“You take this one,” I whisper to Worm.
He grunts, his rifle already trained on the target. It’s the park, the middle of the day, his little dog running around while the judge is on the phone. He’s huffing and puffing, his overweight body barely able to walk beside the little yapping beast.
“Get it done. Drug deal gone bad. Couple guys are ransacking his place right now, looking for the girls and planting product and paraphernalia.”
“You know?” Worm asks as he trains his weapon on the judge. “I would really hate to piss any of you off. You guys are fucking good.”
“Damn straight. Don’t fuck us over, boy. You’ll regret it for as long as you’re left breathing.”
“I’m seeing that,” he snorts.
At that exact moment, I watch as the judge falls to his death, a bit of blood seeping on the sidewalk beneath him. His little dog yaps and tugs on his leash. With my head tipped down, I walk past him then look at his face and growl. Then, I use my shoe and tug the leash free. The little dog takes off in a full sprint. I snort at the sight. Definitely not man’s best friend in this case.
Worm and I leave the scene, never looking back, never caring. My phone rings before we even reach our waiting car several miles away.
Three girls found alive. One dead.
I curse as I shake my head, thinking about the poor girl that died. Thankfully, three will get some help and hopefully go back to wherever they came from, maybe to parents that give a shit about them and have missed them? Maybe just to whatever freedom they want. All I know is that they’re not locked in a cage any longer.
Hopefully.
Chapter Twenty-Five
LEIGHTON
Another week passes, then another. Placing my hand on my belly, I turn to the side and glance at myself in the bathroom mirror reflection. I’m not showing much, not really, but the subtle changes are not lost on me. I can see them, but more importantly, I can feel them.
“Hey babe, you ready?” Dutch’s deep voice calls out from the living room.
With a sigh, I turn the light off in the bathroom and make my way toward him. It’s late, he’s standing next to the door, a grin playing on his lips. I’m playing bartender tonight at a party, the first time and I’m not excited about it at all.
In fact, I’m dreading it and have been for days. Dutch and Ana both explained and assured me that it was a Sinister Skull only party. No outside hangers-on. Nothing too crazy. Just their clubwhores and them, some Old Ladies and lots of nakedness, because that’s what they do.
“Not really,” I murmur.
He laughs, reaching out he takes my hand in his. He doesn’t lace his fingers with mine, instead he tugs me behind him. I know that I’m dragging my feet, walking slowly as my stomach twist with each step closer we take.
“You’ll be fine. It’s a pretty calm night.”
Looking up at him, I wrinkle my nose and curl my lip. “But your women will all be in cages?”
He stops, looking down at me as his eyes search mine. “Some will. Some will be on leashes. Some will be walking around naked. Some will be fully clothed. Some will be having sex with their man or whatever deal they have worked out between them. The thing is, nobody will touch you that you don’t want. I can guarantee that, Leighton.”
My throat goes dry immediately as visions of every single scenario that he’s just listed flashes in my head. One right after the other, after the other. Sex, naked, cages, and leashes. My heart starts to race as I think about what that is going to look like.
“You’ll be behind the bar. You’re going to be fine,” he says, his voice low and almost as if he’s trying to be over cautious with his tone. As if I’m some kind of wounded animal that he’s approaching.
Nodding, I gulp and shift my gaze up to his. “It’s just… it’s been a long time since I’ve been to anything like this.”
He tilts his head to the side, I can tell that he’s a little confused, but I don’t delve any deeper into the topic. He doesn’t need to know about that part of my life. It’s too personal, and I like Dutch, but he’s a friend and nothing else.
“You’ll be okay, girl,” he chuckles.
Inhaling a deep breath, I follow behind him, walking into the dark room. My imagination did not disappoint. The room is filled with naked women in various positions and activities. It almost looks like a sex club, except I know that most of the women are these guys’ wives.
Hurrying toward the bar, I keep my head down and focus on my feet as I practically sprint to the back of the room and dip behind the long bar, hoping that the wooden barrier will help me feel a bit safer and less exposed.
“Are you okay?” Ana asks, her voice carrying toward me.
Jerking my head up, I look into her brown eyes. Nodding my head, I lick my lips. They’re dry, they feel cracked, and my throat feels like it’s got a bunch of cotton shoved down it.
“I’m fine,” I whisper.
Straightening my back, I turn around to face the bar and I lift my gaze to meet the eyes of the men waiting for shots and beers. The great thing about tonight, at least the way Ana explained it to me, was that they only have a couple drinks here, there’s no mixing, just shots, and opening beers, easy as can be.
She must decide that I’m okay, because she turns away from me and heads back to her end of the bar. I’m here as relief help, which is why I didn’t have to come until the party had already started. Plus, it’s a paying gig and I can use every cent to squirrel away for myself and this baby who is coming sooner rather than later.
Thankfully, being behind the bar shields me from most of the happenings of the club. It’s a constant flow of traffic, men tall and broad, covering the main area of the clubhouse floor. I’m grateful and thankful for every second.
“You can have a break, girl,” Ana calls out.
My gaze flicks around, noticing that the line at the bar has thinned out considerably. I’m kind of afraid to ask where they have all gone. I honestly don’t want to know, so I don’t ask. Just when I’m about to tell Ana that it’s okay, I don’t need a break, Bones appears in front of me.
I haven’t seen him since he dropped me off at Ana’s place two months ago. I don’t ask where his wife is, I don’t think I want to know. Another question I’m not willing to ask because I honestly really do not want the answer to it.
“You okay?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.
“I’m fine,” I whisper.
He shakes his head a couple of times, then laughs softly. “You’re a mess. Honest to fuck though, I figured you’d have tucked tail and gone back to the Beasts by now.”
“And do what?” I ask.
He shrugs a shoulder. “Go back to your man.”
I hum, leaning back against the sink behind me that we use to rinse out the shot glasses. “Again, and do what?”
He quirks an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a grin as he watches me, a humorous smile playing on his lips. I could tell him a million things. I could lie and say that’s where I’m going to go before I head in the complete opposite direction. I do none of it.