Chapter 2
2
Jennifer
M y eyes snapped open when cool air washed over my skin, my heart jack hammering in my chest. The chair beneath me was hard and uncomfortable, and my wrists were bound by zip ties to the metal legs. My ankles were in no better shape.
My breath sawed from my lungs. Where the fuck was I? Why…
Oh, fuck .
Carver fucking Rogers. The Sergeant at Arms of the Savage Crows MC. They were a small crew of only four men, but I’d been warned not to come near them, both by my father’s club and everyone in the SCMC’s little town. I should have quit while I was ahead.
But Lindsey… God , Lindsey.
My father, in a fit of rage that the Savage Crows were getting the business from the Chaos Destroyers MC he thought he’d earned fair and square, had targeted her. And I’d been drowning in worry and guilt, wondering if she was okay. If she was alive . There’d been no word of her—almost like she disappeared from the face of the earth. Not a single soul knew if she was alive or dead.
What if he’d killed her? Had Carver taken me as retaliation? Had they figured out who I was and what my dad had done?
Panic clouded my vision and made me sick to my stomach. Swallowing bile, I wriggled against my restraints, terrified I was about to meet the same fate. Because that would be the next step, right? An eye for an eye? My dad killed the president’s old lady, so now, shouldn’t they want to do the same to me since I was the daughter of the president of the Lockheart MC?
But if I got free… what then? Dad would be furious I’d snuck onto the Savage Crows’s territory, and fuck, I was not looking forward to what happened then. He’d treat me the same as the men here would, probably. Beat me black and blue. Treat me like a traitor.
I was just a woman trying to fucking survive. That was it .
A door creaked open, and I peered through the darkness, trying to see where it was coming from. Lights suddenly flicked on overhead, and I winced, squeezing my eyes shut. Little balls of light danced behind my eyelids, and my heart rate kicked up to the point it hurt. At the sound of heavy footfalls, I peeked open an eye, letting it adjust before I opened both.
Immediately, I regretted doing so. I sank into my chair, wishing I could disappear into the floor.
Blink Parker—the President.
And Carver Rogers—the Sergeant at Arms.
Fuck . Fuck . Fuck .
“Jennifer Lockheart,” Blink drawled, his face emotionless, which was terrifying enough. “Wasn’t hard to figure out who you were, even without digging in your fucking pockets for your wallet. Does your dear old dad know you’re on my fucking territory?”
I swallowed thickly. “You… you know?” I croaked. I’d hoped with the lack of retaliation against my dad and the Lockheart MC, they hadn’t known. That maybe, just fucking maybe, I’d make it out of this unscathed.
“Just found out about thirty minutes ago,” Blink said as he pulled a cigarette out of the pack he pulled from his cut and lit one up. Smoke curled into the air, and the stench filled the air. “Brian just called me to inform me he found out. Overheard your father’s VP talking about it when he met up with them for beers. Your crew made it all too easy for us, after all. Got big mouths and all. Just can’t help fucking running your traps.”
I wanted to throw up. My stomach twisted uncomfortably. “I didn’t—I don’t—” My lips trembled, and a tear ran down my cheek. “I came to see if she was okay,” I finally croaked. “That was it. I swear. I couldn’t live with the guilt anymore.”
Carver scoffed. “You really think we’re going to believe that?” he asked, arching a disbelieving brow at me. He pushed his fingers through his medium-length blonde hair, looking a bit amused. “Princess, you showed up in our territory asking at a bar we frequent a lot if the bartender knew where you could find Lindsey. It’s suspicious. You seem to know just a little too much for my liking.”
I shook my head, my gaze pleading. “No. No, please. Please believe me,” I begged, tears streaking down my cheeks freely now. “I don’t know anything—only what I overhear. They talk a lot, and I usually never get to go anywhere without an escort anyway, so they never worry about me talking, and?—”
“Where’s your escort now?” Blink asked, cocking his head to the side the slightest bit.
I licked my dry lips. “I snuck out,” I said quietly. I swallowed vomit as I realized just how bad this looked. “I’m sure they’re looking for me.” A shudder raced through my body at the thought of being caught. I didn’t know which was the lesser of two evils—my dad or the two men in front of me.
Dad kept me on a tight leash, threatening to turn me into a club girl if I didn’t keep my head down and my mouth shut. He was quick with his fists, but I also thought dealing with him was better than being used as nothing more than a hole for the club men to fill.
“Let’s strike a deal,” Blink said, dropping his cigarette to the concrete floor and stubbing it out with the toe of his boot.
“A deal?” I asked quietly, not sure if that would be a good or bad thing. Trepidation flooded my veins, and it felt like my gut was going to shred itself.
“Yes, a deal,” Blink said, sounding annoyed at having to repeat himself. I flinched. “Tell me what you know, Jennifer, and we won’t hurt you.” He pushed a hand into his pocket. “You have my word.”
I swallowed thickly. “And your word can be trusted?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Carver will tell you yes, but that’s for you to decide for yourself.” He grabbed a chair by the wall and dragged it in front of me before spinning it around so he could straddle the back of it and rest his arms at the top. He rolled his hand. “Start talking.”
I drew in a deep breath, looking at Carver. He was leaning against the wall, smoking his own cigarette now, watching us with empty, cold eyes that sent a spark of fear down my spine. Quickly, I averted my gaze, focusing back on Blink. He was just as scary looking, but at least his eyes weren’t empty. Void of emotion.
There was a piece of humanity lacking in Carver’s eyes.
“My dad is angry that Brian is giving you all the business after years of working with the Chaos Destroyers,” I confessed. “And he plans to take you out by any means necessary. All of you,” I added. “That’s all I know. I don’t know any plans. I only know about Lindsey because they’re aggravated they don’t have a confirmed kill for her.”
“Were you here to try to get on his good side?” Carver asked.
I shook my head. “No!” I snapped a little too harshly, wincing when he cast me an icy glare that made the blood freeze in my veins. “Sorry,” I said quietly. “No. I really was worried. She’s innocent in all of this. Her only affiliation is through Blink. Should she have to die just because she’s in love with an outlaw? Because I don’t think so.”
Blink looked at Carver, and like familiar friends—like brothers—they exchanged a whole conversation without saying a word. Blink suddenly stood and nodded once at Carver before looking at me. “I’ll decide what to do with you in a bit. But you have my word. We will not harm you.”
With that, they left the basement, the light turning off again.
They wouldn’t hurt me… but did they mean they would let someone else?
A tear tracked down my cheek.
I should’ve just minded my own fucking business and stayed home.