CHAPTER THIRTEEN
– LUELLA –
I’m fuming on the inside while my outer appearance is as cool as the deepest part of the ocean. Darkness is surrounding me due to the fabric of the hood they put on me as soon as they bound me in the seat in the back of the SUV.
If I didn’t see Macsen’s reaction along with the harsh and caught off guard ‘no’ where his fury clearly wasn’t faked?
I’d be dealing with hurt pride along with a truckload of other emotions I can’t think about right now.
The ride ends and suddenly the straps holding me to my seat fall away.
Someone grabs me by my arms and guides me out of the vehicle.
My body is still restrained and I already feel like a criminal with my wrists cuffed and my ankles as well as I shuffle forward with limited mobility. I hear doors open and close and then they’re guiding me down to take a seat.
I focus on every detail to become aware of my restraints as they bind my arms and legs to the chair. Time continues without anyone saying shit. Suddenly the hood is pulled off my head and I have to blink a few times to adjust to the light in the small room they put me in.
“We seem to keep meeting under hostile circumstances,” my half-sister states with a satisfied smirk on her face.
My lips stay glued together, but I tell her to go fuck herself with the look in my eyes.
She shrugs. “You kidnapped me first; I’m only returning the favor. Nice, right? Sisterly bonding and shit.”
Livi turns to glance over her shoulder and I let my gaze glide over to her belly, showing a baby bump.
“Yeeeah,” Livi drags out the word. “It’s why everyone demanded you’d be strapped to a chair. Less chance you’d hurt my stomach.”
“I would never hurt my niece or nephew,” I snap, angry she’d even think such a thing.
She nods. “It’s what I told them, but you know how overbearing my old man is. Besides, your reputation isn’t something trust is built on. Not to mention, we’re basically strangers.”
Glancing around the room, I mutter, “Want to get to know me? You’re here, I’m here. Start interrogating me and I’ll give you some straight answers.”
The door barges open and a biker I recognized as Jocko steps inside.
His gaze is locked on me when he grunts, “Livi, Prez is looking for you.”
“Bullshit,” Livi snaps.
“Leave the room and take it up with him,” Jocko fires back.
“I’m not going to...”
Thorsten steps inside. “Livi, out.”
The hesitation in her body language gives me a slight flicker of hope. Even if I know she’s the one who cuffed me and helped get me into this chair. She shows a hint of protectiveness by the reluctance to leave. It’s why I try to give her an out.
“I guess sisterly bonding time needs to wait.” My voice holds a hint of sarcasm.
“Minor delay.” Livi grins. “It will give me some time to make a long list of questions.”
“Looking forward to it.” I nod as she steps out.
Thorsten doesn’t even look my way when he leaves.
Jocko slams the door shut and leans against it as he crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Don’t kid yourself, bitch. No fucking way are you going to rub cheeks with the president’s old lady. DNA means shit when you’re from a different world.”
“Are you calling me an alien?” I bark out a laugh. “Oh, this is going to be interesting.”
Jocko takes out a butterfly knife and lets it rotate in his hand. “Interestingly painful.”
I keep staring at the fucker head-on. One doesn’t simply become an assassin without a load of training, practice, skills, and experience. Which also includes getting hurt along the way. My recent dip in pain tolerance is shitty, but I’ve faced way worse moments in my life.
The thought of being tortured doesn’t scare me. The guy standing in front of me doesn’t impress me. Whatever he’s planning? He’d better make sure I don’t get out of here because the first thing I’ll do is repeat the favor tenfold.
“You know how this works.” He rotates the knife in his hand as if he’s a kid, showing off a trick he just learned with a new toy. “I ask questions, you answer. If you lie or keep your mouth shut? I’ll start to motivate you.”
I keep staring at the idiot. He jolts forward and moves the knife in front of my face.
A gush of air moves my hair back when he snarls, “Maybe I should start with slicing that pretty face?”
“Maybe you should ask a question first before you cut yourself,” I mutter, completely unimpressed.
“You think you’re a mighty mafia princess with a golden snatch, trying to snuggle up and down our VP’s dick? Do you really think he’s interested in you? We only have one goal and it doesn’t involve getting cozy for life with criminals like you.”
It’s an information dump rather than asking me straight up questions. It’s why I stay silent and slowly blink a few times while I keep my gaze locked on him.
“Answer me,” he snarls.
A little spittle lands on my cheek. Yuck. I can deal with a lot, but spit? Gross. I lean my head to the side to wipe my cheek clean on my shoulder.
He aims the point of the knife at my throat. “Do you expect my VP to rush in here and save you?”
Finally, a normal question I don’t mind answering. “I consider him a friend, the only one I have to be honest. I guess my expectations aren’t as high. So, you might say I don’t expect anything from him.”
“Liar,” Jocko roars. “Just like the lies you told him when you said you killed Gideon out of self-defense.”
I’m suddenly very aware of myself and make sure not to give any visual indications of my reaction to his statement.
I told Macsen the truth. I didn’t lie, and I sure as fuck didn’t tell him I acted out of self-defense.
I might have killed him to get out of there unseen, but I could have left without killing.
If he told them I acted out of self-defense to protect me? There’s no way I can tell the truth.
My lips stay silent and it angers Jocko.
“Tell me,” he growls. “Did you kill Gideon out of self-defense? Yes or no, it’s not that fucking hard, bitch.”
The fucker doesn’t get a single word from me, and I keep staring dead ahead. No way am I going to say anything that could harm Macsen, not after the way he was there for me when I needed him. Even if I’m sitting here because of him.
“Tell me,” Jocko repeats and makes a stabbing motion in the direction of my stomach.
My hands automatically move to protect my belly. Which isn’t happening because I’m strapped to a chair. For a fragment of a second, I feel helpless and panic hits my body. The satisfaction on Jocko’s face is what breaks the distraction.
Leaning my head forward I snarl, “Did it feel good to see me fake panic the way a woman would pretend to have an orgasm when she’s being fucked by a man with a limp French fry for a cock.
” I chuckle without a hint of laughter. “Tell me, Jocko.” I let my gaze go down and ask, “Is your cock French fry size?”
The tip of the blade is inches from my eye when he snarls, “Something you’ll never find out, cunt. Because I don’t fuck my brothers over for mafia pussy. All you slits on legs want is cock and money. Attention whores, all of you.”
“Shit, dude. Get a grip. You have some serious issues, but I’m not one of them.” I snicker and it only makes more anger flare up in his eyes.
Shit. I shouldn’t antagonize the man, but he makes it too damn easy.
“What are your issues, eh?” he spits.
It takes everything inside me not to flinch at the spittle landing on my cheek. A-freaking-gain.
My mouth gets the better of me when I snap, “Could you start torturing? And I mean the knife, because the talking with leftovers is really gross.”
Muted laughter comes from outside the room. The door opens and Livi steps inside, Thorsten and Macsen are right behind her.
“Fuck,” Jocko roars.
He spins around and flings the knife through the air and lodges it into the wall.
Turning back to face Macsen he growls, “You, fucker, didn’t give me a real chance.”
Macsen shrugs. “You could have...”
“What?” He shoves Macsen’s shoulder. “You said touch her and die, how the hell does one torture a fucking person without touching, eh?”
“Mind games,” Livi and I state at the same time.
She glances at me and grins.
Jocko shakes his head and walks away while he mutters, “Fuckin’ sister bonding shit while one is strapped to the chair the other put her on. Some weird family connection right there.”
Macsen is at my side and squats down to free me. “Are you okay?”
“Define okay?” I grumble. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to the clubhouse under normal circumstances.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “The future still holds a lot of possibilities, so I’m sure we can rectify that soon enough. For now, let’s get you out of this chair and into a hot bath.”
“A hot bath sounds good,” I admit. “Jocko needs to stop raining spit when he talks or is he related to llamas or something?”
Laughter flows through the room, though the smile on my face feels fake. I don’t know what this display was and who I can trust. Between my father’s actions and Macsen’s club? I have no clue where I stand in life. There’s only one person I can trust in this fucked-up world, and that’s me.
I have to focus on myself and take action for the little one growing in my belly. Nothing else matters if you’re not able to receive what you give in this fucked-up world. Time to close doors and open a new one where I can slip through without anyone noticing until I’m gone.