Savior, p.15
Savior, page 15
“No. He told me to lose his number and hung up on me.”
The smile slipped from her face. “What?”
“I told you he didn’t love me. I don’t know why you think he does. If he’d loved me, would he have broken our engagement after the accident? I know Savior wouldn’t have, if he’d been in Jeremy’s shoes. He loves me. I think I was just convenient for Jeremy. Until I wasn’t.”
Her face flushed red, and she screamed. I didn’t have to time to move out of the way. Her fist came straight for my face, and she clocked me on the cheek. It felt like my eye might explode from the impact, and I gasped at the pain shooting through that side of my face.
Come on, Torch. How much more of a distraction do you need? Save us before this woman kills me!
If I died, I was going to come back and haunt him.
Chapter Thirteen
Savior
I was going to kill her. My sweet, naïve wife was in over her head. How the fuck could she have rolled right in here and given these bitches what they wanted? When Bridget punched her, I’d wanted to rip the woman to shreds. If Dessa made it out of this alive, I was going to lose my shit once we were alone.
President for such a short time and here I was, tied to a chair, watching someone beat on my wife. It wouldn’t surprise me if the club asked for my patch after this. Same for Saint, since they’d tied him up right next to me.
And how were we caught? They’d known where to hit us the hardest -- our families. When I’d seen Ares go down, I’d wanted to charge the bitch who’d dosed her with something. Fucking Bridget. She’d aimed a gun at my chest and told me to come along nicely, or every woman and child at the compound would be dead before morning. I’d seen the cold, calculating look in her eyes and realized she meant it. Whatever it took, she’d do her best to see her threat through to the end.
One of the women came closer. I recognized her as a club whore. One of the newer ones. I knew Wire had dug into each of their backgrounds. She had to have passed, so why was she joining in this fucked up shit now? Couldn’t remember her name, though. She smiled and stroked my beard. I yanked my head away, not wanting her to touch me.
“You wouldn’t let me take you for a ride when I came here. Not so high and mighty now, are you?” she asked. The bitch swung her leg over me and settled herself on my lap. If they hadn’t tied both my hands and feet, I’d have tossed her off me. She ground against me and pushed her tits up. “Maybe I should have a little sample? We can let your wife watch. What do you say?”
I growled and stared at her with pure hatred. If she even thought of taking my cock out, when I got free, I’d bury the bitch. Hell, I might do that anyway. She wriggled some more. If she thought I’d get hard for her, she was going to be disappointed.
“What’s the plan, Bridget?” Dessa asked. “I’m here. Now what? Jeremy isn’t going to show up, if that’s what you’d hoped for. There’s an entire club of bikers inside the gates. Even if you manage to kill the four of us, you’ll never get out of here alive.”
I wanted to tell her to stop trying to piss them off. If she got herself killed, I’d resurrect her ass just so I could spank her. I hoped like fuck Ares was all right. And Sofia. Shit. Did Dessa not know there weren’t just the four of us? I’d watched them carry Sofia down the hall. The man hadn’t come back either. I had no idea what they were doing to her, and I knew Saint was holding on by a thread. If anyone hurt his woman, there would be hell to pay.
I’d complied with these crazy women, thinking I’d find a way out of this mess. Instead, my wife came into the clubhouse like she was here to meet friends. Just bold as brass entered the building, even though I had a feeling she’d known her stalker was here. She must have found Ares and come looking for me. What I wanted to know was where the fuck my brothers were? Why hadn’t they busted in here to do something about these whores?
Or was that it? Did Dessa have help? Were my brothers outside just waiting for some sort of signal? I glanced at Saint, and he gave me a slight nod. Seemed we were thinking the same thing. No, the club wouldn’t have let Dessa come here alone. Not without a plan.
The whore continued to rub against me like a cat in heat. Another woman stood near the bar, and a third was somewhere behind me. I could hear people in the hallway, even though I’d only seen the one man, it sounded like there were two or more people back there. Then there was Bridget, the bitch who kept threatening my woman.
The heavy tread coming from behind us told me the man was going to make his presence known. Assuming there was only one. No fucking way it was anyone from my club. They’d never walk that loud unless it was on purpose.
“Bridget, dear, this isn’t what we discussed,” a man said.
“But, Santi…”
He came into view and held his hand up to stop her. “Jeremy will never be yours. I said you could have the biker, if you could tame him. I will return Dessa to Jeremy, and I’ll make sure he follows the rules from now on. Damaging her isn’t going to make my job any easier.”
“He doesn’t want me,” Dessa said. “You could wrap me up and stick a bow on my head, and he still wouldn’t take me.”
Santi slid his hands into his pockets. “Oh, he will. Jeremy always does as he’s told. It’s why he asked you to marry him. The moment I saw you, I knew you would be perfect. You never asked questions. Seldom spoke unless someone spoke to you first. Yes, the perfect wife for him. Then he fucked it all up.”
“You’re the one,” Dessa murmured. “You were his contact before he moved. The one who pulls his strings.”
“Hmm. It seems someone has been filling your head with stories. What else do you know, sweet little Dessa?”
No! Don’t tell him! I knew if she confessed everything, the man would likely kill her. I didn’t know if Dessa realized that or not. The man was baiting her. He’d clearly thought she would fall in line again, but if she confessed to all she knew, he’d know she was a threat.
“I know about the drugs, that he likes to hurt women, and about his whores,” she said. Then she swung her gaze to Bridget. “Is that where he found you? Were you on a street corner and he paid for your time?”
Oh, fuck. Under other circumstances, I’d have been smiling at how feisty she was. Right now, I was too busy hoping she didn’t get herself killed. I tried to loosen the ropes holding my wrists, but it wasn’t any use. I was stuck watching everything unfold, and helpless to save my wife or anyone else.
Santi threw his head back and laughed. “You’re positively delightful! I think I prefer this version of you, Dessa. So you know Jeremy likes to buy women for a night or three? It’s part of why he never touched you. I told him he’d have to get tested first. Couldn’t have our little broodmare getting sick.”
“Broodmare?” she asked, her eyes going wide.
“Of course. Jeremy would need children, show the town he had the perfect family. I told him to make sure he had a daughter to use as a bargaining chip in future negotiations and a son to take over one day. Didn’t matter how many tries it took before he had a son. He’d breed you until he got one.”
Bile rose in my throat at the image he painted. The sad part was that Dessa would have gladly had as many children as that monster wanted, since she’d been clueless about how depraved he really was.
“I can give him children!” Bridget said.
Santi arched his eyebrows. “How do you plan to do that? It’s a little difficult to have a child when you don’t have reproductive organs.”
Bridget paled. “What? What are you talking about?”
Santi leaned in closer, giving her a smile that sent chills down my spine. I saw Dessa back up a little and wished like hell she would get out of here. I doubted they’d let her leave. Not now, or ever. She knew too much.
“Did you think your precious Jeremy only sliced you up a bit? Oh no. Not our Jeremy. He cut you open and removed part of your insides. I don’t know how you managed to survive in all honesty. If he’d known you didn’t die, I bet he would have gone back to finish the job. The doctor who put you back together went a step further and made sure you’d never have children.”
Dessa placed a hand over her mouth. Even after all Bridget had done to her, I knew my woman was likely feeling sorry for her. Her tender heart was part of what I loved about her.
Sofia screamed down the hall, and that was all it took. Saint gave me a wild look before he rocked forward onto his toes, then launched himself backward. The chair broke. Santi turned, and brave little Dessa rolled her chair forward at a brisk pace, running it right into the man. I tipped forward, dumping the whore on the floor, then slammed backward.
By the time Saint and I were both free, the whore I’d tossed had gotten back on her feet, and the other two were racing toward us. I swung on the whore in front of me, knocking her out cold with one blow. Saint ran for the back hall, intent on reaching his woman, and I handled the other two whores.
Wire had managed to knock his chair over, but the damn thing hadn’t broken. I started to kneel and untie him when I heard a loud crack and turned. It felt like the world tipped sideways when I saw a small pistol in Santi’s hand and blood blossoming across Dessa’s abdomen.
“No!” I let out a roar and charged the man. He got off another round, and I felt the burn in my shoulder, but it didn’t slow me down. I tackled him to the floor and slammed my fists into his face. Punch after punch landed until he looked like raw, bloody meat.
I felt hands grab me, and I struggled to fight them off until I heard Torch’s voice.
“Easy! He’s down, Savior. That man isn’t getting up anytime soon.”
I whirled, trying to find Dessa. I didn’t see her chair, or her, anywhere. “Dessa…”
“Tempest has her. He’s loading her into a truck and Grimm is calling one of his contacts at the hospital. Prophet already took Ares to get checked out.” Torch waved a hand at me. “Looks like you need to go there too. Go get in the truck with her and get stitched up.”
I looked around the room. Saint came out of the back hall with Sofia in his arms. Her clothes were torn, and I hoped like fuck he’d gotten to her before anything happened. She’d already lived through that kind of hell once.
“Savior.” I faced Torch again. “We’ve got this. Get the fuck out of here. You’re no good to any of us until your head is back in the game.”
Even though the man wasn’t my President anymore, I still gave him a nod and followed his orders. Maybe it was instinct. Or perhaps I was only doing it because that’s what I wanted most -- to be with Dessa.
“Junie and Judd?” I asked.
“They’re safe, and they’ll be fine for tonight.”
I walked out and raced after the truck. Tempest had already pulled away from the clubhouse and approached the gates. He saw me and stopped. Since Dessa was in the front seat, I opened the back door and jumped inside. As I eyed the open gate, I wondered where the fuck the Prospect was, and how everyone had gotten into the compound.
But Torch was right. At the moment, I needed to focus on Dessa and Ares. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
* * *
The doctor had already stitched my shoulder and released me. Ares was awake, but they were holding her overnight for observation since they didn’t know what the bitches dosed her with. I sat beside Ares’s bed, staring at the open doorway.
“They say no news is good news,” Ares said.
“Yep. Doesn’t mean I like not knowing whether your mother is okay.”
She smiled a little. “I’m glad you married her. She’s a great mom. I only wish I hadn’t given her such a hard time at first.”
I swung my gaze to her. “She loves you. You know that, right?”
Ares nodded, then yawned. It seemed the drugs were still kicking her butt. I stood and went to the door, peering into the hall. A nurse bustled by, and I called out to her. She huffed at me, giving a stern glare.
“I’ve already told you. I don’t have any news about your wife.”
“She’s still in surgery?” I asked.
“Yes. Now, please. Sit down and wait patiently.”
Right. My woman could be dying, and she wanted me to be patient. Was she fucking crazy? My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I connected the call, needing the distraction.
“What?” I asked, instead of my usual greeting.
“Thought you’d want to know Sofia is fine. Saint has her at home, and asked Dr. Myron to come take a look. She swore nothing happened to her while she was in the back room, but I don’t think Saint believes her,” Grimm said.
“Do we know how they got inside? Everyone else safe?” I asked.
“We found Lavender. She was out back, hiding. Had her laptop with her and was doing her best to assess the situation and fuck with the people inside at the same time.”
“I hadn’t even thought about where she might be,” I said. “What exactly does that mean?”
“Well… the women all have long rap sheets now. Mostly prostitution, but also possession with intent to sell, child endangerment, and assault. Santi’s bank accounts have been drained. She split the funds between Dessa, the club, and donated the rest to a few worthy causes.”
My brow furrowed. “How the fuck did she have time to do all that?”
“I didn’t ask. She’d just tell me a bunch of shit I don’t understand. I asked Wire how he’d been taken if Lavender was still free. He said they claimed to have her and his kids. Since they hadn’t been home with him, he didn’t know if they were lying or not and decided to err on the side of caution.”
“Right. Because everyone knows we’re a bunch of overprotective assholes who will do anything for our family,” I said. Even if my efforts did end up getting my wife hurt. I tried to push down the guilt. If I hadn’t busted loose, would he have shot her?
“As to how they got in, you’re going to be pissed.”
“That seems to be the general theme for the night,” I said.
“Will was watching the gate. One of the women came up and told him she’d had a flat tire. Asked if she could wait inside the gate until the tow truck arrived. Since she was one of our club whores, he let her in. When he turned his back to the gate, one of the others bashed him over the head. The doc stitched up his head. He has a concussion and will be out of commission for a day or three.”
“Anything else?” I asked.
“I think that covers it for now. Saint isn’t leaving Sofia’s side. You’re at the hospital, and so is Tempest. He’s in the waiting room until he finds out if Dessa is okay. Anyone in particular you’d like to put in charge until you’re back?” Grimm asked.
“You and Royal. I think it may take the both of you, considering how fucked up tonight has been.”
“How’s Ares?” he asked.
“She’s going to be okay. They want to keep an eye on her overnight, but she’s been awake and talking. I sent Prophet to get coffee. He seemed reluctant to leave her side.”
“Sorry to say this, but I have a feeling he’s marked Ares as his.”
“I figured as much by what he said at the house earlier. I also know he won’t do anything until she’s eighteen, so I’m not too worried. Although Ares didn’t seem too excited about it. She may bludgeon him to death if he hovers too much.”
“I don’t envy you. I’ll let Royal know we’re riding herd on the club until you get back. Let us know when you hear something about Dessa. We’ll all hoping she makes a swift recovery.”
Yeah, I was too. I ended the call and went back to sitting and waiting.
Epilogue
Savior
One Month Later
I stared out across the picnic area and smiled at the children running around. It had been pure hell up until a few days ago, but the club was slowly healing. I’d called an impromptu picnic for everyone as a way to let off some steam and enjoy family time. My gaze settled on Dessa, and I swallowed down the pain.
Not only had I nearly lost her, but we’d lost our child. I still remembered the numbness I’d felt when I heard the doctor’s words, followed by an all-consuming grief.
“Your wife is out of surgery. I’m sorry, but the baby didn’t make it.”
“What baby?” I asked.
“Your wife was about one week pregnant. I’m afraid she won’t be able to have children. Between previous damage and scar tissue, plus the bullet we pulled out of her, she won’t be able to get pregnant again.”
I knew it would devastate Dessa. Hell, it hit me hard too. I’d looked forward to having more children with her. We still could. We’d just have to adopt them, like we had with Ares and Judd. The thought of my only biological child being with a club whore and not my wife made me want to hit something. Not that I loved Junie any less because of who her mother was.
“Your wife coded twice. We were able to bring her back, but her condition is precarious for the moment. We’ll keep a close watch tonight and tomorrow. After that, you should be in the clear as long as her wound doesn’t get infected.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Dessa had cried for hours when I’d told her about the baby, and that we wouldn’t be able to have another one. The fact she was alive was enough for me. I scanned the area again and saw Judd and Junie in the sandbox with two other kids. Lavender and Pepper stood nearby, keeping an eye on them.
Ares sat at the table with Dessa, and I noticed Prophet sat beside her. Even though she pretended to ignore him, whenever she thought he wasn’t watching, she’d look his way with a soft expression on her face. I knew I’d have my hands full with the two of them later.
I walked over to Dessa and leaned down to kiss her. “Need anything?”
“Just you,” she said softly.
“You have me. Always.”
“Eww.” Ares scrunched her nose. “Can you two do that when I’m not within hearing range?”
“Leave them alone, Ares.” Prophet placed his hand on her back. “They’re allowed to be affectionate.”
