Prodigal Son (23 page)

Managing to extricate myself from the gorgeous man who was still sound asleep, I slipped on the night gown he’d gotten for me and smiled as I looked down at his messy blond hair and relaxed, sprawled out pose. Was it possible that I could really end up with a guy like Luke?

In the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror, and all things considered, I didn’t look too awful. My jawline was starting to show a bruise that I figured would blacken a good portion of my face. I might need to talk to Mark about my work schedule, because I wasn’t sure he’d want a bruised-up bartender on duty. I’d just have to figure out a way to deal with the lost wages, but I kinda figured that Luke wouldn’t mind if I spent a few days with him while I sorted a few things out.

I was certain that I’d left my clothes on the bathroom counter, but I couldn’t find them anywhere, so I put on a robe over my nightgown and headed out to the living room, intending to order some coffee from room service. Looking over the menu at the ridiculous prices, I decided to just order coffee and some fruit. Luke had been amazingly generous, but I realized that I could spend more money on breakfast at the Ritz than I pulled in in an entire shift. No one could possibly have enough money to live this way forever, and I wasn’t going to needlessly blow Luke’s inheritance.

When room service arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find a bag with my clean clothes inside, neatly pressed and folded. I signed for the food, thanked the man, and got down to the very serious business of getting myself a cup of coffee.

I was just pouring my second cup from the elegant silver coffee pot when Luke emerged from the bedroom, running his hand through his messy hair, bare-chested, and drop-dead gorgeous. He dropped a kiss on the top of my head and poured himself a cup of coffee before joining me at the table.

“Morning, gorgeous,” he said, making me feel like the sun had just come out, filling me with the warmth of genuine affection that went beyond just wanting to fuck my brains out.

“Good morning,” I answered, thinking that I could get used to starting my morning with Luke around.

“Sleep okay?” he asked.

“Better than I expected. Face hurts like hell, but I think I’ll live.”

Luke sat up and examined my face in the sunlight from the window. “The bruise is gonna look worse before it looks better, but I’m just glad you’re safe and here with me.”

I smiled at him and leaned over and kissed him. “Me, too. And thanks for having my clothes cleaned. I was afraid I was gonna have to walk outta here naked. Couldn’t find them anywhere.”

Luke laughed with me before he set down his coffee and leaned over to take my hand. “Krystal, I want you to know that I meant everything I said yesterday. This isn’t just about the sex — although there’s gonna be a lot more of that. I really like you, and I want to be with you. You’re mine now, and whatever we have to do to sort that out with the Sons and with Bug, that’s what we’ll do. You belong to me, and I don’t share.”

Well, I’d wanted Luke to be more assertive, and it looked like I’d gotten that … in spades. I squeezed his hand. “I’m all yours, Luke, and not just because you’re protecting me. I’m yours because you’re a good man, and I want to be with you.”

“Fair enough,” he said, returning to his coffee. “So what’s the game plan for today?”

“I looked in the mirror, and I’m definitely not going to be able to go to work for a few days. I’ve already texted my manager, and I’m waiting to hear back from him. Really, the only other thing I need to do is find some way to get my stuff out of Bug’s house.”

“I’ll call Joker and see what we can do about getting Bug out of the house so you can get what you need.”

Despite my aching jaw, and the fact that I had one set of clothing in my possession, and I wasn’t sure where I would live, I felt warm and safe, and like a very fortunate girl.

“Do you have things set up?” I asked an hour or so later, after I’d had a chance to shower and get dressed.

“All set,” Luke answered. “Joker talked to Bug, and he’s left town for a couple of days — going to visit Jimmy in Fort Collins.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Does he know I’m going to get my stuff?”

“Joker told him, and he told him that he’s not to come anywhere near you.”

“Does he know about you and me?” I asked, worried about what would happen when Bug got back into town.

“Don’t know. Don’t care,” Luke said, jaw set in a determined line. “I’ll deal with Bug if I need to, but he’ll realize soon enough that he’s better off just staying the fuck outta my way.”

Wow. It was like Luke had gone to Arizona a boy and come back a man. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll move to the Fort Collins chapter,” I said, hoping that somehow, I’d never have to see Bug again.

“He can do whatever he likes, except for touching you again,” Luke said, in a tone of voice that said he’d entertain no arguments to the contrary.

“Ready?” he asked, holding his hand out for mine.

“Absolutely,” I answered, looking forward to leaving Bug behind and moving on to the next chapter of my life.

On the way to Bug’s, Luke and I talked about the future. Luke knew that he couldn’t live at the Ritz forever, and I was surprised to hear that he’d looked into a few houses for rent.

“I want to buy or build something eventually, but renting will give me a chance to figure out exactly where I want to live in the area.”

“Are you going to sell your condo in Arizona?”

“Ever been to Flagstaff?” he asked.

“No. I hear Arizona’s hot.”

“Parts of it are, and Flagstaff gets hot during the day in the summer, but because of the elevation, it cools down at night. It’s a gorgeous city, and I think I’ll keep the condo. I can take you there and introduce you to my old friends — before my MC days.”

We both laughed, and I realized how much his life had changed in a relatively short period of time.

“Aren’t you worried about money?” I couldn’t imagine having enough money to be able to pay for more than one place to live.

“I told you that my parents left me some money. If I’m smart — and I am — I won’t have to worry about money ever again. And if you’re smart — and I’m sure you are — neither will you.” He reached out and took my hand, and we were quiet for the rest of the drive to Bug’s neighborhood.

Luke pulled into the driveway, and I realized that all of my muscles were tense. I wanted to get my shit and get out of there.

He put the Jeep into park. “I’m going to stay out here and keep an eye out for Bug. I don’t trust that he won’t come back and try to catch you here.”

I nodded.

“When you have everything packed up, let me know, and I’ll help you carry it out.”

“Will do.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Luke. “Thanks again.”

“No thanks necessary, gorgeous,” he said, getting out of the car and leaning against it. “I’ll be right here when you’re ready.”

I was smiling back at Luke when I unlocked the door, and I must have been in a fog from the flood of emotions, or I’m sure I would have noticed that something was wrong before I stepped inside, closed the door, and felt the hand cover my mouth and the knife blade at my throat.

“If you make a sound, I will kill you right now, and then I’ll kill that little prick outside.” Bug’s whisper was deadly serious, and I felt all the blood rush from my face. “You understand?” he asked.

I nodded, feeling his hand pressing painfully on the jaw that he’d bruised the day before. He pulled me — slowly, so I wouldn’t stumble — into the master bedroom, the furthest point from the front door, and I knew that even if I screamed, that there was no way Luke would hear me. My only hope was to stay alive and hope that Luke came inside to check on me.

Bug picked up a roll of duct tape from the dresser, tore a piece off, and covered my mouth with it, grabbing me by the jaw after he’d silenced me and examining the results of his handiwork the day before. “Looks like you’re a little bruised up, you fucking cunt.”

I stood still, shaking in fear, trying desperately to think of a way to get out before he killed me.

“Now, I was going to take my time with you, sweetheart. I guess I have to change my plans a bit since you’ve brought your stupid fucking lover boy with you. I was gonna fuck you every way I could think of, and I was gonna kill you with my dick in your ass. I was gonna make you bleed to death while I fucked you bloody.” Bug started to stroke himself through his jeans, and I could tell that he was turned on by the thought of my pain.

“But I don’t have all day, do I?”

It wasn’t like I could answer, not with tape over my mouth, and all I could hope was that maybe I could escape while he fumbled with his pants, or maybe I could distract him somehow. I forced myself to stay calm, even though I could feel the telltale signs of a panic attack beginning.

Bug pushed me backward onto the bed, and I stumbled and ended up sprawled across it. He reached down and pulled my t-shirt away from my skin at the neck. Using his knife, he slowly sliced the shirt down the front until it fell away, exposing my bra.

“Unbuckle my belt,” he said, rubbing his hard-on.

I sat up, not even bothering to try to cover myself with the remains of my shirt, and I unbuckled his belt, waiting for further instructions.

“Undo my pants.”

I did what he asked, and he stepped back to shift his jeans down over his erection and step out of them, keeping the knife pointed at me.

“Wrap your hands around my cock, whore,” he said, stepping toward me and pointing the knife right at my throat.

Knowing that if I tried to hurt him, he’d kill me, I complied. He grabbed my face while I rubbed his cock, and he turned my head to the side, pressing painfully on my jaw. I must have moaned in pain, because he pulled his erection out of my hands and stepped back, looking at me in tears on the bed.

“Does that hurt?” he asked.

I nodded silently.

He reached out with the knife and ran the blade along my stomach, just beneath my breasts. The knife must have been really sharp, because for a second I didn’t feel anything but pressure. I looked down and saw blood welling from the cut and the pain hit me.

“How about that?” he asked. “Does that hurt?”

I nodded, and it occurred to me that I was going to die that day. I was going to die at the hands of the monster I’d slept with, cooked for, and lived with. Bug was going to kill me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Bug reached down with the knife again, and I flinched as he cut my bra, right in the center, so the cups fell away and my breasts were exposed. He used the knife to circle my nipple, light enough that he didn’t break the skin, but terrifyingly close to it. I drew in my breath, trying to keep still and hoping that somehow, some way, he would stop. He pulled the knife away from the nipple he’d toyed with, and casually sliced toward my other breast, opening a cut that stopped just short of my other nipple. I breathed in, wishing my mouth weren’t covered, and I flinched and pulled away.

“Don’t you fuckin’ move, you piece of trash. I’m gonna make you bleed to pay for what you’ve done. Your whore’s body will be taken out of here in pieces when I’m done with you.”

I closed my eyes and felt the tears running down my face. When I opened my eyes and looked down, I saw tears and blood mingled on my chest, and I felt any hope for survival disappear.

I
was standing outside Bug’s house, enjoying the sunshine and thinking that it wouldn’t take much effort to make the front yard look one hundred percent better, when my phone vibrated. I looked down and saw a Colorado number that I didn’t recognize.

“Luke, here,” I answered, assuming that the call was about the dispensary.

“Um, Luke, this is Nate.”

“Yeah?” I wasn’t sure what the new patch-over from Fort Collins thought about Bug’s assault on Krystal yesterday because he’d seemed pretty tight with Bug and J.C., but I figured that he’d called me for a reason.

“Hey, is Krystal with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, good.”

I could hear the relief in his voice.

“Why?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. As long as she’s with you, I’m sure she’s okay.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, suspicious.

“Well, it’s nothing since you’re with her. It’s just that Bug stopped by the clubhouse this morning and told Joker he was on his way to Fort Collins. Said he was clearing out so Krystal could pick up her shit. He told J.C. and me that he wasn’t leaving until he’d seen her, though, and it didn’t sound like he planned on just talking. Glad you have it under control.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, my blood pressure rising. “Are you telling me that Bug didn’t leave town?”

“Don’t think so, not yet. But I’m sure you can handle him, man, if you happen to run into him.”

I hung up the phone and froze, my mind racing as I thought through the possibilities. My best guess was that Bug was inside his house with Krystal, and there was no one but me close enough to do anything about it. I knew the MC didn’t like to involve the cops with our problems, but I knew that Bug had guns and knives all over his house, and that some help could mean the difference between life and death for Krystal. I made a snap decision.

I dialed 911 and looked at the front of the house for the address.

“I have an emergency. A man is armed — guns and knives, and he has my girlfriend. I need help.”

I gave the dispatcher the address, and hung up, even though he was asking me questions. They had the information they needed, and I had to go do what I could to protect Krystal.

Part of me wanted to barge in the door, calling her name, but I realized that if Bug was actually inside, that I might be better off using the element of surprise. I approached the front door, looked in through the windows beside the door, and couldn’t see anything or anyone out of place. Hoping that the door would open quietly, I turned the doorknob, only to discover that it was locked.

“Goddammit,” I said under my breath, starting to panic. There was no reason on earth for Krystal to have locked the door. Bug was inside and he had her. I ran to the garage, hoping to find it unlocked. No luck. I ran to the back door and relief flooded over me when the handle turned and the door opened. I stepped inside and paused to listen — trying to find out where Bug and Krystal were. I heard it right away — Krystal’s muffled cries that just broke my heart, coming from one of the bedrooms.