37. Harper
37
Harper
W himpering, Harper struggled to open her eyes. At every turn, she thought she’d hit the limit, only to learn that things could actually hurt way worse than before. She was in absolute agony. Her bare ass was on fire despite the rest of her being chilly. Every time she inhaled or exhaled, it felt like someone had stabbed her in the chest. She’d never been more sure of anything in her life than she was that she’d cracked a rib or two. It would go well with her bruised face and likely concussion.
As the room around her came into focus, she realized the zip ties were no longer binding her. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing missing. She’d been stripped down to a bra and a thong. Where the panties came from, she hadn’t a clue. Which definitely skeeved her a bit, but it hurt to move, so she wasn’t about to take them off.
Wood paneling covered the walls of the dimly lit room with mismatched, very dated furniture. Posters with bare-assed women on Harley-Davidsons decorated the walls. An old Sports Illustrated calendar hung between them. Whose room was this? Some teenage boy?
Something was off, though. Why were there black stripes everywhere? Blinking, she tried to clear the fog. Flinching, she pushed herself up to a seated position, only to slam her head on something hard.
Metal.
“What the fuck?” she muttered.
Then it all came clear. Bars. Those black lines weren’t stripes—they were bars . She was in some sort of cage .
Gritting her teeth through the pain, she twisted her body and fully assessed her situation. When she’d passed out from the pain of being branded like a fucking animal, those fuckers had tossed her in a big-ass dog kennel. The rage boiling inside her matched the agony coursing through her body.
Kicking at the front of the cage, she did her best to rattle the hinges. The large lock dangling from the opening swung back and forth.
Loud laughter from another room was muffled by the closed doors, mocking her as though they could see her futile attempt at escape. This cage had been constructed to keep rowdy animals in place. In her current weakened state, she wouldn’t be able to escape it easily.
When the door to the room opened, the celebration became louder. It only further enraged her to know her father’s men were content with her locked in a cage. Not only that, but they were complicit in her suffering.
Her dad would never have allowed this. He was a bad man, Harper knew that, but he wasn’t a monster. He still had integrity. This wasn’t the way he ran the club.
What the fuck had happened while she was in North Carolina?
Wearing an enormous smile, Dwight sauntered into the room like a king. All she could do was glare at him as he stood out of reach, his legs apart, his hands on his hips, and his gaze cast down at her. “Morning, baby. Nice of you to join us.”
“Fuck you,” she sneered and kicked at the cage again.
She squeezed her eyes shut as more pain rattled her bones.
Dwight chuckled. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Like seeing her in pain wasn’t a source of amusement for him.
He groaned as he sat on the floor. Stroking his beard, he studied her for a moment as she panted, trying to ride the latest wave of nausea. He placed two Solo cups in front of him before twisting the cap off a bottle of Evan Williams bourbon.
Where the hell had that come from?
Whistling, Dwight poured some of the brown liquid into each cup.
Lifting one, he scooted closer and offered it to her. “I have my club and my woman. You have no idea how hard I’ve worked for this moment. The least you could do is celebrate with me.”
She gaped at him. “My father is dead. You fucking burned me and stuck me in a cage.”
He stared back at her blankly.
“I finally have what’s mine. I’ve waited a long time for this. You should be happy for us.”
Harper scoffed. This man was fucking insane. “ Us ?” she scoffed. “Dwight, there hasn’t been an us since high school. What about Vanessa? And your kids?”
Apparently accepting that she wouldn’t drink with him, he lifted the red plastic cup to his lips and took a large gulp. “Vanessa is a whore, and the kids are fine. She’s not my ol’ lady. You are.”
“No, I am not.”
“My brand says differently.” He grinned smugly.
“I’ll cut that shit off the first chance I get.”
His smile fell. “I told you before, and I don’t enjoy repeating myself. Harper, you are my property. Always have been, always will be. From the time we were kids, you were meant for me. I let you go off and play your lawyer games. You were right back then. We weren’t ready. So, we both sowed our oats. Now that I have the club, it’s time I settle down.”
“What are you rambling about?” Harper shook her head at him.
He tapped the patch on his cut. “President.”
“So?”
“Everything has fallen into place. When I put the bounty out on you, I had thought your dad would run to your rescue right away. I was actually surprised he didn’t say fuck all until those idiots from the laundromat kidnapped you.”
Harper did her best not to wince at the retelling of her father’s inaction. Paul had already made that perfectly clear to her, but to have Dwight confirm it broke her heart. She swallowed the tears that wanted to fall because they’d do her no good.
Especially when darkness filled his eyes as he took another pull of whiskey. “So, I admit, I had to regroup a little. I thought he’d bring you back to the clubhouse for protection. Then when someone came to get you, he’d get caught in the crossfire.” He grinned and made a gun gesture with his empty hand. “Friendly fire.” He snickered.
A new flurry of rage bloomed in her chest. If Paul didn’t carve out his heart, she wanted to. She’d have to insist upon it when the chance presented itself.
“Things didn’t totally go to plan, but…” He lifted one of his shoulders in a half shrug. “I still got what I wanted. The Colombians accepted my terms, and we did what needed to be done.”
“ You ?” Harper scoffed.
Dwight bristled, and she knew she’d struck a nerve. He hated when anyone called him out for being less than. She pushed that button harder. What did she have to lose?
“ You killed my dad?” She added a subtle snort-like half chuckle at the end to really hammer her point home.
“It had to be done,” he said nonchalantly. “Honestly, he spent more time strung out than leading. I’ve been calling the shots for a while. He wouldn’t step down, and the pussies wouldn’t vote him out. I did what I had to.”
Harper knew she hated Dwight before, but this took it to a new level. “I cannot wait to spit on your grave.”
Again, he laughed. “Oh, baby. Don’t be that way. I know it isn’t the best love story, but we aren’t good people. Our happily ever after was bound to be a little bumpy—and bloody.”
“Fuck you.”
“We will. Don’t worry.” Again, his gaze took on a blackness that sparked a tinge of fear in her. He looked like a demon. It wasn’t natural. “I don’t need your permission anymore, baby. Make no mistake, I’ll fuck you until you’re fat with my baby, then do it all over again. You’re mine , Harper. You always have been. The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the easier it will be, but until then, you’ll be caged, chained, and I will fuck the stubbornness out of you in front of everyone. Especially that pussy who hid you from me. Once I break you, I’ll finish the job I started in the laundromat.”