Chapter 5
Nova
Iwaited in Creed’s office for nearly an hour before deciding I had enough.
I didn’t know what game he was playing, but I wasn’t in the mood, and I didn’t have time to waste.
I didn’t get far. Before I even made it back to the main room, two guys I recognized from the gate stepped right in front of me and wouldn’t let me through.
I made enough noise that a big guy with short dark curls and a shiny burn scar covering half of his left forearm came over.
I thought he was going to tell me to get out, but instead, he snapped for me to follow him.
I did because I still hoped he was just leading me out of the compound.
No such luck.
I’ve been stuck in this bedroom for seven hours. There’s an attached bathroom, so it’s not as bad as it could’ve been, but drinking water from the sink and being able to use the bathroom without an escort doesn’t exactly scream hospitality.
I pace from one wall to the other, counting the steps even though I already know it takes four to get from the bed to the door and five to get from the dresser to the opposite wall.
The only other thing in the room besides those two pieces of furniture is a small end table next to the bed.
Nothing on the walls or the floor. Nothing in the dresser drawers.
The sheets and pillow on the bed are clean but worn.
There’s not even a window for a view. If this is a guest room, I don’t think many guests would want to come back.
My stomach growls for what feels like the hundredth time and finishing the last two pieces of gum in my purse isn’t going to cut it. I haven’t had much of an appetite over the last few days, so the fact that I’m hungry means it’s been too long since I’ve eaten.
My phone tells me it’s almost eleven thirty at night, but as soon as I open the bedroom door, I can hear the low thump of music and voices from downstairs.
I check the hall in both directions but don’t see anyone, so I make my way to the staircase, walking as carefully and quietly as possible.
I’m not going to run, not without the information I came for, but I don’t feel like dealing with any of the Kings of Ruin right now.
Especially not the asshole who’s basically kept me locked away all day without food or a word about what they’re doing to find my sister.
I pause at the bottom of the stairs to get my bearings and think back to when I was taken from the office to the bedroom.
The bar I caught a glimpse of when I first came into the building has a door that leads to a kitchen, so that’s where I go.
The lights in the main room are lower than they were earlier, letting me stick to the shadows as I inch toward the kitchen entrance.
A throaty laugh comes from my right, followed by a giggle I can’t ignore.
While worry for Layla and irritation with Creed have been dominating my emotions, I eventually ran out of imagining ways to make Creed pay and boredom set in.
Being bored is the excuse I give myself for pausing and turning my head to see what’s making people laugh.
And I immediately wish I didn’t.
Sitting in one of the armchairs, partially hidden by a couch, are two people.
I can’t see more than the outline of the man because there’s a woman in his lap.
A topless woman with her skirt around her waist and her boobs jiggling because she’s bouncing up and down on the man.
I want to believe it’s a topless lap dance, but I don’t think anyone is that bad a dancer.
Then they start moaning and my face burns with embarrassment.
“Sugar, babe, I thought we were fucking tonight.”
I suddenly realize that the couple in the chair aren’t the only other people in the room.
The guy with the birthmark on his neck appears next to the pair and grabs the girl’s hair.
I tense, unsure of what I should do if there’s violence.
If it’s two guys fighting, I’m not stupid enough to get involved, but if one of them hits her…
“Sorry, Marco,” the woman—Sugar, I assume—practically purrs the apology. “You can join in if you want. Fury won’t mind.”
My eyes bugged out of my head. Sugar’s having sex right there in front of everyone and she just asked another guy if he wants to join in.
I mean, there’s always been rumors about the sort of stuff these guys get into, but I ignore the extreme ones.
As Marco unzips his pants and Sugar reaches into them, I realize that some of the extreme ones might be the most truthful.
“Fuccckkkk,” Marco groans, his head falling back.
One of the guys sitting on the pool table lets out a whistle loud enough to jar me out of whatever has me frozen in place.
With all the attention on the threesome sex show going on, no one even glances my way the last few feet to the kitchen door.
Enough light comes in through the open door for me to see what I need, so I don’t turn on the overhead light as I walk over to the fridge.
Unsurprisingly, it’s mostly full of beer, but there’s some food too.
I grab an apple and bite into it, my stomach grumbling at the juice I swallow while I chew.
Finishing the apple doesn’t take long, and while I’m still hungry, it’s only taken the edge off.
I’m rummaging through the middle shelf when a sound behind me has me spinning around, my heart in my throat.
A woman stands in the door, a scowl twisting cherry red lips.
She has white-blonde hair that doesn’t match how dark her eyebrows are, and her skin is the kind of tanned that makes me think she’s younger than she looks.
She wears a pair of crazy short jean shorts and a crop top that shows off a belly button ring and a tattoo.
The thing I notice the most, though, is her lack of shoes.
In my mind, people don’t walk around places like this without shoes unless they feel comfortable.
“Sorry.” I smile at her. “You startled me. I’m Nova.”
“I know who you are.” Her voice has a smoker’s rasp. “What I don’t know is why you’re here.”
Confused, I say, “Um, I’m looking for my sister and Creed told me—”
“Guess you are as stupid as you look.” She rolls her eyes. “I mean why are you in the kitchen? You’re not supposed to leave your room.”
My smile freezes. “I got hungry and no one’s around for me to ask about food.”
The woman sneers at me, her hands going to her hips. “I don’t think it’s gonna hurt you too much to miss a meal or two.”
I stare at her. “Excuse me?” I’m not skinny and I do have some curves, but between my work and everything else I do, I’m in good shape.
“Look around.” She gestures behind her where a few other women are standing, trying to pretend they’re not watching. “You see anyone else who looks like you? The guys might like big tits, but they’re not having anyone on their bike who’s gonna weigh it down.”
The other women laugh. A couple look like they feel guilty about it, but they still giggle.
My spine stiffens and I lift my chin. “I’m not here for the guys. I just want to find my sister. Once I do, I’m gone, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Oh, I’m not worried, bitch.” Her mouth curves into a smile that looks just as mean as her scowl. “I’m the head Bunny around here and any time Prez wants to fuck, he comes to me.”
I don’t want to imagine this woman and Creed having sex, but her words put the image in my head anyway. If she’s his type, he’s an even bigger asshole than I thought.
“And when he finally claims an old lady,” she walks toward me, one long, sharp fingernail pointed right at me, “it’s gonna be me.”
“Good for you.” I don’t mean for the words to slip out, but I don’t take them back. “Again, I’m not interested in Creed or anyone else. I just want to find something to eat and go back to my room.”
“Tasha.” One of the girls from the group is in the doorway now, eyes darting around nervously. “Ace said we—”
“So enjoy your time,” Tasha continues without even acknowledging the other woman. “When he gets bored of you, he’ll come back to me.”
“For the last time, I’m not fucking Creed!” I’m almost shouting, but I don’t care. “And if you want me out of here so bad, maybe you should use those skills to get him to hurry up finding my sister!”
Tasha’s eyes narrow and she pokes my sternum with one sharp nail. “Listen here—”
“Tasha.”
Everyone freezes at the authority in the man’s voice. When Creed comes into the kitchen, the girl in the doorway scurries back to her friends, but Tasha and I are stuck unless we want to try to get around Creed. This isn’t a great situation, but I’m not stupid enough to try to escape.
“Creed.” Tasha finds her voice first and beams at Creed. “I thought you already turned in for the night.” She crosses to him, swinging her hips dramatically. “I’m glad you’re here. I was hoping you wanted a… nightcap.”
Creed looks down at where Tasha is now running her fingernail along his forearm and then looks at her. His face is cold and, for the first time, I see Tasha falter. Her hand drops and she takes a step back. She glances at me and then turns back to Creed.
“Do—do you want a beer?”
Maybe I should feel bad about the quaver in her voice, but I don’t. She should’ve believed me when I said I wasn’t here for Creed or any of the other guys.
“You’re gonna take a break from the club,” Creed says.
I can feel the atmosphere shift. Something about Creed saying those words to this woman means something more than just diffusing a situation before it got too bad.
“Go home, Tasha,” he continues. “And don’t come in tomorrow. If you can follow the rules, you can come back the day after.”
“Creed, please.” Her voice is soft and the way her shoulders slump tells me it’s not an act. “I didn’t—”
“Nova Reed is under the MC’s protection,” he interrupts. “She’s under my protection. If you can’t handle that, don’t come back. If you can, you know what you need to do.” He moves to the side, leaving the path to the door open. “Now, go.”
Tasha crosses her arms and throws a desperate look toward the women huddling together, all of them wide-eyed.
“Don’t make me throw you out.”
Creed’s words get Tasha moving and she hurries over to a chair, grabbing a purse and then walking toward the door. Everyone’s watching her go, but as soon as the door closes behind her, all that attention turns to me. Even the threesome in the chair are quiet, waiting for whatever came next.
When Creed looks at me, I don’t know if he’s going to yell at me for being out of my room or tell me I can’t eat their food. I can’t figure him out, and it makes me nervous, but I fight not to show it.
“We’ll talk in the morning,” he says. “Ravage’ll take you back to your room when you’re ready.”
He barks an order when he leaves the kitchen, but I can’t hear the words over the buzzing in my ears.
What the hell just happened?