Chapter 9
9
JED
“ H ey, Jackson. What’s up?” Jed took the towel he’d been using to dry his hair with and wiped the condensation off the mirror. Switching his phone to speaker, it freed his hands to run them through his hair until he was satisfied with the result. Happy with his hair, he exited the hotel bathroom naked and in a fog of steam.
“We got a hit at one of the rental properties last night.”
“Oh, yeah?” He set the phone on the table next to his duffel bag and pulled out clean clothes. “About damn time.” Going commando, he slipped one leg then the other through his jeans. The last time he’d worn underwear was when he was still living at home and his mom still bought it for him. Grabbing his socks and boots, he took a seat on the end of the bed.
“You know that stripper, Avery, from Bottom’s Up?”
“Yeah.” Jed knew her well. Not as well as he would like to know her, but well enough to know she’d be a fantastic lay. “What about her?” If she was at the Phantom rental property, he had a bad feeling he wasn’t going to like what his friend was going to say next.
“She came out of the house this morning and drove south through town. She stopped at one of the rest stops along the way, grabbed an overnight bag out of the back and headed inside.”
“Okay?” He finished pulling on his boots.
“When she came out she didn’t have black hair anymore, she was blonde.”
“She color her hair while she was in there?” Jed picked up the relatively clean t-shirt he placed next to him on the bed, smelled it, shrugged a shoulder and tugged it on. It wasn’t too bad. All it needed was a good airing out and he’d get plenty of that moving around.
“No. She wasn’t in there long enough to color her hair. When she was walking back to her car she got a call. She answered it and whoever was on the other end of the line was pissing her off.”
“Okay. So you’re saying we need to watch for Avery showing up in Taos as a blonde?” Jed swiped on his deodorant under one arm, then paused before he could swipe the other because Jackson’s next news shocked the shit out of him.
“No. She’s Sadie, Jed. Sadie Swallow. The one who has her name on the Redemption properties.”
Jed dropped his ass to the edge of the bed again, his deodorant forgotten. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah. We followed her to the state line. She should be there in about an hour and a half if she keeps driving at the speed she was doing earlier.” At Jed’s long silence, Jackson asked, “You still there?”
“Yeah. Sorry. Just trying to wrap my head around Sadie posing as a stripper.” Who gave hot as hell lap dances.
“What’re you gonna do?”
“Gonna confront her ass.” There really was no other option. She’d been playing him, knowing exactly who he was the whole time he’d been trying to charm her.
“Want me to call Tulsa and Lance? Fill them in?”
“No. I’ll do it. We’re meeting for breakfast in,” he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Five minutes.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Jed ended the call and stared out the window. What the hell was Sadie playing at? How connected to the PFMC was she? And why did he not want her to be involved with those fuckers?
He grabbed his keys, his phone and his wallet before heading out the door to meet Tulsa and Lance at the cafe across the street. He had so many questions and she damn well was going to answer them. First question would be whether or not she was the old lady to one of the Phantoms? If so, why would he allow his woman to pretend to be a stripper and why was the guy okay with her doing lap dances?
The bell above the door announced his arrival as he entered the cafe. Scanning the small crowd, he spotted his brothers at a back corner booth.
“Hey,” Tulsa greeted as he stopped at the table.
“Hey.”
“You’re usually the first one here. Started to worry that something might’ve happened to you.” Lance slid closer to the wall, giving Jed room to sit down.
“Got a call from Jackson right before I left.”
“Oh, yeah? What’d he have to say?” Tulsa smiled at the twenty-something waitress offering to top off his coffee. “Thanks, darlin’,” he winked at her, causing her to flush a pretty pink. She was just his type. The more innocent they appeared, the more he was compelled to try and dirty them up. Not that he wouldn’t fuck any woman who made herself available. Jed personally thought his friend pursued the more introverted shy women because he enjoyed the chase so much.
“You want more?” she asked Lance.
He pushed his mug closer to her, then thanked her.
“And how about you?” she asked Jed. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Sure. That would be great.” He turned to ask them if they’d ordered breakfast yet. “Did you guys order?”
“No. We were waiting on you,” Tulsa replied. To the young woman, he said, “We can go ahead and order now since he’s here.”
She pulled out a pen and a pad of paper to take their orders. She hurried off to put their order in and quickly returned with Jed’s coffee.
“What’d Jackson have to say?” Lance started adding sugar to his coffee.
Tulsa frowned at the number of sugar packets Lance was dumping into his mug. “What the fuck?
“I like the caffeine hit, but not a fan of the taste of it black.” Lance stirred his coffee, the spoon clinking around inside.
Jed drew their attention back to the conversation they’d started before they’d gotten sidetracked by Lance’s sugar consumption. “They finally got a hit on one of the properties last night. It was Avery from Bottom’s Up.”
“No shit?” Lance paused with his coffee halfway to his mouth after hearing that.
“It gets better.” He leaned in with his arms on the table.
“I can hardly wait,” Tulsa grumbled as he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
“This morning they followed her to a rest stop. She went in with an overnight bag and black hair and came out a blonde.”
“She had time to color her hair in the bathroom?” Lance’s brows dipped in confusion.
“No. They think she wears a black wig when she’s Avery.”
“What do you mean when she’s Avery?” Tulsa reached for his mug.
“She’s Sadie Swallow.” Jed would have thought their reactions comical if not for the seriousness her dual identity presented.
“Seriously?” Tulsa asked.
“Your Sadie?” Lance questioned.
“She’s not my Sadie.”
Tulsa and Lance both frowned at each other like Jed was crazy.
“She’s not,” he denied again.
“Are you sure? Because it seems you’ve gotten awfully friendly with her since you’ve gotten into town.” Tulsa smirked knowing he was pushing Jed’s buttons.
“No I haven’t,” he denied with a growl. He took a breath, then said, “She’s just a job. A means to an end. She’s hopefully going to lead us to Darren and we can finally end this shit with the Phantoms and go home.”
They paused their conversation long enough for the waitress to place their plates in front of them. She asked if they needed anything else and with none of them needing anything, she left to help other customers.
“What are you going to do with this information?” Lance asked while smothering his pancakes in syrup.
“Seriously, dude. What’s up with all the sugar?” Tulsa cut into his steak and veggie omelet, shaking his head.
“Oh, right,” Lance countered. “This coming from the guy who eats any baked goods not tied down whenever the old ladies cook at the clubhouse. We all have to race you in there if we want any.”
“All right. That’s enough, you two.” Jed tried to head off the argument he saw coming. He couldn’t believe he was being forced to play referee to these two knuckleheads. “Back to the business at hand. Jackson thinks Sadie will be back in town about the time we finish up here. I’m going to her house to confront her and find out what she knows.”
“And where do you want us?” Lance asked around a mouthful of pancakes.
“How about you guys hang out down the street and keep an eye out for any Phantoms?”
Tulsa dipped his head in agreement. “Sounds good.”
The rest of their meal went on with discussions about which sweet butt they wanted to fuck when they got home, how they couldn’t wait to ride their bikes again and making bets on who was going to be taking Crockett out.
JED
Jed knocked on Sadie’s front door and waited for her to answer. He knew she was there because he’d seen her pulling her car into her garage as he circled around back to park in the alley.
He heard the locks turning right before Sadie pulled the door open. Normally, she greeted him with a warm smile, but today her smile was tentative and she had to work at hiding her frown. “Jed? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” She stuck her head out far enough to look up and down the street. Was she looking for someone or was she trying to hide something?
“Had the day off. Aren’t you going to ask me inside?”
“Oh, yes. Come inside.” She swung the door wider and waited for him to come inside.
Her gaze followed his to the overnight bag Jackson must have been talking about sitting on the recliner.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
“Oh, no. Just got back actually. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll take my bag back to my room?” She didn’t wait for his answer as she grabbed the bag and hightailed it down the hall.
No way was he having a seat while she tried to hide what was inside her bag. He followed her down the hall, his steps quiet on the carpet. He pushed the partially shut door open, allowing him to see Sadie trying to stuff the bag under her bed.
“Whatcha doin’?”
“Ahhhh!” she squealed and clutched her chest. “Holy crap, Jed. You scared the shit out of me.”
He looked at her then dropped his gaze to the bag and back. “You trying to hide something?” He tipped his head to the side.
“Um. No. Just putting the bag under my bed because I don’t have room in my closet,” she explained as she got to her feet. She moved closer to him either to draw his attention away from the bag or to try and get him to back out of her room.
“Are you a part of the Phantoms? Are you someone’s old lady?” Jed was tired of beating around the bush. He needed answers and he wanted them now. No more games.
“No,” she replied as if insulted that he’d even ask.
“Don’t lie to me,” he warned her.
“I’m not lying,” she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip. It was the universal language of all females around the world signaling she was getting pissed.
“Then why do you go to the Phantoms’ clubhouse all the time?” He took a menacing step toward her. The way she suddenly tensed, she hadn’t expected him to ask that question. She hadn’t expected him to know that she went there. She dropped her arms and fisted her hands at her side, defiantly remaining silent.
He moved swiftly, his hand going around her throat. He spun her around and backed her into the wall. There. That got a response out of her. For just a brief moment he saw a flash of fear in her pretty green eyes, not brown. It was there and gone so fast he could have imagined it. The tilt of her chin was the only sign that he hadn’t. Her hands went to his wrist, trying to pull his hand off her throat. Finally, realizing that he was serious and he wasn’t letting her go anytime soon, she caved.
“I’m not a part of the Phantoms,” she growled. “My brother was.”
“Was?” Had her brother left the club? He couldn’t see them letting anyone walk away and still live.
“He’s dead.” The pain in her eyes was real and he felt like a total shit for causing her pain despite the fact that she could very well be another spy in the Sons’ midst. “He was killed in an accident. He was on his bike, it started storming and a drunk driver hit him. The driver drove off and left him there to die.”
What the fuck? How could someone hit someone on a bike and not feel it? How drunk does someone have to be for it not to even register? He felt bad for her, but not enough to show her mercy. Darren’s life depended on him getting answers out of her.
“The fucking Phantoms have a brother of mine. Darren. They’ve had him for several days and I need to get him back before they do anything stupid, like kill him.”
She didn’t respond, choosing to remain silent. Her gaze grew more defiant the more pressure he put on her throat. The way her eyes locked with his led him to believe if she had a knife she would stab him. “Where would they be keeping him?”
“I don’t know,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m a woman and not even one in their club. They don’t exactly tell me all their dirty little secrets.”
“Would they keep him in the clubhouse? Do they have a basement? A special room they would want to keep others from getting into by accident?” He eased up on his grip but didn’t let her go.
“I don’t know. When I go there, I stay in the main room. I don’t ever go back to the rooms the brothers keep there.”
His brows dipped. Something was bothering him. She sounded like she hated the club, but she still went there. “Why? If you’re not a part of the club, why do you go there? You a club whore? You let those filthy Phantoms touch you? Fuck you? Do you like it hard? With more than one man at a time?”
She slapped him. Hard. He hadn’t expected that, but he reasoned he deserved it. He could feel a muscle in his jaw flexing as he tried to rein in his temper.
“I apologize if I crossed a line. So what part did you find offense with?”
“All of it. I’m not a fucking whore despite what you might think after what happened at Bottom’s Up.” She added the last part as his brow arched in question. All of the fight seemed to leak out of her all at once. Tension left her body. Her whole attitude went from wanting to fight him to a sense of hopelessness in the blink of an eye. “They have my nephew. One of the brothers and his old lady is keeping him when he’s not at school. The only way I get to see him is at the clubhouse and I only get one hour.” She looked away, but not before he saw the tears pooling in her eyes.
Could she really be that good of an actor? Possibly. She did wear a wig and changed her appearance and name in order to get a job at Bottom’s Up. Which reminded him, “Why were you working at Bottom’s Up?”
“Crockett made me get a job there to get closer to one of the Sons.”
“Which one?” Did he really want to hear the name of one of his brothers come out of her mouth? No. He didn’t and that bothered him more than he could understand.
“He didn’t care which one,” she replied.
“I’ve seen your dancing. You’re really good. Was the lap dance you gave me and the way you got off dry humping all part of your act? Crockett put you up to it?” Would she have treated any of his brothers with the same kind of dance? Would she have gone further with one of them?
He mentally chastised himself for sounding like a pussy and to remind himself she was the bad guy in all this. He needed to quit feeling sorry for her just because he thought she looked like a goddamn sex goddess when she climaxed. And he needed to stop thinking about how much he wanted to fuck her for real.
“The dance was an act. The way I responded to you was me just having fun.” His expression must have stated ‘what the fuck’ because she got defensive again. “A girl can get horny, too, you know.”
He pushed her harder into the wall. “Are there any other buildings on the property?”
“You’re giving me whiplash with all your bouncing around.”
“Just answer the fucking question.”
“There’s a building out back. Don’t ask me what it’s for because I don’t know. The only time I ever step foot on that property is to visit Oliver.”
Damn it. She just had to give the kid a name. Knowing he’d regret it, he asked, “How old is Oliver?”
A small but genuine smile tipped her lips up as she talked about him. “Five. He’s in kindergarten.” Her eyes darted to a picture next to her bed. It was a picture of her and a cute white-headed little boy. It wasn’t blonde, it was white as snow. He had green eyes like Sadie and sported a smile missing one front tooth.
“Look, I don’t need to know your family drama. I just need to know how to get my brother away from them. I need to know where they’re holding him. Then I need to know where they’re keeping that Euphoria shit stashed.”
She frowned. “Euphoria?”
“It’s a drug ten times worse than a roofie. They say it tells your body that you want to have sex even though your head might be telling you you don’t. They call it EZ Lay on the street. Know anything about it?”
“No. I don’t know anything about that drug. Are you wanting to steal it so you can sell it instead of the Phantoms?”
“Fuck no. We want to destroy the whole damn supply. They’re trying to get a toe hold in Redemption for the cartel. We want it gone.”
A noise from the front of the house had both their heads jerking that direction. There was a knock then the sound of the door opening. “Sadie! You here, girl?”
“You better go. That’s RIP. He’s Crockett’s enforcer and nothing makes him happier than killing people.”
Jed’s eyes narrowed on her. “Thought you said you didn’t know anything about the club?”
“My brother used to talk about him. Not a lot of details, just that I should always steer clear of him. He’s rough on his women.”
“How do you expect me to walk away if he’s rough with women?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Go or stay. It’s up to you. I have to answer or he’ll come looking for me.”
“Sadie?” RIP shouted again, this time closer.
“I’m coming!” she shouted back while staring into Jed’s eyes.
Fuck. Jed released her and went to the window. There was no screen which allowed him to raise the window and crawl out. He took off across the backyard, thanking his lucky stars he parked his car in the alley. He gripped the fence and lifted himself high enough to swing a leg over. Just as he was clearing the fence, he heard a bang! and felt a burning pain in his leg. Motherfuck, that hurt! He hopped in his car and sped away. On his way down the alley, he called Tulsa. As soon as his brother answered, he said, “I’m hit. Meet me at the motel.”
“How bad?”
“Don’t know. Haven’t had a chance to look at it. Probably a graze, but it burns like a motherfucker.” Tulsa told him he’d swing by the pharmacy and grab some first aid supplies and they’d meet him in his room. In the mean time, he held pressure on his leg.
He made sure to drive at the posted speed limits, not wanting to draw the attention of a cop and get pulled over. It would be hard to explain how he’d gotten shot and who had done it.
He shook his head and thought to himself that what just happened with Sadie hadn’t gone well. He’d learned absolutely nothing useful other than his dick wanted inside her pretty damn bad and he desperately wanted to know if she really did swallow.
SADIE
Sadie remained unmoving, her back to the wall as Jed exited through her bedroom window. She let out a strangled scream as the door to her room exploded open. RIP briefly spared her a quick glance then ran to the open window. He had his gun out and pointed toward the backyard where Jed was trying to make a getaway. The sound of the gun discharging in her small room was unbelievably loud. She flinched and covered her still ringing ears in case he fired again. Did Jed make it over the fence before RIP fired or had he been hit? She was almost afraid to check.
He slammed his hand on the windowsill then stalked toward her. “Who was that, Sadie?” he demanded. He shoved his gun behind his back and stopped when they were toe-to-toe, bending so they were eye level.
Her heart was racing a mile a minute and she must have been in shock because she normally didn’t allow RIP to get so close in her personal space. She forced herself to suppress the shiver of disgust she felt whenever he was near. The man seriously creeped her out.
“Sadie, answer RIP’s question. Why was one of the Sons of Redemption in your house? In your room?” Crockett stood just inside the door. Damn, the man had a knack for moving quietly. She hadn’t known he’d come inside her room until he spoke.
“I don’t know.”
“What was that noise? Did someone shoot a gun?” The sound of a little boy’s voice caused Sadie to tense. What was her nephew doing here? Crockett never let her see him outside of the clubhouse.
RIP patted him on the head as he stopped next to Sadie. “Don’t worry, buddy. Just shooting a rat.” She hated the patronizing way he pretended to like Oliver and she hated it even more the way he patted his head. She didn’t want the asshole anywhere near her nephew.
“Did you get him?” Oliver asked innocently.
“Sure did.” RIP winked at him then smiled at Sadie.
“Nickle, why don’t you take Oliver to the kitchen and find a snack?” Crockett suggested.
“Sure thing. Come on, my man, let’s go find something to eat.” Nickle steered Oliver out the door and toward the kitchen.
Crockett closed the door and leaned his back against it. “What was a Son doing in your house, Sadie? In your room?”
“Were you fucking him?” RIP leaned in closer.
She shoved him away. “Back off, RIP, and no, I’m not fucking him.”
“Damn. At least if you were, you might be able to get some information out of him.” RIP kept pushing.
Her hands slammed onto her hips. “See, that’s the thing. I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to be trying to find out.”
RIP opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Crockett. “What am I going to do with you, Sadie?”
She didn’t think it was a question he actually expected a response to so she opted to keep her mouth shut. She was less likely to say something to piss him off that way. If he was pissed off, he could deny her access to her nephew. Which pissed her way the hell off considering she had paperwork that clearly stated that in the event her brother died, she was to get custody.
He tapped his lower lip, his eyes narrowing as if in deep thought. “I don’t understand why I continue to allow you to see your nephew. This arrangement was supposed to have some give and take in it. So far, all I’m doing is giving and you’re not returning the favor.”
Her heart sped up at the thought of not seeing Oliver again. Crockett was always threatening to keep him from her and being the president of a motorcycle club, she imagined he had all kinds of ways of making that happen. What would she do if he didn’t allow her to see her sweet, sweet nephew?
As she waited for him to finally spit out what he’d more than likely been plotting for sometime, she silently prayed. Please, please don’t say she had to become one of their club whores. She could do almost anything, but not that. Just the thought of whoring herself out to those filthy disgusting men he called brothers would break her. But then again, who was she trying to kid? She would even do that if it kept her close to Oliver.
He pushed himself away from the door. “I know what you can do. You can take this pill.”
“What?” What pill was he talking about? RIP’s hand came into her line of sight, a tiny white pill on his open palm. “I’m not taking that pill. I don’t even know what it is.”
“It doesn’t matter what you want anymore.” Crockett took a threatening step closer to her. “It’s like this. You will take this pill or I will give it to Oliver. Which is it going to be?”
Well, shit. She had no choice. Her mouth formed a thin line as she glared at Crockett. She’d like to say he was bluffing, but honestly didn’t know. Unable to take the chance, she reached out with a shaking hand, and picked it up. “I need water.”
Crockett tipped his head toward the bathroom. “RIP, take her in there and make sure she takes the pill and doesn’t flush it.”
Feeling like each step she took closer to the sink was a step closer to losing all control, she mentally freaked out. What would this pill do to her? What if she overdosed? What would happen to Oliver? Who would take care of him? Would Nickle and his old lady get to keep him? They seemed to genuinely care for him but if Crockett forced them to give him up, what could they do? Would they stand up to him? Run away with Oliver?
Shit. Shit. Shit. This was so messed up. Why was it necessary for her to take the damn pill?
RIP motioned for her to get on with it, apparently not appreciating the time she was taking to have a mini breakdown. She turned the water on and dipped her head under the faucet to get a drink. She stood with a mouthful of water, tipped her head back and dropped the pill into her mouth. She swallowed and felt any hope she may have had that she could get out of this disappear.
“Open up. Lift your tongue.” RIP motioned with his finger.
She resented being treated like a child but did what he said, lifting her tongue to prove she’d taken it. How long until she felt the effects? She had no idea what to expect. Her heart raced in anticipation which probably only served to speed the drug through her system even faster. She told herself to calm down, but that only made things worse.
“Come on. Time to go.” He gripped her by the upper arm and steered her toward the living room where everyone else had gathered, including Oliver. God, her precious Oliver. She wanted to cry at all the unfairness of everything going on.
Evidence of the butterscotch pudding he’d eaten was ringed around his mouth. She giggled. What the hell? “Um, Oliver, honey, you need to wipe your mouth. You’ve got pudding all around it.” She slapped a hand over her mouth when another giggle slipped free.
Oliver looked at her funny, like even he could tell there was something wrong with her.
“Uh, come on, Oliver,” Nickle turned him toward the kitchen. “Let’s get your mouth wiped off.”
“Keep it together in front of the kid,” RIP leaned down and whispered in her ear from behind, causing her to jump. His hands settled on her upper arms, keeping her steady. Damn it. Something was definitely fucked up. She wasn’t even protesting his hands on her. Was this that new drug Jed was telling her about? EZ Lay? Oh shit! What if it was? Would she have sex with RIP even though she’d rather die than let him touch her?
She shook her head as a wave of fogginess filled her head.
“Time to go,” Crockett announced, leading the way outside.
“Are we going to the clubhouse so I can spend time with Aunt Sadie?” Oliver looked up at Nickle.
“Um, I’m not sure.” He pushed him out the door.
RIP herded her out the door before she could decide on whether or not she needed to grab her purse. Did she needed her car keys? Did someone lock her front door? Did RIP really shoot a rat? Was Jed dead? She hoped not. She kind of liked him despite the fact he was being a complete dick to her.
She’d thought about the lap dance she’d given him that turned into a little more than either had expected and let herself wonder what it would be like to be with a man like him. Because of her brother’s lifestyle choice and her exposure to the MC he was a part of, she’d vowed to herself that she’d never be with a biker. Then she’d met Jed and couldn’t help but wonder if things could be different with him. That fantasy was completely ruined when he showed up today and was a total dick.
RIP opened the front passenger door of Nickle’s car and waved her in. While he was situating her seatbelt around her, Nickle was securing Oliver in a booster seat in the back.
Out the front window she could see Crockett and RIP mount their bikes. Nickle started his car and pulled out behind them. From the route they were taking, it appeared they were heading to the clubhouse. Her cheeks heated as she felt a sudden wave of need roll over her. What the hell? Hoping to quell the intensity, she squeezed her legs shut. She ran a hand along her neck and asked, “Is it hot in here?”
Nickle frowned and shook his head, mumbling, “This isn’t right.”
“What?”
“This isn’t right and if you tell anyone I said that, we’ll both be in trouble.” Nickle took a left turn and sped up to catch up to Crockett and RIP.
“Trouble from who?” Why couldn’t she think clearly? Her hand skimmed past her neck, down her chest, brushing against her nipple. She sucked in a sharp breath and bit her lip.
“From Crockett. You know, president of the Phantom Furies?”
“Oh, yeah. The dick.”
Nickle looked behind him to see if Oliver was paying attention to them. He was looking out the side window, lost in his own little world for now.
“Seriously. It’s really hot in here.” She pinched at the front of her shirt and started fanning herself quickly, trying to create a breeze.
“I’ll turn on the air.” He reached over and pulled her hand away from her shirt and cranked the AC up.
“Ahh. Thank you.” She positioned one of the vents to blow directly on her. Her nipples pebbled to hard points. She wasn’t sure if it was from the cool air or the drug making her so damn horny.
“We’re here.” Why did Nickle sound so relieved?
Instead of stopping at the clubhouse, they drove around to the building behind it. The one she’d told Jed about. Oh shit. Was his friend Darren in there? Looked like she might be finding out if they brought her inside. If he was inside, how would she contact Jed to let him know? Then she wondered why she would want to after the way he’d treated her in her home.
Nickle stopped the car, but didn’t shut if off. Before she could ask what was going on, her door was yanked open. She squealed when RIP bent down, giving her a smile she was sure worked with the whores in his club. To her it was twisted and scary as hell.
“Come on. Outcha go.” Why did he sound so damn chipper? He unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her by her upper arm and helped her out of the car. He closed the door and Nickle drove away with Oliver.
“Where’s Nickle going with Oliver?” Were they taking him away from her? Would she ever see him again? God damn it. Why couldn’t she think clearly?
“He’s taking him home so his old lady can get him fed.”
“Oh. Okay.” That made sense, but she’d been looking forward to spending time with the little guy. She’d missed him when she was in Redemption. She worried about him constantly. Was he getting enough to eat? Was he getting enough sleep? How was he doing in school? Did Nickle and his old lady love him like she did?
RIP led her through the door of the old gray building that looked like it had seen better days. Upon entering it didn’t look much better. The walls had white peeling paint and the concrete floor was covered in dirt and God only knew what else. There were no windows and there was only one door. It was positioned all the way back at the rear wall. He all but dragged her across the length of it until they met up with Crockett at a battered black door.
“You feeling good, Sadie?” Crockett asked, eying her closely.
“Yes.” Why did she tell him that? She did feel good, but she was also getting really horny. Damn it. Her bra kept rubbing her nipples and it was driving her crazy.
“You feeling horny?” RIP chuckled.
She refused to answer the pig.
They both stared at her chest and laughed. “I’d say that’s a yes,” RIP licked his lips, making her stomach roll.
“Since you fucked up your assignment in Redemption, you’re going to be useful to me in another way.” Crockett rocked back on his heels, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Uh oh. “What way?”
“You’re going to strip down and we’re going to bring you to meet someone. RIP,” he motioned for him to help her take her clothes off.
Take my clothes off? She slapped at RIP’s hands. “Stop that! Keep your hands off me!” She was sick and tired of being manhandled.
“Woman, you’re taking your clothes off. We can do it the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is you taking them off like a good girl. The hard way is me ripping them off you. Of course, the second option gives me pleasure and results in you not seeing your precious nephew for a quite a while. So what’s it gonna be, sugar?”
“I’ll do it myself,” she growled through clenched teeth. “Fucking pig,” she grumbled and reached for the hem of her shirt. RIP grabbed her by the chin and raised her face to his. “Keep being a bitch and I’ll be the one to fuck the sass right out of you.” He squeezed her face harder, then shoved her back. She stumbled and had to clamp her mouth closed tight to keep from saying what she really wanted to say.
Crockett laughed. “I think she’d kill you right now if given half a chance.”
RIP chuckled. “Yeah. I can see that. It gives me a fuckin’ hard on.” He grossly grabbed his erection and thrust his hips at her.
Grinding her teeth, the anger she felt toward him almost overrode how horny she was feeling. Not wanting to give him another chance to lay his hands on her, she went back to stripping her clothes off. “Why do I have to be naked when I meet this person?” She stopped after she removed her shirt and toed off her shoes. “I’m not having sex with anyone.” Damn it. Just saying the word ‘sex’ had her panties growing wet. Son of a bitch, this drug sucked.
“Oh, but you will,” Crockett all but gloated. “If you don’t, Oliver could just as easily go live with another family in the Phantom Furies in another state.”
“You’re such an asshole.” With jerky movement, she finished undressing. She stood naked before their eyes, refusing to cover herself and give them the satisfaction of knowing how uncomfortable and embarrassed she was.
“Just remember this. You will have sex with this man because your body won’t be able to deny itself.”
RIP opened the door and led the way down the stairs, Crockett following behind.
On the way down, she’d come to a realization. Crockett was right. Her body was demanding she have sex even though, logically, her brain had no desire. She had a horrifying feeling she was going to fuck whoever they took her to just because she was aching all over. Please God, if your listening at all, don’t let him be a disgusting, hairy, fat, rotten tooth, skeevy guy with horrible body odor and bad breath. If she was going to be forced to have sex against her will, the least the powers that be could do was give her a hot guy that knew what he was doing.
Good God. She’d lost her mind.