13. 13 Tori

Chapter thirteen

13: Tori

R yder slows the motorcycle down, lifting his visor as he comes to a complete stop before the police officer, who seems to have been having a go at it with Alicia. When she sets her mind to something, there's no stopping her. And in this case, it seems not even the police can deny her. I'm sure she's argued with him to stay, but for what reason, I'm not sure. Perhaps she's realized I might need some saving, that I'm not here of my own accord… not exactly anyway.

She doesn't meet my gaze, but I see her eyes land on the stupid thing around my neck. I want to tear it off and burn it now, afraid of what she must be thinking. I tug at it with my finger, feeling as though it's suddenly suffocating me, strangling me.

“Hello, Officer. Is there anything I can help you with?” Ryder slides the helmet off, charming the officer with his natural charisma and dashing smile. He tucks the helmet beneath his arm as he waits patiently for the man's response.

The cop has one of those porn staches—a fat caterpillar over his upper lip—with those douche sunglasses that reflect everything around them like a mirror so you're not sure where he's looking. I zip the jacket up further just in case, feeling gross beneath his possible gaze.

“Do you live here?” he asks, pointing to the modern mansion on the other side of the tall, black gate.

“Yes, sir, I do. Can I ask what this is about?” Ryder's personality change from the woods to now makes my head spin, not just doing a one-eighty but a whole five-forty. That's three-sixty plus one-eighty, for those who struggle with math.

“We have some questions to ask you about Bren Zimmerman. He's gone missing,” the officer informs us, draining the color from my face.

Alicia isn't here for me. She's here to make sure the guys didn't do anything to her precious Bren. My stomach turns, knowing she's siding with a guy who was going to sell me to sex traffickers.

She doesn't know about him. Doesn't know what he's really like. Cut her a break.

I'm trying to keep from crying again, seeing the way she avoids looking at my face. I'm dead to her. She meant those words.

“I'm not sure I know who that is.” Ryder furrows his brows as he feigns innocence.

“Bullshit!” Alicia points her finger at him, waving it around as if it's a weapon as she comes up behind the officer. He holds his arm out, holding her back so she's not in Ryder's face.

“Miss—I told you, you have to stay out of this,” he scolds her, clearly not for the first time.

“I'm telling you they have something to do with it!” She's seething, believing them responsible for Bren's disappearance.

“I assure you, Officer. I don't have the capabilities to make someone I don't even know vanish.” Ryder sounds so genuine that even I question whether or not he's truly forgotten who Bren is. “I would love to help however I can, though. Please let me know what you need from me and I'll happily do it.”

Pornstache's shoulders fall, and I recognize it for what it is—letting his guard down around this angel-dressed demon. He sighs, as if realizing being here will not help, guiding Alicia back as she tries to make her way toward Ryder again.

“Thank you for your compliance, but clearly this was a waste of time.” He tilts his head down toward Alicia as if scolding her. “We'll be out of your hair now. If anything should come up, I'll return.”

“Of course. Thank you, Officer.” Ryder gives him a polite nod, his pleasant smile still shining brightly.

I can hear Pornstache chewing Alicia out as they walk back to his car, threatening to arrest her for wasting state resources. Despite her being done with me, I'm not done with her. Feeling the urge to protect her, I jump off the bike before Ryder can stop me, and sprint towards them, yelling out, “Hold on a second.”

They turn, surprised by my sudden appearance. “I know Bren,” I announce, feeling Ryder's eyes stabbing me in the back. He's pissed, I know it, but he can suck it, because I'm not letting Alicia get in trouble for being worried about her friend, even if he's the scum of the Earth.

“Great. When did you last see him?” The officer takes a pad out with a pencil, ready to jot down whatever I have to say.

“On my date with him, almost two weeks ago now,” I answer honestly, because I have nothing to hide.

“He was released from the hospital a week ago and has not been heard of since. Has he reached out to you?” he asks me, lifting his gaze briefly to peek at me through the gap at the top of his sunglasses.

I shake my head. “No. Things didn't exactly end that well at the end of our date. ”

“Oh? Why is that?” he asks, probably suspecting something I'm sure is wrong.

“Because those assholes beat him up at the end of their date!” Alicia yells over Pornstache's shoulder, throwing daggers Ryder's way.

“He just wasn't my type,” I try redirecting the conversation. It's not exactly a lie, since he tried to sell me to the Niners.

“Can you think of anywhere he could have gone?” Finally, he asks a question I can use to my advantage.

“A casino or something? He has a bad gambling problem.” Alicia's eyes practically bulge out of her as I'm sure she thinks I am lying.

“Why are you protecting them, Tori?!” She's furious, all of it directed at me, a volcano spewing lava from every crack. “I know it was them who hurt Bren like that.”

“I'm not protecting them. Maybe you should open your eyes, Alicia. Bren isn’t who you think he is.”

I want her to put the pieces together, to understand what's going on, what happened. She's too upset, too hung up on the past to see beyond these three demons to the real devil.

Fucking Bren.

“Oh, my eyes are wide open, Tori. I see you for who you truly are—pathetic,” she spits the last word out, stabbing me in the heart with it.

“How long have you been holding that one back?” I snap back, wondering if she's thought of me like this long before the Iron Triad re-entered my life.

“I'll be in touch, miss…” he trails off, waiting for me to tell him my name.

“Victoria Reyes. ”

“Miss Reyes,” he nods, handing me his card, a look in his eyes that says he's more suspicious of me than he should be. “Give me a call if you think of anything else. Thank you for your help.”

“Thank you, Officer.” I take the card, shoving it in Ryder's jacket pocket. “I hope you find him.”

I tear myself away, pivoting on my heel, and slowly making my way back to Ryder who's charming smile is cracking, revealing the burning demon inside him.

How exactly will Ryder punish me?

I bite my lip at the thought, slipping back behind him as he remotely opens the gate and we drive inside. All the while, I keep my eyes on Alicia, watching her as she climbs back into her car.

The look in her eyes says she's not giving up any time soon. She truly believes the Iron Triad made him disappear, and just last week, I would have been right there with her.

I know better now.

They hurt him, but for good reason. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have stopped them. I mean, shit, maybe I would have joined in on Bren's ass kicking.

“That was stupid, KitKat,” he scolds me when we're far enough away, his back rigid and shoulders stiff.

“I didn't want her to get in trouble. It's not like anything I told him was incriminating.” I stand by what I did, even if Alicia is being a bitch right now.

“You just put us all on the path to suspects. Next time, don't open your mouth unless I tell you to.” He kicks the stand out, parking his bike back in the garage. “And I promise, the only time I'll tell you to do so is when I'm shoving my dick in your mouth.” He's pissed, hitting his helmet against the wall. “Go make us some lunch while I figure this shit out. ”

I toss my helmet at him, hitting his side as I stomp off in a pissed huff. “Asshole! Make your own damn lunch!” I slam the connecting door behind me, marching my way to the kitchen, ready to saw this collar off with a knife if I have to.

“Get your ass back here!” Ryder is right behind me, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me right back towards him. “I think you forgot who you're talking to. Just because I fucked you doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want. In fact, I own you more now, Tori. ” He rolls the ‘r,’ tantalizing my name like some aphrodisiac.

“Let go of me,” I grind out between my teeth. If this were one of my animes, this would be the moment where we’d be glaring so intensely at each other, that sparks of electricity would sizzle between us.

“Ask me nicely.” He tightens the grip on my arm, squeezing so hard it's starting to hurt.

“Fuck you,” I spit out, pulling at my arm in hopes of freeing it.

“That can be arranged.” He shoves me against the wall, pinning me there as the sounds of his zipper undoing echoes in my ear. I wiggle around, still fuming, wanting to believe that in some way I'm the one in charge, but I'm so fucking wrong.

Ryder tears my leggings down the seam, exposing my naked cunt. “You piss me the fuck off when you're not being safe. When you do stupid shit that can affect you negatively for the sake of someone else.”

He presses the head of his dick against my entrance, finding it's not as wet as he hoped. Sliding his dick up, he uses it to slap my clit. “You're the only person that matters. The only one!”

He isn't interested in getting me any wetter as he slams into me hard, scraping me with his piercings. He lets my arm go, grabbing me by the shoulders with both his hands, pushing down so that he can get deeper inside me .

“You are—” Slam . “The only—” Slam. “Important—” Slam. “Person.”

This is the first time I've ever been angry fucked, and although I'm pissed, too, it's turning me on in a different way. I want to hurt him, and he wants to hurt me.

I scratch at him with my nails, digging hard, trying to break skin. He sucks in a breath through his teeth before grunting in pleasure, slamming into me harder and harder.

The wall feels as if it's ready to cave, to crack open and swallow me whole, but then he pulls out and spurts his hot cum all over me.

“Don't risk your neck for others, KitKat. Not even me.”

Despite the anger, the absolute fury, he kisses my neck tenderly and disappears, leaving me with torn leggings and a mess of bodily fluids.

After a few hours, starting with cleaning myself, midway begging Ryder to take the collar off me and then finally succumbing to my fate, Blaze and Thorne arrive. A sense of dread so great that I want to hide again overtakes me as their heavy footsteps ascend the stairs.

Biting my nails and pulling at the collar in a last ditch-effort to get rid of it, I'm sitting on my bed, waiting… dreading. My heart’s in my throat as the door slowly opens, Thorne's dark eyes immediately landing on me. For a moment, there's light in his gaze, something I haven't seen there in so long.

The warmth almost makes me leap from the bed and straight into his arms… almost. But then it's gone as it lands on my neck, his jaw ticking at the sight. He's grabbing the door handle so tight, I can hear it across the room.

“What's that?” his words are cold, heavy, and so searing I feel as if I've been burned all over.

“What's what?” I avert my eyes, feigning ignorance. Which is so stupid, Tori.

“What's around your neck?!” his voice, although lowered in octave, is raised a few too many decibels.

“Oh, that,” I sigh, because what the heck am I supposed to say here? Admitting that what happened might not entirely fall on Ryder. Thorne's anger could very well be thrown my way for enjoying myself with his best friend.

He told you they didn't want to share…

“Yes. That!” He's at my side in a flash, hooking his finger beneath the collar and pulling it toward him, essentially dragging me with it.

“Ryder did it.” It's all I say. It's all I can say.

Without another word, Thorne drags me by the collar towards Ryder’s room. This is fucking degrading. If Ryder doesn't take this off soon, I'm grabbing the kitchen knife and cutting it off myself.

“Ryder!” Thorne booms as he swings the door open.

A few things happen all at once: Blaze emerges from his room, eyes locked on Thorne's finger hooked around the collar. I trip over myself, because I'm being pulled by the neck and it's throwing my center of balance off. Ryder turns, shirtless and handsome as fuck, his expression arrogant as he smiles.

“So, she told you?” God, the confidence Ryder has could feed every hungry child on the planet.

“That you put this damn thing on her? Yes!” He pulls the collar, and me, in front of him before pushing me toward Ryder. “Take it off her. Now!”

“Fuck off, Thorne. It's not my fault I brought her more pleasure than you did.” There's that smirk again, taunting and cruel, only this time, it's not at me. Thorne's eyes glue to mine, and for a moment, I almost feel guilty. To add insult to injury, Ryder continues, “You should have heard her yell my name. Definitely a lot louder than yours. ”

There's no hesitation, no second to think as Thorne comes right up to Ryder and punches him square in the face. The boys start throwing punches left and right, and me too close for comfort. I'm barely dodging their movements as I try to back away, finding myself against a wall.

Let's see how many times I get hit by mistake.

Blaze enters, clearly having heard it all. His eyes bore into mine like death ready to claim my soul. I'd never seen him so upset before. He stands between the boys, hands pushed against their chests as he breaks them apart.

“I'm not going to keep splitting these fights up, so you two better figure your shit out before one of you kills the other.” He pushes them both, forcing them each to take a step back. “Ryder, you're taking the damn collar off. She doesn't belong to you, no matter what happened while we were gone.”

“What?!” Ryder looks offended and mildly shocked, like he'd hoped that Blaze would be on his side. “No fucking way. She's mine. She said so herself.”

Blaze's eyes meet mine once more, an expression so unreadable it sends a block of ice down my spine. “Victoria, go to your room. Now!” he yells, pointing out into the hall.

I don't protest, moving past Thorne and Ryder with my head ducked. When I pass Blaze, I swear I hear him murmur, “Never his.”

The door is instantly closed behind me and I'm left glued to my spot as I listen in.

“What the hell is wrong with the two of you?” It's Blaze who speaks first, his tone scolding and angry. “You weren't supposed to sleep with her. We had rules, and you both broke them. ”

“You started it!” Ryder's the one to defend himself first, pointing blame elsewhere as usual. “I know you kissed her. I was checking the cameras that whole day.”

“Shoving my tongue down her throat is different than shoving my dick inside her, so don't give me your shit,” Blaze is quick to respond, but there's an unmistakable bitterness in his words, almost as if he's jealous of the fact. “You're taking her collar off today. No one is claiming her!”

His words are final as a silence falls over them and I take it as my cue to leave. I'm at my door when I hear them step back out. Ryder is the last to appear, carrying a small key in his right hand. He reluctantly, bitterly, walks towards me and unlocks it. He then takes the lock off the collar and places it on a chain.

“That's for later, when you've earned it, and these motherfuckers are off my ass.” He gestures with his thumb towards Blaze and Thorne.

Ryder has a swollen cheek and a partially cracked lip from his scrap with Thorne, his piercing, blue eyes holding my own before I flicker them back to the lock on the chain.

Why do I suddenly want it so badly?

***

Turns out when Ryder says he's going to figure shit out, he figures shit out. He isn't one to wait around and twiddle his thumbs, none of them are, and they made that very clear when Ryder told them what happened with the police that day and what an idiot I am. Which leads us to now, three days later, and on the doorstep of the Niners .

“I really don't think she should be here for this,” Thorne iterates his cautious thoughts once more as we walk up to the nightclub. It's a neon sign glowing brightly against the moonless sky.

“She has to be here,” Blaze reminds him, having thought everything out.

“I'll keep her safe, don't worry.” Ryder drapes his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close against his chest. “Stay by my side at all times, got it?” he whispers in my ear as if it's something flirty, having me smile and nod as I act along, walking in with them like this isn't the scariest thing we've all done.

Thanks to my big mouth, the cops dug around Bren's finances, taking what I said into account. What looks terrible is the fact that he suddenly got a large lump sum of money shortly after our date. I know it to be the payoff these three gave him to keep his mouth shut about them beating his ass. The cops, however, find it awfully suspicious.

In order to keep them from digging deeper—and thinking that these three had something to do with his disappearance—we've decided to find him ourselves. They'll have no reason to continue investigating if their missing person suddenly reappears. They can question Bren about where he's been later.

I glue myself to Ryder's side, fear gripping me as I enter the den of monsters filled with the Earth's darkest secrets. The sensation of eyes all over me makes me want to flee, to dash back outside and scrub off the grime their gaze has left on my skin.

The underground gambling ring is bathed in a dim red glow, shadows flickering across the walls. Cigar smoke hangs in the air, thick and suffocating, wrapping around me like a warning. Men in sharp suits crowd around poker tables, their expressions a mix of greed and arrogance, while their bodyguards watch over the scene, their eyes scanning for any trouble .

As we navigate through the crowd, I spot waitresses in skimpy outfits moving carefully, their unease clear as they serve drinks in essentially bedazzled bras and underwear. Men reach out, their hands brushing against them without hesitation, to the women's dismay, but they do nothing to stop it. They don't slap the greedy hands away, don't turn and tell them off; they don't even look in their direction. I think that's what unsettles me the most.

The atmosphere is charged, so tense, it makes my skin crawl as every step I take reminds me of how vulnerable I really am. Panic is setting in as I struggle to remember how to breathe, feeling crushed by the weight of being a woman in a place infamous for sex trafficking.

Sensing my unease, Ryder pulls me close against his chest. It appears casual, but I can feel the strength and protection in his stance. His smile is wide, appearing excited to be here, but I can see the anger simmering in his eyes as he takes it all in.

“We stick together,” Blaze informs us all as he leads the way.

Ryder positions me in front of him, sandwiching me between him and Blaze, with Thorne looming behind. The poker tables are crammed so closely together, leaving barely enough room to walk, which explains how these men can access the waitresses so easily.

As we continue, a hand slides out, grabbing a handful of my ass cheek and squeezing it. My heart races as fear and adrenaline surge through my veins. Ryder abruptly stops, as Blaze—none the wiser—continues on.

In the blink of an eye, the situation changes drastically. Ryder has the culprit pinned to the ground, his foot pressing down on the man's back as he twists his arm at an unnatural angle. Two guards have their guns pointed at Ryder's head, but he doesn’t bat an eye as he continues to make the man scream in agony .

Meanwhile, Thorne assumes Ryder's position, holding me against him while he points a gun I didn't even know he had at one of the guards. The room grows quiet, which seems a hundred times more dangerous as all eyes fall on us.

Blaze, realizing what's happened, tries to make his way back from a few tables ahead, but the commotion has created a barrier of bodyguards blocking his path to us. The plan was to come in, take a look around, listen in on some conversations, and take our leave. It was to not attract attention. The plan was to not get killed. Yet here we are, all eyes on us, two guns pointed our way.

There's another shift in the room as I can practically hear all the men's assholes pucker in fear. The guards lower their guns, looking past Thorne, behind him. Curiously, I very slowly turn my head, seeing the crowd part for a man, scooting their chairs out of the way long before he's even ten feet away.

He’s strikingly handsome, with dark hair slicked neatly to the side, glinting under the dim, red lights. His sharp jawline is accentuated by a faint stubble, and his black eyes scan the room with a mix of confidence and mischief, narrowing slightly as they land on us.

As he approaches, his athletic build becomes more pronounced beneath the tight, rolled-up sleeves of his white button-down shirt. His arms move with fluidity, making the intricate tattoos on his forearms shift and dance in vivid colors, some of which complement the burgundy vest he wears. When he smiles, revealing perfect, white teeth, it’s both charming and unsettling, as if he’s fully aware of the power he wields. The air around him hums with tension—and in that moment, it’s clear why everyone falls silent.

He's Nico Sterling .

I recognize his face from posts, rumors, and news articles—the boss, the founder, the owner of the Niners. He runs this entire place, owns every worker here… quite literally.

When his eyes land directly on me, scanning me from head to toe, a heavy weight drops in the pit of my stomach. Fear churns within me, forcing me to swallow the rising bile. I’m shaking, but Thorne holds me tight enough against him that no one seems to notice.

“And who might you gentlemen be?” he asks in a very professional voice, as if he were a manager sent down to settle a disgruntled customer.

“Don't worry. We'll leave as soon as this asshole apologizes for grabbing my woman's ass.” Ryder doesn't answer the question, too focused on the guy on the floor to even bother lifting his gaze.

“Is that right?” The tone of his voice is so eerily calm that it feels as if we’re speaking directly to the devil himself. “Now, now, Chet. Does this lovely, young woman look like one of my workers?” He steps closer, gesturing to me with his hand.

The man on the floor—Chet, I'm gathering—shakes under Ryder's black vans. “No, sir. I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't looking. I was too focused on the game. Please, it won't happen again. Please, sir. Have mercy!”

Ryder may be the one physically hurting him, but all his fear is directed at Nico. The big boss man sighs and takes another step forward, nodding to a figure lurking in the shadows. His massive stature surprises me, revealing just how well he had concealed his presence before.

“You know the rules, Chet. Another man's woman is never to be touched.” He shakes his finger robotically at the man, disapproving of Chet's actions. “Please, let me handle this mess, and accept my deepest apologies.” Nico looks at me as he speaks, as if I'm the one in charge of our little group. All I can manage to do is give him a small nod of my head.

Ryder's still fuming, but he lets go of Chet, who is then scooped up by the giant, dragged through the crowd past the tables and through a door in the back. I have no idea what's going to happen to him, and I never want to know.

“Please accept our apologies for causing a scene.” Blaze finally makes it to us, immediately putting out fires he didn't even start.

There's a flash in Nico's eyes that has my heart erratically thumping with fright. “How about we all talk in my office?” The smile is still present as he gestures for us to follow him back the way he came.

“That would be great.”

None of us feel that way, but we know this is not so much an invitation as a demand, something we really cannot refuse if we want to leave here in one piece.

I, for one, would love to not be here anymore. I should have stayed behind.