Chapter 15
Dash
I held on tight to Harley’s hand as we ran out of the cellar and out in the dimly lit hallway. She may have been an expert at picking the lock on my handcuffs but I could sense that she was afraid now.
“Do you know where they keep the guns?” I asked, turning to her. She nodded her head nervously and led me to another room. In the cupboard some guns were stored haphazardly.
“Wow. These guys seriously need to get their shit together,” I said which made Harley laugh. I checked one of the guns for ammunition and then stuffed it down the front of my belt to keep it in place.
“Are you sure this place is empty?” I asked her and she was nodding again.
“I checked the whole place before I went down to you, and there are no cars or bikes out the front,” she told me. I checked again through the windows and she was right.
“I have a car, out the back,” she added and then we ran out towards it.
She got in first but I was going to drive.
It felt strange to be outside now, even though it was dark. I wasn’t expecting myself to be free this quickly. I thought it was going to take more time. But here I was, sitting in a car, with no handcuffs on. And it was all because of Harley.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” I said, turning to her. Kissing her had felt like the most satisfying thing ever. Even more satisfying than those peanut butter sandwiches she’d fed me on the first day.
Harley blushed deep.
“And now you’re going to keep me and my daughter safe,” she replied. I started the car and she gave me directions to the house of the woman who was babysitting Amanda.
On the way, we spoke very little. I could sense she was nervous. Until she had her daughter in her arms, Harley was not going to feel completely safe. How could Caesar do this to her? To his own daughter. I was going to make sure he didn’t get out unpunished.
Within twenty minutes, we were parked outside the woman’s house and Harley squeezed my hand.
“I’m leaving my phone here if you need to make any calls,” she said.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” I asked as she opened the door.
“It’s probably safer if nobody sees me with you right now. Besides, Amanda wouldn’t know who you are and I don’t want to give her a shock,” she said.
I watched as she got out of the car and crossed the street in the dark. I couldn’t take my eyes off this woman. She was everything I could ever want. Everything I didn’t even know I wanted. In the middle of all this violence, so close to losing my life—I’d found a woman who was my only hope to happiness.
***
I waited some time before I dialed Oz’ number on Harley’s cellphone. He answered after a few rings.
“It’s me,” I said, a smile spreading on my face. It took a few seconds for the information to sink in.
“Fuck. Dash. You okay?” he asked and I could hear the relief in his voice.
“I’m fine, I got out,” I told him.
“Fuck, Dash! Fuck! We’ve been shitting bricks here hoping they keep you alive!”
I laughed and he laughed with relief too.
“How’d you get out? What happened?”
“Someone helped me. They all left the place and I slipped out,” I said.
“Where were they holding you?”
“At their clubhouse.”
“Fuck! We should have hit that place a long time ago!” He was cursing under his breath.
“You couldn’t have got me out without a few casualties. I’m glad you didn’t take the risk. I’m out now.”
“Yeah. Fuck. Can’t believe you’re actually safe,” he said. I kept my eyes on the house, Harley hadn’t come out yet. A few more minutes and if she wasn’t out, I’d decided I would go in.
“Give me a location and I’ll come get you. You laying low till then?” Oz continued.
“I don’t think I can come back to T-Bone just yet. There are some things I need to figure out first,” I told him.
“What things? You’re out. Let us handle the rest.”
“The girl who freed me out of there, her name is Harley. She has a kid. Those motherfuckers have been beating her up, threatening her with that kid’s life,” I explained. I knew Oz would understand. None of us stood in support of an innocent woman being beaten up.
“Fuck man. Yeah. Okay, you focus on them for now. In the meantime, I’m going to call for church at T-Bone and I’m going to get the rest of the club to agree on protection for her and the kid.”
I nodded. It was good to hear that. If I had the support of the Marked Skulls helping me keep Harley and Amanda safe, I would sleep better at night.
“I’m going to find some place for us to stay the night. Some place these fuckers won’t find them. Once they realize we’ve all escaped, shit is going to hit the fan,” I growled.
“Yeah, you do that. I’ll get things sorted here by then,” he said. “Dash! It’s good to have you back. I know everyone else is going to celebrate tonight.”
I smiled.
“Gotta go. I’ll be in touch,” I said and hung up.
Several minutes had gone by and Harley wasn’t out of the house yet. I knew there was no reason to worry yet, they probably didn’t even know we were missing. But I wanted them to be safe.
I opened the car door and was just about to step out when I saw Harley. She was rushing out of the house with a little girl in her arms.