I smiled brightly as her eyes ignited. They must’ve been some group of people. It immediately made me think about Saint. How he had that icy glow to his eyes. That wolfish grin. That tall posture with broad shoulders that boasted of the muscles he’d have one day. He even wore a leather jacket to school a few times before that first semester of our senior year ended.
I easily saw a young man like him getting into a lifestyle like this. Especially with his outlook on life. Rebellion and barely skirting by. Always questioning things and following his own path. And coupling all that with his “I don’t give a shit” attitude, and it was a recipe for someone who rode in those gangs.
I wonder if he thinks about me like I think about him.
But the thought soon left my mind when a massive fist pounded against the door.
“Breakfast time. Get dressed, or I’m not liable for what happens once I see you,” the man growled.
And his words prompted me to scramble out of Sutton’s bed.
7
Saint
As I rode back to the clubhouse with Bear, Amberly rushed through my mind. I couldn't get her off it now. I couldn't stop thinking about her. How small she’d always been, her head barely coming up to my chest and the slender beauty of her features. Those brown eyes that illuminated themselves with yellow sparkles whenever the lights of our classroom shone into them. That thick, dirty blonde hair I tugged on. Pulled on. Manipulated her with as I took her in the shadows of that back stairwell in high school.
All the way in Louisiana.
“My parents will think—”
“I won’t leave any marks. Promise,” I murmured.
“But I’m not—”
“I gotcha, pretty girl. Just wrap your arms around my neck,” I said softly against her ear.
She shivered. “But I don’t know what I’m doing.”
And as a grin slid across my face, I kissed her cheek until my eyes found hers.
“I know,” I said.
I captured her lips as I pressed her back against the darkened stairwell. She wrapped her short, thin legs around me. Barely able to lock them as I laced our fingers together. I pinned her hands above her head. I kissed down her neck. Oh, if this sweet girl thought she was going to swim practice, she had another thing coming.
“Saint,” she whispered.
I nibbled against her pulse point, losing myself in the moment. I felt her heating. I felt her hips rolling against mine. And as her hands squeezed into my skin, I ground my aching cock against her pussy. She was new. Fresh. Untaken by the hands of any man.
A valley of wants and wishes I’d get to traverse first.
What she didn’t know was that she’d be my first, too.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned.
She pulled her hands away from me, ripping out of my pinned stage. And a second later, she tugged my shirt over my head. Her soft hands ran over my shoulders. Down my arms. Up my chest before her arms slipped back around my neck. Her touch ignited something within me. Her touch settled me, yet still burned me to my core. My heart leapt against my chest, leaving me breathless as she captured my lips again.
As she kissed down my neck, raking her teeth against my skin.
“Fuck,” I growled.
She giggled. “I like your sounds.”
I sank to my knees, unable to hold her up a second longer. I rolled her onto her back, rocking into her. Her warmth penetrated her long skirt as it slowly crept up her legs for me. My hand slid against her bare skin as she brought my lips closer. She kissed me ravenously, her tongue filling my mouth as I shook against her. Goosebumps poured over my back. It tickled my arms and my legs. I had no clue what the fuck I expected sex to feel like, but it wasn’t anything like this.
And I knew this encounter with her wasn’t going to be my first.
“Saint!” Bear exclaimed.
His voice pulled me from my memories, causing me to shake my head as I focused back on the road.
“What?” I grumbled.
“Have you heard a damn word I’ve been saying this whole time?”
“Try shutting up for once, and maybe it’ll go in your favor.”
I revved my engine and sped off, eager to get back to the clubhouse. Mostly because I didn’t want Bear catching me in any more vulnerable moments like that one. The last thing I needed was him poking around and asking questions he didn’t need to be asking. I throttled it the last few miles, practically skidding into a parking space close to the clubhouse. I ripped my helmet off and put my kickstand down, then turned off the engine so I could stow my helmet away.
“Hey, hey, hey. Slow down. Saint, you good?” Bear asked.
But I shoved my helmet into its carrying compartment, slid my keys into my pocket, and started for the front door.
I slammed through the door louder than I should have, and it caused everyone to turn and look at me. Diesel quirked an eyebrow as Bear leapt up the porch, skipping every single step to stand behind me. I locked my eyes with our president, ready to get this shit over with so I could get back to my whittling.
And after staring at me for a while, Diesel got up.
“You guys find anything good?” he asked.
I nodded. “Rock was right about those construction sites. Apparently, they’re attached to rundown motels on the outskirts of town. There are rumors of this new company buying them up. And Rodney thinks if we look into the company enough—”
“Already done. It’s a shell corp,” Rock said.
Bear pointed beyond my shoulder. “Yep. That’s what he said we’d find.”
“I’ll start digging to find the newest purchase,” Rock said.
“Because that’ll probably tell us where they are currently,” I said.
“Anything else?” Diesel asked.
I paused before shaking my head.
“Nope. That was the gist of everything. You know how Rodney is. Introductions, drinks, shooting the shit, then we had to feed him the story before he fed us his,” I said.
“How much did you have to tell him?” Diesel asked.
I shrugged. “I had to give him a quick rundown from front to back. I left out what I could, but it’s Rodney.”
“Yeah, yeah. But he was our only shot. Thanks for making that run, you two,” Diesel said.
“Anytime,” Bear said.
Anytime, but alone next time.
“I’ve got it!” Rock exclaimed.
We all rushed to his side as he continued typing away at his keyboard.
“All right. This shell corporation is a big dead end. And it looks like a rushed job, too. It only took me ten minutes of running programs to figure out the damn thing was fake. And if they’re rushing jobs like this, they’ll be caught sooner or later by someone that’s not us,” Rock said.
“So, we have to move quickly. Got it,” Diesel said.
“Fucking finally!” Cage exclaimed.
I snickered at his comment as I stared at the screen.
“All right. The latest purchase was processed yesterday at two in the afternoon, ironically enough. It’s a motel called ‘Deluxe Inn,’ and it’s just outside of Redding’s southern borders. I’ve even got an address,” Rock said.
“So, we’re going, right? We’re heading there now?” Cage asked.
Diesel shook his head. “We’re coming up with a plan on how to execute this with the least bloodshed. We are always going to be outnumbered with this guy. The least we can do is plan our steps accordingly so we don’t all die in the process.”
“Can’t get Sutton if we’re all dead,” Toxin said.
“Do you ever say anything productive?” Cage asked.
“Actually, I’m with him on this one,” Bear said.
“Me, too. Can’t do shit if we’re bleeding out,” I said.
Cage scoffed and shook his head. And the only thing I wanted to do was drag him outside and tell him how close he was to losing everything with this crew. I saw Diesel staring at him for a long time, and I sil
ently prayed he didn’t do it now. The last thing we needed was Cage unhinged and not tied down enough to not galavant off with his guns, shooting up the whole of Redding to find Sutton.
Especially now that he knew where to look.
Read my mind, Diesel. He’ll blow our fucking cover if you let him go.
“Can we all agree this is probably where he’s keeping Sutton right now?” Diesel asked.
We all nodded our heads in agreement.
“Can we also all agree he’s probably got this place fortified with guys with guns?” he asked.
And again, we all nodded in agreement.
“Great. Okay. Can we also all agree that these motels need to be shut down. All the ones he’s purchased,” Diesel said.
All of us looked around at one another before Grave spoke.
“Why?” he asked.
“My thinking is that the less places he has to hide around here, the less he’ll move around on us,” Diesel said.
“But if we go around destroying the motels or whatever, that might force them out of town. And then, we’re really screwed,” Knox said.
“He could also kill Sutton in the process before coming after us in absolute anger,” Brewer said.
“Every man has a breaking point,” Rock said.
“Okay, so the consensus is we don’t destroy the hotels before we do the raid,” Diesel said.
“But eventually, we should take them down. Yes,” Ryker said.
“I’m with that plan,” I said.
“Me, too,” Toxin said.
“All right. So, we raid, then take down,” Diesel said.
Then, together, we all nodded our heads.
“Are there any other purchases in the works right now, Rock?” Diesel asked.
“I’m trying to figure that out,” he murmured.
We all stood around, watching his fingers fly a thousand miles a second. For the brute Rock was, it still made me grin that he was the tech guru. That he was the technology guy. The one we went to if we had phone issues, Bluetooth helmet issues, or needed information only he could hack.
It was comical, to say the least.
“As of now, there are no other deals the company’s attempting to process. And we know all of the motels they’ve bought up until this point, so that gives us an advantage,” Rock said.
“All right. You guys ready to come up with a plan?” Diesel asked.
Then, as we all nodded our heads vehemently in unison, I could have sworn I saw tears in Cage’s eyes. The damn man had been through enough.
And I was ready to wrap this up for him.
8
Amberly
“Come. On!” Sutton exclaimed.
I heard her fists come down against the outer bathroom wall and I sighed.
“It isn’t going to be any use,” I said.
“There has to be a way out of here,” she murmured.
I watched her go over to the boarded-up window and attempt to smash the glass open. She picked up a rickety chair in the corner, then tossed it against the glass. And not only did it not break, but the board behind it didn't budge. However, the chair fell apart. Practically crumbled in Sutton’s hands as she stumbled back.
“The locks are on the outside of the door, right?” she asked.
I nodded. “Mhm.”
“You think anyone’s standing out there right now?”
“I think there’s a man standing out there, grinning at your attempt to get out. Yes.”
“Well, I’m about to barrel him the fuck over,” she murmured.
“Wait. What? Sutt—No! Stop!”
I watched her charge the fucking door, completely throwing herself against it. And no sooner had she hit the floor, crying out in pain, the door rip open. I rushed to get Sutton off the floor. We barely dodged the man’s swinging foot as he attempted to kick Sutton in her ribs. I dragged her over to her bed, listening to her whimper as I brushed her hair away from her face.
“We’re fine. It’s fine. I’ll talk to her, okay?” I asked breathlessly.
But as my eyes made their way toward the man in the doorway, he snarled at me. I watched him shove his hand into his pocket before he took a phone call. As Sutton cried softly in my lap, my blood ran cold. I knew what was happening. I knew that look all too well after all these years.
And the second he hung up the call, he came for me.
“Come on. You’re on the clock,” the man said.
“What?” Sutton asked breathlessly.
“You’re coming with me. We have a private room established,” the man said.
“I thought I had the week off. Wait—wait a sec—hold on!” I exclaimed.
“No!” Sutton shrieked.
The man grabbed me by my arm and ripped me off the bed. I stumbled on my feet, unable to see straight since I hadn’t eaten in six or seven hours. My world crashed down around me. I was supposed to have the week off. I was told I’d been a good girl, and that I deserved the time off.
“Please. Please, I should have three more days. Just call your boss. Please,” I said as tears streamed down my face.
“We’re short a girl. Time for you to woman up,” the man said gruffly.
“No,” I said as hiccupping sobs fell from my throat.
“Let. Her. Go!” Sutton exclaimed.
Being short a girl meant one of the customers had killed someone. Again. Whether he choked her too hard, beat her too much, or whether she’d been much too starved for her heart to handle the orgasms forced over us. Whatever had happened, I was meant to take her place. Which meant the possibility of being in a room by myself again. I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted to stay with Sutton. She was the only company that wasn’t paid company I’d had in over three years. And I didn’t want to leave.
“Please, I’ll do anything. Just don’t—”
Sutton cried out in the room before a crashing sound caused the man to groan out. Through my tears, I watched his hand fall away from me before he hit the floor. I felt Sutton’s warm, strong grip around my other arm as she pulled me away from him, tossing me back onto the bed. And as she stood there, with the frame of the rickety chair above her head, I saw the man who usually guarded our door quickly leap off the ground.
“You’re gonna pay for that, you little bitch,” the man snarled.
“Back. The fuck. Off. She’s got more vacation time to cash in with you assholes. Or does my father really not run a smooth operation around here?” she asked.
“I don’t give a shit about her vacation. Only about what my boss has said.”
“You mean, what Vlad’s told you?” I asked softly.
I watched the man shove Sutton out of the way, and I scrambled across the bed. But I wasn’t as limber or as quickly as I used to be. My feet didn’t even hit the floor before his hands were on me again. He gripped my arm with one hand and wrapped his hand in my hair with another, tugging on me. I flew through the air, Sutton screaming out before the man grunted again, but his hands didn’t fall away from me. He cursed. Furniture continued to break around the room.
It wasn’t until Sutton squealed out in pain, however, that his hands fell away from me.
“Stupid little bitch!” the man roared.
I turned around, lifting my head long enough to see the man backhand Sutton across her face. She whimpered of pain. I already saw the blood on her lip. And as the man turned back to me, I drew in a deep breath.
“You just backhanded Lars’ daughter!” I shrieked.
The man paused, looking at me with a quizzical look as Sutton picked herself up off the floor.
“Yep. I’m bleeding,” she said flatly.
“Say what now?” the man asked.
“That’s Sutton Norden. And you just busted her lip,” I said, my voice trembling.
I shook against the mattress of the bed, trying to garner the energy to be strong. But I couldn’t. I simply couldn’t. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast, which was easily six hours ago. My brain was mush.
My stomach, practically distended. Tendrils of my hair slowly slid down my back. Falling out the way it always did because of malnutrition and men pulling at my locks much too hard.
Saint had never pulled that hard.
I shook the thought away from my mind as the man slowly looked over at Sutton.
“It’s true. I’m Lars’ daughter. And when he finds out you busted my lip wide open without permission from him? You’re gonna be the next dead girl they find,” she said.
I swallowed my giggle as I sat on my knees on the mattress. Like I’d been trained all these years to do. The motion was second nature, whether I meant what the position stood for or not.
It had become almost comfortable, in a sickening way.
“I bet if he finds out you’re starving her, too, he won’t like it,” I said.
“Yeah, definitely not,” Sutton said.
“I need to figure this shit out,” the man murmured.
Then, much to my relief, he stormed out the door and closed it behind him. Locking the locks before I heard him yelling into his phone down the damn sidewalk.
“Thank you so much,” I said breathlessly.
Sutton rushed over to me, wrapping me in her arms as she pulled me against her. For the first time in years, I was being comforted by someone. And the tears flowed effortlessly. I cried against her, smelling the blood and spit on her lip as she stroked my hair. She gasped as a few more tendrils came out with ease. She brought a blanket over our bodies as my tears quickly ran dry from dehydration.
We sank underneath the covers, shrouding ourselves from the world as she wiped at my face.
“You know, people will be coming for me. An entire crew named the Dead Souls. I bet they’ll take you with us. If you want,” Sutton said softly.
I sniffled, reaching over to wipe the blood off her lip. We cleaned one another up as our sniffles and cries turned to giggles and sighs. My sobbing dried up. Her lip stopped bleeding. And for once, I felt a pang of hope. One that might lead to my freedom. One that might lead to my safety.
One that might lead to me finding Mason.
“You think they would?” I asked.
Dead Souls MC: Prospects Series Books 1-5 Page 35