a bigger guy but these guys make me feel small!
“So, Ryder, you’re not as stupid as I thought you would be,” says a gray-haired man with a thick Russian accent. He’s got to be in his seventies, at least. “Your father wasn’t very smart, but I see that you must take after your mother. She is such a beautiful woman.” He grins, almost as if he knows my mom is a soft spot for me.
I follow him out of the facility, noticing the three goons are close behind me, making sure I don’t try anything.
Outside, my eyes are hit with the natural light. I shut them, hoping to help my eyes adjust. “Where are you taking me? Or am I not allowed to know?” I try not to sound annoyed or pissed off, but, honestly, I’m a little of both. If I’d listened to Bambi or even my sister all those years ago, I wouldn’t be in this mess.
The gray-haired man reaches the car and turns to look at me. He laughs. “Well, dumb fuck, you didn’t think we’d just let you get away with getting our product confiscated, did you? Just know that what was taken is worth about four times what your father owed me. So I figure you’re mine until I decide what to do with you.”
Quickly, he surveys the parking lot and signals for his goons to blindfold me and knock me out. It’s the last thing I remember.
****
Faith
After crying for what seems like hours, I realize that I am sitting on my couch in my apartment. It still has a hint of Ryder’s smell on it. Just thinking about him breaks my heart. I’m getting ready to face my father’s death and the one person I want by my side is missing. I have no idea how I’m going to live through this, but I guess it makes me think of my favorite Kelly Clarkson song, “What doesn’t kill you.”
Pushing myself off my couch, I decide that I need to shower and get dressed. Layla’s in my kitchen, looking at the phone book.
“You know what you need, girl?” I shake my head. “You need some ink; it’s the best therapy I know!” She picks up the phone and I hear a guy’s voice pick up on the other end. “Yeah, Hank. It’s Layla. Yeah, Memphis’s ol’ lady. They are fine… Look can you squeeze me and Ghost’s ol’ lady in?” She is nodding her head as if he is standing in front of her. “An hour? Alright we will be there!” Wait, don’t I get a say in this I scream to myself! A tattoo, I have never thought about such a thing.
True to Layla’s word on getting a tattoo, about an hour later, we pull up in front of a tattoo parlor in the next city over.
“Layla, I don’t know if I like this. I don’t know if Ryder will approve. What if he’ is pissed about me getting a tattoo?” Reaching for the door handle, I look over at her and she has the biggest grin on her face.
She grins. “Come on, you sour puss! What the fuck? You have been through so much shit that you need to let yourself go. Be carefree once in a while.”
I shake my head, but follow her into the shop. The buzzing noise that greets us sends goose bumps all over my body. I walk around and look at all the tattoos drawn on the walls. If I’m going to do this, it is going to symbolize my becoming a different person, becoming a better person.
As I walk around the parlor I notice a frame with butterflies and ladybugs and it catches my attention.
“You see something you like?” I jump a little bit when I hear a deep male voice next to me. A tall bald guy stands behind the counter. He has tattoos on every single open spot of skin; the only thing not covered is his face. He blinks and I notice tattoos on his eyelids.
“Did that hurt?” I ask without thinking.
“Pain is pretty much mind over matter. If your pain threshold is high, then a tat will only feel like a scratch, but if you’re a pussy, then you might cry like a bitch. No offense or anything.”
He’s cute in a creepy way with all tats, but he’d look even better if he only had some of his bigger tats and not all the little ones.
“So what are you thinking, sweet bottom?” What the hell did he just call me? I laugh a little bit and look back over at him.
“What did you just call me?” He looks shocked that I am questioning him or something.
“That is the Dueling Dragons VP’s ol’ lady there, Rusty. Be careful,” an older man talking to Layla says. I assume that is Hank because they seem to be catching up like old friends.
“Shit, I didn’t realize. who you are. I’m so sorry.” Please, forgive me.” The tall guy standing in front of me says.
It still amazes me how much pull the MC has, even though they are not from this area. However, I guess it makes sense; Ryder’s in the area a lot. I shrug and wave it off.
“So what were you thinking?” He leaves the end of the sentence open, as if he wants me to fill it in with my name.
“Faith. My name is Faith. I’ve gone through a lot of shit in the last several months and I feel like I’m finally coming out the other side of it. Maybe a butterfly? I feel like I am shedding an ugly past and I lived through it. So I am looking to a bright future.” I think a butterfly would be amazing. “Can you freehand very well? I have the picture in my head but I can’t draw worth two shits.” He smiles, turns and walks over to what I can only think is his station. I take the next few minutes and describe to him exactly what I see in my head.
“So you want it to look like it’s fluttering on your back, right? Kind of like it just landed there for a minute?” He draws up the most amazing 3-D butterfly.
“Yeah, exactly. Could we do it right here?” I push down the shoulder of my shirt and point at the top part of my shoulder. “Can you land it right here?”
“I think we could squeeze that. Gimme a few to get this all stenciled up and then we’ll get to it.”
He grabs the rough drawing, waits for me to nod to him, and then walks over to a lighted table to fine-tune the drawing. I turn and walk over to the 50’s diner-looking seats and wait for Layla to come over and sit with me.
I decide to try to call Ryder again, I have no idea why because I know that he won’t answer, but it makes me feel better to hear his voice, I guess.
“You reached Ryder. Can’t come to the phone for one reason or another. So do it to it.”
I sigh into the phone, knowing the voicemail will record it. I hang up as Layla walks over and sits next to me.
“So, are you excited?” I snap back to reality and smile at her.
“Oh, honey. You need to stop focusing on what’s going on with Ryder. He’s a big boy; he can take care of himself, honey. If he can survive three years in prison, I think he can handle whatever he is dealing with now. So, what did you decide to get? I saw you looking at all that girly shit over there.” She snickers at me.
“A butterfly, a 3-D one. One that will look like it just landed on my shoulder. It signifies me spreading my wings and becoming a new person, a new woman.” I smile down at my phone and can see out of the corner of my eye that Layla is also smiling.
“That is amazing, baby. I’m so proud of you!” I turn and look at her and see that twinkle that she always gets when she is speaking from her heart.
****
After spending four hours with twenty-five needles jamming ink into our skin we both walk out with the most amazing tattoos. I feel like a cat scratched me in the same area over a hundred times, but it’s something that I would love to experience again.
“Oh, let me see it again!” Layla gushes as she finishes checking out the new tattoo that she got on her leg. It’s a few names and dates. I’m not sure who they all are, but I’ll ask her later. Right now, I want to show off my newest addition. Turning around to p
ull down my shirt, I show her the beautiful butterfly that sits perched on my shoulder.
“Oh Faith, it looks amazing. It is so fitting.” She hugs me then walks into my kitchen. “I’m gonna call down to the diner and have them make us something for dinner. How does that sound?” I nod.
My cell phone starts to ring; it’s Beau. Why is he calling me?
Rolling my eyes, I turn my back to Layla and answer my phone. “Beau, really? What the hell do you want? You have some nerve calling me, you know that?” I try to sound as rude as I possibly can. I can feel the bile hit the back of my throat. Oh, what I would not give to have this piece of shit in front of me right now. Slapping him doesn’t feel like it was enough, given what he did to me, what he did to our child. None of it was fair.
“Hey Faithie, how’s it going?” He slyly says with his normal sexy tone, the memories of thinking that it would be the voice to whisper my name to me for the rest of my life. However, he broke me; he caused me more hurt in my life than I have ever thought possible. “I heard from a little bird that you were going to be in town and well, I thought that we might be able to talk.”
Is he fucking kidding me? Really? He wants to talk?
“You know something Beau, where were you a year ago when I wanted to talk?” I growl into the phone. “Hmmm? Where the fuck were you when our child needed you?” I start to shake because I am so pissed. I hear him try to say something but I cut him off. “Oh, that’s right. You got scared like the little bitch you are and ran to my best fucking friend. Her baby is yours. So tell me, Beau,” I say his name all sappy and girly like, “What the fuck was so special about her that you chose to stand behind her rather than your own fucking girlfriend of six years?” I start to pace back and forth to help tame my anger.
“I can explain everything if you just give me a chance. I promise that things will be different, I’ve changed.” He sounds like he is begging me to forgive him but I am not going to fall for his stupid games as I used to.
“Where’s Peggy Sue?” I ask him because I am actually worried about her and the baby. “Let me guess, you’re scared and you’re going to run like a little bitch? Well, you’re not running to me. We’re not going to play that game.”
“She’s at home. When we heard that your dad wasn’t doing too well, I decided that one of us should call to say that we’re here, if you need me.” He stumbles over his words. “I mean, if you need us for anything.”
He has to be the lowest form of a human that there is in this world. “I appreciate your concern but my family and I are no longer your worry. Given how you treated me while we were together, it seems that you were never worried about me. You and your concern can go fuck yourselves. Goodbye, Beau. I mean it this time. Goodbye for good.” I am actually starting to shake worse now, I do not know if it’s from the adrenaline or if it’s from my anger.
I hear him sniffle. “So, this is it? Okay, have it that way, Faith.” He clears his throat. “Goodbye.”
The line goes dead. I look at the black screen and realize that I finally have to say my final goodbyes to Beau. He and I will never be Faith and Beau, the power couple of Mobile, again. Now, it’s Beau the lying, cheating deadbeat, and Faith, the luckiest girl in the world. I’ve found my knight in shining armor. Ryder also happens to be the sexiest biker who has ever graced this world. Calm yourself! Focus on your family!
Layla stands in the archway with a cup of coffee in her hand. “Want one? You look like someone killed your puppy. Wanna talk about it?”
Shrugging back into the couch, I get comfy for the talk that I am sure Layla is going to have with me about how amazing it is that I got to finally say goodbye to Beau, but all I really want to talk about is how we are going to get Ryder back and I need to get back home. So devising a plan with Layla would really help.
Chapter 2 -
Ryder
I wake to being tossed into a small room with a bucket in one corner and a nasty mattress pad in the other. The room smells like piss and the floor is nasty as fuck.
“Get comfy there, Ghost. You’ll be here for a little while.” The dark haired goon laughs to himself.
What did I do to get into this mess?
I walk over to the pad and rub my hand across the back of my neck. I really fucked up this time. I have not only fallen in love, but I also asked the chick to marry me. What the fuck have I done? I should have just left well enough alone and not gone after Faith, but she is just so hard to resist.
I put my back up against the wall and slowly slide down until I feel myself touch the floor. I start to think about the first time I laid eyes on Faith, when she ran into me at the Choke & Puke.
****
“I can’t believe you fucked that chick, Ziggy! She wasn’t even that good looking,” I say.
As far as best friends go, Zig is the best. He’s been with me through a lot of shit and I’m glad to have him by my side.
We walk into my sister’s truck stop and someone runs into me.
“Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you. I was distracted.”
I look at the cute redhead in front of me; she’s short and petite with a slamming hot body and eyes to die for.
“Well, shit. If I didn’t know better, I would think that you didn’t have any manners. Didn’t anyone tell you not to read and walk at the same time? You’re lucky you only just walked into me. I watched a girl walk out into the crosswalk the other day. She didn’t even stop, not until I blew my horn at her.”
She looks at me with amazement. “You scared the shit out of me! I thought I was a goner.” She says urgently and places her hand on her heart. God, that is so hot! She is just drop dead amazing! Focus Ryder, no attachments.
“Ryder, ya comin’?” Zig asks as he walks over to our usual spot in the diner.
“Yeah, gimme a minute.” I wink at him over my shoulder and I can see him shaking his head as I turn my attention back to this ray of light that has just appeared in my life.
“Well, I guess I will see you around,” she says as she tries to push past me, but I step closer and whisper into her ear.
“I think you should stick around for a little while. I would love to get to know you. You can walk into me any day of the week.”
She steps back and looks me square in the eye. “Ha! As if! I don’t want to catch something. I know what you guys do in the evening ‘round here. So, no thank you!” There is so much cockiness in her voice that it makes me semi hard. I love a girl with this kind of confidence in herself.
“You’ll give in, babe. I promise that you will be mine at some point and you’ll love it.” I laugh a little and run my fingers down her arm, just enough so that she feels it and remembers me. They always come back. Always. This girl is different; she is almost a challenge of sorts. I have never been with anyone like her. This should be interesting.
****
The door creaks open and I’m pulled from thoughts of Faith. My Faith, she is going to be my only good thoughts through all of whatever this bullshit is. I shake my head a little bit and look up.
“So, what the fuck? Are you guys going to do with me? Huh?” The gray haired man from before enters, looks down at me, and sucks air through his teeth.
“You pile of shit. You’re going to work for me a little bit longer. ” He gets a grin on his face and runs his palm over his chin. “You are going to make a very good fighter. Yes, I think you will be my new feature fighter.”
He steps out the door for a second and I can hear him talking to someone in Russian.
“Here’s the deal, Ghost. You don’t mind if I call you that, do you?” Yeah, you fuck, I do mind, I think.
“You’re going to fight five times for me. You will fight and you will win.”
“What the hell do you mean?” I turn my attention to the guys standing behind him. I might be able to knock out one of them, maybe even two, but the third would be a challenge.
“Your father told me once that you’re a hell of a figh
ter. You’re bigger now so I imagine you could be even better.” He walks over, less than a foot away from me, and squats down. “Now, Ghost. I didn’t kill your father all those years ago, because I knew you were special. I knew that you were destined for great things, great things that can help me.”
The smell of vodka and cigars hits my nose. All I want to do is smash this guy to the floor and get the hell out of here.
“Dude, I don’t know what you’re thinking. I’m a fucking biker stuck driving a big rig to transport your shit.” Spitting out my words I don’t even give him a chance to respond.
I kick his feet out from under him; he hits the floor with a thud. The two guys standing behind him are surprised when their boss hits the floor hard.
“Get him! Get him, you dumb shits!” They move toward me. The goon to my left hits me in the back of my head and, before everything goes black, I hear the gray-haired man say, “I knew you were going to be a fighter, Ghost. I can’t wait to get my payback.”
What the fuck is this freak talking about?
****
Faith
“So, how do you feel after telling dickface goodbye?” Layla asks as she hands me a cup of warm coffee and sits down on the couch next to me. “I’m sure it feels like a ton of bricks lifted off your shoulders. I know that I’d feel better if I could yell at Memphis one more time, or even tell him that I love him just one last time.” She sighs and sits back on the couch, turning toward me. I can see the hurt in her eyes. I don’t know why I have never noticed it before; Layla is just as damaged as I thought I was.
“It felt damn good, to finally be the one to say goodbye and mean it. I am so glad they’re out of my life.” Letting out a small breath, I grab my coffee and let it warm my fingers. “Layla, who’s Memphis?”
She instantly stiffens and starts to breathe a little heavier. “Well, he’s…” She stutters. “I mean, he was my husband. My one and only true love.” She shakes her head. “God, I love that man with all my heart. But he would never leave the MC.”
Ryder's Last Run (Dueling Dragons MC Series) Page 2