by Harley Wylde
“I’m going to fucking kill them,” Kraken said, his voice nearly a growl.
I glanced at the crib again. “Ember was the result of either my first night here or the days following. I have no idea who her father is.”
Kraken took a breath. I felt the coiled tension in his body. I’d never met anyone like him before. The only bikers I’d been around were cruel, like Deuce. But Kraken, despite the fact he was the Sergeant-at-Arms, seemed like he was a kind man.
“You said you were seventeen when they took you. How old are you now, Phoebe?”
“I’ll be nineteen in a few weeks.”
“Fuck me. I’m old enough to be your dad.” He winced. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“It was nice,” I said, reaching up to touch my lips. “No one’s ever kissed me like that. I’d never enjoyed being with a man… until you.”
“Baby girl, you don’t know what you’re saying.”
“You can’t save me, Kraken. They’ll never let me go. At least I had one brief moment where I didn’t feel like the whore they’ve made me.” I gave him a sad smile. “I know they’ll kill me one night. It’s not a matter of if but when.”
“Breakin’ my heart, little girl.” He shook his head. “You’re not a whore. You’re a beautiful young woman who’s suffered at the hands of monsters. There’s a difference. You didn’t choose this life, and I can’t leave you here. I won’t.”
“Deuce said you came to make a deal with them. Whatever it is, he’ll back out if you try to keep me, Kraken.”
“You think I give a shit? My Pres would have my ass if I walked out of here, leaving you to this life. Those men out there are monsters, sweet girl. Pure fucking evil. Hades Abyss doesn’t like dealing with bastards like them, but this deal was too good to pass up. At least, I’d thought so. When Titan hears about this, knows what they’ve done to you and probably countless others, he’s going to be pissed as hell.”
I licked my lips and wondered if I had the courage to ask for what I wanted. If I let him leave without at least trying, I’d never forgive myself. This was it. My one and only chance. I knew it deep in my gut.
“Kraken, I’m property of the Sadistic Saints, and they’ll never let me leave. I have a favor to ask. You can say no, but… I liked it when you kissed me. Just once, I want to know what it’s like to be with a man like you.”
“Not a good idea, Phoebe.”
His rejection hurt, but I tried to hide it.
“You’re right. It was stupid. I don’t even know if I’m clean. These guys, they take what they want and they don’t care about anyone. It’s better if you don’t take things any further.”
“Fucking hell,” he muttered.
I sat patiently, waiting, unsure if his words translated to yes or no.
Chapter Two
Kraken
Coming here hadn’t been my plan. I hadn’t wanted to deal with the assholes from the beginning, but Titan had insisted. Nothing made sense. He never made deals with murderers and rapists, and it had been clear from the beginning the Sadistic Saints had no boundaries. Hell, I’d heard the rumors about them before I’d come here, but I’d hoped like hell it wasn’t more. Wouldn’t be the first time a club had been painted as a bunch of killers when they weren’t. Now I knew different.
“Come here, pretty girl,” I said softly, holding out my hand to Phoebe. There might be warning bells going off in my head, but I wasn’t about to let her think she was unwanted.
I slid my hands around her waist, pulling her against me. She tipped her chin up, her gaze locking onto mine. Even after all she’d been through, there was an innocence she couldn’t hide. They might have used her any way they wanted, but it didn’t make her a whore like she said. They might call her one, but she was too angelic.
“We do this, it changes things,” I said. “I’m not like them. I won’t use you and walk away. Baby girl, you’re emotionally damaged, and it’s all kinds of wrong for me to even contemplate claiming you.”
She shook her head. I reached up to grab a fistful of her hair to hold her still. She could deny it all she wanted, but it was true. If I took her, there was no fucking way I’d be able to walk out of here without her. As it was, I didn’t like the thought of leaving her and the sweet baby in the hands of these fuckers.
“Yeah, angel, it does. I was going to try and get you out of here anyway, but we take this further than what we’ve done so far, and the rules change. I’ll give you what you want, but you’re going to give me something in return.”
Her breath hitched. “What?”
“You. I want you. Not for an hour or a night. You’ll leave here with me, and you’ll be mine.” I glanced at the baby. “Both of you.”
Her mouth opened and shut. “No one does that. You can’t just take one look at me and decide I’m yours. The world doesn’t work like that.”
“Yeah, I can.” I smirked. “My club has a few old ladies in another chapter, but you’d be the only one in mine. Only other women who come around are like the ones out there on the main floor. You’re not like them, baby girl. Not by a long shot. So I take you, I’m making you mine. Permanently.”
I could see she was both tempted and scared as hell. I didn’t know if she feared me, or the repercussions of what I’d asked of her. It would be stupid to think Deuce would let her walk out of here without any problems. There was a reason he’d taken her, kept her. The fact he hadn’t ripped the baby away from her was enough to tell me there was something more going on. I just needed to find out what it was so I could exploit it.
“What’s it going to be, baby? You going to be mine?”
“You’d take us away from here? Me and Ember?” she asked.
“Yeah, I would. We’d go to my home in Mississippi. I have a house at our compound. The two of you would be safe there. Protected.”
She took a shuddering breath. “Okay. I’m completely crazy, but I’ll go with you.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket to text Wizard. He wasn’t just a damn good hacker, but he was also our club secretary. If anyone could find out the information I needed, it was him, and he could help smooth things over with the other officers when I came home with a woman without taking it to a vote.
“What’s your name, Phoebe? Your full name, and Ember’s.”
“Phoebe Whitlow,” she said. “And Ember Whitlow, but she’s not… They had some woman come in when I gave birth to her. I had her in the bed here. She doesn’t have a birth certificate or anything.”
Not good. Not even a little. It would make it too damn easy for Deuce to make the kid disappear, and I wasn’t about to let it happen on my watch. I sent the information to Wizard and let him know they were coming home with me.
Tell Titan and Boomer I’m calling in my favor. These two are mine.
I knew if we took it to a vote, chances were good they’d let me keep Phoebe and Ember, but I wasn’t going to risk it. I put my phone on silent and set it on her bedside table, then slowly reached for her. She shivered, but the heat in her eyes told me it wasn’t from fear. I slid my hands under the hem of shirt and felt her silky skin against my fingertips.
I was nearly two decades older than her, but if she didn’t care, then neither did I. I wasn’t about to walk out on her knowing she’d only experienced pain during sex, even if part of my brain was telling me to back the hell away. She licked her lower lip and I nearly groaned, wondering what it would feel like to have her lips around my cock. I wouldn’t ask it of her, not right now. Maybe later. This moment was all about her. I wanted to give her pleasure.
She didn’t stop me as I lifted her shirt, pulling it all the way off. The lace cupping her breasts was sexy as fuck, the black standing out against her creamy skin. I reached for her skirt, unfastening it, then shoving it down her hips until it hit the floor at her feet. Phoebe stepped out of it and stood in front of me in nothing but her lacy underthings.
“So fucking beautiful,” I said, skimming my fingers up her
side.
“I want to see you,” she said. “Please.”
I shrugged off my cut tossing it onto a chair, then reached behind me and grabbed the collar of my shirt, yanking it over my head. It fell to the floor and her eyes went wide as she reached out to trace the ink on my chest. I was covered from my neck to my wrists. Her touch was light as she explored.
Gripping her hair in my fist, I tipped her head back. “We going to wake our daughter?”
“Our?” she asked.
“Told you, we do this it means I’m claiming you. If you’re mine, she is too. Now, will we wake her? Do we need to go somewhere else?”
She shook her head. “Ember sleeps pretty heavily. Most of the time. I didn’t want to do this in here earlier because I thought…”
“You thought I was like them. Thought I’d use you and throw you away.”
She nodded.
I pressed my lips to hers, kissing her hard and deep. Her soft whimper, the way she melted against me, damn near made me lose control. I held on, not wanting to scare the shit out of her. This wasn’t the type of woman you threw on the bed and fucked like a whore. The fucking Sadistic Saints might treat her badly, but I damn sure wouldn’t. She’d suffered enough.
“Gonna make you feel good, baby girl.”
“Kraken, I… I’ve never wanted anyone like this before, but I feel all hot and achy.”
I cupped her cheek. “I do anything you don’t like, or you want me to stop at any point, you say so.”
“I need you, Kraken.”
I wanted to tell her my real name, but not here. Not in what I was almost certain was enemy territory. I didn’t trust the Sadistic Saints, and I sure as fuck didn’t want them to know who I really was. It was a part of myself I’d share with her, after we were safe.
I popped the clasp on her bra, letting the sexy garment fall to the floor. Her breasts weren’t overly large, but they were the perfect handful. I brushed a thumb across her nipple, the dusky peak tightening, and her eyes slid shut as her lips parted. It made me wonder if she’d ever had an orgasm. Obviously not by the hands of anyone here, but she might have given herself one. I rolled the hard tip between my fingers. Phoebe moaned and her nails bit into my shoulders.
“Kraken.”
“That’s it, baby. I want to hear you.”
“Need more,” she said.
I worked her panties down her hips until they fell to the floor, then I lifted her into my arms and placed her on the bed. Her eyes were dark with passion, and she looked so fucking beautiful it hurt. I dropped to my knees next to the bed, sliding my hands up her thighs. I tugged her closer and spread her open.
“Anyone ever licked this pretty pussy?” I asked.
“N-no.”
I stroked the soft lips. “They make you shave?”
“Yes, but I kind of like it.”
As long as it was her choice, it was fine by me. I leaned forward and lapped at her, gathering her essence on my tongue. Her hips bucked as I brushed over her clit. The sounds she made were almost enough to have me coming in my pants, but I tightened the reins on my control. This was about her, not me. I worked her clit with my tongue and thrust a finger into her tight pussy.
“Oh, God! Kraken! I… I…” She screamed as she came. I added a second finger, driving them in harder and faster. Her orgasm stretched into a second one, then a third.
She trembled as I withdrew my fingers. I kissed her pubic bone, then worked my way up her body. I sucked on her nipples, and gently bit the side of her neck. While I ravaged her body with my mouth, I unfastened my belt and pants, shoving at them with one hand. As much as I didn’t want to pull away from her, I stood up long enough to remove my boots and the rest of my clothes.
I wanted to take her bare, but I’d wait until she’d been tested. I took a condom from my wallet and rolled it down my shaft before I settled between her legs. My cock twitched as I thrust forward, easing my way into her tight pussy. I couldn’t hold back my groan. Fuck, but she was incredible.
“So perfect, baby girl. You feel like heaven.”
I braced my weight on one elbow and gripped her hip with my other hand. I stroked in and out of her, long and deep. Her legs came around my waist as I rocked into her. With her gaze fastened on mine, I fucked her harder. I’d always been a bastard and taken what I wanted with women, but Phoebe wasn’t just any woman. She was my woman.
“Come for me, baby.”
I ground against her on the next thrust and felt her pussy clench down. She called out my name, her body going tight. I pounded into her, my balls drawing up, then my cum shot into the condom. Christ! My dick was still hard, but I pulled out and removed the latex. I tied it off before putting it in the trashcan beside her bed.
Phoebe scurried under the covers and I settled next to her. I drew her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. A quick glance at the crib was enough to tell me Ember still slept soundly.
“I never knew it could be so amazing,” Phoebe said softly.
“Hasn’t been before. You’re something special, baby girl.”
“I’m not special, Kraken, but you make me feel like I am. Thank you.”
My heart hurt hearing those words. I ran my hand down her back, hating everything she’d suffered. At the same time, if the Sadistic Saints hadn’t kidnapped her, I’d likely have never met Phoebe. As selfish as it was, I didn’t like the idea of never knowing her. If only I’d been here the day she’d arrived. I could have saved her, or at least tried. She’d have been too young, but I knew the pull I felt toward her would have been there even then. I’d have kept watch over her, and maybe one day I’d have made her mine.
“We’re leaving in the morning,” I said. “I’m not fool enough to think Deuce would let you walk out of here. Not without wanting some sort of payment in return.”
“Whatever he wants, he’ll only use it for evil. You can’t give in to his demands, Kraken. I’d rather stay here and know other people aren’t suffering. Just… promise you’ll take Ember with you.” She curled tighter against me. “You said she was yours now. Keep her safe.”
I rolled her under me and smoothed my thumb against her cheek. “Baby, I’m not leaving you here. These men are monsters. You think you’re broken now? They aren’t done yet. They’ll completely destroy you. I can’t let that happen. I don’t know how you’ve held on this long, but I’m fucking grateful.”
My phone lit up on the bedside table. I reached for it, clicking on the text from Wizard.
Call me.
Well, fuck. I sat up and leaned against the headboard. I dialed Wizard and he answered immediately, foregoing his usual greeting.
“What the fuck did you get mixed up in?” he asked.
“I take it you found something.”
“Phoebe Whitlow isn’t a missing person. Her family never looked for her. As for the daughter, Ember, there’s no record of her. She doesn’t exist.”
“She’s in a crib a few feet from me, asswipe. She exists.”
“Easy, Kraken. I’m just telling you what I’ve found. Phoebe’s father is a minister. The girl in bed with you is a preacher’s daughter, but the family spun some story about her going to live with family out of state.”
I looked over at Phoebe. “If she was snatched off the street, why would they say she’d left voluntarily?”
“Don’t know, but we need to find out.”
“Hold on,” I said, pressing the phone to my chest. I turned to Phoebe. “Is there a reason your family wouldn’t have looked for you?”
“I don’t know, unless Deuce threatened them or something. It never occurred to me he might know where I lived. I wasn’t near the house when he grabbed me. Are my parents okay? My little sister?”
I put the phone back to my ear. “The parents and sister okay?”
“Fine far as I can tell. Wait. There’s something else… The day after your woman’s family claimed she’d left to stay with relatives, her parents made a rather large deposit.
Cash. Now where would a small-town preacher get several hundred thousand?” Wizard asked. “It’s not like the guy is some big-wig televangelist raking in millions.”
My gut clenched. He was right. There was no way Phoebe’s father would get his hands on that much money, unless it was a payout from a family member passing, or a payoff when his eldest daughter was brought here. They knew. Those sorry motherfuckers knew their daughter was with these bastards, and they’d sold her. Maybe not intentionally, but the end result was the same.
“Kraken, I don’t have to tell you how this looks,” Wizard said.
“No, you don’t. I think we know what happened, or at least partly. I won’t rest until I know for sure. They might be her family, but if they abandoned her when she needed them most, I will fucking end them.”
Phoebe tensed next to me, and I curved my arm around her so she wouldn’t bolt. I disconnected the call. I didn’t know what part Phoebe’s parents had played in her abduction, but she needed to know they’d stabbed her in the back. If I’d known the turn the conversation would take, I’d have stuck with text so she wouldn’t overhear.
“Baby girl, we need to talk.”
“No.” She shook her head. “My parents wouldn’t do that. They couldn’t know where I am. They’d never…”
“Phoebe, honey, your parents deposited several hundred thousand in cash after Deuce took you. Where would they have gotten the money?”
She seemed to deflate, anguish twisting her face as she crumpled against me. I held her, murmuring words of comfort. She’d been here for roughly a year, thinking her family loved her, missed her. Only to find out they might have very well sold her out to the evil bastards who had raped and hurt her.