Chapter Four
King woke up with asense that the day was going to go to shit quick. It felt like he”d slept for days instead of hours as he tossed the sheet back, stood up, and stretched his muscles. First things first, King straightened the sheet and made his bed before going to the bathroom to take a piss. Once finished, he washed his hands and looked at himself in the mirror, trying to figure out what women saw when they first saw him. Ayesha had looked at him with horror at first. Once in his home, he could tell she wasn”t as angry at him as she was at herself. The look of horror had been from what King allowed to be done to the little shit Groot. What she didn”t realize was the fucker got off lightly since he”d been able to walk out the door in the first place instead of having to be carried out. An image of her big eyes, too innocent for his way of life. Hell, she probably only had sex the bible way.
”Fuck, I need coffee before I think about a little bit of fluff.” That”s what she was. Too soft for the likes of him. He liked women who knew the score. They had to be aware that he liked it rough, dirty, and often with no strings attached. Ayesha had so many fucking strings they were literally dangling from every inch of her. Instantly, his mind thought of ways he could tie her up and the things he”d do to her once he had her where he wanted her.
”Shit, I need to get laid if I”m thinking of fucking a chick who belongs in a country club, not a biker bar. The same chick who came to me to help find her sister. Who just so happens to have been kidnapped into sex trafficking, not help her learn how to scream my name when she comes.” He ran his hand over his jaw, feeling the scrape of his beard.
He walked into the kitchen and prepared a coffee with thoughts of the sexy woman running through his head. He pulled out his phone with the cup to his lips, taking the first drink with a long sigh. Whoever said men weren”t good at multitasking hadn”t dealt with him, especially when he didn”t want to deal with something in particular. He”d learned early on that he needed to have his mind busy, or he”d go stir-crazy. The ding alerting him to an incoming text was a welcome distraction.
”Fucking A, Keys.” He read through the information, examining what Keys had found on Ayesha”s sister. ”Silly girl,” he muttered. Not once would he consider it her fault, knowing predators preyed on young girls and found their weakness, whether it was for things they wanted or emotional connections. If there was a sliver of doubt, a good predator would see it, work it, and take advantage of it, just like they”d done with his baby sister. Not wanting to think of their baby sister, he turned to his coffee maker and filled his travel mug to the brim while shooting a text to Duke and the others. They had a few hours to get things in line for their new mark. He was going to pay a visit to Ayesha and see if he could head her off before she did something stupid. If his gut was correct, the foolish woman would try to handle things on her own. He couldn”t allow that, and risk Ayesha”s or Tiana”s lives.
”I”m a regular ole boy scout,” he muttered, letting the screen door slam behind him.
”What”s that?” Digger asked from the porch swing.
”Between Keys and Duke, we have a good idea of who has her sister. Now, I need to go see Ayesha and get her to agree to stay the fuck out of it and let us handle what”s about to go down.”
Traeger stood beside Digger but was smart and kept his mouth shut even though King could see he wanted to laugh. He nodded and waited for King to talk. If King knew one thing about the ex-SEAL, the fucker could wait a long damn time.
”Let”s go. I”m going to need you and your skill set, brother. I think shit”s going to go sideways, and when it does, I”m probably going to need a good shot.” King sighed heavily, knowing Traeger had his back, even though he hated putting that kind of pressure on his club.
Traeger had skills that weren”t just riding his custom Harley and drinking beer, although he excelled at both. The brother was an expert marksman with just about any weapon that used bullets or had a sharp edge, but he could also take out a man with his bare hands or kick the shit out of them with a few well-placed kicks. Of course, King wouldn”t ask him to do anything he wouldn”t do himself.
”Shit, P, am I gonna need some gloves for this one?” Traeger asked, straightening from the wall.
King looked over his shoulder, a grim look on his face, nodding. ”I think we all might,” he said.
Traeger took a deep breath. ”I”ll meet you back at your place in twenty.” He didn”t wait for an acknowledgment of his statement before striding away with long, determined steps.
If shit was going down that might or might not cost them their lives, King was glad to have a man like Traeger backing them. He was aware the other man would be setting things in motion just in case shit went wrong, but it was King”s job to make sure it didn”t.
Twenty minutes later, Traeger rolled up on his Harley, his black jeans and shirt topped with a black leather jacket and chaps, his cut lying over his lap. ”We going in with our colors or no?” he asked King.
King shook his head. ”Put it in your saddle bag. This shit is liable to go south on us.”
Duke”s all-black Harley eased in next to Traeger. His attire was all black, too, except his cut was on his back. ”Are you ready? Hollywood said your girl hasn”t gotten up yet.”
The sound of several other bikes pulling in had Traeger turning toward the road, where they could see their brothers rolling up. ”You hear from Keys?” he asked King.
”Yeah. This shits more fucked up than we thought.” King looked at Digger with a hard stare.
Digger nodded once. ”Got it. Anything else?”
King pointed toward the door. ”Nobody goes in or out. If anyone needs me, shoot me a text. Or get in touch with Duke.”
”Got it,” Digger agreed.
”Was there any trouble last night?” Digger had been one of the guys who”d followed Groot out, making sure the other man left without returning. Keys had monitored things as well. He”d have heard if there had been any real problems, but he wanted to hear Digger”s take.
”Groot was always a pussy. I didn”t think he”d last as long as he did. If it hadn”t been for his buddy, he wouldn”t have. Now Frog, he”s solid.” Digger looked toward the clubhouse. ”There”s a couple chicks you should keep an eye on. I think they”re more trouble than they”re worth. I”m pretty sure they came with Groot. I hadn”t seen them until after he came. Ain”t never seen them with anyone but him and sometimes Frog, but I think that was ”cause he was with the other fucker. Don”t know, man, just something wasn”t right with any of them bitches.” He took a deep breath and waited.
King walked down the steps. The chain on his hip connected to his wallet jangled in the quiet of the morning. ”Give Keys their names and descriptions. From today on, they”re no longer allowed at the clubhouse. If you feel something is off, it”s good enough for me until Keys says otherwise.” He looked back, watching as Digger”s chest rose and fell. Shit, did they all think he was going to shoot their asses or what?
Before getting on his Harley, he looked it over, even knowing one of the prospects had been outside all night watching it. With the way shit was going down and the information coming in about the Leglamos putting out feelers regarding Ayesha and her sister, King wasn”t taking any chances. Those sick fucks and the Trevino”s had been in competition, not working together, so he couldn”t see them contracting the other to take the girl. Still, dismissing the information would be foolish.
Not seeing anything unusual, he straddled his bike, put on his skullcap, and fired it up. He and the Sons rolled out of the long drive, heading down to Los Angeles one by one. Once they entered the storage facility, they put on their masks and became what they needed to get the girl home.
They rode only conversating once they reached the outskirts of town about an hour from their club, each member of the Royal Sons trusting King. They pulled into a storage center, the sun not yet up, waiting for the gate to open. Traeger sat at the back with Thrill, their bikes rumbling beneath them. ”Do you feel uneasy, Trigger?” Thrill asked. He was one of the last riders besides Traeger.
King looked back, waiting for his Sergeant at Arms to answer.
Traeger looked around before responding. ”Nope, all”s good, man.”
Thrill nodded, his bike easing forward with the others. King looked backward to see Traeger wait another minute, making sure nobody had followed them before going through, his bike the last to enter. ”You good, brother?” he asked through the radio on their bikes. The little device Keys had installed allowed them to communicate with a press of a button. Traeger”s engine died while he and the others continued through the maze of units. King didn”t press for an immediate answer, letting his guy do what he felt was needed.
King”s watch buzzed an alert that the alarm system had been set. ”Keys, what”s going on?” he asked barely above a whisper, holding his hand up for the others to go silent.
”Digger called in. You”ve got eyes in the vicinity. I”ll have more details shortly,” Keys said.
A short while later, the sound of gravel crunching had Duke turning with his gun out, facing toward Traeger, who rolled his bike in. ”Man, what the hell you doing coming in like that?” Thrill asked, his eyes going from Duke to Traeger.
”See anything?” Duke asked, ignoring Thrill as he lowered the gun he held. He picked up another, his hands expertly loading a semi-automatic.
Traeger leaned his bike on the kickstand before answering, ”Keys, are you listening?” he asked again.
King knew the other man was wired into the unit and was hearing everything that was going on. Although he was the President of the Royal Sons MC, Keys was the brain and a man they all trusted.
”Does a bear shit in the woods?” came the snarl over the speaker system. ”By the way, the cameras caught that fancy black SUV rolling by, but I couldn”t get a read on the license.”
Traeger rattled off the plate number, telling the crew what he”d seen.
”We got eyes on Ayesha?” King looked to Duke.
”Hollywood and Bug stayed there overnight to watch over her place,” Duke said, laying another gun on the table.
King was feeling restless or rather worried. ”Let”s head out. I”m going to be the one to talk to her. Keys, I want to hear it first if you find out anything else. I want all the weapons loaded in the cages and ready for tonight. That drive-by means they”re on to us or have a clue of who we are. If they”re suspicious, they might cut bait with Ayesha”s sister or move her before we have a chance of grabbing her.” King”s eyes met each one of them, landing on Traeger last. ”What do you think? Is it too dangerous to go in there during the day?”
He thought of all the things that could go wrong during daylight and what Ayesha would do if they couldn”t get her sister back. The images of how his little sister looked when he”d found her threatened to send him into a rage. He shoved those memories to the back of his mind with his iron will.
”Based on our intel from Keys, I say we wait until just before the sun sets. They”ll expect us to hit when it”s fully dark.” Traeger looked away before coming back to stare at King.
King nodded. ”Sounds solid.”
”You”ve got that expression I”ve seen before in your eyes. I don”t trust that look, brother,” Duke muttered, slamming a gun down on the table.
Traeger shrugged. ”Good, I don”t want you to like how I look.”
King gave him a narrow-eyed stare. ”Don”t do anything stupid, or I”ll sick Dog on you and make him be your buddy for the day.”
”You can try.” Traeger grinned, giving King a salute.
”Fuck, man, don”t be stupid,” King growled.
”I”m never stupid,” he reassured the others.
A short time later, King pulled up to the small house where Ayesha and her sister lived, surprised to find the neighborhood relatively quiet for mid-morning. He drove around the block several times, checking to see if anyone out of the ordinary stood out, like a car or homeless person who didn”t fit in. Going off of Duke”s input, he went down the alley, shutting his bike off several houses and coasting the rest of the way to her yard. Dogs barking would usually alert neighbors that someone, or something, was out and about. King wondered if Ayesha was on the lookout even as he rolled to a stop behind her house. The small yard in the back had a short fence, nothing most people couldn”t jump over. ”Shit, even a five-year-old could hop over this,” he growled, pushing the bike along the side of her house. When he made it to the front, he was beginning to think she wasn”t home, or she really needed to step up her security. He put the kickstand down on the bike at her garage door, opened one of the saddlebags, and pulled out a leather backpack he kept inside before walking up to the front door.
The sun beat down on his back, yet he felt a little prickle of unease as he stood exposed on her small porch, waiting for her to answer. He knocked twice after ringing the doorbell. Through the thick door, he heard shuffling. A feminine gasp had him smiling.
”What”re you doing here?” Ayesha asked without opening the door.
King gave a dry chuckle. ”Open the door and find out. Make it quick. I think your neighbors are about to call the cops on me.” It was only a half-joke as he looked back and watched the curtains across the street flick back in place. Hollywood and Bug were probably laughing their asses off right about now, watching him stand on a woman”s porch asking to be let in. If he”d been the big bad wolf, he”d have huffed and puffed and blew the fucking house in.
The locks disengaging heralded her, opening the door. She looked around his frame, grabbing King by the arm. Her voice was almost frantic—”Get in here before they come out and want to talk or something drastic.” Ayesha slammed the door behind them, not allowing him to say anything.
He blinked a couple times to acclimate his eyes to the difference in lighting from outdoors to inside. ”Nice place,” he remarked, meaning it. Her home was exactly as he”d imagined. Small, yet homey and clean. He walked over to the nearest surface and looked at one of the pictures, recognizing Ayesha instantly. She had her arm around a younger girl who looked very much like her; both were in swimsuits, a pair of cut-off jean shorts just this shy of decent and wore Mickey Mouse ears. ”Cute. This is your sister, I presume? She”s cute. Looks like you.”
Ayesha snatched the picture frame up and held it to her chest. ”Yes. Tiana wanted to go to Florida to Disney World for her fifteenth birthday. We”d been to Disneyland, of course, but the Florida trip was special,” she whispered, her voice cracking as she traced the photo with her finger.
”I”ve never been to either.” He shrugged his shoulders, his leather cut creaking loudly. ”Listen, I need to talk to you about your sister. Can we sit down?” He held his hand out toward the couch.
Dark eyes filled with tears had him closing the distance she”d put between them when she”d taken the photo away. ”We know who took Tiana, and we know where she”s at. Now, please sit down so I can explain a little.” His brothers didn”t think he had it in him to be gentle. However, looking into the melted chocolate eyes of this little woman, King knew he”d do just about anything to ease her fears and keep her from pain. Shit, he”d just met her, but he wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, wanted to know what she looked like when she came. The last thought had him shaking his head and turning away. His eyes locked on another photo, this one of Ayesha and a man.
”That was me and my husband.” Ayesha adjusted the framed image on the shelf.
King looked a little closer, narrowing his eyes. ”Your last name is Cappes?” he asked, but he already knew it was, thanks to Keys.
”I took my maiden name back after...after Carlos died. I didn”t want—or rather, I didn”t need the Leglamos name attached to me or Tiana. Carlos wasn”t like the rest of his family, or so I thought. They were. Never mind. They don”t matter. Now, what did you find out?” She looked up into his eyes, her own so trusting, so full of innocence.
How the fuck could she have that much purity in her after being married to scum like the Leglamos family? They were connected to his sister”s kidnapping, though he”d never been able to prove it, or else they”d all be buried if they were lucky. Although she said Carlos wasn”t like the others, King didn”t think there was any way her husband couldn”t have been involved with the ”Family” business. A family like that wouldn”t allow one of theirs to not be a part of every facet of it.
He pulled his phone out, sending a text to Keys and Duke, letting them know of the new info. How Keys hadn”t found the marriage connection between Ayesha and a family with human trafficking connections, he didn”t know. Still, he”d bet his Harley that would be corrected within the hour or less.
”Ayesha, are you aware of what kind of family business your late husband”s family ran?” he asked, watching for any signs of deceit.
She shook her head and went into the kitchen. ”Would you like a cup of coffee?” she hollered.
King lifted his Yeti cup, which was still half full. ”I”m good,” he said. What did you know about his family?”
”What does Tiana being taken by Rico have to do with my...late husband”s family?” she asked, exasperation making her voice raspy.
He could tell she”d been crying and had probably done so most of the night. Had she been his woman, she”d have slept in bed with him, and he would”ve made sure she was too tired to do anything except fall asleep. Shit, he needed to get his mind off of fucking her. ”Fuck it. You”re a big girl, so I”m removing the kid gloves.” His phone buzzed in his pocket. ”Hold that thought.” He raised his finger in the air when she opened her mouth.
”Whatcha got for me, Keys?”
”I got an address and know the layout. The best time to go in is right at sundown or shortly before, but it”s a good two-and-a-half-hour ride, and you”re not gonna want to take your bikes down.” Keys fingers tapping on his keyboard echoed down the line. ”I suspect this isn”t the first time Rico Suave has done the snatch and grab. From the intel I”m getting, they might”ve been given the girl”s info, kinda a present from the Leglamos family. Know anything about that?”
King shook his head. ”Not yet,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on Ayesha. Even though she couldn”t hear the conversation, he wanted to see if she was nervous. If she”d known her sister was snatched due to her association with her ex”s family, she should”ve gone to the feds, not come to his club unless this was a setup.
He pocketed his phone and stepped around the counter, separating himself from the petite little woman. He was the one who just might be on the wrong side of good, but in life, bad things tended to be the best fucking thing. Not that he and his brothers considered themselves bad guys, but they sure as shit weren”t like the men Ayesha had been related to. He backed her against the refrigerator, a bit of satisfaction filling him as her eyes widened with fear and feminine lust. ”I”m going to ask you one more time, and you best believe I will know if you”re lying to me. Are you, or are you not, working with the Leglamos or the Trevino families?” He lifted her chin with one hand, keeping his thumb on the pulse in her throat, feeling it flutter beneath him.
”Are you fucking crazy? Of course, I”m not working with the Trevino family. He took my sister, or rather she went with him, but I know she doesn”t realize he doesn”t really care about her. She”s only sixteen, for god”s sake. As for the Leglamos family? They hate me as much as I hate them. They blame me for Carlos”s death. If he hadn”t been married to me, they think he”d have been happily alive, living with them and doing their bidding, whatever that was. He told me he hated everything they stood for. We were only married for six months. He...didn”t tell me much about his life before me, only that it was hell, and I was his chance at something better. I didn”t know he was rich until after he was killed. I swear to you, that”s the truth. I”ll tell you the same thing I told his brother: I didn”t want his money then, and I don”t want it now.”
King felt her tremble beneath his touch, but there was no doubt she was telling the truth, or else he wanted to believe her version. Her home was cute but not extravagant. ”Why do you say it like they still fuck with you about his money? Did he have life insurance or something?”
She licked her lips. Her eyes stared unblinkingly into his. ”There was a small policy we had together. It paid off my mortgage and car loan, but that was it. It wasn”t millions of dollars or anything crazy. His family acted as though I killed him,” she cried, tears leaking from her eyes.
King sat his drink on the counter behind her, rubbing his thumbs beneath the dark smudges, drying the moisture as she wept. ”Ssh, don”t. I can”t stand to see a woman cry. Listen, let”s go back into the living room, and we”ll start over.”
Ayesha hiccupped. ”Does Carlos”s family have something to do with Tiana”s disappearance?”
He didn”t want to say yes or no. Too many coincidences pointed to the affirmative, and in his gut, he couldn”t help but think there had to be a connection, but he couldn”t say for sure. However, until they got the girl home, he wouldn”t do or say anything either way.
AYESHA HATED CRYINGworse than she hated getting her period. Her face felt swollen and splotchy from the previous night”s episode, and here she was doing it again all over King, the man who really was too gorgeous for her liking. ”Where”s your bike?” she blurted as they sat on her overstuffed couch.
He pointed toward the front of the house. ”Out there. Why?”
”I didn”t hear you pull up.” She took a sip of her coffee that she”d liberally laced with sugar and milk, needing the caffeine to clear her head.
”I shut it down a couple houses away and rolled it here. I wanted to see what kind of security you had. By the way, it sucks hairy monkey balls, lady.” King sat with one big, booted foot resting on his knee while his arms were draped across the back of her couch.
She”d always thought her furniture was huge and could seat at least four or five people, but seeing King sprawled out on it, she recalculated her estimation, or rather, decided only he could take up so much space.
”Why”re you looking at me like that?” he asked, his gaze heating her from the inside out.
How could she be lusting after this man, any man, when her baby sister was probably being taken advantage of even as she sat there? ”You”re so big you intimidate me,” she exclaimed, looking away so he wouldn”t see her blushing.
King uncrossed his legs, bringing his face closer to hers. ”Good, I”m not a pussy ass little bitch, Ayesha. Now, I need to ask you a few things, and I need you to answer them without holding back.”
She took a deep breath. ”Whatever you need to know, just ask.”
For the next hour, she answered everything he asked to the best of her knowledge. When his phone rang, she sat back. Her throat had gone dry from talking. ”I”m going to get a refill. Do you want any?”
King nodded, the phone to his ear as he got up and walked away. She wondered who he was talking to and how a bunch of tattooed biker guys had gotten into the business of saving young girls.
”That was Chloe”s old man. He told me to tell you Chloe won”t be making her next appointment but to schedule her in eight weeks. I”m assuming she usually comes every four weeks?” King asked, his back to the wall, but he stayed away from the windows.
She licked her lips before answering. ”Yes, that”s correct. Is she in trouble because of me?”
He didn”t answer her, which was her confirmation. ”She”s not like...hurt or anything, right?”
King raised one brow. ”Did your husband hurt you if you disobeyed him?”
Ayesha shivered at the thought of being punished by a man who cared about her. No. Carlos never would”ve laid a hand on her, but she”d fantasized about it. ”No. It”s just that I don”t like the thought of Chloe getting in trouble because she told me something.” Besides, who would”ve thought Ayesha would need help from the Royal Sons only days after the other women slipped up?
”You have a very expressive face, Ayesha,” King murmured.
She gasped, her head whipping up at his words. ”How the hell did you get over here without making a noise?” She tried to step back, but he caught her arm.
”Would you like to find out what it feels like to be put over my knee, or better yet, tied to my bed while I spanked that sexy little ass, Ayesha?” he asked, his deep voice rolling over her nerves, making her tremble.
”I don”t think that”s legal.” She tried to cover her cheeks with her hands, knowing they had to be red.
His deep chuckle told her he knew what he was doing. ”Baby, there”s lots of things I”ll do to you that might be considered illegal, but I can guarantee you”ll love every minute of it. However, me spanking your ass isn”t illegal. It would only be done if necessary or for pleasure.”
Her entire body heated at his words, and her panties were so wet she was going to need to change them to get through the rest of the day. She opened her mouth to tell him he was crazy. His phone buzzed again, saving her. He held his finger up, giving her the insane urge to stand on her tiptoes and bite it to get a rise out of him.
”What”s up, Duke?” A moment passed, then he was nodding and striding away. ”Send a cage here to get me and have someone come get Ayesha to take her back to the clubhouse, along with my bike. Yeah, she”s to be protected like mine. Yep, that”s what I”m saying.”
The hairs on her arms stood up at his words. She wasn”t sure what was going on, but the teasing, sexual man from moments ago was gone, replaced by the commanding man in front of her.
”Grab a couple changes of clothes, a go bag, whatever necessities you might need for a couple of days, and some things for your sister. You”re returning to the clubhouse, where my brothers will ensure you”re safe while we get Tiana.” King didn”t take his eyes from hers. His voice held no emotion to give away his true feelings.
”Is it going to be dangerous?” Shit. Stupid question. ”Should we call the police?” Her entire body began to shake, fear for Tiana and for King and his friends making it hard for her to control. She”d come to him and had brought danger to his door.