Bad Boy's Baby: Wicked Angels MC (20 page)

Jenny

Phin was whimpering beside me and I wished, more than anything, that I could reach out and stroke his soft hair. I knew he must be terrified out of his wits. Hell, I was terrified out of my wits and I was the adult! I was so worried about what was going to happen. Where were they taking us? I tried to ask, forgetting that I was gagged, and it came out as a wet gurgle.

From the front of the car, I felt a gust of air and something hard slapped me on the cheek. A hand. One of the men had actually slapped me! I felt tears well up in my eyes and leak down my cheeks. The duct tape was loosening but I could feel it clogging all of the pores on my face and I knew it would hurt like hell when it was ripped off. I only hoped they hadn’t managed to get too much of my hair caught in the tape.

Stupid Jenny. You’ve been kidnapped and all you can fucking think about is your hair! You deserved this!

“We’re almost there,” said one of the gruff voices from the front of the car. “What do we do with them?”

“I don’t know,” the other voice replied. There was a chuckling sound and I could tell the men were having the time of their lives. “I wanna fuck around with her first. Did you see the tits on her? Goddamn would I like to suck those!”

A chill of fear wormed its way down my spine and I hated that Phin was having to listen to this. His labored breathing sounded like he was on the verge of an asthma attack and I felt my body convulsing at the thought of one of those beastly men touching me. The car lurched to the side and I bounced off of the bench seat in the back. As my body hit the hard floorboard of the car, I cried out and choked against my gag. I hadn’t figured out what they’d stuffed in my mouth but it tasted foul. I shuddered as more tears found their way down my cheeks.

“Honey, hold on,” one of the guys said. I felt a hand patting me on the side and I shuddered and twisted as the hand found its way to my breast, pinching and tweaking my nipples through the thin material of my shirt. It hurt like hell and I screamed against my gag, twisting and desperately wishing I could shove the guy off.

“She’s a fighter,” the other guy said. I heard a guffawing laugh from the front of the car. “You hear that, honey? You’re real feisty!”

The men started to growl and yip like dogs as a fresh wave of terror crested through my body. I cried out but the gag muffled the sound. I felt the car come to an abrupt start and then heard the sound of the doors slamming. Panic rose through me. Were they just going to forget about me and Phin? Were they going to leave us here to starve and rot? I twisted against my bonds, desperately trying to free my hands. They were bound so tightly that the circulation was cut off and my fingers were numb and tingling. I tried to make a fist and shake my hands around to wake them up but nothing did the trick—I was simply bound too tightly.

I felt strong hands wrapping around my waist and lifting me high in the air. I kicked my legs, trying to connect with flesh and bone, but only managed to slice through the air.

“Fuck!” I heard one of the guys mutter. “This one’s a fuckin’ fighter!”

“She’ll get what’s coming to her,” the other guy replied darkly, and I felt a ripple of fear go through my whole body. “Don’t worry, she’ll get it.”

Another pair of hands grabbed me under the armpits, painfully hauling me to a standing position. I felt for the ground with my feet; it was surreal to be walking again after what had felt like hours in the car. But in reality, I had no way of knowing how much time had passed. I had no idea what was going to happen now.

I tried to call Phin’s name, again forgetting that I was gagged. A stream of spittle gushed out of my mouth and dripped down my chin. The men laughed loudly.

“Fuckin’ bitch!” one of them said. “Damn, this one is a lot of trouble!”

“Randy and Steve weren’t fucking around,” the other replied. “She’s gonna be in some motherfuckin’ trouble when we tear the blindfold off.”

My belly was twisted in knots of panic. I’d never been this scared in my life. I wanted to tune the men out, but something told me it was important to listen. They’d mentioned Randy and Steve. It seemed like ages since I’d heard either of those names, but now I knew better. They were all connected somehow. All of the guys were in it together, and they were all out to get me.

One of the guys pushed me forward. “Watch out for the stairs,” he said in a mild tone. When I tried to step forward gently, he shoved me again and I fell, tumbling, helpless to stop the fall since my hands were bound behind my back. Every time I hit the stairs, I tensed and braced myself for the inevitable crash at the bottom of the stairs. When I finally hit, my head was filled with so much pain that I thought I was going to black out. It hurt so much that I gasped and choked on the gag.
Please don’t let them throw Phin down the stairs
, I prayed.
Please don’t hurt him
.

“That’s for trying to twist away from me, bitch,” one of the guys said. He laughed cruelly. “Come on, kid, take it a step at a time.” I was relieved to hear them helping Phin down the stairs.

There was a blinding pain in my head so sharp that I felt like my eyes were going to ripped out of their sockets. When I blinked, I saw that they’d pulled the duct tape off my face. One of them was holding the strip in his hand and laughing. Sure enough, there was a clump of red hair attached to the side. Part of my head felt cool in the air and I realized that I was going to have a bald spot.

“You’re still pretty, don’t worry,” the burlier of the two guys said. “Now, you promise not to bite me?”

I nodded. He reached forward with grease-stained fingers and shoved them in my mouth. I tried not to gag as he pulled a wet clump of fabric from between my teeth. Empty, my mouth felt strange. I blinked, unused to the sensation. The guy grabbed me and flipped me over on my stomach. I felt his fingers picking at the ropes that bound my wrists together. When the blood rushed back into my hands, it was almost painful. I sighed loudly. Every muscle, every bone in my body was aching and I couldn’t think of what to do. I was still in panic mode.

“We’re leaving now,” one of the guys said. “We’ll be back. And don’t try anything.”

I watched mutely as they hefted their large bodies up the stairs and slammed the door behind them. The room was dark, but I could see Phin curled up in a small ball to the right of my lap. With trembling fingers, I pulled the gag out of his mouth. Phin whimpered.

“Mommy, help!” he cried loudly.

“Shhh, be quiet for a moment. This is going to sting,” I warned as my fingers slipped under the edge of the duct tape and yanked hard. Phin made a whimpering sound as I ripped the tape away from his eyes. His face was red and blotchy and stained with glue. He looked awful, but at least he was in one piece.

“Mommy, I’m scared,” Phin said solemnly. “I don’t know what to do.”

I pulled him close and buried my face in his hair. Phin smelled like little boy’s sweat and fresh-cut grass. “It’ll be okay, baby,” I told him. “I promise, it’ll be okay.”

Phin burrowed into me. We were huddled on the floor at the foot of the stairs. When I looked around, I felt more dismal than ever about our surroundings. We were alone in what looked like a dingy basement. The only furniture was a splintered chair that had broken apart years before I was even born. There was also a bowl on the floor. Phin stood up and approached the bowl cautiously.

“Mommy, bread!” He held up some pieces of sliced bread.

I shuddered. From my perch on the floor, they looked dirty. “I wouldn’t eat those, honey,” I told him.
At least not right now. Wait until we’re really hungry. God knows how long we’re going to be here
.

Phin looked around. Suddenly, he burst into tears. Loud wails filled the basement and I beckoned him close to me.

“Phin, shhhh. It’ll be okay,” I told him as I stroked his hair and pulled him onto my lap. “I promise it’ll be okay. You just need to be brave for a little while longer, okay?”

Phin sniffled and snuffled in my arms, but the sobs didn’t stop. I sighed as I stroked his hair and rocked him against my chest. It had been ages since I’d seen him this upset, and I would have done anything to bring him comfort.

“Phin, you know your father is going to come for us,” I said softly into one ear. “Everything’s going to be just fine, okay?”

Phin gurgled. He wiped his eyes and looked into my face. “My father?” He was clearly confused. “Who is he?”

I let out a long sigh. “Tristan is your father,” I said slowly.

Phin blinked. “I thought you said he was just a friend, not my daddy.” He looked up at me with confusion and surprise on his small features. “Is he really my daddy?”

I felt shame rise up in my throat. Between that and my pounding head, I felt like I could have slept for days and days.

“I lied,” I admitted. “And I’m really sorry that I lied. I never should have been dishonest with you, Phin. You deserve better than that.”

Phin blinked as if to say that he forgave me. “I’m sorry,” he said, almost inaudibly. “I’m still scared.”

My heart broke as I pulled him close to me and buried his face in my chest. “Phin, it’s okay,” I said, stroking his back. “Everything’s going to be just fine. I promise, Daddy will come for both of us.”

After Phin had rocked in my arms and sobbed for half an hour, he slowly started to calm down. I felt his breathing grow more regular and slow. When I looked down, I realized that he’d fallen asleep.

I didn’t want to disturb Phin, but we had to check for a way out. The only way was through the door, and I could tell the men had locked it behind them. From behind the door, I heard pacing and instinctively realized that the basement was guarded.
Fuck!

There was no other way out that I could see. We were alone, trapped, in the basement of some strange house. I realized that I’d been panicking so much in the car that I hadn’t even paid attention to how much time had gone past. When we’d left Tristan’s, it had been a little after four. Now it was already dark outside, and I wasn’t wearing a watch.
Shit.
What were we going to do now?

I closed my eyes and thought of Tristan.
Tristan, please, wherever you are, come rescue us
, I prayed.
Please. I’m sorry. Please come help us!

But there was nothing, and I was left alone with my thoughts and my sleeping son in the darkness.

Tristan

That night, a full moon shone high above Centreville. I felt a slight touch of spookiness chilling my bones, and no matter how many deep breaths I took I still didn’t feel like I was getting enough air.
Resign from the Wicked Angels. Step down. Pony up five million. Then Jenny and Phin are yours
. I didn’t have a choice when it came to trusting Darius; I had to. It didn’t matter that he was probably lying, that he and his thugs had probably already roughed Jenny up more than they should have. But I had no way of helping her right now. I was totally helpless. I hated it—I’d never felt this pathetic in my life. Not even when Jenny left me all those years before. At least then I was forming friendships with the guys who made up my MC. But now I was going to have to give that up, too.

I had to call all of the guys and tell them that I wanted to talk. Judging from Rod’s tone, I guessed that everyone thought it would be about Wolf. Wolf as a cautionary tale; Wolf as something that we shouldn’t ever do because we would wind up dead. Ironically, stepping down meant that I wouldn’t be able to take vengeance on Wolf for betraying my family. He was going to come out of the hospital and probably be just fine. I wondered if the new leader of the Wicked Angels would even make him patch out. Hell, after I made my announcement, I was betting they’d all be so angry with me that Wolf would become their new folk hero. I rolled my eyes. Fuckin’ pussy ass biker, and now he was going to get away with the most egregious sin of all time. When you patched into the Angels, you patched in for life. That meant protecting your brothers and their families. Wolf had betrayed me in the absolute worst way, and it killed me that I wouldn’t get to punish him. But Jenny and Phin were more important, and they were my life now. I had to get past the “eye for an eye” mentality if I was going to be a good family man.

But I couldn’t get the nut up. I rode around for hours, staring at the black darkness.
I’m still the president
, I told myself.
Even though it’s not gonna last, I’m here now, ain’t I?

It was futile. No matter how frequently I reminded myself that I was still in power, I knew that soon it would be drawing to a close. Soon, I wouldn’t have any kind of power. I’d have to start from the ground up to build a good life for Jenny and Phin. I knew I could do it, but it was gonna be tough. After all, I’d sunk most of my twenties into the Wicked Angels. And now I didn’t know how I was going to live without my guys around me. I’d had a bond with them tighter than my bond with anyone else, except maybe Jenny. And even though I loved Jenny back then, she never got into those dark parts of my soul that I let the guys in on. She never knew how much pleasure I could take from being an outlaw, she never knew how good it felt to punish someone for doing the wrong thing. Jenny would have recoiled from me if she had a snapshot of how my life had been since she’d been gone. She wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me. I smirked as I imagined her with some dorky asshole who worked at the library. Sure, she’d be bored as hell, but she’d never have to think about her boyfriend scalping some renegade bikers for revenge. No, Jenny wouldn’t like that at all.

I cleared my throat. All of the guys were gathered around me and I felt a spike of nervousness. In all my years leading the Wicked Angels, I’d never imagined it would go down like this. I always thought I’d ride or die. That was what I’d signed up for when they patched me in. And now, leaving the club would mean that I was giving up my support system, my brotherhood, in exchange for Jenny’s freedom. If six months ago someone told me where I’d be today, I wouldn’t have believed them. But now, helping Jenny and our son was all I could think about. There was literally no other option. I knew what I had to do, and I knew why I had to do it.

“What’s going on?” Rod shifted from one leg to the other as he watched me. “What’s happening, man?”

I blinked. “I need to talk to y’all,” I said, trying to keep my voice as calm and steady as I could. “It’s about the MC. I don’t think I can lead you guys anymore. I’m stepping down. I haven’t done a good job as president, and this part of my life is over.”

Rod and the other guys stared at me. Eric, one of the guys I’d known the longest, was gaping.

“What the fuck, man?” Eric asked softly. He stepped forward and gave me a hard look. “You in trouble or some shit? You need some help, man?”

I was dying to say yes, but I knew I couldn’t reveal anything. Darius had specifically instructed me not to tell the guys why I was stepping down. I knew that I had to play it off like I didn’t care, like this was just a normal day for me.

“I’m fine,” I muttered. “But I can’t lead y’all anymore. I’ve got too much shit going on. Eric, you’ll be a good president.”

Rod glared. I knew he’d been waiting for the spot forever, but I couldn’t let him usurp Eric. Even though Rod was my best friend, he was hotheaded and fiery. He wouldn’t be a good president. Not now, when these guys were going to be plunged into turmoil from my departure. I cursed Darius and the day we’d ever spoken as friends. I hated him. He was the worst bastard on the planet. He’d already stolen Jenny and Phin from under my nose, and now he was making give up the club, too. It made me so angry I could spit.

“Man, can you tell us what’s going on?” Eric and Rod looked at me with concern. The other guys were standing around, muttering and kicking at the ground with their combat boots.

I shrugged and tried hard to look casual. “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I just need to get away from the MC for a while and live my own goddamn life.” The guys were looking at me with hurt plain on their faces. I felt like shit for hurting them like this, but they had to realize that sooner or later, leadership would shift. This would have happened eventually. But it still hurt.

“How can you do this to us?” Rod looked at me and I had to glance away. “You were just setting up plans for the future! And suddenly you don’t care anymore? What the fuck happened, man?”

“It’s nothing,” I said, shrugging. “I’ve got to get going. You guys stay here. Figure it out.”

I almost wanted one of them to catch up to me, but they didn’t. In a display that recalled what had happened at the hospital with Wolf, I reached into my pocket for a knife. The guys watched in horror as I slid the point of the knife under my patches and began to cut. When “President” and “Wicked Angels” were severed, I dropped them on the ground and walked away.

Getting on my bike, I revved the engine and set off in the direction of the city limits. Darius and his MC controlled some abandoned warehouses out of town. Whipping out my phone, I called Darius.

“It’s done,” I said shortly. “I stepped down. Now where are you? And where’s the girl and her son?”

Darius laughed. “We’re at the warehouse. I assume you’ll be here soon.”

“Damn straight.” I hung up and sped off in that direction. There was a bad feeling mounting in my stomach and I couldn’t shake it off, no matter how hard I tried.
Don’t be a paranoid fuckwit,
I told myself as I sped up and exited the highway. It was fully dark and I could barely see. This was a bad part of town, worse even that the part where Jenny had lived. I shuddered as I thought about her trapped and scared. I desperately hoped they hadn’t hurt her, but I didn’t have a good feeling. Darius was a wild asshole, and his men were no better. They were animals, and Jenny was a gorgeous woman. I clenched my hands into fists and gripped the handlebars of my bike. If any one of them had laid a finger on her, I’d break every bone in his body. He’d be screaming for mercy before I even really started to do some damage.

I still had no idea what to do about the money. Part of me was hoping that Darius would call it even. After all, I’d stepped down. That was what he’d wanted, and that was what he’d get. I had to hope that I could bargain with him. Five million dollars was a lot of money, and I didn’t think I’d be able to get my hands on that kind of money. Not even with the help of the guys. Now that I’d stepped down, I didn’t think I could count on any of them to help me out. I shook my head and set my lips in a thin line. Darius was devious, and I knew he’d asked me to step down so the guys wouldn’t have my back. As President, they were obligated to help me. But now, I wasn’t so sure they’d have my back. They’d feel betrayed, and with good reason, too. After all, a sitting president of the Wicked Angels hadn’t ever left before. Sure, guys had gotten booted out for stealing. More presidents had died while leading the Angels than had been kicked out. And if you put my guys to a vote, I was almost positive that they would have wanted the same outcome for me. There was no shame in a good death, but there was all too much shame in walking away from the tribe.

As I approached the warehouses, the bad feeling in my stomach got even worse. The lights were out, which was strange. After all, they wouldn’t have left Jenny and Phin alone, no matter how tight their bonds were. They would have left a couple of men—at least—to guard. But there was no one there. The sound of my bike’s engine revving echoed and bounced around the empty walls. When I dismounted, my boots clicked on the pavement. I felt like a man in a ghost town.

“Darius? You better get your ass out here,” I called loudly. “I’m not fuckin’ around, man. Come out and get me, asshole!”

There was no reply. The bad feeling got worse and I felt my heart start to pound in my chest. As I looked around, I’d never felt more alone. More than anything, I wished I’d brought one of the guys with me, temporarily forgetting that I’d just stepped down and now the guys weren’t under any obligation to me whatsoever.

Walking around, I ducked into one of the warehouses. It smelled foul, like rotten water, and I could tell no one had been here in months. I frowned. Where the fuck were they?

He lied to you
, a voice chimed in from the back of my head.
He lied to you. They’re not here. You’ve been played, Tristan, you sonuvabitch
.

I shuddered. I didn’t want to believe that Darius would have fucked me over so easily, but this didn’t bode well. I screamed Jenny’s name. I screamed Phin’s name. Over and over, I screamed for Darius.

There was never a reply. It hit me with a sudden, cold certainty that they weren’t here. That I’d been lied to, and Darius had them somewhere else. And now I’d left my men at the mercy of Darius’s witness, and Jenny and Phin at the mercy of the devil himself.

Cursing loudly, I hopped back on my bike and sped towards the Wicked Angels clubhouse. Horrible, terrible thoughts were running through my head the whole time. Jenny bound and gagged, stripped naked and prodded for the amusement of Darius and his savage men. Phin bound and gagged, forced to watch his mother cry tears of shame as my rival slid his greasy hand down her perfect body. The image that hurt most of all was that in my mind of Darius telling Phin whose son he
really
was.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Eric. He answered almost immediately. That was when I got the first surge of confidence that I’d had since before speaking with Darius.

“What’s up?” Eric’s voice was low and gravelly, like he knew something bad was going down.

“There was a member of the Iron Fangs watching us just now,” I said hastily. “Find him. You hear me? Fucking find him!”

“Got it, man,” Eric said. I could tell he was dying to ask me a million questions, but to his credit, he stayed silent. “Where are you?”

“I’ll be there soon,” I said through gritted teeth. “Just find that asshole and make sure he doesn’t get away.”