by A. M. Myers
This doesn’t make any goddamn sense.
Where is Biche… or any of his men? Did he really leave her here, completely unguarded? Is she a trap?
When we stop at a red light, I dig my phone out of my pocket and send a message to Moose to ask him if everything is okay. My knee bounces as I wait for his reply but it doesn’t come before I’m forced to shove my phone back in my pocket and follow after Chance and the girl as she peeks back at me again. I shake my head. How does Biche’s girlfriend or new captive or whatever the hell she is look just like my girl?
It just doesn’t make sense.
I bet if I called Streak right now, he could tell me the probability of finding another person in the world that looks just like you but the chances that the person who looks just like my Kady ending up in Baton Rouge of all places and then that person meeting Biche… I’d say is slim to none.
We pull into the club’s parking lot and I park my bike and pull my phone out again as the others lead Sammy into the club. There’s a message from Moose waiting for me and I suck in a breath as I open it.
Moose:
All good, brother.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I put my phone away and walk into the clubhouse. Everyone is waiting in the war room and I slip in the back before plopping down in a chair next to Smith.
“Sammy,” Blaze says softly, trying his best not to spook her. “Can you tell us what happened? How you ended up there?”
She nods, scanning the table. Her eyes linger on me and I scowl. “I met Oliver four years ago at a club downtown. He was so incredibly sweet and I was thrilled when he asked me out. We dated for about a month before he convinced me to move in with him and that’s when everything changed. It became clear to me that he was obsessed with this other girl…” Her gaze cuts to me and I sit up straighter.
“How do you know him, Sammy?” Storm asks, his muscles tense like he’s ready to pounce and it puts me more on edge.
“He uses a picture of you as a dartboard and he told me stories about you,” she says, her gaze never wavering from mine. “You took her from him.”
I jolt up and pound my fist on the table. “That’s not how it happened.”
“Henn!” Blaze booms and I suck in a breath as I sink back into my chair as he turns to Sammy again. “Please keep going.”
She sucks in a breath as tears build in her eyes. “He wouldn’t let me go anywhere without some of his guys and I wasn’t even allowed to speak to my family or have a phone. I was essentially a prisoner. And then about six months after I moved in, he started urging me to think about plastic surgery. He played off my insecurities and said he would pay for everything and that he just wanted me to feel as beautiful as he thought I was. I finally agreed and when I came out of my first surgery, I realized that he’d gone behind my back and changed the plans with the surgeon. From there, he’s forced me to have multiple surgeries to look like I do now.”
“Holy shit,” I whisper, shaking my head and Chance turns to me with wide eyes, mouthing, “what the fuck”. I just nod as I stare at the table in front of me. I really underestimated Biche’s obsession with my girl and worry knots my stomach as I blow out a breath and run my hand through my hair.
Jesus.
When is this shit going to end?
Chapter Twenty-One
Kady
“Baby!” Noah calls, his voice booming through the cabin and I roll my eyes before turning back to my reflection in the mirror. As soon as he got home from the run, he ordered me into the shower and said he was taking me out. Not that I mind. Going out with my man gives me a good excuse to avoid thinking about the ticking clock on the deadline I gave Kelly and TJ. “Kady Jane!”
“One minute!” I yell back, annoyance eating away at me as I run my hands down the short black sweater dress I decided on. I bought it a few months back and was saving it for a special occasion and this seems as good as any. All in all, things are pretty good.
“Are you about…” he snaps as he walks into the bedroom, his words trailing off as his eyes widen. “Shit. You look damn good, baby.”
I blush, meeting his gaze in the mirror. “Thank you.”
“Although,” he murmurs, crossing the room to me and running the tips of his fingers along my thigh where the dress ends. “This is awfully short.”
“And your point is?”
“Maybe I should make you change.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Give it a try and let’s see how that works for you.”
“Fuck,” he growls as he slips his hand across my belly and rests his chin on my shoulder. “That red lipstick makes me imagine your lips wrapped around my cock.”
“Pervert.”
He nods. “When it comes to you? Hell, fucking yeah, babe.”
I shift, rubbing my thighs together and he grins as I spin in his grasp and wrap my arms around his neck. “I love you anyway. Thanks for taking me out tonight. I really needed it.”
“Of course,” he says, nodding. “You ready to go now?”
I grab my black leather jacket off the chair in the corner and turn back to him as I nod. He smiles, running a hand through his hair, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes and I scowl as he takes my hand and leads me out to the living room. Ever since he got back today, he’s been a little off. Not as bad as he was when he first found out about Nicholas but still, something is bugging him. As much as I want to pry, I decide to leave it alone as we walk outside and he opens the door of the truck for me. I climb in and he does the same right after me, pulling me close to his side as he starts the truck.
“Would you prefer I just sit on your lap?” I tease and he grins.
“Depends… you wearing panties under that ridiculously short dress?”
I smile as he backs out of the driveway. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Shit. You telling me you aren’t? Cause I swear to God, woman, I will take you back inside and spank your ass. No way in hell, you’re wearing a dress that short and going commando. You’ve lost your goddamn mind.”
“Go,” I demand as I laugh, pointing to the main road and he stares at me with a scowl on his face.
“Son of a bitch. I can’t tell if you’re telling me the truth or not.”
I shrug. “Guess you’ll just have to go to the restaurant and maybe you’ll find out later.”
He pouts like a child as he turns back toward the road and pulls the truck out onto it. I bite my lip to fight off the fit of giggles his expression inspires as I turn away from him. He hates it now but he’ll be wondering all through dinner and it will just make tonight that much hotter. By the time we reach the restaurant, his mood hasn’t improved and my lip throbs from all the biting I had to do to keep my laughter at bay. He parks the truck before turning to me.
“I need to know,” he growls, trying to slip his hand up my thigh and I laugh as I twist away from him and push his hand away.
“You’re just going to have to be patient.”
Grumbling, he opens the door and jumps out before pulling me out along with him. As I stand in front of him, he glances down my body and shakes his head as heat fills his gaze. Meeting my eyes again, he grabs a piece of my hair between his fingers and brushes it out of my face before he cups my cheek.
“Fuck. You are gorgeous, baby.”
Warmth flushes through me as I grab his hand and my eyes close. “Noah.”
“Shall we?” he asks and I open my eyes as he gestures to the same restaurant where he crashed my date with Mason. I roll my eyes.
“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
Closing the door of the truck, he wraps an arm around my waist as he shrugs and flashes me a grin that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “It seemed fitting.”
“Mm-hmm,” I hum, studying him as we walk into the lobby and he talks to the hostess. She grabs a couple menus and motions for us to follow her through the busy dining room. Stopping by a table in the back, not far from the one Mason and I shared on t
he night Noah barged in on us, she turns to us and smiles while waiting for us to sit down. After we’re seated across from each other, she sets a menu down in front of each of us and fills our water glasses before leaving. I slip my jacket off and prop my elbows up on the table as I meet his gaze.
His brow arches as it falls down my body. “You should put that jacket back on.”
“Bite me,” I argue, shaking my head and he grins.
“All in good time, babe.” He’s flirting again and saying all the right things but there’s just something off about him and I can’t put my finger on it. Just when I’m about to ask, the waiter approaches our table.
“Good evening, folks. I’m Julio and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Can I get you started with some wine or appetizers?”
I order a glass of wine and some kind of potato appetizer on the menu and Julio turns to Noah, who just orders a whiskey. My eyes widen.
“Uh, what the hell is up with you tonight?” I ask as soon as Julio walks away and Noah sighs, shaking his head.
“Nothing.”
My eyes narrow. “Liar.”
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s about the run I went on today.”
“Okay,” I prompt with a frown as he shifts in his seat as stress etches itself onto his face. Where the hell is my arrogant, playful man?
“She was Biche’s girlfriend… or captive… shit, I don’t know what to call her.”
I suck in a breath. “What?”
“I know, baby,” he answers with a nod. Julio stops by with our drinks and as soon as he sets Noah’s whiskey down in front of him, he drinks half of it. Julio’s surprised gaze flicks to mine and I grimace.
“Maybe just keep those coming, okay?”
He nods, understanding dawning on his face. “Ah, one of those days, huh?”
“Yeah.”
He nods in agreement before leaving us again and Noah runs his hand through his hair again. I reach across the table and grab his other hand.
“Tell me what happened.”
He sighs. “When I went outside, everyone was waiting for me at the end of the driveway. They told me that Sammy, that’s her name, had first reached out for help a while back but when they tried to get her, she’d disappeared.”
“You think he found out about the plan?” I ask and he shrugs.
“Honestly, I have no idea but we rushed over there today to free her and she told us that she’d met Biche four years ago and they dated for a month before he convinced her to move in with him and that’s when he went from sweet guy to total psycho.”
I nod.
“He didn’t allow her out very much and if he did, she had to take guards with her, cut her off from her family, and didn’t even allow her to have a phone. She walked into their relationship willingly but then she became a prisoner.”
“That’s awful,” I whisper, imagining being in that hell for four years and I shudder. Noah sucks in a breath.
“That’s not even the worst part. He also convinced her to get plastic surgery by playing off her insecurities and saying he wanted her to feel as beautiful as he thought she was.”
I shake my head as tears sting my eyes, my heart aching for this woman I’ve never met.
“Apparently, he went behind her back and changed the plan with the plastic surgeon to make her how he wanted her.”
“Holy shit,” I whisper as I wipe a tear from my cheek. “That’s just…”
“The thing is, babe… She looked just like you. All that surgery was to make her your twin because he’s that damn obsessed with you.”
Before I can respond, movement behind Noah catches my attention and I glance up as an ice cold feeling of dread rushes through my body and my eyes widen.
“Oh my God.”
He shakes his head. “I know it’s fucked up, baby, but you don’t have to worry about…”
“Noah,” I hiss, squeezing his hand. Noah’s eyebrows draw together in confusion for just a second before he follows my gaze and starts to look over his shoulder but it’s already too late. Oliver Ford slips into the seat next to him and grins at me, his toxic gaze tracing the curves of my body.
Fuck.
I wish I hadn’t worn this dress.
“Evening, you two.”
Noah jerks, his gaze flying to him before he stands up, almost knocking his chair over in the process.
“Sit down, Henn,” Oliver whispers, his voice calm and collected but the anger in his eyes gives him away. “We wouldn’t want to draw a scene, would we?”
Noah glances around the dining room as a few other diners turn their attention to us and he mutters a curse as he rounds the table and takes the seat next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“Aw, isn’t this a pretty picture,” he quips, his lip curling back in disgust before he focuses on me. “It’s damn good to see you again though, Kady. You’re lookin’ real good.”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” Noah growls, his grip on me tightening and Oliver laughs.
“What are you going to do, LeBlanc? You put even one finger on me and you’ll get sent straight back to jail. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I don’t give a shit if I go back as long as I get to kill you first,” Noah vows and I gasp as I grab his other hand and squeeze it. Oliver laughs as he leans back in his chair.
“Just try. I’d honestly love to watch as my guys blow you away.”
My gaze floats around the dining room and I notice at least five men that I didn’t see before, all watching us intently and when I glance at Noah, he nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He starts typing out a message to Blaze and Oliver slams his hand on the table to get our attention again.
“Texting your brothers?” he sneers. “Excellent. I need to have a word with your president. Seems y’all took something that belongs to me. Unless, of course, you’re willing to replace her.”
Noah’s jaw tightens. “Not a chance in hell and she doesn’t belong to you. In fact, she called us begging for help to leave your pathetic ass, same as my girl did. What does that say about you, Oli? You can’t seem to keep a girl to save your life.”
“You motherfucker,” he growls, glowering at us from across the table. “Is it really such a good idea to taunt me? Maybe I’ll just decide to take back the one I really want.”
His gaze falls on me and a chill sweeps through my body as my stomach churns and my hands start to shake. I can never go back there. I’d rather die.
“Fucking try, asshole.”
Julio stops by the table with another whiskey for Noah and he stops short, his gaze bouncing between the three of us.
“Do we need another menu?” he asks warily and I shake my head.
“No, just the check, please.”
Oliver pulls out his wallet. “No, allow me.”
“Absolutely not,” Noah growls, his muscles impossibly taunt as he holds me closer and I lay my hand on his knee, trying to calm him. Julio looks between the three of us again before holding up his hand and shaking his head.
“You know what, it’s on the house. Y’all have a good night.”
Noah stands and pulls me to my feet as I grab my jacket and force a smile to my face.
“Thank you so much,” I tell Julio, slipping him a twenty-dollar bill and he nods.
“Have a good evening, folks.”
Oliver grins and winks as Noah and I step away from the table, pointing a finger gun in our direction that feels far more threatening than it ever has before. “See y’all around.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kady
“Oliver, please,” I beg, tears streaming down my face as I struggle against his grip. He drags me from the bedroom, through the living room, and into the kitchen. My eyes lock onto the rope looped around each leg of the table and I whimper as I shake my head. My heart thunders in my chest and when I start to fight him harder, he smacks me across my face.
“Do as you’re told, sweetheart,”
he growls, the last of his patience slipping away as he meets my eyes and I wince. God, I hate when he calls me “sweetheart”. His nostrils flare and he wraps his fingers around my throat before wrestling me onto the top of the dining room table. Two loops of rope are quickly secured around my ankles before he moves to my hands and ties them down, too. My heart pounds and sweat trickles down the side of my face as he double checks the knots before turning away from me and lighting one of the burners on the stove.
A chill sweeps through me as my stomach churns violently. I start shaking my head and pulling at my ropes as tears streak down the sides of my face.
“Oliver, whatever you’re thinking of doing. Please don’t.”
He pulls a long metal rod with a “B” on the end out of his bag on the counter before turning back to me as he twirls it between his fingers. “What do you remember about last night, Kady?”
“You came home from work,” I whisper, my mind racing over the events of last night. “And we had dinner before watching some TV…”
And then you raped me again.
“And then?” he asks, arching a brow.
“We had sex.”
He shakes his head as he moves the end of the rod over the flame. “No, Kady. After that.”
“We went to sleep?”
“Yes, and do you know what happened after we went to sleep?”
I stare at him as he twirls the rod over the flame, searching for the answer he wants but I’m coming up empty. Shaking my head, I look back at the ceiling.
“I don’t know.”
His lip curls in disgust as he looks over his shoulder at me. “You were crying in your sleep again last night. You called out his name.. again and again and again.” He turns back to the stove. “So now I have to do something to always remind you who you belong to.”