Chapter 2
brOOKE
Istare in shock. Sure, I am excited that he is giving me an opportunity to work here, but I am also skeptical.
I thought it would take a little more to prove I can do the job.
It was hard to get my first job because mechanics is such a male-dominated field.
Women have more to prove if they want to make it into this field.
I always feel like I have to prove myself because of my size and gender, but I am a good mechanic.
My old job thought I was, too, but when the accident happened, I had to stop working.
They wanted to keep me, but I had to take a step back and recover from everything.
“Now, to formally introduce myself, since we will be seeing a lot more of each other. I am the president of the club. You can call me Pres, President, or my club name is Gunner. I don’t want any disrespect to me or anyone in this club, and no drama while working,” Gunner explains.
I nod in understanding. It’s interesting that they all have a club name.
“You can wear whatever you want to work. We will pay you every week, and you will earn twenty-five dollars an hour. Your shift is eight in the morning until five or six, depending on what needs to be done. You might get let off early some days, but we are normally pretty packed,” Pres says. “That sound good?”
I nod. Twenty-five dollars an hour isn’t bad. I am also thankful that we get paid every week because I only have twenty dollars to my name.
“If any of the guys give you trouble, you come to me. They can be nosy and rowdy sometimes. We really need another mechanic, and you have proven yourself today. I don’t want them to scare you off,” he tells me.
“But remember that someone will be watching you when you work. Just until I feel like you are okay and not a threat.”
I hope they just keep to themselves and won’t bother me. I don’t really have the desire to interact with any of them. They all could be trouble, and I don’t want any of that. Right now, I just want peace in my life.
“You are free to leave. Just remember, eight in the morning tomorrow,” he dismisses me politely.
I nod and head toward the door. I walk through the house and out to the parking lot.
There are a lot more bikers here, who are all staring at me.
I keep my head high as I walk past them.
I am super excited to have gotten the job, but their stares make me uneasy.
I just need to get out of here fast and figure out what I am going to do for the rest of the night.
I can either buy new clothes and sleep outside, or I can wear what I wore today and get a hotel room. It’s a tough decision because I want to make an impression, but I also want a bed to sleep on tonight.
After passing a couple of clothing stores, I make up my mind.
I am going to buy some new clothes and sleep outside.
I don’t want them to question why I’m wearing the same clothes every day.
I can go into a store and use their bathroom to clean up a little.
It’s not ideal, but it will have to do until I can get a place to stay.
There’s a thrift store down the street, and I walk toward it. I can find some clothes that will cover things up pretty cheaply there. I may even have some money left over to get something to eat after.
When I walk into the thrift store, all the workers stare at me. I quickly walk toward the jeans and pick out a pair, then go to the long-sleeved shirts. I pick out a black shirt and some gloves before I make my way toward the register.
“That will be fifteen dollars,” the cashier says cheerily.
After I pay, I pick up my bag and walk out of the store.
Even though I really want to eat dinner, I know that I am going to need breakfast for my long day tomorrow.
I want to be able to last all day and not make a bad impression.
It’s important for me to show the president that I am not a threat and that I am worthy of this job.
Feeling happy to have some new clothes, I walk around the town to try to find an alleyway to sleep in.
I didn’t want to pick a park that is out in the open and get mugged or beaten up.
Once I find a suitable alley, I sit on the ground and attempt to make myself comfortable.
I know I won’t be getting a lot of sleep, but it’s better than nothing.
I lean my head against the wall and close my eyes.
“And where do you think you are going?” Jared says, stalking toward me.
I cower the closer he gets to me. I just want to get away from him. To leave and never return, but that would be too easy; he will never let me go. He always finds me or knows when I am about to leave.
“I didn’t say you could leave.” He bends down, gripping my face really hard. “Why can’t you just be the perfect girlfriend? Why do you have to be so disobedient, making me have to punish you?”
At the mention of him punishing me, I start to hyperventilate. I can’t take another beating. He gave me one earlier today, and I am still recuperating from it. I won’t be able to survive this time. He is going to take it too far today, I can feel it.
Jared stands and stalks over to the box. My body freezes as fear courses down my spine. The box is filled with his special toys to torment me, my back and legs are marred by his personal favorite, a signal whip, which will leave me whimpering in pain as he has his way with me.
I crawl on my hands and knees away from him toward the door. Right as I get to the door, it slams shut, hitting me on the way. I fall over, holding my cheek as I cry.
“Stop,” I beg.
“Stop? Oh, you don’t get to tell me when to stop. I get to stop when I want to,” he says, latching his hand on my ankle.
Without warning, he starts dragging me back into the middle of the room. Desperately, I try to crawl away, not wanting to get locked up, but my attempts are feeble. He whips me, and I scream as the burning sensation courses through my body.
Writhing in pain, Jared clamps the chains onto my wrists and ankles, locking me in place. I’m seated on my knees with my legs beside me at an awkward angle and my arms hanging by both sides of me. The chains are short, and I am unable to move much.
“Please no,” I plead with Jared.
“You should have thought about this while you were trying to leave. You know the rules, yet you still go against them and then beg me not to punish you.” His voice rises with each word.
I flinch the louder he gets. Slowly, he walks toward me and brings the whip back. He lunges his hand forward, propelling the implement toward me. I don’t feel anything and begin to think he missed, but when I least expect it, the pain comes crashing down on my upper thighs.
I let out a scream as my body lurches forward, causing my forehead to hit the ground. I cry out as the sting of the aftermath blooms. Before I have time to catch my breath, I hear the crack of the whip against my back. Sobs wrack my body, making my whole body shake.
“You are going to get fifteen more whips, and then I’ll assess your attitude and see whether you need any more,” he says. “You are going to count every one of them, and if you miss one, I’ll have to restart.”
I suck in a breath and wait for the burn of the whip. Anticipation weighs on my shoulders as I wait. My body is shaking as I feel myself starting to hyperventilate.
Burning sensations rush through me as the whip makes contact with my back. I sob my words out. “O-one.”
Right as I suck in another breath and straighten my back, the whip makes contact again. I scream out and take a staggering breath in.
“Two,” I shakily say, tears running down my face.
I start to feel lightheaded after the second.
My body is barely recovering from the last beating he gave me, and it is taking a toll.
When Jared brings out the whip, he uses all his force.
They are hard and painful. My vision is going in and out from all the pain I am enduring, and I don’t know if I can make it all the way through the fifteen whippings.
Agony engulfs my upper thigh, and I scream. “Three,” I barely manage to stammer out.
“I can’t hear you!” he yells. “We are starting over.”
Dread consumes me as my tears pour down onto the floor. I want this torture to end. I just want to leave this world so I don’t have to endure another second with him. At this point, I would accept death with open arms. Anything is better than being here right now.
It feels like an hour has passed since he made me start over. With drooping eyes, my body sags forward, ready to lie motionless on the ground.
I let out a muffled cry as the last strike of the whip burns me with its searing kiss.
“Fifteen!” I muster with the little strength I have left so he can hear me.
I couldn’t have him restart; my body is already pushed to its limit, barely keeping me conscious. Numb from the whip, I stare at the crimson liquid surrounding my body as it grows larger. I know I have lost a lot of blood, and I know if I don’t have medical attention, I may die tonight.
“Next time, be the perfect girlfriend, and this won’t happen,” he lies.
I don’t have to do anything, and he will beat me. A hair would fall out and hit the ground, and he would assault me. Everything has to be right for him, but nothing is perfect in this world.
“You’ll stay chained in this position for the next day or two. In the meantime, my friend will come over to check on your wounds,” Jared says before walking out.
Jared’s friend is a nurse and tends to my wounds regularly. His friend takes pleasure in helping clean up the mess, only for Jared to make it worse the next time.
All the strength I have left in me leaves when the door shuts. Finally giving in to the pain, I slump against the ground and fall unconscious.