As it seems with everything in this fucked up brotherhood, the exception is the new president and his officers. My problem with them is that they have the power to change shit around here but aren't doing anything with it. What the hell is it going to take to realize you can't hold women against their will or put your hands on them without their permission?
It's been a stark reminder of why I'm here and what I set out to do. I'm not a good guy, but I try and use my skills to protect people who can't defend themselves. If Savage doesn't step the fuck up and soon, I'm going to be forced to revert back to my original plan and burn this whole motherfucking place to the ground.
I kick up dust as I cross the area between the apartment building and the garage, but I know behind the garage is a big-ass rock formation I can hide behind. Between the noise from the tools in the garage and the nothingness behind the building, no one has any reason to come out there. I've been watching it for almost two weeks, and I've never seen anyone even near the back of that building, so I figure today's a good time to sneak back there and get a call in to my team.
With one last look around to make sure no one followed me, I press send and wait for Julian to pick up. "Connor?"
"Yep. Is the rest of the team there? I've only got a minute." I didn't want to press my luck out here any longer than I had to, especially if I want to use this spot again.
"Indy's out on a job, and Sebastian's on a client call. Otherwise, the team's all here," my second-in-command explains.
"Great. First, anything new to update since yesterday's email?" Julian sends me emails every day, keeping me up to date on what's happening in the office. That way, when this mission is over, I can fall right back into my role as CEO and boss.
"Ryan?" Julian asks with amusement lacing his voice. The only girl on my team, Ryan was both a badass fighter and compassionate as hell. She made one hell of a bodyguard, but she was married to one of my best friends, Maddox, and he never hesitated to step in when he thought I was putting his wife in danger.
She cleared her throat as she stepped closer to the speaker. "Maddox is insisting I go off active duty for the foreseeable future." Normally, if someone's spouse came into my business and told me how to run it, I'd tell them to fuck right the hell off. But, it was different with Maddox and Ryan. They might as well be family.
"Uh-huh, and why's that?" I bet he stormed the office making all sorts of demands, and if I wasn't trying to get through this call as quickly as I could, I'd have teased the shit out of her for it.
"I'm pregnant."
"Well, shit. I'm gonna have to agree with your husband. You're on desk duty from here on. Actually, that works for what I need. Sebastian's busy with his current client, so you can help him with my job here. I sent him over some files…"
I explain to them what went down this morning with Brutal and the pictures I took, relaying everything I observed. They promise they'll start digging tonight, and I hang up with another glance around before I start to head back to the clubhouse.
I'm lost in thoughts of my team and everything I need to make sure they get done, and I don't notice the stunning woman who steps into my path before I'm bumping into her.
"Damn, I might've been looking for you, but I didn't think I'd run into you so literally," Gigi teased, gripping my biceps to keep her balance.
I dip down to kiss her without bothering to say anything at all because it's the only thing I've really wanted to do all day. Sometimes it's a bitch having a higher purpose and ignoring what I want in favor of what needs to be done.
She clings onto me and deepens the kiss like she missed me, too, the taste of strawberry lip gloss on her lips. She lets out a tiny whimper as I pull her closer and run my fingers into her hair so I can tilt her head to the side for better access. When she opens for me, I kiss her like I'm trying to pull her soul out of her body and into mine.
Gigi already possesses me, and I want to do the same to her.
Her palms slide up my chest and push lightly, so I'm forced to break apart from her. I try to kiss her again, and she laughs while trying to catch her breath. "Whoa, there, angel. I kinda need my lips to speak."
I raise my eyebrow. "Angel?"
Her cheeks flush even deeper pink than they already were from our kiss. "Yeah, every time I see the black wings tattooed on your back, I think about how you're my avenging angel here to break me out of this place and set me free."
I lean in again, but she holds me off—again. Letting out a frustrated growl, I rest my hands on her hips, tightening my hold as I try to pull her closer. "You're relentless," she laughs. "Stop it." She smacks me in the chest with the back of her hand and spins back toward the entrance to the shop.
"I've got a surprise for you," she announces, and she reaches back for my hand and pulls me toward her loft escape.
"What is it?"
"You'll have to climb up to see." Gigi steps aside, and I start up the ladder. When I get to the top, I wait for her and then let her lead me deeper into the space.
In the far back corner, there's a blanket laid out with a few pillows and a picnic basket. "You did this for me?"
She shrugs. "I can't exactly go out on dates, so I thought this might be the next best thing."
I lean over and kiss her, but she drops down to the blanket before I can take it any further. Damn woman is clockblocking both of us.
Following her lead, I sit and stretch out on the blanket, crossing my ankles. It isn't until I get a whiff of something that smells incredible that I realize I missed lunch and am actually starving. "This is perfect," I assure her. "What's in there?"
I gesture toward the basket, and her grin gets wider. She pulls it closer to where she's sitting and opens one side to start pulling out the food. "You took me for my first ever Mexican food, so I thought I'd give making some a try. I found an old cookbook in the kitchen, and I made tacos and margaritas."
Gigi pulls out a thermos and shakes it up. Her whole body is lit up, and I can tell she put a lot of thought and effort into this. "It's perfect, thank you." I lean over and drop a quick kiss to her lips. "How long do we have up here?"
"I asked Lola to fill in for me for a couple of hours, so we should hav-"
"Gigi!" an angry male voice booms from down below, and she flinches. I whip my head around, and my gaze narrows in on Vandal, looking pissed as hell. "Where the fuck are you?"
She tilts her chin up defiantly and walks over to the ladder, looking down at him. "What do you need, Vandal?"
"I need you to get your ass behind the bar. Lola's mine tonight, and I can't have her covering for you when I have more important places for her to be."
My fists clench. Who the fuck does he think he is, demanding Gigi drop what she's doing and cater to his whims? She's not their goddamn slave, but that's how they treat her. Every day I spend here, it gets clearer.
Vandal just rocketed to the top of my Want to Stab list for the day. I stepped up behind Gigi, and Vandal's expression darkened, but he didn't say shit. "We're having dinner. She'll be down later."
"The fuck she will. She'll come now, and you'll mind your own fucking business if you don't want shit getting back to Savage. Gigi belongs to the club, and I'll use her how I see fit." I didn't miss the disgusting perusal of her body before he turned and stalked out of the garage before I could climb down the ladder and break a couple of his bones for leering at my woman.
"I'm sorry. I should go." Gigi looks back at the makeshift picnic with a sigh of disappointment before she moves to climb down the ladder.
I grab her arm to stop her. "Don't go. Fuck Vandal. In fact, fuck them all. You're not their slave. You worked hard on this; we should at least eat before you have to work."
She smiles up at me sadly. "In case you haven't noticed, I am their slave, and I have absolutely no say in it. At least not until you get me out of here. So, go do what you do and make that happen." She pats me on the chest and lifts onto her toes to kiss my cheek before she climbs down the ladder
and hurries out the door toward the clubhouse.
Gigi's right. It's time to take this shit to the next level because I'm never going to stand here and let them talk to her—or any woman—that way again. Gigi's no one's property, and it's about time they learned that.
There’s a goddamn storm cloud hovering over my head as I pop the top off the beer and slide it across the counter. I’m glaring at everyone who dares to look my way. I spent all afternoon making that picnic for Connor and me, and Vandal ruined it because he needed a fucking blow job.
My feet are starting to hurt from all the stomping around I’m doing, but I don’t even care. I have to get the angry energy out somehow. Every time something marginally good happens to me here, they can’t help but take it away. It’s like the guys who run this place wait for me to find a tiny piece of happiness just to experience the pleasure of crushing it under their steel-toed boot.
“Sorry, hun,” Tiffany says, giving me a sympathetic look that I can’t even deal with right now. If I open my mouth to respond, I have a feeling all the raging bitch inside me will pour out, and Tiff doesn’t deserve my wrath. It’s not her fault, but she’s an easy target, so I keep my lips firmly shut.
“It’s fine.” It’s not fine, but whatever. Life goes on, right? The only other option is to curl up in a ball out in the desert somewhere until I die of dehydration. With my freedom so close I can almost taste it, I’m not ready to do that just yet.
“Gigi,” a deep voice says from the end of the bar. I look around Tiffany and see Ruthless sliding onto a barstool. I roll my eyes because she’s closer to him, but for some reason, he’s insisting on me.
“What do you need, Ruthless?” It’s a risky move, snapping at one of the club brothers, but they’ve pushed me too far today to really give a shit. He’s one of the younger guys, so maybe he’ll take it in stride. Based on the way his eyes narrow at my tone, I’m guessing he’s not going to let it slide.
“Why the fuck are you taking that tone with me? Did you forget we own your ass? If I want you to come around this bar right now and drop to your knees so you can suck my cock, you’ll do it.” I know some of the younger guys still have an old-school mentality like the quad of old assholes who still walk around this place like they own it, but Ruthless has always kept his distance and been at least cordial.
I wonder what crawled up his ass today to make him unleash his dickish side.
“You’ll only order me to do that if you want me to bite it off,” I say as sweetly as I can manage through gritted teeth.
“I think you’ve forgotten your place here,” Ruthless says on a quiet growl, the kind that makes all the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my system scream at me to back away—that I’m in danger.
He slips off the stool and moves around the bar, blocking my exit. He moves so fast, there’s nothing I can do to dodge out of his way, and when I blink, he’s standing right in front of me, his hand gripping the back of my neck and pulling me closer.
His breath fans over my face as he speaks because he’s leaning so close to me. “Allow me to remind you.”
Ruthless’s nails are digging into the back of my neck. When he yanks me forward to pull me out from behind the bar and take me somewhere to apparently teach me a lesson, he rips out a bunch of my hair, too. I cry out from the pain, tears stinging my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
My heart hammers against my ribcage, and I fight for oxygen as it feels like my lungs are closed. The harder I claw at his arm, the tighter his grip gets as he drags me across the room toward the hallway that leads back to the rooms.
A blank sort of numbness settles over me then. It was inevitable this would happen someday. Why not on the day this club already stole what was supposed to be a happy experience from me? I can’t hold back the tears anymore, and they track silently down my cheeks as I stop fighting, giving in to whatever Ruthless plans to do to me.
I’m shutting down, my emotions closing off as my feet stumble to keep up, and I almost fall. Ruthless curses and yanks me back up by my neck, but I don’t feel the pain. In my head, I’m already going to my happy place, only now that includes a sexy, inked up bodyguard with a mop of wild curls on his head and a sinful smile that’s so rare when it comes out, it’s like a beacon drawing me to him.
Maybe focusing on Connor will make what’s coming bearable.
It’s because I’m so deep in my own head that I don’t realize the hand on my neck is gone, and when I do, I have to grip the wall to keep my shaky knees holding me up. I’m vaguely aware of the sound of flesh smacking into flesh and angry voices that sound muffled to my ears.
An arm slides around my waist, and I turn like the world is moving in slow motion to see Tiffany’s worried gaze looking me over. “Are you okay?”
Her question knocks me back into reality, and the world speeds up to normal speed, and the sights, sounds, and smells of the bar come crashing back into my body. I jerk from the onslaught and blink. My scalp is throbbing, and the back of my neck burns where Ruthless’ nails dug into my skin. I can’t answer Tiffany, so I turn my focus to what happened.
My forehead wrinkles in confusion as I try and figure out what the hell happened. It takes me all of two seconds to notice Connor’s fist coated in blood flying at Ruthless’s swollen face. When it connects, he pulls his arm back and throws another one before Grim is there pulling him off.
“You fucking lay a single finger on her again, I’ll kill you,” he promises as Lyric grabs Ruthless and hauls him to his feet, helping him out of the bar.
His eyes are wild when they land on me, and I shiver under the intensity I find there. He rips his gaze away and runs it down my body like he’s checking that I’m okay, and those damn tears sting my eyes again. Connor must notice because, in the next breath, I’m wrapped up in the safety of his arms. I’m not even worried about getting blood all over my clothes; I just want to breathe him in and ignore what almost just happened.
“We need to have a discussion,” Grim says from somewhere behind Connor, and I feel him tense before he gives one nod that makes his chin bump into the top of my head.
“Later.” He grips me tighter, and I let out a sigh of relief. That darkness he pulled out of himself and wore like a cloak while he beat the hell out of Ruthless for putting his hands on me made me think of him like an avenging angel. My avenging angel.
So beautiful and so violent.
The perfect combination for the man who’s stealing my heart straight out of my chest.
When I pull away, I don’t know how much time has passed, but everyone in the bar has gone back to whatever they were doing before like shit didn’t just go down here. Brutality and violence are the way things are around here. Everyone’s so desensitized to it that it’s like my trauma is no big deal.
Tiffany’s back behind the bar smiling at Lyric, who you’d never know just half-carried a bloody heap of a man back to his room. Grim’s back in his corner booth with Savage and Saint.
I shook out my arms and took a deep breath, stepping back a bit from Connor. I have no idea what’s going to happen to him or to me now that he’s stepped in the way of one of the actual club brothers and their property. They don’t know he’s not one of them, but he is new around here, and I bet what he did here tonight isn’t going to go over very well.
“I should probably get back to work.” I don’t want to go back. In fact, I want to beg Connor to put me on the back of his bike and ride us the hell out of here right now, tonight. I don’t care if I have to run for the rest of my life to keep them from hunting me down. I’d give anything not to have to be here anymore.
“Fuck that,” Connor starts, reaching out to wrap himself around me again, but I push my palm against his chest to hold him back.
“If I don’t, they’ll only make it worse on me.” And that was the straight-up truth. I’d done it before and ended up locked in my room for two days without food or water as punishment, with Brutal and Vandal taking particular j
oy in stopping by my room every hour or so and yelling every obscene thing they planned to do to me through the door.
I didn’t sleep for two days, either.
“Then I’m sitting front and center at the bar until your shift is over, and then you’re coming to my room.” Right now, he’s boxing me in, dominating me because he feels out of control. I feel it, too—shaken to my core by how close I came to being assaulted. My whole body is still trembling, and when his fingers circle my wrist, his gaze darkens. I know he can feel how much I’m shaking.
“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you have better things to do.” I want him to stay, but he’s here for a reason. The longer he has to be on guard duty for me, the longer we’re both stuck here. Plus, I feel better knowing Savage, Grim, and Saint are here. They’ve never been cruel to me, and when they’re around, the rules are expected to be followed.
“Gigi.” He glares down at me, the grip on my wrist tightening a fraction in a possessive way that I find myself liking a lot. “You can say whatever the fuck you want to make yourself feel better, but my ass isn’t leaving that stool until your shift is over. So, either keep me company or ignore me. I don’t really care what you do. But I’m not going anywhere.”
He keeps that promise, too. He sits at the bar nursing a beer and glaring at anyone who dares to linger in my vicinity. He doesn’t even take a break to wash the blood from his hands, and by the time I think to toss him a wet rag from behind the bar, it’s dried into a dark reddish-brown color. I honestly think he forgot it was there, but it’s a macabre reminder that keeps everyone else in this godforsaken place far away from the two of us.
Then again, maybe he didn’t forget, and he wanted everyone to have the reminder of what he was willing to do if they got too close to me again.
Captive: A Bodyguard Romance (Hollywood Guardians Book 1) Page 10