Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Frankie
Staring at the amber liquid in my glass, I swirl it around and watch how the light catches it. I take another sip and grimace as the whiskey burns my throat on the way down. How in the hell do people drink this stuff?
“You’ll get used to it,” Foxy says with a knowing smile.
My eyes drop to the glass in my hand again, and I frown. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.” Because ick!
Foxy’s green eyes twinkle with amusement.
“And I’m not really sure I want to,” I add, but take another sip anyway. The burn is less intense this time, but I welcome the distraction. Anything to stop my mind from replaying what Foxy said to Tacoma before he left.
Make them fucking bleed.
The way she said it, so cold and casual, like she was reminding him to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home. And worse, the way he promised that he would.
Were they talking about the men who attacked Saylor and me? Are those men here, somewhere on the compound? Are the Kings going to... kill them?
I swallow the lump in my throat. I shouldn’t find the idea of them hurting those men justifiable. I shouldn’t want those men to pay with their lives, but I do. Those men were going to take Saylor—a child—and do unspeakable things to her. They were going to hurt me.
“What’s going on in that big brain of yours?” Foxy asks, breaking into my thoughts.
I shrug, not ready to voice the dark direction my mind has taken. “Just…” I suck in a deep breath through my nose and let it out slowly. “I don’t know. Processing, I guess.”
“Not everything in life is sunshine and roses,” she says, stroking Panda’s fur. The raccoon chittered, as if agreeing with her.
I laugh humorlessly. “You think you know me, don’t you?”
She picks up the bottle on the bar in front of her, pausing before it meets her lip. “You rich kids are all the same.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t take you for the judgemental bitch type.”
Foxy’s lips turn up, and she laughs. “I like you! You’ve got fire. Which is good, because you’re going to need it if you’re going to survive here.”
Survive here. Is that what I want? To stay—to let Bane own me like a piece of property?
My thoughts drift to this morning. To Bane’s hands on my body, his lips on mine, the way he looked at me when he said I was his. This pussy’s mine now, he’d growled, and God help me, I’d agreed. I’d surrendered everything to him—my virginity, my body, my heart.
The memory sends a shiver down my spine, and I take another sip of whiskey to drown the feelings. I shouldn’t want this. I shouldn’t crave the way he makes me feel, the way he demands my submission, but I do.
“He’s using you.”
The high-pitched voice rips me from my thoughts. I look up at the woman standing beside our table, her eyes narrowed to slits as she stares at me.
“Excuse me?” I blink, confused about what the heck she’s talking about.
“Go the fuck away, Destiny,” Foxy growls, her hand stilling on the raccoon’s fur.
The woman ignores Foxy, her focus entirely on me. “You think you’re special because Bane fucked you?” She laughs mockingly. “Honey, he’s fucked most of the women in this clubhouse. You’re nothing but the flavor of the week.”
My stomach drops. I know I shouldn’t listen to her, but the doubt creeps in anyway. What do I really know about Bane? Not a damn thing. We barely know each other. I’ve spent more time hating him than anything else.
“I said,” Foxy stands, her voice dropping an octave, “Go. The. Fuck. Away.”
Destiny smirks, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Just thought the little bitch should know what she’s getting into. He always comes crawling back to my bed when he gets bored with his toys.”
“That’s enough!” Foxy steps forward, but Destiny holds her ground.
“I was the one in his bed last week, honey,” she shrugs. “And I’ll be the one in his bed when he’s done with you.”
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest.
Last week? The idea of him with her makes me feel sick. The doubts creep in hard and heavy. Does he say the same things to her that he told me this morning? Tears start to well up in my eyes. God. I’m such a fool. How could I be so stupid?
“What the hell is going on out here?”
I glance up to see Roxy walking out of the kitchen with a towel thrown over her shoulder. Her sharp blue eyes—so like Bane’s—take in the scene: me looking like I’m about to cry, Foxy ready to throw down, and Destiny smirking like she just won a prize.
“Nothing, Roxy,” Destiny says, her voice suddenly sweet. “Just a little girl talk.”
Roxy narrows her eyes. “Doesn’t look like girl talk to me.”
Destiny winks at me then sashays away, her hips swinging dramatically.
“Don’t listen to that bitch,” Foxy says, dropping back into her seat. “She’s just a whore trying to start problems.”
Roxy sighs, sliding onto the barstool next to me. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I force a smile. “I’m fine.”
It’s a lie, and from the way Roxy’s eyes soften, she knows it.
“No, you’re not,” she says, taking my hand in hers. “But that’s okay. This world—“ she gestures around the clubhouse “—it takes some getting used to.”
I look down at her hand covering mine, at the silver rings adorning her fingers and the faded tattoos on her wrist. She’s been in this life a long time.
“Cherries have their place in the club,” Roxy says, her voice gentle but matter-of-fact. “These men deal with so much, they need them to let off steam.”
I make a face, and Roxy smiles.
“We have our place too.”
“Which is what they want,” Foxy adds.
“They do,” Roxy confirms, “And they’ll go to just about any length to get it. Fake a pregnancy, lie through their teeth, make you have doubts.”
“Be a cunt,” Foxy growls.
Roxy laughs. “Yes, especially be a cunt.”
I frown, confused. “What do we have that they want?”
Roxy smiles triumphantly. “Our man’s heart.” She squeezes my hand. “Once a King finds his Queen, he’ll stop at nothing to keep her.”
My throat tightens. Bane doesn’t see me like that. I stole from him. I’m only here because of the deal I made. I mean, we slept together yeah, but apparently he sleeps with everyone.
The back door swings open with a bang, and I know without looking that it’s the man himself. I can feel his presence, can feel the air charging with electricity.
Glancing over, Bane’s eyes find me instantly. They rake over my face, then narrow as he stalks across the room. “What the fuck happened?”.
“Destiny happened,” Foxy says, rolling her eyes.
Bane sweeps the room, landing on the woman sitting at a table across the bar. His expression darkens, and he starts to move in that direction.
I reach out and grab his hand to stop him. “It’s fine.”
He stops, his eyes searching mine. “It’s not fine. You belong to me, and she fucked with you.” His voice drops. “Nobody fucks with the Kings.”
I exhale and state the obvious. “I’m not a King.”
A devilish smirk lifts the corner of his mouth. “No, baby. You’re a motherfucking Queen.”
With a rumble from deep in his chest, he fists my hair and tugs my head back, then crashes his lips to mine. I dissolve into the kiss, my toes curling inside my shoes.
God, the man can kiss.
All my doubts melt away as his tongue sweeps into my mouth, claiming me in front of everyone.
“Get a room,” Tacoma grunts from behind us.
I break away, my cheeks flaming. We’ve gained an audience. Bane just grins, not the least bit bothered that everyone is staring at us, including his biggest fan across the room.
“What happened?” Foxy asks, sliding off the barstool to stand in front of her man.
He presses a kiss to her lips and pats her bottom. “Let’s take a walk.”
I watch as they head down the hallway together, then turn back to Bane.
He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. “You want answers too, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Come on.” Grabbing my hips, he lifts me off the stool and puts me on my feet.
“Where are we going?”
He nods towards the back door and reaches for my hand.
The second the back door slams shut behind us, he drops my hand and pulls a pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his cut.
“Smoking will kill you, ya know.”
“Yeah, well…” He flicks the lighter, lighting the smoke, and takes a deep drag. A cloud of smoke billows from the end as he stares out at the horizon.
“We found out who they were working for,” he says finally. “They’re part of a trafficking ring run by the Valenciaga crime family. They’ve partnered with the Sinners to move girls through the Southeast.”
My blood runs cold. “The ones who tried to take Saylor? They’re human traffickers?”
He nods, his expression grim. “She fit a profile. Young, pretty.”
“And me?” My voice is barely above a whisper.
“You were in the way.” He takes another drag off his cigarette.
I process this information, my mind racing. “And those men... are they dead now?”
Bane turns around and stares at me, his blue eyes giving nothing away, but he doesn’t have to. His silence is answer enough.
I look away, my mind and heart at war. I should be horrified that he killed someone, but I knew who the Kings were before I was brought here.
I’m not completely sure they didn’t have something to do with my father going missing.
Tacoma gave me his word, but what is that even worth?
It’s not like I know him well enough to know the kind of man he is.
I should leave this place. Run as far away as I can. “I—”
“I don’t have time for this shit,” Bane growls, cutting me off as he flicks his cigarette away and starts to walk off.
What? “Bane.” I hurry after him. “Where are you going?”
“To find the missing girl!” he shouts over his shoulder.
I stop in my tracks. “Right.” My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.
Heather. How could I be so selfish? God!
I’m such a bitch. Here I am, feeling sorry for myself and worrying about stupid stuff.
Who cares how many women Bane has slept with?
That’s not even important. There’s a girl out there who’s gotta be scared out of her mind, going through God knows what.
I look over my shoulder at the building where Cyber’s command center is, and take off in a jog.
Focus on what’s important, Frankie.
Reaching the vault door, I push the button on the intercom. “C’mon, c’mon.”
“Look up at the camera,” Cyber’s voice crackles through the speaker.
I tilt my head back and find the small lens embedded in the wall above the door. There’s a loud click, and the vault unlocks.
“Couldn’t stay away, huh?”
I drop down into the roller chair next to Cyber. “Something like that. How can I help?”
He smiles at me, his dimples showing. “Now that we have an address, we can search for the deed, and then we follow the money.”
I smile back, cracking my knuckles. “We follow the money.”
This is what I’m good at. This is where I can make a difference. I may not understand the complicated mess that is my relationship with Bane, but I understand code. I understand digital footprints and paper trails.
And right now, there’s a girl out there who needs my help.