7. Jessica
7
JESSICA
“Where are you taking us?” I twist in Tex’s arms as he marches me out of the house. I manage to land a good stomp on his boot, but I think it hurts me more than him. I wanted this to be my ticket out, but not if it means just being someone else’s prisoner, and not if it puts Anne at risk.
“Easy, honey. You’re coming with us one way or another, and this’ll go a lot smoother if you stay quiet,” he says with a deep chuckle that slides right through me. “Look at your little friend over there. She’s watching you to see how to react. The more you fight me, the more scared she’s gonna get. If you keep calm, she won’t panic and that’s safer for everyone.”
“Is that a threat?”
He blows out a frustrated sigh. “It’s reality. We can’t let you go and we can’t stay here. Thank her daddy for that. He’s got our guy and we have you.”
I shiver, partly from the cold but mostly from the thought of what’s going to happen when Victor decides to cut his losses. Anne is his daughter, he’ll save her even if it’s just to save face, but how important am I to him really? Not very. He didn’t even bother to try and help his own girlfriend.
No tears come when I think of Marissa lying cold on the lawn, but it leaves a sour taste in the back of my mouth. She was horrible, but she trusted him to care at least a little.
“Mount up! This place is dust in ten!” Hellfire yells. “You know your routes. Follow your team lead.”
All the bikers seem to know what to do, breaking into smaller groups as they go to their motorcycles. Riot is holding Anne off to the side. Her wide, terrified eyes are locked on me.
“Jess? What’s happening?” she shouts.
“Keep her calm,” Tex whispers in my ear.
“Th—They’re going to take us somewhere safe and um…”
“We’ll contact Kane for the trade,” he offers.
“And they’ll talk to your dad about fixing all of this. It’s going to be okay. I promise.” More softly, I whisper to Tex, “Please don’t make me a liar.”
Ghost helps me awkwardly mount up behind Tex on his motorcycle. I give Anne a weak smile and wrap my arms around his waist. It leaves me no choice but to lean into his wide back and hold on tight. Riot holds Anne in front of him on his bike, cradling her to his chest. She looks so small, gripping his forearm for dear life.
When the engine starts, I let out a startled yelp. I’m not used to this kind of close contact, especially not with men like this, and the steady rumble of the motorcycle is… confusing. It feels good in a way I’m not sure I should feel good right now.
“What did he mean by ‘this place is dust’?” I ask Tex.
He laughs. “You’ll see.”
We ride out of the ruined gate, and as soon as we are on the road, Tex floors it. Dark asphalt zooms by underneath, so fast and close it’s scary. I’m used to being protected inside a car, and right now the only thing keeping me safe on the bike is my grip around Tex’s chest, and my thighs clutching the outside of his. If I’m holding too tight, he’s not giving any sign of it, and as the minutes pass, I relax in spite of myself.
At least until a massive blast cuts through the night, so powerful I can feel the gust of air as it blows by us, even this far away. I twist to look, my grip on Tex tightening again. Smoke billows up from the direction of Victor’s beach house. A second explosion sends sparks and more smoke soaring over the trees.
Holy crap! I didn’t think the dust thing was going to be literal.
As the miles pass, I finally resettle enough to observe a little. My life depends on keeping a clear head. The bikes flow along the road like a flock, moving and adjusting to each other in ways that are mysterious to me, but the riders seem to understand instinctually. Riot is off to our left side with Anne, and Ghost is ahead of us, the club logo clear on the back of his jacket, with Outlaw Sons in big letters underneath. It’s almost like a pirate flag, with a masked skull and something that looks like maybe engine parts crossed behind it?
We ride under an overpass. The rumble of the bikes echoes and multiples until it’s almost a physical pressure. A growling wave that threatens to pull me under.
Am I riding to freedom? Or death?
Eventually we pull off the highway into a section of the city I’ve never seen. I was never allowed to drive or go out on my own, so all I really know are Victor’s estates and a vague memory of the suburban neighborhood where I grew up. I can smell the salty tang of the ocean on the wind but I don’t see the water.
We drive down a four lane street, lined with houses that look small and packed together, then past shabby looking strips of stores and businesses. I almost feel like I’m in a movie even though I know this is probably normal and I’m the one with the messed up version of what that means.
Up ahead, a street light turns red, but the group doesn’t even slow down. It’s late, and there aren’t many other cars out. The few that are, wisely choose to wait for the bikers to pass through. To the right, spotlights illuminate a walled compound. On the side of the wall is a massive lit sign with their logo that says Outlaw Sons MC, and over the top of the wall I can see the roofs of several houses and what looks like…
Is that a church?
It seems impossible, but it is. A guarded double gate swings open into a courtyard in the center of the buildings, and sure enough, off to the side is an old brick church with a high tower. There are lights on inside, shining out through colorful stained glass windows. When we ride through the gate, it feels like entering a whole new world. A town within a town.
We ride right up to the front steps of a long, rectangular building. Offices maybe? No, a school. I can see windows evenly spaced down the side where classrooms probably used to be, but now a lot of them are covered up. Once I realize what I’m looking at, the layout makes more sense. I went to Catholic school a lifetime ago before Victor took me, and this reminds me of it. A church with a school, and houses for the priests and nuns. Strange to think that one day the bell rang for the last time, and the roar of motorcycles moved in.
We pull up behind Ghost, who swings his leg over his bike and before I even get a chance to wonder how I’m supposed to dismount, he eases my grip on Tex’s chest, puts his big hands around my waist and lifts me right off, like I don't weigh a thing. My legs feel like rubber and I have to grab Ghost to keep from falling after he sets me down.
Tex laughs. "Welcome to the party." Like we're just dropping by for a visit.
Riot puts Anne down on the asphalt next to his bike, and she runs right to me. I hold her close. “Are you okay?”
She shrugs. “I guess? That’s kinda a stupid question.” Tweens.
"True. I suppose we’re pretty far from okay, but we’ll get there eventually.” I hope I sound more confident than I feel. There are a lot of things I can imagine happening while being held hostage, and most of them aren't good.
“Church!” Hellfire bellows. “All hands on deck. Someone get Bonnie.” He stalks across the courtyard and towards the church. A couple of bikers standing by the side door visibly straighten and get out of his way.
The door opens, and instead of song and prayer, heavy rock music comes out. Ghost, Riot and Tex surround me and Anne, leading us inside after Hellfire. The music echoes off the high ceilings, and the air smells like leather, beer and motor oil, not incense and candles.
“Wow,” Anne whispers.
I agree. The inside is mostly gutted. Some of the old pews are pushed to the sides, but there are also plenty of tables, chairs and couches. The altar is bare and there’s a bar behind it. There’s a massive wooden chair that might have been left behind, and in place of a cross, there’s another banner with the club logo hanging below a solitary leather vest. Others dot the wall to the sides, but whoever that vest belonged to, it clearly stands alone.
The inside is full of bikers. They make a path for Hellfire, and nod at Ghost and the others, watching us with something between confusion and suspicion. They're a scary bunch, big and broad-shouldered, and every single one looks capable of murder. I've never felt so small in my life. I squeeze Anne’s hand, and she squeezes right back.
"Turn that shit off," Hellfire yells. "Ring the bell."
The music quiets immediately, and a few moments later, the deep toll of a church bell rings out.
Hellfire climbs up the steps to the altar, leans over the bar to pull out a beer, and then drops into the wooden chair with a tired grunt. He looks up at the vest on the back wall and raises his bottle. “Wish you were here, you old asshole. This job is a pain in my ass.”
“Jess?” Anne whispers. “What’s she doing?”
She?
Between the bikers lounging on one of the couches is a girl about my age. She’s barely dressed, sitting in one of the guy’s laps, and leaning down between the other’s legs to… Oh my God.
I put myself between Anne and what’s going on. “I’m not sure we should be in here,” I hiss.
Riot looks around, not understanding.
Tex shoulders him and points. “Zip it the fuck up, Crank! There’s ladies present!”
“And what are we then?” a feminine voice pipes up, laughing.
“Gone!” Ghost shouts.
There’s some grumbling, but not much as the scene morphs from a grown up frat party into an organized meeting. Well, semi organized anyway. Bikers file in from both the side and the back of the church, slowly filling the room.
"What the hell’s going on?" a new woman's voice cuts straight through the rumble of burly men, sharp like a chainsaw. “Where’s Cooper? Don’t tell me you lost that idiot. General’ll be rolling in his fucking grave if you messed this up.” Her voice is low and raspy, and she sounds like she’s used to being listened to in a room full of men.
"I didn’t lose shit!" Hellfire barks. “He lost his own damn self!”
The crowd parts to allow in a sturdy woman with steel gray hair, wearing a leather jacket that looks a lot like the men's. She's got a patch on the left side of her chest that says, "Bonnie." Underneath it, another patch is sewn on that says "Boss bitch." Her face is tan and freckled, lined but not wrinkled.
She takes one look at us and stops in her tracks. “Who the fuck are they?”
Ghost puts his hand on my shoulder. “Bonnie, meet Jessica and Anne. Anne is Kane’s daughter. They’re our leverage to get Cooper back.”
She looks me straight in the eyes, assessing, then shifts her gaze to Anne. Her face softens a little and she sighs. "So what? You just assume that since I'm a woman, I'm the one that's supposed to babysit? What's next? Need me to go into the kitchen and make you a sandwich?"
Scattered laughs sound through the church.
Hellfire stands and flings his bottle straight into the wall where it shatters. The place goes silent. "Take them back with you. Keep them safe and secure while we figure this dumpster fire out. That’s a fucking order. Unless you want to be responsible for putting a damn twelve-year-old in one of the cells."
Bonnie’s back straightens and she nods. "Understood.” She waves to us. "Come on. You two look like you’re about to fall over. Let’s get away from all this testosterone." When we don't move right away, Ghost gives me a shove.
This time, Anne and I hurry after her.