Chapter Nine
Three weeks later
Mandy stared out over the ocean, feeling with every passing day a need to leave. She loved the island, adored it, and being alone with Lewis was amazing. But the world was still waiting. There hadn’t been an update from the club, and time was moving along steadily. Elijah wouldn’t make his move until he saw her.
Nothing had come of the cop, Robert Jones, invading Lewis’s company. Everything was at a standstill, waiting for one or the other to make the next move. The only person she’d seen in some time now was Cynthia, the housekeeper, who brought them supplies by boat. Mandy liked the older woman and had grown fond of her visits, even if she didn’t stay long.
Staring down at her notebook, Mandy read over the last few words she’d written.
They don’t see us as humans, or even women. We’re nothing to them. I watched as they were rounded up like cattle. The dogs treated them better than the men. I’ve seen it happen so many times now, and with each experience I always expected to see something new, something different. Maybe even a shred of emotion on one of the men’s faces. Are they fathers, brothers, husbands? I don’t know every single detail about them, but I’m pleased with every single fiber of my being that I’m not related to them. They only know cruelty, or at least all I’ve ever seen is cruelty. If one of the women dares to speak out, dares to scream for help, she is silenced.
If her fight doesn’t cease, they cut out her tongue and sell her as a defective product. Like she was a can at the grocery store that only has a few months left and gets placed in the reduced section. Another girl broken of spirit, waiting for death.
That’s really all that is happening. They’re all waiting for death, myself included. No woman gets away from this without it killing part of her soul. Some of the women were rescued, and I wonder at times if they watch everyone, everything around them. To make sure they’re not fooled like they were last time that walking the streets was safe.
Or for a young girl, to play with her skipping rope while admiring the guy next door, wondering if one day he’d look at her with love in his eyes, and maybe ask her to marry him.
Lifting her head up out of the notebook, she pulled her knees up against her chest and stared out at the ocean. It was so vast. Anyone could get lost, and often had. She imagined the sea bed was filled with stories of terror and fear.
“I thought I’d find you down here,” Lewis said, taking a seat beside her on the beach.
“I love being here. It’s relaxing, and I can almost forget why we’re here.”
He took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I’ve not spent much time here, to be honest. I’ve had more conversations in the past few weeks with Cynthia than I’ve ever had.”
“What does the club say?” she asked.
He kept in contact with the Billionaire Bikers MC. They operated in private, doing everything to keep their identities a secret. He had a feeling the club was keeping something from him, as they just told him everything was fine, and not to worry.
“Nothing. All is quiet.”
Mandy turned to look back at the blue ocean. She’d never forget this time away with Lewis. Falling in love, being in love, making love. They were all new experiences with him, and she would treasure them always.
“We’ve got to go back,” she said.
“Not yet, we don’t.”
“You and I both know that nothing is going to happen while we’re here. The women are safe for now, but can you stay here indefinitely? As much as your work was made because of me, you’re still needed. I’ve heard you on the phone, pacing, trying to resolve matters while you’re thousands of miles away. You can’t keep up that kind of sacrifice.”
He sighed. “I will continue to do what I need while I know you’re safe.”
“I’m not going to be safe until we find the two men hunting me down. Maybe going home, talking about our upcoming nuptials will lure them out.”
“I’m not using you as bait.”
“I’ll be heavily guarded. It’s you.” She cupped his cheek and pressed kisses to his lips. “I know there’s not going to be a chance in hell of those monsters getting to me. I can split my time between each of the Billionaires, Lewis. You’ll be happy then, and you’ll know that I’m safe.”
He stroked her hair, and sighed. “You make it difficult to argue with you.”
“That’s because you know I’m right about this. You’re needed back at home, and we can’t live here forever. Winter will be here before we know it, and then Cynthia’s visits are only when the ocean is calm. I don’t want to risk anyone else’s life because of mine.”
“Kiss me again,” he said.
Holding his face, she took possession of his lips, giggling as he grabbed her ass and hauled her over his body so that she was straddling him.
Making love and fucking Lewis was one of her favorite things to do.
“I want to say no to you.”
“But you can’t. You know I speak sense.”
He sighed. “The rest of the guys are in agreement with you. We’ve tried it this way, and it’s not worked.”
“What were you hoping would happen?”
“That we’d get lucky. Those assholes would show themselves, and then we could go home.”
“They’ve been doing this a long time. They know the drill. When the heat starts on them, they either move town, or wait for it to die down. The city is a good place for them though. I wouldn’t be surprised if women weren’t already gone.”
“Why?”
“In the city, it’s a big enough place for women to get lost. If there’s a runaway or a kid in the foster system, often someone doesn’t report them missing and just assumes they’ll turn up. Time starts to pass, and before they even realize their mistake, the kid’s long gone, sold, and they’ve moved onto the next person. Then of course there are the prostitutes that walk the street at night. No one is going to report them as missing. What you need to realize, Lewis, is if they can find someone, they will. They can operate under the radar.”
“I don’t like it.”
She saw he was really struggling to deal.
“Don’t. Don’t beat yourself up about this.”
“You were loved, Mandy.”
“I know.” She kissed him again, hoping that she could offer him some kind of comfort, but there was nothing for her to give. “Are we going home?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I want to keep you safe forever.”
She laughed. “You will. I love you, Lewis. I believe in you.”
“I’m not going to use you as bait.”
“I guess the other guys have come up with a similar solution. Using me to get to them.”
He held her just a little bit tighter. “They think if you start to make an appearance by my side, and with our wedding, it could lure them out. We’ll all be ready for anything that would happen.”
Part of Mandy knew it would come to this. Even as they ran to his island to get away from the danger, she knew they wouldn’t have much choice but to take matters into their own hands.
She would never forget this time she’d spent away with him. “We’ve got to go back. You know what they say is right. The only way we can carry on is if we allow the rest of the world to see us.”
“We’ll go back, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. I don’t give a fuck what anyone else says. That is what I say.”
She laughed. “Have you already organized our return?”
“Yes. It was why I came to get you. I can cancel it at any time.”
“We can’t. This is it, Lewis. I guess in a way it’s our final stand against them.”
He pulled her down for a kiss and she took it, knowing that the moment she left the island, her life would be in constant danger as long as Elijah and Robert were free.
****
“‘Billionaire Lewis Cox just recently announced his engagement. No one knows much of the woman in question, other than her name is Mandy Watson, but it is sure to be the event of the year as everyone waits for this love to blossom,’” Jamie said.
Lewis pulled Mandy against him, kissing her neck. All of the Billionaire Bikers MC were standing in his penthouse apartment. They had been back to reality for a week. Lewis had caught up on some of the major contracts that had been causing problems, and of course with the news of his engagement, it had answered everyone’s questions as to why he was away. He’d been alone having a romantic getaway with the love of his life.
“It’s not all fun, though,” Blake said. “One of the newspapers has called her a gold-digger, and has even started a bet on how long your marriage will last.”
“I don’t give a fuck what they think,” Lewis said.
“The marriage is real, then? I know you’ve been in love with her, but I didn’t know it had moved that far,” Russ said. “I’ve been out of the loop for a little while.”
“Mandy’s the love of my life. I asked her to marry me, and she agreed.” All the guys knew he’d wanted to wait to give Mandy the chance to recover.
“He’s going to be doing a pre-nup, though. I’ve told him to do that,” Mandy said.
“I told you it’s not happening.”
“That’s going to cause a major stir,” Jamie said. “I like this. Are you going to the charity event next week? It’s for disadvantaged children. It can be the first real photo opportunity for your girl here. We can have her dressed up in the finest, and then we can showcase her to the world as your bride.”
“I hate doing that shit. You know I always arrive around the back of the charity, and leave without anyone catching sight of me,” Lewis said.
“Yeah, but this is your chance to really get in there and show the world that you mean business. A couple of shots of the two of you together, smiling at each other, it’ll sell the story,” John said.
“That could really work,” she said. “He thinks I’m his property. Elijah, the man Robert works for. He thinks that by rights I’m all his. I was his biggest success, and his biggest mistake. I know things that terrify him. I know how he works. Seeing me on the arm of a rich billionaire, and if you touch me, it could draw him out.”
Lewis didn’t like it, but what he was starting to see was that it didn’t matter what he liked or disliked. He had no choice.
“You’ve all got to be there,” Lewis said. “I’m not going to an event unless I’m one hundred percent sure that she’s safe. I won’t risk it. This marriage will be real. Mandy is the love of my life, and I’m claiming her as my own.”
“Another old lady into the mix. Anna and Temperance will be pleased. They can’t wait until all of you have fallen in love with your women,” Russ said. His old lady was Anna. She was one of the women they had saved from traffickers.
Temperance was Richard’s PA, but he had entered into a ménage with her and her best friend, Jay.
Mandy tensed in his arms, and he squeezed her shoulders, trying to offer her comfort.
“So, first we need a kick-ass dress for the charity gala. Then we’ve got to have a few outfits for outings. You know, dates. You’ve got to go public with this,” Blake said.
“He’s right. The entire world will be watching,” Sean said.
“I’m a businessman, not a celebrity.” Lewis didn’t like being on display or pandering to the press.
“You’re a billionaire about to get hitched. In this day and age, that means something. A bachelor taken off the market,” Russ said. “It’ll happen for every single one of us. You’ve just got to see that.”
“What about the club?” Lewis asked. Since they’d been away there hadn’t been much to do for the club. The women who serviced them had been paid handsomely to take a break, and of course to keep their mouths shut.
“Until our enemies are gone, I say we work like this for now. Sticking to secret meetings. Working together to bring them out. Mandy and Anna have to be safe,” Dave said. “We can’t let our enemies get a hold of them.”
“I bet it’s not like this for any of the other MCs out there,” Lewis said, getting more agitated as the day wore on. He was pissed that he had to play by ruthless fuckers’ rules. He wasn’t used to being told what to do. It had been a long time since anyone had any kind of hold on him.
“We’re not like other MCs,” Jamie said. “This is what we agreed to. We don’t put ourselves or anyone at risk. Mandy is the biggest risk, and she’s our best asset for the club. Using your relationship, we’re hoping it’ll drive this guy crazy and draw him out.”
Lewis didn’t like it, and even as Jamie and Blake made a date to help dress Mandy, he couldn’t be swayed.
“Do you find it weird that I’ve got two men to dress me rather than the two women?” Mandy asked, taking a seat on the sofa.
He stared at her, wondering what the hell he was going to do.
“Everything is going to be fine,” she said. “You’re worrying way too much.”
“Anna and Temperance are not good enough when it comes to fashion. Blake and Jamie know their stuff, and can get it together.”
He took a seat beside her, and she placed a hand on his knee. “I know you’re worried.”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“You’ve never been in the public eye before?” she asked.
“No. I’m a businessman. I had other commitments. Pandering to the fucked-up needs of the media has never appealed to me. I donate to charity, keep lots of men and women in a job. I do my bit.”
She took his hand, locking their fingers together. “I’ll be there with you. At least you’ve got nothing in your past to hide. I’ve got a lot.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve made sure your past will stay hidden. I would never subject you to that.”
“You’re a good man, Lewis.”
“I’m surprised you’re not kicking my ass with what’s about to happen. You know Jamie and Blake won’t stop at the clothes. You’re going to be primped, pampered, and tortured beyond your wildest dreams, all in the name of looking the part.”
She groaned, pressing her face against his shoulder. “I’ll do it for you. I’m not into the whole being tugged and pulled about. I can handle everything else.”
Silence fell between them, and with it, Lewis’s thoughts returned to their time on his island.
“You’re thinking again. You look really sad.”
“I wish we could’ve stayed on the island for a little longer.”
He looked at her, and saw the sadness in her eyes. “I dreamed of an island like that whenever life got a little too hard. My imagination was the only thing holding me together. I’d think about being alone, or free to walk down a beach and stare out at the vast ocean. One of the journeys we took was via a boat or something. I think it was a small yacht. I hated the water. The ocean was spread out for days. I wondered if there were sharks in the water, and if I just jumped overboard, would it even matter. Before I got a chance to climb over the edge, they pulled me back on board. I was locked up for the rest of the journey, and I prayed for us to be shipwrecked. How messed up is that?” She kissed his lips. “I don’t know why I just told you that.”
“There were moments during my search that I thought I was getting close to you. That I could feel you near.”
“I think we were close to each other at a couple of times. Probably missed each other by a matter of minutes. You’ve got me now, Lewis. I’m not going anywhere. I won’t jump into the ocean in the hope of being eaten. I know you hate this, and what you’ve got to do, but you’re not alone. I’ll be with you, by your side.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Terrified. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I love you more than my own life. You mean the world to me.” She kissed his lips again. “I can do whatever you want. All you’ve got to do is ask, and I’ll be there.”
“You won’t be alone, baby. I promise.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her head. So many times over the years he’d been close to finding her, only to have her pulled from his grasp. He couldn’t lose her, not now, not ever.
That was his biggest fear, that if he was to blink or relax, she’d get taken once again.