Lawless (Defenders MC Book 2) (3 page)

Three

Nikole struggled to her feet.  Teddy had made her move into a tiny apartment not far from Tease.  That was where he had taken her from her bed just after she’d escaped the party.  He had beaten and questioned her for hours.  Then he had given her to his friends to play with while he made his sick plans.  He did say they couldn’t fuck her though, but that didn’t save her from their other disgusting actions.  She could still feel their hands sliding over her body and she wanted to shower again.  She was glad Dax had been busy, he wouldn’t have been denied anything.  He already claimed her as his property and Nikole knew he wouldn’t be kind to her the way Shad had been to Lacey.

The Defenders were not gentlemen, but these were far worse.  The Devils hurt her just to hear her scream.  The harder she fought the more they enjoyed her and the more she lost herself.  Before the night had ended she’d just gone cold and still as they forced her to touch them and as they did as they pleased to her.  She was sore and she was bruised all over.  Last night had been the first time Teddy had given her to his men and it had killed something inside of her.  Now she was exactly what Law had called Mace that first day.  A pussy with legs and she didn’t even have the nice tits.  She was no longer a person.  She was no longer the little girl her mother had loved.  No longer the woman who had laughed and had fun with friends.  Nikole was dead.  Now all that was left was Nikki, a whore and a stripper and no one would mourn her when she was dead.  For the first time she was almost glad that her mother was dead so she couldn’t witness the total mess Nikki’s life had become.  She wondered if Mace felt this way somewhere deep inside and she decided she must, she had to.  No one could enjoy this life. 

Nikki wiped a tear from her face.  She had to learn to deal with it.  She felt a kinship with the women at Tease.  They didn’t seem to be miserable and somehow Nikki would learn from them.  They were her family now and she would figure out how to fit in with them.

She had only slept for an hour after she’d been dumped at home and tried to scrub the filth from her body.  Now she had to go to the club and try to pretend that she wasn’t the filthiest whore in the room.  She had to accept what she had become and learn to live with it.

Law watched Nikki go through the motions of practicing her routine.  He saw her reach up from time to time and wondered if she really was crying as he suspected.  The other girls were giving her pitying looks and plenty of room and for some reason that tugged at him.  He wanted to go to her just so she wouldn’t be so alone.  He ground his teeth at the thought and let his eyes caress her body.  He saw the dark smudges on her skin and wondered which of his brothers had marred her.  It was strange to him that it pissed him off so bad, but he knew he would beat the shit out of the man who bruised her if he knew who it was.  He only half listened as Shad went over the security for the shipment and the rumors that were circulating about the Devils.

“Law are you fucking listening?”  Shad said in his quiet voice that made the temperature in the room seem to drop.

“Yeah.”  He couldn’t stand the way she looked today, something was off and he hoped it wasn’t his fault.  It was like her light had just gone out.

“Damn it Law, this shit is serious and there you are mooning over some damned whore like a teenager.  I gotta know you got my fucking back here.”

That stung.  Law glared at his brother.  “What the fuck does that mean Shad?  You lost faith in me?  After all the shit that’s gone down, you question me?”

“Fuck you Law.  You know I trust you.”  Law met his brother’s eyes and knew trust remained.  “But get your head in this. If that bitch is distracting you, get her the fuck out of here.”

“I don’t like her being this close while we talk anyway.”  Spec put in as he pushed his glasses up his nose.  “I still can’t figure out where she came from.”  He chewed on his lip and studied Nikki like a bug under a microscope.

Shad cut his eyes to Law.  “She a threat?”

Law shrugged.  “How the fuck should I know?  Spec said Riders woman spoke for her.  I’m just fucking her.”

Shadow’s eyes cut to the stage.  “I think I need to have a talk with your new piece Law.  Lacey said she looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t place her.”

Lacey worked as the ADA of Combine County and somehow didn’t mix work and home.  If she had seen Nikki it could be telling.

Nikki felt those black eyes turn to her and her body turned to stone.  She saw death in his face and she knew if she didn’t run now, he would kill her.  That man was like the death angel her grandma always talked about and he would bring her death if he looked into her soul.  He would see the darkness that had encased her and the emptiness and he would claim her soul forever.

Nikki shivered at the course her thoughts had taken.  She forced herself to practice for another five minutes and excused herself.  Then she ran.  Her stepbrother couldn’t hurt her as bad as that man with the black eyes and nothing terrified her as much.  She would face Teddy or better yet, she would just go home.  She could run away from here and when she got home she would tell the sheriff she worked for what was going on.  He would protect her.  She closed her eyes or the Devils would just kill him and anyone else that got in their way.  A fat tear rolled down her face and landed on her thigh.  Was there any way for her to truly escape?

She drove to the edge of town before a car pulled in behind her and turned on blue lights.

“Ms. Pride?”  The officer asked as he stepped to her window.

Nikki nodded.

“Officer Teddy Buxton is your brother?” 

“Yes.  Teddy is my stepbrother.”  She knew this wasn’t good.

“I’ve been asked to bring you in Ma’am.  Would you please step out of the car?”

Nikki sat for a moment.  She knew she could call in and ask if this was for real or just ask for help.  She picked up her phone and the officer snatched it out of her hand.

“Now you don’t need to go and do that.  I won’t hurt you.  Just come with me and I’ll take you to your brother.”

“Just let me go.  You know he will hurt me.  Please just let me go.”

The officer looked unsure for a split second.  Then he shook his head.

“I’m sorry.  I need the money he’s paying me.  Please come with me, I really don’t want to hurt you.”

Nikki dropped her head.  There was no way out.

The officer refused to speak to her on the drive.  She begged him to let her go, to help her, but he just drove until he pulled up in front of the house she’d shared with her stepbrother and climbed out of the car.  There were three motorcycles sitting out front and she shuttered, but she had to face this mess.  She would tell Teddy that she knew where Shad had his family hidden, she had a pretty good idea, but she would never tell him for real.  How could she?  They wanted to murder Lacey and her children.  Nikki couldn’t help them do that, even if she knew Shadow would kill her in the most painful way imaginable if he found out who she was.

She made her way quietly inside hoping none of the men would see her.  She was wrong.

“Well if it isn’t the little mouse.”  Dax sat sprawling on the couch.  “Get over here and suck my dick bitch or have you had that bastard Law in your mouth today?”

Nikki didn’t know why she nodded, but she would rather be beaten than have to suck his disgusting dick again.  She saw the rage rise as Dax’s face reddened.  Maybe she would escape after all.  She gave Dax a coy smile.

“I need to get upstairs and shower… the condom broke so he just used my mouth the next time.”

“Stupid whore.”  Dax stood and back handed her across the face with enough force to send her flying.  The she felt his booted foot slam into her stomach.  He lifted her by her hair and this time he used his fist and then the world went dark.

Five

Nikki opened her eyes slowly.  She wasn’t in her house.  Her head hurt and when she tried to move she found that she hurt all over.  Memories flooded her mind and she tried to sit up.  Her battered body wouldn’t allow it so she just lay there in a beaten heap and let the tears come.  Teddy had been there when she’d come to her senses.  He had questioned her for what seemed like days, but could have been hours.  She was given water a couple of times and something to eat.  She passed out from time to time so she had no idea of time passing.  They had wanted to know about the Defenders, but she honestly didn’t know much about them.  She knew she probably said more than she should have, but her mind had been too fuzzy to control every detail.  They asked her about Lacey the most.  She had told them that Lacey and her family were in a cabin up in the hills behind the clubhouse in the direction she thought to be opposite from the reality. 

Then, when they thought they had everything she could tell them Dax had beaten her until she thought she would die, ranting about his old lady being a Defenders whore and how she would see what happened when women screwed him over.  She had no idea where she was, but she knew she may as well be dead.

“Shhhh now don’t do that.  It’s alright.”

That voice had her eyes jerking wide.  Lawless sat in a chair beside her bed and looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

She tried to speak, but only managed to start coughing.  The pain was unbearable.  Law came and helped her sit up and drink from a plastic straw.  The cool water hit her mouth and trickled down her parched throat, soothing it.

“Where am I?”  She managed to whisper through her cracked lips.

“My room.”

“Why?”

“Cause somebody beat the fuck out of you and I want to know who and why.”

Nikki shook her head.  “I can’t tell you that and it doesn’t matter.”  She met his eyes.  “Just kill me Law.  I deserve it and if you don’t someone else will.”

Law stood from the bed as if she had slapped him.

“Why would I kill you?”

“I’m…”

“Shut the fuck up.”  He ran his hands over his head and laced them behind his neck.  “You are my new house mouse is what you are.  You do as I say and you can stay at my place where you’ll be safe.  You screw up and I’ll dump your ass back in that fucking ditch.  We clear?”

Tears streamed down Nikki’s face.  She knew that it didn’t mean Law cared for her, but it did mean she would be out of Teddy’s reach.  She would cook and clean for Law and even let him fuck her when he wanted, at least it was just him and not Dax and his friends.  He wouldn’t hurt her, somehow she knew he wouldn’t.

“Shit.  What now?”  He looked confused.

“Thank you Law.”  She buried her ruined face in her hands.  “Thank you so much.”

Law gritted his teeth.  This beautiful woman was thanking him for essentially making her his slave and his whore.  He felt shame crash into him and it wasn’t something he enjoyed.  She was into something and Spec and Shad still hadn’t figured out what it was, but she needed help. 

Law ran his hand over his short hair and stared at the woman in his bed.  What the fuck was he thinking? 

“FUCK!”  He felt helpless.  Why the fuck did he care what happened to this whore?  He tried to calm his voice.  “We can get your shit and get you moved in as soon as you are well enough.”

Nikki looked up at him.  “I don’t have anything.”  She knew better than to mention her car because that would link her to her stepbrother and that would sign her death warrant.  “My purse was probably taken.”

Her sea green eyes were swimming in tears and for the first time in too many years he wanted to comfort her.  No woman had made him feel anything in so long that he wasn’t used to it.  “Alright.  We will get all that taken care of too.  Did you have credit cards or anything that needs canceling?”  He wasn’t gruff, but he damned sure wasn’t tender.  He had to treat her like the other whores.  Then he could handle this.

“No.  Just my driver’s license and some money I made from the club.”

“Well alright.  I guess we can get you some clothes and shit.  Just rest.”  He felt like a damned kid, tongue tied and inadequate.  “You hungry?”

She thought about it and nodded.  “Yeah, I could eat.”

“I’ll get you something.”

She reached out and took his hand.  He looked down at hers like he didn’t know what to do.

“Thank you Law.  I should be able to get started in a couple days.”

Law walked out of the room more angry than he had ever been in his life.  She was busted to shit and wanting to get started serving him in two days.  Like hell.  She had been out of it for three days.  Moaning and groaning about things that made no sense.  She had two broken ribs, her shoulder had been dislocate and she’d had a concussion along with too many bruises and cuts to count.  Most of his brothers would whine for a week or two if they’d taken that kind of beating, but this woman wanted to start earning her keep.  Bullshit.

Shad leaned against the wall in the kitchen when Law walked in.

“Get your old lady patched before you get her stolen there brother.”

“Fuck off Shad.”  His own words slapped him in the face and he wanted to slug the smug bastard.

Shad raised his brows.  “Know what happened?”

“Yeah.  Somebody beat the shit out of her.”

“Who and Why?  Nobody beats a woman like that for no reason and nobody dumps one on our doorstep.  It’s a message and it’s a warning.”

“That’s the fucking million dollar question huh?”  Law knew it was a message and he hated feeling like it was his fault.

Shad licked his lips.  “Make sure your shit is locked up when you’re gone.  If she’s going to your place…?”

Law turned on him.  “I’m not some fuckwit here Shad.  Something ain’t right and I know it.  I’ll keep her away from club business.  She’s a hell of a lot safer to have around than Queenie.”

“You better.  If that bitch gets my family hurt it’ll be on you,
brother
.”  Shad stepped closer and made the word brother sound like a curse.  “And we all know we can trust Lace.  She’s been part of this fucking club for most of her goddamned life and if you ever hint that she can’t be trusted again, I’ll gut you myself.”

Moose and Ink sat at the table and nodded their agreement.

“Yeah, remember how I said something about Lacey being trouble before this all went down?  How many brothers got shot up because of that woman?  How many men did you fucking cut to pieces because of one fucking woman?  We would have been better off if I’d killed her like I suggested in the beginning.”  Law said the words, but there was no meaning behind them.  He was pissed and out of sorts.

Shadow’s eyes grew darker and he lunged for Law.

“Nobody threatens what’s mine.” Shadow whispered in a toneless voice.

Law saw it then and wished he’d kept his mouth shut.  Shad was one scary man when he wasn’t in control and right now he was slipping.

“I’d never hurt Lacey Shad.”  Law looked to Moose and found him with his phone to his ear.  He looked up and nodded.  Shad was on the edge of going ape shit and Lacey was the only one who could calm him.  There was something going on that Law didn’t know about and it was high time he found out what it was.

Lacey ran into the room and over to where Shad still had Law against the wall.   She looked tired and grimy as if she’d been scrubbing something that hadn’t been cleaned before.  She ran her hand over Shad’s skin and spoke in a low voice until Shad looked at her.  The desolation in his eyes drained away and Law saw the sadness and shame there.  His brother was scared and it was partly because of the woman lying upstairs in his bed beaten almost to death.

He watched as Shadow, the toughest, meanest son of a bitch he knew, gathered his little wife against his chest as if his world was contained in her.

Lacey crooned to him and stroked his skin as he just held on to her.

“You know Law has always protected me Shad.  He’s your brother.  He loves us Shad.  You know he loves us.” 

Law felt her words hit him in the chest.  She was right and he reaLizzieed it in that moment, but that wasn’t what almost broke him, it was her absolute trust in him.  She spoke as if she had no doubt and that was something Law hadn’t had since he was a child.  He watched as Lacey took Shad’s face in her hands.  “Come back to me now Marcus.”

What would it be like to be loved that much?  How terrifying it would be to need someone so much just the thought of losing them drove you that close to insanity.

Law thought back to a time when he had allowed himself to love a woman.  He had been so young.  He remembered the feel of her kiss and the warmth of her arms as they held him close.  He remembered the smell of her hair when he buried his nose in the bend of her neck.  He remembered the sounds of her moans as he pleasured her.  He remembered those same sounds from the day he had come home unexpectedly from work.  He remembered the way she said his brother’s name, in the same voice she had said his only that morning.  He remembered the sound of his brother’s voice begging him not to let him go to jail for the drugs found in his car and taking the rap for him.  Law remembered the pain he had endured in jail for being the stepson of a cop and how his step father made no effort to protect him.  But this time his brother wasn’t begging, but groaning as he rutted on Law’s wife like a pig. He remembered the weight of the gun as he pointed it at his brother even as he laughed and taunted him to pull the trigger.  He remembered her screams as he watched his brother fall and smell of sulfur filled the air in the room he had always called his own.  The look of fear in her eyes when the gun turned to her and fired again.  He remembered the tears of his mother as she cursed him for killing her child and the first slap from his stepfather.  He remembered the bite of the cuffs his step father slapped on his wrists before he beat him until he lay still in a puddle of his own blood and piss.  Then there was prison…

He felt a hand on his arm and he jerked like he’d been burned.  Lacey stood in front of him, concern in her eyes her hand on the snake tattoo that had once scared her so badly.

“Are you ok Law?”

His memories melted away as he let his eyes wander around the brightly lit kitchen and saw Moose, Ink, Spec, Shad, Ace, and Preach standing silently.  He felt the moisture on his face and wiped it away, ashamed that his brothers had seen his weakness.

“Yeah Lace.  I’m fine.”

He met Ace’s eyes.  Ace was the only person alive he’d ever told his story to and he knew the man hadn’t shared it and never would.

Ace nodded once assuring Law that the secret had been kept and reassuring him of his brotherhood.   Law had met Ace in prison and they had shared their tales while fighting the feelings of going stir crazy while trapped in those concrete cages.  He had earned his brotherhood in that hell hole and gained the trust of one of the founding members of the Defenders MC as well as a reputation for being a cold and calculating killer.  It was the best thing that had ever happened to him in his life.  As soon as Law made brother the club went hunting.  No questions were asked, they just took care of business because it needed doing.  Now his brothers were questioning him and all because of some woman.

“I’ll take care of the bitch.  If you think she’s a threat I’ll off her right fucking now.”  He felt a tug in his chest and squashed it.  She was just a whore like all the other women.  They couldn’t be trusted.  He had learned that lesson well, even his mother had turned on him.  Even Lacey had fucked Rider while Shad was out cleaning up a mess she had caused.  Women were for fucking, nothing more. 

Preach spoke then.  “I need you to do something first.  If it needs doing when you get back then you can see to it.  I want you boys to go bring Lizzie home.  I’m asking you to do it ‘cause I don’t trust anybody else with my daughter.”  He took a deep breath.  “This ain’t club business.  This will be a personal favor to me and Mrs.”

The man looked unsure for the first time since Law had met him and he realized that all this was weighing on the man.  Ink was the first to agree to go.  Then Moose and Spec.  Preach looked to Law and he nodded and saw the appreciation in a man he respected more than any that drew breath.  All eyes turned to Shadow and he stared at Lacey as if he couldn’t decide what to do.

Lacey smiled up at him.  “I will be here when you get back Marcus.”

That seemed to settle it.  Shad turned to Preach and was once again in control.  He nodded to Preach.

“I want you to leave as soon as you can and the story will be that you are heading out to check out a shipment that was hijacked in Tennessee.  That will send anyone looking for trouble out of your way.  I will get a few of the boys in the area to be look outs, but not until you’re close.”

That mattered.  Law knew Preach suspected that there was a rat in the club.  It said a lot that the man trusted Law with his daughter.  Law took a breath and tried to let his memories go.  He would go get Lizzie and then come back and kill Nikki.  If that was what was best for the club.   The club was all that mattered.