Billionaire Beast (Billionaire Bikers MC #2) (12 page)

Temperance smiled. “That’s what you get for fucking
with women.”

He slapped her around the face, once with his right,
and then with his left.

The pain was instant, and blood pooled from her split
lip.

Closing her eyes, she tried not to cry.

“Do you really think you’ve got a chance of getting
away? No one knows where you are. No one knows who I am.”

She had faith that Richard and his brothers would find
her. They were billionaires for fuck’s sake, with all the latest technology,
and they were geniuses. She just had to stay alive long enough for Richard to
come.

****

“You’re going to be okay. You’ve got to fucking live.
I’m not having Temperance tell me I failed if you die. Do you hear me?”

“Mr. Bruce, we’ve got to take him now.”

An oxygen mask covered Jay’s face, and the paramedics
were working hard to keep him alive. “You keep him alive. Anything happens to
him, and I’ll own your asses and your hospital.”

“We will do everything we can.”

Jay removed his mask, looking paler by the second. “Go
and get our girl. Now!”

Richard charged for the elevator and made his way back
to his apartment. Lewis was on the computer still, using his own technology to
get what he wanted.

“Do you have her?”

“Whoever took her is not that bright. They didn’t even
mask the fucking car, and he led us right to an abandoned warehouse near a
port. It’s thirty minutes out.”

Richard moved toward his office, going into his safe
and grabbing out two of his guns. He walked back into the main room. “Call our
informant. Tell him everything, and make sure he gets there soon.” He wasn’t
going to wait around.

“It’s already done, Richard. A group of SWAT is
circling the building. It seems this man, known as ‘the torturer’, was on their
most wanted list.”

Richard rushed out of the apartment. He was going to
be there when they stormed that fucking building, and he was going to save his
woman.

****

Temperance was in pain, in so much pain that an
aspirin wouldn’t cure her. She was no longer sitting, but the bastard had
started to show her exactly what he did to
train
the little pets.

This man needed to be stopped.

She was completely naked, and he’d touched her. Just
remembering his hands on her made her want to vomit, which she already had
done, and it was a struggle not to step in the mess. He’d turned her so that
she was facing the wall, and then started to use all kinds of whips, or
devices, or something that had made the flesh on her back burn.

“Well, I think you may have turned me to fat women,”
he said, moving to stand behind her. He wrapped his fist in her hair, pulling
her head back to look at her. He wrapped his fingers around her throat, cutting
off her air supply. She couldn’t do anything to stop it. She was at his mercy,
her arms bound up. “Such a beautiful body for me to play with. I always thought
slender women were the best, but the curvier you are, the more rounded places
to hit. You’re a little more durable as well.” He slapped her ass, and finally
released her throat. She took great gasps of air, precious air.

Before she’d taken enough, he did the same.

“All you’ve got to do is be good, and you’ll get
everything you want.”

Follow the rules to be rewarded, break them, and
you’ll be punished.

She squeezed her eyes shut, hating how degrading this
was. No matter what she couldn’t let Richard or the BBMC stop their hunt for
men like this.

There were women out there being tortured, used,
manipulated, and she was going to see that it was stopped.

Temperance didn’t care that for every person they
brought down, another took their place. They would just have to keep on
fighting until all the men were brought to justice, and it was a mission she
was going to fight for.

He released her throat, and she gasped for breath.

“I’m impressed. You’re not screaming or begging me to
stop.”

He ran his hands all over her body, and she tried to
think of the men in her life.

Be strong for Jay and Richard.

Be strong.

Don’t give up.

Don’t give in.

Fight.

She couldn’t give up. There was too much to lose now.

The man started hitting her, beating her with
something like wood, and the pain was making her dizzy. She couldn’t keep
holding on. She was at the point where she wanted to give in. Each slap to the
skin was as bruising as the last.

There was no respite to the pain. She couldn’t handle
anymore.

Just as she was about to scream for mercy, she heard
the unmistakable sound of gunfire. In a bizarre twist the sound of gunfire
actually stopped the pain she was feeling. She couldn’t see anything as she was
facing the wall. All the time she heard shouts and gunfire, fear gripped her in
ways she wasn’t prepared for.

What was going on?

She was naked, and something was going on. If someone
did this wrong, she could get shot.

Crap!

Temperance started to scream at the top of her lungs.
Time passed. It could have been seconds, but to her it felt like years.

“I’ve got you, Temperance,” Richard said.

His voice soothed the pain that she was suddenly
feeling.

“Richard?” she asked, sobbing his name.

“It’s me, baby. I’m here.”

“You came. I knew you would.”

“I’m here now, and I’m not going to let you go.”

“I hurt,” she said.

“I know. No one is going to hurt you again. I’ve got
you.”

Chapter Eleven

Jay sat in the wheelchair. He was bandaged up, and the
hospital had done everything to care for him. The moment he saw Richard and he
got the update on Temperance, he’d been able to calm down. He couldn’t relax
though. Not until he saw her. Jackson, one of the club guys, wheeled him
around. He didn’t mind seeing as Richard was with her.

“You can’t go any faster?” Jay asked.

“You’ve had surgery to remove a bullet. Doctor’s
orders you’re to take it easy.”

“So? Get me to my woman. Move, man!” He was trying to
cover up the fact he was frightened. Temperance was a strong woman, but what
she had just faced, it scared him.

Jackson didn’t move faster, and as they rounded the
corner, he saw the rest of the billionaires outside in the corridor, waiting.

“Damn, is it that bad?”

“One of our own is hurting, and we’re here to offer him
support. It’s the way of the club.”

Jackson wheeled him into the room, and the first thing
he saw was the fact Temperance was on her front, with her head turned to the
side. Dressings had been applied to her back, and Richard was knelt beside her
head, kissing her.

“Jay’s here, baby,” Richard said.

“Jay?” Temperance’s voice broke, which only served to
upset him.

“I’m here, baby.” Jackson wheeled him so that he was
able to look at her.

Tears were spilling from her eyes, and seeing her sad
and broken, tore him apart. “You’re safe.”

“Yes, I’m safe. Damn bullet had to be taken out, but
I’m doing good. It didn’t hit anything vital, and I’ll be out tomorrow. You
know the health service.” He tried to make light of everything.

“Always cracking jokes.”

“It’s my method.” He reached out, taking hold of her
hand. “Forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Jay. Neither of us could
do anything.”

“You got to her in time before anything worse
happened?” Jay asked.

“I got to her, but I don’t—” Richard stopped, stepping
away from the bed.

“Don’t let him blame himself. I wasn’t raped, and I
wasn’t hurt too badly. The wounds, they will fade, and in time, I’ll be safe
and happy once again. Don’t let him go making it about himself. He’s a
billionaire, and he has enough attention as it is.”

Jay laughed. “Come on, man. What happened, it was
fucked up, but we’re all here now.”

Richard nodded and took a step toward them.

He and Richard moved in close, pressing their heads
against Temperance’s. “I love you, Temperance. I can’t live without you, and I
don’t want to. I can’t live without you either, Jay. I’ll never want to fuck
you, but don’t ever fucking scare me like that.”

“Wow, I feel all bro-manced up. Love you, too.”

“I love you both, and I don’t want to spend another
moment without either of you,” Temperance said.

“This is it for me,” Jay said. “I want you both, and
I’m happy to share my life with you, Richard.”

“I want my kids with you, Tempe, and I don’t care who
gives them to you. We’re both in this together.” Richard kissed her cheek, and
once he pulled away, Jay did the same.

****

Mandy stared into the hospital room with tears in her
eyes. Jay, Richard, and Temperance were great together. They didn’t deserve
this kind of pain. She was thankful that they had only gotten stronger
together, not weaker.

Lewis was stood within the room as were the other BBMC
They were a bunch of good men who didn’t deserve the crap that had been handed
to them. What they were up against, it wasn’t an easy fight, nor was it one
where anyone would be a victor. It was going to be hard, dangerous, and scary
as fuck.

She remembered everything.

That very morning she had woken up, and it was like
coming out of a daze. At first, she had wanted to break down, cry, scream, and
at the same time be happy. Her life for so long had been a nightmare with no
sign of getting out. The beatings, the rapes, the manipulation, all of it had
finally taken its toll. She was ready to die, so she had decided to reach out
to someone in the hope of trying to do something good before she ended her
miserable life.

Mandy had found Lewis. Throughout it all, she had
remembered him, and been in love with him. There was a time when she was young
and innocent where she’d thought they would be happily married together, but
now that was all a fantasy. She had been taken, stripped of all kind of
innocence, and learned how to play dirty.

To gain trust, she had done despicable things, getting
girls to trust her, and in doing so, she had been fighting to bring down the
men that thought women and girls were to be used as cattle.

Part of her wished she had never remembered. To
remember meant it actually happened, and right now, she couldn’t look at her
own reflection.

Moving away from the somewhat family moment, she made
her way to the café in the hospital. Grabbing a shit cup of coffee, she took a
seat, staring down at the dark liquid. Her life meant nothing. It had no
meaning. She had saved a couple hundred women by feeding information to Lewis,
but there were still thousands of women every day being traded.

She didn’t deserve to be free.

Taking a sip of the cup, she relished the burn as it
slid down her throat. She had no place in this world. Mandy hadn’t finished any
kind of schooling. Her knowledge was basic, if that. There was nothing for her
here. She didn’t have the kind of knowledge that others had.

Her knowledge was in obedience, pleasure, sex, and
knowing what her master wanted.

God, even now it made her stomach roll just thinking
about what she’d had to do.

“There you are,” Lewis said, coming into the room.

“Hey.” He was a very handsome man.

Lewis was also a man who deserved someone much better
than she was. Someone clean. She wasn’t clean. She was dirty, filthy, and there
was no cleaning the dirt on her skin.

“You just left.”

“You needed to be alone.” She sipped more of the
burning liquid.

“They got the torturer. He’s in custody.”

“There’s more to replace him.”

Lewis paused. “What?”

“Do you remember when we were little, younger? You
used to say that nothing would ever happen to a good girl because there was no
way darkness could touch someone good.”

“Mandy?”

“That’s not true.” Tears filled her eyes. “Darkness
touches everyone, and the monsters prey on the good, the weak.”

“You remember?”

“I remember.”

“Shit, why didn’t you say anything?”

She looked away, unable to stare at the man who had
saved her. “You were never supposed to save me, Lewis. You were always supposed
to help
them.
”

“Mandy, I had to help
you
.”

She shook her head. “I’m beyond help. Those women,
those innocent girls, they need your help. I’ve got to go back.”

“No! You’re not going back.”

Her shoulders slumped. “What use am I here? I can’t even
spell.”

“You can use a computer, and you can help me.”

“I’m dirty, Lewis. I did things that I don’t ever want
to think about or remember. I don’t deserve to be free.”

Lewis grabbed her hand. “I started the club. I made
sure we did these missions. I lied to them. Everything I did was in order to
find you. You’re the only one I was searching for. The only one I cared about.
I thought once I had you, I’d stop, not look back.”

“Lewis?”

“Let me finish.” He held her hand so tight. “I can’t
give up. I started something in finding you, and we were lucky to find each
other. I’m not giving you up, but I will stop fucking looking.”

“What?”

“If you go back and put yourself in danger again, I
will stop, and I will never start again. You’ll be on your own, and I will
thwart any attempt you make to help people.”

“That’s blackmail.”

Lewis’s jaw clenched. “I lost you once. I had to live
knowing that you were being hurt. Every night I lay awake hearing you scream my
name, begging for me to save you. I’ve saved you. I don’t give a shit what you
did. It’s you, Mandy. You did it for a reason. You’re going to be more help to
me here than anywhere else.”

She knew he wasn’t bluffing. Lewis was stubborn. He
would make sure no one else was saved to prove her wrong.

“Where do we get started?” she asked.

“That’s my girl.” He held her hand tightly. “You’re
not dirty.”

Mandy snorted. “I’ve sucked enough cock and pleasured
enough men to know that I’m dirty.” For punishment she had been passed around.
She wasn’t going to go into detail of the party she was presented to, and how
her owner, to punish her, had made her available to everyone.

She had been in so much pain when that was over.

“You’re not dirty to me. I love you, Mandy. It’s hard
for you to accept right now, but I do love you. I love you so much.”

Hearing his admission of love filled her with so much
guilt. She loved him. She did, but Lewis needed someone who was better.

She wasn’t good, whereas he was.

****

Two days later Jay and Temperance were released from
the hospital, and Richard was there to take them home. They had already emptied
out their apartment, and they were living with him full time.

He had a club meeting later that night, but because of
them being released from hospital, the meeting was going to take place at his
apartment. Richard had everything set out so that both of them would have the
utmost care and attention.

“I’m not going to miss hospital food,” Jay said,
climbing into the back of the car with a groan.

Temperance was doing much better. She had to air the
wounds on her back for a few hours, and the doctor had given him the cream for
him to put on. He was looking forward to playing nursemaid with her.

“Me neither. I look forward to something cooked
properly.”

Richard helped her inside, and when he was happy she
was comfortable, he climbed behind the wheel.

“No one knows the real you, do they, Richard?” Jay
said.

“What?”

“Well, you’re called a beast, but I have to say,
you’re like a little puppy.”

“Jay, don’t try to taunt him.”

“You’re a friend, Jay. Friends don’t get to see that
side of me. I reserve it for everyone else.” He pulled away from the hospital,
and joined up with traffic. It was good having them back in the car, and back
in his life. He didn’t want to consider a life without either of them. Did that
make him a pussy? If so, he was happy to be one. He didn’t want to miss the
chance of being happy.

“I’ve seen him be a beast at work. Honestly, you do
not want to get on this man’s bad side,” Temperance said.

He gripped her knee, giving her a gentle squeeze. He
needed to touch her just to know that she was okay. The past two days he hadn’t
left the hospital. During the day, he spent time with both of them, and at
night, he divided his attention between Temperance and Jay. She was having
trouble sleeping, and he tried his best to soothe her in any way that he could.

“The guys are coming over later tonight. Anna’s going
to be with them.”

“What about Luna? Is she coming?” Temperance asked.

“No. She has to stay home. Her kid is sick, and we’re
not going to force her to come to the club.”

“Damn, remind me to order a care package or
something.”

Over the past couple of weeks, Temperance had found
the time to pretty much befriend everyone. She was close with Anna, Luna, and
Mandy.

Thinking about work, she was always able to draw
people out of their shell. It was one of the things he liked about her.

He also happened to like staring at her, which was no
hard feat either. She was a sexy, beautiful, desirable woman.

“How about Vegas?” Jay asked.

“I’m not going to get married in Vegas,” Temperance
said.

“Why not?”

“It’s tacky, and I don’t want to get married there.”

“It’s easy.”

“I don’t care. It’s not going to happen. I want a
proper wedding. Not something that is rushed just because you think it should
be.”

“I’m not the only one who thinks it should be,” Jay
said. “Come on, Richard, tell her.”

“This is something you can do all on your own. I’ll be
there at the right time to say the ‘I dos’, and that is it. Tempe can have
whatever wedding she wants.”

“You’re just kissing her ass.”

“At least he knows what ass to actually kiss. Whereas
you, Jay, you’re heading toward no sex.”

“You’d deprive a man sex?”