Chapter Eleven
Jack
I carried my sleeping daughter into the clubhouse and straight up to the room. A day at the zoo as a family was exactly what we all needed. Laying her down, I slipped off her shoes.
Sammy walked up behind me, holding Charlie’s pajamas, and quickly switched her out of her clothes and into something she could sleep comfortably in.
We decided to have dinner in Denver, so it was late. Though, Sammy had reassured me she should sleep through the rest of the night.
Once Charlie was snuggled into her blankets, tucked in tight, I took Sammy’s hand and led her to the door. Before I could lead her out to the hallway, Sammy pulled back.
“Jack, I can’t leave her here alone.”
I gazed at Sammy.
“Why not? She didn’t have her own room at Carrie’s?”
“Of course she did—”
“Then what’s the problem?” I whispered.
“That was different. It was her home. She knew where she was and exactly where to go if she woke in the night.”
Shit.
I scrubbed my hand over my face. Sighing heavily, I pleaded with her, “I want you in my bed tonight.”
“I’m sorry, Jack. I won’t leave her alone.”
“My room is right across the hall,” I whined.
Sammy glared at me. I knew she thought I only wanted her in my bed so I could fuck her, but that wasn’t all I wanted. I wanted to sleep with my arms around my woman.
Looking down at my sleeping daughter, I conceded .
“Ok, you’re right. Tomorrow, you both are getting a tour. And we’ll get one of those monitor things. That way, we can hear her if she wakes up. I want you in my bed, Sammy, every night.”
Grabbing her face in my hands, I kissed her. My lips moved over hers with purpose. My tongue slipped between her lips to tangle with hers.
She leaned into me, and I pulled back.
That’s right, baby, you want me as much as I want you.
“Goodnight, Sammy.” I smirked and walked out the door. Before the door closed, I heard her curse.
“Asshole.”
Walking down the hall, I chuckled. I made my way to the bar and sat down a few stools away from Gunner. I owed him an apology. Gunner took his job as SAA seriously, and I knew he was only looking out for me, despite what he said during church.
“Hey, man.”
Gunner looked up from his beer and turned toward me.
“Hey,” he replied before taking a drink.
The prospect behind the bar was new. I couldn’t remember his name, but he dropped a beer in front of me without me asking for it. That was a good start.
“Gunner, I wanted to apologize—”
“It’s all good, brother,” he interrupted before I could finish. “Sometimes emotions run high in church, especially when women are involved.” He huffed.
I slid over to the stool next to me, leaving only one between us.
“You ever think about settling down?”
Gunner looked over at me. Setting his bottle down he sighed heavily.
“All the time.”
My eyebrows shot up. That was surprising.
“You want kids?” I asked.
“Kids are great. You will never find another person who will love you as unconditionally as a child.”
He hadn’t answered my question. It made me wonder if there was something I didn’t know about my brother.
“You have any kids?” I asked hesitantly.
“Me? No. Got a little sister, though,” he admitted. “I was eight when she was born. We had shitty parents, so I kind of raised her. Made sure she had food and clothes.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s in Oklahoma. Paid for her to go to college, and she’s got a good job. She just got licensed as a therapist in Oklahoma City.”
“Wow, man, that’s awesome. When was the last time you saw her?”
“Not since she went to college,” he said, lifting his bottle to his mouth.
“Why not?”
“Didn’t want her wrapped up in this life. Kept her clear of it.”
“Hmm, but you want kids?”
“Yea.” He sighed. “Never said I would have them. Don’t always get what we want.”
Gunner placed his bottle on the bar and stood. With a quick shout across the room, Brandy was immediately by his side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and the two of them walked off.
“Night, brother!”
“Night, Gunner.”
I sat at the bar for another few hours, talking with brothers as they came and left. When the last brother I had been talking with had gotten up and walked off, Amber sat down next to me.
“I don’t have the patience to put up with anymore shit from you, Amber,” I warned.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I shouldn’t have come at you the way I did,” she said before shouting, “Hey, Billy, can I get a beer?”
So that was his name. I should try to remember that. Billy, the prospect, handed Amber a beer, and she took a long sip.
“What you said hit a nerve with me. When you called me a whore because of daddy issues—”
“Amber, I shouldn’t have said that—”
“No, Jack.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I sat there and waited. She needed to get something off her chest.
“You weren’t wrong. Well, not entirely. I do have daddy issues, but not from him being absent. More like him being a little too attentive.”
Fuck.
“Does King know?” I asked, knowing my president wouldn’t put up with knowing that shit and not doing something about it.
“He does. He offered to take care of him for me.” She chuckled. “I already took that son of a bitch out myself,” she added, shocking the shit out of me.
“Good for you.” I tipped my bottle toward her, and she clinked hers with mine.
“When I left home at sixteen, I put myself in some undesirable situations. Then one day, I met a guy. He wasn’t quite my father’s age, but he was older, and said he wanted to take care of me. The relationship was great in the beginning. He spoiled me with affection, with clothes, jewelry, anything I wanted. Being young, I didn’t know those things came at a price. That price was not just my body, but my dignity and self-respect.”
She paused and stared at the bottles on the shelf behind the bar. Watching her, I realized she was staring at herself in the mirror behind the bottles.
“We were together three years before the physical abuse started. That was when I realized how bad things really were. He didn’t isolate me like so many abused women are. Being young and living on the street was isolating already. I had been alone until him. He showed me off to his friends. I thought he was proud of me. Thought he was bragging about the girl he had. Instead, he was advertising me. I learned he was making plans to rent me out to his friends. The day I confronted him was the first time he hit me.”
I sat there quietly. Amber wanted to share this with me. I didn’t know why, but I wouldn’t stop her from unloading her pain .
“For two years, he pimped me out. One of his friends took a special interest in me. Told me he loved me. Told me he wanted to take me away from the life I was living. He said I deserved better than what Dan was offering me.”
Now I had first name. All I needed was a last name and I would have Nav track this guy down.
“He bought me from Dan. He liked to remind me he paid a hefty price for my freedom.” She scoffed. “What he called freedom was my personal hell. He isolated me. In his personal sex dungeon to be exact.”
“Jesus Christ, Amber.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This woman was my age, and she had been through hell.
She turned to look at me and smiled.
She fucking smiled.
“Don’t worry, Jack. There is a happy ending, I promise.”
“Fuck, Amber. I don’t think you understand the word happy.”
She laughed at that. “I’m happy here, Jack.”
“How? These guys use you for sex.”
“I like sex, Jack. And they don’t use me. I willingly give myself to them. I never thought I would get away. Then one day, these guys on bikes showed up. The Golden Skulls MC. They had been working with the Feds to bring down sex traffickers. I was one of the lucky ones. I got out. I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for them.”
“I read about them. They brought down a huge ring.” It had been all over the news a few years ago.
Crazy fucking shit.
“They did. They rescued a lot of women, unfortunately some were just moved to someone else under the guise of rescue. Thankfully, that didn’t happen to me. They helped me get away, get a fresh start. It is because of that MC that I am ok being here, doing what I do. That’s also why I stick to the young guys. No one over twenty-five. I am thirty years old. I don’t want to get married. I don’t want to have kids. I want to live on my terms. Here, I get to do that.”
Amber had never shown an interest in me. Now I knew why. Hearing her story made me curious about the other girls that were here. Did they all have pasts like Amber?
“Jack, the reason I am telling you all this is that, yes, I got out. However, I didn’t do it on my own. I needed help. I would never have been able to get away alone. Sam did. She got herself out before it got really bad. That takes a strength most women don’t have, Jack. So just be careful with her.”
Amber stood from the bar and kissed my cheek. As she walked away, I sat there thinking about everything she had gone through. I needed to check with King and see how much he knew about the club girls’ pasts.
“Goodnight, Sam.” I turned at Amber’s words. Sammy was standing at the end of the bar, watching me.
“Everything ok?” I asked.
Sammy slowly walked over to where I was sitting. I turned on my stool so my back was against the bar. Sammy stood in front of me.
“I just needed a drink,” she whispered, biting the corner of her lip.
My hands found her hips, and I pulled her between my legs.
“Is that all you needed?”
Sammy dropped her eyes from mine. Something was bothering her. I lifted her chin with a single finger so I could see her eyes once again.
“Hey, what is it? What’s bothering you?”
“It’s nothing. It’s none of my business,” she muttered, dropping her eyes again.
“Ask me, Sammy.” I had a feeling I knew what it was.
“Um, have you, uh… have you and Amber ever… um” She couldn’t finish her question. Clearly embarrassed, she turned away from me, looking toward the hallway.
“Have I fucked Amber?”
Sammy closed her eyes and sighed. “Jack.”
I chuckled at her frustration with me.
“No, baby, I have never fucked Amber. Would you like to know which club girls I’ve fucked?” I asked her.
Sammy tried to pull away, but I held her tight, wrapping my legs around her knees so she couldn’t leave.
“Sammy?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. I knew I was pissing her off. We would eventually have to have this conversation. May as well be now.
“Do you want to know?”
Sammy rolled her eyes at me. “Fine, just tell me.”
“I haven’t fucked any of them,” I said.
Her eyebrows furrowed, and I would swear she was angrier now.
“Don’t lie to me, Jack.”
“I have never lied to you, not once,” I countered, looking at her with one eyebrow raised. Reminding her without words that she couldn’t say the same.
“Jack—”
“No, Sammy. Let me say this. Amber has been here the longest. She only fucks the younger guys. I have let Brandy, Tiffany, and Jade suck me off.”
I could see the tears in her eyes. She rolled her lips between her teeth. I knew she was holding back, believing she couldn’t say anything. I didn’t want her to hold back.
“Your jealousy is sexy as fuck,” I told her.
“I’m not jealous.”
“Like hell you aren’t.” I chuckled.
“What about Crystal?” she challenged.
“Crystal has only been here a year. She’s only nineteen.”
“So?”
“Woman, I am thirty fucking years old. I don’t fuck teenagers. Besides, I haven’t been with anyone except my hand for two years.” I waited for her to comprehend what I was saying.
She screwed up her face, confused.
“Why haven’t you…”
All at once, understanding softened her features.
“You haven’t… in two years?” she whispered suspiciously.
“Not until the other night, with you,” I confirmed. “Once I knew you were here, I didn’t want anyone but you. I still don’t. ”
“Why?”
Sammy searched my eyes, looking for something.
Something I wanted her to have.
Something she needed.
“Because I love you, Sammy.”