Authors: Anna Mara
Chapter 31
Tori punched in
the code to the hotel safe in her room and unlocked it. She took out the white envelope with the money and sat on the bed. Flipping it open, she rifled through the dollar bills. It was exactly $1000, what Nana had given her to pay off Savage Monroe upon completion of the job. Only he hadn’t completed the job, had he?
But she didn’t care about that right now. All she cared about was getting as far away from him as quickly as she could. God, she’d made a mess of everything, hadn’t she? Well, she’d just go back downstairs, give him the money and that would be that. She’d then go find Nana in the casino and they’d take it from there. Yes, that was the most sensible, rational course of action to take.
So, why did she feel like crying at the thought of never seeing him again?
* * *
Savage watched as the elevator doors parted and Tori came out, walking towards him carrying a white envelope in her right hand. The jut to her jaw and the cold glare in her eyes told him everything he needed to know—that she hadn’t changed her mind about him. He rose from the couch as she approached and thrust the envelope at him.
“Paid in full, Mr. Savage.”
Savage took the proffered envelope, opened it and began counting the bills in front of her.
“It’s all there, sir! I am not a cheat!”
Tori’s outburst made him freeze and he looked back up at her. Her eyes were shooting daggers at him, and man, if looks could kill, he’d be deader than a hammer right about now!
He threw her a shameless grin. “Sorry, Snow White, force of habit. No offence intended.” He stuffed the envelope into one of the back pockets of his jeans.
She outstretched her hand to him. “I believe this concludes our business, Mr. Savage. Goodbye,” she stated, in a brisk, businesslike voice.
It was obvious she couldn’t wait to get away from him, discarding him like some dirty wad of gum stuck under her shoe. Anger bubbled in his blood all over again at her dismissive, superior attitude.
Putting his large hand into her small one, he yanked her body into him, planting his lips firmly on hers. He sensed that he had taken her by complete surprise and having the advantage, he moved his mouth roughly over hers, his kiss raw and brutal and plundering, punishing her for her high-handed behavior. At the same time, his other hand cupped the side of one of her breasts, palming and squeezing it ruthlessly. But just as suddenly as he had grabbed her, he let her go, not even giving Tori the time to push him away.
He watched her breathing heavily, her eyes dark and hot with rage at being manhandled like that. His lips curled into a cruel smile and he leaned into her again. “Fuck you!” he hissed at her before coolly turning his back and marching towards the lobby exit.
Tori’s eyes remained glued to his retreating back and suddenly, all the false bravado she’d been putting on for his benefit crumbled, as did her body. She sank onto the nearest couch, tears springing to her eyes. “I’m sorry, Matt. I’m so, so sorry,” she whispered, her fingers instinctively touching the taste of him still on her ravished lips. “Goodbye…”
Chapter 32
Friday – 8:31 p.m.
Delilah’s Biker Bar – Back Room
Savage finished counting
the last bundle of money and rewrapped it with the elastic band, then stuffed it, with the rest of the wads of cash, into the black duffle bag on the office desk. He looked over at his boss, Snake, who was grinning up at him as he leaned back in his chair. The dull lighting in the back office was giving the other biker’s large, snake tattoo that circled his right arm, an ominous glow again, almost bringing the green-inked creature to life.
“It’s all there, Savage—one hundred thousand glorious greenbacks. I’m not screwing you in the count,” Snake said, his eyes lovingly glomming back on to the bag full of money, his obvious pride and joy.
Savage nodded. “If I’m the one who’s going to be handing over the cash for the guns, then I have to make sure it’s all here, down to the last, fucking, copper cent. No offence, but it’s my ass on the line if the Demon Dead think I’m cheating them.” He flashed his boss a mocking smile.
Snake laughed, making his usual hissing sound. “I’d actually be disappointed in you if you didn’t count it. You don’t trust anybody when it comes to money, do you, Monroe, not even me, but I like that about you.”
“It’s just business, Snake, that’s all.” Savage zipped up the duffle bag and lifted it off the desk. “What are my instructions for tonight?” He kept his voice hard as a stone and just as cold.
“As soon as you find out where the Demon Dead want to meet to do the deal, give Rocker and Goose a call. They’ll take the van, meet you there and bring the merchandise back here.”
Savage nodded again. “Okay, sounds good.”
“Remember, you either bring back the guns tonight or my big bag of money. If you come back with neither, you’re dead.” Snake let out another one of his hissing laughs. He reached for the bottle of beer on his desk and took a long swig, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, caveman-style. He grinned at the younger biker standing in front of him, his devilish goatee and bald head making him look even more reptilian. “How’s it goin’ with the girl?” He laughed again. “Did ya’ fuck her yet?”
Savage crossed his arms against his chest, his biceps flexing, making him look even more mean and dangerous than he already did. “About the girl? She’s a real juicy piece-of-ass and I’m changing my mind about our little arrangement. I’m thinking I might just keep her,” he drawled ominously.
Snake’s small beady eyes turned black with rage and he jumped out of his chair, pointing a threatening finger at Savage. “What the fuck, asshole! I want all three of ‘em dead, dead, dead! You got that? And that includes the bitch!”
Savage stood there calmly, unfazed by his boss’ loud outburst. “I have no problem killing Sorelli and the granny, but the girl?” He shook his head no. “That’s a tough one. You see? I like her. I like her a lot. And it would be a real shame to waste such a nice pussy like that.”
Snake’s eyes studied the younger man’s menacing pose and he instinctively took a step away from him. “When has the great Savage Monroe ever allowed himself to be controlled by some piece-of-ass?” he said in a more respectful tone.
Savage lifted his shoulders in a devil-may-care shrug. “I didn’t say I couldn’t kill her. I just said I didn’t want to. Unless…” He let the word hang in mid-air inside the small, dank office.
Snake perked up. “Unless what?”
“Unless you make it worth my while. You’re going to have to sweeten the pot, bossman.”
Snake burst out laughing, admiration glistening in his shrewd eyes for Savage trying to negotiate a better deal for himself. “So, what the fuck do you want then?” he asked, as he sat back down in his chair.
“Make me an offer.”
Snake pretended to think. “Okay, I’ll make you second-in-command and treasurer of this club, and open up all the books to you.”
Savage nodded. “And I want a cut in all the club business from now on too.”
Snake balked for a second before nodding his agreement. “All right, asshole—deal.”
“What about Rocker? He’s been second banana around here for years.”
“Fuck him! He’s a useless tit, anyway.”
Savage extended his hand out to the older biker. “Okay, boss, it’s a deal. The girl’s dead as soon as I find Sorelli.”
Snake rose up and shook the younger biker’s hand, his lips twitching with amusement. “You fucking asshole, you drive a hard bargain,” he barked. But he didn’t mean it really, because Snake had had intentions of making Savage his right-hand man all along. He knew the younger man was smart, brutal, and all business, the exact qualities that this club needed to expand and prosper; and make himself a lot of money in the bargain too.
* * *
Snake led Savage into the main bar area of Delilah’s, proudly putting his arm around the younger man’s shoulders. “Attention please, assholes,” he shouted over the rock music blaring through the club.
Shifty-eyed Rocker scrambled to the far corner to shut the tune off. Silence permeated the room. The other bikers, Goose, Big Bill, Repo, Tommy, and Butch, all looked up from what they were doing, whether it was playing pool or just sitting around and talking, and riveted their eyes to their fearless leader.
Snake continued. “Just want to announce that I’ve promoted Savage to second-in-command and treasurer for the Sons of Perdition Club, as of right now.”
Wizard, who was behind the bar, dropped a wine glass and it shattered on the concrete floor. Everyone spun around to stare at him. Savage took in the glare of hatred the young biker bartender was throwing his way, and he also noticed the swelling and bruises still marring his face from when he had beaten him up over Tori.
You punk,
Savage thought, as he provocatively sneered the younger man’s way.
Rocker came forward, a look of shock laced across his features. “What about me? That’s my job,” he whined to his boss.
“Not anymore. From now on, you take your marching orders from Savage…and from me, of course.” Snake’s beady eyes scanned the rest of his men. “And that goes for all you fuckheads, too.”
His arm dropped from Savage’s shoulders. He patted the biker on his back one more time, before turning and disappearing again in the direction of his office.
After a second, the other bikers came forward and patted Savage on the back too, congratulating him. It was clear they were afraid of him and now that he was the number two man around there, they needed to make sure they were on his good side.
Rocker didn’t, however. His mouth flattened into a thin line as jealousy seeped through his body, his hatred for Savage growing by leaps and bounds. With one last look of disgust at the new man-in-charge, he turned and stalked out of the bar.
Wizard didn’t come forward to congratulate Savage either. He remained behind the bar, his face frowning and growing harder by the second.
Savage had seen both of their responses and smiled to himself, amused by their reactions. After all, he didn’t give a fuck! If they wanted to pout and act like little babies, then go for it!
As the other bikers moved away from him to go back to what they’d been doing, Savage approached the bar.
“Hey, Wizard,” he taunted. “My schedule’s pretty full up this weekend, but next week, when I’ve got more time, you and I’ll be having another little chat. We’ve got lots to talk about,” he teased.
Inwardly, Savage was boiling with rage as he remembered the black and blue bruises trailing up and down Tori’s arms.
Yeah, asshole,
he thought to himself,
just for that, I’m gonna beat the shit out of you all over again—only this time, I won’t be so nice.
He then threw the bartender a knowing smirk before turning and walking out of the club.
Wizard remained silent, glaring shards of hatred at Savage’s retreating back.
Chapter 33
Friday – 8:31 p.m.
Jubilee Hotel & Casino
Where was Nana?
Where was Nana?
Where was Nana?
The frantic thought cycled itself through Tori’s brain in a continuous loop as the hotel elevator whisked her back up to her own floor. Alarmed, her heart thumped wildly in her chest and a knot of fear settled itself in her stomach. Oh God, where was Nana? She couldn’t find her grandmother anywhere and she’d been through the casino part of the complex five times now!
After Savage left, Tori had gone back up to her room. She’d knocked on her grandmother’s door next to hers but received no answer. Tori had just assumed that the older woman was still gambling away somewhere downstairs, probably losing big time at blackjack again. She’d then tried calling her on her cell phone. The phone rang but Nana hadn’t answered, which wasn’t really all that surprising anyway because once her grandmother had settled herself at a gaming table or at some ‘good mojo’ slot machine, she had a tendency to forget about everything else around her, including answering her cell.
In the meantime, because she was feeling dirty and grimy from riding on the Harley out in the open space all day, Tori had taken a quick shower and changed into a fresh pair of skinny jeans and a white, sleeveless button-down shirt. She fluffed out her hair with a quick blowdry. A swipe of cherry lip-gloss, and a new coat of mascara had made her feel fresh, clean and alive again.
The ugly bruises she’d received from that disgusting animal, Wizard, were turning a deeper shade of purple now. She donned her sunny, yellow summer sweater to cover them up again. The entire ritual had taken maybe a half hour, max. Once she was feeling rejuvenated, she had redialed her grandmother’s cell number. Again, there was no answer.
Tori frowned and shook her head. Nana had been in the casino, gambling all day long. She’d probably lost a ton of money by now, money she couldn’t afford to lose, especially since she had given Joe Sorelli most of her retirement funds. Maybe she wasn’t answering because she was afraid to tell Tori? Yeah, that definitely sounded like something she’d do.
Grabbing her purse and slipping on her white Keds again, Tori had headed downstairs to find her.
But she hadn’t found her!
Tori had searched the cavernous complex several times and hadn’t seen her. Then she’d gone to the customer service desk and had Nana paged. But Nana hadn’t shown up! That’s when a rush of black fright had swept through her. Could something bad have happened to her precious grandmother? Oh God, she hadn’t thought of that before. Nana was always so vibrant and healthy that the thought had never even crossed her mind. But what if she had had a heart attack or stroke and was lying on the floor in her hotel room right this minute? Tori instantly felt sick to her stomach at the mere thought of that.
Practically running to the elevators, she had made her way back upstairs. As the elevator doors parted, she rushed down the hallway. A chambermaid was pushing her cart around. Tori ran to her. “Excuse me? Can you please let me in to my grandmother’s room next to mine? She’s not answering her phone and I’m worried she may be sick or in trouble. Please, can you do that for me? I need to check on her.”
The maid nodded. “Of course, which room is it?”
Tori ran to the door. “It’s this one. Please hurry.” Panic surged through her and her heart beat faster.
The maid knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she opened the portal.
Tori rushed through. “Nana? Nana? Are you here?” she shouted.
But the room was empty and in pristine shape. No sign of her grandmother anywhere.
Tori ran into the bathroom and suddenly, her heart stopped. No, her Nana wasn’t in there either, but—all of the senior’s toiletries and cosmetics were gone, including her five cans of hairspray, which she brought everywhere with her.
Rushing to the closet, Tori threw it open and gasped in shock! It too was empty. All of her grandmother’s clothes and belongings were gone!
Tori felt the blood drain from her face. A new panic like she’d never known before overtook her and her knees buckled. Losing all strength, she plopped onto the bed and redialed the cell phone clasped in her shaking hand. The maid stood frozen in the doorway.
“Come on, Nana, where are you?” Tori mumbled. “Answer, please, answer! Please, please, please!”
On the tenth ring, the phone call was finally picked up.
“Hello, Tori.”
Thank God, it was her Nana. Relief flooded through her bones.
“Where the hell are you?” Tori screamed.
“Now, sugarplum, don’t be mad and listen to me.” Her grandmother’s Texas twang came through loud and clear. “I’m on my way to be with Joe.”
“What?” The word came out of Tori like a bullet.
“He called me, Tori. He’s scared—real scared. And he’s all alone, with nobody to help him. He needs me, honey!”
“Are you out of your freaking mind?”
“I have to go to him, I just have to.”
“No, you don’t have to! Just tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”
“I can’t do that, sweetie. Joe doesn’t want anybody to know where he is. He’s hiding and he’s in trouble.”
“Trouble? What kind of trouble? What’s he done?” Tori shouted.
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me what happened, but I’m on my way to be with him. I just gotta be with him, Tori, and help him as best as I can, that’s all. I love him.”
Tori took in a deep breath and tried to calm down. After all, she wouldn’t get any information out of her grandmother if she kept yelling like she had been. “Tell me where you are right now, Nana,” she asked in a soothing voice, as if she was talking to a puppy, trying to prevent it from bolting away.
“I’m in a cab on my way to meet him. That’s all I’m gonna say. And when I see him, we’re gonna disappear together for a while. I don’t want you ta’ come looking for me.”
“Don’t do this, Nana, please.” Tori’s gut clenched with fear.
“Now, sugarplum, it’s done, and there’s nothin’ you can do about it!”
“Nana, please—come back and we’ll go find Joe together. I promise.”
“I can’t do that. Now, honey, you listen to me. The hotel is all paid up. I want you to take the $1000 in the safe and pay Mr. Savage for his time and trouble, and then I want you to take the next plane out of there and go back home. I’ll call you when I can.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not leaving here without you!”
“You have to. It’s what I want.”
“What about Mommy and Daddy? What do I tell them?”
“Nothin’. You tell them nothin’, because I’ll call them myself and square it with ’em. You don’t have to worry about a thing, sweetheart. Leave it all to me.”
“Don’t do this, Nana!” Tori tried hard to keep the hysteria out of her voice.
“Please don’t hate me, baby. You have to understand. I’m an old woman. I’ve finally found love again after all these years. You—you’re young and beautiful, and you’re at the beginning of your life, but me, well, I’m ending up. Time is short for me. The grim reaper could come for me any day now but whatever I got left on this earth, I gotta use it and be with Joe. I love him and he’s in trouble.”
Tori choked back a cry as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. What could she say to convince her grandmother to give up this foolish plan? She was at her wits end and completely out of ideas.
“Don’t, please Nana…” she whispered, feeling as if a hand was closing around her throat.
“Tori, you’ll be fine and so will I, so don’t worry. I’ll call you again as soon as I can. I love ya’ so much, sweetpea, never doubt that. Goodbye.” She hung up.
An icy fear twisted around Tori’s heart mixed in with a sudden bout of scalding fury, as she stared at the silent smart phone in her hand. Oh my God! What was she going to do? She had to find her grandmother, she just had to! And when she did, she would yank that old lady by her mile-high, beehive hairdo all the way back to Gideon, Texas! As All-Mighty God was her witness, she would do it!
But how would she do it?
How?
Savage Matthew Monroe, that’s how! He would help her, wouldn’t he? She needed to call him right now and ask him. Yes, Savage would help her.
Rushing past the maid who was still standing in the open doorway, Tori mumbled a quick thank you to the woman before racing back to her own room. Once inside, she rifled through her purse for the phone number of that disgusting club, Delilah’s. She’d stupidly never gotten the biker’s private cell phone number and so, she’d just have to call for him at that bar. Someone there should know how to reach him.
Finally finding the slip of paper with the number on it, Tori dialed but suddenly, she stopped. No—wait a minute—she couldn’t ask Savage for help, not after the nasty way they’d parted. What about all the insulting things she’d said to him? He hated her now and wanted nothing more to do with her.
And she’d already paid him his money anyway. His services were done and over with, and he’d probably want more money from her if she asked for his help again. What had she vowed to herself only an hour ago? That she would never ask a criminal like him ever again, no matter what? She refused to venture down that rabbit hole leading back to his evil world and lawless rules. It just wasn’t right.
Tori’s thoughts raced back to that moment when she’d been climbing up that ladder to Rat’s roof. What had she heard that lowlife say, when Savage had been choking the life out of him? He’d said he’d taken Joe Sorelli to some cabin at 126 Preclude Road. Maybe that’s where the scam artist was still hiding out at right now? And maybe that’s where her Nana was headed too? Could it be that easy?
126 Preclude Road.
Tori scribbled the address down on the same slip of paper with the biker bar’s phone number on it, and her hot temper flared to the high heavens again!
Okay, she’d google map the directions to the address using her smart phone and then drive the rental car to the house, wherever it was. When she got there, she would bet all the cattle in the Lone Star state that she would find her infuriating, hard-headed, impulsive grandmother hiding out there with that slimy crook, Joe Sorelli!
And when she found the both of them, she’d give them each a piece of her furious mind before dragging that old lady, kicking, screaming, and cussin’, all the way back home where she belonged!