by Brook Wilder
“They’re still trapped,” she said. I thought we’d gotten them all.”
I couldn’t tell if she was talking to herself or to me.
“Cassie,” I called out to her, but she was too intent on her aim to pay me much attention.
With a sigh I followed the girl.
By the time I reached her, she was already at the cell. The girls inside looked frantic, especially when I approached.
“He’s one of the good guys.” Cassie assured them.
I looked at Cassie. I never thought she’d describe me in that way. I shook my head as the girl fumbled with the lock.
“Stand back,” I told her.
“We had a key,” Cassie said without looking at me.
She tugged in frustration at the lock.
I put my hand on her shoulder. This time she heeded me.
“Stand back,” I repeated.
She looked at the gun in my hand and nodded. She backed away from the cage.
I waved to the girls inside.
“Get as far back as you can,” I told them.
When they had complied, I raised the gun and fired it at the lock. The metal broke apart and I twisted it off easily enough.
The girls flooded out the door as soon as I opened it.
“There’s help waiting at the side door,” Cassie said. “Go on.”
The girls needed little encouraging and were off and running before Cassie even got through talking.
We stood there for a moment in silence as we watched the women make their way across the warehouse floor. The warehouse was mostly empty by that time. Ruiz’s men were either dead or had fled. I waved to some of the men.
“Is everyone out?” I yelled.
“Almost,” Roger yelled back.
I nodded.
“Get everyone out as quickly as you can,” I ordered. “The building’s about to come down.”
Roger raised a hand in acknowledgment. He and two of the other boys took off at a run to finish rounding up stragglers. Cassie looked at me in confusion.
“The building’s collapsing?”
“Nah,” I said as we walked back toward the offices. “We’re going to burn it down.”
Cassie stared at me as we stopped next to the door that led into the offices. Her eyes went to the trash can.
“Let me do it,” she said softly.
I nodded. This was her battle after all. She deserved to finish it.
Cassie took a deep breath and kicked the trash can. I don’t honestly know where she got the strength from after her ordeal. The trash can skidded through the door, tipped over, and the fire caught on some boxes that had been stacked near the wall and quickly spread through the offices.
“It won’t take long for it to engulf this place. These warehouses aren’t made the best,” I said as I grabbed her arm.
She pulled her arm free and instead took my hand in hers. I smiled. We would get out of this like partners, not owner and property. I wrapped my fingers around her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Cassie smiled. “Let’s go.”
Running through the warehouse, with the fire licking at our heels, was an experience I could probably have done without. However, with every step we took, Cassie seemed lighter. She moved faster despite her limp, which I guessed was from whatever had happened on the roof before I got up there.
By the time we got the side door, most of the other side of the warehouse was engulfed in flames. Diesel met us at the door.
“Everyone’s out as best we can tell.”
He stepped back and surveyed the smoke and flames.
Holy fuck, you guys are actually burning the building down.”
“Take no prisoners,” I reminded the man as I clapped him on the shoulder.
Cassie spotted Liz and raced over to the red-haired girl. The two of them hugged and held each other like long lost sisters.
As I watched the two girls, Diesel stepped up beside me and tapped me on the shoulder.
“Where’s Ruiz?” he asked softly.
“Last I saw of him, he was on the roof where Cassie shot him,” I shrugged.
Diesel whistled.
“Remind me not to get on her bad side.”
I laughed and nodded.
“She does have a mean streak in her. Let’s get everyone further back toward the road.”
“You got it,” Diesel said.
The man raised his voice.
“Everyone to the road!” he ordered. “Let’s get away from this hell hole.”
No one objected.
Diesel offered Liz some help, which the girl gratefully accepted. She was injured from her fight with Ruiz’s man. Cassie stumbled a bit going up a dune. I reached down and offered her my hand, which she grabbed readily. Once we were on top of the dune, she wrapped her arm around mine, and we walked the rest of the way to the road like that. The weight of her against me felt good. It felt right.
It occurred to me that things hadn’t felt right in a very long time. After Dana’s death, I’d stumbled down a dark road and taken the club with me. I shook my head as I looked at the men around me. The women from the warehouse sat along the road edge. It was time for a change.
“Diesel,” I called over to the man.
He eased Liz down to the ground and came over.
“What’s up, Boss?” He looked round at the women. “Want me to take the boys and get some transport?”
“Yes, but not this moment. We’ve got to do something about the women.”
I looked around at them. Cassie’s eyes were on me.
Diesel frowned.
“Like what?”
I knew what he was thinking. The other clubs would want their cuts of the loot from this raid. Members of all those other clubs were represented here after all.
“We’ll need to find out where they’re from. Maybe take them to a police department that the Cartel didn’t have in their pockets.”
I sighed. This was going to be an ordeal in and of itself, but it was necessary.
Diesel’s jaw fell open.
“You’re going to let them go?”
“Yes,” I said simply.
I looked around and noticed that the men were all looking at me now.
“Listen up,” I shouted so everyone could hear me. “The GRMC has been a good friend to the other clubs. We’ve been fair to everyone. Ruiz is gone and I think we should all be happy about that.”
I took a deep breath and continued.
“The Ghost Riders will no longer be dealing with slaves.”
“Are you serious?” Diesel said softly.
“Of course, I am,” I said in annoyance. “This whole trade’s brought us nothing but misery. And, frankly, it hasn’t been worth the price of dealing with people like Ruiz.”
After a moment, Diesel nodded.
“You’re right. It’s a crummy deal, to be honest. Never did sit too well with me.”
“Does anyone else have a problem with the GRMC getting out of the slave business?” I asked loudly and defiantly, looking around at the men from both my own club and the other groups represented.
It took a minute before anyone responded. But when the first voice rang out in favor of my announcement, others quickly rose to join it. There was relief among the women, who for the first time looked hopeful that they might actually make it out of this.
Cassie nudged my arm. She eyed me incredulously like she had never quite seen me before.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
I smiled at her.
“Mason Bartell. I thought we’d already been introduced?”
She opened her mouth to speak but I kissed her before she could utter another word. I’d wanted to pull her to me from the moment I’d laid eyes on her on the roof, but the circumstances hadn’t been appropriate. Now seemed like the perfect time.
When I pulled back out of the kiss, Cassie leaned into me. She raised her eyes to mine and smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bartell.”
Chapter 27
Cassie
The weeks following the warehouse fire were busy. I sat waiting on Mason and Diesel to return from a trip to the county were Liz had grown up. She’d assured them that the local authorities were clean there and they’d made a plan to take the girls there and say that they’d found them in the desert. The women had eagerly accepted the plan and the opportunity to return to their families.
Mason and Diesel had gone with the last of the women to the police station. It took hours to get there and back. I sat by the fire in the main room of a large house that had been set up as GRMC’s new headquarters. The property belonged to Mason, or so Diesel said. Stretching, I stood up and walked through the living room to the kitchen. One of the boys came in and grabbed a bottle out of the fridge. He looked over when he saw me.
“Sorry, didn’t know you were in here,” he said.
“It’s alright, Roger.”
I grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and got some water out of the tap.
“Have you heard anything from Mason or Diesel?”
He shook his head.
“Probably won’t until they cross back across the county line. Service is spotty between the towns.”
I nodded. That made sense. It didn’t stop me from worrying about them, though. What if the police didn’t buy the story? The GRMC had plenty to answer for. What if the police had warrants out for them?
Roger left and I was alone once more with my worries.
I groaned and drank some of my water. It did little to no good to be constantly worrying about things.
I remembered that I hadn’t called my parents yet. I reckoned my sister had probably told them I was dead. I pursed my lips. It would keep until tomorrow, wouldn’t it? I’d enough to worry about today.
I wanted to see them, but what would I say? How do you explain getting kidnapped and sold at auction, let alone how I’d ended up in love with the very man who’d captured, sold, and bought me? Even I found that too ridiculous to say out loud.
I nearly dropped my water when the phone Mason had gotten me jarred into life. I answered it quickly.
“Hello?”
“You sound worried,” Mason teased.
I smiled.
“I wasn’t worried. I was just concerned a bit.”
I was relieved to hear his voice, though.
“Are you guys headed in?”
“Yep,” Mason confirmed. “We’re going to drop Greg’s truck off and head straight to HQ.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me.
“I’ll be waiting!”
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Mason said in amusement. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon,” I whispered.
I heard Mason hang up and I did the same. At least he’d be in soon.
“Anyone home?” a voice called from the living room.
I went out the kitchen door and grinned.
“Liz!” I gave the girl a hug. “You look better.”
“It’s amazing what having a shower or three can do for a girl,” Liz joked.
She eyed me steadily.
“So, how are you holding up?”
I nodded slowly.
“I’m okay. Are you okay? Really?”
“Oh yeah,” Liz nodded. “Nothing like getting back into the illegal swing of things.”
“I think a day off would be better,” I scoffed. “So, are you back flying for the GRMC then?”
“Not really,” Liz shook her head. “I’m actually heading home soon. I need to see my family.”
The mention of family made me sad. I should want to see my family. Why didn’t I want to see my family?
“Yeah,” I said noncommittally.
“That didn’t sound convincing,” she eyed me curiously. “Thought you had the white picket fence kind of childhood?”
I shook my head and laughed.
“It’s not that. My childhood was great.”
I sat down on the couch and Liz sat down beside me. Her eyes followed my movements as I wrung my hands together.
“I want to see them but there’s just something stopping me.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
Liz’s voice held genuine concern. It warmed me to hear it. I smiled at the woman.
“Fear that they won’t love me any more or won’t know how to accept me as I am now.”
“I’m pretty sure you had that smart mouth before you fell in with the GRMC,” Liz said with a smile of her own.
Despite myself, I laughed.
“Okay, you got me.”
We shared a laugh for a moment, then I sighed.
“No, Liz. I mean, I’m different. I don’t see the world the same way I did. I’ve been sold and bought. I’ve been raped and abused. What if they can’t handle that? What if they can’t handle me? What if the only thing I see in their eyes from now on is pity? Or disgust?”
Liz reached over and grabbed my hand. She squeezed it hard.
“They’re your family. They’re going to love you and support you no matter what. You gotta believe that,” she whispered. “Give them a chance, Cassie.”
I looked into her eyes. I saw her deep hurt. I saw something else, too. I saw fear, the same fear I felt. Was she giving me the pep talk, or herself?
I nodded. “You’re right. I should. We both should.”
“Damn straight,” Liz said firmly. “We are strong women. Takes more than what a punk like Ruiz can dish out to break us – or any man for that matter.”
The smile on my face was brighter for her words. It helped to have someone to share the experience with. I wished she would talk to me about the weeks before I’d arrived, but whenever I mentioned it the light faded a bit in her eyes and I couldn’t bring myself to put her through it all again.
“We’re gonna be okay,” I agreed.
“Like my Mama always said, everything just takes a bit of God’s Sweet Time,” Liz said with a wink.
Chapter 28
Mason
My phone rang. I knew who it was before I even answered.
Pearl had given me her number and, as agreed, I’d let the girl know that Cassie was safe. I’d even given Cassie a phone, which I thought she’d have used to call her family. But if Pearl was calling me, that had to mean that Cassie hadn’t done so.
“Hello?” I answered, trying to summon all my patience as I watched Diesel park the truck at Greg’s depot.
“Where the hell is my sister? You promised she was safe. There’s no way that she wouldn’t call us if she was able.”
Pearl was furious. Her voice trembled with rage.
“Hello, Pearl,” I sighed. “Look, I gave your sister a cell phone to use as she saw fit. If she hasn’t called you, then she’s probably just not ready.”
“Not ready? What sort of BS is that?”
Pearl was clearly having none of my silly logic.
I raised my finger to silence Diesel as he walked across to me. He gave me a curious look but remained silent.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Pearl. I can’t make her call you.”
“Give me her number then,” Pearl demanded.
I shook my head at the girl’s insistence.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate. She’s been through a lot, and you’re simply going to have to wait until she’s ready, not when you’re ready.”
Some of the fire went out of Pearl’s voice.
“She is okay though? Right?”
“Yes. I promise your sister’s just fine. She’ll call you when she’s ready and not before. I’m sorry you’re having to wait, I really am. I get how rough that must be. But I guarantee it’s much rougher on her.”
Diesel gave me a nod of approval, at which I rolled my eyes. I turned away from him.
“Okay,” Pearl whispered. “Well, goodbye then, I guess. Can you tell her that we love her?”
“I will,” I assured the girl before I clicked the phone off.