Shattered Dreams (Shadow Souls MC Book 2) (4 page)

Chapter Nine

Chad
tried to reach Sierra all day. He texted and called her every few minutes, trying to reach her and stop this damn wedding. He didn’t understand how she could be going through with the wedding. He understood why she wanted to get away from him, but he couldn’t comprehend that she was so broken that she was going to marry this bastard, James.

He punched the wall and thought how everything was his fault. If he hadn’t fallen for her and if he hadn’t allowed her to trust him or let her see him as someone worth spending time on, she wouldn’t be in this situation. She would be in Vegas, still living her life.

Although if he hadn’t gone to Vegas, then Hall would’ve sent someone else. Someone probably a lot nastier and angrier than he was, someone without any respect for the girl. However, she should’ve never come back. And he, the only person that could’ve kept her away, was the one person who got her to come back. Richard would probably reward him or something for doing such a fine, upstanding job. He disgusted himself.

Sierra still wasn’t picking up the phone. Not that she had any of the other times he had tried to contact her. She just wanted nothing to do with him. Now, it was three. There was nothing to do except accept his fate. He went to his fridge for another beer only to realize they were all gone. At first he thought it was much too early to go to a bar, but then he decided that it didn’t matter.

That was how he found himself watching some celebrity channel’s coverage of “The Wedding of the Decade.” He thought that it seemed a bit pretentious, since a prince also got married this decade. However, there she was, arrayed in all her bridal finery, laughing with the reporter.

She didn’t exactly look like herself. Maybe it was just the TV or her make-up, but she didn’t look alive. She looked like a shell of Sierra, going through all the actions she needed to, but she wasn’t there herself. It was like watching a reflection of Sierra do something, not Sierra herself. It was the most disconcerting thing Chad had ever seen. She was gone, completely gone.

By evening, Chad was completely wasted. Too drunk to even see straight, he just curled up in a corner of the bar and focused on the weird sensations in his body. He couldn’t remember being this drunk in a long time and he didn’t really ever want to be sober. She had completely cut herself off from him. She was gone, gone for good.

Suddenly, someone sat down next him and said, “Hey, buddy.”

Chad blinked drearily at him. He tried to slur some response to him, but was unable to.

“It’s okay. Just come with me. It’ll be okay.”

Chad wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but he let the stranger lead him away. It didn’t matter where he went or who he went with anymore—everything was over, and she was gone. Tears started to spring to his eyes. He knew he had failed.

He tried to think if there was anything else he could have done. He had tried to contact her repeatedly, but she never responded. He had practically stalked her, pretending to be paparazzi, trying to get close to her and force her to remember who she was.

However, it was to no avail.

He was shuffled into a car where he promptly vomited over the entire backseat. There was someone else sitting back there, and this new person started cussing and screaming. Chad felt a fist connect with his face, but he barely felt it through his haze. He let his mind fog over completely, and he blacked out.

***

When he woke up, he was tied to a chair with duct tape over his mouth. His head was pounding, and the light pressing against him was painful. He couldn’t remember what had happened to him. His memories were foggy and scattered, and the pain intruding in his life was overwhelming right now.

The door in front of him opened and a couple burly guys entered, accompanying a skinnier guy. Chad recognized the skinny guy, the current president of the Shadow Souls. Even though he was still pretty drunk, he recognized it was a pretty bad situation. However, at the same time, he couldn’t summon the energy to care what would happen to him. None of it mattered to him if she was gone.

Chapter Ten

Married life suited Sierra more than she thought it would. James was gone most of the day
, leaving her free to pursue whatever options she wanted to. She could explore any interest or avenue she wished, and there was nothing anyone could say about it. She was Mrs. James Northorp now, one of the richest and most influential women in the country. People looked to her as a style icon, a model they wanted their daughters to aspire to.

Her charities were starting to really take off, too. She started a school in sub-Sahara Africa for orphaned children. Another of her charities helped with hunger in America. A third helped abused animals in the local area. She was the do-gooder of the year. She also had unlimited access to books from anywhere in the country to feed her reading habit. As soon as the press got ahold of that information, she was contacted to read and speak at schools and libraries. As a result, she ended up sponsoring a high school reading fund.

Life was good.

Often, she could even completely forget she was married and go about her life as normal, just with a different name. Also, since her wedding, she had gotten no calls or texts from Chad, and she was thankful for that.

James, as far as she knew, didn’t know about her relationship with Chad, and she sincerely hoped it would stay that way.

***

As time passed, she found herself lacking any ability to feel any emotion deeply. Eventually, she found herself not able to read much at all anymore, either. Books just became words on a page. There was nothing in them for her anymore. Consequently, she gave it up all together, focusing on her other interests. They were more valuable, more worthwhile, anyway.

They were lying in bed one night—Sierra on her iPad and James looking over something on his laptop—when she turned to him and said, “You’ve never asked about my past.”

“I didn’t think it was important for what we were trying to accomplish. We both got what we wanted. What more do you need?”

“I mean. Just because this is fundamentally a business transaction, an arranged marriage, doesn’t mean we can’t be at least friendly.” She gestured around her. “We do live together and sleep together.”

“Well, what do you want me to know?”

She sighed. “Nothing, never mind.”

He closed his laptop lid and turned to her. “Don’t you have friends for this sort sharing activity?”

“Yes. I do. Forget it.”

“Is this some ploy to know about my activities? Because if it makes you feel better I have and continue to sleep with other women. I’m careful. I’m not bringing back diseases, but this isn’t some loving marriage here. I don’t want or need your emotional support nor do I want you to come with me with all your pains. And I do know about your past. I know about Chad and about your days as a stripper—something I have seen no evidence of—and about Scott and running away. I know everything.” He paused. “If this is about Chad, get over it. I have planned a lot of this from the start. I was expecting you to be a bit more vibrant and involved. But whatever. I have what I want.”

She froze, staring ahead of her. “You killed Scott?”

James didn’t respond right away, and she saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes.

“You did. You bastard!” She threw the iPad at his head, which left a bloody gash on his forehead. “You evil, vile, conniving bastard. How could you? How dare you?” She got up and stormed toward the door. Her mind was racing and everything that had happened in the past three months came flooding in on her, and it felt like she was waking up.

He leapt across the room and grabbed her by the wrist and throat, pinning her to the wall. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Out of here,” she screamed, trying to squirm away, but his hold was too tight.

“You definitely are not doing that.” He dragged her out of the room and down the hall. “If you think you are going to renege on our agreement, you have another thing coming to you.”

He threw her into one of the spare bedrooms and followed her inside. She lunged toward the door, but he blocked her way. She had never examined any of the spare rooms before, and now she realized this room was not a spare bedroom at all. There were straps around the bed, hooks in the ceiling, and a large trunk of something in the middle of the room.

She looked at him horrified. “Who are you?”

“A man who gets what he wants.”

With one arm, he threw her on the bed and strapped her down. She wasn’t wearing anything except a negligée and panties, so she had very little defense against the evil gleam in his eye.

Chapter Eleven

He closed the door behind him, leaving Sierra exhaust
ed and whimpering on the floor. He would toy, play with, and torment his pets but leave them before they got any satisfaction.

Sierra had endured hours of prolonged torture. It was almost three in the morning, and she was desperately trying to rub one out against anything that came within reach of her. She was currently hanging spread-eagle from her hands and feet. A vibrator buzzed near her, taunting her with its sound and the almost-feel of it against her skin, but it was just out of reach.

James had to deal with another more important issue—Chad Pender. He knew he should’ve never let the boy get away from him, and he should’ve killed him when he had the chance. Now, he would have to go back over his work and take care of unfortunate loose ends.

He knew the Shadow Souls had him locked up, but they would never willingly do his bidding. He put on a robe and headed into his home office. Work never ceased for James, especially since he was now plotting to kill his wife’s lover and torture her into submission.

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Chapter One

Sierra was curled up on the bed, shivering. She couldn’t stand another day of this. James was torturing her. He was beating her, prodding her, and burning her, for his own pleasure. She wondered how many other girls he had brought into the house, locked up, and used for his own pleasure and abuse. Sierra never imagined that James would do something like this—something so disgusting and unbelievable.

She knew that she had to find a way to get out and get to Chad. She wondered what had happened to her and where she had gone so wrong, so utterly and completely wrong. She let her emotions and her fear get in the way of everything she held dear and important. She had to get out of here, somehow.

The first thing she needed to do was tell James what he wanted to hear. Then, she hoped that he would let her out of this place. However, she wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear since he never said much, only taking pleasure in the torture he inflicted on her.

The door unlocked, and he entered. “Get on your knees.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Sierra asked.

“You are my wife,” James responded.

“Aren’t people wondering where I am? We have a public face.”

He paused and then replied, “I can come up with lies for weeks.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to tell the truth though?”

“Maybe for you.”

“I don’t hold anything against you, you know. There is no reason to keep me locked up in here.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“Because I’m your wife. We promised each other that we would support each other in all business dealings. These are the business dealings we have to confront. This is just another situation, nothing to get wound up over.” She stood up, wrapping a sheet around her in an attempt to look slightly more dignified. “If you really think I would hold something over you, you are greatly mistaken. I was just shocked when you told me. I don’t think you can find my reaction that surprising, honestly.” She looked down. “I was close to him.”

He crossed his arms, looking at her critically. “So, what exactly are you proposing?”

“Let me out of here. Let me fulfill the promise I made to you about what we are and who we are going to be.”

He tapped his fingers against his chin. “What about all of this?”

“Do you think I will tell anyone? Your fate and secrets are irrevocably bound up in mine. I’m just as invested in making sure both of our reputations stay spotless.” She stared at him, unblinking. “However, if you put me back in a place like this again, I will make sure the entire world knows everything you have ever done to me or any other girl.”

He smiled. “I knew there was something in you that I liked.”

“I’m glad we are in agreement.”

He stepped away from the door and opened it for her.

Trying to suppress her shaking, she walked by him. “Also I don’t think I will be sleeping in your room anymore. This house has enough spare bedrooms. I’m sure there is some other place I can sleep.”

He frowned and said, “That’s fair I suppose.”

“It most definitely is,” Sierra said, as she stepped over the threshold and let herself breathe a sigh of relief.

She couldn’t help but think,
I did it. I got out of that room. Now, I just have to find Chad and fix this. All of it.

***

The next day, after James left, Sierra called Chad. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say or how she was going to say it. She had ignored him for four months, and she didn’t think she could just fall back into his arms like nothing had happened. She thought that maybe he would be understanding though when he saw everything she lost, and she wondered what he had lost, as well.

The call went straight to voicemail. Sierra knew that she couldn’t expect him to answer her call or care about what she had to say. There was no reason for that sort of thing.

She decided that she would head out to his apartment and try to convince him in person. She was sure she still had the address somewhere, as long as he still lived there and hadn’t left town. There was no reason for him to stay; but, there was only one way to find out. So, she got in her car and drove to the other side of town.

***

She rang at his apartment building over and over, but there was no answer. A friendly-looking woman appeared at the door. “Can I help you, miss?”

“Yes. I’m looking for Chad Pender. Do you know if he is in?”

“Oh no, miss. He hasn’t been home for weeks now, not since the big wedding.”

“Can I speak to the super?”

“You are.”

Sierra smiled in acknowledgement. “Did he leave a forwarding address? Any word of where he was going? When he would be back?”

“No. On the day of the wedding, he disappeared early in the morning and then never came back. Are you a friend of his?”

“I hope to be. We had a falling out. I hope I can fix it.”

“I hope so, too. That boy’s been a mess since he came back from Vegas. I figured he just lost big, but he has been like a maniac. Out at all hours of the day, making calls, drinking like every day is his last on earth and tomorrow he goes to the gallows. Sure hope he is all right.”

“Me, too,” Sierra said, dread creeping across her. “Thank you for all your help.”

“No problem. Have a nice day.”

Sierra got back in her car and banged on the steering wheel in frustration. She was starting to get a sneaking, dangerous suspicion about what had happened to Chad, and she was indirectly responsible. He was either drunk somewhere in the city or the Shadow Souls had gotten to him. There, of course, was the off-chance he had just left town without any warning or word, but that didn’t sound like paranoid, meticulous Chad. She needed to find him, and she needed to get him back.

Sierra also had a dark suspicion that James was involved—somehow. She knew that he didn’t want him around at all and was probably regretting letting Chad live. She didn’t know how to get information on Chad’s whereabouts. There was a whole city of options and not a whole lot of time to explore every single secret, abandoned location on every block. Plus, after their most recent interactions, she doubted James would leave anything of importance around for her to find. She knew she would have to plan very carefully, and there would be a lot of sneaking around in her future.

***

That night Sierra snuck into James’ office and started going through everything on the desk. Something had to lead her back to Chad; but, there was a distressing void of anything useful. There were almost no papers. His laptop was there, but she didn’t know the password. She tried to make a guess with a couple different passwords, but they were all incorrect. She didn’t know what her next step was, and Chad could literally be anywhere.

If James had any knowledge of where Chad was, it could possibly be accessed from his phone, and she did know that password. He didn’t know she knew it, but she had observed him punch it in enough times in a day she had figured it out. She snuck into his bedroom and unplugged the phone from beside his bed.

She exited quickly and punched in the code. She tapped recent calls and wrote down all the numbers without caller IDs and all the names and numbers of people she didn’t recognize. She assumed that his business partners and sisters didn’t know anything about his kidnapping and murdering hobbies.

She returned the phone to his room and got to work, using her laptop and an internet search engine. She was up all night searching and backtracking numbers, looking for any information that would take her to Chad. Eventually, she narrowed the list down to five numbers that she thought might be useful to her. Around six in the morning, she threw herself into bed, anxiously waiting for the business day to start so she could finish her search.

As soon as James left for work, she called the numbers on her list, looking for someone who could direct her to Chad. She knew someone had to know where he was; but, all her calls were dead-ends.

Then, a new thought struck her: her father. He was in somewhat regular contact with the Shadow Souls because of her brother, and she could use the same front, too.  She called her father.

“Hello, Sierra! How are you?”

“I’m doing well. I had a quick question for you.”

“Sure, fire away.”

“I was wondering if you could give me a number to contact someone in the Shadow Souls group thing—I don’t know what they are called. I’m trying to set up some sort of charity fund in Scott’s name, maybe a scholarship, and I’m wanting it to be directed toward some sort of specific demographic. I want to talk to them to see if they have any suggestions, since they knew him best in the last few years of his life.”

She could practically hear the smile on his face. “That sounds like a great idea. I’ll email you their information. I’m sure they would be happy to meet with you to discuss him.”

“Thanks, Dad. I think James and I are going to invite you to dinner later this week. Thursday work for you?”

“Sounds great. Looking forward to it.”

“Bye.” She hung up the phone and anxiously waited for the email from her father. Ten minutes later, she was on the phone with someone who knew Scott before he died, and she was invited to come down to talk.

***

It was a bar, a biker bar. She felt very out of place in her overpriced clothes, manicured nails, and perfectly curled hair. She cautiously walked to the back of the building and found a cellar door. Of course, the door was locked; but, a dirty, dusty window revealed what she was looking for—Chad.

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