Authors: Joanna Blake
Dev was calling him. He stood unsteadily and headed to the roof hatch.
When he got downstairs, a terrible feeling of foreboding came over him. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
Kaylie and Dev stood in the back alley. She looked distraught. Hell, even Dev looked worried about something.
"Man, you look like shit."
Jack ignored him.
"What is it?"
Kaylie stepped forward nervously, as if she weren't sure she should be telling him something. He waited, watching her decide what to say. She swallowed and finally opened her mouth.
"It's Janet."
He said nothing, fully expecting her to tear into him for what had happened in the alley. What had almost happened. He almost laughed. He should have just taken her up against the wall. Then maybe she'd be out of his system by now.
God knows the booze hadn't blotted her from his mind.
"I don't know if there's anything going on with the two of you, or if you care about her but…"
He looked at Dev over her shoulder to see if his friend was mad at him. How was he supposed to explain
this
fiasco to him? To anyone?
"There isn't."
Kaylie stared at him.
"There isn't anything going on."
"Okay. I just thought maybe you wanted to help her. After what happened at the mall. I know she likes you Jack."
She did, did she? That was interesting. So they weren't there to yell at him after all.
He stared at Kaylie with one eyebrow raised. Even that movement was painful in his recently inebriated state. Kaylie let out a deep breath.
"I'm scared for her."
"What?"
He was prepared for her to tell him that Janet had gotten herself into trouble. Fine. He'd help her. He was prepared for her to tell him that Janet was angry at him and wouldn't come to the clubhouse. Even better. He was not prepared for what Kaylie said next.
Not at all.
"Her parents found out she's been hanging around the clubhouse. They-"
"They what?"
"They locked her in her room with no food or water. It's been three days at least-"
"WHAT?"
"She hasn't had any food or water in days. I don't even know if they care if she lives or dies at this point. I was going to call the police but Dev said-"
He closed his eyes and felt the deepest rage he'd ever felt in his life. Then he climbed onto his bike, and rode.
7
Jack broke about fifty laws in the fifteen block ride to Janet's house. He was angrier than he'd ever been in his life. And that was saying something.
He was off his bike and at the front door less than five minutes after Kaylie had told him what was happening. He banged his fist on the front door until a man in his early 50's opened it. He looked terrified when he saw Jack looming in the doorway.
"Where's Janet?"
"She's gone."
A pinched face woman appeared behind him.
"You're one of the biker scum that she's been hanging around with. Get out of here before I call the police!"
A voice inside Jack screamed 'I'M NOT SCUM!' with tremendous force. God, he wanted to wring their necks. How could they be so stupid?
How could they not take care of something so beautiful and precious?
And fragile.
Janet had convinced him she was tough, along with the rest of the world. But it wasn't true. She was strong in her way, that was true. She'd had to be. But there was a vulnerability about her he'd sensed and chosen to ignore. Now that he'd met her parents he had no doubt where that came from.
They'd mistreated her. Endangered her. Ignored her cries for help. He felt sick to his stomach imagining her in her room, hungry and thirsty and alone.
No. That was wrong.
He was the one who left her alone when every fiber of his being had been telling him to take care of her, nurture her, protect her.
Love her.
He did something he rarely did. Something he rarely
had
to do. He made himself look deliberately intimidating, leaning forward to sneer at Mr. Mahoney.
"Where is she?"
Janet's mother stepped forward. She looked like his beautiful Janet, but distorted in a fun house mirror. She must have been gorgeous once. Before bitterness twisted her features. No wonder Janet's dad was so whipped.
"She ran away. Maybe if we're lucky she'll never come back."
He pushed her out of the way and stalked into the house.
"Show me her room."
Her father eyed him warily and wisely decided to humor him. He led him down the hallway to a door with a massive deadbolt on the outside. Jack was horrified when he saw the size of that deadbolt. Janet was a girl, not a horse or a criminal. She hadn't stood a chance.
He stepped inside the room and winced. It smelled horrible in here. He saw a bucket full of piss and shit in the corner. He closed his eyes. They'd left her alone with a bucket.
This was his fault. All his fault. He's the one they didn't want her hanging around with. He should have left her alone to begin with. Or taken care of her. Not this bullshit waffling he'd been doing. Fighting himself every step of the way.
Now she was the one paying the price.
It wasn't right.
"Get out."
Her father was lifting the bucket when Jack snapped the order at him. He hesitated then awkwardly carried the offending container out of the room. Jack blew air out through his nose and looked around the room. He could hear them arguing out there. The woman wanted to call the police but the man was trying to convince her not to.
No wonder she'd created her own world in here. The room looked like a sanctuary. Posters of far away places covered the walls, all interspersed with stunning photos of dancers. Slender girls with long legs and frilly costumes. None of them held a candle to her.
A fabric scarf covered her lamp, lending the room an ethereal glow. He turned and saw her bed. It was a mess, with blankets and sheets everywhere. As if she'd tossed and turned on it. All alone.
Except for his helmet.
He moaned, realizing she'd been sleeping with it. He closed his eyes again, feeling a sharp sting of regret. He regretted everything he'd done since he met her.
Except kissing her. He could never regret that.
He stared at the window. She'd smashed it open after three and a half days trapped in this airless room with no food or water. Or comfort. While he'd been drinking himself into oblivion, she'd been in here, alone and afraid. Sharp pieces of glass stuck out in every direction. It was a miracle that she hadn't cut herself.
Maybe she had. Maybe she was bleeding to death in an alley somewhere. If she died, he'd never get to tell her he was sorry.
He'd never get to tell her he cared.
He had to find her. Now. But how? She could be anywhere. Kaylie was her best friend and even she had no idea where Janet had gone. It's not like she had anyone else.
If he'd played his cards differently, she would have come to him for help… instead she was out there, in God only knows what kind of danger. He spun in a circle, scanning the room for a sign. There was nothing. If she'd taken anything with her it couldn't have been much.
Then he saw it. On the floor next to her desk was a piece of paper. He picked it up.
It was a list of names and numbers. He frowned and then realized they were jobs she meant to apply to. He read it quickly and sucked in his breath. The third item on the list was a body work place. She'd probably thought it was a place to learn physical therapy.
But she was wrong.
It was an outpost of a massive underground prostitution ring. If they got their hands on her… they'd never let her leave. He crumpled the paper in his fist and left, fear making his heart pound furiously in his chest.
8
Janet was curled into a ball on the floor, trying to protect her body in case they touched her again. She waited ten minutes in that position, making sure they were gone for real. They'd left her with a bowl of something to eat and some water and then shut off the light, leaving her in pitch darkness. She'd decided early that it was better to appear meek and afraid. So far it was working.
She was afraid, that part was not an act. But meek? Hardly.
She used her hands to feel along the concrete floor. There was no way in hell she was going to eat the food they'd left but she needed the water. She was parched. She could tell she was dangerously dehydrated. Unfortunately, that was the least of her worries.
It had been the third place she went to looking for work. The first place that hadn't cared that she'd lost her ID and didn't have references. But the joke was on her. If only there were anything funny about it.
The ad she'd found for body work had been a scam. They were running a brothel here, and from what she could tell at least 75% of the girls were unwilling participants in the scheme. Their accents told her they were from all over the world. Their eyes told her they were beaten and broken. Like her, they were the disenfranchised. No one would come looking for them.
When she'd walked in the place they'd taken one look at her and seen a gold mine. They'd told her to strip and put on some sleazy lingerie. She'd fought them tooth and nail but in the end they'd won, holding a cloth over her mouth until she stopped struggling. When she came to she was dressed in a black satin corset with lace panties, thigh high stockings and black heels.
Leaving her the heels was an oversight on their part. If anyone tried to touch her, she was going to stab them with those 4 inch stilettos. She would have already but she'd eaten the food they'd brought the first time. It was risky but she'd been so hungry at that point she hadn't cared.
Mistake. Big mistake.
It had been drugged, sending her into a stupor yet again. She'd spent half the day in a dream state, with images from her past and present intertwining. When she woke up her purse was missing. Not that she had anything in it. Her parents had taken her phone and her wallet.
She knew she couldn't blame them for this mess though. This was all her. Stupid and impulsive as usual. And now look at the situation she was in.
She wiped tears off her cheeks. At least they hadn't tried to turn her out yet. Soon though. She knew it was coming soon. She'd overheard them saying something about breaking her in before shipping her overseas.
She knew if that happened she'd disappear forever. She'd never see Kaylie again.
Or Jack.
Even if he didn't want her, she'd still like to see him now and then. Even if they didn't speak. Just his presence made her feel safe. Just his
existence.
She conjured up an image of him. She'd been doing this for almost a week now, ever since she'd been locked in her room and then this hole. It gave her plenty of time to think… to fantasize. Mostly about Jack. As usual, he was staring at her disapprovingly. He'd be the first one to tell her she was an idiot for getting herself in this situation. Of course, he wouldn't actually say it. He'd just project it with those steely eyes of his. And then he'd smile the teeniest bit, letting her know he was glad she was okay.
Janet moved back into the corner and held a shoe in each hand.
She knew what Jack would expect her to do.
She was going to fight.
**********
Jack didn't even bother with the first two names on the list. It was getting to be late at night already and he knew the legitimate businesses would be closed. But not the Body Work Special.
Christ, if she was in there, God knew what they'd done to her.
He would kill them if they hurt her. He'd kill them if they even touched her.
He texted Dev on the way. He told him to bring some guys in as few words as possible. He might need the backup. He didn't care if he made it out of there alive, but if anything happened to Janet, he'd loose his mind. Maybe permanently.
This was going to take some finessing. The Rub N' Tug was run by a rival gang. Nowhere as big as the SOS but twice as mean.
The Viper's Disciples.
He couldn't wait for the guys. If there was a chance he could stop them before they… he gritted his teeth, trying not to imagine Janet lying helpless underneath a paying customer.
He pushed open the glass door and walked in.
**********
THUNK
Janet's eyes fluttered open, only to close again. Was someone here? No… she'd dropped her shoe.
Her weapon.
She struggled to wake up as the realization sunk in: they'd must have drugged the water too. She felt as if she were moving through molasses as she reached for her stiletto heel. She nearly tipped over but after three tries she had it firmly gripped in her palm.
There was something happening out side the dark room, the cage that had become her world. Loud voices, a gunshot, screams. Through her haze she merely acknowledged that there was a new development.
She forced her wayward mind to focus briefly. Maybe… maybe she could use the diversion to escape.
The darkest part of her asked where she would go… there wasn't anyone who wanted her around. Kaylie was a friend but she still lived at home. Janet tried to think of a place to run to. The only place she could think of was the clubhouse.
That's where Jack would be. Maybe he would know a place. If he could pull himself off of the sleazy blond he'd been with.
The fury that thought engendered snapped her out of her stupor. She still felt slow, she still felt weak, but she was fighting it.
And she was winning.
**********
Jack stared into the terrified eyes of the woman at the front desk. She looked like an aging stripper. He didn't respond to her chirpy greeting and offer for him to peruse the menu of options. He simply said one word. Well, two.
"redhead."
The woman blanched and reached for a hidden button. Jack was on her in a second, lifting her in the air by her neck. He'd never hurt a woman, but right now he wanted to tear this bitch's head off.
"WHERE. IS. THE. REDHEAD."
The woman's eyes darted to the hallway behind him. He lowered her and released her throat just enough to allow her to gasp in some air.
"She's- in- the- back. Down the stairs and to the left."
He cursed. The basement. It sounded like a death trap. Once he got her, how the hell was he supposed to get her back out?
"What you need bro?"
He turned to see Dev and eight of the Spawn's behind him. He almost smiled at them, he was so God Damned relieved to see them.
"They have Janet. She's in the basement. Make sure everyone stays quiet."
Dev nodded and gestured to Mike, the prospect. He stepped forward and started tying up the hostess. Jack sneered at her as he passed. What kind of woman did this to her own kind?
She was a fucking cannibal.
He stormed down the hallway, leaving it to Dev and the other Spawn's to watch his back. He didn't care one way or the other. He just had to find her.
He pushed open door after door until he came to the stairwell at the end of the hallway. He couldn't hold it back any longer. He screamed.
"JANET!!!"
Everybody stopped at the guttural bellow that emanated from his gut. For a long moment everything seemed to be frozen in time while they all waited expectantly to hear her reply. It was completely silent in the low lit hallway.
Until the world exploded.
Vipers seemed to be coming out of the walls. They had guns. They had knives. They had fists.
But they never got the chance to use them.
The Viking was in full effect.
**********
Janet heard the commotion upstairs. She forced herself into a state of readiness. Or almost readiness.
However ready you could be when someone had slipped you a mickey.
She swayed on her haunches, clutching a shoe in each fist. She wasn't going down without a fight. Her eyes closed sleepily and she forced them open again.
Footsteps. Heavy, loud. Running down the stairs. Toward her.
She lifted her body, ready to spring.
The doorknob turned without opening. Someone cursed outside the door. Then it was quiet.
"Get back!"
Was someone telling her to get back? She almost giggled. That didn't make a lot of sense.
BAM
BAM
BAM
The door burst inward with tremendous force, shattering the lock. Splintered wood flew everywhere but Janet didn't notice. She only knew that they'd come for her. It was time. She leapt onto the intruders back and started slamming her heel into his shoulders.
Except she couldn't seem to stab him with it. The heels kept sliding off the leather.
The leather jacket.
The motorcycle jacket.
"Jesus woman!"
She slid off him onto rubbery legs. The world started spinning as he turned to look at her. "Janet baby? Are you alright?"
It was Jack.
She wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not but either way she was extremely glad to see him. She smiled at him wobbly as she slid to the floor.
"Hi Jack."
He cursed and lifted her up.
"Are you on something Jan?"
"Oh yes. Lots of things. Water."
She was babbling as he carried her out of the place. She saw familiar faces in the periphery. There were Spawns everywhere. But none of her attackers. She let her head fall back onto his shoulder.
"Did they hurt you?"
"No. But if they tried I was going to stab them with my shoe."
He glanced down at her, clearly remembering that she'd attacked with the same shoe.
"Yeah, I noticed that."
She giggled at the disgruntled expression on his face.
"I still want to stab them for making me wear this trashy lingerie."
She closed her eyes and dozed off. But not before she caught the startled expression on his face as he finally took in what she was wearing.