Chapter 12
“What are you doing?” I squeaked, afraid to raise my voice in case he followed through on his threat.
“Shut up and listen to me, bitch!” the angry man with the knife directed. “You’re going to be a good little girl and follow me outside the back door of this coffee shop. If you scream, fight, or make a scene, I’m going to slit your fucking throat.”
No, he wouldn’t. Not in broad daylight in a place and time where everyone had cell phones. Not to mention all the surveillance cameras plastered around these businesses. He wasn’t even wearing a hoodie or mask for Christ’s sake. How did he think he was going to get away with this?
In the interest of getting out of this bathroom alive though, I agreed. “Okay. Just don’t hurt me.”
“You’re going to follow me out the back of the shop nice and quiet like,” the man coached, as he reached for the bathroom lock. “Once we exit, there’ll be a black van waiting outside for us. You’re going to walk calmly to that van. Do you understand?”
I understood, but I had no intention of following his instructions. I’d taken the safety courses my dad had enrolled me in at sixteen. Rule number one, never go with your attacker. They always tried to take you to a secondary location. That location was always private. Statistically, that location is where the police found your body. I wasn’t about to aid this asshole in making my death a private affair. I was going down swinging! Or, at the very least, I was going to alert German. I was fairly certain he had a better right hook than I did, and I could sure use his superior strength right about now.
My would-be-kidnapper carefully unlocked the door and nudged me forward. I just knew this guy had been sent by whoever had attacked Christine. That fact made me so angry, it was all I could do not to turn and scratch his fucking eyes out of his head!
Calming myself, I began to formulate a plan. I needed a distraction. Something that would make my kidnapper lower his guard. I doubted this man had a gun. And if he did, he wasn’t about to shoot me in the back. The people who’d paid him would get nothing out of the deal if he killed the golden goose. For whatever reason, they believed I could get them what they wanted. Dead, I couldn’t do that. As disheartening as that might be, the odds were in my favor if I took my chances and fled.
The douchebag lowered the knife as he propelled me forward. Jumping when I felt the tip slice through my sundress and nick skin, I knew what I had to do.
“Faster!” he barked in my ear, and I lowered my head into my hands like I was crying. “Stop it,” he demanded, looking around the parking lot afraid I was making a scene. Pointing toward a black van, he said, “Over there!”
When he pressed his knife into my back once again, I jumped. This time, I pretended to get caught up in my flip-flop as I did, stumbling forward several more steps.
“Careful!” the man hissed as he looked left then right to see if anyone had witnessed my clumsiness.
With a few feet between us now, I pulled a roadrunner and sprinted in the opposite direction. I didn’t have that much of a head start, but it was enough to round the building before he got his hands on me.
My lungs burning, I pushed myself to run as fast as I’d done in high school when I’d wanted to beat Karri Masterson in wind-sprints during cheer tryouts for being a total bitch and sleeping with my boyfriend!
The minute I rounded the corner of the coffee shop, I spotted my convertible. German was sitting on the hood, looking inside the front window to see if he could spot me.
“German!” I screamed, instantly drawing the man’s attention.
The lithe biker was running toward me before I could take my next breath. It was a good thing too, because a hand snatched the back of my dress and pulled me to the ground with such force I ate pavement.
However, when my kidnapper looked up and saw German barreling down on him, he let go of me and ran back to his buddy driving the black van.
German lifted me off the ground and into his arms. “We need to get in the car, you can tell me everything on the drive home,” he commanded.
As soon as we were in the convertible, German drove it toward the other side of the parking lot, but the van was already gone.
“What happened, Maddy?” he demanded, reversing the sports car back the way we’d come.
Catching my breath, I tried to calm my hammering heart. “On the way to the bathroom, I noticed some guy watching me. I thought he was just creepy, but it turns out he was there to kidnap me. When I came out of the bathroom, he…” my voice broke and I no longer felt strong like I had at the moment, “he put a knife to my throat and told me I had to get into his van or he’d kill me!”
German’s hand dropped down to my knee and squeezed. “How did you get away?” he asked then, gentling his words so I wouldn’t break down entirely.
“I pretended to trip on my flip-flops and put some distance between us. As soon as I was free from the knife, I ran as fast as I could toward you.”
German swore and clenched the steering wheel so tightly I feared it might snap off. “I knew we shouldn’t have left the house today. This was a mistake.”
The idea of being a prisoner in my own home for the rest of my life broke me. The tears began to fall and I couldn’t stop them.
Glancing over at me, German unclenched his hands and apologized. “I’m sorry, Maddy. This was my fault. I should never have let you go inside by yourself.”
Wiping away the tears, I shook my head. “It’s not your fault, German. No one could have foreseen this. It’s ludicrous!”
Letting out a deep breath, German kept his eyes on the road when he said, “We can’t drive this car anymore. It’s too recognizable.”
I hated to agree, but he was right. As much as I loved this car, it didn’t make sense to take the risk. “Daddy lets me use whatever car I like. There are a dozen to choose from in the garage at Coldwell. Pick whatever one you want.”
“We can’t use any car registered to your family, Maddy. The kidnapper might already have an inventory list of what they are. I’m going to call my Brother Hammer and get a vehicle that isn’t on anyone’s radar.”
That made sense. “Okay,” I said, leaning back against the soft leather of my seat. Like before with Nathan, now that I was safe, I felt like my battery had been completely drained and I could barely keep my eyes open.
Noticing my fatigue, German said, “Lean back, Baby Girl. Close your eyes. I’m taking you home now. It’s all going to be okay.”
Those were the magic words I needed to hear. Closing my eyes, it didn’t take long before I slipped into a dreamless sleep.
* * *
German
I’d failed her. The reality was blindingly painful. Maddy had nearly been kidnapped. If she hadn’t acted so swiftly or decisively, she’d be in the hands of her attackers now. I felt so much shame and guilt over that, I could barely contain myself. But I had to. I couldn’t afford to act out or lose it now. I might have failed Maddy once today, but I wasn’t about to do it again by acting like a fucking child.
After we’d returned home, Maddy had gone to take a nap and I’d called my Club. What we’d decided was a little unorthodox, but it was a done deal. I couldn’t leave my girl behind.
Fuck. I was doing it again. Calling Maddy “my girl”. But, like it or not, I couldn’t get the refrain out of my head. Because that’s what she was. Mine. Even if I couldn’t touch her. I wasn’t about to leave her behind with one of my Brothers to watch over, though they were every bit as capable of protecting her as I was. More so, if today was any indication.
When I’d spoken to Reaper, he’d said he was just about to call me. That he needed me on another job and would send Hammer in my stead to watch over Maddy while I was gone for a few days. Every muscle in my body had rebelled at the thought of leaving Maddy behind. When Reaper sensed my hesitation, he’d made an unorthodox suggestion. Take the girl with me. Allow her to have a little fun. Let her play dress up for a few days as a Club girl and I could keep watching her while carrying out business.
I’d immediately rejected the idea, but my Prez had pulled rank. “Look,” he’d said in that no-nonsense way he has about him, “the way I see it, you have two options before you. One, leave the girl with Hammer. Or two, take her with you. It’s up to you.”
When he put it like that, there wasn’t really a choice to make at all. I wasn’t going to leave Maddy behind. She was coming with me.
Now all I had to do was tell her. She’d need to ride with me to Arizona to meet up with the Raiders, a Club we were in the process of vetting for future business dealings. Since I was Road Master and I’d already partially brokered the deal, there was no one other than me who could do it.
Watching Maddy sleep, my fucking heart ached. She was so beautiful. So innocent. So cultured, she’d never be able to pull off the deception. Christ! The minute she opened up that pretty, bowed-shaped mouth of hers, the men would know she wasn’t some uneducated hang around. The woman had an Ivy League education and the wide-eyed innocence of a pampered princess. It was crazy to even attempt this.
It was then I decided. Maddy would have to choose for herself. Stay with Hammer. Or come with me. As wrong as it felt to leave her behind, it felt even worse to strip her of her free will. And that wasn’t even factoring in what her father would say once Pipe called him and told him about the near abduction. My Club Brother would know exactly how to describe the event and ease Framingham’s fears, but it would still doubtlessly rattle the man.
Either way, Maddy couldn’t stay at Coldwell Manor for much longer. She was going to have to be relocated to a Club safehouse. Whether that was with me, or with Hammer, would be entirely her choice.
Maddy was startled awake and her blue eyes popped open. As soon as she sat up, she looked around the room. When her gaze settled on me, she relaxed. That one simple action made my heart contract with a very deep emotion I wasn’t ready to name yet.
“You’re here,” she said, a small smile gracing her lips.
“Always,” I said, my chest tight.
Her smile deepened. “I know.” Stepping out of bed, she padded over to me. Sitting beside me on the couch, she asked, “Did you talk to your Club about what happened today?”
“Yeah,” I said, not bothering to sugarcoat the truth. “My Brothers are going to do some digging and figure out who the man was that attacked you.”
Maddy cocked her head to the side. “How can you do that? We don’t even have a picture of the guy to give them.”
I smiled darkly. “My Brother Pipe can get the coffee shop video footage and trace him through one of the stills.”
“They’ll just hand it over to the Club like that?” she inquired.
I snorted. “He doesn’t intend on asking.”
“Wow, remind me never to mess with your Club,” the beautiful woman teased, curling her legs under her perfect little rear end. Her face became serious then. “That’s good news, right?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. It’s good news. Pipe should know the dickhead’s name and his whole life story in a day or so.”
She searched my gaze for further information. “So, if Pipe can find the guy who attacked me, why do you look so sad?”
To everyone else, I was hard to read. A fucking mystery. After a few days with this beautiful girl, and I was a goddamned open book. “The Club needs me somewhere else, Maddy.”
Maddy’s face fell. “You’re leaving me?” Her breath began to make her chest rise and fall at an accelerated pace. “If it’s about money, German, I’m sure my father will pay it. Just name your price, and…”
Leaning forward, I placed my hands reassuringly on her shoulders. “It’s not about money, Maddy. The Devils are here to protect you. That hasn’t changed. I just need to tie up a few loose ends in Arizona. It’s a part of my job with the Club. My friend Hammer is going to come down here and help out. It’ll only be for a few days, but I’ll be back once I handle my business with the Raiders. You’ll like Hammer. He’s a redhead, too,” I teased, playfully tugging a strand of hers as I spoke.
Maddy’s beautiful face remained panic-stricken. Before I could even offer her the second option, she asked, “Can’t I come with you?” Her eyes grew shiny and bright with unspent tears. “I won’t be any trouble, I promise. I’ll stay quiet. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I travel light and I can help you with whatever you need along the way.”
My fucking heart broke at her frantic pleas. I didn’t want to leave her behind, and she was terrified to be left. Despite the vast difference between the two of us, Maddy and I were so similar. There was something so eerily familiar between us, it was like looking in a two-way mirror sometimes. Call it soulmates. Call it whatever you liked. I didn’t need labels. But it was there. And I couldn’t unsee it. Or unfeel it.
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You sure you want to do that, Baby Girl? You sure you want to go with me?”
Nodding frantically, Maddy smiled so brightly it lit up her whole face. “Can I?”
“It won’t be like the parties you’re used to,” I warned, fighting the urge to pull her into my lap. “Club parties are pretty raw, Babe.”
Maddy snorted. “You don’t know rich kids. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but money doesn’t buy class, German.”
I laughed at that. “Yeah, I’ve heard that a time or two.”
“So I can go?” she repeated, her hands steepled together like she was praying. “You won’t leave me behind?”
“You can go,” I said, giving in to the desire to hold her when she pitched forward in my arms and whooped with glee.
Feeling not just my joy, but my johnson rising, I reluctantly pulled back. “We have to leave tonight though. We’ll make a stopover in Monet at a motel, then we’ll continue over Nettles in the morning.”
“I thought you said we couldn’t take any of the cars from the garage? Is your friend Hammer coming to drop one off?” she asked.
I shook my head. “We’re taking my bike.”
Her face clouded over with confusion. “Where will all of our luggage go?”
I eyed her suspiciously. “I thought you said you travel light?”
Maddy bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “Can we go shopping when we get there?”
Not able to deny her anything, I rolled my eyes. “We can go shopping when we get there,” I agreed, secretly loving the way her face filled with joy.