by Bella Jewel
I exhale, running a hand through my hair. My shoulders are tight, my fucking body is telling me that I’m about to lose my god damned shit because there is too much going on right now.
“I hear you, and I’ll look into it. But right now, I gotta put the club first. Right now, I gotta focus on bringin’ this mother fucker down. Then, and only then, can I look into other people that may be involved in this.”
I already have one that I need to find, and that’s Cova.
Now I have to add Aviana to the god damned list.
“Hear you, and I’ll leave it at that.”
He turns to walk out, but I stop him.
“Go and check on Briella for me. I know you’re the one person she’ll talk to in this club. Make sure she’s okay.”
Mykel nods. “Got it.”
Then he’s gone.
Fuck.
I need a stiff drink.
“IT WENT WELL,” ZARIAH says, standing in front of the group of bikers sitting around a table. “He is falling for it, and I happened to overhear him on the phone to someone, I can only hope Dax. He was saying something about another one. I have to guess that other one is Waverly. She put on a hell of a show.”
“Won’t be long now, then,” I say. “He’ll take her out there, introduce her to the man himself, and they’ll start brainwashin’ her into believin’ they can give her this amazin’ life somewhere else.”
“Do we have any idea how exactly they do this?”
I do have an idea, but it’s not somethin’ widely known, considerin’ the information came from King and as far as everyone knows, King is dead. I have to tread carefully with how much I’m givin’ away right now.
“I can only guess they’re introducin’ the girls to ‘families’ so to speak. People with nice houses and a lot of money, and all the wonderful things in the world. Those girls think they’re goin’ to live with those people, to have this wonderful life considerin’ they’ve lived such a bad one, and most of the time, this is going to be enough. You have to remember some of these girls are heavy drug users, and so the idea of being provided a life without havin’ to worry, is a big thing for them.”
Zariah nods. “It makes sense. Bennett has been acting extra shady at work. He is keepin’ to himself, which is tellin’ me he’s getting deeper into this.”
“Bennett is already sheathed as far as he can go in this, believe me,” I grunt.
Samson chuckles.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Zariah murmurs. “Either way, we’re on the right track. Now, I have to go and pick up my son.”
I glance at her. “You got a kid?”
She stares at me. “Yes, why? You think I can’t have a career and a kid?”
“How old are you?”
She rolls her eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Now, I have to go. Not all of us have the luxury of living on our own watches.”
“Catch you later, then,” Kendric mutters, and Zariah shoots him a glare that only confirms the two of them dislike each other as much as Waverly and Mykel.
Fuck me.
Would it be too much to ask for everyone to just get the fuck along?
Seems like it.
“You need to teach a few of your members some manners,” Zariah points out.
“They’ve got them,” I say, grinning. “They just choose not to use them around you.”
She shakes her head. “Bikers,” she mutters, before turning and walking out.
She won’t admit it, but she likes them.
How can she not?
They’re fucking legends.
As soon as Zariah has gone, Kendric mutters, “Cops, and bikers, this ain’t goin’ to end well.”
“Finally someone that agrees with me,” Mykel murmurs.
“Okay,” I say, standing. “If you fuckers are goin’ to complain constantly, do it somewhere else, yeah? I got shit to do.”
I turn and walk out of the room and down the hall to my office. As I pass, Maggie, a club whore, passes me and winks. “Do you need some lovin’, Pres?”
I stop and stare at her. “Don’t fuck with me, Maggie. You know I’ve got an old lady, if you want to remain in this club, respect that.”
She pouts and steps closer. “It’s just I heard you two broke up, I thought you might want your dick sucked like old times? We could do it in your favorite spot? The pool table. Or you could eat me out in the kitchen like you did that time. Fuck I miss your mouth, and your cock, too. Though the other guys more than make up for that.”
I step closer to her, and she grins up at me.
“Back up.”
“I’m not trying to cause a scene, I was just offering.”
She shrugs and walks off, and I turn to head back to my office when I see Briella standing in the hallway. The look on her face is one of hurt, and I can understand why. She didn’t need to hear how many times I fucked that bitch, or what I did with her. God knows I don’t want to hear how many men Briella has had.
Her face scrunches and she murmurs, “Here I was coming to see if we could talk, only to find out you’ve got plenty of company.”
“She ain’t my company, Briella. If you missed the part where I told her to get the fuck out, then you weren’t listenin’ hard enough.”
“Oh, I was listening. Loud and clear. I heard absolutely everything you’ve done with her. And here I was thinking we had something special.”
“You’re overreacting.”
I’m grumpy, no fucking doubt about it. I’m tired and I’ve had about enough of people at this point, I don’t need my girl, who is currently not speaking to me, making things worse by bringing up old flames.
“You know I’ve fucked a lot of women, you also know I don’t like talkin’ about it. You know I’m faithful and if you want to live in the past, that’s on you.”
She glares at me and shakes her head. “You know, a little compassion would go a long god damned way right now.”
“Compassion?” I bark at her. “You haven’t given me the time of fuckin’ day to explain a single fuckin’ thing. Now you want fuckin’ compassion?”
Her face hardens. “I knew I shouldn’t have come here.”
“No, you’re right, you shouldn’t have. I don’t need this shit right now.”
She shakes her head and growls, “Fine, then I’ll leave you to it.”
She turns and storms out.
I slam my fist into the wall with a loud bellow.
Fuck this.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck!
13
BRIELLA
After leaving the clubhouse hearing Alarick’s angry bellow, and his fist slamming into the wall, I get in my car and drive. I drive so quickly, hoping that Mykel, who brought me here, won’t get a chance to follow me. No doubt he thinks I’m in talking to Alarick, and I’m hoping I got out quickly enough that he won’t be able to catch up with me even if he does realize I’m gone.
I know what I’m doing is stupid, but my head is spinning, and I feel like I’m going to fucking drown.
I’m done doing the right thing.
Fucking done.
Hearing Maggie go on about how many times she had been with Alarick felt like a knife to the stomach. I get it, we’ve all got a past but right now, in the state I’m in, hearing that made things so much worse for me. I’m sick and tired of feeling the way I’m feeling. I want this to be over, I just don’t know how to finish it.
I drive for a while, through the streets, up and down the roads, just letting my mind run away with me. My phone rings a lot, Alarick mostly, Mykel some. I know they’ve figured out I’m gone, and I know they’re angry, but right now I just don’t fucking care.
I pass the main street and slow down when I see Bennett’s car parked down the side of a building. I stop my car and get out, glancing around before heading toward where his car is parked. I’m curious to see where he is and what he’s doing. I’m in town, so it’s not like he can abduct me o
r anything, right?
His car is incredibly obvious. It’s not a cop car, because he only drives that when he’s at work and obviously right now he’s not at work. The car he drives during his down days is a bright blue, loud, sleek looking thing. I have no idea what brand it is, I just know it sticks out like a sore thumb.
I tip toe down the side street and glance at his car.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I test the doors.
It’s open.
Grinning, I glance around again before climbing into it and gently closing the door. I keep a look out the entire time, but I quickly open his glove compartment and start frantically shuffling through his letters, trying to figure out if there’s anything at all in here I can use. Information. Anything. There isn’t much to go on, but I keep flicking through them anyway.
When I turn again, I see Bennett walking down the side alley straight toward the car. Freaking out, and knowing I can’t climb out, I shove the glove compartment closed. With a pounding heart and shaking hands, I make a rash decision. I slide quickly into the back and tuck myself behind his seat, praying he doesn’t open the back door. I reach for my phone, exhaling when I realize I’ve got it, and quickly turn it on silent just as the car door opens and Bennett slides in the front seat.
Oh, god.
This was a bad fucking idea.
What was I thinking?
I can’t do anything now that’s not going to risk my life, so I stay quiet as he reverses out and then speeds off down the road.
He drives, and he drives.
My whole body aches.
I know my phone will be ringing off the hook right now.
I try not to move, not to breathe, not to do a single thing to make him look back. I’m lucky I’m small enough to fit well behind his seat, and he’s got a few things in the back that sort of slide around and cover me even more, which I’m grateful for.
After what seems like hours, he finally comes to a stop.
My legs are aching, my whole body is stiff, and once he’s out of the car, I exhale just slightly and move. Just enough to peer out the window.
We’re at a house, a large house. An estate. On land.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out we’re at Dax’s estate.
Everything in my body sparks to life as I watch Bennett walk up to the front door and go inside. I glance around, seeing as best I can, and I can see huge security cameras in the lot. Everywhere. They’re covering mostly the house, and they also go off into the direction of the large paddocks that disappear into thick trees.
Shit.
I’m not going to be able to get out of this car without being seen.
I stare down at my phone and see so many missed calls.
If I tell them where I am, they’re going to lose it.
Instead, I take photos.
I take photos of everything I can see from inside the car. Cameras, signs, driveways, paths, gates, anything that might help us if we decide to ever storm this place.
It’s late afternoon, and the sun is starting to set. That’s the only time I can figure I’m going to get out of this place without being seen. There is no way I’m getting out while the sun is still up. I rummage around in Bennett’s car, constantly keeping an eye out to make sure no one is coming. I find a workout bag and open it to find an old sweater, some running shoes, a shirt, shorts, and a tennis racket.
Ew.
I’m going to need that sweater when I finally get out of this car.
If I can cover myself, and run, at least they won’t see my face.
I decide to pull the shirt over my body first, being that Bennett is a bigger man, it covers most of me. Then I pull the sweater on, to make sure I can cover my face, and I wait. I wait, feeling sick to my stomach. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins. I can’t believe I’m here. This is certainly not how I saw my day going.
I thought I could get in and out of his car, not end up being stuck in the back of it and being driven to this hell hole. Now here I am, wondering how the hell I’m going to get out without being caught. Or shot. Or something even more horrible.
I could just wait in this car until he comes out, but what if he doesn’t come out? He decides to stay the night and play whatever horrible games they’re playing in there. It’s already dark, and he hasn’t returned, my guess is he’s probably not going to and by now Alarick will be losing his mind.
I have to go.
I wait another half an hour, deciding not to text Alarick just yet if I don’t have to. If he knows I’m here, he’s going to go crazy. So for now, I just tell him I’m safe and not to worry. That’s not entirely true, because I’m not at all safe, but I don’t want him going on a rampage through the entire town trying to find me. I’ll call him when the time is right, and I know I’m out of here without any issue.
When the sun has fully set, and there is no light around, I decide it’s time to run for it. I have a plan in my head, I looked around thoroughly enough, and can see if I get out and run straight down the driveway, I’m likely to get onto the road eventually where I can call for a ride. I push the car door open and peer out. I know the security cameras are going to pick me up, there is just no way of avoiding it.
I slip out of the car and push the door closed, then, I take a deep breath and I run.
Alarms go off immediately. The moment I’m about five meters away from the car, they start blaring. Panic rushes through my body as I realize what is happening. They’re censored, and I obviously set off an alarm. This sick mother fucker is ensuring no one gets out of his secure little dungeon. Suddenly, I realize maybe I might not be able to get out, either.
Oh god.
This place is fully secured to keep people in.
Am I going to make it out?
Doors slam, I hear four wheeled motorbikes start up, and I know I’ve made a mistake. I should have sat in that car all night if I had to. Getting out was the worst choice I’ve made because now they’re going to hunt me down like a dog and they’re not going to stop until they catch me.
I pick up the pace, trying to swallow down my fear as I run as fast as I can down the dirt road leading to the front gate. The gate that’s probably closed. The gate that I have no idea how I’m going to get through. The four wheelers are speeding down the road now, and I know I’m not getting out of this one without something going terribly wrong. I have to think fast.
And think fast I do.
I circle back around and run back up toward the house, using the thick trees as coverage. They’re going to assume I’m going for the front gate, that’s the logical way out. I’m not.
I stop when the bikes pass me, speeding down toward the gate. And then I run, I run with everything I am back toward the house. Only then do I make a sharp left and barrel through the scrub. I can only hope those bikes won’t get through this thick bushland. That’s my hope, anyway.
I shove through trees, branches scratching and jabbing at my skin. I hit trees, trip over logs, and honestly, I have no damned idea where I’m going. My arms and legs ache from scratches and I can feel blood trickling down my face. I hear shouting, the bikes revving back to life, and I know it won’t be long until they find me. They’re going to catch up soon and when they do, I’m done for.
They’ll have exactly what they need to bring this whole show to a stop.
I reach the fence line and exhale with relief, but only for a second.
It’s high, at least eight feet. There is no way I’m getting over it easily. I can only imagine it’s probably lined with barbed wire or something equally as horrible. I need to think. Fast. Or I’m dead.
There’s a huge tree sitting against it a couple of meters down. I decide that’s the only way I’m getting out, and I start to climb. Luckily for me, it has massive branches and loads of them. I make my way up the tree, panting and puffing, bleeding from god knows where. I get high enough and then risk everything by using my cell phone flashlight to see if I’m going to be able to
get over the fence.
I’m higher than it, but the fall is huge.
It’s not going to feel nice when I hit the bottom.
But it’s that or die.
I find a branch close enough to the large fence, that is indeed barbed wire, crawl out as far as I can, take a deep breath, and then I jump.
The fall is so much worse than I anticipated.
It feels like I drop and drop, with no end in sight. I know it’s going to hurt; I know I’m likely going to break something, but it’s a risk I simply have to take.
I land on the ground so harshly all the wind is knocked out of my lungs. I can’t breathe. For a solid few minutes, I gasp for air and roll around, trying to get my body to work again.
Then comes the pain.
The excruciating pain.
My ribs, my wrist, my leg.
Oh, god.
Someone help.
I LIE ON THE GROUND for far too long, before finally managing to push my body up, through all the pain, and I make myself move forward. Everything hurts, but somehow, I don’t think I’ve broken anything. I push on, needing to get as far away from this place as I can. I walk and I walk, crying in pain, feeling my lungs burn as they try to recover from the incredible fall. My back aches from impact, I’m limping, and I know I’m not going to be able to walk much farther.
Finally, I come to the road. When I reach it, I cross it quickly and go into the bushland on the other side.
I feel a whole lot safer suddenly.
I pull out my phone, and I call Alarick.
I need help. I need to get out of here before they find me.
They’re going to be looking, thankfully for me, hopefully they’re focusing on the property thinking I haven’t escaped.
As soon as they realize I’ve escaped, they’ll come out here.
“Where are you?” Alarick barks when he answers.
“I need your help,” I rasp into the phone, out of breath.
“Briella, where are you?”