Beauty & The Biker: A Dark Fairytale

by Glenna Maynard

  A gentle tug on my braid and then a much stronger yank, makes me cry out.

  Tristian pulls out only to slam into me with full force, gripping my braid. He jerks my head back for a kiss and repeats the act. His hand slides up to my breasts, massaging softly then roughly, before traveling down to my clit. He brings me up with his chest pressed to my back as he fondles my sweet spot, whispering sweet nothings and dirty things in my ear. My head falls back resting on his shoulder.

  “Want you coming hard for me Isabella,” he grits out between breaths.

  He shoves me to all fours again and goes at me hard and fast. He slides in and out without mercy.

  The pressure mounts as he pumps faster. Sweat trickles from his brow and down my spine, ending the trail at the crack of my butt.

  Warmth pools in my center and down my thighs as we both find the release we seek. Tristian rolls over next to me and takes the cloth from earlier to wipe the wetness from my thighs. I fall asleep before he can get a word out.

  His lips pressing to mine is the last thing I register before I am out cold.

  And for the first time since I arrived here I sleep soundly.

  Chapter 21

  ISABELLA

  Groaning and stretching my body is stiff and sore, with aches and pains I’ve never felt before. The slow humming of music grows louder as I wipe the sleep from my eyes. Blinking, my eyes try to adjust to the dark room. Stretching my hand out for Tristian I find I am no longer sharing his bed. The hard floor greets me instead.

  Panicking I feel my way forward coming to a stop at the iron gate. He’s locked me in the dungeon. The prick! After the night we shared what’s wrong with him!

  Banging my hands against the iron it rattles and clangs but doesn’t budge. The music grows louder and the cellar light flickers on nearly blinding me.

  I blink a few times as my vision attempts to adjust to the change. Hearing the heavy thumping of Tristian’s boots on the stairs echoing all around me, I feel trapped and confused.

  “Good morning princess,” he calls coming into my view. He reaches a finger through the opening in the bars and caresses my cheek. I snap at him intent on biting him, when he touches my lips. “Easy,” he coos at me with a frown.

  “Why Tristian?”

  “Told you Isa, drastic measures may be necessary. Now you know what we can have if only you’d remember.”

  “I’ll never forgive you if you don’t let me out right now Tristian. I mean it.”

  “I want to let you out princess I do, but you can’t remember and I can’t forget.” And with that he stalks back up the stairs.

  The music blares louder, drowning out his steps. Crumbling, I fall to the floor with my head resting against the wall next to the gate. I refuse to cry. I gave Tristian the inner most parts of me and he throws it in my face with his mind games.

  I can’t remember and he can’t forget. My ass is numb, my throat is dry and I am out of tears. The music stops and then begins once more playing on a loop. My head is pounding, I’m thirsty and I have to pee.

  The images of us as children dance through my head as I struggle to breathe, my anxiety is at an all-time high. The fear of smothering down here is all too real. I feel as if the walls are closing in dangerously close. In reality I know they haven’t moved but in my mind they are about to crush me.

  Tristian and Isa. Isa and Tristian, I can see a tiny hand scribbling our names. My tiny hand. Blue rose petals shower over my head and scatter in the wind. Looking around I see the greenhouse and Mrs. Vandacamp arranging baskets and pots of flowers with my grandma Iris.

  Unsure if I am dreaming or remembering the past, I press my fingers against my temples, humming with the music, counting in time with it. Tristian’s bony, pale ten-year-old fingers move along the keys never missing a stroke as I tap my feet next to him.

  Now it’s snowing and he is seated behind me on a sled as we go down a small hill. I hold up my arms, cheering as he holds on tight to me. His legs stiff and unmoving around me.

  Hot cocoa with marshmallows is served and Tris is resting in bed. I climb up next to him and read him a passage from my favorite book, The Pumpkin King. I tease him trying to make him laugh. “You look just like Jack.”

  His mouth curls and he smiles.

  “I’m going to marry him when I get big. Ari says that is a stupid dream to have but I don’t care.” I stand up in the middle of the bed to twirl and fall down on Tristian’s legs and he doesn’t even feel the contact.

  “It isn’t stupid Isa. I will be there when you do.”

  I squeeze his neck and my grandma comes to take me home. “Get down out of the bed, Tristian needs his rest.”

  My mind keeps moving from one place to the next. Now I am in my grandma’s loud car. It sounds like a farting bumble bee rumbling down the road.

  “Lita, is Tris going to die?”

  “No sweet girl you shouldn’t say such things.”

  “He doesn’t smile big anymore,” I pout. My Lita pats my leg and I smile real big at her. I love my Lita she is the best. She takes me with her to the castle cause I am special and her favorite. Ari and Elsa get jealous.

  At my parent’s house Mama is sitting at the kitchen table when we come in. My sisters are fixing dinner with Papi and fighting over the seasoning.

  “You always use too much pepper Ari!” Elsa is shouting and shoving her away from the stove. Papi steps between them grabbing the spoon from Elsa and the pepper from Ari.

  Mama says she isn’t feeling well and goes to bed without eating. I hope she isn’t getting sick like Tristian, he never wants to eat and sleeps a lot too.

  I’m in my room brushing my doll’s hair and getting her pretty. I am going to give her to Tristian to take with him. He is going away to have surgery. He is getting his legs back and then we can laugh, run, and play as we used to. He is going to teach me how to climb trees. He promised. I want to climb up to the highest branch and read while looking down at the world. I told Tristian when he gets his legs back we can sit on top of the world together amongst the moon and the stars and no one can keep us apart. He pinky promised. My daddy doesn’t like Tristian says I spend too much time with him.

  Mama and my Lita tell him that he is overreacting. I gave Tristian a kiss on the mouth and Papi heard Lita telling Mama how sweet we are and Papi was furious. He is arguing with Lita now. “She isn’t coming today!” he roars.

  “The boy is going away Hector. Let her say her goodbye. What if the boy dies?” Then how will you feel knowing you kept her from having her goodbye?”

  I fly out of my room with tears streaming down my face. “Tristian can’t die. He won’t you promised me Lita. Don’t say that!” I punch and thrash at my father. “I am going with my Lita. I need to see Tristian. I gotta give him my princess Sally to keep him safe.”

  Papi is holding me trying to restrain me. Lita is giving him the look. The one a mama gives when you know you did wrong.

  “It isn’t good for her, look at her...” I am squirming in his arms with snot running down my chin. “I don’t like it and this is the last time. Isa won’t be going back after today.”

  Lita takes my hand leading me from Papi as I wipe my tears on the sleeve of my white dress.

  I am standing in the driveway at Vandacamp Mansion as Tristian gets in the van that is to take him and his Mom to the airport. I reach him my Sally princess doll and tell him, “Sally is good at stitching herself together, she can stitch your legs back too.”

  “Thank you Isa,” he says softly with a tear in his eye.

  It rolls down his cheek as I let go of his hand. “I’ll miss you. Don’t cry Tristian.” I kiss his tear away, wishing I could go with him.

  I watch with Lita as he drives away, waving them goodbye. His father is nowhere to be seen he is a hateful man. He scares me. I don’t like the way he looks at me when I play with Tristian in the library. Lita pulls me into the big house and I stick to her side while she cleans. This place is even more co
ld and empty now that Tris is gone. I can feel his father’s eyes on me as my Lita, Iris, cleans the library. I stay seated in the corner with my book until she has finished for the day.

  Angelo Vandacamp comes over to me and tells me I am prettier than all the girls he has ever seen and he has traveled, a lot. He tells me to spin his globe and stop it at any point.

  I get up from my chair and do as he says. The globe swirls in a circle and I bring it to a stop on New York. “That’s where Tristian is!” I squeal with wide eyes. And I wonder if he is thinking of me too.

  His father frowns and walks away when I shout my excitement.

  In the car I ask Lita about Tristian’s surgery. “Is he being cut open right now? Do they give him that pink liquid stuff I had last year to make him feel better?”

  “I don’t know Isa. You are chatty this evening.” She shivers looking away from the road to adjust the heat.

  I look away and see a deer up ahead. “Lita look at the deer, is that a buck?”

  She looks up just as he leaps into the hood of the car. Lita slams on the brakes but it’s too late. A hoof comes through the glass. The car spins losing control. We spin going off the road and smash into a tree. The crunching of metal and wood smashing into each other grates my ears. And my head slams into the dashboard. I look to my Lita her head is resting on the steering wheel as the horn blares, echoing in the forest. Blood trickles down her forehead and runs over her lifeless eyes.

  I scream out her name, “Lita!” And then there is nothing but darkness and silence.

  The memories playback through my head faster and faster. Tristian, blue roses, Jack The Pumpkin King, my Lita, Papi screaming, the blood, and snow. The music fades softly as my heart hammers in my chest.

  Chapter 22

  TRISTIAN

  I had no other choice with Isa. Nothing I do to make her remember is enough. Hearing her cry kills me. I turned the music up as loud as I can stand it to drown her out. I want to hate her, I want her to suffer, but then I remember the way she felt underneath me last night, and I remember she is the one I have always loved. She has always belonged to me. I have her body and her present but she needs to give me her past and her heart to make us complete.

  I have been watching her for an hour now in my surveillance room to make sure she is okay. I know how much she hates being down there. She is curled into herself against the wall. Makes me think of the way she curled into me last night. Isa’s body fits perfectly with mine. It always has.

  I can still taste her on my lips and feel the burn from her touch. It’s so hard not to rush down the stairs and comfort her. It’s hard not to take her over and over again until we both fall apart from exhaustion.

  I look to the camera once more and see she hasn’t moved. I left food for her and there is already a chamber pot in case she needs to relieve herself. I shouldn’t be gone long. I hate leaving with things so fucked up between us but Rain called, said there is some shit I need to handle at the club. I’m about to say fuck it and hand it over to Cyrus. I’ll never sell it to Goldoni so he can use it to slave women in his human traffic ventures.

  The whole drive I keep hearing Isa saying she will never forgive me, but I know it’s worth the risk. She will forgive me, she has to. When I get to the club Rain is swiveling in my chair.

  “I’m here, where’s the fire?”

  “Found out who is supplying your girls with that nose candy.” She taps the tip of her nose.

  “And? This could have waited. I was busy.”

  “You aren’t going to like it. But you know I said I was trying to help Ariala. Well I told her I’d help her if she did something for me.” She stands up coming over to me and rubbing her hands down my arms before grabbing my hands in hers. “I gave her some money and told her to set the deal up in the room she stays in a lot at Beecher’s Inn. So she did, and I sat in the parking lot and waited. The guy who came to her room was your boy Cy. I watched him go in her room, he was there for about ten minutes before he left again. I waited for him to leave. When I went to her she was blown away and the cash was gone.”

  I clench my teeth down and jerk from her hold. I don’t believe it. Cyrus wouldn’t be running shit on the side behind my back. I pay him too good to stray.

  “Bring me Ariala and Cyrus now.”

  “Well there’s the problem. Ariala went to rehab and is under no contact for the first thirty days.” She shrugs.

  “You call me down here for this bullshit and you don’t have any fucking proof Rain? You know I don’t operate like that.”

  “Tristian, you are stressed. This thing with Isa has you screwed in the head. You were childhood friends; she was your first crush. I get it, but she doesn’t fit into your world, the way I do. I’ve always thought that you and I would end up together.”

  I grab her by the throat and shove her away.

  “Get out of my office. I don’t want to see your face again. Ever!” I cast her out. She knows when I say I am truly done that’s it. I don’t give second chances other than Isabella, but she’s different.

  “You don’t mean that Tris. Goldoni promised me we’d be together.”

  “Goldoni?”

  “My step-father. Are you telling me you never connected the two? I thought you were much better than that Tristian.” She laughs over her shoulder as she walks down the hall.

  Goldoni and Rain have been playing me. She has been his inside source all this time. How did I not see it?

  I take out my cell. “Yo, Cy, man. Rain is a snitch need you to tail her she just left the club.”

  I end his call and putting a call in to Briggs. “Need you to watch for Rain, she’s the snitch. I don’t want her near my property you feel me?”

  He agrees and I end the call only to have to make more so I can revoke Rain’s access to any of my investments or property.

  I make another call to Lester to come in to take over Rain’s spot, he’s always handled shit when she has been absent. Been checking my phone for word on Rain, but nothing as of yet, and Lester is taking damn near forever. He knows I hate to be kept waiting.

  The glass to my office door shatters as it slams against the wall. “The fuck?” I shove from behind my desk pulling the pistol I keep tucked under my top drawer with me and aiming it at the punk who just signed his death wish. My gun is trained on his head as he holds a weapon of his own pointed at me.

  “Can I help you motherfucker? I will only ask once before I shoot.” Who is this motherfucker? He is dressed in black slacks and a white shirt, looking like he is ready to go to his senior prom. “Who the hell are you?” I ask before deciding if I want to blow his ass away instead of dealing with him.

  “Gabe.”

  Of course he is, nosy little prick. I recognize him now from the photo, Briggs sent me.

  “Where’s Isabella?” He questions.

  “None of your fucking business, but she is about to be on my dick,” I answer ready to pull the trigger. Motherfucker must be dumb.

  “I saw your man leaving your house with her. She was bound at her wrists and gagged. Am I being clear enough?” He questions confusing the hell out of me.

  With my gun still trained on him I bring up the security footage for the dungeon. It’s empty. She isn’t there.

  “If you seen her being led away why didn’t you stop them?”

  “I followed them, he took her to a compound and there were too many men.”

  “If you are lying to me I’ll kill you,” I threaten rewinding the footage. The feedback is being slow. I don’t have time for this bullshit. Motherfucker better not be wasting my time.

  “I could have already killed you but I haven’t,” he warns.

  “Sure you could,” I snort, putting away my gun, I may need him. He does the same, tucking his own gun in the waistband of his jeans.

  I motion him over and we both watch Isa, as she feels her way along the wall, finding the loose stone, holding the key to the dungeon door. When she locked herself in
as a child I told her about the hidden key. I knew she would remember. I pan through the other cameras, following her as she searches for me. Upstairs she makes a phone call. Who is she calling? She looks hurt and angry as she talks.

  Her head whips around as though she has heard something and she ends her call, going to the bathroom. I fast forward until she is back downstairs, I don’t want pretty boy getting a glimpse of her naked and getting ideas in his head about her.

  In the kitchen, she is grabbed from behind, by Briggs. I watch helplessly as she struggles against him, before he drags her out the side door. I’m going to break his neck. I crack my knuckles and slam my fist into my desk.

  “Fucking Goldoni must have paid him off,” I grit. Rain was just to distract me. Briggs must have gone in after Isa when I ended our call. That was his signal to take her. Goddamn it! I kick my chair across the room.

  “Why, what do they want with her?” Gabe asks, wisely getting out my way. I want to hurt something or someone and he’s an easy target right now.

  “What were you doing snooping around my house?” I step into his space, grabbing his throat, holding him to the wall, chocking him. He struggles against my hands, eyes bulging.

  I drop him to the floor and let him catch his breath.

  “I knew Isa was acting odd and Felix and Elsabeth told me about the loan. I wanted to rescue her from you,” he says sucking in another deep breath.

  “Bullshit.”

  “Fine, I was at the Perez house because Ari has gone missing, and Isa called asking Hector a bunch of questions about her past or something. I don’t know, but Hector sent me there to bring her home.”

  “You can see Isa was free to go anytime she pleased.” I don’t trust this asshole.

  “I’ll believe that when I hear it from her mouth. Kidnapping and blackmail is a crime. I don’t care how much money you have Vandacamp.”

  I slam the back of his head down on my desk and spit at him, “Isa is mine and no one will stand between us. Now you are going to lead me and my men to where she is being held, and then you are going to fuck off.”