Hard Roads (12 page)

This time, JD was at a loss for words. It was obvious he knew that something was up, but like me, he couldn’t put his finger on it. The silence between the two men was uncomfortable, so I took the time to look behind me and around the room. Diablo’s ‘friends’ hadn’t moved an inch and even though their attention seemed to be focused on us, I wasn’t sure they had any comprehension as to what was going on.

“They’ll be here in an hour or so, but knowing how they ride, it could be sooner. Maybe we should just stay down here until they roll up.” JD’s voice was firm, his agitation an obvious slice to his words.

“Or…you can wait for them. As long as they are greeted, I’ll feel at ease.”

JD grew silent again, his hand still clenched firmly on my hip.

Diablo smiled again. “Please, it would be my pleasure to escort such a beautiful woman around my property. I ensure you, I will return her to you in one piece.”

Yeah, but would I be dead or alive? I suddenly remembered what JD had said about this guy and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. When Diablo looked at you, every natural alarm in your body went off, almost as if you were standing in the presence of pure evil.

JD was reluctant when he released my side, but I understood why he wouldn’t keep arguing. To stay alive, we remained polite and under control. We were on Diablo’s turf and as such, we were at his mercy. As long as we could play this off, we’d walk away from here unscathed: JD to run off and live the rest of his life and me to be taken to Washington where I would face an entirely new bad situation.

In order to break the tension between JD and Diablo, I interrupted to say, “I’d love to see the property, Diablo, but could you first show me to a restroom? I need to pee.” No, it wasn’t classy or well mannered for me to announce that, but I was playing the dumb slut character and I wanted to make it believable.

JD glared at me for accepting Diablo’s offer, but by the looks on both of the men’s faces, it was either that or risk a fight between them and that’s the last thing anybody needed at this point.

Diablo smiled finally, stepping out from around the bar and offering me his hand. Hesitantly, I took it and when I looked over at JD, I swear fire was behind his eyes. He was so angry that I could feel the heat roll off his skin and Diablo looked back at him, a sly smile across his face.

“No worries, JD, she’ll be treated like the princess that she is. I have a special love for women. No harm will come to your girl.” He winked before turning back to me.

With his hand wrapped firmly around mine, he pulled me from the room, only giving me enough time to glance back at JD. He’d stood up from his seat, his hands fisted at his sides and his mouth pulled into a thin line. Tension radiated over his body and I turned away from him, oddly upset that I was leaving him alone. I whispered silent prayers that Bandana and Bandit would arrive soon because I didn’t think JD would be able to remain calm if Diablo continued separating us.

Once we’d traveled down the long entry hall and up a set of stairs to the right, we walked across a landing that ran parallel to a large group of picture windows. Diablo slowed his stride, allowing me to take in the lush greenery that surrounded his house.

The scene was so beautiful that I forgot about the danger standing next to me in the form of a breathtaking charmer, a snake hidden and ready to strike.

“What do you think so far? It took my gardeners years to import and grow most of the plants, but I think the money I invested into the project was well worth it.” Smooth and sultry, his voice sounded like music more than words. He had a slight accent, but it only added to his appeal.

I was at a loss for words. Having grown up in a dust bowl, I’d never really seen anything as beautiful as the scene spread out before me. The shadows of mountains could be seen in the distance and I realized that Diablo’s compound was an oasis tucked away in the middle of rugged terrain. It was a perfect hide out, but I wondered how he kept his operations under cover without law enforcement noticing the odd property located in the middle of nowhere.

“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. Your men must work lots of hours taking care of it.”

He moved closer to me so that our arms brushed against each other. His body was like an inferno, warm and overwhelming against the cold air that blew throughout the house. As I continued staring outside, I felt his finger run slowly down my cheek.

“It’s not the most beautiful thing that I can see from where I stand.” The deep baritone of his voice vibrated across my skin and I was almost lulled into a false sense of security as a result.

Suddenly remembering the situation, I was snapped back to reality, stepping away from him and smiling in hopes that he wouldn’t take the move as an insult.

“We should keep going. I don’t think JD would like me being away long. He gets jealous.” My voice shook, but I kept up the façade of being in love with the man whose sole purpose was to abduct me for a rival club.

Smiling knowingly, there was a secret hidden behind the brown-gold of his eyes when he replied, “Of course.”

Taking my hand again, he led me away from the windows and down another hall. Rows of doors ran along both sides of the hall and I could hear muted voices and music, the sound of several people having sex from behind the walls. Diablo smiled to see me blush. The hall opened up into another large common area. Just like the last one, people lounged around on couches and chairs, their eyes unseeing even though it appeared they noticed we’d entered. Despite the fact that I knew better than to inquire, I couldn’t contain my question.

“Are they all drugged? I don’t think I’ve seen anybody around here that doesn’t have that dead look in their eyes.”

He stopped walking suddenly and I plowed into him before I could stop myself. Backing away quickly, I watched as he slowly turned in my direction, his mouth curled at the sides with whatever thought he hadn’t yet voiced.

“They are not dead, Munch…” My name rolled off his lips with a touch of bitter contempt. “They are alive in their own worlds. They come here for refuge…for escape. I give them what they need and they repay that debt in any way I require. I apologize if my home is not up to your standards. I’m sure a touch of refinement is a long way off from the
clubs
where you’ve spent most of your time.”

Quickly, backpedaling, I stammered when I said, “I didn’t mean anything by it. So, I’m sorry if I offended you. I just … sometimes I don’t think before I speak.”

“That’s apparent.” He smiled wickedly, silently daring me to call him out for the insult.

Biting the inside of my lip to keep from cussing him out, I returned the smile, continuing onward with the dumb act.

“We should be getting back. I don’t want to worry, JD.”

Diablo took my hand again, squeezing so hard this time that the small bones beneath the skin rubbed together. I tried to pull away, but he only squeezed harder, pulling me against his body and placing his other hand on my lower back.

When I struggled to break free, he chuckled. “I’m sorry, Munch, but I haven’t finished the tour. My home is three stories. It has 40 bedrooms, 50 bathrooms, 10 entertainment rooms, 4 kitchens and many other amenities. You could live comfortably here; a beautiful trophy that would show off my wealth and affluence.”

I struggled harder, remembering JD’s warnings about the man who now embraced me in a painful hold.

“I need to get downstairs.” My voice shook, the sound of fear slipping out to lace my whispered words.

The sound of men struggling echoed up from the floors below us and my eyes opened wide when I heard JD yell, followed by the sound of gunfire. Locking my gaze to Diablo’s, I tried to pull away again only to be gripped harder, my strength no match for the arms that encircled me.

“I hear that your other friends have arrived. It’s a shame that our polite acquaintance has to end so soon.”

“I don’t understand, what’s going on? I need to get back to JD.” Giving up the fight, I pled with him to release me, desperate to find the comfort of JD’s arms in the illusion of paradise that existed within Diablo’s compound.

A door opened behind me and Diablo released my body only to grip his large hands around my biceps. He continued trapping me in place, but allowed me the space to turn around and see who had exited the room where I remembered hearing loud music blaring as we walked past.

A large man stumbled out, his long hair disheveled and covering his face. He stumbled forward, his body completely naked and held in such a way that it was obvious he was in pain. When another man exited behind him, he grabbed the back of the first man’s head, pulling the hair so that his head was tilted upward and his face was revealed.

I gasped, suddenly recognizing the person who stood in front of me. I looked him over again, for the first time noticing the blood that dripped down the backs of his legs from his ass.

“Scooter.”

His name was a faint whisper over my lips, followed by the dark laughter of the man that held me.

“Welcome to my compound, Holly. We’ve been expecting you.”

Chapter Thirteen

~ JD ~

Son.

Of.

A.

Bitch.

I should have known something was up when Diablo’s men swarmed the house as soon as the sound of the brothers’ bikes could be heard in the distance. It seemed like they came out of nowhere; appearing from around walls, walking out of rooms I hadn’t noticed in the hallway.

Three men approached me immediately, but they didn’t attempt to grab me. It was obvious they were surrounding me, but doing it in a way that wasn’t exactly “threatening.” I had no reason to move from where I was standing. If I acted too quickly and I was wrong about what they were planning, I’d be answering to Big John for it, if I lived to see Big John.

The bikes grew louder and several men walked out through the front door standing in a line in front of it just like they had when I’d pulled up. Dust flew up in the distance and one of Diablo’s men reached over to push a button on a console on the wall. They didn’t question the brothers like they’d done with me, just opened the gate to allow them to enter.

I couldn’t see once they’d reached the front of the house, so I listened as the engines were shut off and the deep rumbling turned into the sound of boots pounding across the pavement. I shifted my position and from between two of Diablo’s men I could see Bandana and Bandit approach. They both were wearing jeans, white shirts and their cuts. Their hair was long, their beards even longer and once they’d taken the first step up the porch staircase, I saw them reach to their sides and draw their guns.

My feet were moving before my brain could register that I was running towards them. “No!”

Shots fired, two of Diablo’s men going down instantly while the other two scrambled for their guns. My shoulders were suddenly locked inside a vice consisting of two sets of arms, a third coming up in front of me. By the time the next shots sounded, I was brought to the ground. They disarmed me immediately, holding me down as I watched the guards fire back at the brothers. Both took hits in the legs and went down, firing back again and moving sideways to find some type of barrier between them and the guards. Their efforts were useless, however, when four more guards ran out onto the porch.

As quickly as it had began, it ended. Bandit, Bandana and I were captured by Diablo’s men.

“What the fuck was that?” Glaring at the brothers, I didn’t give a fuck that we had company for this conversation. Both of them walked up here like they were at war and probably fucked up this deal for the MC. I had no fucking doubt they’d be returned to Big John in pieces. Dumb. Motherfuckers.

Bandana turned to me, the leather texture of his sunburned skin wrinkled in anger. “Maybe you should answer the goddamned phone every once in a fucking while. John’s been trying to call you for the past hour.”

Fuck. I realized I’d left my phone in the truck when we got here. “What the fuck did he want?”

Before Bandana had the chance to answer, another voice sounded from the stairway to our right.

“Probably to tell you that I would be taking Holly off your hands.” I could see Diablo’s white, linen pants through the balusters as he descended the stairs. His shoes clicked heavily against the wood steps. When his face came into view, he was looking towards the front of the house where his two guards lay dead.

“Sometimes, I cannot believe the stupidity of people.” He turned to the brothers and smiled. “You must be Bandana and Bandit. I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you, however you have the manners of a wild boar. Did you really think you could shoot your way into my home?” A lethal cruelty to the tone of his voice, he mimicked polite society. His calm demeanor was eerie, frightening to a point where you remained completely still for fear of drawing his attention. If it was just Diablo, I could easily take the motherfucker in a fight, but given that we were outmanned and outgunned, there was nothing I could do but wait to see what he was planning.

“Where’s Holly?” Despite knowing that he would never answer the fucking question, it still slipped from my lips when I realized that she was not with him.

His looked at me, arrogant pride obvious in his eyes. “She’s put away for now. Unfortunately for you, her father’s reach is much farther than you knew. I have three very important rules that I expect people to live by: do not mess with my home, do not mess with my family and do NOT mess with my money. He had three of my men killed off recently which interrupted a very important deal that would have made me an even richer man.”

Leaning up against a wall, he projected a calm confidence when he said, “Holly is the repayment I’m taking for Joker’s indiscretion.”

“She ain’t worth it. Why not just go after the bastard yourself? You have enough men to take him out.” My voice was raised and I didn’t care because my life was already over. Once a man was in Diablo’s sights he was as good as dead. I didn’t see any reason continuing with the polite bullshit we always played every time I came over here before a run.