Chapter Fifteen
Devil and several of the crew stood outside of Judi’s door. Ripper was beside her bed, holding her hand with Lexie in the room. Phoebe was taking care of the kids in the sitting room.
“What the fuck happened?” Death asked.
“We’re waiting for her to wake up. Ripper was at the club this morning, and when he went home, he called us after the ambulance. The doctors had to take her into surgery to drain the excess fluid from her brain. She got hit in the head,” Devil said. Judi was his daughter, and he was able to get all the information he needed from the doctors.
She was in a medically induced coma until it was safe to wake her up. Devil hadn’t gone into the room yet. He couldn’t. After the visit this morning and the threat against Lexie, he wouldn’t be able to handle seeing the damage to Judi. Today he’d had the perfect opportunity to take Gonzalez out, and he couldn’t do it because of Lexie. The bastard would have killed her, and the thought of having Lexie’s blood on his hands filled him with dread. She was the one good thing in his world.
“Who would touch Judi?” Pussy asked.
“I don’t know. When she wakes up we’ll find out.”
“Boss, you’re shaking,” Snake said.
Devil looked down at his hands to see that he was actually shaking.
“Gonzalez paid a visit to the house today. He wasn’t expecting me at home, and he brought with him one of the bastards that works for him, Ronald.” He kept his gaze on the glass.
Ripper’s head was pressed against Judi’s hand. Lexie was holding onto his shoulder, trying with all of her might to comfort him.
In his mind, Devil saw Ronald pressing her against the counter, about to rape her. He didn’t know how far Ronald or Gonzalez would have taken it, but that was already too much for him.
“Fuck, boss,” Pussy said. “Why didn’t you call us?”
“There wasn’t enough time. By the time I realized he was in my house, there was no time to warn anyone.” Devil pressed a hand to the glass. His gaze was on Lexie. He loved Judi like a daughter, but Lexie was his very reason for breathing. She’d been pretty shaken up by what was happening, and he’d seen the way Simon held onto her.
His son was as protective of Lexie as he was.
“What did they want?” Death asked.
“I don’t know what he wanted. I could have shot him and ended all of this.” He spoke the words through gritted teeth. Years ago, before he met Lexie, he’d have killed Gonzalez without any worry of anything happening to the woman. He’d met Lexie, and now he couldn’t take any risks.
“Then why fucking didn’t you?” Snake asked. “We’re all waiting for a reason and an opportunity to take this man out and you pass it up?”
Staring at his woman and then at the bed, he could only see part of Judi’s face. She didn’t deserve this, and neither did his woman.
“Ronald had a gun at Lexie’s head. I could take out Gonzalez, but Ronald was going to kill Lexie. He could have also taken out one of my kids before I shot him. There was too much to lose.” He kept his gaze on his woman, needing to know in his heart that she was safe.
His men were silent for several moments.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I know what I lost today. Judi’s attack had to have been happening while he was with us. We know Everett is dead, and Pussy killed Homer. Who else does he have to work for him?” Devil wasn’t going to allow this to simply pass him. He was going to get retribution for Kayla and for Judi.
“I don’t know. He’s got favors. We know that much from Whizz and the Fort Wills police force.”
Turning away from the window, Devil wiped at his eyes in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He had to think.
“There could be someone on the police force, but they wouldn’t risk it. Gonzalez would know that’s where we go for first.”
Staring at his men, he waited for them to come up with an idea. They all looked as confused as he was.
“It has to be one of the pimps over at the apartment blocks,” Ripper said.
Devil turned to see Ripper standing in the doorway. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked like shit.
“You don’t need to be part of this. We’re trying to figure shit out. Your woman needs you.”
“Judi’s not waking up anytime soon. She put up a fight. Whoever it was broke into our house. They did a rape kit.” Ripper paused as he stared at the ground.
Devil felt his gut tighten.
“Whoever it was they didn’t get a chance to do anything more than beat her up. I didn’t hear or see anything when I walked in. It had to be me arriving that was the reason he stopped before he violated her further. I didn’t give myself a chance to fucking listen for someone escaping. Fuck, I could have taken this fucker out.” Ripper cupped the back of his head, cursing.
“You can’t blame yourself, and you did stop him from hurting her further,” Devil said. He had no doubt of Ripper’s love for Judi. Everyone in the club knew Ripper would die trying to save Judi.
“Shit, boss, what do you think this is all about?” Pussy asked.
Twisting away from the group, he watched as his woman sat in the chair that Ripper had vacated. She was stroking Judi’s brow, probably talking to her.
“Gonzalez is playing a game. I don’t think this is personal. I actually don’t think he gives a shit about an alliance with us or with The Skulls. All these attacks, the deaths, this is a warning for others. When Gonzalez takes over, either join him or die, it’s as simple as that. There’s no getting away from this.”
“I want to find the fucker who did this. The only people Gonzalez can send to Judi are pimps. Whizz didn’t reach out to them. They’re the only ones left close enough to Piston County to be left alone. None of us have gone searching for the pimps. We’ve been too fucking busy with all this shit. He’s got a couple of them over at the apartment blocks where Judi used to work.” Ripper wiped a hand down his face. “I need to be part of this. I can’t sit around and watch her like this. I shouldn’t have abandoned her this morning. Fuck!”
Ripper glanced behind him.
“This is not something you should do today,” Devil said.
“Yes, it is. When Judi wakes up, I’m not leaving her side. Whoever did this needs to be caught today. I’m not handing him over to the law. I’m going to kill him.”
“Get the boys,” Devil said, agreeing with him. “We’ll meet at the apartment block where we first met Judi.”
They all left him stood outside of Judi’s room.
Letting out a breath, he closed his eyes as he tried to think past the pain of what had happened to Judi. She was under the Chaos Bleeds’ protection. Not only was she the princess of the club, his adopted daughter, but she was also an old lady and the men loved her.
When he could stand it no more he walked inside the room.
Judi’s face was badly bruised, and she had a white bandage all over her head. Lexie held her hand, and he saw Judi’s hand had another bandage. Her leg was covered in a cast. He recalled the doctor say her leg had been broken. When he asked how that was possible, the doctor explained that with enough force on the body the bone could break easily.
“Devil, she’s hurting,” Lexie said.
“She can’t feel it.” He moved behind his woman, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I promise the doctor promised that.”
“I’m not talking about now. I’m talking about during the attack. She fought back, Devil. She fought back harder than ever before. No one should have had to go through this.” Lexie glanced over her should at him. “What are you going to do?”
“The boys are rounding up some men. We’re going to take care of this, and I promise you, nothing else will happen.”
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“Get in touch with Phoebe. Tell her to get our kids and herself to the clubhouse. I’ll put a guard on Judi’s door. I doubt Ripper’s going to leave her side without a fight.”
“He’s left her side now.”
“Only to get a little payback. Before the end of this day, he’ll be back and waiting for her to wake up.”
Lexie covered his hand with her own. “This is a nightmare. Do you have a clue who did this?” she asked.
“I don’t know who did it, but I’m not going to stop until I find out the truth. You’ve got my word on that, Lexie.” He leaned down to brush a kiss against her cheek. “I’m going to retaliate for your sister, and I’m going to make sure whoever did this will not be walking around by the end of the day.”
He saw she closed her eyes as he kissed her cheek.
“What about Gonzalez?” she asked.
“I’ll talk to Tiny. I think we’re going to be heading back to Fort Wills before long. It’s time to put an end to this.”
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you, too, baby. You don’t need to tell me what you’re thinking or feeling just to get me moving.” He tried to tease her.
“I’m not. I know this time it’s worse than ever before.”
“I’m going to send one of the boys to you here.” Devil kissed her cheek and reluctantly walked out of the room. He looked back at her, to see Lexie grasping Judi’s hand and praying.
She shouldn’t be praying.
Without giving it anymore thought, he left the hospital and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket. Dialing Tiny’s number, he waited for the other man to answer.
“What the fuck do you want now?” Tiny asked.
“Gonzalez paid me a visit today.”
“Is he dead?”
“No. I couldn’t kill him. He brought a friend who would have killed Lexie. I love my woman a lot more alive than with a bullet through her head.”
Tiny cursed. “I don’t know about you, Devil, but I’m getting tired of men trying to use our women against us.”
“I hear you. Kayla, Lexie’s sister, was used as a test for Everett. Gonzalez wanted to know if the guy would do whatever he asked. He got his answer.”
“Eva wants to know how Lexie is holding up.”
Devil sighed. “That’s what I’ve got to tell you. Someone went after Judi. She’s been beaten up pretty bad and is surviving in a medically induced coma. We’re waiting to see how she is when she wakes up.”
It was taking every ounce of strength to keep in his anger. No one went after his family, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he was becoming.
“Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“I want to organize the wedding. I want Gonzalez vulnerable, and I want to kill whoever is working for him.” Devil stopped, moving the cell phone to his other ear. “The faster we put this fucker in the ground, the happier I’ll be.”
“He’s coming after all of our family. That leaves a couple of thoughts, he lied, which we know he did, or he’s getting desperate. We know he’s lost what his father created back in Europe.”
Devil listened as Tiny started to list everything Gonzalez had left behind. “He wants Piston County, Fort Wills, and Vegas, and I bet he plans to expand his business there. Who needs a base in Europe if he controls most of the states here?”
“I got a call from Ned last night,” Tiny said. “He didn’t know about the hit on Eva, but he caught one of Gonzalez’s men. A pimp and drug dealer who Whizz couldn’t get in touch with. He was paid to start looking at the competition in Vegas. Slowly, he was going to build up a portfolio for Gonzalez to come and use people against them. Ned hasn’t been attacked in some time, and he’s found a way past the system to get us some men. Whizz has taken all the men Gonzalez pitted against us. The cops and men in Fort Wills are no longer answering Gonzalez’s calls. We’re ahead at the moment, but we don’t know if he’s got more people up his sleeves.”
“What are you trying to say?” Devil asked, straddling his bike. He saw one of his men, Butler, he believed, drive into the hospital. A few months ago Butler had been one of the brothers who spent a great deal of time at the bottom of a bottle and some coke rather than face whatever problems he had. When Devil ordered rehab, Butler was one of the first men to take the rehab and get better.
Butler pulled in front of him.
“I’m saying that I’m in talks with Ned. We’re going to get a few of his men here within the week. The more men we have wanting to get rid of Gonzalez the better we’ll be.”
“Okay, we’ll deal with it in a week. That what we agreeing on, one week?”
“Yeah, I’m going to get Butch to put the women in a secured location while we lure Gonzalez into the town hall. The aim is to have minimal civilians present.”
“Eva’s been making plans then.”
“Yeah, she’s been having my balls, but I can’t argue with her when I’m wrong.” Tiny sounded stressed even over the line.
“I’m going to start some retaliation here. I can’t let shit like this stand. We’re agreeing on a week until the wedding. Don’t worry, we won’t be staying around too long.”
“Devil,” Tiny said.
“No, you called my women whores. I’m not going to just forgive. We sort out this mess with Gonzalez, and then I suggest we go our separate ways. I don’t agree with how you run the club or Alex’s involvement. Once this is done, we’re done.”
Devil hung up the phone.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Butler asked.
“You weren’t there when he called our women whores. I’m not interested in what he’s got to say or do. I’ve got a club to run and take care of.” Pocketing his cell phone, Devil took one last look at the hospital. “Lexie’s alone in Judi’s room. Keep an eye on both of them. I don’t want anything to happen to either of them. Protect them both as if they were your own women.”
“I will. Judi and Lexie are our women. They’re protected by the club. I’m not going to forget that.”
Devil agreed. “I’m going to join the rest of the men.” He climbed onto his bike and kicked off.
Life was turning to shit faster than he liked. With the danger this morning of losing his woman, Devil wasn’t in the best of moods. Other people were going about their regular day getting ready for work, or fucking their women. He was looking for a man to kill.
Thinking about Kayla, Devil gripped the handles of his bike. He didn’t like or even love Kayla, but his woman did. Without Kayla, he wouldn’t have met Lexie, and he did love that woman.
Today, he was going to do a hell of a lot more than kill a man. He was going to set about taking down Gonzalez once and for all.
He drove toward the apartment block where he first met Judi and discovered Lexie and his son. The buildings were not in a good condition. In fact, on the outside they looked like a crumbling mess. Part of the roofs on one of the buildings was bare. He hoped no one was being forced to live in the top floor.
“This place is a fucking mess,” Death said.
“It’s a mess that we all need to deal with.” Devil cut his engine as he looked toward the building. What he saw didn’t sit well with him. Several girls, no older than fifteen, were sitting on the steps. Some of them were dressed in chemises, displaying the goods, and some of them were dressed as schoolgirls.
“What the fuck!” Death growled each word out as they all took in the scene before them. This was worse than Judi.
No one seemed to care what was happening. The sight before him sickened him. Seeing young girls, not even women, dressing to take clients made Devil want to vomit. People called him a cradle snatcher because of his love of Lexie. This was just plain fucking disgusting.
“This is what happened when Jerry got killed.” Devil shook his head. He didn’t much like Jerry the pimp, but at least he didn’t go for girls who weren’t legal. This was blatantly illegal, wrong, and Devil knew he needed to put a stop to it. He didn’t care for anything legal, but he didn’t agree to underage girls, or forced prostitution. “We did this,” Devil said.
“We didn’t do this,” Ripper said, disputing him.
“Who were the ones who transported girls? We were the ones who did this. We brought them here and gave Gonzalez the perfect ground for them to earn money because we didn’t stop it.” Devil’s stomach was turning with every second that passed.
He watched one of the girls approach a car. She was the one dressed as a schoolgirl. The man in the car was middle aged, wearing a business suit.
“This has got to stop,” Devil said. Throwing his bike to the ground, Devil pulled out the second gun he owned. Before driving to the hospital, he’d taken the other gun out of the safe. He didn’t like going without his firearms. They were what helped him to deal with the sudden threat he faced.
Devil heard the other men behind him, preparing to take out the fucker.
“How much will it be for a night?” the guy asked.
The closer Devil got, the more determined he was to take this fucker out.
“It’s over two hundred,” the girl said, stammering over her words. She was nothing more than a baby. He thought about Elizabeth.
The thought of his daughter having to do this to make a living or because she was taken against her will filled him with rage. No woman, no matter how old, should have to go through this kind of pain and torture.
Loading the gun, he opened the passenger side of the door and pressed the gun against the man’s temple. The girl jumped back as she took in the whole crew.
“Scream and we’ll kill you,” Devil said, not meaning the words but knowing he needed to keep her quiet.
The girl nodded. This was a touch of déjà vu for him. With Judi he stopped the pimp from hurting her, and now he was stopping a man from buying the girl’s services.
“Now, you sick fuck. You do know you’re buying the services of a minor, right?” Devil asked, keeping the barrel of his gun pressed to the man’s head.
“No, I didn’t.”
“I know you can’t be that stupid.”
“I was told I could come here for a bit of light relief. No one mentioned the women were underage. Please, I swear, I didn’t know her age.”
Running the tip of his gun down the man’s neck, Devil laughed. “Get the fuck out of here before I change my mind.”
The car pulled away from the apartment block. The girl stared at him with tears in her eyes.
“I needed to pull in enough money to stay here,” the girl said.
“How old are you?” he asked.
She placed a hand on her hip giving him attitude. “I’m eighteen.”
“Nice try, honey. You’re not a day older than sixteen. Now tell me, how old are you?”
His men gathered around him ready to get the answer if she wouldn’t give it to him. The girl licked her lips, looking nervous. She wore too much makeup, and the attitude was starting to be replaced by fear.
“I just do what I have to do to survive.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m fifteen, and I’ll be sixteen in a few weeks. You don’t understand. I’ve got to pull my weight otherwise they’ll give my spot to another girl, and I don’t want to go working in the clubs. You can’t pick any of the men you want, and you’ve got to have everyone. At least working here I can take who I want.”
Her hands were shaking as she pushed some hair off her face. Devil got a clear shot of the bruises along her arm. Underneath all the makeup she wore, he imagined her face was bruised.
“Where’s your pimp?” Devil asked.
“Why?”
Was she going to protect him?
Devil wasn’t in the mood to start arguing with the bitch.
“Look, you either tell me where he is, as otherwise I’m going to start shooting. If he gets away and you survive he’s going to come back for you.”
“He went out this morning. I was with him last night so he could dish out his warning. He’s with Samantha on the third floor. Last door on the right,” the girl said.
“Okay, don’t go anywhere.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because if you go somewhere then I won’t get the chance to get you somewhere safe before someone else comes looking for you. If you want to continue this line of work, then run.” Devil walked away. He didn’t know if she was going to wait around or run.
Either way, the pimp was going to get it.
The women and girls moved out of the way. They were bright enough to stay silent as Chaos Bleeds passed. Maybe it had something to do with the guns they were holding, or it could be down to the fact no one liked the pimp they were working for.
Walking up the stairs, Devil went in the direction of where the girl said they should go. He wondered what her name was.
When they got to the third floor, Devil heard the feminine cries of pain along with a masculine voice yelling.
“When a man tells you to suck his fucking dick, you fucking suck his dick.”
Moving down the corridor, Devil heard the sound of flesh on flesh.
“Please, stop.”
“A customer wants to take your ass without a fucking rubber, you bend down and beg him to fuck you.”
“This fucker needs ending.”
The door at the long corridor wasn’t even closed. Whoever was in here knew he wouldn’t be disturbed. There was no fear of getting caught or told not to do anything.
Pushing the door open, Devil was surprised it didn’t creak on its hinges. Not moving from the doorway, Devil saw there was a single ratty chair. The scent of cigarette smoke and stale sex hung in the air. In the center of the room a large man was slapping a woman across the face. Blood ran down from her nose, and one of her eyes was swollen shut. Her body was naked, and he spotted more bruises from kicks and hits.
“You’re a fucking whore. You do what you’re told to do. The only thing you fucking worship is cock and fucking me.” He landed another blow.
Tired of seeing the woman being beaten, Devil aimed and fired at the floor beside the pimp.
The pimp dropped the woman and turned around.
“Good, I’m glad I got your attention. I was starting to get a little fucked off with waiting.”
“Who the fuck are you?” the pimp asked. The girl started to crawl toward them. “I don’t fucking think so, bitch. They want a slut for a gangbang, then you’re fucking doing it.”
The woman could barely stand.
“You work for Gonzalez?” Devil asked.
“I work for my fucking self,” he said, growling.
“What’s your name?” Devil asked.
“What’s it to you?” The girl whimpered as he gripped her hair, pulling her off the floor. This guy was fucking dead regardless of what he did to Judi. Devil wasn’t going to allow this man to live with what he’d seen.
“I’m a curious man. I want to know who’s working for Gonzalez and selling underage girls,” Devil said.
“His name’s Donovan,” the girl said.
“What you fucking say, bitch.”
“Devil, around his wrist, look,” Ripper said.
Focusing his gaze on the man’s wrist, he saw the bracelet that Judi liked to wear. He didn’t know why she liked to wear it. She had more than enough jewelry to replace it, but she enjoyed wearing it.
“Well, Donovan, this morning you paid a visit to a woman for your boss.”
Donovan looked up at him as if he’d grown a second head.
“That woman was once a working girl in these parts. I bet that’s what he told you.”
“What’s it to you?”
He didn’t know how Ripper was containing his anger. Devil knew if it was him, he’d be slaughtering this man.
“She’s a very important person to me and to the club. Why did you go to her place today?”
“Gonzalez told me she was a whore who needed to be put in her place.” Donovan released Samantha, finally seeing the danger he was in. “What’s it got to do with you?”
“That woman is my fucking wife,” Ripper said, stepping beside Devil. “She’s in a coma, and she’s not a fucking whore.”
Donovan started to walk backwards.
Samantha was smart. She pressed herself up against the wall out of their way.
When Donovan made a run for it, Devil aimed at his foot, catching the edge of his foot. The pimp went down screaming.
There was no satisfaction in the sound.
Grabbing a chair, Devil pulled it into the center of the room.
“Get me some tape,” Devil said.
He was surprised when Samantha passed him the round of tape.
Staring at her beaten face, he shook his head.
“Do you know where the Chaos Bleeds clubhouse is?” he asked.
She nodded. “We all know about it.”
“Then gather the girls and whoever you think needs protection. Go to the clubhouse. There will be men there. Tell them that Devil sent you. They’ll take care of you.”
Samantha walked out of the apartment as best she could. Her body was clearly protesting every single move.
“You go there and you’re fucking dead, Samantha. Everyone you know is dead.” Donovan yelled the words before Devil got chance to put tape across his mouth. She stared at the pimp who’d been beating her up.
One of the boys handed her a jacket to keep her covered.
“It doesn’t matter what you say,” she said. “You’ve taken everything away from me anyway. There’s nothing else to take.”
She left the room leaving Donovan screaming after her.
“That’s what you get when you start to hurt the women around you,” Devil said.
Ripper grabbed the man’s face. “You were the one who beat up Judi? My woman.”
Donovan smiled. “She screamed while I did it. Begged for you to come and save her.”
Over and over Ripper landed punches, one after the other against the man’s face.
Today was not the day for their enemies to test their resolve. Devil was determined to get answers one way or the other.
****
Lexie looked up from Judi lying on the hospital bed to see Butler reappear. He’d been sitting in the room for the last three hours. She didn’t know if he’d heard from Devil. Glancing down at her cell phone she saw that he hadn’t gotten in touch with her. This was what she hated the most. She knew he was going to risk his life to get justice for Judi. The thought of something bad happening filled her with dread.
“Have you heard anything?” she asked.
“No, nothing. I got a call from the clubhouse. Several girls have turned up saying they were there from Devil. If he’s sent them you bet your sweet ass that he’s fine. He wouldn’t let anything happen to those girls, and he’s got a handle on the situation.”
She nodded and locked her fingers with Judi’s.
“I know I should be hating the fact that he’s hurting someone, but I don’t care. Whoever laid a finger on Judi deserves to die.” She reached out to push some hair off Judi’s face. Seeing her with wires hooked up to a machine made her feel sick. Judi loved life, and this image of her wasn’t right.
“Whoever it was who beat her up was also selling underage girls. They’re at the clubhouse, but we’ve got to be careful with this,” Butler said.
“I’m going to get myself a coffee and stretch my legs. Will you keep an eye on her?” she asked.
“Sure.”
Leaving the room, she made her way toward the coffee machine. Pressing the buttons, she cricked her neck to try and pull out the knots.
Lexie took her cup and moved away from the machine, heading outside of the hospital. She made sure to check all the available exits in case of emergencies. Her life had changed so much since she became Devil’s woman that she needed to make sure there were ways for her to escape.
Taking out her cell phone, she pressed Devil’s number and waited for him to answer. The phone rang and rang, but he didn’t answer at first.
She kept ringing so he’d know not to mess with her and to answer the call.
“Baby,” he said, on the fifth time she called his cell. “I can’t talk to you right now.”
“No, you can’t do this to me.” She moved away from anyone eavesdropping.
“I’ve got to.”
There was a scream in the background.
“Are you sure he’s the one?”
“Yes, we’re sure. I need you to go to the clubhouse. I’ve sent a bunch of women, and there is going to be a hell of a lot more sent. I’m going to eradicate Gonzalez from Piston County.”
“Devil, I’m with you on everything, but are you sure to do this now? I want Gonzalez gone as much as you, but I don’t want it to risk your life,” she said, panicking.
“I’ve thought about it. I’m done thinking about it. The girls are not old enough, Lexie. I need you to do this for me and to trust what I’m doing.”
“I’m scared of anything happening to you.”
The screaming started to fade, and she knew he was moving away from the noise.
“I know, but I can promise you, I’ll make sure I survive. I need you to do this for me. If you don’t, Gonzalez is going to win. I need to fight him at all angles.”
“Okay, I’ll do this. Please, don’t be so long between calling,” she said.
“I won’t, baby. I need you. One of the girls is fifteen.”
Lexie closed her eyes, thinking about when she was fifteen. She would have died by now if she’d gone through that. “What do you need me to do?” Lexie trusted Devil. She didn’t want him to die. He was her life, he and their kids.
She listened to his instructions, hating the fact she was having to do this. Girls at the age of fifteen should be thinking about their future or if they should let their boyfriends kiss them.
“I’ll do it.”
Closing her cell phone, she walked into the hospital. Butler was reading a magazine. He looked at her when she entered.
“I’m going to the club. I’ve organized for Phoebe to pick me up. Devil wants me to be there for the girls.”
“He told me.” Butler waved his cell phone in front of him. “It’s going to be hard for them, but you’re the only person suited for the job.”
She didn’t believe him. Lexie grabbed her bag and walked back out of the hospital.
Finishing off her coffee, she saw Phoebe pull into the hospital grounds. Rushing toward the car, she climbed into the passenger side.
“Hey,” she said.
“This is fucking crazy,” Phoebe said. “Vincent called me to come and collect you. He’s told me everything that’s going on. Is Judi doing any better?”
“No, she’s not.”
She looked in the back to see all of their kids cramped in together.
“What happened to Vincent looking after the kids?” she asked.
“Devil gave him an order to go to the strip club. I’m not going to argue. I don’t want to end up divorced. Even though Vincent drives me crazy, I still love him.”
Lexie placed her bag between her legs and looked out of the window. “I hate this. I hate that we’re having to deal with this. Between Tiny and Devil, I don’t know what to expect anymore.”
“They’re a force to be reckoned with.” Phoebe pushed the hair out of her face and drove to the compound.
Lexie saw the girls outside of the compound. Several of the men were trying to keep the women together.
“Fucking hell. They’re fucking babies,” Phoebe said.
Staring at the clubhouse entrance, Lexie sighed. “This is going to be a long day. I don’t want to even start with all of this shit.”
She climbed out of the car and walked into the main foyer of the clubhouse. Women in trashy clothes and different stages of undress surrounded her.
Putting her purse into the office, she looked around her.
Devil wanted her to check the women over to see which ones needed hospital attention and others rehab.
“Right, listen up. I want the ones of you who’ve been on drugs to line up on the right side and the rest of you on the left. I need us all to do this, so be honest.”
For the next four hours Lexie worked meticulously to get the girls into some kind of order. She gave Phoebe money to go and get loads of clothes so they could dress the girls. By the time Devil walked through the clubhouse doors, she was collapsed over the table.
The women were not around as she’d housed them in the spare rooms of the clubhouse and others had been sent to rehab.
“Hey, baby,” he said, rubbing the back of her neck.
“I’m so fucking tired right now,” she said, groaning as he rubbed the back of her neck. “No, stop. I’ll fall asleep right now.” She shrugged off his touch and sat up.
She left the table and walked into his office to give them privacy.
“I got a call from Butler. Ripper arrived, but Butler’s sticking around to keep an eye on them both.”
Pressing a hand to her stomach, Lexie turned to look at him. “What are you going to do now?” she asked.
“I’m going to make sure the girls are not here by force.”
“The man who was screaming over the phone, he was the one who attacked Judi?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Why did it take you so long to get here?” she asked.
The girls she’d seen today scared her. She, like so many others, knew that it happened, but it was different from actually realizing it.
“We were seeing where Gonzalez was storing more girls.”
“There are more?”
“Yes.”
She turned to face the desk for support.
Devil’s hands landed on her hips. “I’m really sorry you’re having to do this. This is not what I wanted to ask of you.”
“It’s not your fault, Devil. This is all Gonzalez. Some of them were too drugged up to care. I saw the track marks on their arms. They were drugged not to care,” Lexie said.
He pulled her against him. Both of his arms wrapped around her, surrounding her with love.
“I know. This is the harsh reality that Gonzalez has set up. We don’t have any choice in this, baby.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked, staring at him.
Devil caught her lips in a strong, dominating kiss. Whenever he did that, she knew she wasn’t going to like what he said.
“I’m going to cause a little bit of chaos before we head to Fort Wills. Once and for all, this is going to be over, Lexie.”
“You can’t do this. Those girls—”
“I’m already organizing for those girls to be taken care of. The women that are staying around here now will be gone by the middle of the night. They’re going to be gone.” He cupped her cheeks, turning her head. “I’d never put you in danger, baby.”
She believed him. She only hoped that Gonzalez didn’t anticipate this move from her.