Chapter 19

19

NEVADA

When I dressed this morning, things felt different. For the first time in a long time, I had a spring in my step. I was even whistling when I had my shower. I would've had Star come in here with me, but she went to see Kyle and Halo first thing. After last night's confessions, I got the impression she needed to clear her head.

I felt everything.

Every single moment in slow motion. Not just our love making which didn't end all night because we were both so hot and heavy that I'd no sooner pulled out, she was straddling me and riding me like a cowgirl. Seeing my cum drip out of her… I can't even. I cup my dick, wondering how much cum could be left in my balls after last night, but my phone rings, jolting me out of my reverie.

Fucking no caller ID.

I grab a towel, wrap it around my waist and answer it. "What?" I shout. "Are you too fuckin' gutless to even say anythin'?"

Then I hear something so I strain harder to hear. Shuffling. Then… I hear my own voice. I can't make out what I'm saying but it's definitely me. Then I hear a girl giggling. " Oh, right there, right there…" It sounds like… me having sex with a girl.

What in the fuck?

"Take it," I say. "Take this dick, baby. Yeah, that's good, so good…"

Did some fucking bitch record us having sex? I panic for a moment, my heartbeat kicking up a notch, but the girl's voice isn't Star's.

If someone is trying to bribe me, then what the fuck do they want?

I hear her moaning, telling me how good it feels and how big I am, then I hang up.

Adrenaline courses through my veins. I wish this sick fuck would just leave me alone.

If you want something, then ask for it. If I fuckin' find out who it is, I'll make them regret it. I crack my neck. It's just someone messing with me. I can't exactly block a no caller ID but I won't be answering anymore calls. If it's a disgruntled chick that I had sex with, well, it could be anyone. It isn't like I've kept track of them over the years. Some chicks did want more from me, but I didn't want that back then. I was just doing my thing and having fun, like they were. I've never led a chick on before, I've always been upfront about having sex and there being nothing else in it.

I palm the back of my neck.

I don't want that to take the edge off how elated I'm feeling about my girl. I won't let it. I've never had this feeling of contentment in my life, so I'm gonna milk it and fuck anyone who wants to destroy that.

Nothing and nobody is gonna spoil this good feeling that spreads through my body like wildfire. I'm in love for the first time in my life. And she told me she loved me first. My ol' lady.

My heart warms. We can start our new life together when this is over. When Tilly's back and she has her sister safe and sound. Only then do I truly feel Star can let me love her like I want to. Like how she deserves. And I can't wait for that day to come.

"Don't know about you, but they look like cops to me," one of Jefferson's men says, eyeing me, Haze and Brew. Riot stayed downstairs with Star, and Halo is out in the van with Kyle, just in case we need to get away fast. I didn't want us to split up, but someone has to keep their eyes on what's going on downstairs, and let us know if anyone else comes into the VIP area.

Brew snorts. "Cops? And here I was thinkin' we looked more like a bunch of Boy Scouts."

Haze chuckles and I keep my eyes on Monty Jefferson. He looks like a typical wannabe gangster. He even has the cheap suit, gold medallion and gelled back hair to prove it.

"Friend of ours said you were havin' a meetin' tonight and we wanted in. Been lookin' for a new supplier in NOLA since the takedown of the Carusos'," he goes on. Of course, anyone who's anyone would have heard about it. The news never stops replaying the same old shit.

"What are you in the market for?" Jefferson looks bored.

Brew shifts his gaze to the old man. "Same shit. Guns. Drugs. Women."

"Got plenty of fine women here. Some even speak English." He smiles, and some of the men around him snicker.

"Bitches all been snuffed out of New Orleans," Haze continues. "Makin' it hard for us to stay in business. We have a strip club, it's a front for prostitution and illegal workers. We sell poor people to rich people, since the cartel have the south covered, findin' it harder to get immigrants goin' cheap."

The idea rolls off me and I try not to shudder. Though Haze is bluffing, all of what he's saying is true. And he wants Jefferson to admit he has girls.

"Immigrants are for peasants," he spits. "Got me some fine women thanks to the Carusos. Since their entire army was annihilated, it's only helped business along, if you get my drift."

The Carusos may have only been prominent in Texas and New Orleans, but their wrath was felt all over the country. And some, like this asshole, are thriving on the loss.

I glance around. "So, what do you have and how do we get some?"

His eyes level on me. "Firstly, who was the friend you speak of?"

Years of being in an MC and having to deal with unpleasant situations mean that I don't react on instinct. I have no fucking clue, because I didn't speak to the security, or grab his name, but before me, Haze or Brew can answer I hear, "They're with me."

I turn and look over my shoulder.

No fucking way.

Bane Adler.

The goddamn Ridgehaven Hellions prez. What the fuck is he doing here?

He's a big guy. Has a mean look about him, but he still manages to draw looks from everyone around him. He has mid-length hair that is tied back by a bandana and light, almost clear, blue eyes with dark scruff.

He glances at each one of us, and though I've never met him in person, he clutches a hand on my shoulder. "Good to see you, Nevada."

And now he knows my fucking name?

Jefferson laughs. "Well, next time let me in on anyone you're bringing beforehand. These guys almost left with holes in them."

Brew snorts, earning him looks from Jefferson's henchmen.

I turn and we clench hands as I half-stand, giving him a shoulder bump. "Good to see you too, old friend." He gives the same treatment to Brew and Haze, and they mask their surprise well. This has to be fuckin' Cash. There is no way Bane just knew to show up here unannounced. As he moves, I glance behind him and see five other men, all dressed in Ridgehaven Hellions Mississippi cuts. They look like a mean bunch, and I'm suddenly glad we're on their good side, at least, I think we are.

He also says nothing about the NOLA Rebels MC.

He takes a seat next to me. "So, what did I miss?"

Asshole Jefferson fills him in, and Bane does a good job of looking interested. "Amazin' how you haven't sent any bitches my way." He shakes his head. "Guess it's not what you know around here, right, Monty?"

The other man's nostrils flair at the sound of his first name. "Now. Now. I always give you first dibs on all the good funs. It's the first time I'm hearing about you wanting dames. That I can arrange. A club like yours would go through women like swatting mosquitoes, and I've a new shipment that I know you'll be interested in."

"That's what I'm talkin' about." He cracks his knuckles.

"What about us?" Brew pipes up. "Didn't haul our cookies here just to put out in the cold."

Bane thumbs at the brothers over his shoulder. "I can vouch for them. Known the assholes for years, they run a tight ship, and I'm sure I don't need to tell you the market in New Orleans is kinda slow thanks to the Carusos." He rubs his chin. "Plus, I owe them a favor. So, that bein' said. If we can snaffle half the bitches, and they have the other half, I figure we're even."

"As long as you know the price." Jefferson levels Bane with his gaze. You'd think for how much money this guy makes, he'd be able to afford a better suit. "That hasn't changed, and there are no discounts. Unless you want to sample a whore for free."

He signals with his two fingers and one of the henchmen disappears, only to return with a small, dark-haired girl who barely looks legal. Holy fuckin' shit.

She isn't like the other girls in here who dance with confidence, like they want to be here. This chick is clearly frightened. Her eyes dart around and when Jefferson shoves her over to Bane, he pulls her onto his lap. She doesn't struggle; clearly she's been told to behave. But grooming can take a while, and her resistance is not only visible, but cringeworthy. I want to beat this man to a pulp.

Bane rubs his hands down the sides of her thighs as her breath hitches. "Do I have to give this one back?" he chuckles.

Jefferson smirks. "Consider her a gift. Just don't bruise her up too bad, she's training to service some of the politicians and congressmen downtown. They like the younger ones."

It's a slight movement, but one of Bane's hands curls into a fist.

"How old is she?" I sound bored, hoping to not raise suspicion.

"Barely eighteen." Jefferson's eyes wander down to her tits. "Younger ones are easier to manipulate and control. Once you have their soul, break them in, that's when things get really interesting."

"You speak English?" Bane looks down at her. She's stunning. She's barely wearing any makeup except a slick of red lipstick. Her skirt is short, and her top low. Her shock of long, black hair is slung across one tanned shoulder.

It only confirms that this asshole is trafficking women, but whether he has any girls from New Orleans remains to be seen.

She nods.

Bane looks up. "This looks broken. You got anymore?"

"Merchandise arrives tomorrow night," Jefferson says, leaning forward. "You like her, I've got plenty more just like it."

Bane nods once. "Send the location, we'll be there."

"I'll send the usual instructions, make sure your friends don't bring anyone else. We wouldn't want our little get-together to get out of hand, would we?"

"That won't happen," Bane assures him. He plants a hand on the woman's ass. "She's comin' with me."

Jefferson grins. "Be my guest."

We go to stand, and I've no fuckin' clue how this escalated, but for the first time, we have a goddamn chance. Finding Tilly may be like a needle in a haystack, but now that we know Jefferson's MO, we can act accordingly.

Brew and Haze slowly rise, as do I and we turn to follow Bane toward the stairs that lead down.

"Second avenue on south," Bane says as soon as we're past the security guard. "There's a shop called Cigar Haven, meet me there. Make sure you're not followed."

He puts his arm around the girl and whispers something to her. She immediately relaxes. I stare after him. She willingly goes, which I guess if you look at the other option of staying here with Monty Jefferson, I'd probably do exactly the same.

Riot and Star meet up with us as we go to leave. I slide a hand around my girl's waist and hold her there. There's too many bodies here, and too many bad apples. Though, nobody seems to want to mess with us either, so that's a bonus.

"Is everything okay?" she asks. "Why are we leaving so soon?"

"I'll explain in the truck."

The chill of the night air has Star shivering, and I shrug off my coat to wrap it around her shoulders.

Bane is nowhere to be seen. Son of a bitch.

I look at Brew and Haze. "Riot will come with us. Star will text Kyle and Halo to follow, but make sure they stay out of sight."

"This all Cash's doin'?" Haze barks. "Would've been good to give us the heads up."

"Heads up about what?" Harlem's voice booms behind us.

I turn, and sure enough the big guy and Tag, along with Pipes, Hawk and Bandit come up behind us.

"About time you guys arrived," I mutter.

"You think we'd let you do this alone?" Harlem grunts. "Cash thought it'd be best if you had some back-up, just in case."

"Can't say I'm complainin'," I say. "But Bane? Seriously, the guy's unhinged from what I've heard, now we're goin' to some secret location to discuss business."

"Cash said he's legit, and he's been workin' with this scumbag Jefferson for a while," Tag says. "He's tryin' to bring him down."

"That remains to be seen," Haze mutters. "He did just take a girl with him who's a hundred percent bein' trafficked."

"Better off with him than with that asshole," I interject. "And she might talk."

"We're comin' with you," Hawk adds. "This could get out of hand before it even begins. Bane won't be happy about us bein' here pokin' around, and while Cash smoothed shit over, it won't hold him forever."

Shit like that doesn't scare me. If Bane is this upstanding guy, then the more people trying to break these assholes, the better.

"Did we learn anythin' else?" Harlem strokes his beard.

"Only that Jefferson has young girls, and not just immigrants. He was quite proud of it," I say. "He's definitely workin' with traffickin' circles, admitted it and didn't give a shit about Bane takin' that chick. Called it a freebie."

"What? So now he's just giving girls away?" Star's eyes are wide and I know she wants to go back in there and punch his face in. She's not alone. We all do.

"Yep, and we have a viewing tomorrow night with Bane," I add. "He has girls at the ready. We posed as strip club owners who need new girls, then with Bane needin' sweet butts for his ilk, we get first dibs."

Her hand slides into mine and squeezes it. I see the tension in her face, her eyes glaze over but she stands up straighter. "A viewing?" Her hand goes to her throat. "He's a fucking monster."

I cup one side of her face, not caring that everyone's watching. "Don't go losin' it on me now, Estelle. Need to be strong. We don't know what we're gonna find." It also doesn't mean we'll find Tilly.

"But we're close," she whispers. "I can feel it. We're really close this time." The desperation in her voice has me looking up at the other guys. I don't want them to hear this.

"Cigar Haven," I tell them. "We'll have Kyle and Halo staked out near the front. Follow us." I tug her by the hand and lead her to my truck.

"Nevada?" she says. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"You don't think that she's there."

"I never said that."

She pulls out of my grip and I turn.

"We don't have time for this, babe. Get in the car."

"We are close." I go to cup her face again but she pulls away. "Nevada?"

My heart breaks for her. "Of course we are. I just don't want you to get your hopes up. There's so many hurdles to get over."

She frowns like she doesn't understand. "Do you think I don't get that?"

"Get in the car, Estelle."

"Do you think she's alive, Nevada?"

I swallow hard. "Yes, baby. I do think she's alive, but the condition she'll be in when we find her, are you prepared for that?"

She closes her eyes momentarily. "How does one prepare themselves for that, exactly?"

I pull her to me and this time she lets me. I kiss the top of her head. "If I didn't think there was hope, I would tell you. We know the odds. We can't think about any of that. All we can do is focus on this meetin' and track her down."

She grips me, her hands fisting my shirt. "I have to find her."

"We will." Fuck, I hope that's true. "I just need you to be strong for a little longer."

She nods. "You know I'll fight to the death." She gives me a watery smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "And I'm coming to see this Bane guy, tomorrow night."

I roll my eyes. "Would I expect anythin' less?"

This time the worry on her face lessens. "No."

I open the passenger door and put my hand on the small of her back. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

It's no surprise that Cigar Haven is just a front for a secret meeting room for Ridgehaven Hellions MC. It isn't their clubhouse as they don't reside here in Jackson, but when they're here on business, this is where they hang out. The setup is pretty cool. It does actually sell cigars during the day, then the back opens up to a giant meeting room with tables and couches. There's also an upstairs with three bedrooms and an office.

When the Sergeant at Arms, a scary motherfucker called Viking, begrudgingly let us through the back, his counterpart and the club's Enforcer, Hornet, made it obvious he also wasn't happy. There was a stand-off between them and Harlem and Tag, noticing their patches, but then all of a sudden, Harlem gripped Viking's hand. "Good to see you, fuckface."

The dude, who really does resemble a Viking, suddenly breaks into a grin. "It's been a long time, Harlem. Heard you got yourself roped up with Cash."

Harlem chuckles. "Best thing I ever did." He introduces everyone, and when it comes to the Nomad Brothers, they don't miss a trick.

"Thought you were just an urban legend." Hornet smirks.

"Rumors about swingin' dicks are all true." Brew cocks a brow.

Haze pinches the bridge of his nose. "For fuck's sake."

When their eyes fall on Star, I say, "She's with me."

"Damn, brother." Viking looks her up and down. "I thought you'd brought a gift."

I tighten my arm around her shoulders as she looks him dead in the eye. "I could drop you like a chump. The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

A smile crosses Viking's lips in amusement. "That so?"

"Let's not get started on what she can do with knives," Riot helpfully puts in.

"Sounds like my kinda woman," Hornet agrees.

I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with these guys, but that's my woman they're talking about. "She's my kinda woman. My ol' lady."

Viking's not giving up. "She claimed?"

"Yep," I lie. I'm sure none of my boys will tell them the truth. If Star's claimed, then nobody can do shit. Not that the same rules always apply to different MCs, but these guys are allies, not enemies.

"Plus, you're not my type," Star adds as the guy's snicker around us.

"That so?"

She turns and very deliberately pulls me to her, crashing her lips to mine and I feel her tongue slide in my mouth. My dick hardens as I think about fuckin' her in front of these assholes, knowing they can't have her. Not that I want anyone watching my girl naked, but in a darkened corner I'd be up for it. It's a fantasy that I know we're gonna have to explore since I had the idea at the club. There's a couple of low whistles and I know Star is smart. She's staking her claim so there's no trouble. She's a chick entering another MCs' domain. We have to talk the talk. And if she's claimed by me, she's completely off limits. She's mine.

"Can we hurry this up?" she says loud enough so they can hear her. "I need to go home so you can fuck me, baby." Oh, she plays the part of my biker chick so well.

Viking has his greedy eyes all over her and I want to rip his eyeballs from his head. "You ever wanna share, brother, just gotta ask."

"Fuck you," I throw at him. "We gonna get this show on the road, or are we gonna stand here all night pissin' in the wind?"

They move off in front of us and the boys follow behind. I turn to look at Star.

"That make you horny?" I mutter.

She bites down on her lip and I grin. "Maybe."

I spank her ass hard. "That's for lookin' so damn fine tonight that I have an entire MC wantin' to fuck you. Makes my job ten times harder."

She wraps her arms around my waist as we walk, her head leaning on my shoulder. "It's a good thing the only man I want touching me is you."

"Music to my ears, Mama. Just keep that smart mouth shut from now on, and we might just make it outta here alive."