Chapter 2
Gage
Cash and I sit to the side of the stage.
Tonight, we’re in enemy territory. Our rivals, the Rusted Scythes, are hosting an auction where anything and everything illegal is available to the highest bidder.
It’s probably the only time we see Rusted Scythes members without it dissolving into fighting.
Even so, the air is tense and heavy with the threat of violence.
One spark and this tinderbox could go up in flames.
Cash and I are members of the Road Renegades MC. Our Prez, Ace, sent us here to buy weapons. It’s the best place to find untraceable firearms and to gather intel on rival clubs. Cash is the money man, and I’m the muscle.
The crowd is growing restless. The auction has been underway for some time. The guns will be the last things sold. Bored, I sip on my too-warm beer and watch the stage, hoping that it’ll be over soon.
The auctioneer claps his hands together in one sharp motion and gives a feral grin. “And now, gentlemen, we’ve got an extra special item available for you that we have just newly added to the docket.”
The announcement captures our attention, and I sit up a little straighter, curious to know what this last-minute addition might be.
“Tonight, one lucky man can purchase twenty-four hours to do whatever they want with this beautiful, all-American, twenty-one-year-old virgin.”
I can scarcely believe what I’m hearing, and I wonder if this is some sort of fucking sick joke. I’ve heard of this kind of thing happening, but never seen it. We have no interest in getting involved in human trafficking. I’m surprised that the Rusted Scythes would even stoop that low.
When they bring her onto the stage, the world tilts on its axis.
She’s breathtakingly beautiful, slim, and ethereal with wide eyes.
Her white-blonde hair is cut short and spiky.
Tattoos wind their way over her skin like vines, mapping the contours of her body.
Her feet are bare, and she wears only a silk underdress.
Her nipples poke against the fabric, hard from the cold.
It’s an outfit designed to excite the audience into bidding.
She is fearful yet defiant, holding her head high, a queen walking to the executioner’s block.
I don’t hear anything the auctioneer says as he showcases her to the crowd.
The yells and hollers, the lewd shouts from the men in the audience all melt away as I lose myself staring at her.
She looks in my direction, and I swear when our eyes meet that she sees into my soul.
It’s only when I hear Cash’s frantically hissed words as he slaps my hand down that I realize what I’ve done.
“What the fuck, dude? That money’s for the weapons.”
I scan the crowd, willing no one to outbid me.
Things’ll get messy if I have to rescue her another way.
Because I ain’t leaving her here with these sick assholes.
The auctioneer drags out the finish, giving time for someone else, anyone else to win.
No one wants it to go to me. “Going once, going twice…”
“We can’t let someone fucking rape her, Cash,” I whisper back through the side of my mouth, my eyes never leaving her.
“Sold, to the Road Renegades,” the auctioneer’s voice rings out as he slams his gavel down, sealing the deal. There’s a murmur that goes around the crowd, a mixture of surprise, judgment, and resentment.
“Ace is gonna fucking kill us,” Cash moans, dragging a hand down his face.
The woman is whisked offstage, ready to be taken to the holding area for collection. Cash sighs and stands up. “Come on then,” he says exasperatedly.
I blink up at him, confused, as if emerging from a dream. “They haven’t sold the guns yet.”
A furrow forms on Cash’s brow, and he looks confused and concerned. “How do you think we’re supposed to pay for them when you just blew all our money on some woman?” It’s only then that I fully comprehend that I’ve just blown nearly thirty grand. “I hope she’s worth rescuing, Gage.”
Shit. He’s right, Ace is going to blow his top when he hears I spent all our money. But I can’t feel guilty for doing the right thing. God knows what sort of monster would buy a woman’s virginity, what they’d do with her. “It’s the right thing to do,” I insist.
Cash nods, understanding. “I know, man, but I have a feeling you’ve brought a whole heap of trouble to our doorstep.”
We realize just how much trouble we’re in when we go to collect our prize.
Again, I struggle to focus and take my eyes off her when I see her, huddled in a corner, her hands chained.
I want to scoop her up in my arms and tell her that everything’s gonna be okay, that I won’t let anyone hurt her.
I’m surprised by the overwhelming protective instincts she’s ignited in me.
“Twenty-four hours, that’s all you get her for, then you gotta bring her back to us,” the auctioneer explains. “If you kill her, you gotta pay double.” I’d like to wrap my hands around his throat and kill him just for that.
“What if we want to keep her?” I ask. There’s no way I’m letting her come back only to be sold again and again.
The auctioneer shakes his head, his double chin wobbling. “Ain’t happenin’. This one’s not for sale, the boss wants a go on her once she’s broken in.”
“Name your price,” I insist. “If you don’t mind if we kill her or not, then surely it’s no different from keeping her.”
“She ain’t for sale,” the man replies tersely. “The boss understands that accidents happen and that you might get carried away and kill her by mistake, but if you keep her, she’s worth good money. And, as I said, the boss wants her.”
I feel sickened by his callous words, imagining the kind of horrors she might have been subjected to tonight, that someone could use her and ‘accidentally’ kill her without a care.
There is no way I’m bringing her back to face being raped, abused, and used until someone eventually murders her for their sick amusement.
“Understood,” Cash interjects, placing a hand on my chest to hold me back. We’re close enough that he knows I was about to blow.
The auctioneer looks between us with his pale, piggy eyes. “Be sure that you do, Renegades, because if she ain’t returned to us, dead or alive, within twenty-four hours, we’ll see it as a declaration of war.”
Shit. The situation is so much worse than I thought.
“Understood,” Cash repeats calmly, trying to defuse the situation before it can erupt.
“I hope you came in a car tonight, this one’s likely to cause you to crash if you try to take her on a bike. For a small fee, I’m sure we could offer you boys a room where you can have your fun with her here instead.”
The muscle in Cash’s jaw tenses, a sure sign he’d like to punch the auctioneer square in the face right now. “We brought the cage tonight.”
I walk over to the woman, approaching her slowly as if she’s a wounded animal.
“Careful, she’s a biter,” the auctioneer grumbles, holding up his bandaged hand. I feel a small swell of pride for this fragile young woman who was brave enough to fight back.
Ignoring him, I move closer to her. She hugs her legs tighter to herself, as if willing herself to disappear.
She’s trembling with fear and cold. I reach out and she recoils in terror.
In her eyes, I’m the monster that would buy a woman and do the kinds of depraved things the auctioneer so casually described.
She doesn’t know me, doesn’t know my motivation.
“It’s okay,” I soothe, keeping my voice as slow and gentle as possible so as not to startle her. “I’m not gonna hurt you. Here, you must be cold,” I say, shrugging off my leather jacket and holding it out to her. “My name’s Gage, what’s yours?”
She looks up at me warily, distrustful. I can see her wrestling with herself over what to do. Evidently, her desire to be warm and covered outweighs her suspicion of me, as she accepts it, snatching it out of my hand, and hurriedly puts it on.
“I’m Naomi,” she says flatly.
“Hi Naomi, my friend Cash and I are gonna take you with us to our place, if that’s okay with you? I promise you’ll be safe there.”
She looks over my shoulder at Cash, surveying him too. “Do I have a choice?” she asks bluntly.
“You do. If you want to stay here, I won’t force you to leave, but I promise you, it’ll be safer if you come with us.” I’m not sure if I believe that I would leave her if she asked. I just pray she doesn’t call my bluff and trusts me enough to come with me.
“We’re not buying you. We’re getting you out,” I say.
She thinks for a moment, her gaze drifting to the ceiling as if searching for something or someone above her. She looks at me, then back at Cash. “Okay. I’ll come with you,” she says, moving to stand up. I offer my hand to help, but she doesn’t take it. I’m amazed by her bravery and composure.
Cash trades the money for the keys to her shackles, and the auctioneer also tosses over her boots, but no other clothing.
I gesture for him to hand the keys to me, and the auctioneer speaks up.
“I wouldn’t unlock her if I were you. If she escapes, the result will be the same as if you try to keep her.
Remember, you’ve only got twenty-four hours,” he warns.
I nod, grunting that I understand. Naomi gratefully pulls on her boots, and I help her up.
We hastily make our way out of the building toward our truck that’s parked nearby, and with every step, I worry someone will come running after us.
I open the door for her and help her inside.
Once she’s in and the seatbelt is secured, I move to unlock her chains.
“Are you sure that’s wise? You heard the man. What if she escapes? It would mean war,” Cash warns.
“Naomi is not gonna escape because we’re gonna keep her safe and help her get out of this situation. If she escapes now, the Rusted Scythes will find her and punish her.”
“I won’t run. They’ve got my brother,” she reveals quietly.
I look at Cash accusingly. “See? She’s not gonna run, and we’re not gonna keep her chained up like a fucking prisoner.”
Naomi looks at me with naked curiosity, no doubt wondering what my motivations are.
She considers for a moment, as if wondering whether to ask something or not.
Already, she’s a puzzle I’m desperate to solve.
Her desire to make whatever request she’s thinking about asking wins out.
“I’m not leaving without my bike,” she says.
“Your bike?” Cash asks, voicing my confusion.
“Yes. My motorcycle, it’s the Indian over there,” she says, pointing toward a large, well-ridden, vintage Indian.
We both look between the bike and the waif of a woman before us in disbelief. “That’s your bike?” I ask incredulously, my eyebrows rising.
She rolls her eyes as if she’s heard it a thousand times.
“Yes, it’s my bike. My keys are inside with my clothes, so you’ll have to put it in the truck bed, but I’m not leaving it behind.
” It will weigh a fucking ton, and we’re both wondering if this is some kind of trap to escape.
As if sensing what we’re thinking, she continues.
“Look, you guys are in a motorcycle club, the Road Renegades MC, right?” she asks, nodding at the patch on my vest.
“We are.”
“Well then, you understand. Would you leave your bike behind?” she demands.
She’s right. I wouldn’t. My bike is my most treasured possession—more like a part of me than just a vehicle.
“Okay,” I agree. I find myself even more intrigued by this tiny woman who loves her bike just as much.
It’s rare to meet a chick who’s into biking, let alone one so petite who can handle such a beast of a bike.
Cash looks at me as if I’m crazy. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope,” I say, shutting the door and making sure to lock it with Naomi inside before striding over to her bike.
“This is fucking insane,” Cash grumbles as we lift it into the truck bed, grunting under the weight.
Despite the fucked-up situation we’ve gotten ourselves into, I look over to my best friend and smile. “This is fucking destiny, my friend. We just found the woman of our dreams.”