Eric
I went to the clubhouse after leaving home. I had to remind myself at least three times on the way that Michelle was completely safe at the house. It was the safest place for her. Nobody could get in, and nobody was getting out. Meaning her. She wouldn’t be sneaking around anymore—though I doubted she would want to after what happened already.
Things were tense with my men, and I understood why. Nobody liked looking over their shoulder wherever they went. It was never easy when things got this way, and it happened from time to time. Another club would be pissed about something we did, or maybe there’d be a problem with one of our business partners. Tension would rise. It was never fun, but it always blew over.
After talking things out with Spike, and calling over to the hospital to run the plan by Slash, I was pretty confident in what my next steps would be to make sure our little problem with the Reign of Chaos was put to bed.
I was never so ready to fight. Even in prison I never felt the urge to kick the shit out of somebody the way I felt it toward Gareth. I didn’t even hate him so much when I was in prison, and I knew he was the reason I was there. It took Michelle to push me over the edge. She showed me what I was willing to do to get revenge. I would do anything it took, as long as he paid for what he thought he could do to my woman.
My woman. It sounded weird when I thought it. I didn’t know if she really wanted to be my woman or if she only screamed it in the heat of passion. I didn’t wanna hold her to it. I felt like such an asshole. Since when was I so whipped?
Once I checked in with the club, I headed out to a bar I liked to go to sometimes. Not that I didn’t like spending time with the club, but once in a while it was good to get out and see new faces. Everybody knew who I was, so it wasn’t like they wouldn’t accept me, unless it was a bar the Reign of Chaos hung out at. They were the only club we had a problem with.
I wasn’t going there to drink—not at noon, though it wasn’t like I never drank that early before. I wanted to see if any of the girls who worked there could do me a favor. I knew they always had pretty young things working the bar and the tables, so there was a good chance of me finding somebody perfect for the job.
When I walked in, the bartender called out, “We’re not open yet. Sorry.”
“No, no. That’s Eric. He can come in any time he wants.” One of the waitresses noticed me and winked. I grinned at her. I heard what she meant behind her words. A deaf man could have.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” I said, sitting at the bar. “I’m not here to drink anyway.”
“What are you here for?” Now that the bartender knew I was a friend of the place, so to speak, she was a little friendlier. I noticed her high, perky tits in her low-cut t-shirt. She had a slammin’ body, tiny and tight, and I couldn’t help but take a look.
“I was wondering if any of you lovely young ladies would like to earn a little extra money.”
She had been leaning toward me, but stood straight up, tensing. “We’re not like that here.”
“I don’t mean prostitution. Relax. I just need a girl who can pass for younger than she is. I have a quick little job for her, and I’d be willing to pay.”
“How much?” she asked, suspicious.
“A grand.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped. I guessed that was at least a week’s worth of good tips for her. Maybe two, depending on the crowds and the shifts she worked. Afternoons wouldn’t pay as much as evenings.
“For sure.”
“What kind of job is it?”
I grinned and looked her up and down again. She had a young face. I guessed she couldn’t be more than twenty-one, maybe twenty-two. Good skin, healthy-looking. She could pass for seventeen, maybe even sixteen.
“First, tell me your name.”
She smiled. “Jenny.”
“Jenny, I’m Eric, like my friend over there just told you. And I need bait.”
“Bait? You lost me, buddy.”
I liked her attitude. “I’m trying to trap somebody, to put it bluntly. I need to set up the bait.”
“Who is this person?”
“He’s a scumbag who needs to rot in prison for the rest of his life.”
“Why?”
“A lot of things. Don’t worry, you’ll be totally safe.” I didn’t think she’d wanna hear about the joyride Michelle went on with his friends. She’d kick my ass outta there in a second.
“How do you know?”
“I’m gonna put it all on the table for you. This guy holds auctions. Maybe you’ve heard about them, maybe not. They’re sorta underground.”
“Like…for things? Or people?”
“People. Women. He auctions them off to the highest bidder. He deals in virginity.”
“Oh, gross.” She wrinkled her button nose.
“I know. It’s a one-night thing, at least I think it is. Guys pay thousands.” I felt myself getting a little hot under the collar as a blush crept up on me. I didn’t have any room to talk shit on the guys who bought girls there since I did it myself. It wasn’t the same, though. I didn’t buy her because I was drooling over her. I did it to save her from the men who were.
“So what’s this got to do with me?”
“This next auction is gonna be different. He wants to use underage virgins.”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh, hell no.”
“Yeah. So that’s why I need you.”
“I’m not underage, though I’m flattered.” She winked.
“You could pass for it though. Easily. Maybe a little less makeup, a little more lip gloss. Something to make you look like a kid trying to look older than she is. Know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I know. I get it. So, what, you’d want me to walk up to him and ask him if I can be in his auction?”
“Exactly. I want you to walk into his office and tell him you’re sixteen. Ask if that’s a problem. When he says no, ask him again. Be clear. Is it okay that I’m not eighteen yet?”
“Gotcha. That’s all I have to do?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Give him a fake name, whatever. They don’t check ID. It’s a real shady operation.”
She leaned back against the shelves on the wall, thinking. “A thousand dollars just for doing that?”
“I’d need you to wear a wire, too.”
“A wire? Where would you get that?”
I grinned. “Already got it, darlin’. No need to worry.”
“And I would be totally safe? He wouldn’t, like, find the wire and kill me or anything?”
I hoped not. “Hell no. I’ll be just across the street in my car, and I’ll have my men around the place, too. We’ll take good care of you.”
She thought about it some more. I knew the money was too tempting for her to turn me down. I couldn’t imagine she would make a lot of money in the dive she worked in even on weekend nights, much less Monday afternoons.
She had one more question. “When is this going down?”
“This afternoon. Immediately, if possible.”
“Wait, what? I don’t get time to think it over?”
I stood. “No, I’m sorry. It’s gotta happen soon. I can find somebody else if it’s too much to ask. I get it, trust me.”
She looked around. “I’m working.”
“I could have you back before happy hour.”
“Nobody comes in here during the lunch hour anyway,” she muttered. “Okay. I’ll get somebody to cover for me. One of the girls can do it. It’ll be easy.”
I grinned, feeling relieved. “Great. I’ll meet you outside.” I went to the car, glad Jenny was willing to go along with me. It took a lot of nerve for somebody to go along with a total stranger—especially when the stranger asked them to do something crazy like I was asking.
I laughed when she came out, already looking younger. She had let down her blonde hair, and it hung in long waves over her tits. Her makeup was a little fresher, a little less harsh. She could pass for underage in a heartbeat.
If it all went down the way I planned it, Gareth would be a distant memory in no time. I could go home to Michelle and tell her everything had worked out, and we could be together. If she wanted to.