Bone and Steel (An Erotic MC Romance) (5 page)

Chapter 9

Lying there in his arms my senses came back to me and my mind raced with questions.  The conversation, Chase, everything, I had to know what was going on.  “Jacob, what happened today?” 

He turned to me, his expression was tense but he said nothing.  “Seriously Jacob, you can’t shut me out of your life this way, I can’t take a backseat to this club.  I sat up, staring down at him as his eyes seemed to darken. 

“Look Ally, you have nothing to worry about.  We ran into some problems but we have everything under control.”  I eyed him suspiciously, I could tell that he was hiding something, and I worried that I might know exactly what it was. 

“Jacob, what happened with Kate and Chase?”  I watched his face twist from surprise to irritation to anger. 

“What do you know about it?  Are you spying on me Ally?”  His voice was harsh and demeaning. 

My chest constricted with guilt and I suddenly felt very small for having violated his trust.  “No I…  It’s just, I went looking for you, and I was in the kitchen and you were yelling…  I just heard you say something about getting Chase out.  I know it is none of my business what Chase does, but if Kate is in trouble…”

Jacob sat up in the bed and tossed me down beside him, his lips curling back over his teeth as he growled, “This is not your place Ally, and don’t think for a second that you won’t be punished for putting your nose where it doesn’t belong.”  Getting up he pulled his jeans on and pulled a cotton shirt over his head, walking out and leaving without another word. 

I was angry and confused.  One moment he is romantic, gentle, caring, and the next he is snarling like a wild beast at me; not to mention the clearly unconventional gender roles that are apparently commonplace in the club.  Maybe the women they are used to have little more than a pussy to offer, but I am intelligent and strong and I don’t want to be left in the dark. 

I grabbed my purse and pulled my cell out, engaging the GPS locator and the lock mode and slipped it into his leather vest.  Maybe he didn’t want me to be involved, but if Kate was in trouble, I needed to look out for her.  I walked out in a pissy mood, not planning to say goodbye to anyone.  Coming around the corner to my car I spotted Mia whose face was red and puffy.  I couldn’t just ignore the girl, something was seriously wrong. 

Sitting down next to her I wrapped my arm awkwardly around her shoulders.  With no hesitation her arms embraced me strongly and she started to whimper and sniffle, breaking down. 

“What’s going on Mia?  What happened?” 

She looked left, then right, concerned for who might be listening.  Her lips pressed closely to my ear and she began in a whisper, “It’s my sister.  She was with them and I just know something isn’t right, I can feel it.” 

I pulled her in closer to me and asked, “Who was she with, Mia?” 

Her eyes got wide and again she looked around to make sure no one could hear her.  “She was with Chase and Kate.” 

My stomach sank, I knew from the tears in this girl's eyes that whatever was going on was serious.  I had to get her out of here, to a place where we could talk freely.

I lifted her from her seat and pulled her towards my car.  “Listen Mia, we are going to go get some coffee, we need to talk.”

Mia continued to sob as we drove into town and I awkwardly stroked her thigh in an attempt to soothe her.  I didn’t know what was going on and to be honest I had never been the best at comforting people.  We pulled up to a coffee house and I grabbed my laptop from the backseat of my car.  After leading Mia to a quiet table outside, I put in an order for us both and asked for an internet access code.  I took a moment while I was inside to pull up the phone finder app, and when a pulsing circle showed up on the map--still at the clubhouse--I went back out to question Mia. 

A sense of nervousness engulfed me.  She looked pathetic and weak as she sat slumped forward sobbing into her sleeves.  “Mia, I need you to pull it together and talk to me, tell me everything you know.” 

She looked up at me, again looking around as if the walls had ears.  “Look Ally, I am not sure I should have said anything in the first place.  The club has rules and the women are not supposed to get involved.” 

I rolled my eyes.  “Mia, it is my best friend and your sister who we are talking about.  If either of them are in trouble we can’t sit back and pretend nothing is going on.  Tell me what you know.”  I stared down at her big wet eyes, putting my hand on hers and squeezing.  “Please, Mia.” 

She sat up in her chair, wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath.  “Ok.  Two months ago, Trece was released from lockup.  Trece was the Muertos vice president before he got five years for being involved in a murder; he has a reputation for being a twisted asshole.  I had a girlfriend who hooked up with him about ten years ago.  It wasn’t long before she basically fell off the planet.  She confided in me a couple of times about how he was abusive to her, but even worse was the sick shit he pulled on her in bed.  I tried to get her to leave him, but she always made excuses about how he didn’t mean it and how she really loved him.  He was truly fucked up Ally, into bondage, rape, torture. 

She showed up at my house once, after about six months of not hearing from her.  She was totally fucked up, track marks up her arms, scary thin.  I honestly almost didn’t recognize her anymore.  Anyway, she told me that Trece had been selling her.  He had kept her locked up, offered her heroin as an escape.  She wanted out, but she was so fucking addicted to heroin that when her hands began to shake and tremble she needed her fix.  I never saw her again after that day.  No one ever saw her after that. 

When her family pushed the cops to do something and to find her, they went searching, but the Muertos claimed they hadn’t seen her in over a year.  There were no leads, no signs of a crime, just a missing girl who ran with a bad crowd. 

"Anyhow, when Trece got out of jail, rumors were going around that the Muertos were offering up cash for young women whose disappearance wouldn’t raise eyebrows.  The Members of Mercy got wind of the situation, but Trece and the gang denied the rumors.  My sister, Leah, is Jackal's girl, and he and Chase were sent to Mexico to do god knows what.  Anyhow, whatever it was, when they came back, the Muertos picked up Chase, Kate and Leah.  When Jackal came back alone, that’s when shit hit the fan.  Whatever is going on Ally, they have my sister, and Trece is a fucking lunatic.” 

I felt my chest constrict and my breathing labored as I tried to process what the girl was saying.  If it was true that the Muertos were buying and selling women, Kate and Leah needed our help.  A flicker of movement on the computer monitor caught my eye and I felt my heart begin to race as I watched the dot begin to move through the city.  Whatever was going on, I wasn’t going to sit back quietly and let my friend get hurt. 

“Alright Mia, I am going to drop you off back at the club house and I need you to keep your ears open.  Meet me outside around nine, and please, don’t tell anyone about our conversation.” 

When I pulled up I could see that at least half of the bikes were no longer parked in the parking lot.  I saw Vicki and decided to pry.  “Hey Vicki. Is Jacob still around?” 

Her eyes narrowed, looking at Mia, and then me again.  “Nah honey.  But don’t get your panties in a bunch. Tank said they were headed out to do some peaceful negotiations.” 

I nodded at her and smiled genuinely.  “Thanks Vicki.”  Getting back into my car my mind played through the few moments I spent with that woman.  To be honest, I thought she was a real bitch, but she did take care of me when I fainted, and even now she made an effort to ease my worry.  Perhaps years of being a biker bitch has hardened her, but deep down she might be a kinder woman than I gave her credit for. 

I had waited long enough at the coffee shop to watch the moving dot make it to its destination.  My hope was that Jacob would lead me to the Muertos and I could get a better idea of what we were dealing with.  It wasn’t as if I imagined that I could bust in save the day, but maybe I would see or hear something and be able to help Jacob find Chase and the girls. 

I pulled back into the coffee shop just long enough to check on the location of my phone.  It hadn’t moved.  I swung the car around and headed straight for Lincoln and Park.  The drive took me over thirty minutes, but when I pulled onto Lincoln it looked like a motorcycle show was going on.  Both sides of the street were lined with parked bikes and I knew that I was in the right place.  I drove past, slowly, hoping that I would go unnoticed as I passed a driveway that led up to a large warehouse.  Driving up to the next block I parked the car at a gas station and began backtracking, taking the alley that led behind the building.  There were tall fences lining the back and I thought for a minute I wouldn’t be able to get close enough.  But near a large tank of some kind I noticed a section of fence had been cut.  I pressed the sharp wire forward and out of my way as I ducked down low and slid through the fence. 

I could hear voices coming from inside, and several windows faced my direction.  Boldly continuing forward, I hoped that whatever was going on was enough to keep the attention away from the back alley.  Sneaking towards the sound of the voices I quietly approached the open window. 

A large cooling unit was on, and muffled the sound of the voices into indistinguishable murmurs until I was literally right under the cracked window. 

I heard a Mexican accent say in broken English, “Is not like we ain’t tell you before Jacob, we own dis town, and we gonna do what we wanna do.” 

“Trece,” I heard Jacobs voice, steady and firm, “if you go forward with this, it’s going to start a war.  Not only with us, but with Ralphee’s boys, too.  Return us our boy and the women and we will cut you in on the deal with the Columbians.” 

A roar of laughter exploded from the room. I hadn’t realized until then just how many men were in there.  My heart was racing and I suddenly felt concerned for Jacob.  If there were that many Muertos, they could easily have the upper hand.  I prayed that he knew what he was doing.  Just as the room grew quiet, a faint scream caught my attention.  It sounded like it was coming from my left.  Taking a deep breath and treading silently, I slid along the building, my ears straining to pick up any sounds that might tell me where they were holding Kate. 

Reaching the edge of the building I was hesitant to move forward, from this angle no one in front would be able to see me, but moving around the side would open up the view all the way to the street in front.  I slowly peeked my head around the corner, and on the ground just feet from my I saw a heavy wooden cellar door that was locked and chained.  An agonized scream once again faintly played upon my ears, only minutely louder than the one I heard before, but I knew then where it was coming from. 

Knowing that the only way in was with a key or some heavy duty tools, I knew the best thing that I could do was to get back to my car and wait to stop Jacob as he left.  Turning to go back, my heart sank and my body froze as the butt of a gun slammed violently into the side of my head.  My vision was instantly red and I fell backwards, losing consciousness.

Chapter 10

When I finally came to I was in complete darkness.  I shook my head and blinked repeatedly.  Never in my life had the world been so black.  It occurred to me briefly that I had been blinded during the brutal attack in the yard and my body let out a terrified moan.  Standing I began waving my arms around me, searching for anything that might give me a sense of where I was. 

I took three small steps when suddenly my hand made contact with a firm cold object.  Grasping at it and around it, it only took seconds for my mind to register that my hand was wrapped around thick metal bars.  My heart pounded and I frantically followed the enclosure to the right until I could tell that there was no way out.  I was in a cage.   Terrified, alone, and completely surrounded by blackness I broke down, sobbing loudly.  “SHHHHHHHH!”  A woman’s voice came from my left, harsh and irritated by my outburst.  “If you keep it up they are going to hear you.” 

“Please, please, where are you?  Am I blind?  Where are we?  Let me out of this cage!”  I cried out between sobs. 

“You aren’t blind, we are underground, and you, my dear, are not the only one that is locked away.”  From all around me I began to register the sounds, others moving quietly about, breathing, crying softly.  As my terror slowly lifted, not from lack of fear, but from exhaustion, the sounds grew louder and the smells began to register in my nose.  Urine, feces, body odor, it smelled like a kennel.  My stomach wrenched, threatening to add fresh vomit to the list of unnerving scents. 

“Kate?” I called out loudly, expecting her to be nearby. 

“I told you to shut up,” the woman beside me hissed.  “Don’t you get it?  Making a scene down here isn’t going to get you anything but punishment.  You think you have it bad now?  Just wait.”  Her words were cold and sent shivers down my spine and into my knees which began to shake uncontrollably.  I just wanted out of here, I just wanted to be back home, back to my boring life.  ‘WAKE UP!’ my mind screamed. 

Hours passed and it seemed I fell in and out of consciousness, the darkness and fear overwhelming me and somehow distorting all sense of time.  It was a quiet, high-pitched sound that startled me awake, and as I struggled to understand what was happening a sudden burst of light blinded me.  I heard the shutter snap shut and realized instantly that someone was taking photos of me.  Again the sound heightened in intensity and once again the shutter snapped shut, a burst of light now illuminating the middle finger that I held out defiantly to the beast before me.  Through the darkness I heard the man chuckle as he snapped one final photo and moved forward.  It seemed he had some form of night vision goggles because he was able to make his way easily through the darkness.  I heard the rattle of a lock to my left and the woman who had warned me to keep my silence let out a low, exasperated moan. 

My chest constricted with fear, for her, for myself, for every woman that was locked in this black hell hole.  She didn’t put up a fight as he drug her from the cage, but the sounds of her utter despair pierced deeply into my brain.  If I lived a thousand years, I doubted that I would ever be able to forget the sound. 

As the sound slowly faded my stomach convulsed and I choked and spat uncontrollably.  A hand reached through the bars above me, startling me.  I launched myself backwards and away from the hand, fearful that the man had come back this time for me. 

Landing awkwardly in the darkness I felt my ankle twist painfully to the right.  “It’s okay, it is just me… Felicia.”  A soft voice came from the darkness.  “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to comfort you.  We have all been exactly where you are.  Don’t worry though, somehow, you start to cope.” 

Her voice trembled and cracked as she spoke.  'Some coping,' I thought to myself as the woman, clearly broken, tried to console me.  “Where are you?”  I asked gently, moving forward towards her again and sought out her touch.  My ankle was painful and throbbing but somehow the woman’s touch was enough to relax me and set my mind at ease, at least for the moment; I fell asleep.

                                                    **** 

When I awoke my throat was dry and my stomach was growling with hunger.  “Felicia?” I whispered quietly. 

“Yeah?”  She replied, her hand stroking my damp hair through the bars.  “When do they feed us? I am thirsty.  Is there any water?”  Up until this very moment I hadn’t thought about physical needs, as if my mind hadn’t considered the possibility of being here in this darkness for so long. 

“Don’t worry, we aren’t any good to anyone if we are dead.”  My heart sunk further into the darkness and a tear welled up, rolling down my cheek.  I stuck my tongue out and savored the salt as it played on my taste buds. 

The thud of footsteps approached, slow and menacing.  It sounded as if the phantom was wearing cowboy boots, each step tied to an ominous metallic click.  I felt my heartbeat spike and my chest constrict with fear.  I didn’t know how much more of this I could take, the darkness, the not knowing, the continual fear. 

Where was Jacob?  How did I end up here?  A slew of emotions suddenly overwhelmed me and I began to wail uncontrollably.  Felicia pulled my hair forcefully, a warning to keep my mouth shut.  But I was simply unable to control myself. 

The sound of boots got louder and Felicia scurried to the far side of her enclosure.  The boots kept on, louder now, until they finally stopped, just inches from me.  “Don’t worry babe.  A girl like you won’t stay caged for long.  That is, not if you know how to fuck.” 

I shuddered, disgusted by his suggestion.  Turning and taking a few steps further he opened Felicia’s door and she began to whimper and fight as he pulled her from her confines.  I screamed loudly, wishing and praying that my eyes would open and I would be at home in my bed, but my desperation was only met with darkness.

I have no idea how much longer I laid there on the hard cold floor, staring into the black void when I was startled by my cage door rattling.  I curled into a ball and gripped the steel bars, afraid to find out what the other women already knew about being taken. 

The man was laughing at my struggle as his strong arms wrapped shackles around my wrists, in the darkness, I had no chance to fight, no indication that they were coming.  His fingers slid up my arms and under my armpits where they made firm contact with my breasts before continuing on and lifting me.  I gripped the bars with all of my might but my efforts were thwarted by a heavy object that came painfully crashing down on my fingers.  Pain suddenly throbbed through my hands, the cold intensifying the sting of the intense pain. 

Screaming, I let the bars fall from my grasp and the man held me firmly and pulled me through the darkness.  Finally, we reached the end of what seemed to be a long corridor, not that I could see it, but I could hear the echo of his steps against the walls.  With a forceful tug he pulled a door open, blinding me with a flood of light.  I squinted and my eyes teared up against the rays. 

A moment later my eyes managed to adjust and I found myself in a makeshift locker room.  The big man who had carried me tossed me from his grip and I landed hard on my bruised ankle, the pain making me wince and whimper. 

“Wash up,” was all he said to me, his chin jerking in the direction of a shower.  He was a thick man, his arms heavily tattooed and darkly tanned.  A large scar ran across his face, from his left eye to the right of his lips.  “Take your clothes off mami,” he urged me as his eyes ran up and down my body.  I turned away from him, hiding myself from him as I peeled the damp and filthy fabric from my skin.

“Mmmm, wash your pussy good,” he called out from behind me, urging me forward.  I was afraid he would rape me.  We were alone and I could tell by his breathing that he was aroused as he watched me strip down to nothing.  My eyes darted left and right, but there was no way to protect myself, nothing but a bar of soap in sight.  I knew that whatever happened next, I would be at his mercy.

My mouth was so dry, and the allure of fresh water was enough to make me forget for a moment where I might be going after my body was cleaned.  I turned on the spigot, holding my hand out and waiting for warmth.  “That’s as good as it gets honey, now don’t waste any more time, wash up.”  A low chuckle rose from behind me as he pushed me forward into the freezing water.  I cried out in shock of the sudden cold rush over my bare flesh.  Ice water, I was being forced to stand in ice water.  My body was racked with chills and I quickly soaped up as instructed and scrubbed myself vigorously.  All the while my body was suffering, I drank the water that ran over me.  I had no idea how long it would be until I had another opportunity to drink, and I wouldn’t risk dehydration in a dark musty hole.  When I had finished scrubbing, the man behind called out again, “That’s enough.  Let's go.” 

I shut the water off and turned around.  He stood there, holding a towel out to me with his left hand, his right stroking his cock through his jeans.  I took the towel and wrapped it around my body, hiding it from his depraved eyes.  Grabbing my arm he pulled me forward and we walked through another hallway, this one brightly lit, with individual cells on either side.  Ahead of me I could hear a woman whimpering as the bed below her creaked with each heavy thrust delivered to her by a grunting, straining man.  I couldn’t help but look when we passed, and I was sickened by the ugly, fat, grey-haired brute who was holding down a young, tiny blonde against the bed. 

She was turned in my direction, her face expressionless, not an ounce of emotion in her hollow eyes.  My stomach knotted in disgust and horror.  How could anyone get off on this?  What the fuck had I gotten myself into?  I wretched, and vomit came up to my throat, burning it. 

The man beside me hit me hard against the side of the head, drawing my attention away from the disgusting sight, and diminishing my nausea.  I fought the urge to cry.  He drug me forward and opened a cage at the far end of the hall. 

“Please, get me out of here!  Help me! Help me!” I begged him, grabbing his arm and blocking the door of the cell.  His thick arm pushed me back and onto the bed. 

His lip curled into a vicious snarl as he held me to the bed.  “I should break you now, whore,” he growled menacingly through his teeth, his hips pressing forward into mine, his cock still stiff beneath his jeans.  He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his stiffness before shaking his head and lifting himself off of me.  Tears streamed freely from my eyes as he walked out, slamming the cage door closed behind him. 

My mind revolted from reality, and swept me away into daydreams about Jacob.  His strong and powerful arms holding me safely to him.  His lips upon my own, and his deep blue eyes that pierced into my soul.  By my own admission there was something about his bad boy ways that had drawn me in so intensely.  But now, fear for my life and future left me to wonder if I could ever look at him the same. 

He was dangerous.  His life was dangerous.  If I made it out of here, would my mind ever be able to look at him without seeing flashbacks of the darkness?  An image of the blonde from down the hall flashed through my mind.  I could still hear the old man grunting and panting as the broken woman below him lay, dying inside.  That would be me, I feared, broken and lifeless.  It was in this moment that all sense of right and wrong was released from my conscious.  There was only one thing to do now, and that was to fight, to the death if necessary, because it was not only my body but my soul at stake.  I sobbed softly for the last time, my heart was growing cold. 

Chapter 11

Gathering what strength I had was an ordeal in itself, but there was no option for failure.  Examining each inch of my cell I found that there was very little to consider, the room was essentially bare, minus a mattress that was covered simply by a sheet and a single pillow.  It wasn’t much to work with, but, recalling the decayed mattresses I had seen at one time or another, I knew that there was at least one potential weapon in my cell. 

Inspecting the fabric I found what I was looking for: a minute tear that would make creating a hold a much easier task.  I could get only my finger into the small hole, but I spent the next twenty five minutes forcing the hole larger and larger.  The fabric was tough and didn’t give easily, but my efforts were paying off.  Another five minutes and I managed to squeeze my hand into the hole, I had covered myself with the sheet so my efforts would be hidden, should anyone be watching or come by without my noticing.  I reached down into the mattress and felt exactly what I was looking for, the cold coil of metal that might be my one and only chance of escape.