Chapter 20

TWENTY

GNAW

"They are strong,but we are stronger."

I'm sitting at a pub table, my iPad in front of me, along with my phone, and I'm researching the Southern Mafia, along with the Xavier fucker, when Brew sinks down across from me. There is a moment of silence after he's spoken. Lifting my gaze, I look up at him.

"Tell me what you've discovered," I demand.

He smirks, although it does not reach his eyes. Searching his gaze, I give him a smile as he continues. "They're big, but from what I've discovered," Brew begins, "it seems as though they think they're bigger than they are. I've already called in at least three members from each club that is part of us. Then we'll outnumber them."

"Then what is the big fucking deal? What are they trying to accomplish?" I ask. "Because right now, I don't see how they will win anything. How they will succeed in anything. And I still don't know why those women were there and what they were doing," I state.

"I can answer that," Clink announces as he makes his way toward the table.

I watch as he pulls up a chair. The sound of the feet scraping against the concrete floor makes my ears almost fucking bleed. Leaning back in my chair, I watch him and wait for him to tell me what the fuck he's got answers to.

"Those women were there as their whores. They were being paid."

"Being paid?" I ask. "Where are they now?"

Clink is silent before he clears his throat. He doesn't want to answer me, but I should probably know. This involves my woman. Because she could be one of those women. Maybe that's why they took her.

I am so fucking confused about this whole thing, and I have a feeling Dennis is the key. He's playing both sides, or at least he was. This isn't something that is simply black and white. I've dealt with enough of those situations before to know that that is not what this is.

Dennis is involved, and my woman is gone. The rest is equally as important, but those are my focus. Clink leans back in his chair, his gaze searching my own for a moment, and then he lets out a heavy sigh.

"I had no choice," he begins. "My initial thought was to just let them all go back to their homes. It's what I thought I was going to do. But after talking to them, I discovered that they are very much loyal to the Southern Mafia, and I was afraid they would go to the cops."

"Where are the women? And does Atomic know?" I ask.

Clink nods his head, clearing his throat before he speaks. "Atomic knows," he murmurs. "The women are in our warehouse."

"What the fuck are we going to do with them?" I ask.

He shrugs a shoulder. "They're worth something to the Southern Mafia," Brew says. "They don't know we have them, either. I'm pretty sure they haven't thought about them, or they think the bitches are dead."

"Trading six cunts for my woman?" I ask. "You think they'd bite?" I ask.

Clink shrugs a shoulder. "I think they might. Those cunts make them a hell of a lot of money. The Southern Mafia might be in a few different games, but the skin game is their most lucrative."

"Isn't it always?" Brew asks with a chuckle.

He's right. Skin always makes money. We've never done it, and as much as we want to pretend it's a moral thing, it's really not.

Selling skin is just a lot of fucking work. We don't want to be responsible for those women. The drop-offs and pickups are quite enough for us. I don't even understand why Nash and his men down in Corpus would want anything to do with a strip club. That is a layer of drama I have no fucking desire for.

"It is," Clink agrees. "But it's a lot of fucking work. I seriously wouldn't give a shit if the Southern Mafia came to Texas just for that purpose, but that's only a portion of the reason."

"Got no fucking desire for that shit," I grind out. "But is this why they took my woman?" I ask. "To make her part of their stable?"

Brew speaks next. "I'm sure that's exactly what she was meant to be, but she won't be. They get back at us and have someone freely earning for them. But it doesn't matter what they want. We'll get to her before that," he states very matter-of-factly.

I wish I could have as much confidence as he does right now. But I don't. I am feeling very fucking stupid but also extremely defeated by this whole thing. I want Kyle back with me, and right now, I'm not sure we're going to get to the bottom of this, let alone ahead of it. But that's the fucking goal.

"She sure as fuck will not be," I grind out.

"Dennis?" Brew asks.

Thoughts of the women being locked up in the warehouse vanish. I'm sure Clink and Atomic have that shit under control. I'm sure it's going to be a hostage-for-a-hostage situation, but I'm not sure it could really be anything else.

I also don't think we'll give them those bitches. I have no doubt they'll find a life elsewhere, but it will be for someone other than the Southern Mafia. Because those fucks are not even going to be breathing in a few days.

"I'm ready to end these motherfuckers," I grind out.

Clink and Brew chuckle, but they feel the same way. "We only have a few hours until church. Do we have all of the information?" I continue.

"The information is," Clink begins, "those fucks aren't as big as they're trying to portray, and we've got their whores, all of whom will never go back to them because we're going to end them all," Clink states.

He's not wrong.

"I'm ready for some southern fish fry," I state.

"Same fucking here," Clink grinds out.

"The leader is where you take shit like this down," Brew says. "It all starts from the top."

My lips twitch into a smirk before I speak. "I'm ready to take everyone down. I want the Dark Horse MC to be the only fucking people who stand by the end of this. Dark Horse and our people."

"Which includes Kyle," Clink laughs.

"Including Kyle," I say. "I was going to wait until she returned to tell anyone, but she's my old lady. She's fucking mine."

Mine.

There is nobody else.

I don't care that it makes me sound like a complete fucking pussy. She is mine. I am head over heels for Kyle, and while I know that I am in love with her, I have enough control that I can't admit that part yet.

But I will.

Maybe when I am able to hold her again—imminently.

KYLE

The door opens again,and Talon stands in front of me with a paper bag in one hand and a fountain drink in the other. The only, and I mean the only, good part about being in this predicament is the fact that there is a bathroom attached to this room.

I couldn't even imagine what I would have to do if there weren"t at least a toilet. Considering hours go by between any sort of interaction with anyone. But now there is food in the mix. That would make things… complicated.

Talon stands in front of me, then smirks and slowly moves toward me. I watch as he sinks down onto his haunches, setting the bag down at my feet as his eyes search mine. Then he smiles.

This isn't real.

This man is not nice.

He's playing a game with me, and he thinks I'm stupid enough or na?ve enough to buy what he's selling. I'm not. Maybe I was when I was sixteen, but not anymore.

"You must be hungry," he murmurs.

I am starving.

But I don't tell him that. Instead, I stare into his face, unwilling to give him a reaction. Although I have a feeling he can read my mind. There is something about him that makes me feel as though he can see directly into my soul.

He's a master manipulator, but also, he's a master at reading people. It's clear to me. I've been around bad people enough to be able to tell when someone is bad. And Talon is really bad.

I think he might be the worst kind of human I've ever come across. But I'm not going to tell him that. This man has an ego that could rival all of the egos on earth. If I thought Xavier had a big one, it is nothing compared to this man.

"I am," I say, trying to keep things calm.

I have a feeling if I even show an ounce of sass, of fight, he's going to want to beat it out of me in some way. So, the longer I can stay submissive, soft, and sweet with him, the better.

Fortunately for me, I know how to do that for a while. I've had to play the game with Xavier more than once. Just long enough to be able to slip away from him. The only thing that has me pausing in this situation is… I don't think I'll be able to slip away anywhere, not being locked in this room.

"Here is something to drink, a burger, and fries. I apologize that it's fast food, but until more permanent arrangements are made, this will have to do."

"Permanent?" I chance asking.

He arches a brow but doesn't respond to me. Instead, he clears his throat, and it's clear that I've fucked up. So, no questioning his demands or his decisions. Good to know. I decide to shift the conversation.

"What about Xavier?" I ask instead.

His lips twitch into a smirk. "Do you want to be with him?"

I know this is likely a trick question of sorts. If I say that I want him, perhaps he'll give me to Xavier, but there will be a catch for sure. If I say that I don't want anything to do with Xavier, that leaves me open to use as he chooses.

And I know without a doubt that whatever he chooses is definitely going to be the devil that I do not know. Xavier is the devil that I recognize. But that devil I know, he's out for blood.

Talon has zero personal attachments to me, no anger or ill will. Perhaps he's the one who I need to cling to in an effort to save myself. I'm sure there is no right or wrong answer here, but I'm not sure I care too much, either. All I want is to get away from here, and I don't think Xavier is going to do that for me.

"I don't," I say.

I mean the words. I want nothing to do with Xavier, ever. I want him to vanish, and I wish I could erase the memories of him as well. But I can't. Those memories are frozen in the back of my mind, and there is nothing I can do about that. Except hope that this Talon person gets rid of him.

In whatever way that calls for.

"I'm glad because he wouldn't be available to you, anyway."

I don't ask him what that means, mainly because he's smirking, and it's clear he wants me to ask. I'm not going to. I have a feeling that deep down, I know exactly what's happened to Xavier.

As much as I want Xavier gone forever, I also don't want to know any details. At one time, I loved him with everything I had inside of me. But he killed that love. With each cruel word, each raised level of control, and then each blow from his fist.

"What happens now?" I ask on a whisper.

He tilts his head to the side, his eyes dancing as they search mine. He is enjoying this. A little game for him. He knows what will happen, and he loves the fact that I don't know and want to know.

"You'll see," he purrs.

Then I watch as he stands, turns around, and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him. I listen to the lock latch in place and let out a heavy sigh, thankful that I'm alone again.