Chapter 6

Chapter 6BellaEven after being held against my will by the mafia for a year and a half, the things that went down tonight blew my mind. Just being able to walk out the door after all these months felt like winning the lottery. I couldn’t believe I was finally free. The trick was going to be remaining free. I would like to think that Louis and Tony were just going to shrug off my disappearance and place an ad online for a new singer. The only problem with that was that literally nothing in my life was ever that easy. I worried that those old men were going to send people to look for me and drag me back.Forge seemed like a nice man. He got me out of a really bad situation back there. However, I’ve learned that what seemed like a blessing could turn out to be a trap. I looked over at Forge’s handsome face. His dark hair, brown eyes, and square jaw were absolutely amazing. He was by far the handsomest man I’d ever set eyes on. Plus, he seemed to have his life together and really knew what he was doing.Me? I was a hot mess. It wasn’t fair that my grandmother spent so much time on her own because her only remaining family member was an idiot who blundered into a nest of mobsters and essentially got herself kidnapped.“What are you thinking so hard about, Isabella?” Forge’s voice pulled me from my musings.“I was just thinking of my grandmother and how I wish I could have spent more time with her.”“It must be nice to have someone you cared so deeply about and who cared about you in return.”“My grandmother was the best. I don’t remember my mother and my dad left before I was even born. She’s all I had and she was precious to me.” A short silence spun out before I thought to ask, “How about you. Do you still have family?”His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter and he shook his head. “No. I never had family and ran away from foster care when I was a teen. It took me a long time to find my place in the world. It’s one of the reasons I love my club so much. I now have over thirty brothers. We’d do anything for each other.”“The way you describe it sounds amazing. I’ve never heard of motorcycle club that was straight edge.”He threw me a lopsided smile. “Our club is made up mostly of combat veterans who needed support after returning from war. I’m not a veteran, but about three-fourths of my club is, including our club president.”I smiled back at him. “I like spending time with you. You’re easy to talk to, that was one of the reasons I kept dropping by your table.”“My club brothers have helped me learn better social skills. I grew up on the streets and there were a lot of things I didn’t know about life. Some I learned on my own, but most I acquired after joining the Dark Slayers.”“I’m trying to imagine you in a leather jacket and riding a motorcycle. It’s a hard image to see in my mind.”“You’ll see it soon enough, princess. I’m very proud to be a Slayer and to wear my cut with the club’s name on it. I’m taking you to our clubhouse, where you’ll be safe. Once we deal with your oppressors, you can get back to living your life.”“Oppressors is a good word to describe my former situation.”“I call it like I see it. Just trying to keep it real.”“I like that you’re so down to earth. I always knew there was something different about you, but I could never put my finger on it.”He grinned at me. “I don’t know exactly how you intended that, but I’m gonna take it as a compliment, Isabella.”“I did intend it as a compliment. And you can call me Bella. That’s what my grandma called me.”“Bella is a nice name. It reminds me of Southern ladies in ball gowns.”“Like the bell of the ball. It reminds me of that too. We think a lot alike.”“Except you seem to like mobsters, at least the ones who aren’t trying to hold you hostage.”“I do not. What gives you that idea?” I demanded.“It’s okay,” he stated smoothly. “You don’t have to be so defensive. It’s just you’re always flirting and chatting with the patrons.”I glared at him. “That’s part of the job. I have to make sure everyone is happy and that they keep on drinking.”“Oh,” he stated simply.“If you’d seen all the things I have, you wouldn’t accuse me of liking mobsters.”“Okay, I’m sorry, I can tell I struck a nerve there. The only reason I said that is because you seemed to mix and mingle with them so easily.”“Once they took away my freedom, I was at their mercy. It doesn’t take a smart person long to figure out they can do anything they want once they have you under your control. The owners were cutting drugs, running guns, and trafficking women.”“I apologize. I guess appearances can be deceiving.”I noticed him easing off the highway onto a secondary road. “Why are we leaving the highway? Where are you taking me?” Fear spiked in my gut that maybe he was smooth-talking me and his real plan was take me out into the middle of nowhere, rape me, kill me and dispose of my body.“I need to keep us off their radar until our reinforcements arrive. We’re not exactly inconspicuous with me wearing an expensive designer suit and you wearing a formal evening gown.”“I guess you’re right about that. Sorry to be so jumpy. This is just a lot to take in all at one time.”After a few minutes, Forge said, “To be honest, if I were in your situation, I might not truly believe I was free until the very end when all the danger had passed, and I could move on with my life.”“I like you and I want to trust you, but it’s just really hard after everything I’ve been through.”“My club brothers have rescued women before. We have a counselor who comes to the clubhouse to talk with whoever needs it. I can arrange for you to meet up with her if you like.”“That sounds like it would help. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to any of my money because my identification and credit cards were all up in my room.”“You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t think there is a cost, and if there is, our club will pick it up for you.”I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes as I made a silent prayer that all the things he was saying would turn out to be true. I needed a hero in the worst way. And I wanted it to be Forge. I was even willing to be open minded about this motorcycle club he loved so much. If only something in my life would go right for once, it would restore my faith in humanity.Suddenly, his cell phone rang. Instead of bringing it to his ear, he answered it on speaker phone.“Hey, boss. What’s up?” he said.“What the fuck do you mean, what’s up? Nicco told me you abducted a woman from the men trying to kill his family.”“Yeah, I took her with me. Wouldn’t exactly call it an abduction.”“What in the hell is going on? I need some answers and I need them right fucking now.”“She’s the woman from the audio clip I sent you.”“Holy shit. The one they were going to rape?”“Yeah, that’s the one.”“How’s she holding up?”“Ask her yourself. We’re on speaker phone and she’s sitting right here in the car with me.”Without waiting for his boss to ask, I spoke up. “Good evening sir, my name is Isabella Martinez and I’m really sorry to be an inconvenience, but as you could probably tell from listening to my bosses’ conversation, my really shitty life was about to take a turn for the worst. I’m really grateful that Forge pulled me out of the situation.”“Well, that’s alright, then. We’re glad you made it out. You just do whatever Forge says and he’ll keep you safe.”“Yes sir. I plan to.”The man’s voice turned hard again. “Look, Forge. I’m worried about your lady friend showing her face in Griffinsford. If they’re looking for her, I don’t want to make it too easy for them to find her until the Russo brothers have a chance to deal with the bastards who held her hostage.”Forge asked, “What’s the plan boss?”“I can’t afford to have men sitting on her twenty-four seven right now, and the clubhouse is packed. I want you to take her to the cabin and hole up there. I’ve sent four prospects to help with security. Will that work for you?”“Yes, boss. I can’t imagine any of them could find the cabin even if they knew we had one. If we get any trouble, we’ll fall back to underground bunker.”“That’s a good idea. I forget that place exists sometimes. We can talk more in depth later and either come up with a new strategy or decide how to integrate Ms. Martinez back into her life.”Something about the thought of going back to trying to make it big singing worried me. The entertainment business was a dog-eat-dog world. Shoving that thought aside, I said, “That sounds good.”“Roger that. I’m gonna let you go.”“I’ll let you know if anything happens.” He punched the button to disconnect the call and sped up a little.“What is the underground bunker? That sounds extreme.”“Have you heard of Crystal Connors?”“The actress? Yes, of course.”“She had a stalker a few years back who built himself an underground bunker not far from a piece of property our club owns. We have a lakeside cabin, and his bunker is a few miles up the side of a mountain. Since he died, the place has been abandoned. Because no one knows it’s there except our club, the idea popped into my mind to use it as a fallback position. We probably won’t need to use it, but I thought I would mention it to Storm just in case.”All my anxiety flew away momentarily. “You actually know her? Like, you’ve met her in real life and talked to her?”He grinned at me. “I sure do. She’s married to one of my club brothers. He’s the one who rescued her from that stalker. We see her all the time around the clubhouse.”“Oh my god. I can’t wait to meet her. I’ve always loved her acting and thought for sure she’d end up a mega star. Then she just disappeared.”“She didn’t disappear. She moved to Griffinsford, married my club brother, Hash, and opened a community theater.”“I’d love to do a project with her one day.” My mind was racing, I guess the adrenaline was fueling these crazy dreams.“Maybe you could talk her into doing a musical,” he suggested.“That would be amazing,” I said. “Well, if I get out of here alive, that is.” I tried to keep my voice light, but I kept veering between optimism and terror.Forge smiled. “Don’t worry princess, you’re getting out of here alive. Our president, Storm’s wife is a bit of a local celebrity as well. She has a popular blog about things happening in our hometown. I know it doesn’t sound very exciting, but she helped expose a cult that was kidnapping teens a few years aback. She gets involved in solving crimes and exposing political corruption.”“Oh wow, that sounds dangerous. I hope no powerful criminals retaliate against her.”He gave an easy laugh. “She wears Storm’s property cut. There’s nobody in this town stupid enough to mess with our families.”“What’s a property cut?”“It’s a black vest with our club logo and the name of the man you’re married or engaged to on the back. If we were together, yours would say Property of Forge.”“How archaic.” The idea seemed positively medieval.“Maybe,” he responded quietly. “It’s a tradition in the MC world and a source of pride for our old ladies. We consider it way of covering the women we love with our protection. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together would know better than to mess with any woman wearing a Slayers’ property cut. We don’t see it as ownership, more a warning to anyone that if they mess with that woman, they’ll have the club brothers to deal with.”I pondered that idea. “The more I think of it, the better it sounds. We women are always at a disadvantage, it seems. I think anything you could do to protect the woman you care about would be welcomed by most women.”The annoyed expression on his face softened. “We sure don’t mean it as an insult.”“I’m sorry if I offended you. I just didn’t spend a lot of time in the world and the past year and a half I was basically property of the mafia. I think the word property scared me a bit.”“I’m sorry for assuming the worst. There’s no need for me to always think the worst of people. I guess that’s a holdover from living on the streets.”“Well, I think you’ve been really nice to me so far. I hate to be such a burden to you.”“You’re not a burden. We really need to pay close attention to security because those mobsters will be coming for us. I would appreciate it if you would stay close to me. That way if something does go down, I won’t have to hunt you down.”“I’ll stay right by your side. I promise.”“Thank you.”We drove in silence for a bit. Forge’s boss sounded like kind of a hard ass, but Forge handled it with no problems. I couldn’t help but wonder what this cabin was like. I supposed it could be literally anything from a rough-hewn log structure with a fireplace and sleeping bags on the floor to a luxurious lodge. From looking at Forge, I guessed it was something in between.After about three or four hours, he pulled off the secondary road onto a dirt track. It was dark and the road was bumpy. When he slammed on his brakes, I saw a deer frozen in place in front of us. Forge dimmed the lights and the deer bolted away. When Forge didn’t move, I opened my mouth to ask what was going on. Then the deer bolted across our path in the opposite direction and then ran down the road in front of us.He turned his lights back up and muttered something about jumpy deer. I marveled at all the things he knew that I didn’t. I supposed if he had spent time at this cabin, he was probably used to dealing with panicky deer. Still, this man was impressive in a lot of ways. I was growing a genuine admiration for him. There was no doubt about that. When I’d spoken to him at the club, I was always drawn to how nice he seemed—once he finally deemed me worthy of talking to that is. Thinking back, if he was there as security detail for the Russo brothers, that probably explained why he was so standoffish when I first tried to approach him. He was working.We pulled up in front of a relatively nice cabin. There was a floodlight on the side of the house that lit up the whole area. The logs were rough and still had the bark covering them. There were shutters for the windows and a small front porch with a porch swing and a couple of chairs. It was quaint and picturesque. When we got out of the car, someone whistled, stepped out of the brush, and threw something to Forge which he caught with a grin.“If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes, I never would have believed that our favorite former prospect was passing for a city slicker.”Another man stepped out. “City slicker? Hell, he looks just like a fucking mobster.”I almost laughed when I realized they were making a big fuss over Forge and his designer suit.Forge stood there with a black leather vest in his hand. He jerked his chin at the men who were now standing side by side. “Jimmy, Carver. Nice to see you’re still monkeying around and cracking jokes.”“You can’t expect to be walking around looking like it’s your fucking wedding day without getting a little ribbing.”I stepped out and stood beside Forge. “So you’re Jimmy and Carver. Forge has told me so much about you.”One of them screwed up his face into an expression of confusion. “Are you serious?”I chuckled. “Of course not. I’m just joking, but by the expression on your faces I’m guessing there’s much to tell.”Both men looked me up and down. Normally, I’d be offended, but these guys weren’t leering at me. They were truly trying to figure me out.One of them stammered, “Are you two together?”Before Forge could answer, I responded playfully, “Well, we’re not separate.”A third man stepped out. “I like her.”Forge growled, “Fuck off nimrods. This is Isabella Martinez and she’s the fucking job. She’s got mobsters on her tail and our job is to make sure they don’t abduct her a second time.”“What do they want with a model?” one of them asked, genuinely confused.“I’m not a model. I’m a singer.”The third man leaned over to look at my backside. “She looks like a model to me.”“I’d sing you a song but as we’re trying to keep a low profile, you’ll just have to wait for my Vegas CD to come out.”The first man who stepped out laughed. “She’s definitely got the on-stage patter.”“I’ll take requests for the encore,” I said, wearing my best the-show-must-go-on stage persona. Truthfully, I just wanted to sit in a room and cry, but until then I’d fake it.The third man took a step closer and Forge lost it.“This fucking conversation is finished. I don’t want to hear another goddamn word out of any of you, Bella has had a terrible night, and we need to get her inside. Storm said he sent four of you. I want two of you sleeping, and two on watch. Trade out every four hours until I tell you otherwise.”The three men glanced at each other, saying nothing.Forge bent down, picked me up, and carried me into the cabin, slamming the door behind him with one foot.He put me down inside and mumbled, “Sorry about that. Until very recently I was a prospect and those were my peers. They haven’t quite gotten their head around the fact that I now outrank them by a considerable amount.”“Oh, I see. They were being insubordinate, did I encourage them?”Forge replied tightly, “No. Not at all. It’s okay.”“I’ll be honest. I’m pretty confused about why you’re angry.”He relaxed his shoulder and lifted his chin. “I’m not angry. I just wanted to make sure they know that they’re here to do a job, and not have fun. They weren’t taking their assignment seriously. They were also overfamiliar with you, and they had no right to treat you that way.”“Well, I’m sure you can straighten them all out tomorrow, assuming those mafia thugs don’t sneak up on us in our sleep and slit our throats.”The moment the words flew out of my mouth I was mortified. My hands came up to cover my mouth and I mumbled an apology from behind them. “Sorry. That was a horrible thing to say. I don’t know where that came from exactly.”“It’s been a long, stressful night for you, Bella. And after being held against your will, you’d have to be a fool not to worry about them showing up here to take back what they see as rightfully theirs.”He gestured upstairs with his hand still holding the leather vest. “Let’s get you upstairs and into a nice warm shower. The women associated with our club keep a closet of extra clothing upstairs. I’ll find a few outfits while you freshen up, might be a bit less high fashion than you’re used to, but they’ll do.”I allowed him to guide me upstairs, feeling more bewildered than anything by this new turn of events. He didn’t like other men being familiar with me. I rolled that around in my head all the way upstairs and was no closer to understanding it when I got to the bathroom. It was a small space with a stand-up shower. The moment the door shut behind me, I reached over and locked it. Better safe than sorry, I told myself.After starting a shower, I pulled off my gown and underwear. Stepping into the hot shower was a slice of heaven. I just stood there for a few minutes and let the water cascade over my shoulders and back. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe. Not totally one hundred percent safe, but worlds safer than I’d been the last year and a half. I soaped my body as I thought about how protective Forge had been outside. I normally didn’t like stuff like that, but his behavior was less possessive and more protective. I never really understood the difference before, but I sure did now.The more I thought of him the more aroused I became, until my clit was tingling and begging to be touched. I hadn’t been interested in anything or anyone since I took the job, maybe it was the adrenaline rush or maybe it was the relief? The door was locked, so what was the harm? One hand slid down between my folds, and I found that I was drenched with more than just water from the shower. I rubbed my clit as images of Forge’s bulky form filled my mind. Rubbing one out to his handsome face, thick fingers, and pouty lips would have to be my dirty little secret.I climbed out of the shower on trembling legs and dried off. I took me only a few moments to find a drawer containing new toothbrushes, toothpaste, and stuff like deodorant, lotions and a hairbrush and ties. While the cabin wasn’t a five-star hotel, whoever had added these wanted to make sure that their guests were looked after. That had to bode well. I set to work untangling my hair first. Once it was a long silky cascade flowing down my back, I brushed my teeth. After all that, I felt squeaky clean.Just then, there was a gentle knock at my door. “Bella, it’s Forge with some clothing for you.”I quickly wrapped a towel around my body and cracked the door open. He poked a handful of clothing through the crack and walked away fast. It was reassuring that he wasn’t lingering, trying to peep into the bathroom on me.I shut the door and quickly went through the stack of clothing. I found a pair of grey leggings and a t-shirt with Slayers written on the front that looked like they would fit me and pulled them on. Looking in the mirror, I didn’t look half bad for not having any makeup on. Dragging my fingers through my combed hair to fluff it, I opened the door and wandered out into the hallway.Standing down the hall, leaning against one of the doors, was Forge. He’d ditched his fancy suit for faded jeans, a black t-shirt, and his leather vest, the thing he called a cut. My eyes trailed down and back up his body as I walked closer to him. “Wow, your friends are all crazy. You look much better in jeans than that suit you were wearing.”His lips turned up into a tiny smile. “You used to stare at me when you sang back at the bar.”I didn’t know what got into me, but I took a step closer and ran one finger down the edge of his cut. “Of course I did. You were the only thing in that whole bar worth looking at.”