CHAPTER FOUR
K ade stepped into the neon-lit bar of The Serpent Pit, the familiar scent of sweat and beer mingling in the air no matter how much Sadie washed the floors and bleached the tables.
Tonight, though, something felt off .
The bar had transformed, with chairs and tables cluttering the sides and pool tables shoved back against the walls. Instead of the usual noise of laughter and music, a heavy silence hung over the room since the event hadn’t started yet.
“Hey! Kade!” Jagger’s voice whisper-shouted, urgency etched across his face. He stalked toward Kade from around the bar, and without warning, he thrust a plain black mask against his chest.
“Put it on,” Jagger ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument as he put on his own black mask.
There was nothing special about them, just a full face mask that only had openings for the eyes and nose.
“What’s going on?” Kade asked, glancing around him and taking in the changes. The random inflatable vinyl beds scattered throughout the space didn’t belong there and immediately put him on edge.
“There’s a private event tonight,” Jagger explained, his eyes darting toward the door as if expecting trouble to burst in at any moment. “You can’t take it off.”
Kade frowned but complied, pulling the mask over his face. It pressed snugly against his skin, hiding everything but his eyes.
“Who’s coming?” Kade asked with his voice muffled now, squaring his shoulders as he took in more of the bizarre setup. When Jagger asked him to help out, it has always been during normal operating hours. They never closed the bar for events. Not once.
“It’s a gang from out of town.” Jagger’s voice dropped lower, almost conspiratorial. “They travel and do these... sex parties.” He paused to gauge Kade’s reaction before adding, “But I think they’re part of something worse—trafficking.”
Kade’s blood immediately ran cold, and a chill went down his spine as he processed Jagger’s words. Oh, so this was even worse than he originally thought.
This wasn’t just a regular private party.
This was a fucking job .
Great .
“Why invite them to use the bar then?” Kade pressed, gripping the edge of the bar for support because now he was stressed as hell.
Honestly, it felt like he was going to be sick.
He could handle drug runs. He could even handle the fighting, and it wasn’t like he didn’t have any blood on his hands. But things like this? Stealing and using women? That was not what he was used to.
Thank Christ.
Or, thanks for nothing because now he was.
Jagger shrugged; anxiety shone in his eyes beneath the mask. “Lure them into a false sense of security,” he said. “We’re gonna keep an eye on them. Figure out who’s really in charge. Try and see if we can separate the girls from them.”
Kade surveyed the room again, looking to see if anyone else was there. He could make out two bouncers who usually worked—Scales and Gremlin. Gremlin was significantly taller than Scales but not as crazy and got his name from his favorite Christmas movie—Gremlins. They all watched it at least once each year around the holidays. Scales got his name because he’d been burned—literally—on his first run out with the gang when he joined on his own at 18. He had let go of a stick of dynamite too slow and half his body ended up scarred, giving it the appearance of scales.
Kade never understood why he stuck around after that, but he and Jagger had talked about it once and they both believed it was to be there for Gremlin because he didn’t handle growing up in this life too well. He was the biggest and scariest of them all, but also the softest.
They would do anything for Jagger, though, as evidenced by the fact they had the same black masks on, too.
He gave them a tired wave, and they did the same back.
“You sure we should be doing this? Does Dad even know?” Kade asked warily.
“No, Dad doesn’t know, and you’re not going to tell him—not yet, at least. Look, we have to do something,” Jagger replied grimly. “Keep your head down, and don’t get involved unless I say so.”
“Where are Sadie and Camille?” Kade asked, concern seeping into his voice as he looked for them behind the bar. The last thing he wanted was for them to be caught up in this dangerous situation.
“Not here,” Jagger grunted abruptly, eyes scanning the room as he pulled his leather jacket off and placed it behind the bar, leaving him in a white shirt and black jeans. When Jagger held his hand out, Kade quickly removed his own Renegade Rebel jacket to hide it with the other one.
Now that he took a moment to process, Kade noticed that all remnants of the Renegade Rebels were hidden from the bar. Scales and Gremlin had plain black shirts on, sleeves rolled to their elbows, and all the memorabilia, like the photos and bike tags that hung proudly, were gone. “I made sure they stayed away tonight. They’re safer that way.”
Kade nodded in agreement, knowing Jagger’s fiancé and Camille were too feisty to not get into trouble here. “Good. They don’t need to be involved in this.”
“You’re right, they don’t,” Jagger agreed. “Now, listen. I found out about this gang in New York. They call themselves ‘Green Light’. I was there recently to meet with my agent about the book deal.” Jagger’s eyes never strayed from the door as he spoke, his body tense and coiled like a spring ready to snap.
For someone who hated being in this lifestyle, Jagger sure liked to get himself into his own fucking messes from time to time, that’s for sure.
“We were at a bar, discussing the book deal, when this group walked in and cleared the place out in minutes. It was like something out of a movie. And the women with them... they looked young, Kade. Too young.”
“You honestly think they’re trafficking them?” Kade asked, his jaw tight.
“I don’t know, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. So, I looked into it while I was there and discovered these fucks travel around, putting on these ‘parties’ as a front to get people to host them as regular swinger parties. There’s more to it, I’m sure but I haven’t figured it out yet. Whatever they’re really up to, it’s not good. You know it’s bad if I’m doing this shit of my own accord, okay?”
“I’m well aware of that. Why do you think I’m so nervous, dipshit?”
Jagger placed a hand on Kade’s shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze. “We’ll be careful. All you have to do tonight is make drinks. Stay behind the bar and let me and the guys handle anything else. If anything goes wrong, I put a few guns—”
Kade cut him off as he picked up the 9MM Glocks from behind the register and one from the cooler as Jagger glared at him.
“You are so predictable, big brother.”
“Put them back where they were. Company’s coming.”
The knocking on the door came mere seconds later, and Jagger gave Kade one more look before turning the music on the stereo up.
Put It On Me by Matt Maeson filled the space as Kade lined up the glasses on the bar, filling each with beer from the tap. The dull thud of music pulsed through the air, vibrating in his chest as he worked. He glanced over his shoulder at the crowd swaying under the dim lights, men and women clad in the same simple black masks dancing recklessly and writhing against one another. You couldn’t see the girl’s faces but you could tell from their body language they were on autopilot.
The laughter from the men mixed with the bass of the sound system, creating an atmosphere that felt both enticing and unsettling, and Kade glanced at Scales, who was standing near him by the bar, his hands clenched in fists.
Don’t lose it, man.
Jagger had initially planned to lace their drinks with sedatives, but the gang insisted on beer—always watching as it was poured. That plan lay abandoned like the unused beds scattered around the room.
There was nothing to do but keep busy so Kade poured another round, frustration simmering beneath his calm facade. How would they do anything when the men were being so careful?
Now...what? They just have to stand here and watch these motherfuckers take advantage of these women? He was going to go insane just standing here and—
Kade snapped back to reality as a sharp knock echoed against the heavy door.
Gremlin turned toward it, throwing a puzzled glance over his shoulder to Kade through his mask as he approached. But before he could reach for the handle, one of the gang members surged forward from where he was chugging his beer and yanked it open.
No.
No, no, no.
Kade’s heart sank as he saw Madison standing there, her familiar features twisted in confusion as she looked around the bar, her knee-length blue peacoat buttoned up to her neck. The noises from the crowd around them faded into a muffled background hum as Kade locked onto her.
“Mads!” he called out before he could stop himself, dread washing over him.
She glanced around, scanning the strange scene—the bodies and masked faces lost in their twisted world of debauchery and anonymity.
Kade cursed under his breath, quickly approaching her, knowing she could not be here.
Why the fuck was she here?
“Hey! You can’t just walk in! Private party tonight,” Gremlin shouted, stepping forward to block her entry.
Madison’s brows knitted together as she glanced at him before returning her focus to Kade, who had briefly pulled his mask up to show her it was him before pulling it back into place before anyone else saw.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice steady but quiet and careful. The man who opened the door was still standing there, watching her intently—his beady eyes were about to get plucked out if he didn’t back the fuck up.
“You can’t be here,” he growled, opening the door to usher her back.
“What are you talking about? And what are you all wearing?”
“Later,” he warned. “Not now.”
Madison stubbornly pushed past him and Gremlin a bit to get a better look at what was happening. Which was the absolute wrong thing to do, and before he could step forward to reach for her hand to pull her back from danger, another member of the gang stepped closer to Madison, looking down at her like she was prey rather than a person.
He stepped closer to Madison, trying to puff out his chest to appear taller amongst Kade and Gremlin, which was impossible.
Pathetic .
“Hey there, red. You look lost. Why don’t you join us? We’re just getting started.”
Madison hesitated, her eyes darting between the masked figures and Kade, who stood frozen beside her. She could feel the tension coming off him in waves now that she was closer.
“She was just leaving,” Gremlin interjected, positioning himself between Madison and the gang member, his thick arms tattooed with horror movie characters crossed defiantly. “This is a private party, and she wasn’t invited.”
The guy scoffed, unshaken. “Private? Come on, man. There’s always room for another beautiful lady.
Kade clenched his jaw, muscles tensing as he stepped forward, ready to explode.
Guess I’m going to jail tonight.
“Now,” he whispered. “Please.”
Her gaze softened as she searched his face for reassurance, but it was covered by the damn mask. So the only thing he could do was reach out to squeeze her hand before dropping it. It was a quick 2-second gesture, but Madison nodded.
Relief washed over the Rebel men as she reluctantly stepped back and glanced at Gremlin for support as she moved back towards the door. Gremlin stood by the door and watched through the crack as Madison made her way to her vehicle.
“Should’ve stayed for the fun that’s about to happen later,” the man who had opened the door taunted after her, trying to get around Gremlin.
Kade’s fists balled tightly at his sides as silent rage boiled within him like molten lava threatening to spill over and burn these fucks right where they stood.
He glared at the guy and wished he could see him seething under the mask. He didn’t know how old he was since his face was covered, but based on his tan and leather-like skin paired with his gruff voice and pot-belly, he had to have been at least over fifty. He could easily take him.
“Shut your mouth,” Kade spat through clenched teeth, taking another step forward before Gremlin blocked him with his large body.
Jagger appeared beside Kade just in time, hands raised in a calming gesture. “Let it go,” he warned. “We can’t afford any trouble tonight.”
Kade shot Jagger a furious look but knew better than to escalate things further while Madison was still on the premises. The gang member merely laughed at Kade’s fury.
“Relax,” the man said dismissively, waving a hand in mock surrender. “It’s all in good fun.”
Jagger shifted slightly closer to Kade, keeping his voice steady and firm. “I said let it go.”
Kade forced himself to breathe deeply while glaring at the cocky gang member. “Gremlin, please make sure she gets to her car safely.”
Kade returned to the bar, his heart still racing. He pulled out his phone, fingers trembling slightly as he typed a message to Madison.
Kade:
I’m sorry about what just happened. The people here aren’t good, and I don’t want you in a bad situation. I’ll see you in a few hours.
He hit send and watched the screen, hoping she’d respond quickly. The brief silence felt like an eternity, but he knew she had left the parking lot—thankful for Gremlin and his security—their friend.
Across the room, cheering erupted as members of the gang began ushering women toward the beds and pulling roughly at their clothes.
“Damn it,” Kade muttered under his breath, disgust settling through him.
Jagger sidled up next to him, his eyes darting between the crowds of pairs. There were 17 girls here tonight and 13 men. Kade had counted dozens of times over the last couple of hours. None seemed younger than their late teens, but it was hard to tell with the masks on. The ones that had been forced to remove their masks to partake in some degrading sexual acts looked his age, though, and that brought a twisted sense of relief. No matter what age they were, there was no excuse for it.
“At least they won’t remember tonight,” Jagger whispered grimly.
“What do you mean?” Kade shot back, taking notice of how the now-naked girls were sluggishly slumped on the beds, barely able to sit up.
“Roofies,” Jagger explained, gaze locked on the group gathered around one of the beds. His breath caught in his throat when he watched two of the men shove both their cocks into one girl’s mouth after ripping the mask off her face. They high-fived each other as both fisted hands in her hair, and she appeared dazed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I put Rohypnol in their drinks earlier while everyone was distracted. The guys were cautious, but they wanted to get the girls drunk so didn’t watch me make theirs. It’s not perfect, but at least we can take one night of memories away from them.”
Kade’s chest tightened at Jagger’s words. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah,” Jagger sighed heavily and glanced sideways at Kade. “We can’t save them tonight. We don’t have enough backup or resources. I thought I could drug the men, but there are far too many of them for it not to be noticeable that we did it since they’re watching us pour, and we need them to trust us until I can figure out how to corner them better.”
As they stood together, Kade felt dirty and useless, guilt clawing at him as he watched women being coaxed into doing unspeakable things under bright lights and the loud music.
“It’s sickening,” Kade said quietly. Gremlin and Scales were practically vibrating with the want to attack. The feeling was palpable through all the Rebels, actually. They were good men who did bad things. These men—These were bad men who did deplorable things.
“I know,” Jagger replied sharply. “But now that we know they’re in town and amenable to this place? We’ll get a better plan together next time. And we have it being recorded in case anything is traced back to us.” He paused to glance at the hidden camera on the ceiling for a moment before adding, “Tonight isn’t about us being heroes; it’s about gathering intel at this point. Any of it is important. And I don’t think their main guy is here tonight, anyway. I’m trying to listen in on some conversations but hopefully the drunker they get, the more I’ll know by the end of the night.”
Kade clenched his fists against the bar and tried to look anywhere but at the audacious fucking in front of him. There were a lot of things he did because his dad made him for the sake of brotherhood and the Rebels. But this–This was too much.
Jagger’s eyes softened behind the mask as he placed a hand on Kade’s shoulder. “You’ve helped more than enough tonight. Why don’t you head to that party, and we’ll clean up.”