Connie pressed her ear to the door and waited. She’d been lurking in the background waiting for her chance to finally get the dirt on the new bitch and it had paid off. She’d been looking for payback since the fight between them. Wiley had told her not to drag it out, but Connie just couldn’t let it go. She’d been waiting and watching over the last few days and keeping track of Cassie’s movements. She had to have her revenge. Which is why when she heard that blood curdling scream earlier, then the bitch had been sobbing, crying her poor little eyes out, she hid until the coast was clear and now she was trying to eavesdrop like a little kid.

They were speaking so softly she could barely hear what they had to say. She did hear something about murder though and that made her smile.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Gator roared from behind her.

Connie spun around and was facing a very irate biker.

Gator towered over her on the best of days and this wasn’t one of the good days for sure. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her back to the main room. His steps were so long she couldn’t keep up. When he stopped in front of Wiley’s table, he tossed her to the floor. “Wiley, you’d better get your bitch under control.” Gator snarled. “Deke would not be happy to know she was listening to a private conversation, especially when the conversation is his. In fact, I can damn well guarantee he ain’t going to like it.”

Wiley got to his feet and stared down at her for a moment.

His face looked blank and Connie knew she wasn’t’ going to like what happened next. Wiley had told her to drop the anger against Cassie. She hadn’t listened and the bitch had beaten her. Wiley told her a second time after the fight to leave it alone and she didn’t listen again.

Wiley had been an all right guy, almost perfect for her needs but lately, she felt him pulling away. Connie loved the fact that she was a biker’s old lady. She’d thought that over time, she could have it all, a ring, a wedding, kids. Wiley had been good to her, maybe even loved her in his own way.

“Wiley, baby…” she began to plead.

Wiley brought his gaze up to Gator. “Toss the bitch out. She ain’t my old lady anymore.”

“Wiley—you can’t mean that?” Connie screamed. “I know you don’t mean it, c-come on baby!”

Wiley grabbed her by the arm and lifted her to her feet. He grabbed the back of her vest and yanked it off her shoulders. Then he tossed her to the ground again. Wiley sat down and to finish his breakfast. He didn’t look at her again.

Gator nodded and with a hand motion, two prospects came forward and each one grabbed one of her arms. They half dragged, half carried her to the main door. Connie was sobbing but no one there lifted a finger to help her.

Wiley got to his feet and followed the men. Just before they opened the door, he called out, “Wait a sec, boys.”

Connie glanced up at him with hope in her eyes. When he reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys, she thought maybe there was something there to save her. Then he turned and walked away, leaving her and she knew it was over.

The prospects walked her all the way out to the front gate. When it opened, they tossed her out. She stumbled and fell to the dirt. They closed the gate behind her and without a word, they walked back to the clubhouse.

Connie lay there in the dirt sobbing. She had just lost everything that ever meant anything to her. She was no longer Wiley’s old lady and without him, she knew she’d never be with anyone from the club again. She’d been with Wiley for two years, she’d taken care of him, lived with him, loved him and now she’d lost him. He’d stripped her of more than just her status when he took her vest. Without her keys, she had no place to go, and no car to drive to get her anywhere.

She quickly checked her back pocket and breathed a sigh of relief. At least, she still had her phone. Knowing she might not have it long, she walked down the road and for the first time in her life, she posted club business on the web. When they had arrived this morning and seen the tiger on the wall of the clubhouse Connie had been stunned.

Everyone had been standing around gazing at the painting. Their remarks had set Connie’s teeth off. She hated that Cassie had shown more talent than she ever had in the few days she’d been with them. Knowing it was against the rules, Connie had sneaked a picture of the tiger. The hard and fast rule was, no one spoke about the club and what went on inside the walls. If you broke that rule, you were as good as dead.

Connie turned and glared at the clubhouse, thanks to the bitch she was as good as dead to the club anyway. She wasted no time in putting the picture on the web. She even asked the question if anyone out there knew the artist. She couldn’t wait to get a response. Carelessly, she tossed the phone into the brush. The phone was under Wiley’s name and she knew he would turn it off in a day or so anyway. She couldn’t count on him to forget about it.

She wasn’t going very far. Connie had one more little trick up her sleeve. She was going to sneak back in when no one else was around and give Cassie one last taste of her revenge. She narrowed her eyes as she remembered Cassie’s soft spoken words about being locked up in the dark.

Deke held Cassie until she’d fallen asleep. Carefully laying her down, he covered her up and leaning over her, he kissed her forehead. He closed the door quietly and glanced at his vice president in surprise. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“We had a problem earlier,” Gator growled. “That bitch Connie was listening at the door. I don’t know what she heard and it ain’t my business to ask but she got an ear full.”

Deke’s rage at the bitch grew. “Where the hell is she?”

“Wiley stripped her of his cut and tossed her dumb ass out the front door.”

Deke thought for a moment then slapped Gator on the shoulder. “You’d better come with me, there’s something we need to talk about.” He led the way to his office. While Deke got out a bottle and poured them a drink, Gator shut the door behind them.

Sitting down on the other side of the desk, Deke lifted his glass and toasted, “Hair of the dog.” They both slammed the whiskey down and Deke poured another. He sat there thinking for a moment. Finally, he said, “Gator, she told me something about her childhood today. It just about gutted me.”

Gator tightened the grip he had on his drink. “You know not every kid has a great time growing up. The world out there can be a harsh place for anybody.”

Deke nodded. “But it shouldn’t have to be for a little kid. No one should have to be beaten every day from three years old on. Her Mom died just before she turned three and her bastard of a father sold her to an evil bitch. He sold his three year old baby girl.”

Gator looked incensed. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Deke shook his head. “She hasn’t told me everything yet, but she will. At least I have a place to start looking.” He leaned back and sipped his whiskey. “Peaches told me she met Cassie when they were both five years old and that they both ran away when they were ten. She didn’t say why but Cassie told me the story.”

“And that was?” Gator asked.

Deke’s fingers tightened on his glass. “The bitch’s barely teenage son was hurting Peaches. He was cutting her and then he was going to rape her. The bastard was going to rape a ten year old kid.”

“How did she get them both the hell away?”

“She heard Peaches screaming and was able to break the ropes they tired her wrists with. Poor kid could barely hold anything in her hands until she saw what the puke was doing to Peaches. She was able to stab the bastard. She said she did it over and over again. She grabbed Peaches and they took off. She said it took three days of hiding to get Peaches in condition to travel and they both have been hiding since then.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to call Rusty and see what he can find out about the attack. She claims she murdered this kid but with everything that went on in that house, any good lawyer would call it self-defense. That little bastard deserved what he got and more.”

“Is that why she can’t stand to be touched?”

Deke shook his head. “She told me they would tie her hands together with rope then throw her down in a dark damp basement with no food or water for days. Then they would torment her by grabbing her in all the wrong places. This went on for years and no one would help her.”

“Sweet Jesus,” Gator whispered. “No wonder being touched freaks her out.” He finished his drink. “Where did she learn to defend herself?”

Deke sighed. “She said she learned to take care of herself and Peaches on the street. She said it was tough going for a while but she learned. She would watch from the shadows and learned how to kick box. She said by the time she was twelve, she could take on anyone who messed with them.”

“Fuck me,” Gator whispered in awe. “Yep, spitfire.”

Deke nodded his head it was a fitting name…he knew that now. He leaned back and rested his head against the back of his chair. “You know what surprised me the most Gator?”

“What’s that?”

“The other morning I woke up to find her leaning over me. She was looking at me funny and I asked her what she wanted. She told me she’d never kissed anyone before and she asked if she could kiss me.”

“And what did you tell her?” Gator smirked.

Deke smiled. ”I let her kiss me.”

“Of course you did man.” Gator laughed.

“Then I let her do a whole lot more.” Deke frowned. “I thought maybe she’d been kidding about never kissing anyone before but I was wrong. The girl was a true innocent.”

“A virgin?” Gator asked astounded.

“Yup, she was and she gave her innocence to me.” Deke shook his head. “You know me Gator, I’ve never had that before. I’ve always made sure the bitches I fucked knew the score. I’ve never had anything that sweet before. Never wanted the baggage that goes with a starry eyed girl…but I want this one.”

Gator grabbed the bottle and poured them another drink. “Sounds like love man.”

“I know, ain’t it a bitch?” Deke slammed his shot down.

“No man, love ain’t a bitch,” Gator told him quietly. “Love is the best fucking feeling in the world. There ain’t nothing finer in the world than the love of a good woman. What Reva and me got, man, I wouldn’t trade that for all the gold in the world.”

Deke stared at his vice president for a moment then said, “I think I finally found it. With a girl almost half my age.”

Gator leaned forward. “I’m gonna let you in on a little known fact. If what you feel for Cassie is real, brother you hang on to that. You fight with every fiber in your body for her, cuz man if she’s the one, you’ll never have better.”

Deke smiled as he remembered the first time they made love. He couldn’t begin to describe the feelings he’d had when he took possession of her body. He remembered in vivid details the touch of his lips on hers. He got hard just thinking about her. Adjusting himself, he reached for the phone. “I’d better get Rusty going on this. I want everything I can get.”

Gator nodded.

“Maybe we should get Peaches to a safe house,” Deke suggested. “With Big Jimmy’s death and all this shit, I don’t want her out there alone. Cassie would never forgive herself if anything happened to her. They have come too far together for her to lose her friend now.”

Gator got up and left the room to take care of business.

Deke dialed Rusty’s number and asked him to find out what he could. When he hung up the phone, he sat there thinking about what he’d learned today. He’d had a bad childhood but it was nothing compared to hers. When he found the club, his life fell into meaning. He had someone strong to stand behind and beside him while Cassie only had Peaches. Together, they had each other and that’s all either of them had ever known. Until now.

Now, they had the club and neither of the girls would ever have to fear the dark again. That he vowed. He would protect them both.

Deke got up and walked out to the main room. He stopped in front of the tiger again, and just stared at the beast. He felt someone come up behind him but he didn’t care. Finally, he turned and saw it was Wiley standing there.

“Boss, I’m so sorry for what Connie did this morning. I mean, I can’t believe she did it. Well, I can’t say that because I know she did it. She’s had it in for Cassie ever since you brought her here.”

“We both know why she did. Connie was gonna kick the ass of anyone who hurt you,” Deke told him.

Wiley nodded. “But I told her not to do that. Cassie did warn me not to touch her but I thought being bigger, I could take her. Well…” Red color stained Wiley’s cheeks. “…I got shown the error of my ways. I mean seriously, that girl’s got moves.”

Deke felt a bit of pride filling his chest. “On that, I have to agree with you. She can take care of herself.”

Wiley turned and gazed at the tiger. “She’s got talent too. The patch is great but this tiger? I’ve never seen anything so real. It almost feels like the damn thing is coming out of the wall, right at you.”

“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” Deke stared at Wiley for a moment then asked, “Are we square on the whole Connie thing?”

“Yeah, boss, we’re square.” Wiley held out his hand. When Deke shook it Wiley said, “She was getting to be more trouble than pleasure. It would have happened at some not too distant date anyway.”

Deke nodded the turned to walk away.

Wiley called out, “Is Cassie going be okay? We heard her screaming when we came in.”

Deke turned to Wiley. ”I hope so…I hope so.” He continued on his way to the kitchen where Reva was drying a pan. When she looked up at him, he could see concern on her face.

“How is she doing?” Reva asked.

“Better I think.” He hesitated then blurted out, “Can you keep an eye on her for me? I know I’m asking a lot but could you just check on her today once or twice, while I’m gone? I need to know she’s okay.”

Reva smiled and put the pan on the counter. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Sure thing hon, I’ll watch out for her. If anything happens I’ll give you a call.”

Deke hugged her tight. “Thanks Reva. You are a good woman. I don’t know how you put up with Gator but you deserve better.”

Reva laughed. “Honey, what me and Gator have is the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t know what I would do without that man.”

“Funny.” Deke grinned. “He just told me the same thing about you.”

Reva just backed away and smiled. Her cheeks blushed a bright red and she shooed him out the door. “Go to work boss man, go on get out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Deke grinned as he turned and left the clubhouse. His spitfire would be in good hands. Swinging his leg over his bike, he stared the engine. Revving it, he tore out of the parking lot and headed for the dance club.

Deke missed seeing the woman standing behind a tree just outside the main gate. He missed seeing the expression of hate on her face and seeing Connie slip inside the compound, keeping herself in the shadows.

Once she got inside the club, she scurried off to a little used closet to wait for the right time to make her strike. She knew that at some point, everyone would be gone. They all had their own things to do. However, she also knew they would be back, so if she was going to get even with Cassie she wouldn’t have long to get the deed done and get out of here in one piece. She realized if anyone caught her back here, she would get beaten or worse, killed for what she was about to do.

When Connie didn’t hear any sounds coming from beyond the door of the closet she was hiding in, she opened the door slowly. Peeking around, she found she was alone. She quickly moved toward Deke’s bedroom and quietly opened the door. Seeing Cassie asleep, she slipped into the room. Standing next to the bed, she sneered at the other woman. She turned and walked over to one of the shelves in the room and picked up a heavy wrench laying there. She went back to the bed and brought the wrench down on Cassie head. The sound the impact made was loud and Connie feared someone heard it. She went to the door and peeked out. She was surprised that no one was running toward the bedroom. Then she smiled. No one but her had heard the thud of metal hitting her skull.

She turned back to the girl on the bed. Blood ran from the impact point and was making a stain on the bed sheets but Connie didn’t have time to worry about that at the moment. She had to finish her mission and get the hell out of Dodge before anyone caught sight of her.

She grabbed an extension cord and wound it around Cassie’s wrists. She made it extra tight, so it would hold her. Then she hoisted the woman over her shoulder and began walking toward the door. Making sure the coast was still clear, she hurried toward the kitchen and beyond.

Opening the basement door, she turned on the lights. Each step she took brought her deeper into the dark dankness below ground. By the time she got to the bottom of the stairs, Connie could see the puddles of water left standing by the recent rains. The dark black mold on the walls stunk to high heaven. Wrinkling her nose at the scent of mold and decay, she carried Cassie’s body over to the far corner of the room. The light had shown her there was an anchor imbedded in the wall to hold shelving at some point in the past. She looped the end of the cord she’d tied Cassie’s hands with and made sure the bindings would hold her.

When she was done, Connie glared at Cassie hanging there in the oblivion of unconsciousness. “You cost me everything I worked for all my life bitch,” Connie sneered at her. Kicking her in the ribs a few times, she said, “The least I can do is repay the favor.”

She turned quickly and hurried for the stairway. At the top, she hit the lights and plunged the basement into complete darkness. The last sound in the room was the snap of the door being locked.

Connie then hurried back to the woods before anyone could see her. From there, she began the long walk into town. She would have to find a job and a place to stay. Without any money, it wouldn’t be easy. She would have to find a way to get by. She was a survivor.

Reva smiled as she made her way down the hall to Deke’s bedroom. It had been four hours since she checked on Cassie. She knew the other woman needed her sleep but it was time to join the world of the living. She knocked softly on the door and waited for Cassie to call out. When she didn’t, Reva knocked a bit harder.

When she didn’t hear a sound behind the door Reva opened it and went inside. When she did, she came to a standstill and felt a horror wash over her. A bloody wrench laid on the floor beside the bed and a small pool of blood stained the sheets. With her body shaking, she wanted to scream but couldn’t get any sound to come through her mouth. She turned and ran out to the main room of the clubhouse. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she tried to breathe.

Sobs vibrated from her chest as she stumbled to the kitchen and reached for the phone. Dialing a number she knew by heart, she waited for Gator to pick up the phone.

Gator was laughing at something Deke had said when his phone rang. The two of them were in the dance hall office. When he answered the call, he could hear someone sobbing. Frowning, he sat up in his chair and held the phone to his ear. “Who is this?”

“Gator, she’s gone,” his wife cried.

“Who’s gone baby?” Gator asked as fear crawled up his back.

“Cassie. Cassie’s gone.” Reva sobbed. “I went in to check on her like Deke asked me to do this morning and I found a bloody wrench on the floor and Cassie is missing. Oh Gator!” she cried out. “There’s blood on the sheets.”

“We’ll be right there baby. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.” Gator ended the call and got to his feet.

Deke stood beside him and asked, “What the fuck is going on man?”

Gator looked at his brother, his best friend. He didn’t know how to tell him, so he just blurted out what he knew, “Your spitfire is missing and there’s blood on the sheets.”

Deke ran for the door. Gator was right behind him. As they ran through the club, several of the brothers started running as well. They might not know what was going on but when the President and Vice President of the MC start running, they knew enough to rush as well.

Speeding through town, they got to the clubhouse in record time.

Deke didn’t even take the time to put his kickstand down. Instead, he handed his bike over to Gator and ran for the door. Throwing it open, he found Reva standing there sobbing.

She was wringing her hands together trying to hold it together.

He grabbed her by her upper arms and looked into her eyes. “What happened?”

“Oh Deke, I’m so sorry!” Reva wailed. “I went to check on her and she was gone.”

Deke’s fingers tightened on her arms as a crushing fear almost knocked him over.

“Let go of my woman.” Growled Gator as he took in the sight of Deke’s hands clenching Reva’s arms.

Deke snapped his head around to stare at Gator. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You’re hurting my woman, man.” Gator could see the rage on Deke’s face and he didn’t want Reva on the other end of it.

Deke turned to stare at Reva. He could see the terror and pain on her face. He let go of her arms and pulled her to him. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“It’s okay Deke. I understand but you have to find Cassie. She’s hurt and she needs you.” Reva told him.

When Deke let her go, Gator grabbed her. “Are you okay baby?”

Reva shook her head at his concern. Pushing him away she said, “You go with him. He can’t do this alone, honey. He needs you and the boys right now.”

Gator kissed her quick and tore down the hall. When he entered Deke’s bedroom he found his boss down on his knees. Laying his hand on Deke’s shoulders, he gazed at the pool of blood on the bed. Deke was holding a pillow and it had bloodstains on it as well.

Then he looked at the floor. There was a stained wrench sitting there. Gator bent over to pick it up. He could see a fingerprint on the handle. A bloody fingerprint.

Deke looked up at his friend with a lost look on his face. “What the fuck happened Gator? Where is she?”

Gator frowned. “It looks like somebody snatched her, man.” He handed the wrench to his friend.

Deke stared at it. All he could see for a moment was Cassie’s blood on the head of the tool. Then he noticed the bloody print. Rage filled him and he threw the weapon into the corner. He got to his feet. “Who would do something like that? Especially here. She thought she was safe here. I told her no one would hurt her here, man. Somebody is always around, or they’re supposed to be anyway.”

“Let’s do a search. Whoever took her couldn’t have taken her far. The gate stays locked 24/7 man.”

Deke and Gator joined the others in the main room. Deke still carried the bloody pillow in his hands. He looked around at all the men standing there. Holding up the pillow, he called out, “My woman is missing and there’s blood on the sheets where she was sleeping. I thought our clubhouse was safe for our women and children. This is where we live. This is where we work and play. I want this place searched from top to bottom. I want the parking lot and the woods searched. Don’t leave so much as a blade of grass unchecked. We have to find her.”

Everyone split up and began searching. They moved furniture out of the corners and checked every room. Some of the guys went outside and began to search the grounds.

Reva joined Deke and Gator. Tears still streamed down her cheeks. “Oh Deke, I’m so sorry, please forgive me.”

Deke pulled her in for a hug. “This isn’t your fault.”

Reva buried her face in his chest. “But she went missing on my watch.”

Deke reached down and grabbed her chin bringing it up to meet his gaze. ”Hey, now, none of that. I asked you to check on her once in a while, I didn’t tell you to stand guard. It wasn’t on you to protect her; that was on me. I’m the one that failed her. I’m the one that let her be taken. Don’t you worry, we’ll find her. We have to find her.” He brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “Now don’t you worry about this. It isn’t your fault.” He smiled and said, “Go give that man of yours a hug, so he don’t kill me.”

Reva laughed and Gator swept her into his arms and kissed his woman.

When he finally pulled away from her, she was blushing bright red. She looked into his adorning eyes and whispered, “I love you big guy.”

“I love you too,” Gator told her as his big hand patted her ass. “Now, find something to do while we search for Deke’s woman.”

When Reva left them, Deke gazed down at the pillow in his hands. The pillow still had the scent of her shampoo on it. The amount of blood on the pillow and on his bed told him Cassie was hurt. How badly, is what scared him. He could picture her laying in a ditch somewhere bleeding to death and he felt helpless. He glanced over at Gator. “She’s out there somewhere alone and scared to death. She’s bleeding, man. How can I help her if I don’t know where she is? Would she know to come back here if she could or would she crawl into a hole and hide?”

Gator grabbed hold of his friend. “Stop it man. Get a hold of yourself. It’s gonna be okay. You have to believe that. We’ll find her. Tell you what, let’s get Peaches over here. She knows Cassie the best. She might be able to help and when she finds out Cassie is missing, she’ll want to be here anyway.”

Deke nodded. “Get her here quickly. We need to find Cassie.”

Gator made the call.

Within ten minutes, Peaches was running through the door. “Where is she?” She grabbed Deke’s shirt.

“Chill woman, we don’t know yet. We’re still looking for her.”

Peaches let go of his shirt. Her hands clutched into fists and she began pounding on Deke’s chest. “You have to find her. You have to!”

Deke grabbed her wrists. “You better calm down, NOW.”

Peaches collapsed and would have fallen to the floor in a heap if Deke hadn’t caught her. Swinging her up into his arms, he carried her to a table. Calling out for Reva, he set her down. “We’ll find her. You have to believe that.”

Peaches looked up at him then something caught her eyes. She got to her feet shaking. Her hand went to her mouth and she gasped in shock at the painting on the wall. “Oh, my god…”

Deke got to his feet and stared at Peaches and then the painting. He didn’t understand what she was carrying on about. “Cassie painted that last night.”

Peaches turned to him. “She did?”

Deke nodded. “What does it mean to you?”

“Cassie paints when she wants to share a little something of herself with you. She has talent but she’s very careful just who she shares it with. It’s her own secret.” She turned to study the tiger again. “This is Rufus. She named him that the first and only other time she drew him. He became her escape route when the old battle axe would hurt her. When she would be laying there all curled up in a ball after a beating, she wouldn’t be crying her little heart out. She would be talking to Rufus. She would be hurting so bad but she never shed a tear.” Peaches shook her head. “Not Cassie. She’d never let it out that she was in pain because she didn’t want Mrs. Pierce to know she’d broken her. Cassie wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.”

Deke stared at the painting of the tiger. “So, what does it mean for her to have painted this here?”

Peaches moved closer and reached out a hand to touch Rufus. “She’s sharing her most imitate feeling with you. She’s sharing her art. It’s the one thing in her life she could really call her own and she swore no one would ever take it away from her. In other words, she’s sharing herself with you and your club.” She stared at the painting again. “Isn’t he beautiful?” she whispered.

“You said she drew him one other time. When and where was that?”

Peaches frowned. “She drew him on the walls on Mrs. Pierce’s basement where she was tied up all the time. She told me it was the only thing she could do to keep her sanity. She scratched him out of the stone wall with a rock.”

Deke felt like he’d been punched in the gut as it occurred to him. He turned to Gator and asked, “Does this place even have a basement?’

Gator shrugged. “Damned if I know.”

They both turned to Reva.

She was nodding. “Yeah, it does but it’s nasty down there, so we don’t use it.” She got to her feet and walked over to the door leading to the basement. Everyone had followed her through the kitchen. When she reached for the handle, she felt the resistance. Reva frowned and looked at Gator. “This door wasn’t locked earlier today.”

“How do you know that?” Deke asked.

“I went down there early this morning, thinking we could clean it up and start using it again, but I found standing water on the floor and black mold three feet up the walls. I was going to say something to you guys but it slipped my mind.”

Deke moved her out of the way and checked the lock on the door. What he found wasn’t good. He glanced over his shoulder at Gator. “Somebody broke off something inside the lock. We’re going to have to break the door to get down there.”

“I’ll go find a crowbar,” Gator told him.

Reva backed away from the door. She looked over at Peaches then grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the main room. Sitting her down at one of the tables, she picked a bottle from behind the bar. She poured the girl a drink and shoved it into her hands. “Drink.”

Peaches shook her head. “Don’t drink. Me and Cassie have never touched booze and we vowed we never would.”

“Drink it,” Reva repeated.

Peaches frowned. “No, I won’t do it. Me and Cassie made a vow. I’m not breaking it.”

Reva slammed the drink down her throat and waited while the liquor burned its way to her belly. One by one, the other members trickled back to the clubhouse. She could see by the defeated look on their faces…they hadn’t found anything.

The sounds of splintering wood came from the kitchen area and everyone stood still, waiting. They heard the sounds of heavy boots descending the basement stairs and then they all heard a male cry of anguish echoing through the clubhouse. Everyone looked at each other. It was a sound they’d never heard before and never wanted to hear again.

Cassie groaned as she came back from oblivion. Her head ached and her wrists hurt. She tried to struggle but her hands wouldn’t move. She could feel the bite of the restraints get tighter and it lent to her struggle with the past. The smell of mold hit her and her mind flashed back to when she was a child. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She didn’t want to find out if she was back in her own little corner of hell. She tried to move her wrists but couldn’t. The reality of where she was came down on her. She had escaped this particular hell at one of the lowest points in her life and now, she knew even without seeing it with her own eyes—she was back.

She started to remember the days when she was trapped down here as a child. Her body remembered the beatings she took. She could still feel of the strap as it burned her tiny body after each and every stroke.

Cassie finally opened her eyes and saw nothing. She wanted to scream but couldn’t. Her throat wouldn’t allow any sound to be released. Her own fears wouldn’t allow any sound to penetrate the darkness that surrounded her. It wouldn’t allow her to struggle against the obvious but it would allow her to surrender herself to the past.

With her eyes wide open, Cassie sank down into her own hell as the past came back and took over. She was too tired to fight it, so she didn’t. She gave up the struggle to survive and she let the fears take her.

Deke flipped the lights on and came down the steps. When he saw her hanging there, eyes wide open staring at nothing, he let out a cry of anguish. He rushed to her side and carefully picked her up in his arms. Gator reached out with his pocketknife and cut the cord that bound her to the wall.

Neither man spoke as the made their way back to the stairs leading back to daylight.

Slow heavy steps came back up the stairs. Gator came out first leading the way. Deke carried Cassie in his arms. Without a word to the men standing there, he made his way down the hall to his bedroom where he carefully laid Cassie down. Gator, Reav and Peaches followed him but everyone else stayed behind.

A moment later, Reva came out of the bathroom with a basin of water and a cloth to bathe the wound on her head.

Deke took the rag away from her and knelt beside the bed. Dunking the cloth in the water, he cleaned the wound on her head.

Her eyes still stared at nothing and she was acting like she couldn’t hear him calling her to come back to him.

Peaches was on the other side of the bed sobbing.

Deke couldn’t make her leave. Cassie might be his woman but she was also Peaches’ best friend. If he couldn’t find a way to bring her back maybe Peaches could.

Deke looked down at her hands. Whoever had done this had wrapped a cord tightly around her wrists. Her poor hands were turning blue due to lack of circulation. He tried to unravel it but it was just too damn tight. Suddenly, there was a knife being held out to him and Deke took it. Looking up he saw Gator standing beside him. Deke nodded and began cutting the cord.

When the last little bit of the cord holding her hands together snapped, her wrists fell to the bed with a plop. Deke grabbed one wrist and began rubbing life back into it.

Peaches grabbed the other one and did the same. “Oh Cassie, please come back. I know you can hear me. Please come back to me sweetie. I need you in my life again. I can’t make it on my own without you.” She sobbed. “I need you baby girl. It’s supposed to be you and me against the rest of the whole damn world. Please come back.”

The coloring in her hands was returning to normal but Cassie was still staring into nothing. There was no sign of life. Her heart was beating but she was caught up in her nightmare.

“Cassie, baby, you need to listen to me, “ Deke whispered. “I need you to come back here. I love you baby.”

Cassie’s finger slowly curled around his hand. Her eyes were still blank but it was a sign.

Gator tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to come outside.

When he moved out, Reva took his place. With her and Peaches, at least Cassie wouldn’t be alone while he was gone. He hated to leave her but he had business to take care of. Closing the door behind them, Deke asked, “What did they find?”

When they entered the main room everyone was silent for a moment them Wiley stepped forward and handed him a phone.

Deke glanced up at Wiley.

“It’s Connie’s phone.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Deke asked.

“I took her property vest back after she was caught listening at your door this morning,” Wiley explained. “I took her keys but forgot about the cell. One of the Prospects found it outside the gates on the search today. This would be something she would do to get me back. Either that or to get even with Cassie.”

Deke’s fingers tightened on the phone.

“There’s something else you should know, boss.” Wiley straightened his shoulders.

“What would that be?’ Deke asked.

“She broke the rule.”

“What rule would that be?”

“I checked on her last message. She put a photo of the tiger out on the web and asked anyone and his brother if they knew anything about it. She also put our name out there. Everyone knows where the painting is at.”

Deke’s fingers broke the phone in half. The first rule of any MC club was not to talk about what happens inside the clubhouse. To do so meant death. Everybody knew this and everyone abided by this rule. He looked over at his Sergeant at Arms. “You know what to do. Don’t kill her on the outside, bring her stupid ass back here, I want her to admit what she did before she dies.”

Wiley nodded. He tightened his lips and turned toward the door.

Three others fell in line behind him and the four men left the building.

Deke turned and returned to his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he reached for the closest bottle. Chugging the liquor down, he waited for the familiar burn.