Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Landon
Allora’s father is an honest-to-goodness biker.
The moment he walked in, with his leather cut and biker boots, I knew things were going to get interesting.
Probably not in a good way, either. It’s a twist I wasn’t expecting.
Allora doesn’t seem like a club princess—the slang term for the daughter of a prominent member of a motorcycle club—but I don’t really know her.
It might be time for me to bow out of this whole mess but Daniil and Mr. Sterling are deep in conversation, like they’re coming up with a plan or something.
I should be paying attention but all I can think about is the sweet woman just a few feet away in the hospital bed who cried in my arms a few minutes ago.
The need to stay with her, protect her, make sure I’m here the moment she opens her eyes is overwhelming.
“She’s stubborn,” I hear Mr. Sterling say.
“We’re not all that close since her mother died but…
” He shakes his head. “I never thought—I mean, she lives on the beach in a nice area! And she’s not some kid.
She knows how to protect herself. Not to walk down dark alleys by herself.
I don’t understand how the fuck this happened.
” For a moment, the biker facade slips and he’s just a middle-aged father worried about his daughter.
“These types of things are often crimes of convenience,” Daniil says gently. “She probably did everything right but they saw her, decided they wanted her…”
“Motherfuckers.” The badass biker is back. “I’m going to gut them, slowly and painfully, when I get my hands on them.”
For once, we’re in agreement.
My only regret about tonight is that I wasn’t able to chase that asshole. Catch him. Show him what it’s like to be overpowered, beaten, abused. I’d teach him a lesson he’d never forget. Then I’d end his sorry ass.
“Grim.” Daniil’s voice brings me back to the conversation at hand.
I turn to him questioningly.
“You mind staying here tonight? It probably wouldn’t be prudent for Mr. Sterling to stay and draw attention to himself and his club. But you could probably blend in, sit in the waiting area.”
I nod automatically. “Whatever you think is best.”
Mr. Sterling seems torn but eventually nods.
“She and I butt heads anyway. My presence will just piss her off…and she’s been through enough.
” He grabs his beard and runs his hand down it in what appears to be an absent-minded motion.
“I don’t know how to help her. I’m not good at the… emotional stuff.”
Daniil nods sympathetically, ever the politician. “I’m sure we can find her professional help. I think, as men, we’re often not built for these types of situations.”
“If her mother was alive, she’d know what to do.” He sighs, morphing back into the father of a woman who was just brutalized. “Me, I’m all about kicking ass and taking names. That’s not going to help her through this, though.”
“No. What she needs now is to heal. And feel safe.”
“I’d like to bring her back to the club with me, where I can protect her, but she won’t go.
She hates everything about my lifestyle.
She left the fold when she went off to college and never came back.
Most of the time, I’m okay with that. She has a good job, made a lot of money when she was modeling, is totally independent.
But this? I don’t know how to handle this. ”
Modeling? That doesn’t surprise me.
That she’s independent doesn’t surprise me either.
What does surprise me is her father’s acceptance of her choices.
“We can help with her safety,” Daniil says. He pulls a card from his pocket, handing it to him. “Protection is what we do.”
Theo studies the card and then looks up, a curious expression on his face. “I heard about you. You’re some kind of royalty.”
“Technically, yes.” Daniil inclines his head. “But I left that life behind. Politics wasn’t for me, and my wife didn’t like the constant danger. We decided to start over here while doing something I’d like to think is worthwhile.”
“Like taking down a sex trafficking ring?”
The two men lock gazes, and I’m having a hard time understanding what’s happening between them.
Mutual respect or something else? It’s hard to tell but I’m not about to get involved. My only concern is Allora’s safety, whatever that entails.
Mr. Sterling turns to me. “I’m going to have a couple of guys hang out in the parking lot tonight.
They don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, but you’ll have backup if you need it.
Just text this number. They can be up here in a matter of seconds.
” He holds out his phone, and I obligingly add the contact to mine.
“Have we heard from Chaos and Rage?” I ask Daniil.
He nods. “They’re on the way home. The cops took over the forensics but there was nothing else to be done tonight. That area butts up against the national forest, so there’s a lot of ground to cover and not enough people to do it.”
“There has to be a reason he went that direction, though,” I muse aloud. “Like, he was headed somewhere and bailed out once he realized he wasn’t going to lose me.”
“You think there’s some kind of facility out there, where they keep the trafficked women?”
“Facility, headquarters, safe house…” I shrug. “It could be anything but my gut tells me it’s out there. We just have to find it.”
“Then we will.” There’s a finality to Mr. Sterling’s voice that tells me it’s not optional.
“And my people are happy to help,” Daniil says. “It’s not about money—this area is my home now too. I want my family and friends to be safe.”
Mr. Sterling hesitates. “I won’t claim to be a saint. The club has business dealings that aren’t completely…legal. But sex trafficking? Uh uh. No way. We’re not into that.”
“Glad to hear it,” Daniil says diplomatically. “So let me know what you need. In the meantime, we’ll figure out the best way to keep Allora safe.”
“Let’s meet up tomorrow,” Mr. Sterling says. “After she’s had some sleep and time to think about what she wants to do.”
The men shake hands, Mr. Sterling nods at me, and then he disappears down the hall.
I eye Daniil curiously. “What just happened?”
“We made an ally,” he says quietly. “I’ve heard about the Renegade Demons. They have their fingers in a lot of both legal and illegal little pies, but you know what they say—keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
I scowl. “So, you’re using what happened to Allora as a tactical move?”
“It’s not like I planned this. But now that the opportunity has presented itself, why not build a relationship? It’s better than not having one at all, or worse, having an acrimonious one.”
It makes sense, even though I don’t know how I feel about it.
This is about Allora, though.
Daniil has the resources to do almost anything he wants but I understand the need to forge alliances whenever and wherever he can.
“Look, we don’t want to raise our families in an area where there’s an active sex trafficking ring. And if we’re on the same page with that, why not work together to get rid of it?”
“How can you trust him?” I ask.
He shrugs. “My gut, I guess. The way he looked at his daughter. His willingness to talk even though he doesn’t know me from Adam. Guys like that don’t trust easily.”
“You think he has an ulterior motive?”
“Possibly, but for what? His daughter was kidnapped and brutalized—I can’t believe there’s an upside to that?”
“Something monetary?”
“Not for him. If he’s going to hire you as a full-time bodyguard, he’ll have to pay, no matter what. Your time and services aren’t free.”
I gaze back at Allora’s room.
“I’m sorry if I got us into some kind of shit storm,” I say quietly. “And I don’t care about getting paid.”
He shakes his head. “You did a good thing and you are absolutely getting paid. Imagine what would be happening to her now if you hadn’t gotten involved?”
That makes my skin crawl.
“I can’t even consider that.”
“Neither can I. So don’t second-guess yourself.”
“Thanks, boss.”
He smiles. “I’m going home, but I’ll check in tomorrow. If you need back-up, reach out.”
“Rage is on his way. I’ll be fine.”
He gets on the elevator, and I watch the doors close before wandering back toward Allora’s room. I peek in, glad to see that she’s asleep. She’s on her side, blankets pulled tight around her.
“She finally stopped fighting sleep,” the nurse from before says. “She needs the rest.”
“She does.” I turn to her. “I know there are rules. I’m just not willing to leave her. Not after what she’s been through.”
The nurse nods. “It’s okay. Go on in and try to get comfortable. I’ll find you an extra blanket. It gets cold overnight.”
I tend to run hot but I appreciate the sentiment, so I nod. “Thank you.”
Then I sink down in a chair that’s much too small to sleep in and stretch out my legs.
This is definitely not how tonight was supposed to go but it’s okay.
Rescuing a woman from a sex trafficking ring is never a bad thing.
Taking down said trafficking ring would be better.
And take them down is exactly what I’m going to do.