My phone rings, and I answer it without looking at the caller ID.
“I have news,” Oliver’s voice mutters distractedly.
“Yeah,” I grunt.
It’s been three hours, and I’ve heard nothing. Not a fuckin’ thing. I’m starting to go beyond batshit crazy.
“You guys ever have dealings with the Aryans before?” he asks. I hear typing on his keyboard keys.
“Yeah, back years ago. We ended their contract, they tried to kidnap Kentlee, Fury’s wife. We killed a whole fuckin’ bunch of them, but we haven’t heard anything in years,” I explain.
“Well, they’re crazy, so it doesn’t surprise me they hid and waited,” he grumbles.
“That’s who has Cleo?”
“Yeah. I have grainy video of some guys dragging her out of the room and throwing her into a dark blue SUV. I’m trying to find the SUV to see where they’re headed. Luckily, I got a perfect picture of the license plate. I’ll send you the owners info via text, but I have no way of knowing if it’s stolen or not right now, so I’m not sure if it’s helpful,” he explains.
“How do you know it’s Aryan’s?” I ask.
“White guys, no hair, and I recognized their tattoos. The video is grainy, but I zoomed in when I saw the ink,” he explains.
“Give me everything you have. I’ll send some men to check it out,” I say, feeling like I’m going to jump out of my skin.
“All right, sending now. I’m on standby and still researching,” he says before he ends the call.
A few seconds later, my phone sounds with the information. The car is from a little town in California, right on the Oregon and California border called Tulelake. Fuck, it’s four and a half hours away and they have a three-hour head start, which means they could be almost fucking there.
I send a group text out with the information I have as I rush to my bike. I don’t give a fuck if I go it alone. I’ll die before I sit back and let those bastards fuck with my woman.
I race, hauling ass, and not giving a fuck as I do, toward the address Oliver sent me. Maybe I’m going out of my way, maybe I’m making the wrong choice, but this is the only lead I have, and I’m following it.
I’ve made record time, shaving forty-five minutes off of the drive by the time I find the street. I don’t pull straight up to the house. Instead, I park and check my phone under a tree at the end of the street.
“What do you know?” I ask as soon as the phone connects.
“They didn’t steal the car. That man the SUV is registered to is the new leader. He came out of hiding about six months ago, but he hasn’t done anything, absolutely nothing. He’s held meetings, but they haven’t been buying or trading, guns, drugs, or anything of the like.”
“Thanks, Oliver,” I murmur as my eyes stay glued to the house where I know this bastard lives.
“Be safe, and kill those Nazi fucks,” he practically growls.
I pick up my phone and call the Cali clubhouse to check and see where the guys are when I hear motorcycles coming up behind me. I end the call as I turn around and see fifteen brothers rolling up to me.
“She there?” MadDog shouts above his engine noise before he shuts it off.
“Don’t know, but this guy’s an Aryan. Oliver just confirmed they didn’t steal the car,” I explain.
“We go in through the back, but leave a couple guys on each side and the front. We are not letting these fuckers out,” he growls.
“This have to do with all that shit back a few years ago? Or somethin’ new?” I ask as my brows furrow.
“No fucking clue. Maybe it’s just because they’re crazy fucks. Maybe it’s because they heard what we did to The Cartel and they thought it was a good opportunity to extract their revenge. Fury’ll be here any minute. We’ll wait for his men as extra enforcement,” he says, although it’s as if he’s speaking more to himself than anyone else.
“But why me? Why Cleo?” I ask in confusion.
“Fuck if I know. Those bastards are whacked as shit. Too much fuckin’ meth,” he grunts.
About ten minutes later, the rumble of bikes makes us all turn our attention, and I grin when I see Fury and my brothers ride up.
Cleo was right in the fact that I do miss them. They’re my family, and I love them, but that’s more my past, and she’s my future. I like MadDog’s club, the men and women that are there, and, in general, they’re good fuckin’ brothers to have.
“Let’s fuck these assholes up. I’m about sick of them,” Fury growls as he marches up to me.
“They been botherin’ you?” I ask as my brows shoot up.
“Didn’t think anything of it,” he admits.
“Of what?” MadDog growls.
“We’ve been focused on The Cartel, on their shit, not this.”
“We have to be able to multi-task. Tell me,” MadDog orders.
“Got a few threatening phone calls. I’ve been keeping extra protection on the women anyway, because of The Cartel, so I kind of ignored them and nothing materialized,” Fury admits.
“Fuck,” MadDog says, looking up at the sky.
“Wouldn’t have mattered anyway. We had no way to know they’d take someone other than Kentlee,” I say.
“This isn’t a coincidence,” MadDog grumbles.
“Do you think… no,” I say, shaking my head.
“What?” both Fury and MadDog ask at the same time.
“Do you think that they’re the ones that were buying women?” I ask. “Clee was on their list. She’d been picked for someone. There was a buyer for her already.”
“Fuck,” MadDog hisses.
“Maybe it wasn’t The Cartel wanting to take our women, but maybe it was the Aryan’s that wanted to buy them, an ultimate fuck you to us,” Fury suggests.
“Let’s get your woman back. We’ll torture the info out of them,” MadDog says with a grin.
I lift my chin and we start to walk toward the house, splitting up. Half of the guys go down the next street to come up through the back. Another group of guys get on their bikes and ride to the end of the street on the opposite side, so in case shit goes down, we have all exits blocked.
“You ready? Shit could be pretty fuckin’ ugly in there,” MadDog asks the closer we get to the house.
“I’m ready to get my woman,” I growl.
“May not be that easy,” he murmurs.
“Fuck, brother. I know what the fuck I could be walkin’ into,” I bark, getting fed up with his warnings.
“All right.”
I walk right up to the door, looking from side to side to make sure my brothers are ready as I pull my handgun out. Then I bang on the door. It’s silent for a few seconds before I hear a loud whimper, some shuffling and moving around, then the door opens.
My eyes widen at the man standing on the other side.
I’m trapped in a room, still tied up, but I’m at least not alone. There are eight other women who look much like me, tied up by ankles and wrists, in different stages of cleanliness. The only thing we all have in common is our pale skin. I press my lips together and try to keep from crying.
“Who are you?” one girl asks.
“Cleo,” I whisper.
“What chapter is your man from?” she asks. My eyes widen.
“We live in Shasta,” I admit.
“The original charter. Oh, shit,” another girl whispers.
“What does that mean?”
“It means they’re either really brave, or really stupid. Your man’s club is the main club, the one that makes all major decisions—the one that all the other Notorious Devils have to answer to,” she explains. “I’m Ginger, by the way.”
She’s pretty—light blonde hair, big brown eyes, and delicate features—but she looks dirty and worn.
“Why do they have us?” I ask, afraid to know the answer, but needing it.
“Revenge on the Devils. They want to breed us. We were stolen by The Cartel, then sold to them,” a pretty brunette murmurs.
“Shit, who’s they?” I hiss.
“The Aryans. Do yourself and everyone else a favor—don’t fight them. Just accept it when it’s your turn,” Ginger advises.
“Seriously?” I say with wide eyes.
“They take it out on everybody when you fight. We’ve all tried it and we’ve all ended up bleeding from several places. It’s not worth it,” the brunette whispers.
Shit.
My heart starts to beat wildly inside of my chest, and my bottom lip trembles as I’m now officially on the verge of tears.
“They’re never going to find us, are they?” I ask as my eyes go from woman to woman in the room.
“I’ve been here for a year,” the brunette rasps.
“Oh, fuck,” I say as tears start to stream down my face.
“They don’t know I’m infertile. Once a girl gets pregnant, she’s taken away,” she whispers.
I pinch my eyes closed so tight that I see stars. I want this nightmare to disappear. I want to open my eyes and be in my bed, lying next to Paxton. I don’t even care what bed, the clubhouse, our house, anywhere but here.
“The sun is starting to set,” Ginger whispers.
“What’s that mean?” I ask, opening my eyes to look around.
“It means it’s almost time,” the brunette says in a warning tone.
I don’t ask anything else. I don’t need that clarified. Not in the slightest. I suck in my lips to keep from whimpering as I bring my knees up, resting my cheek on them as I await my fate. Whatever that looks like.
“It’s time to break in the new girl,” a voice calls out as the door flies open.
I look up and my eyes widen at the man in front of me. I’ve met him before. Just a few days ago. He’s a member of Fury’s club, and one of the men that Paxton trusts.
Holy shit.
“Drifter?” I whisper, looking at the man who was introduced to me as Fury’s Vice President not very long ago.
“Surprise, cunt,” he grins.
“How, why?”
“Not your fuckin’ business,” he growls as he stalks toward me.
Drifter bends down and wraps his hand around my bicep before he pulls me roughly to my feet. He then shoves his shoulder into my belly and picks me up over his shoulder. He turns around and starts to walk me out of the room.
I look up and make eye contact with all of the women. They all look at me with varying degrees of pity, and I know that this, what comes next, is going to be horrendous.
I keep my lips pressed together as he lets me fall to my feet. I sway when he bends down and unties my ankles. Then he rises, and his hands dive into my hair before fisting tightly, making my scalp pull. I try not to wince at the pain.
“The club thought they’d be cute. They thought they could cut off contracts, and they all thought that it would just go away,” he growls.
“So you betrayed them?” I ask, trying to keep him talking. The longer he talks, the longer until he rapes me.
“Been playing both sides of the fence, darlin’, my whole fuckin’ life. Dad was an Aryan. I prospected with the Devils the day I turned eighteen,” he grins. “Now, it’s time to play.”
I suck in a breath when he reaches for me. Unfortunately, there isn’t much fabric between us, and Drifter grabs the hem of my t-shirt with each hand and rips it in half up my body. I shake, unable to stop myself as I’m standing in just my panties and no bra in front of him. His eyes scan me and he grins.
“Nipple rings. Nice,” he grunts as he reaches out and touches each ring.
I dig my fingernails into my palms, fighting a shiver in disgust, keeping my face impassive, and trying to keep the bile from rising up my throat.
“Does the carpet match the curtains?” a man’s voice asks from somewhere behind me.
“Let’s find out, shall we?” Drifter asks as his fingers reach for my panties.
I feel heat at my back, but since my hands are still tied, I can do nothing but stand and wait for whatever comes next. Then a knock on the door has Drifter’s head popping up, and he takes a step back from me.
I watch as he pulls a gun out of his waistband and walks over to the door. Three more men suddenly appear, and the man who was behind me wraps his arm around my neck, pulling me into his chest. His arm moves and his hand squeezes my breast before his rancid breath hits my face.
“Can’t wait to play with you,” he whispers.
I don’t make a move or a noise, trying my hardest to keep absolutely still and show no emotion at all to his words.
I hear Paxton’s voice, and then there’s a shot that rings out, but I don’t see who falls. The man holding me whirls me around from the front door. I scream out in pain as my ankle twists, and I try to struggle to get away from him. His grip is tight, and his hand has moved from my breast to my neck. He squeezes, and I stop screaming, but I don’t stop struggling against him with all that I have.