Harley's Surrender: Wild Kings MC: Dander Falls

by Erin Osborne

  My thoughts are never far from Steel. He seems to consume me still and it doesn’t help that to me his daughter looks just like him. I find myself wondering what he’s doing, how he’s been, and who’s warming his bed. There’s no way that he’s not been with the club girls and I can’t blame him. Even when I was staying at his house I always expected him to still fuck them, he never did though. There’s a few songs I play on repeat that remind me of him and I can’t help the tears that escape whenever he invades my mind.

  Before I can let myself go to Steel and what he’s doing, my daughter cries from her crib. I know that it’s feeding time and I relish the moments her warm little body is snuggled in my arms and I can feed her. I chose to breastfeed her and the only time I ever pump is when I have to go to work. My neighbor, Kim, watches Quinn while I work, and I make sure that she has plenty of bottles left for her. I have to go to work in a few hours, so I need to get my time with her now while I can.

  Picking her up, I sit in the rocking chair in her room and lift my shirt. While my daughter eats, I rub one finger down her soft, rosy cheek and let my thoughts wander once again to her dad. Steel is the one person that started to break down my walls and no matter what I’ve done to try to stop him, it didn’t work. Now, I have some decisions to make and I don’t know which direction to turn to. I need someone to talk to, but that will be pretty hard to do when I keep everyone at arm’s length or I push them away. I’ve got some time to think about it. At least until I go to work and lose myself in the fast-paced energy that is the Angel’s gentleman’s club.

  The rest of the day is spent with Quinn, cleaning, listening to music, and trying to decide what to do now. My thoughts continue to wander to Steel and the girls at the Kitty Kat. At Angel’s, there’s nothing off limits. If a guy wants to take a stripper, or any girl working really, to the back for some one-on-one time they can. I’ve never gone back there but most of the girls do. They want the extra money it earns them. The thing stopping me, that has always stopped me, is watching some of the girls come out looking dazed and with bruises all over their bodies. It’s hard to hide that kind of thing when you’re a stripper. The dazed looks lead me to believe that they’re taking something and the bruises I’ve had enough of from my brother. I relish the fact that I get to choose who I let have me now and it’s not one of Alan’s friends wanting a taste of me.

  I’ve been at work for about an hour now and the bar is busy as hell. I haven’t had a single break from serving drinks and refusing the advances of some of the bolder customers. Jerry, a regular customer, sits at the bar from the time he walks in until the time we close. Some days I feel his gaze on me constantly while others he gives his attention to the dancers on stage. I don’t know what he’s trying to accomplish, I’ve turned him down several times and he should know that I’m not looking for anything from anyone. Not here. But, he continues to come on a daily basis. I just ignore him unless he wants another drink. It’s the same routine; he has two drinks of whiskey and then switches over to water or plain soda.

  Tonight, it seems that there’s a party or something taking up half of the seats in the club. I’ve seen some cuts, but I don’t know what club it is. It’s been so busy I haven’t had a chance to take anything in. This doesn’t bode well for me if I can’t pay attention to who I’m serving or spend any amount of time letting my gaze linger over the customers to see who they are. Every day I wait for my brother to show up and I know that when that happens shit will definitely hit the fan.

  Part of me wants to find out what club is in here, so I can find out if they’re local. It’s not right to go from working for the Wild Kings to using some other club nearby. But, I’ll do anything for my daughter. Even if it means getting in with a different club so that I have protection. That way, I could start working at a different club, or I could find some other way to make sure that we had at least one member here on the days I work. As fast as the thought enters my head, it leaves knowing I would never do that to Steel.

  “Harley, you got a call,” my boss Frank tells me, stepping in for me so I can make sure my daughter is okay.

  “Hello?” I ask, not knowing who’s on the other line.

  “It’s nice to hear your voice again, sister. What are you doing there? Whoring yourself out to a million guys?” Alan’s deep voice comes over the line.

  “How did you find me?” I ask, a tremble filling my voice while my entire body begins to shake as I look around the crowded room.

  “Let me guess, you’re looking around to see where I am. You’re so fucking predictable,” he says, letting the venom fill his voice. “Now, as for how I found you, I have resources. And it’s easy to think when I don’t have all that shit filling my head at the moment. Your man got me clean so that I could get you to trust me again. Too bad the drugs are going to win out every single time. You will finish your shift tonight and then you’re going to get in your piece of shit car and make your way back to Dander Falls,” he tells me, letting his heavy breathing fill the silence.

  “I’m not doing anything you say!” I practically shout in the phone at him. “You can’t hurt me or control me anymore. I’m not there and I’ll be gone before you can get here,” I tell him letting my concerns be voiced so I can find out where he’s at.

  “How do you know I’m not here already?” he asks, turning this into a game now.

  I can hear the familiar noise on the other end of the phone telling me that he’s getting ready to inject something into his veins once again. If Steel got him clean, why would he willingly go back to doing this shit? Why would Steel take time out of his life to try to help my brother? Nothing makes any sense to me right now. My only thought is that I have to get out of here. Immediately! Alan can’t get to me and he can’t ever find out about Quinn. He’ll destroy her precious little life.

  “If you were here, you would be in the bar instead of calling me. I’m not as dumb as you think I am,” I finally answer him, letting the slightest bit of relief fill my body.

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” Alan replies before hanging up on me.

  Turning toward Frank, I slowly and shakily make my way back behind the bar. He looks at me and tells me to take the night off. I’m not sure what he’s seeing in my face, but it’s got to be big enough to send me home on this hectic of a night. I can’t afford to go home though. So, I suck it up, pull my big girl britches up, and refuse his offer. Instead, I throw myself into work and getting the customers their drinks and the dancers theirs between their sets. It’s a comfortable routine and one that I know I can get lost in. So, I sling drinks until my arms feel like they’re going to fall off and I’m exhausted beyond belief. By the end of the night, I’m ready to go home and hit the bed to sleep a few days. But, I have to take care of Quinn and get up every few hours with her. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world though.

  “Harley, you’re out as soon as the last customer leaves. Sandy and Marge are closing up tonight,” Frank tells me, coming out to start taking the dirty dishes back.

  If there’s one thing I can say about Frank, it’s that he’s a hands-on boss. He doesn’t expect us to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself. Every night he comes out after last call and starts taking back the dirty dishes so that they can get started while we’re closing up everything else. I nod my head to let him know that I’ve heard what he’s said and finish up taking care of the last customers sitting at the bar. I’m cashing them out and closing their tabs out while they finish the last of their drinks. Jerry is still at the bar and I know he’s going to be the very last one to leave. Tonight, is one of the nights that he’s going to play creeper and stay until the bouncers kick him out.

  I’m just about done with cleaning up behind the bar and counting my drawer down when Stan, one of the bouncers, practically drags Jerry from his bar stool and out the door. A smile graces my face as I realize just how soon it will be before I get to hold my baby girl in my arms and take in her innocence and sweetness.
Plus, I’ll get to put on a pair of sweats and throw my hair up instead of having it styled. Before I can do anything more, I hear Frank come back out of the kitchen and tell me to get lost.

  I grab up my stuff and make my way out the front door where Stan is waiting to watch me walk to my car. He always watches until I’m in and driving away before he heads back in the door. It’s a little peace of mind for me to know that I have him at my back, especially knowing that Alan knows where I am now. Too bad I don’t have someone watching out for me when I get out of the car to walk into my apartment. Kim can only do so much, and I know that she’s looking out for Quinn, so I need to watch out around me when I walk from the car and to Kim’s door.

  My short drive home is done in a daze as I think about what I need to do now. Do I make my way back to Dander Falls, or do I go somewhere else? Will I always have a target on my back where my brother is concerned? Eventually he has to give up the hope that I’ll go back to the way things have been. I won’t live the way he forced me to live for so long. Quinn will never know that lifestyle. She won’t grow up having to worry about someone going into her room that’s unwanted or being made to give up living her life so that her uncle can use and abuse her. My little girl will have a childhood and grow up knowing that she’s loved more than anything else.

  Just as I go to make my way up the three short steps to the door leading inside, someone grabs me from behind and shoves a hand over my mouth. My breath starts coming in short pants as panic overtakes my body. I try to kick and fight my way out of this man’s arms, but he has such a strong hold on me that my fighting is doing nothing more than wear me out. Just as I feel myself being pulled back into the parking lot, I give up fighting so that Kim doesn’t run out and try to see what the commotion is all about. The last thing I need is for her to get hurt or risk my secret being revealed. She knows what to do if I don’t come home.

  “You’re coming with me sister and there’s no one here to stop me from taking you,” Alan mutters in my ear as we get closer to what I assume he’ll be shoving me into.

  “Fuck you!” I scream out before starting to fight once more now that we’re further away from the apartment and Kim will be less likely to hear the struggle.

  This time instead of giving up, I fight for my life and the life of my daughter. If I get in the vehicle with him, I know I won’t see my daughter again anytime soon. Alan starts beating me without a care in the world. At this point, I don’t think he honestly cares if I make it out of this alive. He’s too far gone and I’m pushing him past his point of control. It doesn’t take long for him to snap and start raining fists and kicks out to any part of my body he can reach. At the same time, he’s holding me in a choke hold effectively cutting off any air supply that I had in the last few minutes. I reach out and rake my nails down his face, making sure that I catch at least one of his eyes. In return, Alan slams my head against the car that we’ve been steadily making our way toward.

  The pain I feel is horrible and I can barely hear anything over the pounding in my ears. Alan stops for a second after landing one or two more kicks to my abdomen. My eyes slowly close and I feel everything fading away. The last thing I see before Alan knocks me out is a new guy pulling in the parking lot. Too bad the damage is already done. Quinn and Steel are the last images that float through my mind before I can’t think of anything else. Is this what it feels like when you die?

  Chapter Five

  Steel

  THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN some of the busiest of my life it feels. I’ve been out searching for the perfect house for Harley, the baby, and myself. I finally found one a day and a half ago. Then I realized that we had nothing to furnish the house with. So, I went with the old ladies out shopping to make sure the house was full and then I made sure that Quinn had a nursery fit for a princess. Riley and Darcy have been so helpful, and I can’t thank them enough for the input and guidance they’ve given me. Hell, even Wild Wilma went along and helped get things done. It’s amazing what a few women can accomplish in a little bit of time.

  I’ve fixed my room at the clubhouse. I’m not staying at the house until Harley and my daughter are here to stay in it with me. I’ll just pace and not get anything done that needs to be if I sit in a house without them there. I think she’ll like it, but I don’t know for sure. The drinking and random pussy have been pushed to the side. It’s not who I am, and I can’t believe I let my feelings turn to shit enough to fuck whoever paid attention to me. That’s another thing that needs to be added to my list of shit to do. I need to go to the clinic and get tested. I won’t touch a hair on my girl’s head until I know I’m clean and won’t risk giving her something.

  Before I can figure out what I’m going to tackle today, I hear my phone ringing from somewhere on my bed. It stops before I can find it and then immediately starts up again. Since I’m at the clubhouse, I know it’s not one of the guys trying to get ahold of me, they know I’m here. Scrambling, I throw the blankets and pillows to the floor while I listen to see where the ringing is coming from. Finally, I find it in the corner of the mattress and jump to get it before it stops ringing again.

  “Lo?” I ask, not recognizing the number as I sit on the bed and catch my breath.

  “Is this a Mr. Steel?” a female voice asks, sounding timid and unsure of herself.

  “Yeah, who’s this?” I ask, confusion running through me.

  “I know your friend Harley. Something’s wrong. She never came in to pick Quinn up and she should’ve been home by now,” the female says as I sit up ramrod straight and look for a pen and piece of paper to write down an address. My baby girl and Harley are in trouble.

  “Has she done this before?” I ask, needing to know as much information so I can assess the situation.

  “Never. She doesn’t go out and I know that she’s anxious when she has to go to work. Lately, it’s been worse than ever before,” the girl tells me, her voice sounding stronger as she tells me more. “When I first started watching her daughter, she made me promise to call you if something ever happened and I got worried.”

  “You don’t know any more details than what you just told me?” I ask, snatching up the pad and paper I left on my new desk. “Let me know where she works, what time she went in and what time she was supposed to come home, and if you see her car there.”

  “Let me look out the window,” she says, pausing and I can hear movement on her end of the line along with faint crying. “Her car is here.”

  Now I know that something is definitely wrong. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up and I know that Harley is in trouble. My thoughts immediately turn to Alan. I haven’t heard from him for a few days at least and I know that he’s behind whatever happened to her. The only thing I know for sure is that he doesn’t have our daughter. I’m not sure that I like the fact that some person I don’t know has her, but that’s a thought for another time.

  “Okay. Well, I’m goin’ to get some of the guys together and we’ll be on our way soon. Text me the address of where you live, and I’ll get the rest of the information when I get there. How’s my baby girl?” I ask, needing to know that she’s okay at least.

  “She’s okay. A bit unsettled because she knows her mom should be here. Quinn isn’t usually with me during the day and she knows it,” she replies, and I can hear the soft cry of a baby getting louder as she gets closer.

  I hang up the phone so that the unknown girl can take care of my daughter while I make my way out of my room and to find Gage. He’s going to be the one that allows extra guys to go with me and find my girl before bringing them both home. Once I make it into the main room, I see Gage sitting at a table with Tank and his wife Maddie. Their triplets are in the corner playing by themselves, so I make my way over not wanting to interrupt but knowing that time is of the essence here.

  “Tank, Maddie,” I say, offering a nod at both of them. “Not tryin’ to get in the way here, but I need some help. A girl called a few minutes ago and Harle
y’s in trouble. Her car is in the parkin’ lot, but she never showed to pick our daughter up. I need to go and check it out. Harley needs me,” I say, raking my hands through my hair once again as I think of everything that could be wrong with her right now.

  “What do you need from me?” Gage asks, knowing that I’m going one way or another, but letting me know that he’s got my back.

  “I need guys. The only thing I can think of is Alan found her and he’s involved in her disappearance somehow,” I respond, not sparing a glance at Tank and Maddie.

  “We’re goin’ with you,” Maddie suddenly speaks up, setting her drink on the table and turning to her husband. “I’ve heard the story she told Keegan and Whitney. I can help her, I know I can. Tank, we have to help him.”

  Tank stares at her with nothing but love and adoration for his wife shining from his eyes. I see him at war with himself over walking into an unknown situation and I know where he’s coming from. Gage is looking between the two while I bounce on my feet in my impatience to get on the road. The only thing I want is to know who is going to come with me, so we can leave.

  “Tank the decision is yours. Darcy and Riley can help with the boys and I’ll call Slim to come pick them up for you. That good?” he asks, knowing that Maddie will dig her feet in to get what she wants.

  “We’re goin,” he says, calling the boys over so they can talk to them while I wait to hear who else is going to ride along.

  “Take Crash, Tech, and Shadow with you. If you need more guys, let me know when you get there. Where are you goin’ anyway?” he asks, and I look at my phone to see if a message has come through with the exact address.

  “I know they’re in Savage Bend. I’m waitin’ on the actual address now. Tech has dived into Harley’s life enough for me. This girl is supposed to be lettin’ me know and she already knows what I want when I get there,” I say, letting him know that I’m ready to go without saying the actual words.