“Obviously, that didn’t happen either,” I said warily.
“No, I guess not. When Royce’s men arrived, I was ready for them. I had everything planned perfectly. I was going to disable them, set their bodies and the house on fire - I even set a few bombs - and disappear with Frankie, faking our deaths and running away. My plan was to give her a new face, a new identity. I couldn’t perform surgery on myself, obviously, but I was going to change my appearance as much as I could to keep us from being discovered by Royce or anyone else. I had everything set up at the hotel and with the help of my friend, turned it into a makeshift surgery room. I wanted to change Frankie’s face as fast as possible. But she didn’t want it. Once we left that night, after escaping out of the back of the house and into the night, the house exploding into flames behind us, I told her my plan. She was horrified. She was devastated. About losing you. Losing her life. Losing everything she ever had that reminded her of her mother, especially her face. She was adamant that I not touch her face.
“It was a nightmare, but it was our nightmare, and that was the only way I knew how to deal with it. But she refused to let me carry out the surgery. She cried, she screamed, she almost ran away but she was afraid to leave and go out into the world, once I told her about Royce.
“I’m not proud of what I did, Jesse. I betrayed my daughter in the worst possible way. She cried herself to sleep that night, and I injected the anesthesia while she was sleeping. I performed the surgery, hoping that if I performed my best work it would be enough to make her forgive me. She was already so beautiful and I didn’t make her more beautiful, because that wasn’t possible. But I wanted to at least give her a face she didn’t hate. I don’t think I achieved that…”
His head fell, his voice trailing off and I sat there with my heart pounding in my chest on the edge of my seat, imagining everything Frankie must have gone through. It was heart wrenching.
“The next day, despite my best efforts, Royce found us. My doctor friend had caved because Royce threatened to kill his entire family. He told him what I was up to and where we were. Frankie was still under the anesthesia when he arrived.
“He made me choose, Jesse. An impossible choice that no man should ever have to make. He would either kill us both or he would let us both live and take Frankie. None of it made any sense to me at the time. But I didn’t think I had a choice. He had a fucking gun to my head, and my daughter’s head, and it was the only choice I could make. I figured I’d get her away from him eventually. Letting him take her was a horrible choice, but it was better than dead, right?”
“I - I don’t know…” I said, shaking my head, trying to make sense of it all.
“I know, it sounds so awful, but I didn’t know what else to do. He promised not to kill either one of us and to let me go, as long as I didn’t try to contact Frankie or the police. He’d already paid me five million dollars to fix his face. He reminded me that he had friends everywhere - cops, judges, lawyers - and that he would know within fifteen minutes if I tried to tell anyone.”
“So you just let him take her and you went on with your life?” I asked, anger rushing through my veins.
“I let him take her, yes, but I watched.”
“You watched?”
“Yes, I watched everything. From afar. And I hired cable workers to go into his house and install listening devices. That assistant of his, Travis, was so stupid, he’d let anyone in. I knew I couldn’t get close enough to do anything myself, Travis knew my face well. But - over the years I was able to keep track of what was going on and I saw - and heard - that although Frankie was miserable and kept like a prisoner, he wasn’t hurting her, not physically. He wasn’t touching her. In fact, he pretty much ignored her completely, unless he needed to parade her around as a piece of his property. But she was still alive, Jesse! And that’s what kept me going.”
“That wasn’t much of a life for her, Dr. Moretti,” I protested.
“I know, but it was all I had to work with. At least, until you came along.”
“What do you mean?”
“Frankie’s tough. She figured out how to get out on her own. I’m so proud of her for being so brave and getting away. I never imagined in a million years she would cross paths with you again, but I’m glad she did.”
“Well, don’t be,” I scoffed. “A lot of good that did. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t be with Royce again.”
“That was a big wrinkle in the plan, yes, but nothing we can’t overcome. I already know where he's taken her. We just have to figure out how to get to her once we’re on island.”
“She told us about his island.”
“Yeah, she’s been there before. Royce usually goes there alone, or with his sick, perverted friends. I'm guessing she’ll be locked away in some cold, dark room that she can’t get out of. But Royce is pissed at her for running away, and that worries me.”
“That’s why we need to get her away from him as soon as possible!” I roared, standing up.
“I know, I know! Listen, I’ve reserved a private plane to take us to a nearby island and then we’ll have to take a boat to the island. After that, I’m not too sure, but I’m hoping we can surpass whatever security he has and get to Frankie. For such a hated and law-breaking prick, he sure is lax on security.”
“It’s his ego,” I said. “He thinks he’s fucking invincible.”
“Let’s show him that he’s not, Jesse. Once and for all, let’s bring him down. What do you say?”
“Fuck yeah,” I replied, my head spinning. This was so much to wrap my head around and it would probably take quite some time to process everything, but now wasn’t the time for that. Now, we needed action, executed with fearless precision. I knew there was no way in hell I could do this alone, as much as I wanted to bust onto that island with guns blazing like fucking Rambo. I pulled out the burner phone Riot had given me before I left and dialed the clubhouse. Cherry’s tearful voice answered and it cut right through my heart.
We’d never be able to get Doc back, but there was no way in hell Royce was going to get away with taking Frankie away.
“Cherry, put Ryder on the phone, please,” I growled. “We’ve got a plane to catch.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Vanessa
Before the ambulance stopped, Royce untied me, but not before he made sure to show me the gun in his jacket.
“No funny business,” he said.
“I don’t know if I can walk,” I said.
“You’d better. Go slow if you have to, but fucking move,” he growled. His menacing eyes squinted at me, his voice a low, grumbling threat. “Now get up,” he said, throwing a set of clothes at me. I looked at the pile that had landed in my lap and groaned. Another pair of those stupid designer jeans and a black flimsy blouse.
“Get dressed,” he said. I looked at him blankly, unmoving.
“Now!” he barked. I jumped and slowly raised my body to a seated position. My body ached, but everything seemed to be working okay. I looked over at him, crossing my arms over my chest that was clad only in a hospital gown. The last thing I wanted was to be naked in front of him.
“Oh, please,” he said. “I’ve seen your fat ass a million times, Vanessa. As a matter of fact,” he said, leaning back and crossing his arms. “I’m going to watch your every fucking move. Strip!” he barked again.
I glared at him, wishing looks could kill. Fuck him, I thought. I raised my chin defiantly, ripping the gown away from my body. His gaze raked across my bare skin and I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck. I’d never wanted to be anywhere near this asshole again and here he was ogling me.
I dressed quickly, staring him down. His smug smile only infuriated me, motivating me to find the quickest and easiest way to rip him to shreds. He might have me now, but it wasn’t going to last.
“Did you let that greasy prick put his paws on you?” he asked.
I stared stoically ahead, ignoring his question.
“You
fucking filthy whore,” he sneered, shaking his head, his eyes dark and brooding.
After another moment, the back doors opened and I saw we were on the tarmac and parked right in front of Royce’s private plane.
“Move!” he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. He grabbed a suitcase that was at his feet and handed it to the man holding the door open.
“I hope Mrs. Randolph heals quickly,” the man said, smiling at us as he took the suitcase that I could only assume was filled with money.
“Thank you, John,” Royce said, guiding me towards the plane.
“Thank you, Mr. Randolph,” he said.
My stomach swirled in fear, disgust and defiance all at once as I put one foot in front of the other, ascending the staircase to my own private hell, Royce’s sweaty palm plastered to the small of my back.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Wreck
Ryder, Slade, Riot, Grace and Mr. Moretti and I sat on the leather seats of the private plane Moretti had chartered. He was retelling the story he’d told me earlier to the others and I sat staring out at the clouds below us, the snowy peak of Mt. Hood poking through them in the distance, as I listened to it again.
“When Frankie escaped, I was outside of the doctor’s office. I saw all of you leave and I was so proud of her. I’ve been watching you ever since.”
“Remind me to work on security when we get back,” Ryder mumbled to Riot. “About time we installed cameras.”
“Will do, boss,” Riot said. The air in the plane was so thick with tension and sadness and the misery was almost suffocating. Doc’s absence was deafening. I kept expecting him to chime in with some smart-assed comment or catch his curls bouncing around his head out of the corner of my eye.
But he was gone.
Once I’d filled Ryder in with the information I’d gotten from Moretti, he’d come out of his cabin and gathered everyone for a meeting.
“There’s no bringing Doc back,” he’d said. “But there is a chance for bringing down his killer. I know we’re all hurting, each and every one of us. Doc was good to us. He gave this club his life. He’s left a hole that can never be filled, not just around this table, but in our hearts. The least we can do is bring swift and brutal justice to this motherfucker.”
Tears filled the eyes of everyone around that table.
“We have to move fast. We’ll plan a nice, fitting send off for Doc later, but right now, we need to attend to this business first and get Frankie away from that prick. We can mourn later, now it’s time to kick some ass. Are you with me?”
He was answered by a chorus of hell yeah’s and sad eyes.
“Don’t be sad. Doc wouldn’t have wanted that. Be angry. Be very fucking angry that some prick took our man away from us.”
I wish I could say that we’d managed to put away the sadness, but it wasn’t true. Misery loves company and we were all feeding off of each other. The anger was there, too, but it was just simmering under the surface. It would come out when it was time.
But as the plane hurled us through the sky at five hundred miles an hour, our sadness was all-consuming.
I looked around at my misfit family and couldn’t help but feel like a part of me had been cut off. But I’d lost that part of me a long time ago when I lost Frankie.
I’d lost her ten years ago through no fault of my own.
But this time it was all my fault.
I’d never been too certain of anything in my life, but I knew one thing for sure: once I had her in my arms again, I was never going to let her go.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Frankie
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, as Royce guided me down the trail that led away from the main house. My head was becoming clearer and clearer as time passed on the plane. After it landed on the island, it was just a short walk to the house. But Royce had led me right past it, and headed towards the guest cottage in the back.
“Surely you don’t think I’m letting you in the stay in the main house anymore, do you?” he asked, as he tightened the grip on my arm. I looked around for help, for anyone, for some kind of clue of how to get away, but we were all alone. The plane began taxiing back down the runway, leaving us behind. “No, you’re tainted, Vanessa. Tarnished. Touched. By dirty, filthy hands. I don’t want you anywhere near me anymore, don’t you understand?”
“Then just fucking let me go!” I cried.
“Why in the world would I do that? You’re mine. Just because I don’t want you doesn’t mean anyone else can have you. Well, at least not those scummy bikers. I’ll probably just put you into steady rotation with the rest of the girls. Some of my friends might not mind that you’ve been sullied. But I’m not interested in being anywhere near you. To me, you’ve turned into a defiled stain of disgust.”
“Royce, look, just let me go. I don’t want your money, I don’t want anything from you. Why have you done this to me? All these years? You fucking hate me as much as I hate you!”
“True, true,” he said, nodding his head. “But if I let you go it means I’ve lost.”
“To who?”
“To you. To your precious biker boyfriend. To your father.”
“How could you lose to my father if you killed him?”
“That’s the thing, don’t you see, Vanessa?”
“Frankie!” I yelled, trying to wrench my arm away from him. “My name is Frankie!”
“Your name is whatever I fucking say it is,” he growled, twisting my arm painfully. “And you’re lucky I haven’t killed you yet, so shut the fuck up and fucking move!” He shoved me forward and I almost tripped over my feet.
I kept walking towards the cottage, hoping like hell I could find a way off of this fucking island of horrors.
He opened the front door of the cottage with his key and led me up a tall, winding staircase. I’d never been allowed to come in here and now I saw why. It was a fucking den of sex. Low couches were slung along the walls of the bottom floor with pillows strewn everywhere and girls milling around everywhere. Big bowls of condoms were on the coffee tables and the lights were turned down so low I could hardly see the steps that he led me up.
By the time we’d made it to the top, I was gasping for breath, my lungs feeling as if they’d just been set aflame.
“Come on,” Royce barked, pulling my drooping body down the hallway.
“Please, Royce,” I cried. “I can barely walk!”
“Oh, shut the fuck up,” he said. “You’ll like it here,” he said, opening a door at the end of the hallway. “At least you won’t be alone,” he said, shoving me in with a violent push. I landed on my ass on the bare wooden floor, staring up at him as he snarled at me and then looked past me.
“You have a new girl now,” he said. I looked behind me and saw two girls standing behind me. I looked back at Royce and he slammed the door in my face.
I swallowed hard and looked back at the girls.
That’s when I saw their eyes.
Despair. Helplessness. Pain. Anger.
That’s when I knew. Something snapped in me and all the weakness, all the pain, all the fear faded away, until I was left with a feeling of such intense strength coursing through my veins that I’d never imagined I could feel.
I had to save us all. There was no one else to save us, but me.
I stood up slowly and faced them.
“My name’s Frankie,” I said. “I’m going to get you out of here. I promise.”
***
The girls sat around me. After introducing themselves as Anna and Alyssa, they told me they’d been here for over a year. And then they took me downstairs and introduced me to the rest of the girls. There must have been at least a dozen, all crammed into this tiny guest house, their eyes big and wide as they stared at me.
“Who are you?” one of the girls asked. Her eyes were big and brown and she had long, wavy black hair cascading down her back. She couldn’t have been more than twelve, but her eyes spoke volumes.
“We’ve seen you before,” she said. “You were with him, the bad man.”
“I know,” I said. “But I’m here to get us all out of here.”
“Getting out’s not a problem,” she said, holding up a key.
“You can get out?” I said, glancing at the locked front door.
“We get out all the time,” Anna explained. “Most of the time we’re on this island alone. Unless there’s a party,” her eyes darkened and she glanced away. “It’s getting off the island that’s the problem.”
She handed me the key and I stared down at it sitting in the palm of my hand.
A few days after I’d left Royce, I’d been sitting in my room at the clubhouse contemplating how easy it had been to get away from him. But for some reason, until I’d been given that card by Diana, I hadn’t realized that I’d held the key all along. All I had to do was put it in the door, put a plan into place and execute it. It had been that easy. Maybe this was the same thing.
“I know where there’s a boat,” I said.
“There’s no boat. We’ve looked all over,” Alyssa said.
“It’s hidden,” I replied. “It’s Royce’s escape plan, just in case he needs to bail quickly. I heard him bragging about it one night on the phone. It’s hidden under the pier on the south end of the island. Do you know where that is?”
“Sure do!” Anna said. “We tried to build a boat once, but it didn’t work.” She had short straight black hair and looked at me suspiciously as she pushed another, smaller girl behind her protectively. “But how do we know we can trust you?”
Slowly, I took in all of their faces, my heart breaking to think of what Royce had done to them. He’d taken away my years, held me prisoner, but he hadn’t broken my spirit. He hadn’t done to me the things he’d done to these girls, that he’d allowed his friends to do.
“I’m going to kill him,” I said, my voice so clear, so calm, so matter-of-fact that I could have been saying I was going to do the dishes. “You can trust me on that,” I nodded. “You don’t have to trust me, you don’t have to trust anyone. But I’m getting out of here, I’m bringing him to his knees, and then I’m leaving this horrible place. And all of you are welcome to follow me.”
WRECKED: GODS OF CHAOS MC, BOOK FOUR Page 19