They even left the keys hanging next to the door.
I quickly grabbed them and unlocked the cellar and went in. Dash was sitting on the ground as usual, with his hands chained to the pipe.
“Midnight snack?” he asked with a grin. It ached my heart to see him always smiling like that. I rushed towards him.
“I think I can get you out,” I told him. Dash searched my eyes, eager to find out what I was talking about.
“They’re gone, all of them. I checked the whole clubhouse, they’ve all gotten on their bikes and left,” I said.
Dash was beginning to grin now.
“And they left you in-charge of me?” he asked and I shrugged.
“They didn’t say anything about that. I guess they figured I wouldn’t go anywhere near you. They barely notice me,” I replied.
“Clearly they’ve underestimated you.”
We smiled at each other.
“If you leave now, there won’t be anybody here to stop you, but you have to get out soon,” I told him.
Dash nodded, but then he squared his shoulders.
“Harley, you have to come with me,” he said.
“What?”
“You and your daughter. I’m going to take you with me. I’m not leaving you here,” he continued.
Dash was searching my eyes, I could barely breathe. That wasn’t a part of my plan. I didn’t intend on leaving. Not like this…
“But…”
“Don’t make any more excuses to yourself to stay. Just don’t. I’m going to get you and your daughter out of this life. I’m going to protect you from him. From these motherfuckers. Will you let me?”
I licked my lips nervously. My brain was working a mile a minute. In all these years, I’d never imagined there could ever be an escape. I was so afraid of Caesar and the others, that I never considered it could actually happen for me.
“He will find me. He will find Amanda,” I whimpered and Dash held my gaze firmly.
“You have to trust me, Harley, I’m not going to let that happen to you or Amanda. You’ll be safe with me. I promise. Do you trust me?”
My eyes welled up with tears. Nobody had shown me kindness like this in the past eight years. I didn’t even think men were capable of it. And a man like Dash…so sexy, so handsome and strong. A man who could have any woman he wanted. But he wanted to keep me safe.
“I trust you,” I said and he smiled.
“Good. Now all I have to do is get this damned pipe off the wall!”
I was confused at first and then I saw what he was talking about.
* * *
Somehow, through sheer physical strength; Dash had managed to pry the pipe off the wall. Just a little more effort and that thing would be free and he could just slide the handcuffs out of the pipe after.
He looked at me, with an accomplished grin on his face.
“You really don’t have to do that, I know you’re very strong already,” I teased him with a smile.
I pulled one of the bobby pins out of my hair and I held it up for him to see.
“You’re holding it like it’s a weapon,” he said and I shrugged.
“It is mine,” I replied and he crossed his brows. He didn’t think I could do it.
I reached for his cuffs and started working on them. This was a skill I taught myself a very long time ago. Right back when I was a teenager and I had to sneak around behind my parents’ backs. Picking locks was my way to freedom.
The lock in the handcuff clicked and Dash stared up at me in astonishment.
“They really do underestimate you, Harley.”
Smiling, I watched as he pulled his hands out of the cuffs and looked at me again.
Before I could say anything, or even breathe, Dash caught me by the back of my neck. I gasped when he touched me because I needed to be touched by him for so long. He pulled me close to himself and our mouths met in a sizzling kiss.
I wrapped my arms around him and he stood up, pulling me up along with him. His mouth was on mine, his tongue explored me, slid down my throat and I tried to devour him at the same time. This kiss was explosive. It was nothing like anything I’d experienced before.
I had never imagined kissing someone like this. Someone who could make me feel this way. I touched him freely now, feeling the strength of his arms, his biceps moved under my touch. His body was hard and strong as he kept me pinned to himself.
His hands were all over me too. Feeling my shape, the curve of my butt, then down the back of my thighs. I was breathless when he finally pulled his mouth away from me. I was panting. He was looking deep into my eyes.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you,” he said gruffly, under his breath. I blushed because I was thinking the same thing.
“We should get out of here,” I said breathlessly, still reeling from that kiss of a lifetime.
“Let’s go get your daughter,” he said and he released me. I gave him my hand because I wanted to keep touching him. My hand was small and weak in his, but now that I knew what it felt like to be in his arms—I knew I had nothing to worry about.
Dash was going to find a way to keep us all safe.
15
Dash
Dash
I held on tight to Harley’s hand as we ran out of the cellar and out in the dimly lit hallway. She may have been an expert at picking the lock on my handcuffs but I could sense that she was afraid now.
“Do you know where they keep the guns?” I asked, turning to her. She nodded her head nervously and led me to another room. In the cupboard some guns were stored haphazardly.
“Wow. These guys seriously need to get their shit together,” I said which made Harley laugh. I checked one of the guns for ammunition and then stuffed it down the front of my belt to keep it in place.
“Are you sure this place is empty?” I asked her and she was nodding again.
“I checked the whole place before I went down to you, and there are no cars or bikes out the front,” she told me. I checked again through the windows and she was right.
“I have a car, out the back,” she added and then we ran out towards it.
She got in first but I was going to drive.
It felt strange to be outside now, even though it was dark. I wasn’t expecting myself to be free this quickly. I thought it was going to take more time. But here I was, sitting in a car, with no handcuffs on. And it was all because of Harley.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” I said, turning to her. Kissing her had felt like the most satisfying thing ever. Even more satisfying than those peanut butter sandwiches she’d fed me on the first day.
Harley blushed deep.
“And now you’re going to keep me and my daughter safe,” she replied. I started the car and she gave me directions to the house of the woman who was babysitting Amanda.
On the way, we spoke very little. I could sense she was nervous. Until she had her daughter in her arms, Harley was not going to feel completely safe. How could Caesar do this to her? To his own daughter. I was going to make sure he didn’t get out unpunished.
Within twenty minutes, we were parked outside the woman’s house and Harley squeezed my hand.
“I’m leaving my phone here if you need to make any calls,” she said.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” I asked as she opened the door.
“It’s probably safer if nobody sees me with you right now. Besides, Amanda wouldn’t know who you are and I don’t want to give her a shock,” she said.
I watched as she got out of the car and crossed the street in the dark. I couldn’t take my eyes off this woman. She was everything I could ever want. Everything I didn’t even know I wanted. In the middle of all this violence, so close to losing my life—I’d found a woman who was my only hope to happiness.
* * *
I waited some time before I dialed Oz’ number on Harley’s cellphone. He answered after a few rings.
“It’s me,�
�� I said, a smile spreading on my face. It took a few seconds for the information to sink in.
“Fuck. Dash. You okay?” he asked and I could hear the relief in his voice.
“I’m fine, I got out,” I told him.
“Fuck, Dash! Fuck! We’ve been shitting bricks here hoping they keep you alive!”
I laughed and he laughed with relief too.
“How’d you get out? What happened?”
“Someone helped me. They all left the place and I slipped out,” I said.
“Where were they holding you?”
“At their clubhouse.”
“Fuck! We should have hit that place a long time ago!” He was cursing under his breath.
“You couldn’t have got me out without a few casualties. I’m glad you didn’t take the risk. I’m out now.”
“Yeah. Fuck. Can’t believe you’re actually safe,” he said. I kept my eyes on the house, Harley hadn’t come out yet. A few more minutes and if she wasn’t out, I’d decided I would go in.
“Give me a location and I’ll come get you. You laying low till then?” Oz continued.
“I don’t think I can come back to T-Bone just yet. There are some things I need to figure out first,” I told him.
“What things? You’re out. Let us handle the rest.”
“The girl who freed me out of there, her name is Harley. She has a kid. Those motherfuckers have been beating her up, threatening her with that kid’s life,” I explained. I knew Oz would understand. None of us stood in support of an innocent woman being beaten up.
“Fuck man. Yeah. Okay, you focus on them for now. In the meantime, I’m going to call for church at T-Bone and I’m going to get the rest of the club to agree on protection for her and the kid.”
I nodded. It was good to hear that. If I had the support of the Marked Skulls helping me keep Harley and Amanda safe, I would sleep better at night.
“I’m going to find some place for us to stay the night. Some place these fuckers won’t find them. Once they realize we’ve all escaped, shit is going to hit the fan,” I growled.
“Yeah, you do that. I’ll get things sorted here by then,” he said. “Dash! It’s good to have you back. I know everyone else is going to celebrate tonight.”
I smiled.
“Gotta go. I’ll be in touch,” I said and hung up.
Several minutes had gone by and Harley wasn’t out of the house yet. I knew there was no reason to worry yet, they probably didn’t even know we were missing. But I wanted them to be safe.
I opened the car door and was just about to step out when I saw Harley. She was rushing out of the house with a little girl in her arms.
16
Harley
Harley
Celine kept talking while I helped Amanda collect her things. She was especially chatty tonight, while all I really wanted to do was get out of there as quickly as possible.
Eventually, I had no choice but to interrupt Celine mid-sentence.
“Thanks for everything, Celine. But I really have to go!” I said, pulling Amanda up in my arms.
“Oh, yeah! Of course. I’m always happy to have her here,” she replied and pulled Amanda’s soft cheeks.
With my daughter’s bag hanging from my arm, I ran out of the house, while Amanda continued to talk about her day. She’d fallen asleep when I got there and I hated to wake her up, but I had no choice. Amanda didn’t seem to mind though, she was just glad to see me.
I crossed the street in the dark to the car where Dash was waiting for me. At first, Amanda didn’t see him and I settled her in the back. When I got in I saw in the rearview mirror that she was staring at Dash who had turned in his seat to look at her.
“Mommy? Who is this?” she asked.
I knew it would be a surprise for her, especially to come face to face with a big strong man with cuts and bruises everywhere. I expected her to be frightened of him, but she was being brave. She trusted me.
“Amanda, this is Dash. And Dash, this is Amanda,” I introduced them to each other. I was nervous about this first meeting. My daughter meant everything to me. If Amanda and Dash weren’t able to get along, I wasn’t sure how far this could go for us. No matter how explosive our kiss had been.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ma’am,” Dash said jovially, sticking a hand out to my daughter. Amanda blinked a few times, still in surprise.
“Hello,” she said in a low voice.
“What happened to your face?” she asked, straining in the dark to properly see him. I sat still in my seat, afraid of how this introduction was going to go. What Dash was going to say. It didn’t seem like he was the kind of guy who’d be good with kids.
“Someone tried to pick a fight with me so I showed them,” Dash replied. He continued to have a reassuring smile on his face.
“You fought them off?” Amanda asked. She sat up in her seat, now she was really interested.
“I had to, because standing up for yourself is the right thing to do,” he told her. Amanda nodded her head.
“Mommy tells me to always stand up for myself, no matter how much it hurts,” she continued. I smiled proudly at my daughter. At least I was able to instill some good teachings in her, even though I couldn’t practice them myself in my own life. I was going to make sure that my daughter avoided my fate.
“Well, your mommy is right,” Dash replied and they were smiling at each other like they were old friends. “So now that the bad guys are out of the way, we can finally go on our adventure!”
Amanda looked excited. Her eyes lit up and I couldn’t help but beam at the two of them.
“An adventure? What kind of adventure?” she asked.
“The kind of adventure when we don’t have to go home for many days, and we can eat what we want and go to bed when we want to,” Dash said.
I rolled my eyes at him because this was only going to get us into trouble with her. But I couldn’t resist seeing how happy that made Amanda. She jumped up from her seat, clapping her hands wildly.
“Mommy? Really? We don’t have to go home?” she asked and I nodded.
“And you get to spend all your time with your mommy,” Dash continued.
“And can I watch cartoons all day too?” she begged, to which Dash nodded again.
“Only till the adventure is over. Then we go back to our usual routine and rules, okay?”
Amanda nodded and I hugged her.
It was a task settling her back in her seat again because she was pumped up on adrenaline.
“We need to find a place to crash tonight,” Dash said and then he started the car.
I turned the radio on loud so that Amanda wouldn’t be able to hear our conversations.
“So, where are we going?” I asked and Dash looked over and smiled at me.
“I think I know just the place. Somewhere they won’t think of looking.”
* * *
Dash drove us to a hotel far off the highway, and it wasn’t just an ordinary hotel or a motel. It was a four-star place with fancy rooms and a pool at the back. When I was worried about how we were going to pay for this, Dash said he would take care of it.
He was on the phone with a friend for a while and then he returned saying the room was all taken care of. Somebody from his club had paid for it over the phone.
Neither Amanda or I had ever seen a place like this before. It was gorgeous and sophisticated, and I felt self-conscious of my clothes as we walked down the marble hallway towards the elevator.
But the staff at the hotel were treating us like royalty. Clearly, they had some connection with Dash’s MC. They knew exactly who he was.
Dash had booked one large double-suite for us which had two king sized beds in two separate rooms. Amanda was excited. She couldn’t believe her luck! Her little adventure had gotten off to a good start and I was glad she didn’t have a clue of what was really going on.
The next task was for me was to get her into bed. It was very late at night now and she needed h
er sleep.
“I’m going to wash up,” Dash told me in a whisper while I forcibly carried her to the other room. I nodded.
* * *
It took me over half an hour before Amanda had finally drifted off to sleep. I had to tell her story after story until she closed her eyes and then I kissed her forehead and turned off the light in her room.
Now that Amanda was asleep and I was less worried about her—the realization of the situation finally hit me. I stood at her doorway for a few moments, allowing that feeling of freedom to sink in.
I was indeed free.
I wasn’t back at my small apartment, crying myself to sleep on the couch tonight. I was in a beautiful hotel room with Amanda asleep peacefully in bed. I wasn’t alone, I had the protection of a strong and brave man. A man I could trust.
A thrill ran down my spine at the thought of that.
Dash and I were finally alone. And neither did he have the handcuffs on his wrists. Which meant he could actually touch me. Kissing him, feeling his hands on my body—wasn’t just a fantasy anymore. It could actually come true.
I gulped nervously and walked into the other room.
Dash was just stepping out of the bathroom. He looked different now. He’d showered and scrubbed himself off from all the dirt and grime of his imprisonment. He even shaved but he still had a sexy stubble on his cheeks. Those cuts and wounds weren’t going away that easily, but he’d cleaned them and he looked fresh. Like a whole new person.
I stood stock-still, staring at him, while he dried his hair with a towel.
“It’s me. Dash,” he joked and it made me smile.
“You don’t look that different,” I said and he smiled too.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we go down and check out the pool? It’s late. Nobody’s going to be there, and it’ll give us a chance to talk away from Amanda,” he suggested.
Marked Skulls MC Series: Books 1-5 Page 65