Rust

by J. M. Walker

  “Hot,” Stone grumbled. “Fucking hot.”

  I smiled, sitting back in my chair and blew him a kiss.

  He smirked, shaking his head.

  “Okay.” The woman looked at each of us. “Well, I ...”

  Something struck me as odd. The woman who did the talking kept looking behind her at the little one who had eyes that hid stories. Interesting. “Wait.” I stood from the chair and walked up to the girls.

  “Creena?” Brogan said. “What are you doing?”

  “Trust me,” I told her. “Why don’t you step back in line and let the president of your puppet club or whatever you’re calling yourselves, speak. It’s not you, is it?” I asked the taller woman who spoke for the three of them.

  Her cheeks reddened, her brows narrowing in the center. “I—”

  “It’s me,” the smaller woman of the bunch said. She stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on her friend’s arm. “This is my fault. I couldn’t think of a better approach so I stayed back while Missy here did the talking.” Her hard gaze met mine. “That won’t happen again.” She nodded to Brogan. “I also know that she isn’t the president of your club, either.”

  “How do you know that?” I asked, crossing my arms under my chest.

  “Because she keeps looking to the rest of you for reassurance.” She raised her hand when resounding grumbles came from the group. “Listen, I’m not here to cause shit. I need your help. That’s the truth.”

  “Maybe we should call Jay,” I told Brogan, sitting back in my chair.

  “Yeah,” Brogan mumbled, lifting her phone to her ear. “Jay, we got a situation.”

  “Listen to me.” The smaller woman knelt at my feet and cupped my hands. “I’m desperate. I can’t go back there. I can’t go back to them.”

  “Uh ...” My stomach tumbled. Was this woman seriously submitting to me right now? “I ...”

  “Sit,” Stone said, pushing a chair toward her. “Unless otherwise directed ahead of time, we are equals here. No one submits to anyone unless they want to.”

  She nodded and sat in the chair. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”

  I glanced at Stone. Memories of my own submission to him slid back into the forefront of my mind.

  His gaze hardened, the muscles in his jaw ticking.

  I gulped, looking back at the tiny woman sitting in front of me. Stone was pissed. “It’s fine. We’re just not that type of group.”

  The woman nodded, ringing her hands in her lap.

  Lian handed her a bottle of water. “You need to tell us what happened.”

  She looked around her, her gaze eventually finding mine and then Brogan’s. “I’ll talk. But only to you two. My girls have to stay.”

  “Like fuck.” Coby took a step forward. “I’m not leaving my girlfriend alone with you.”

  “Please,” the woman scoffed. “Your girlfriend could kick my ass and I’m too tired to fight back. Nothing will happen.”

  “Coby.” Brogan grabbed his arm and turned him toward her, muttering softly to him.

  “Fine,” he said a moment later. “But I’m standing outside the room.”

  “I wouldn’t expect any different.” The woman sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I just need safety. That’s all.”

  Stone gave my shoulder a light squeeze and leaned down to my ear. “I don’t care if she’s a woman. She hurts you and I’ll skin her alive.”

  I shivered, swallowing hard. I patted his hand. “Brogan and I got this, baby boy. I promise.”

  “We’ll be right outside this room.” He cupped my face, placing a hard peck on my mouth. “We’ll talk later about that little act.”

  “You know that wasn’t my fault,” I told him, not caring in the least if anyone heard our conversation. “It wasn’t like I asked her to kneel at my feet.”

  “I don’t give a fuck.” Stone pinched my chin, his mouth grazing my ear. “I’m the only person who submits to you. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, Sir,” I whispered.

  “Good.” He kissed my cheek and followed the guys out of the room.

  “All right.” I turned to the woman once we were alone. “Let’s get this shit over with. I have a large six-foot-five situation to take care of.” And I needed to find out just how deep Stone’s need for BDSM went.

  Brogan smirked, leaning back in her chair. “Likewise.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked the tiny woman sitting cross legged in front of me.

  “Mia,” she whispered.

  “How did you escape?” Her eyes looked everywhere but directly at me. “Hey.” I waved a hand in front of her face. “Tell me.”

  “I don’t want you girls to judge me,” she said, her voice small. No longer was she the woman who barged into our club demanding safety but a woman who had been forced to submit.

  A look passed between Brogan and myself. We were definitely no one to make judgments.

  “Tell us,” Brogan said, sitting forward at the head of the table.

  “I was the first.” Mia blew out a slow breath. “But I was getting too old for them. They like young girls. Girls who have barely hit puberty. Once we reach twenty, we’re considered used up. And when we hit twenty-five ...” She chewed her bottom lip, her chin quivering. “They kill us.”

  “And you’re twenty-five,” I said, ignoring the anxiety twisting through my stomach.

  Mia nodded slowly. “I just turned it. My Master ...” She winced. “I mean ... the man I was sold to ... he ...” Her face paled.

  “He didn’t want to kill her,” Missy added.

  “The man who bought you didn’t actually want to kill you?” I asked, taken aback.

  Mia shook her head slowly. “It’s hard to understand but I don’t think he had much choice in the matter.”

  A headache threatened to pierce my brain.

  “What’s your name?” Brogan asked the other girl who hadn’t said a word since they showed up.

  “Ten.” She gave her head a shake. “Sorry, my name is actually Leigh. Ten is the name my Master gave me because I was the tenth virgin he purchased.”

  “Fuck me.” I shoved to my feet and began pacing back and forth.

  “Continue,” Brogan said gently just as the door opened.

  Jay came into the room and shut the door behind her. “Someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on.”

  The girls shifted where they sat.

  “She’s the president of our club,” I explained. “You can trust her.”

  Mia nodded. “I’m sorry for barging into your club unexpected like this.” She grabbed both Missy and Leigh’s hands, holding them in her lap. These women showed up at the club on bikes which made me wonder just how they got them. The puppet club idea was just a ruse. It was all a lie. Everything was a damn lie.

  “A part of me didn’t want to leave,” Mia explained. “I had been with him for years. I ... love him.”

  Bile rose to my throat over the girl’s confession.

  “Shit.” Brogan blew out a slow breath. “Fucking hell.”

  “Okay,” Jay ignored her. “So how did you escape?’

  “Missy and Leigh helped me. Shit was going down. It was never like this. Yes, I know what they’ve done is wrong.” The woman hesitated. “I think I have Stockholm Syndrome.”

  “No, you don’t,” I told her. “If you did, you wouldn’t know it. You would think every choice was yours and not that you were forced into it.”

  “Oh.” Mia rubbed the back of her neck. “I know I have issues.”

  I sat forward and grabbed her hands, holding them gently in mine. “None of this is your fault.” I looked at each other them. “Do you understand me?”

  They nodded.

  “Thank you.” Mia blew out a slow breath. “The Masters and Mistresses have become more violent. Something is going on. There’s chatter within the Organization.” Mia chewed her bottom lip. “Rumors are going around that there’s a leader we’ve ne
ver met, let alone seen before.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that.

  “So how come you three were the only ones who could get out?” Jay asked, pulling up a chair beside me. “Why not anyone else?”

  “Because we were the strongest and the only ones who weren’t drugged at the time. We had a couple other girls with us but—” Mia’s voice cracked. “They didn’t make it.”

  “So, are you sitting here telling me that people know you left and now they’re after you?” Jay’s hands gripped the arms of her chair. “Are you bringing this shit to my doorstep?”

  “No,” Mia cried. “Not intentionally anyway. Please,” she pleaded. “You have to believe me. We’re only looking for a roof over our heads until we can figure out what we’re doing.”

  “Why us? Why here?” Brogan asked, stopping her pacing. “We’ve never done something like this before. How do you even know we can keep you safe?”

  “I ...” Mia glanced at Missy who only nodded encouragingly. Mia took a deep breath. “There was talk around the compound about a woman who came in with a group of men and left after killing every soul possible. But she also killed the one person who could have brought down this organization.”

  “Who?” Jay asked, but we all knew the answer.

  “Tina Birtch.”

  “I DON’T TRUST them,” I said quietly. “But I also don’t think it’s right to send them away after everything they’ve been through. And why the hell do they think Tina could have brought down the organization?”

  “Because Tina was a psychotic bitch.” Brogan shrugged, something dark flashing behind her gaze. “Maybe she could have brought down the organization. Maybe she couldn’t. But with Tyler being locked up and all the people we thought were the front runners to this shit being dead, you’d think it would be over.”

  “I agree,” Jay nodded, glancing back at the girls across the room. They talked amongst themselves while Brogan, Jay, and I tried to figure out what the hell to do with them.

  “They can stay here,” Brogan suggested. “There’s only three of them. We do have enough rooms. Maybe having a safe house for these victims isn’t such a bad idea. They can stay here while they’re traveling.” She placed a hand on Jay’s arm, getting her attention. “You do want to make a difference.”

  “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “Maybe my sister would want to help with it. Because there is no way we can do this on our own.”

  Jay’s sister had been taken several years ago, much like these girls in the room with us. But these girls asked for help. Violet didn’t. Not until she lost part of herself and was forced.

  I placed a gentle hand on Jay’s arm. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

  “How did you find out where we were?” Jay asked the girls.

  “People talk,” Missy answered. “It’s no secret your club has made a name for itself. You” —she pointed at Brogan— “killed Tina. That shit gets around.”

  Brogan crossed her arms under her chest. “I didn’t do shit.”

  Amusement flashed in Missy’s gaze. “I know nothing.”

  “Good.” Brogan nodded. “Let’s keep it that way.”

  “You girls can stay here but don’t expect to stay here for free. I’m not your maid. I expect you to clean up after yourself and help where needed,” Jay told them before looking back at Brogan. “We’ll renovate and put an addition on the club. We’ll make it official. Get them off the street.”

  “I can talk to some people I work with at the hospital, see if they would volunteer their time in making sure the victims get healthy. Whatever medical assistance they need,” I added. But something still didn’t sit right with me. I understood these girls needing a place to stay but what was going on within the Organization that they could get out so easily. “I need to ask since you never really answered our question. How did you get out?”

  Mia slumped onto the couch, ringing her hands in her lap. “I got lucky. The other night during roll call, I was able to get a knife from the kitchen. I killed my Master and escaped my room.”

  “So, you killed your Master even though you loved him?” I sat forward, kind of in awe of this tiny woman sitting in front of me.

  “It’s what all of us did,” Missy interjected. “We had enough and decided it was time to fight back. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way for a lot of us.”

  “But you loved him,” I repeated. I would never understand the whole loving your captor thing but I also loved my brother and he was an asshole. In a way, I got it.

  Mia looked down at her hands. “Yeah. But I also wanted to survive. It’s not just me I’m looking out for anymore,” she said, placing a hand on her stomach.

  I nodded in understanding. I couldn’t imagine bringing a baby into that world.

  “Okay.” Jay rubbed the back of her neck. “I can understand not wanting to raise a child in that type of situation. There’s food in the kitchenette down the hall to the right. There’s a gym at the back of the club. The bar is stocked with all different kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The security is like Fort Knox in this place so you’re safe. People come and go as they please. Vice-One, those guys who were in here before, are Navy SEALs. You are protected. Do you have a cell phone?”

  The girls shook their heads.

  Brogan went to the filing cabinet, punched a code into the keypad and opened the doors before pulling out three burner phones. “One for each of you. Be careful who you call, though.” She handed a phone to each of the girls. “Because I will find out.”

  “Oh, and we have a basement but you don’t want to go down there.” Jay grinned. “Because once you do, you’ll never make it out.”

  Brogan rolled her eyes. “It’s not that bad.”

  Jay raised an eyebrow. “Get them in your chair and it will be.”

  “Listen,” Brogan huffed, ignoring her. “Treat us good and we’ll treat you the same. Also, all of the guys here are off limits. Even the two who never leave each other’s sides. So, if I see any of you trying to hit on them, you’ll wish you were back at the Organization. Do you understand me?”

  The girls nodded quickly.

  “Good.” Brogan cracked her knuckles. “Now I need to go find my man and hit something.”

  ***

  (Stone)

  “I don’t like this,” I mumbled, pacing back and forth. “I don’t like this one fucking bit.”

  “They’re strangers,” Coby said, leaning against the wall. “They show up out of nowhere because who the fuck knows why and expect us to help them.”

  “This shit isn’t sitting well with me.” I looked around the room. “Where’s Angel?”

  “Outside I imagine.” Coby crossed his arms under his chest and leaned against the wall.

  “It’s like one big fucking party,” I muttered.

  “Our girls got this.” Coby pushed off the wall and closed the distance between us before cupping my nape. “You need to chill the fuck out.”

  I met his dark gaze, opened my mouth to give him a smart-ass comment, but decided against it when I saw the glimmer of fear in his eyes. “Will that ever go away?” I asked, my voice low enough for only him to hear.

  “What?” His eyes searched my face.

  “Fear.”

  Coby looked away, his jaw clenching. “Don’t worry about it, brother.”

  “Did you see her?” Lian asked, sitting on the stool by the bar across from us.

  “What do you mean?” If he was referring to the woman who submitted to Creena, I sure as shit saw that. I knew it was innocent but it still pissed me the fuck off.

  “Jealous?” Henley countered, joining his best friend.

  My mouth opened and closed before I let out a hard huff. “No one submits to my girl. Not like that. Not ...” Fuck. I had no idea what I was even saying. Was I jealous?

  “We get it,” Lian said, nodding toward the door. “Don’t be jealous over
it, though.”

  “He’s right,” Henley added. “Something happened and that girl’s been trained. She’s been forced to submit. It’s probably how she’s still alive. How they’re all still alive.”

  “Who knows what happened to them,” Coby muttered.

  The air surrounding us became thick. The questions on what the hell happened to these girls hung over our heads.

  “I need to take Creena out of here,” I said, more to myself than to anyone specific.

  Coby’s jaw clenched, his dark eyes finding mine. “I have to do something for Brogan.”

  Suddenly the door opened, revealing Creena. She came toward me. “I need you.” She grabbed my hand, leading me down the hallway to her room.

  “What’s wrong?” As much as I wanted to give her whatever she needed, I had to know what the hell was going on.

  Creena pulled me into her room and shut the door behind me.

  “What’s going on?” I asked again.

  Much to my surprise, she wrapped her arms around my middle, squeezing me and rubbing her face into my chest.

  “Creena,” I whispered, running my fingers through the hair at her nape. My heart stuttered.

  “These women ...” She shivered, pulling away from me and began pacing back and forth. “It’s not fair, Stone.” Her gaze met mine. Her eyes shone, her breath catching. “It’s not.”

  I went to her and pulled her back in my arms.

  “I want to kill them all. Every single one of them who hurt those girls and boys. I wish Tina was still alive so I could kill her myself. Brogan and Coby.” Her voice cracked, her words muffled by my shirt.

  I didn’t know what to say or do so I just held her. She was right. It wasn’t fair. None of this shit was but if we could bring down at least one organization, it was a start.

  “Stone,” she whispered, gripping the fabric of my hoodie tight. “Vince.”

  My heart jumped over her using my first name. I cradled her face and placed a soft peck on her mouth. “None of this is fair. It’s not. And with Brogan and Coby, they’re strong. They will make it past this.”

  “It’s been six months.” Creena cupped my hands. “Will this shit ever end?”