She nodded. “They do some sketchy things sometimes, but when a woman’s in trouble? They never hesitate to save her. Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you get out of here.”
“And if you stick with me, I’ll make sure those men never drag you off to do what I’ve had to do for years.”
Sutton held out her pinky and I wrapped mine around hers. She kissed her hand on the opposite side, and I mocked her movements. Then, she smiled. Which caused me to smile. I mean a genuine smile, too. One that hurt my cheeks the more it grew. We giggled as we snuggled deeper under the covers, and I pretended I was crawling into the earth. Into a hole I’d dug for myself that would dump out at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
“I promise, I’ll always take care of you while we’re in this mess,” I said.
“I promise the same thing. And in return for your protection, I’m getting you out of here,” Sutton said.
“And in return for yours, I’ll—”
I paused before a snicker left my lips.
“Well, I’ll figure out something.”
The two of us giggled again. Something I didn’t think was possible in a scenario like this. We heard the man coming back to our doorway and the two of us froze. Sutton threw the covers off our heads. The two of us watched the door like hawks, ready to scatter at a moment’s notice.
But, instead of throwing the door open, the man took up his station. Silent as a jaybird, and not an ounce to say to either of us.
“You think he’ll bring us food?” I asked softly.
“I don’t know. But we gave it our best shot. Right?” Sutton asked.
And, like clockwork, both of our stomachs growled out.
“I think we should start splitting our meals in half. Just in case this happens again,” I said.
“Does this happen often?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Every once in a while. I used to be in the habit of doing that with my meals. But I stopped a few months ago because they became pretty regular. A small breakfast, a massive lunch, and a small dinner. You know, so I wouldn't look bloated for my customers.”
She snickered as she shook her head, then pulled me close against her again.
“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through these past few years,” she said softly.
And as I wrapped my arms around her, cradling her the way she cradled me, I sighed.
“It helps to compartmentalize as much as you can,” I said.
But, really, the only thing that kept pushing me along was the promise of seeing my son one day.
Mason. My boy.
My sweet boy I hadn’t seen in almost three fucking years.
9
Saint
“All right. Run down your parts of the plan for me one more time,” Diesel said from the driver’s seat.
“We’ve already got this,” Brewer said.
“Run down. Go,” Diesel said curtly.
I sighed. “Myself, Bear, and Ryker are walking up to the main entrance undercover with the story being we’re a bachelor party.”
“And we’re looking to score the bachelor—myself—a good ass time,” Ryker said.
“We keep them distracted by asking about the girls they’ve got and how much they cost. Haggle over price. Shit like that,” Bear said.
“While myself, Grave, Knox, and Rock sneak around the unlit parts of the motel to figure out where the hell Sutton is,” Brewer said.
“Me and Toxin will be here for backup in case someone gets made or shooting starts to happen. But once we find Sutton, what happens?” Diesel asked.
“Why can’t I be part of the bachelor party?” Toxin asked.
“Because you’re in time out,” Diesel said.
“Because you’d actually fuck one of the girls before we get out of there,” Brewer murmured.
Toxin rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Anyway, Toxin and I will be here for backup. But once you have Sutton, what happens?” Diesel asked.
“We race back here, hop in the van, and yell at you to get us the fuck outta dodge,” I said.
“Good. You guys ready? Because I’m about to park,” Diesel said.
“Grave here with the rental car?” I asked.
And just as Diesel pulled off into the brush on the side of the road, I heard tires roll up behind us.
“Sounds like it,” Ryker said.
As the three of us stripped off our leather cuts, we also shed our shirts. We had thin, state of the art bulletproof gear we’d bought for a steal not too long ago. And that was going directly underneath our bachelor party clothes. Nice jeans. Button-front shirts that were untucked to conceal our weapons. A little loose at the ankles, to conceal those guns and knives as well. We were going in fully-loaded and ready to take out guys if we were made.
I just hoped this plan worked.
“Where’s Cage again?” I asked.
“He recognized the fact that he couldn't run this op without getting ahead of himself. So, he’s waiting for us back at the clubhouse,” Ryker said.
“I feel fuckin’ sick for the man, you know?” Bear asked.
“I don’t blame him one damn bit, honestly,” Toxin said.
“Keep your head in the game. Because when we go back, we’ll have his girl with us. Got it?” Diesel asked.
Then, all of us nodded our heads.
Knocks came down onto the back door and Brewer eased it open. We had a knock for instances like this. A knock that was made only between the door handler—which was Brewer—and the person knocking on the door—which was Grave. And when the door opened, a slick, cherry red mustang sat there. Waiting for the taking. I whistled softly as Toxin craned his neck back. He slung around every curse word in the books when he saw the car we were going to be using to roll up on this place. And I had to admit, it was pretty juicy to see him so jealous because usually, Toxin got to do everything fun.
But lately, he’d been acting pretty standoffish. And none of us knew why.
“You guys ready?” Grave asked.
“I’m ready to go,” I said.
“Me, too,” Bear said.
“Yep,” Ryker said.
“All right. Ryker, what’s your backstory?” Grave asked.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m engaged. Getting married in two weeks. We’re here in town for a good time. I’m marrying the love of my life I met two years ago in Vegas on a binger where you aren’t supposed to bring home chicks at all. We fell in love, getting married in Vegas. Yadda yadda yadda.”
“Good. Don’t botch the details. Because the Devil’s always in them,” Grave said.
He tossed me the keys and I caught them midair. I slipped out the back of the van, ready to get Sutton the hell out of this place. God only knew what they were making her do here. If they had beaten her into servitude or were throwing her to the dogs that came around this place. It made me sick to even pose as customers. But that was what needed to be done.
I kept my guns close, though.
Because I was ready to slaughter the whole bunch of them for what they’d done to us.
With the van hidden in some brush on the side of the road, we were just over four miles away from the motel. The three of us eased our asses against the leather seats, and I had to admit, I was impressed. The luxury vehicle combined with the outfit of choice really made it look like we were doing things up.
Then, Brewer knocked on my window.
“A shot for the road,” he said.
I paused. “Isn’t that counterproductive to, you know, driving?”
“It’s a bachelor party. You mean to tell me you don’t smell like booze before you make shitty decisions at bachelor parties?”
Shit. He had a point.
I only took one shot, since I was driving. But Bear and Ryker took three. And while I knew they’d be able to handle themselves, I was still wary of doing this with anything in my system that could impede my ability to think straight. After Brewer hopped back into the ca
r, Diesel waved us away. Signaling to us that it was time to start this shit.
So, I eased the car off the curb and turned around.
The three of us were silent. And that four miles was the longest four of my entire fucking life. After getting a mile out from our destination was when I started seeing guards on the side of the roads. Men in suits with glasses and guns I knew they had hidden.
“Oh, shit,” I murmured.
“I hope they come around back,” Bear said, sighing.
We got to the roughed up parking lot of the motel and got out of the car. And we really did it up. We were high-fiving and Ryker and Bear stumbled around a bit. I kept singing some triumphant song, passing it off as our alma mater’s school song. Because our backstory as friends was the fact that we all went to college together. We were in the same fraternity together. Best buds for life, and all that shit.
“Can I help you boys?” the man at the lobby doors asked.
“This where bachelors come for a good time!? Because that’s the rumor on the street,” I said as I ruffled Ryker’s hair.
“Bachelor in the house, and he needs to have a good time. Know what I’m saying?” Bear asked.
The three of us started singing again as the guys looked around at one another. They were grinning and chuckling. You know, silently making fun of us. But their attention was directly on us. And that was what we wanted.
“Sure. A good time. Gotcha. Why don’t you come in and… peruse what we’ve got,” the man said.
He opened the lobby doors for us and we shoved Ryker in. Bear said something about taking more shots and I said something about being pissed off that I was the D.D. for the evening. Ryker made a quip about me always being the alcoholic in college and Bear confirmed.
We bantered all the way to the front desk, where the biggest dude I’d ever seen stood up.
“Can I help you boys?” he asked.
“My cock isn’t a boy, I can tell ya that,” Ryker said, laughing his ass off.
“I don't know, that’s not what Gloria tells me,” I said, beaming brightly.
“Oh, shit! You brought the fiancée into this!” Bear exclaimed, clapping his hands.
“Focus, or your rowdy asses are done,” the man said gruffly.
The three of us piped down and cleared our throats.
“Tell me the kind of fun you’re looking for,” the man said.
The two of us looked at Ryker and he shrugged.
“The kind my fiancée won’t let me have after we’re married,” he said.
“Right. You wanna tell me what kinda girl you’re lookin’ for?” the guy asked.
“Oooo, that’s easy. The opposite of my fiancée. Dark. Thick hair. Brooding eyes. Thick curves, but not fat. I don’t do fat chicks,” Ryker said.
“Except Gloria,” I murmured.
And as Bear howled with laughter, even the guy behind the counter grinned at my statement.
“If I wasn’t ready to get it in right now, I’d punch you for that,” Ryker said.
“I’ll just tell Gloria you did. How’s that sound?” I asked.
“Well, we got a few girls here that match that description. Why don’t you come with me? You can check them out before you pick one. For a fee, of course,” the man said.
Bear pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket. We were all carrying one, because we had no idea how much money it was going to take to get this far into the game. And as he slammed it on the counter, the guy both smiled and quirked an eyebrow at him.
“What? I’m lucky in Vegas,” he said, grinning.
“Follow me then, boys,” the man said as he swiped the wad of cash off the counter.
As we followed him through the hallways, we exited a door that brought us to an inner rotunda of sorts. And the doors that lined the inside hallways of the motel surrounded a pool that had been filled with concrete. I counted the rooms quickly as the three of us hung all over one another. While Ryker kept cracking jokes, Bear kept laughing with him as I kept surveying things. Four inside lengths with twelve rooms a piece meant there were forty-eight rooms to check on.
And that was just the inside.
That didn’t even count the outside rooms, which easily added another forty or so to check.
Fuck.
“All right. Here’s our first of seven girls that match what you want. Peek in and take a look,” the man said.
He dug out a key and opened the door, and the sight turned my fucking stomach. There was a girl sitting on the bed, on her knees, with her hair practically falling out with malnourishment. Bear quirked an eyebrow as Ryker’s face went stone cold. And I knew the more we reacted, the more we were blowing our cover.
“You got any girls that don’t look… well, beaten?” I asked.
The man shrugged as he closed the door, and Bear let out a hard sigh.
And that caused the man to take a good, long look at the three of us.
“So, you guys new around here?” he asked.
Shit. It was never good when people started asking questions like that.
“Just here for the bachelor party. Woo!” Ryker exclaimed.
“Spent some time in Vegas, then someone told us the party was in Redding,” Bear said.
“Though, definitely not as much of a party as Vegas,” I said.
“Nothing’s as much of a party as Vegas,” the man said flatly.
He kept walking us around and opening doors, and the more he opened them, the more we caved. We couldn't even help it, either. And I silently prayed the guys were slowly surrounding the motel complex. I saw shadows moving at the corners. But I had no idea of knowing if it was our guys or their guys. With every door the man opened, my stomach turned. With every girl we saw, my heart broke.
Was there any way to get all of them out at once?
“If you’re finding out that dark, curvy girls aren’t your thing, we’ve got a nice girl in our possession that’s been here a while. Knows exactly what she’s getting into. The veteran, of sorts,” the man said
“I like it when my women know what the fuck they’re doing. What’s she like?” Ryker asked.
“Eh, she’s not much. Very thin. Practically no curves at all. And she’s got some stretch marks from when she had a child. But, if you can overlook all that, she’s got fair skin. Some freckles across her nose. Big brown eyes. Dirty blonde hair. Very innocent look to her. The men that come around like her for that. The innocence she practically reeks of,” the man said.
“Can we see her?” I asked.
The guys whipped their heads over to me and I knew I’d blown it. But, holy fucking hell, that description sounded just like Amberly. Down to the freckles across the nose. But it couldn't be. Right?
“Let me get her in a room for you, then you can check her out,” the man said.
“What’s wrong with the room she’s in now? I’m ready for my time slot!” Ryker exclaimed.
The three of us cheered, trying to create as much of a distraction as possible as the man chuckled at us.
“She’s in a room with a girl we haven’t groomed yet. If she’s gonna work, she needs her own room,” the man said.
“And I’m not allowed to break in the new girl?” Ryker asked.
Good. He’d latched onto that. Because that was probably Sutton.
“No. Not until we train her. And she’s a fucking stubborn one,” the man said.
Oh, hell yeah. That was definitely Sutton.
The three of us looked at one another before Ryker nodded. And as we started off behind the man, he turned around to stop us. He held out his hand, silently commanding us to stay there. Then, he turned around to start walking again. I looked over at the guys I was with. We all paid attention to the room he was walking toward. It was the only room with a guard outside it, and it looked like the outer window was barricaded with wood.
“That’s where Sutton is,” Ryker murmured.
“Let’s see if we can’t get one of us in a room with her. Yeah?” I a
sked.
“I can try my best. But the guy seems pretty hell bent on—”
Before Bear could even finish his sentence, gunshots popped off. Which caused us to immediately draw our weapons. Diesel and Grave breached the outer wall at the corner, while Toxin and Brewer ambushed our sides. The three of us turned around, taking out the four men charging us from the door that lead into the lobby. Then, I took off across the field. I leapt over the concrete pool that had been filled up. I put bullets in both the guys’ heads standing at the locked and barricaded door as Bear ran up behind me.
“That’s a fuck ton of locks for one girl,” he said.
We ducked to avoid bullets before we each turned around. I pressed my back against his, taking out the guys headed for us. Bear stood, then helped me up. And as I watched Grave and Toxin kick in hotel doors, they started grabbing girls left and right.
“You think they checked the front rooms, too?” I asked breathlessly.
“Yes, we did,” Diesel said.
He came up to us from out of nowhere and put bullets in all the locks on the door. And as the door swung open, two girls cried out. One of them charged us, leaping on Bear and clawing at him. Diesel wrapped his arms around her, saying her name as we all recognized her voice.
“Sutton. Sutton. Hey, Sutton. It’s us. It’s us. It’s us,” he said, over and over again.
However, my eyes weren’t on Sutton. Or on the shootout. Or on the girls the guys were slinging out of the rooms.
My eyes were on the other girl in the room with Sutton.
“Amberly?” I asked.
Her eyes were wide. She had chunks of hair missing all over her head. She was thin. Pale. Malnourished. Probably dehydrated. But, those freckles. Those eyes.
Holy hell, I’d never forget those eyes.
“Sa-Saint? Is that—”
“Come on. We have to get out of here,” I said.
I lunged into the room and picked her up. I tossed her over my shoulder, and I held back tears at how light she felt in my arms. She must’ve been barely a hundred pounds, judging by how easily she hung against me. It was like I hadn’t added any weight to my person at all, so I ended up snatching Sutton from Diesel’s grasp.
Dead Souls MC: Prospects Series Books 1-5 Page 36