She even tried to get the douche’s phone number by using a friend of a friend even paying the asshole the month rent she didn’t have, but the number came back disconnected. That had been years ago. She had stopped trying after Maddie finally got on a medication that worked. The same medication that Maddie hadn’t had in the last three days.
She needed to get in the here and now because worrying or bitching about some deadbeat dad even in her head wasn’t going to help her figure out what she needed to do next. Jada scooted closer to Maddie and wrapped her arms around her niece, feeling her forehead. Jada was relieved Maddie wasn’t running a fever which was one of the first signs things were going to get bad. She whispered,
“It’s going to be okay, munchkin,” Jada whispered. “I’ll figure something out.”
Maddie gave her a small smile and just nodded her head, not believing Jada’s lies. The poor kid had to put up with so much in her life, and she was only five years old. Jada had tried to do the best by her, but sometimes, it was just hard. Before Maddie, she hadn’t ever been around a kid, and the first couple of months had been horrible. Thankfully, Maddie didn’t remember that time. Jada had vowed to always be honest with Maddie, but now she was breaking that promise, and it was killing her.
Maddie looked pale and tired. She knew Maddie was scared, hell, Jada was scared. She had been listening in on these monsters’ conversations, and she knew this was the last stop. She needed to come up with something quick, she just didn’t have a clue what that was going to be. It was her and Maddie against ten guys, fucking vicious, brutal guys. Her ribs still hurt like a bitch from the last time she tried to get away. They had no problem laying their hands on her. The only thing in her favor right now, they hadn’t laid a finger on Maddie.
Jada looked around the van. There wasn’t even a scrap piece of paper, let alone a weapon of any kind. She had the backpack the assholes had thankfully allowed to her to keep, but it only contained things to care of Maddie—clothes, some snacks, a couple of books and toys, and her medication which was now gone. Jada had fought for the backpack and kept it tightly in her hands. She didn’t even regret the slaps and hits she took just to keep it because the assholes didn’t feel like feeding a five-year-old was a necessity. Jada was glad she learned early to always have extra supplies on hand. She regretted the fuckers had dug through it when they first took them and had taken anything they deemed a threat. She needed something right now and a juice box, granola bar, or dirty clothes wasn’t it.
Jada felt the van slow and stop, and after a few seconds, it moved again. She could hear a garage door type thing open, at least that’s what she assumed it was. The van didn’t have any windows in the back, and there was a partition blocking them from seeing out the front windshield. Shit, her time had run out.
“Baby girl, when they tell us to get out of the van do what they say, okay?” Jada whispered, pulling her niece a little closer. Maddie looked up, her beautiful eyes filled with tears and fright, nodding her head. Jada snuggled her closer and continued, “No matter what, okay? Whatever they do to me, close your eyes and don’t react. I’ll be okay, I promise, but I need to you to be strong for just a little while longer.”
“Aunt Jay, what are they going to do?” Maddie questioned.
“I don’t know, honey, but I need you to be safe. I’ll figure something out.” Jada didn’t believe her own words. Time was running out, and she didn’t have a clue what she was going to do. But even if there was the smallest chance of Maddie getting out of this, she was going to take it. There had to be a window, a door… something she could run through, hide, then find help. There had to be.
The van stopped again
“Okay,” Jada said, “remember, just do what they say and don’t look back.” It was only seconds before Jada heard the doors in the front of the van slamming shut and the men talking loudly to each other. When the back door was thrown open and the asshole who had been tormenting her from the start barked at Maddie to “Get the fuck out of the van,” Jada smiled softly at her and helped her up, following closely. Maddie whimpered when the brute grabbed her roughly and placed her on the ground outside of the van. When it was Jada’s turn to jump down, the asshole grabbed her, groping her breast. When she pulled back, he punched her. It wasn’t the first time this asshole had hit Jada, it had happened more times than she could count.
As if right on cue, he fisted her hair, forcing her head back, so she had no choice but look up into his devil dark eyes, then he kissed her. When she wouldn’t open her mouth, he forced his teeth into her lips, cutting them. Jada had enough and bit the asshole back, knowing full well he was going to hit her again, but she didn’t care. Right now, she didn’t care if she lost a chunk of hair either because she was sick of getting groped, mauled, and hurt by this man. She pulled back as far as she could, which wasn’t much due to his grip, and managed to slap him across the face. But he didn’t let go like she had hoped.
Instead, he snarled in her face, “Soon, bitch, very soon,” with his bloody smile. His breath smelled of tobacco and booze along with some other foul scent, making her sick to her stomach. “Only a little while longer, bitch, and I’m going to get to see how tight that cunt of yours is. Your babysitting duty is coming to an end.” Jada flinched back, but that only caused the asshole to laugh, gripping her hair tighter. “I can’t wait to rip you apart, bitch!” The vile man snarled, then started laughing again, pushing Jada away with more force than necessary.
When he let her go, she stumbled and nearly fell to her knees but caught herself. She knew the fucker would have really got off having her on her knees, and she wasn’t going to let that happen. She glared at the man but didn’t say a word, going directly for her niece as he continued to laugh. Maddie looked scared, and Jada noticed she had wet herself. Damn, her poor niece. This situation was so fucked up if Jada didn’t know how to deal with it, how the hell was a five-year-old supposed to?
Jada hugged Maddie close to her body, offering her the only comfort she could right now. Jada needed to focus, she needed to figure out her next move. Looking around the room, she realized it was a warehouse of some kind, maybe an abandoned factory. The place was dark, dirty, and dingy with shipping crates and pallets scattered everywhere. It was odd, but with the way everything was placed around the room, she didn’t think that it functioned for anything other than storage. Which wasn’t good news. If these assholes were storing shit in this place, they must feel it was secure which meant that she was fucked. She let her eyes wander around the room and was disappointed when she didn’t see any windows or doors except the one they’d driven through.
A glint of something behind one of the crates had just caught her eye when Jada got roughly pushed from behind again. Glancing back without moving or letting Maddie go, Jada was confronted with a man she had never seen before, but she immediately knew he was just like the rest of the fucking assholes. The only difference was he was wearing a leather vest of some kind. She could see the patches on the front and knew exactly what they meant. This man was part of the motorcycle club that was going to take Maddie.
The douche was yelling at her to take the brat to the office and get her cleaned up for her new owner. All Jada could think was how did these assholes keep on popping up from whatever sewer they crawled out of, and how the hell was she supposed to know where the damn office was? Jada stood there, waiting for the jerk to indicate a direction or something, but she also started counting. There were eight guys total, all laughing like the jerk who had pushed her had made the funniest joke ever. Pushed again, Jada was propelled behind a huge crate with stairs behind it. Shit, the place was so dark, she hadn’t even seen the fucking stairs. She kept repeating in her head, keep it together and find a way out even if it’s just for Maddie.
Halfway up the stairs, she remembered that glint she had seen earlier and looked that way, only this time, there wasn’t a glint but a man in the shadows. He was hard to see, but she could make out his silhouette.
He was gone as fast as he appeared. Now she just had to figure if him being there was a good or bad thing. She didn’t need any more on her plate right now, and if this warehouse was about to be under attack because of rival gangs or MCs, she needed to get Maddie somewhere safe.
Maddie was climbing the stairs in front of her, and the man who kept on pushing Jada was one step behind, she could practically feel his breath on the back of her neck. Every time she slowed to allow for Maddie to take another step, he rubbed his body up against hers for a second, then pushed her hard, trying to make her fall. It was like he got some sick kind of joy putting his hands on her. When they finally made it up the stairs to the office, the man pointed his finger toward another door and ordered Jada to clean Maddie. She only had seconds to look around the room, but what she saw didn’t bring her much hope. It was empty, not a desk, chair, or even a box laid on the floor.
Jada took Maddie’s hand and led her to what she assumed was a bathroom. When she opened the door and tried to find the light switch, that asshole pushed her inside and slammed the door, leaving her and Maddie in complete darkness. Jada could feel the tremors of fear in Maddie’s body. None of this was right. A part of her wanted to go out there and beat the man to death with her bare hands, but Jada knew she needed to be smart about this for Maddie’s sake.
Jada finally found the light switch and flipped it on, bathing the room in all of its fluorescent glory. The bathroom itself wasn’t much, a sink and a toilet, but at least it was clean. Bending down, she hugged Maddie tight, waiting for the shaking to stop. When it did, she pulled back and looked her niece in the eyes.
“Baby girl, how about we get you cleaned up and have a snack?” Maddie nodded her head but didn’t say anything. “Okay, honey, why don’t you sit down, and I’ll get everything we need together, okay?” After Maddie sat, Jada sat down next to her, pulling the backpack from her shoulder and started to go through it.
The last place these people had kept them, Jada had been able to wash out Maddie’s clothes, and thank the Lord for small favors, had stayed long enough for the garments to dry, so now, Maddie had something clean to put on. Jada herself had been wearing the same clothes for over a week. She hadn’t wanted to risk taking them off to clean them. Jada didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if even one of those men had found her without them on.
“Aunt Jay?” Maddie whispered, her eyes focusing on her twisting little fingers. Jada stopped what she was doing and gave Maddie her full attention. Maddie was a quiet kid, always had been and during this whole ordeal, she had been basically mute unless Jada prompted her. More proof of the fucked-up life her niece had to live. Jada had tried her best to make it normal, but Mazie would come around every few months, bribe a babysitter or just downright force herself into their lives, only to create as much turmoil as possible before she decided to leave again. Jada always moved after, each time hoping that her sister wouldn’t find them again, but she always did.
“What is it, baby girl?” Jada said, putting a finger under Maddie’s chin, making her look up.
“My Mom really messed up this time, didn’t she?” Maddie said with a small hiccupped sob. They hadn’t talked about what had happened to Mazie. Jada hadn’t wanted to tell Maddie, but these men talked all the time and loudly. Jada should have known Maddie was listening.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Maddie,” Jada let out a breath, “your mom…” Shit, Jada paused, she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to explain to a five-year-old her mom was a piece of shit who would sell her to the highest bidder just to get what she wanted. Or that because she was such a bitch, she was now probably laying in some shallow grave no one would ever find. But she had to come up with something because she had always promised Maddie she wouldn’t lie to her because that’s what Mazie did every single time she saw her. Jada cleared her throat and started again, “Maddie your mom did some bad things, and I don’t think we’re going to see her again.” Jada kept talking, already seeing the tears welling up in Maddie’s eyes. “But that’s okay because we still have each other, and what do we always say?”
“If we are together, we can get through anything,” Maddie softly said their motto after a couple minutes of coaxing.
“That’s right, honey. Together, we can get through anything,” Jada smiled and hugged Maddie again. After a couple of minutes, she settled Maddie with a granola bar, juice box, and her blanket, urging her to get a little sleep while she could. Jada had no intention of leaving that bathroom before she absolutely had to. It was safe in the tiny room, at least for now.
Chapter Three
“What the fuck is wrong with you!” Creed yanked Brass down by his cut, snarling so only Brass could hear. The truth was Brass didn’t know what was wrong with him. He knew fucking better than to expose himself, but that chick and the kid. Fuck, that wasn’t even a good enough reason. They had saved hundreds of chicks and kids, and he had never fucked up this bad. Brass crouched down behind the crate but made sure he had a view of what was going on in the warehouse.
“We need to get them out of here. I think that’s Tuck’s kid,” Brass said equally quiet and even he knew his response was lame as shit. He wasn’t the least bit surprised by Creeds response.
“No shit, Sherlock. Fuck man, did that last fight knock the stupid into you? Where is your damn training? I’m the fucking rookie here, not you. Either do your damn job the right way or get the fuck out of here because I’m not going to let your stupid ass get me killed.”
Brass knew Creed was right, but he couldn’t get that woman out of his head. Calling on years’ worth of training, he focused, doing his best to erase her from his mind. This was a mission, probably one of the most important ones he would ever be a part of because if that kid was Tuck’s, she was family. The hot chick was just a distraction he didn’t need or want. Worse yet, she was a complication. The odds were stacked against them—three against ten were not the worst odds they had ever faced, but they weren’t the best either.
The assholes had moved closer to their location which helped but also meant communication would be silent. It didn’t really matter to them, they were all trained for this type of recon and recovery. They could communicate even the slightest details only using their hands. It was their own special kind of sign language, and all members of the RBMC were required to learn it. It was based on their military training but adapted and modified, so it was their own. The RBMC wasn’t the only Club who had retired military members, so they wanted to make damn sure if spotted, only they would know what was going on.
Brass was listening to their banter. The asshole who had hit the woman and forced himself on her was on one side, surrounded by his guys. Brass knew they were gang members because of the color’s they wore, complete with bandanas, and several of the four men’s tattoos were showing. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that shit out. One thing that did surprise him was that this particular gang would send so few to a drop-off, only four guys. That didn’t make sense to him at all. This gang was known for showing force, at all times. So, either these boys had gone off the reservation, working on their own, or the gang wasn’t as invested in making sure this particular drop went off without a hitch.
The warehouse was another thing. Gangs like to tag their locations, and he, Creed, and Jinx had thoroughly scoped this place out. There wasn’t a single indication this was gang property. Though that wouldn’t have stopped them from being there, it would have provided some insight. Which meant this place belonged to The Vultures or one of their affiliate clubs. Brass would personally make sure the place was wiped off the map as soon as they were done.
The other thing glaringly obvious was the Vultures were downplaying this event too. They had brought eight men to the party, but all of them, including the one who seemed to be in charge, were all low ranking in the Club. Patched but from the look at their cuts, only very recently. The Vultures were the type of club who liked to display their accomp
lishments. They even had a patch designating the type of sex they like to have or had. Just like a damn cell phone saying, We have an app for that well, the Vultures had a patch, didn’t matter what it was. These guys cuts were pretty much blank.
The head moron, Brass had seen him before, his name was Crabs; Brass didn’t even want to think about how the fucker got that road name. Made him itch just to think about it. The one up in the office, Snap, he was the problem. That fucker was cool as ice until he snapped. The guy's road name should be “Douche.” He had a rap sheet a mile long, all involving violence against women and children, hell, he even had a couple of juvie arrests for animal cruelty. He had done several stints in the Pen, but obviously, it hadn’t reformed him. Brass would make sure his brand of reforming stuck, permanently. Brass didn’t know the rest of the guys from the Vultures, hadn’t seen them before and didn’t have a file on any of them. It didn’t matter because if they somehow managed to make it out of this warehouse, Brass would hunt them down.
He had made it his job to know the ins and outs of The Vultures. When they attacked the RBMC inside their own Clubhouse, it made this war personal. He had files on all of them. The gang members were like maggots, not worth his time or effort unless they were high up in the gang. The grunts never lasted long enough to gain attention. They either got themselves killed or overdosed and more would just come in to take their place.
Brass could still see the gang member laying his hands on the chick. Just for that alone, the man deserved to stop breathing, permanently. It would be a public service after all, and Brass always considered himself a good guy. So, making this the guy’s last day, well, it was just part of being a good public servant. Brass could feel the corners of his lips move up at the thought. If anyone had seen him, they would think he was a maniac. Sometimes, that felt closer to the truth than what he let everyone see. The prankster, jokester, that was all bullshit, but he let them think it because they all had their roles in the Club. If they really got a glimpse into what was going on his mind, none of them would like it.
Brass: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 6) Page 2