I cry as I see his mad eyes staring at me. Then I feel the bite of his belt as he whips me hard. I scream as he shouts, “Do you like that, whore?”
I cry, pleading with him to stop. “Please, let me go, I promise not to say anything.”
All I can hear is his loud laughter and feel his sweaty hands invading my most personal places.
Then I start to scream and I don’t stop.
The past becomes the present and I thrash around wildly. “Stop, please stop. I don’t want this. Let me go.”
I feel my legs pulled wider apart as Chester moves between them. He groans and I sense the lust taking hold of his morals. He says darkly, “Don’t fight it, my dear. It will be better if you agree. Nothing will stop us anyway, so you may as well enjoy the ride.”
I plead with them. “No, I’m begging you, please don’t do this. I’m no whore. I just want to go home.”
I hear Scott say angrily. “Fucking hell, Todd. Not again. I thought you said this one was in the bag.”
Todd growls. “She was. I did my homework, and they assured me she was a professional.”
Grady says irritably, “Who fucking cares, we’ve gone too far to stop now. If she won’t agree we’ll take her, anyway. She’ll soon stop crying when she realizes what’s in it for her.”
I feel him pull on my hair tighter as he growls. “Just lie back and enjoy it. Not many girls get the chance to be pleasured by five powerful men. Don’t be a fool.”
I start to cry and shout. “Leave me alone, you’re fucking animals, not men. I’m saying no and that should mean what it says.”
Chester roars, “Enough. Grady’s right, she’s seen too much. Either she agrees or we ship her out.”
The room goes silent and I feel the tears falling down my cheeks. I say tearfully, “Please, I’m begging you, don’t do this.”
Preston looks worried. “Relax, honey. It’s not that bad. We only want to give you pleasure. Nobody here is going to hurt you, quite the opposite.”
Chester looks at me impatiently, “Enough talking. Let’s get down to business. If you want out after, then that will be arranged. Now, a deal’s a deal.”
He moves towards me and I think of every trick in the book I’ve learned with the Reapers to get out of the stronghold I’m in. They are too strong and I am powerless to struggle or even move an inch.
Just as I think it’s all over we hear a sharp knock on the door and someone shouts, “FBI, open up.”
Before I can react, I feel a strong hand pressing against my mouth gagging me from crying out. Then Chester jumps back and frantically pulls up his pants. Scott whispers, “What the fuck?”
The knock comes louder. “We know you’re in there. Open up.”
Chester looks angrier than I’ve ever seen a man look and snarls, “Heads will roll for this.”
He looks at the other men angrily. “Keep her quiet. I’ll get rid of them.”
He walks over to the door and checking to see we are out of sight, he opens it and slips outside. I hear him say in an angry voice, “What the fuck is this? Who gave you orders to come storming into my private apartments.”
I try to struggle but the men are too strong. We hear gentle murmurs and the sound of men arguing.
It must only be a few minutes before he’s back. He walks over and looks at Grady, angrily.
“You fucking idiot.”
Grady shouts, “What am I supposed to have done?”
Chester growls. “You couldn’t keep to the plan, could you? The Feds are here with a warrant for your arrest.”
I feel the shock in the room as Chester nods towards the door, angrily.
“You have to go. They’re waiting for you and won’t back down. Some Judge has issued a warrant for your arrest and now we’re going to have to pull in every favor were owed to get you off the hook. Go with them and I’ll have Simpson meet you downtown.”
I hear the fear in Grady’s voice. “What the fuck’s going on?”
Chester snarls. “Some girls made a complaint against you and opened a can of worms. They’re coming out of the woodwork as we speak. You’d better hope and pray your wife can help you because if she can’t you’re about to go down and lose everything. Now get out there and sort your shit out. We’ve got your back and I’ll make sure it goes nowhere, but you have to go, now.”
He follows Grady to the door and I feel the fear from the other men holding me tight. I try to get away but they are too strong and I feel frustrated at my helplessness.
It must be five minutes later when Chester comes back and snarls. “This is a fucking shit storm. There are Feds all over the place and this party’s being blown apart as I speak. The guests are being hauled downtown, and this is going to take the press office weeks to sort out.”
Scott says in a fearful voice. “What about us? Do they know we’re involved?”
Chester’s eyes narrow and he spits. “Like I said, heads will roll for this. Whoever ordered this is about to lose their job. We need to get out of here and deal with this shit back at the office.”
Preston says in a hard voice, “What about her? She knows too much.”
I try to struggle and my eyes plead with them to let me go. Chester looks at me and snarls.
“I’ll make the call. Donahue will dispose of her as usual.”
Todd shakes his head. “He’s out of town. I called him for party supplies and he told me.”
Chester shakes his head and stares at the men darkly. “Then we only have one man to ask.”
There is silence and then Preston says shakily. “Does it have to be them?”
Chester looks at me with a rueful look.
“I’m sorry, honey. It could have been so good. The trouble is, you lost your nerve and left us with no alternative. You know too much and need disposing of.”
He reaches for his cell and listens for a second until it connects.
“Then I hear him say, “We need your help. The Club, as soon as possible. The Feds are crawling all over this place so be discreet.”
He ends the call and looks pitying at me.
“Sorry, honey. You play with the big boys and you’re bound to get burnt. You’ve left me with no other choice.”
He nods to Todd.
“Keep her here and restrain her to stop her running. Scott and I will head back to the Whitehouse and Preston, you’d better sort things out here. Todd, wait until the clean-up crew arrive and then join us. We’re in for a long night sorting this shit out.”
The men spring into action and I find myself being pulled from the couch and thrown against the cross on the wall. They cuff me to it and I shout, “You fucking animals, let me go.”
Chester looks at me irritably. “Gag her.”
I cry tears of rage as they fasten a gag to my mouth and leave me chained the wall as they leave the room.
22
Sam
I watch the drama unfold from my front row seat. As soon as I arrived at the club, my inside man showed me to the control room.
I nod towards the monitors. “What you got?”
He exhales sharply. “This place is out of control. There’s not a room unused and your men have taken her to the penthouse.”
He flicks a switch and I feel the rage claw at my heart as I see Katherine kneeling outside a large wooden door. I growl, “And the targets?”
He says darkly, “All inside waiting. What’s the plan?”
I shift closer to the screen and watch as Todd exits the room and stands behind her. I ball a fist and growl, “We wait. Have you got eyes inside the room?”
He flicks another switch and we watch as the room comes to life before our eyes. I see the four men sitting on a couch laughing and my blood boils. I growl, “Look at that fucking place. What sort of animals are these guys?”
Bill laughs softly. “The kind that tears up the very laws they make. The kind that makes it up as they go along to suit themselves. These guys rule over the rest of us and spit at decent
folk from a great height. You know, Sam, I was more than happy to help you out with this. It’s been a long time coming and I can’t wait to see them get what’s coming to them.”
I stare at the screen with a hard look. “That makes two of us, Bill. What about backup, are they in place?”
He calls up another screen and I see the vans parked up outside.
The relief hits me as I see that everything’s waiting for my signal. I look back to Katherine and watch as she follows Todd into the room. I almost can’t look because I want to call it now. If they touch one hair on her head, then I’m going in myself. Bill watches me fearfully,
“You sure you’re ok with this, Sam. I can call it if you’d rather.”
I snarl. “Like hell, you will. This is my operation, and she’s relying on me.”
There is silence as we see the men sink as low as a man can get. I watch as Katherine shakes her head and hear the pain in her voice as she pleads with them. Just one more shot is all it’ll take. She needs to be the victim and they need to break the law before our very eyes.
As soon as that bastard moves between her legs and touches her, I shout, “Send them in. Now!”
Bill connects to the agent on the ground and calls out the code and we watch as the Feds storm the place. My eyes are riveted to the screen, and it takes every ounce of willpower in me not to go in guns blazing. This is not the end of this sorry tale, there is still one card to play and it’s a trump one. So, with difficulty, I watch helplessly as the Feds do what they’ve been trained to do.
As soon as they reach the penthouse, I feel my heart thumping wildly. I watch as the men scramble to cover up and see the President storm out angrily. Then I watch as they chain the woman I love to the cross on the wall and gag her.
Bill looks at me fearfully and well he might. I have murder in my heart and revenge in my eyes. Those men wouldn’t survive if I went to that room, and it goes against everything in me to accept what has to happen next.
23
Katherine
I watch Todd pacing around the room as the tears run down my face. There is nothing I can do to free myself and the restraints are cutting into my wrists. Todd looks like hell and as he looks over, he shakes his head. “Why did you bail on us? It could have been so different. All you had to do was play along. We wouldn’t hurt you, you could have had everything.”
I look down and he crosses the room and removes the gag. He reaches up and brushes my tears away in a strangely gentle gesture. I say in a whisper, “Why do you do this? You could have any woman you wanted. Why take someone against their will?”
He laughs flatly. “Because we have fallen so far down the rabbit hole, there’s no way out. We formed this hellish club when we first discovered we shared the same preferences. Chester made sure we all followed him into office and this was our golden handcuff. We were chained together by depravity and it just escalated the more powerful we became. This is a drug, Katherine. We play the game and toe the political line and this is how we get our kicks after a hard day. If our families knew how we spent our nights do you think we would be the respected politicians we are today? No, this is our sordid little secret that we share. If one bails, it throws the rest off balance. All for one and one for all. If one goes down the pack of cards folds. So, you see, we have no choice. This is how it’s going to be and we make the most of it.”
I say softly, “But you know it’s wrong. Why don’t you speak out?”
He looks at me angrily and I feel a flash of fear as he laughs. “Because I love it. I get off on the danger and feed off the secrecy. I enjoy sharing a woman and it turns me on to see others enjoying what I provide. You think I’m trapped in this, I thrive on it.”
He moves across and stands before me and touches my breast. He leans down and kisses it and I begin to shake. He groans, “I love it when the woman is unwilling. I love to feel the power I have over her as she cowers under my touch. It makes me hard just thinking about it. I am a hunter Katherine and like to conquer. I watch the light dim in their eyes and feel victorious. So, you see, I am a monster of the worst kind because I have no remorse. Some may call me sick and maybe I am. But I’m protected by the highest power in this land and so why should I worry?”
I watch in fear as his eyes dilate as he presses into me. “Maybe I’ll just finish what I started before your future arrives. I’m not sure where you’ll end up but if you survive, you’ll think back on our offer and wish you’d taken it.”
He reaches out and grabs my breast hard and I watch in disbelief as he unzips his pants. Before he can do anything, there’s a sharp knock on the door and he pulls back. He shakes his head as he pulls his pants back up. “Such a shame. Your ride’s here, honey and now we’ll never know how good it could have been.”
I think I’m going to faint as he walks over to the door. As he opens it I hear him say darkly, “She’s all yours.”
I almost can’t look but as he leaves another enters. My heart beats frantically in my chest as I wonder what’s in store. Then the tears fill my eyes and my heart lurches in my chest as I see him staring at me with those angry eyes. Ryder.
24
Katherine
I try to get it together as he strides across the room and growls, “Fucking bastards. I should finish them now.”
My legs feel weak as he tears the cuffs from my wrists and I fall against his hard chest. His arms wrap around me and he holds me close, whispering. “It’s ok, darlin’, you’re safe now.”
He strokes my hair and I try to stop the sobs from wrenching from my body but it’s futile. As he holds me close I let it all out. Bravery becomes anguish as I shatter into a million pieces.
He must hold me for several minutes before he whispers, “You did well, darlin’, it’s over now.”
I shake in his arms as he holds me close. It’s too much seeing him walk in this room. I’m at my lowest point and seeing him was like a knife to my heart.
He pulls me down next to him on the couch and wraps a blanket around my shoulders. He says gruffly, “I’m sorry, Kitty.”
I look at him through water-filled eyes. “For what?”
He shakes his head. “For everything. You didn’t deserve what I put you through and I never thought about your feelings. You only ever showed me loyalty and love and I pushed you aside and then made you carry out my revenge. I’m a bastard, Kitty, we all know that, but my one regret was what I did to you.”
I shrug. “It’s done now. You did what was in your heart. I always knew you never thought of me in that way. You never pretended otherwise.”
He squeezes my shoulder and smiles ruefully. “You know you have a home with us, don’t you? You’re a Reaper and we care for our own.”
I smile shakily. “No, you have a new wife and I’ve moved on. We both know there’s nothing for me back at the clubhouse. This was my way of paying you back and I hope it was enough.”
Before he can answer the door flies open and I look up in surprise. My heart flutters and my knees shake as Sam bursts into the room and covers the distance between us in two steps. He looks so anxious and that’s all it takes to make me fold. The tears fall heavily as I see the anxiety on his face.
He reaches for me and I crumble. He sits the other side of me and pulls me close and holds me so tightly I almost can’t breathe. I sob in his arms as he wraps me in a protective bubble that I never want to leave. No words are spoken as he holds me tightly. The relief is overwhelming as I sit sandwiched between the two men who mean the most to me. My past and future side by side at the turning point in my life.
It’s over.
Sam
When I watched Ryder walk into that room I think I held my breath the entire time. It felt like a physical pain knowing he was rescuing the woman I love when it should have been me. But then again, he was the reason she was there in the first place and the rage is burning me up inside. As soon as I saw the President and his men had left, I flew towards that room like a demon.
>
The only thing that mattered was Katherine even if what I saw would break me. I know she loves Ryder and the fear inside me won’t go away at the thought she may go with him. Back to her life at the compound and back to him. I know he has a wife now and when a biker marries it’s for keeps, but something is gnawing away inside me. What do I know of their arrangement? For all I know it could be as much a sham as Katherine’s presence here. The trouble is, I have to know, even if what I discover breaks me.
But when I charged into that ‘fuck’ room the look on her face told me everything I wanted to know. She looked at me with such love and relief I couldn’t get there fast enough. She was sitting wrapped up in a blanket next to Ryder on the same couch I watched her being abused on.
He wasn’t holding her; they were just talking quietly. As soon as I reached her she held out her arms, and I pulled her close, vowing to never let her go. We are done paying Ryder back, it’s all about us now and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to her.
We sit for a while and then Ryder says gruffly, “We should leave. They want me to clear up the mess they’ve created. It’s just a shame they don’t know it was all because of me in the first place.”
He laughs softly and then turns to Katherine.
“Come on, honey. I’ll take you home.”
I feel my chest tighten as I hear his words. The blood rushes to my head and I tighten my grip on Katherine’s hand. I watch as she shakes her head and smiles ruefully.
“Home you say. I’m not sure I have one. If I do it certainly isn’t the Reaper’s compound anymore.”
He looks at her with a blank expression and I see the questions in his eyes as he looks between us.
I grip her even more tightly and say with an emotion I’ve never heard in my voice before. “Your home is with me, Katherine. If you want it, of course.”
I hold my breath as my life moves in slow motion before me. If she says no, I’m not sure what I’ll do.
Twisted_A Billionaire Romance Page 12