Chapter 5
Ember
The next morning, I watch Pyper closely but discreetly.
Around three in the afternoon, I notice her getting quieter and quieter.
My phone buzzes and it takes a minute for me to realize it’s my burner phone.
When I open my messages, I find a new one from Frannie.
I had given her my number when she bought me my first burner phone, so I’d have a way to contact her if I ever needed help or advice.
Ever since, she’s always gotten my new number when I get a new phone.
Clicking open the text, my blood runs cold when I read her message.
Frannie: Girl, you need to get yours and Pyper’s asses out of town and fast. I just overheard your dad promise to give you to the Prez. There’s also something going on about Pyper. I tried to get close enough to hear them but then they went into the Prez’s office.
Ember: Fuck… Thanks for the heads up. I’ll figure something out.
Fuck my life.
I don’t want anything to do with Scooter. He’s a fucking sleazeball and is among the worst in the club for how they treat women. Shit. Is this why he’s been leering at me more than usual? Pawing at me and trying to get me to wear a smaller uniform at the bar?
Fuck. I’m supposed to go into work tomorrow at the bar.
Who knows what he’ll try to pull then because of this new arrangement with Dad.
I gnaw on my lower lip as I debate my options, but there’s really only one option that I think will succeed.
Fuck, I hope this works. Decision made, I text Frannie one more time.
Ember: Delete this number and conversation. I’ll contact you when we’re safe from a new phone with our usual code.
The sound of Dad’s Harley approaching has me quickly deleting the chat and stuffing the phone in my pocket.
Looking up, I frown when I realize Pyper’s face has paled and she’s staring out the window with wide, scared eyes.
She scrambles up to her feet, shuts off the television before picking up her book off the coffee table.
Dad walks in right after she settles back down on the couch.
His gaze narrows on me as he sways on his feet.
Great… He’s drunk.
“What the fuck are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be working?”
I bite my tongue to keep my anger in check. I can’t tip him off that I know what he’s trying to do. “I have today day off because they’re doing some repairs at the diner.”
He grumbles something under his breath that I can’t make out as he staggers through the living room and then the door to his and Rochelle’s room slams shut. My gaze cuts to Pyper and I frown when I realize her hands are shaking.
“Pyper?” I ask but she jumps to her feet and runs back to our room, shutting the door behind her.
I stare after her, flabbergasted. At the same time, I wonder what the fuck happened, because something sure as shit has her scared. However, I know that if I push her before she’s ready, she’ll just clam up and then I’ll never figure out what’s going on.
Knowing from past behavior that she’ll stay quiet while Dad’s home, and that she apparently isn’t ready to talk, I decide to clean a bit. I hate living in a pigsty and since I have the day off, I might as well clean.
An hour later, I shut off the vacuum but then freeze when I hear a shuffling noise and then a whimper.
Pyper’s whimper.
Quickly but quietly, I creep down the hallway and find the door to Dad’s room wide open and empty. Dread creeps through my veins. I know Rochelle left this morning to head to the compound, but the fact that Dad isn’t in his room… Fuck.
Walking further down the hall, I find our door slightly ajar.
“You need to learn to do as your master says. You will unlearn everything my bitch of a daughter put in your head. You are not free. You will never be free. I made you so I own you and you will do as I say.”
A smack rings through the air and Pyper cries out. I shove the door open and for a second, I freeze as I stare in disgust and horror at the sight in front of me.
Dad is holding Pyper’s arms above her head with one hand and with the other, he’s holding down her shoulder on our bed.
Scooter is straddling her waist and his hands have already undone his belt buckle, leaving no question as to what was about to happen next.
My gaze snaps back to Pyper and my vision threatens to turn red when I spot a bruise already forming on her cheek.
I want to let my rage take over but I need to be smart about this. Both of them are most likely armed.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I seethe.
Pyper’s, scared, wide eyes look up at me in panic, tears streaming down her cheeks. She’s trying to get out of Dad’s grasp while also trying to buck Scooter off her.
Grabbing a fistful of Scooter’s hair, I pull him off Pyper.
“You fucking cunt, let go of me!” he yells at me as he tries to get out of my grasp. He sways slightly and I realize the asshole is fucking drunk.
Yanking hard on his hair, I pull his head back as I squeeze his throat with my other hand. “We had an agreement you fucking asshole. So long as I fought for you, you kept your slimy hands off me and my sister.”
Dad’s wheezing chuckle has me glancing over at him to see he’s pulled Pyper up and is holding her in front of him.
“You’re just a woman. Why would we ever keep an agreement we made with you?
We were just bidding our time until little Pyper here, grew up.
I made you both, so I can do whatever the fuck I want with both of you,” he sneers.
“You both are going to make me a mint and after your temporary owner has had his fun, I’ll earn back my patches and ranking by giving you to Prez here. ”
I narrow my eyes at him. He used to be a ranked officer back when Snare was the President.
I don’t know what he did, but he did something to piss off Snare and was stripped of his title.
From what I heard, he was lucky he wasn’t kicked out or killed as well.
Back then, the club didn’t deal with skin.
Once Scooter took over, that was the first project he undertook, getting the club mixed in selling women, girls, hell, sometimes even men and boys.
I should have known I couldn’t trust them to keep their word. I won’t allow either of us to be sold and I sure as fuck won’t be Scooter’s little fuck toy either. I’ve seen the shit he does to the other women and that will not happen to me. Or Pyper.
My gaze lowers to Pyper’s scared one as she trembles in Dad’s hands.
I give her a slight nod, trying to silently tell her it will be okay while also hoping she remembers what to do next.
She’s never had to fight, but I did teach her some basics including how to get out of some holds.
She takes a steadying breath and returns the nod.
Good.
She remembers.
I squeeze Scooter’s neck a bit harder. “Well, you two assholes just fucked up royally, because if you think we’re just going to let you do as you please with us, you picked the wrong women to fuck with.”
Scooter wheezes as I squeeze his throat harder before kicking the back of his legs.
He falls to his knees, gasping for air. Dad doubles over from the elbow Pyper slams into his stomach and rips his hands off her.
I land a punch to Scooter’s temple before turning and slamming Dad’s face into my knee, relishing in the crunch of bone that reaches my ears.
I grab Pyper and pull her behind me. Only then do I let my rage take over and I beat the ever-loving shit out of them until both of their bodies fall limply to the floor.
They’re still breathing, but they’ll be in a world of pain once they regain consciousness.
With both of them out, I whirl around on Pyper, my hands running up and down her body, reassuring myself that she’s not hurt.
“I’m okay, Em,” she whispers, but I hear the crack in her voice.
I cup her cheeks and rest my forehead against hers as I try to calm my racing heart.
She’s alive.
She’s safe.
And I can help her work through this and whatever else they fucking did to her.
“Get your go bag and anything else you need. We need to get out of here,” I tell her and she shakily nods her head.
I hate that I can’t pull her into my arms and soothe her, but we have to get out of here ASAP. As soon as these assholes wake up and get themselves patched up, they’ll be coming after us.
Seeing that Pyper’s gathering her things, I do the same, shoving clothes and any other essentials into my duffle bag.
Next, I pry open a loose board in the closet where I stash my extra money, then grab my go bag off the top shelf.
The last thing I grab is a set of pictures on my dresser from back when Mom was still alive.
I carefully pack it in between some clothes and zip up the bag.
Turning, my heart breaks when I see Pyper looking longingly at her bookshelves.
She’s an avid reader and I hate that we have to leave her collection here.
Reading is her way of escaping this hellhole and Dad’s wrath.
Glancing down at Dad and Scooter, I make my decision, even though it might slow us down a bit.
“I’ll get you more, Pyper, but we can take a few with us.”
I throw the strap of my duffle over my shoulder, ignoring the twinge of pain from my ribs, before doing the same to my backpack.
I hold out my hands and Pyper eagerly shoves a stack of books in them before grabbing a stack herself.
Then, we’re out the door and putting our bags and the books in the trunk of my old beater.
Shutting the trunk, I round to the front of my car and rip off the remote that lets me through the gates of the clubhouse and toss it into the weeds by the fence.
It has a tracker in it and I hope that it’s the only one they put on my car.
I know there could be a second one, but I’m hoping I can count on Techy’s lazy ass right now.
He only does stuff when he absolutely has to.
Grabbing the first aid kit from under my seat, I open it up and then pull out my switchblade.
I clean my shoulder and the blade with an alcohol wipe before slicing into my skin where I know the tracker is.
A few seconds later, I dig it out and it drops onto the ground.
I crunch it under my heel before turning to Pyper to find she’s already cleaning her shoulder.
“This is gonna sting like a bitch, but we need to get it out or they’ll find us. We don’t have time to numb the area.”
She nods, still visibly shaken from before and exhales. “Do it.”
Carefully, I repeat the process and then bandage her up before doing the same to me.
Sliding behind the wheel, I pull the GPS up on my phone and once Pyper’s buckled in, we head south. Then I dial the only person that can help me right now.
I just hope he keeps his promise.