“Just you fucking wait until he gets here,” I snarled as I tried to wriggle out of his hold. “Trust me, Weston isn’t someone to mess with.”
Void just grunted and nodded to Tilly. “I’ll get you your phone back to you as soon as we know she didn’t do anything else to it.”
“Void, you’ve always been a bastard, but this is a new low, even for you,” Tilly snapped, frowning with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Don’t ask for trouble, Tilly. This isn’t a matter you want to get involved in. Tell Mutt I said hey,” he added as he dragged me out of the house.
Once we were out on the road, I made my move, kicking out his left knee. He loosened his grip, needing both his hands so he didn’t eat dirt. Knowing I couldn’t run, I decided to just take out my frustration on him instead. I leaped onto his back and put him in a chokehold, wrapping my legs around his middle. I squeezed my arm around his neck as tight as I could as he rolled us over so he was laying on top of me, pressing me into the ground. He reached back and grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled, making me hiss in pain.
“That’s a fucking chick move, dickface,” I growled.
Rolling once more so we were both on our sides, I felt him rummaging in his pocket for something. Then when I saw his phone, I released him and shoved away so I could spring to my feet. I wasn’t going to let that bastard taser me because I got the drop on him. Lunging over him, I grabbed for his phone and knocked it out of his hands, but he grabbed my legs and flipped me back. The thud my body made slamming into the dirt would have made any wrestler proud. Any air that I had in my lungs came whooshing out, leaving me stunned for a moment. Void loomed over me with a wicked grin on his face, his icy blue eyes alight with the challenge.
“Chick move or not, it always does the trick,” Void wheezed. “Seems like our little demon is upset about something? I’ll play, let’s see what you got.”
Letting out a snarl, I rolled so I could get to my feet and faced off with Void. I tilted my neck side to side, checking to see how hard I hit, but it wasn’t the worst I’d experienced. Seeing Void’s stance made me think of the MMA poster that he had in his room. I gave him a knowing grin that seemed to make him curious—I had the upper hand now that I knew what type of fighting he was trained in.
“Let’s make this more interesting. If I win, then I get to go free,” I said, raising a challenging brow at him.
“Ah, little demon, you know I can’t do that. Ask for something else,” Void countered.
“Fine. Then I get to go shopping for my own clothes and you assholes have to pay for it all,” I said, knowing they had no idea. Even if I didn’t usually choose to buy designer clothes, my best friend had taught me well.
“That I can work with. Now, if I win, you have to stay with us for a month without trying to escape,” Void said, shocking the shit out of me.
“What happens after that month?” I asked, knowing that they could be planning on killing me if I wouldn’t give them what they wanted or if Tricks never came for me.
Void just shrugged. “Who knows, but I can guarantee that during that month you will be treated like a guest and be well provided for. You will be free to roam where you like on the compound, but the tracker stays.”
“Fuck it. Not like I’m gonna lose anyway,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Any rules?”
“Such confidence, little demon. I like it.” Void gave me a smile that was mostly teeth. “No rules. Give me all you got.”
No rules—what a rookie mistake. If there was one thing I excelled in with hand-to-hand, it was fighting dirty.
Void and I faced off, crouching as I bounced on the balls of my bare feet, having kicked off my flip flops. I could see that he favored Muay Thai as he placed his right leg forward with his weight on his left, ready to strike. Being small, I needed to move faster, and Kung Fu was more my jam. Void struck first, leaping forward with his knee and left fist. I ducked under his punch and grabbed his ankle, pulling it out straight and knocking him off balance. He tumbled to the ground and rolled so he could hop up on his feet.
Curling in, he fell more into a boxing stance, watching me as I circled him. Watching his body for any sign that he was going to attack, I made my move. Darting forward, I kicked out low, then jumped and aimed a shot at his head. Moving faster than I thought he could, his hand snapped out and grabbed my ankle, tossing me away from him. Thudding to the ground, I skidded, just missing getting slammed into a tree.
“You must have a death wish, Void,” I threatened as my anger grew.
As I got to my feet, I grabbed a handful of dirt and charged straight for Void’s chest. Twisting to slide between his legs, I flung the dirt into his eyes and kneed his balls as I went through. Void roared but kicked out behind him, catching me on the cheek, making my eyes blur. Scrabbling, I tried to get to my feet, but Void was on me, wrapping me up in some crazy Jiu Jitsu hold that no matter how I moved I couldn’t get free from. I didn’t have the body strength to win at wrestling.
Rolling so I was looking up at the setting sun, Void’s chest was heaving under me, letting me know I hadn’t made this easy on him. I wriggled around, not willing to give up just yet. Void let out a groan, but it had nothing to do with pain and all to do with his dick hardening under my ass.
“Little demon, I will fuck you up against a tree in front of everyone, or you could admit your defeat,” Void growled in my ear, sending shivers through my body.
Making his point further, he plucked at one of my nipples and let his teeth run along the shell of my ear.
“What is it with you guys going all caveman on me when I fight back?” I grumbled, remembering how Eagle ended up fucking me against the bathroom counter.
“Might have something to do with this sexy little demon who feels the need to fight us on everything. Not many people would dare pick a fight with the leaders of the Phantom Saints,” Void said as he started to nip down my neck and take my breast in hand.
As much as I wanted to fight him, I couldn’t when all I wanted to do was beg him not to stop. I arched into his hands, demanding more from them as I let out a whimper. The moment Void felt the fight drain out of me, he let me go and got to his feet.
Surprised by the change in mood, I wasn’t prepared when he grabbed me and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Do I even want to ask?” a strange male asked.
Void just laughed and patted my ass. “Nothing all that interesting. Just picking up our little demon from hanging out with Tilly.”
“Oh, is this the famous woman who has been wreaking havoc amongst the leadership?” The man chuckled.
I pushed up, trying to get a glimpse of who Void was talking to, but a sharp smack to my ass had me flopping against his back. “She would be the one. I apologize if anything she said to Tilly got her upset, but she needs to know that we are doing what is best for the club and that she should keep her opinion to herself.”
The man groaned. “Great! Thanks for letting your hellion get my old lady all heated. Do you have any idea how long it’s going to take me to calm her down, if I even can? Gator is so much better at dealing with that side of her.”
“Sorry Mutt, we thought that having her make friends would settle her down a bit. Seems that might have backfired.” Void shifted me as I started to wriggle off his shoulder.
“Void, you better not be telling my husband that we can’t be friends! I expect to be able to spend some quality bonding time with that woman you have tossed over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes,” Tilly called from her porch, hand on her hips.
“Please don’t make this harder on me,” Mutt whispered to Void.
“If she keeps to her end of the deal, then there shouldn’t be any problem with you ladies spending time together,” Void said to Tilly over his shoulder.
Tilly just harrumphed and turned on her heel, slamming her front door.
“Wish me luck—I’m going in,” Mutt said with a sigh.
“If you need a d
rink, our door is always open.” Void clapped him on the back, and we headed off.
I let the silence hang between us as I decided what my next move was going to be. I had lost the fight. Did I really intend to hold my end of the deal up? Could I volunteer to stay here for a month?
Why the hell was I even thinking this was a possibility? I had a business to run and asses to beat. There was shit going on in the Hidden Empire, and I needed to be there to do my part.
“Did I break you? You’re awfully quiet,” Void said, jostling me with his shoulder.
“What did dear Weston say to you on the phone?” I asked, curious if he would even tell me.
“Did you teach him how to threaten people or is he that creative on his own?” Void mused as he set me down on the first step of the porch.
I raised a brow at Void as he kept his hands on my hips. “I would say that I started his education, but he took it to heart and really learned the finer aspects of dishing out threats.”
Void raised a hand and let his thumb brush over the cheek that he kicked with his biker boot. It hadn’t bothered me, but now that he’d reminded me about it, I could feel how swollen it was getting.
“Swelling isn’t too bad, but you’re going to have one hell of a bruise,” he said, caressing my jawline as he dropped his hand.
“Damn, Void, you’re about to be in major trouble when Eagle sees that,” Cognac said, appearing in the front yard.
Void just grunted and headed up the steps, leaving me with the smiling wet dream—literally. He was in swim trunks, and his skin was still wet and glistening in the fading sunlight. He took his towel and wiped off his face before throwing it over a shoulder, but that still left his bronze abs for me to gawk at.
“Careful. You’re starting to drool, loba,” Cognac said, leaning in close as he passed me. “Come on, dinner should be about ready.”
“Where is there a POOL?!” I finally managed to ask once he wasn’t in my direct line of sight.
Cognac turned and lifted a finger to his full lips. “It’s a secret. We only tell a select few people about our hidden oasis.”
“You mean the compounds pool behind the garage?” Sprocket said, wrapping an arm around my waist and herding me up the last few steps. “Don’t believe a word this idiot says, there is a huge inground pool just out back. Once we get you something you can swim in, you can check it out for yourself.”
“Oh, so you just want to see me in an itty-bitty bikini, hmm?” I taunted.
Sprocket paused and frowned down at me. “On second thought, shorts and a t-shirt would be better.”
My brows shot up as I gave him a wide-eyed look. “Seriously?”
Sprocket leaned in until I could feel the heat of his breath along my neck. “No one but us gets to see your delectable little body.”
Frozen in place, I watched him disappear into the house. “What the fuck is going on?”
After getting hung up on by whichever of the biker trash that was holding Dax, I chucked my phone against the wall. It shattered, flying into a million pieces as I let out a roar of anger. I paced back and forth in my office, which was filled with all the equipment I used to monitor the Hidden Empire, knowing it wouldn’t do me any damn good to get Dax back. I knew where she was and who was holding her, but I couldn’t find a way to get her out without starting an all-out war with one of the biggest biker gangs on the West Coast.
I ran over our brief conversation again, trying to see if she had left me any more clues to get her out. Together we had made backup plans for almost any scenario, but the Phantom Saints had played on my cockiness. Never once had I thought I would let her get taken—it was my job to keep her safe and watch her back.
They put a fucking shock collar on her!
The sound of my second cell went off, letting me know it was something to do with Empire business. Only Dax had the number to the cell I destroyed.
“What,” I snapped. There was a pause on the line before they spoke.
“Wes, we can’t get ahold of Dax, and we got a big problem.” It was Brian, one of Dax’s men.
“Are you going to tell me what the problem is, or do I have to guess?” I asked, unable to hold back my irritation.
Out of the two of us, Dax was the volatile one. I kept my cool for the both of us, but having her taken from me was proving to be my undoing.
“Right. Sorry, Wes. It seems that the De León cartel is claiming that Dax killed their son while he was in L.A. on vacation. They’re saying that if we don’t hand her over, they will make moves against us.”
“How the fuck am I just hearing about this now?!” I yelled into the phone. “This is not the sort of thing that we should be blindsided with.”
“I just found out myself. Dax was my first call, but her phone went right to voicemail, so I called you. They tortured Jeff and sent his body back with their demands,” Brian blurted, the panic clear in his voice.
This information froze me. If they were able to get Jeff, Dax’s other right-hand man, then there was already a mole in our organization. The timing of Dax being taken and this going down couldn’t be coincidental—it was too perfect. The biggest threat anyone faced getting to Tricks was that pink-haired, hell on wheels enforcer.
“Thank you for giving me this information. Where is Jeff’s body now?” I asked, slipping into my computer chair.
“He was dumped out back of the tattoo shop, but when I got a call about it, I took him to the main warehouse by the pier. Should I call Brenda and let her know what happened?” Brian asked.
I rubbed my forehead as I thought this through. “No, give me until tomorrow before we say anything. We need to keep this as quiet as possible. There’s no telling who the leak could be.”
“You got it boss. Oh, is Dax with you? It’s just odd I couldn’t reach her.”
“She’s not with me at the moment, but I know where she is. When I pick her up, I’ll make sure to fill her in on what’s going on,” I said, determination flooding my veins.
It was midnight by the time I pulled up to the warehouse that Brian dropped the body off at. Cutting the engine to my bike, I hung my helmet on the handlebar before getting off. The two guards stationed at the door nodded to me as one entered the code and opened the door to let me in. The building was quiet other than the clanking of my boots against the metal walkway to the cold storage area, and the only light was from the intermittent emergency floor lights.
When I reached the door at the end of the hall, I pulled out my key card and swiped it, then entered the passcode. The door slid open, and I descended down a flight of steps into an open room filled with crates full of contraband. Some were our own, others were product that we were moving for other clients. Reaching the large walk-in freezer, I pulled out my keys and unlocked the padlock, then unlatched the door. I placed the padlock back, blocking the latch from engaging again. Flicking on the light, I found a table with Jeff’s body laying on it.
The poor bastard was hardly recognizable with how much they’d worked him over. If I hadn’t already known who I was looking at, I wasn’t sure I would have been able to figure it out. He was naked, blood covering his body from where they’d carved AN EYE FOR AN EYE into his torso. His eyes had also been removed, just in case we didn’t get the first message. Brian had already sent me a picture of the note that was jammed down his throat.
‘We seek retribution for Benny. Give us Dax or be ready to lose everything.’
If the De León cartel thought Two Tricks would hand over one of his people to keep himself safe, they had another thing comin’—Tricks didn’t bow to threats. The cartel didn’t like how big the Hidden Empire had gotten, but they had no reason to outright challenge us, being on the East Coast. Seemed now their plan was to make shit up and start a war, whether we liked it or not.
Knowing Dax my whole life, I knew that she would never kill someone without just cause. She also wouldn’t have gotten caught doing it. Dax might be wild, but if she let you in her huge hea
rt, her love was astounding. I clenched my hands into fists as my anger at her being taken from me bowled over me.
I’d been in love with that woman my whole life, but she had made it clear that she would never settle down, that she thought love was foolish and made you do stupid things. All she wanted was loyalty, to trust you would never turn your back on her. She may not have seen that my loyalty came with my heart, but she had both, and now that she was ripped from my side, I couldn’t seem to think straight.
This wasn’t a problem I could manage on my own. I needed her by my side. Her wicked mind would be able to figure out how to fix this; my world was behind the scenes putting her plan into action. The Hidden Empire and Two Tricks wouldn’t be where they were today without Dax dealing with shit like this. Spinning on my heel, I marched out of the freezer and locked it up once again.
It was time to do something drastic and get my girl back where she belonged.
The sound of someone knocking on my door made me groan and roll over, pulling my pillow over my head. When nothing followed, I assumed the person who was disturbing my sleep had left, but I was not so lucky. Moments later, my door was opened—even though I was pretty sure I’d locked it—followed quickly by my covers being ripped off me.
“What the fuck?!” I cried, tossing my pillow in the direction that I thought the offender would be as I cracked my eyes open.
“Loba, that is not a nice way to greet someone,” Cognac said, grinning at me.
I growled at him as he placed the pillow on the foot of my bed and walked over to open my blinds.
“What is with you people and being awake so early?” I muttered, rubbing my face with my hands.
Cognac reached out and ruffled my hair, grinning down at me. “How do you know it’s early? There is no clock in this room.”
Slapping his hand away, I glowered at him. “Trust me, my internal clock is never wrong. I bet it’s sometime before ten o’clock.” Cognac blinked at me, surprised, telling me that I was right. “Is there a reason that you’re waking me up, or are you just a sadist who enjoys pissing me off?”
Two Tricks (Hidden Empire Book 1) Page 10