“Then you’re no use to us,” Scythe said, backing up as if to leave the room and Ginger on the floor indefinitely.
“Just let me think for a minute.” She was desperate by then, her head rolling from side to side as she tried to get a glimpse at any of us. Her face was flushed as blood ran to her head, and tears streamed down the sides of her face onto the cold tile floor.
“A dealer! If she couldn’t find something around here, she would go to him. He would give her whatever she wanted as long as she fucked him. He mostly carried trippy stuff like shrooms, acid, ecstasy, ya know? Not like meth.”
“Name?”
“I don’t know! I don’t do drugs. He hangs out at the strip club in State College. Gets a lot of business from the students there. Please, that’s all I know, I swear! Let me up, please!” Shooting Scythe a nod, he walked back over to her and pulled both Ginger and the chair back into the upright position.
“Move her into one of the holding cells,” Reaper told Scythe, who released Ginger from her bindings and pulled her into a standing position.
He cuffed her hands once again behind her back before escorting her outside the paint shop and into a room further down the hall. No cameras were allowed in the paint shop, so we set up a few holding cells where Keys could check in on any of our guests.
Once Ginger was secured away, Scythe returned to the paint shop to await instructions. Reaper broke us up into groups and assigned each of us a location to check out. Knowing I would want to stay close, I was going to ride out to the college strip club to look for the dealer with Bull and Guard by my side. The rest of the guys were sent out to track down sugar-daddy Paul and the godmother.
Keys would stay at the clubhouse, keeping all of us up to date. I was confident that, by the end of the night, we would have Trish in our hands. With renewed vigor, I hurried up the stairs to say goodbye to my girl, anxious to get this taken care of so all my focus could be on her and the life we were building together.
Fiona
The party was a blast. We made the most of the night, dancing, eating, and admiring everyone’s costumes. The food was delicious and creative, and I was in awe of how all the decorations came together. Guard had me in stitches all night,and I was impressed by his ability to maintain his pirate accent, no matter how much he drank. The night passed with lots of laughs, surrounded by friends and family.
Waking up from a dead sleep, I noticed the bed was empty, but didn’t really have time to think about it. A wave of nausea ran through me as a dull headache settled behind my eyes. I didn’t think I drank enough to cause a hangover, but I definitely wasn’t feeling too hot. It was early, not even 7 a.m., but I thought a shower would help me feel better.
Once I stepped under the cascade of warm water, I settled slightly, not bothering to wash anything, just enjoying standing under the spray. I finally mustered up the energy to actually clean myself, and I was in the middle of rinsing when I caught something out of the corner of my eye, causing me to jump. With a gasp, I spun around to find Bash leaning in the doorway.
“You almost gave me a heart attack! What are you doing, lurking over there?” I asked, trying to regulate my heart beat. I opened the shower door to scold him some more, but the words froze in my throat at the heated look he was giving me.
“Do you want to join me?”
“More than anything, but I can’t right now.” Bash groaned before continuing. “We finally got a lead on Trish, so I’m gonna head out with the Brothers, end this shit now.” All levity was dropped, and I clenched my teeth.
“Make her pay,” I replied, my anger at Trish reignited. I watched as a smile crossed Bash’s face.
“My girl’s bloodthirsty.” He growled as he stepped closer to the shower. Disregarding the water, he pulled my wet body against his as he kissed me goodbye. Breaking away, both of us were breathing heavily.
Bash pressed his forehead to mine as he whispered fiercely, “No one fucks with us.” I nodded my agreement and grabbed him for one more kiss.
“Get home safe to me,” I whispered back, then pushed him away.
“Love you, baby. I’ll be back soon,” he replied, his eyes unfocused as I continued to rinse the soap suds off.
“Aye-aye, captain. Now hurry up and get that piece of gutter trash,” I said, and watched as he finally stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
After he left, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and gasped. I looked like something out of a horror film. The makeup from the previous night was bleeding down my face and body, leaving streaks of black, green, and red. I spent extra time scrubbing as much of the colors off as possible without proper makeup remover. I was grateful I’d had the foresight to put my hair up because I was exhausted by the end of the shower, and couldn’t imagine having to wash my hair too.
Once I was dressed, my stomach growled, and I decided to head to the kitchen.Some toast and tea should help.I was already feeling better after the shower. The clubhouse was quiet, even though there were still Brothers and club girls throughout the space. My friends were all missing, and it felt strange, walking through the main floor and not seeing Match or Bull.
Entering the kitchen, I popped some bread into the toaster and turned the kettle on. When the toast was cool enough, I quickly buttered it and put it on a small plate before heading back to my room with the tea in my other hand. It felt weird, eating in the kitchen alone. I was sipping on my tea, trying not to burn my tongue, but also drink enough so it wouldn’t spill as I climbed the stairs.
Once I got to the landing, where Bash’s room was, a few of the other rooms had their doors open, but most of them were empty. The sound of a drawer slamming shut, combined with muttered curses, caught my attention. It sounded like it was coming from the next room over, but the door appeared closed.
I kept my ears open for any more sounds as I passed the room, but stopped short when I noticed the door wasn’t closed fully. From a two-inch-wide crack, I could make out Crow, digging through the drawers. A large duffle bag was open on his bed as he haphazardously threw items into it.
Where is he going? Why isn’t he out helping the rest of the guys?
In the pit of my stomach, a bad feeling bloomed, and I knew something was off. Before I could slip away, Crow turned around and locked eyes with me. A look of pure rage crossed his face, sending ice through my veins.
“You!” he growled as he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room.
