Chapter Six
When King saw the shitshowthat happened on the highway following the crash of Kailani”s brother”s vehicles, he knew Traeger wouldn”t be following him back to the clubhouse. There was so much torment etched on Kailani”s face; even he had wanted to protect her like a brother. When cold determination washed over Traeger”s features to keep Kailani safe, King didn”t blame his brother. The same need to claim Ayesha flooded his veins with a heat he”d never experienced. King knew there was nothing anyone could do to stop Traeger from doing things his way, especially when they were aware Kailani had probably suffered unspeakable things, for god only knew how long. He wanted to kill the Trevino family, too.
”Are your men okay?” Kailani asked.
”Digger and Coal are fine. They started that shitshow,” King answered.
”Do you belong to a cartel...” she trailed off.
”You think we are like them, like your family?” Traeger asked, his voice deadly.
She took a deep breath. ”It”s a legitimate question. You were on our property skulking around and then kidnapped us, sort of.”
King laughed. ”She”s got a point. But in answer to your question, we”re nothing like them. We”re kinda the good guys. We came for her. You just got lucky.” He waved his hand at Tiana, whose eyes bounced back and forth between them.
”What do you mean you came for me?” Tiana asked, her voice sounding so young and na?ve. ”You said my sister sent you, but that makes no sense. We have no money.”
Kailani turned slightly in her seat, looking backward. ”I think he means your family hired them to rescue you and just in time, too.”
Tiana shook her head; the movement nearly had her crashing into King. ”Whoa, chill out. What”s got you bugging out like a crackhead?” King asked.
”Wow, you”re the sensitive one, right?” Kailani asked with a loud snort. ”Don”t freak out on us now. Obviously, they came for you because someone cared enough to find you. Right?”
”Your sister barged into my club, and I just happened to be in the mood to play rescuer to her little sister,” King agreed. He wasn”t going to tell her it was because he also wanted to do all kinds of things that, according to Ayesha, might be illegal.
Traeger coughed, indecipherable words coming out of him.
King was glad because if they were anything like what he was thinking, then they were pretty much exactly what he”d been planning, and that was getting in Ayesha”s pants or getting them off.
”Alright, enough of the small talk. I hate to break up this little party, but more than likely, my brother has some sort of extraction on its way and a tracker on my car. I had planned to ditch this one and pick up the one I”d bought, so you should probably get us off the highway and get in with your friends. I”ll hail a cab, and we can call it good. Yes?” Kailani asked.
”Digger, we”re going to take the next exit. Do you and Coal see any tails?” King asked.
Traeger looked at King through the rearview. ”King, tell them we”re going to split up. You”ll head north with Tiana, and I”ll go the other direction with the sister.”
”Wait, no, that”s not how this is going down. I have a plan that doesn”t involve taking a behemoth of a man along with me. Besides, I can blend. You totally can”t.” Kailani pointed out.
”Trust me, they”ll follow one or the other of us. If we”re in the escape car, they”ll follow us, more than likely thinking we will give up the girl. Tiana is the target, not Kailani. Besides, I can handle the brother, and once he sees the younger girl”s gone, he and I”ll have...a talk.”
”No, he can”t make her a...target. She saved me,” Tiana cried.
King held up his hand, surprised the young girl quieted.
Kailani smacked Traeger”s arm. ”You think you”ll have a talk with him?” She smacked his arm again. ”Do you know what he will do to you, to me? He”ll have his men beat you until you can”t fight anymore, and then he”ll have a talk with you. Only then will he have fun. He”ll get what he wants from you through any means necessary. There are drugs that will allow him to get you to talk and do what he wants you to do. Anything, Mr. Trigger. After he”s done with you, he”ll do the same with me, only worse. So, how about we do not do that? Why don”t you and your band of merry men just go about your business and forget all about me? You take the girl and do your saving thing while I do what I”d planned, and that”s get as far away from here as I possibly can. I never want to face my brother or father and their...men ever again.”
King gritted his teeth at her outburst, watching his friend do the same. Poor Kailani was all Traeger could think of, yet he didn”t let her see the pity in his eyes, knowing the woman would run. Tiana sunk back against the seat, her fear making her even more pliable, which was good.
Traeger informed the woman she would call him Traeger, not Mr. Trigger. King held back a chuckle while they talked. He went on to explain what was going to happen. King wondered why the hell he took the backseat in the operation, but for the moment, he let Traeger have control, at least with the woman sitting next to his brother. There was already a woman who had him twisted all up in knots, and she was nowhere near him and the ones in the vehicle with him.
”Digger, at the next offramp, we”re ditching this car,” King announced through their link. He saw lights coming up, flashing the signal that told them it was Digger. Another came up behind them, also flashing their lights twice. Coal was the other driver, both MC brothers who”d been following, making sure to have their six in case shit went sideways.
He pulled his cell out. ”You wanna give your sister a ring? She”s pretty worried about you.” He should”ve had her call earlier, only there was too much commotion.
”She really sent you guys after me? How...I mean, she”s just a hair stylist,” Tiana cried.
King grunted. ”Yeah, well, she”s a pretty fucking awesome stylist who has friends in low places. So, you want to make that call or wait ”til we get back up north?”
Tiana took his phone; her finger shook while she placed the call. There would be no semblance of privacy. ”Ayesha?” Tiana cried.
King couldn”t hear what was said on the other end, yet the teenager next to him sobbed and promised she”d never do anything so stupid again. A couple of minutes later, the little convertible came to a stop, and he was handed back his phone. ”My sister wants to...to talk to you.” Tiana hiccupped a little cry.
”Hey,” he murmured.
”Hey, yourself. You did it,” Ayesha whispered.
King knew women. He especially knew how women”s voices sounded after they”d been crying. ”You okay?” he asked.
”It”s just that...I knew you”d get Tiana for me.” Silence descended for long moments. ”I owe you more than I can ever repay,” Ayesha vowed.
He grimaced at the cuts on Tiana from the shattered glass. He didn”t mention them to Ayesha, unwilling to frighten her until she could see T, knowing things could”ve been worse.
”We”ll be back at the clubhouse in a couple of hours. Tell Mack to have something for all of us to eat. I”m going to be starving.” He”d be hungry for more than food. However, he”d push one of those needs down for the time being.
Traeger brought the car to a stop. Kailani looked as though she was ready to argue with his friend about their plans. King could”ve told her to save her breath. She”d learn really quickly who was in charge, and it sure as shit wasn”t her.
He got out first, helping Tiana out and making sure she was steady before looking back at Traeger. ”Are you good, brother?”
”My family will kill you all,” Kailani whispered.
Traeger got out, meeting King’s gaze. ”Cosmo said I could crash at his place.”
King held his hand out, locking with Traeger”s. ”Stay safe, brother.” He pounded Traeger on the back and stepped away.
”Shit, do I really gotta kill this pretty little thing?” Digger asked.
Kailani gasped. ”What, I thought you were the good guys?”
King tipped his head toward the sky, glancing back toward the open passenger door. ”He means your car. Digger has a thing for cars, which is why he drives a cage.”
Digger walked forward, holding out his hand. ”Don”t mind them, I”m Digger, and surely, we can give this girl a pardon or something. I mean, what did she ever do to anyone?” Instead of taking Kailani”s hand, he went to the car, running his palm over the hood, murmuring softly to her. ”It”s alright, girl, daddy”s here. I”ll see if I can”t save you. Seriously, I bet I can find the tracker and disable it if you give me like fifteen minutes, tops.” He pressed his hands to his chest in a mock prayer stance.
King walked away and shook his head, sighing as the other vehicle rolled up. Traeger tugged Kailani with him to that one.
”Why does he get to drive the nice car without all the baggage?” Coal asked as King neared with a visibly shaken Tiana, making her hide behind King as if she feared the brother. King smacked Coal upside the head.
”Come on, Tiana. Hop on in and ignore him.” He glared at Coal. Let”s move. We don”t want to stand out here all night.” Coal opened his mouth with what King was sure was something stupid to say, but King had his fill of stupidity for the night. ”Shut up before I hit you again,” King said.
Coal nodded. ”This is me shutting up.” Coal made a zipping motion with his finger over his lips.
”How is he not dead yet?” Digger asked.
”He”s almost a master at computers, not as good as Keys, but close. I guarantee he has something in there that can find the tracker on her car.” King tipped his head toward the car.
Once they had the tracker off her car, they separated from Traeger, and King ordered his friend to report back to him every twelve hours. Of course, King felt it might be a little longer if his friend got busy.
AYESHA STARED AT THEphone in her hand. She could feel the shakes begin in her hands, and her entire body seemed to start quaking. ”Oh god, they did it. He got her back.”
”Of course they did.”
The woman named Mack had come to King”s house earlier and knocked on the door but wouldn”t come in. She”d introduced herself, patted her shoulder, and gave Ayesha a moment to get her shit together. She could”ve told Mack it would take more than a moment to perform that miracle. That had been hours ago. Now, with the news they”d gotten her sister away from Rico, a bastard with nefarious intentions, she could feel her entire body shake.
”You don”t understand. I honestly thought I”d never see Tiana again,” she whispered, staring down at the phone.
”If King says you”re his, you can bet your sweet ass he”ll make sure you and yours are safe. Don”t fuck him over,” Mack said. ”You hungry now?”
Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn”t eaten anything real in days—coffee and donuts, not counting. ”I am, actually. What do you have in mind?” She shook her head. Maybe that was why her entire frame felt as though an electrical wire was hooked up to it.
Mack stood up. ”Come on, the guys will be back shortly. Let”s go see what we can rustle up in bulk for them.”
Ayesha froze on the top step. Her mind conjured up a biker”s party and all the things she”d seen on shows like Sons of Anarchy. Mack turned back around.
”What”s the matter?” she asked.
”I don”t know what”s expected of me?” Her sister was only sixteen and, god willing, still a virgin. Ayesha would do a lot for her sister”s safe return but whore herself out...god she didn”t think she could do that.
Mack tossed her head back and laughed. ”Oh lord, the look you have on your face. Do you think you”re the dessert? Honey, trust me, ain”t nobody gonna expect you to be lying on the table with food on your naked body for the sampling. Or whatever else is running through that mind of yours. I”m sure the guys wouldn”t object if you want to do that. However, I think a few ole” ladies might get a little pissed if you did it when they weren”t here.” Mack”s eyes glinted with laughter.
”Am I that transparent?” She pressed her palms to her cheeks.
”Yeah, you are. But that”s a good thing. It means you”re not a mercenary hoe that I”ll have to cut one day.” Mack turned around and sauntered toward the clubhouse, leaving Ayesha to stare at her back.
”Shit, did she just threaten to cut me?”
”Yep, and she”s really good with a knife,” Duke answered.
Ayesha didn”t yelp at the deep voice behind her, which she felt deserved a pat on the back. Instead, she raised her hand, giving King”s brother the middle finger.
”You”re gonna fit in just fine, girl,” Duke called after her.
Did she want to fit in just fine? All her female parts said yes. Who was she kidding? Every fiber of her being said yes. Following Mack to the clubhouse and whatever waited there, she couldn”t wait to see her sister and, if she were being totally honest, King.
Mack stood inside the door, her toe tapping the concrete floor. ”Alright, I”m not a Cordon bleu chef, but I make a mean spaghetti and meatballs. How about you? What”s your specialty?” Mack asked. The door leading to a room she assumed must be the kitchen swung closed, making whatever she said next too low for Ayesha to hear.
She looked around the clubhouse. It looked less seedy in the light of day than it had that night. Oh, it was still intimidating, but now that it was filled with a lot of men who lived by their own set of rules and women who had very little clothing on, it appeared like any other bar she”d been to. Well, not any bar, she corrected when she spied the raised dais with the metal poles meant for something other than holding the ceiling up.
”You know how to use one of those?” Mack whispered near her ear.
Ayesha shivered at the thought of getting up on the stage and shimming around the pole in front of a bar full of men. She wouldn”t admit to the other woman that she”d taken a pole dancing class. A class she”d excelled at. Nope, her lips were sealed. ”Um, the kitchen?” she asked, turning away from the poles and the thought of showing King her skills.
”I asked if you had any culinary skills but lost you to the poles,” Mack teased.
She narrowed her eyes, staring at the taller, thinner woman. Did she have the hots for King and was fucking with her. ”Do you have a problem with me?” she asked, trying not to be intimidated.
Mack got in her space, looking down. ”If I did, there”s nobody in here to save you.”
The thought that Mack had been playing nice because Duke had been within earshot made Ayesha angry again. ”I don”t need Duke, or King for that matter, to fight my battles, Mack.”
A very unladylike snort was Mack”s response.
”Listen, I thought you wanted my help making something for the guys to eat, but if you just brought me here for a girl fight, let”s do it.” Ayesha shoved Mack back, not willing to cower to the other girl. Her time of being bullied had ended in middle school, and those days were long gone. She may look and dress like a good girl, King”s words, but she wasn”t a delicate fucking flower. Living in some of LA”s less-than-nice parts meant she”d learned how to take care of herself, even in a fight. No, she wasn”t trained in some fancy fight school. What she knew was how to fight in the yard, where there were no rules. If Mack wanted to see who would cry uncle first, she had better be willing to bleed.
A sly grin split Mack”s face. If she”d thought Ayesha was a girl who wasn”t used to the streets, she was in for a rude awakening. When Mack swung, Ayesha was ready, dodging the fist aimed at her face. With speed and the need to teach Mack some manners, she jabbed Mack in the stomach with her left fist, hitting her where the woman”s belly button was, following up with a quick uppercut with her right. Instead of pausing, she let her fists fly, not giving Mack a chance to hit back. Mack”s hands went up, trying to block Ayesha”s punches, her cry of alarm not fazing Ayesha at all.
Ayesha followed her to the ground, her cries to stop going unheard by Ayesha as she straddled her torso, raining blows on her face. Hard arms came around her, lifting her away from Mack.
”Yo, Rocky, she”s done. You won,” Duke said.
The soundtrack to the movie began playing loudly over the speakers. ”Damn, it was just getting good. You”re right, though, King will be back within an hour, and I”m pretty sure he”d be pissed if his girl was sporting smashed knuckles. Mack, you”re going to be in big trouble,” a male voice announced over the speakers. His exaggerated drawl over several words made Duke laugh.
”Keys, you got all that on video, yeah?” Duke asked.
”What do you think?” the one named Keys” deep laugh sounded loud over the now quiet room”s speaker system.
Ayesha shook her hands out. ”I need to wash my hands,” she said, looking at the floor.
Duke ruffled her hair, pointing to the back hallway. ”Right that way.”
”I”m sorry. I sort of lost it.” She nodded toward the floor, where Mack was sitting, her hands resting on her upraised knees.
”Nah, she deserved that whoopin”. Go get cleaned up, Rocky. I need to talk to this one.”
She walked toward the way he”d pointed, not even bothering to inch away from Mack. ”I don”t fucking understand what happened.”
”I do. You were tested, and you passed.” Came from the speakers.
She looked toward the ceiling. ”What are you, like Charlie from the Angels movie?”
”Hell no, he was a fat old dude.” Came the reply.
”Well, how do I know you”re not too? And if there are cameras in the bathroom, I swear to all that”s holy, I”ll hunt you down and cut off your balls if you watch me pee.” She shook her fist upward, wincing at the pain from her busted knuckles.
”Duly noted, Rocky. However, I can assure you, you cutting my nuts off would be the least of my worries if I watched you go pee in the potty,” Keys said.
Ayesha found the door marked ladies. ”You”re a strange one, Mr. Keys.”
Laughter followed her inside, but she blocked it out. Her sister was safe. King had done what he”d said he would, and now they were on their way back. She looked at herself in the mirror while washing her hands, not recognizing the person staring back at her. Yes, the same dark hair and eyes were there, but the girl looking at her wasn”t the one who”d been going through the motions of living. No, this one looked like she was excited about the future. ”Don”t get too excited, girl,” Ayesha warned herself. King wasn”t a guy you settled down with and had two point-five babies.
”Yeah, like the last guy I married had been,” she muttered, shutting off the water more forcefully than necessary. Her ex”s family were some of the vilest human beings she”d ever had the displeasure of meeting. She was sure if Carlos had survived, they probably would”ve divorced by now. He didn”t have a backbone and would”ve eventually caved to his family”s demands. The last was a hard truth that had taken his death for her to admit to.