Chapter 10

Spook

Observing Greer as she walks to her room with Ryland, I watch as the deeper she gets down the hall the more she slouches. I’ve only been in her presence a couple of days and I know her emotions run high.

Not even an hour ago, she was slumped on the couch over-thinking every scenario. As soon as she spotted Dani, her spirits lifted. But looking back, it was fake. Maybe not all of it, but most of it.

Her initial reaction to Trigger the first day was played out. Her second reaction to Trigger was held back and this reaction was a front.

She put everyone at ease with her smile and joking, but I saw right through it.

She’s been gone for roughly twenty minutes when I get up from my spot and make my way to her room.

“Spook.” Rudy stops me. I turn to acknowledge him. “Where ya going?”

“Going to check on Greer. She’s been gone longer than she should.”

He nods and I continue on my way. When I reach her door, I stick my ear to it and listen. I can hear soft sobs and Greer mumbling. I knock on the door and turn the handle.

I push the door softly and find Greer lying on her back on the bed with Ryland on her chest asleep.

“You okay Princess?” She wipes her eyes and goes to sit up. “You don’t have to get up. I just wanted to check on you. I know you have a lot on your mind.”

She lies back down and I go to sit at the foot of the bed. “I’m trying to get my thoughts under control, but the more I try the more I cry and the more I just want to crawl out that window and disappear.”

“You can’t do that. We have to face this in order for it to end. If you keep running and hiding, you’ll never stop looking over your shoulder. You have to trust us to get to the bottom of this.”

She stretches out her feet and buries them under my ass. “You don’t understand. I’ve never had anyone looking out for me or anyone I could trust until I came here. Even then, I was petrified that I’d end right back into another situation like the one I left.” She throws her forearm over her eyes and sighs. “My mom made sure to embed in my head the fucked up stuff that happens in an MC with women. She told me it was worse than the hell I went through there.” She lifts her head and stares at me with the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen. “If it hadn’t been for me getting pregnant, I probably would’ve never left.”

“I don’t think you see what we see.” She shakes her head. “You’ve been trained to think you’re worthless, that your only purpose is to do as you’re told. But to most of the men out there,” I put towards the main room, “you’re priceless. You are stronger than you realize.”

She huffs. “I’m not strong, Spook. I’m a pain whore. I can’t control my emotions and in order to keep them at bay, I have to have my friends hurt me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. There are a lot of people that need the distraction of pain to alleviate emotional pain.”

She’s still shaking her head. “Spook, I’m gonna get real with you for a minute.” I nod. “You know how most women can see an attractive man and instantly become aroused.” I nod again. “I can’t. Poison and Banshee are gorgeous in all their biker glory, but the only way I can get wet is if they punish me first. Fuck, I’d give anything to have a man eat my pussy and have an orgasm, but I don’t even respond to that. My body has been trained and I can’t reverse it.”

“Greer, some women need the pain to become aroused to. You are not alone in this.”

“Yeah, I need it but I don’t want to need it. I want to be able to find a man irresistible to the point where just his voice turns me on, just the touch of his lips makes me wet, just the press of his hard cock against my stomach makes me moan. But I’ve accepted that I will never be that way.”

“Never say never, Greer. You’re not in the right mindset to even acknowledge that want properly. When all this shit settles down and you can breath, you might be surprised how open your mind can become.”

She gives me a small smile. “I sure as fuck hope so, Spook. I’d kill for a little bit of normal.”

I pat her leg. “Good talk, Princess Cry Baby.” She giggles. “Let’s get this meeting over so you can relax and maybe find that fucking cream. My chest is on fire.”

She goes to get up with Ryland still on her chest and I stop her. “I got her.” She watches me curiously as I pick Ryland up and press her to my chest.

She gets off the bed and holds out her hands. “I can take her.”

“Nah. I got her.”

“Fine.” She huffs as she struts out the room and down the hall.

I lower my head to the top of Ryland’s dark fluff. “You know baby girl, your momma’s one of a kind and she has no clue.”

“Come on Spookie Wookie. The Brady Bunch is getting restless.” I hear Greer yell and can’t help but laugh. This woman is going to be the death of me.

***

Greer

I’ve watched Poison, Banshee and Brute hold my little girl more times than I can count on two hands, but watching Spook’s powerful arms wrap around her affects me differently than when the others hold her.

Making my way to join the masses in the meeting room with Spook behind me holding Ryland feels strange. Not strange bad, but strange different. It’s kind of like a déjà vu feeling, like I’ve been here before but in a different life.

He’s definitely the type of man I’d chose if I thought I could give someone other than Ryland all of me. He didn’t even blink when I told him that I’d never be turned on just by a man’s touch other than if that man was spanking my ass. He was positive about the whole thing and encouraged me to accept it.

In that moment, I had a taste of normal. I mean I’ve had conversations with Poison and Banshee about my issues, but they’ve been more clinical. Spook brought the emotional side to it.

Sitting down in one of the only available seats, I turn to see Spook still standing and swaying with Ryland in his arms.

I clear my throat trying to get his attention. When he finally peels his eyes from Ryland, I whisper. “I can take her. You don’t have to keep holding her.” He just shakes his head.

I relax back in my seat and look around the table, but the Chaotic’s eyes are on Spook. I turn my head toward Spook trying to figure out what’s wrong and I see the same as a minute ago, except this time Ryland’s eyes are open and he has a gentle smile on his face.

What is it with this gentle giant that’s throwing me for a loop? Before I can contemplate anymore, Brute bangs the gavel and startles Ryland, who begins to screech.

Poor Spook is trying everything from bouncing, swaying and whispering sweet nothings but she isn’t having it. Before I can get up and get her, Queenie is off of my father’s lap and in front of Spook. She pries Ryland from a very disappointed looking Spook. Ryland quiets and studies Queenie as she walks back over to my dad’s lap.

The awe and adoration on my dad and Queenie’s faces is invaluable. It makes me wonder if that’s how my dad used to gaze at me.

Brute grumbles something under his breath and then starts Church. “Alright, Rudy I know we still have a few of your men that need to get here, but we can start and you can fill them in.” My dad nods still staring at my little girl. “Today, we received a package at the front gate.” I found this out when we got back from the salon, but Spook is just hearing this news. “It was just a normal cardboard box with no writing. When Red, Taz and I opened it, there was a picture of Greer and Ryland with Poison and Banshee outside of the clubhouse. The rest of the pictures were of her around town with one of us or a Prospect. There was also a flash drive, but we didn’t load it. I think we should have Greer watch it first just in case it’s something that is personal.”

He passes the laptop down in front of me. I look up from the laptop to Brute and he nods. I get up from the table and walk to a little desk in the corner. As I open it and the screen comes into focus, I press the icon for the flash drive.

Muffled sounds come from the black screen and then it slowly comes into focus. On a bed in a high priced hotel room is me, naked. I’m probably sixteen or seventeen. My hands and feet are tied with rope and attached to anchors on the bed. There’s a man, at least in his fifties, circling.

Memories of this encounter slowly come back to the forefront of my mind and I slam it shut before I can get to the finale.

I search the table for Einstein. I pick up the laptop and make my way to him.

“Einstein is there anyway you can do a search on this video to see if there are anymore on the internet.”

“Yeah, Gee, I can do that.” He scoots back from his place and walks out the door.

I look to Brute whose face is stone and his eyes are hard. “It was from Dimitri. Apparently every time I was sent off with a man of his choosing, it was recorded or at least that one was. I was probably sixteen in it.”

Silence. It’s so quiet that you could probably hear a squirrel fart outside.

I feel hands on my shoulders squeeze and turn to see Spook trying to give me comfort. I lean back against him and sigh.

“This might be a good thing.” I say indifferently.

Spook squeezes a little harder. “How so?” He asks.

“Because who ever that man is in the video, he’s important and he’s caught on tape committing rape of a minor. We could turn the table and blackmail his ass and use it to our benefit against Dimitri.”

Brute clears his throat. “That’s possible, but do you honestly want to go through that Gee.”

I nod. “Yes, if it gives us a little headway. If Einstein finds more or can get any other incriminating information from that flash drive, we can use it. It could possibly be enough to get Dimitri and my mother off my ass.”

“True.” My father grunts. “But it could also add to the shit storm. If Dimitri gets wind that we’re trying to blackmail his clients, he could come after us harder.

“So what do you suggest?” Brute asks.

Trigger’s the one to answer. “We should wait to see what Einstein and Professor can find before we go forward. I think if the man on this video is high profile enough, Greer’s right. We can go after him and he might inadvertently take care of our problem for us.”

Most of the men nod and I blow out a frustrated breath. Dimitri just handed over evidence of his side business. He must really be losing it.

That gets me thinking. “What if it isn’t Dimitri?” The men look at me like I’ve lost it. “Just listen. Dimitri is cunning and meticulous. Everything he does is well thought out and initiated. He doesn’t do anything that could put his pride and joy in jeopardy.”

Spook grunts behind me. “She’s right. He’s gotten away with this for probably more years than we know about. If he’s making the type of loot I imagine he is, he isn’t going to do something like this that’s rookie.”

“Jesus.” My dad growls. “We need more information and we need it like yesterday. What else can you tells us, baby girl?”

I lean further into Spook and begin to tell the brothers everything I know.