"Thank you," Charlie mumbled while curled up on a plush mustard yellow couch in Tommy's room.
Tommy was staring out the window. "You need to keep away from Damian." "I can't guarantee he won't try again." He admitted honestly.
"Why can't you just let me go?" Charlie pleaded again. "I can't do that!" He snapped back causing her to jump slightly. "I'm sorry...fuck!" He whispers shouted. Tommy was practically pulling his hair out.
"I feel like you're wrestling with something in your mind, but you're afraid to say it." Charlie pointed out.
Tommy was getting frustrated. He marched over to Charlie. He grabbed her face with both of his hands. "You...it's you that's got my mind all fucked up!" "Don't you get that!" "It's you!" He yelled.
He let go of her face and walked towards the opposite side of the room. He withered onto the bed with his hands fidgeting anxiously.
"You took my breath away the moment I first laid eyes on you; which was at the airport when that biker handed you over." "Ever since, I can't get you out of my head." "You make me feel something and that scares the shit out of me," Tommy confessed.
"Tommy...I...I..." Charlie stuttered to get the words out. As if Tommy knew what she was going to say. "Let me guess, you have a boyfriend." She gave a weak smile and nodded. "I'm not surprised...a woman like you doesn't stay single." He gave a faint laugh.
"Look, you can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch." "Damian won't bother you if I'm around." He assured her.
"Is he your cousin?" She asked curiously. Tommy nodded. "Yeah, my mom and his dad are siblings." "Stop asking questions and get some sleep, ok."
Charlie nodded and walked towards the bed. Right before Tommy turned off the lights. "Tommy, don't tell anyone what happened with Damian...please."
He understood. "It'll be our little secret." "Now get some sleep." He said while turning off the lights.
*******
It's been a couple of hours and no one has heard from Irish. Neither Viper nor Axle could get a hold of him. His phone was going straight to voicemail. "Any word?" Axle asked. Viper shook his head. "I don't know where the fuck that old man is."
"Kate, is there anything else you can tell us about what you saw or heard that night?" Priest asked. Everyone gathered around to hear Kate recount the night Charlie was kidnapped.
"As I said before, they didn't say much when I was there," Kate began explaining, "Why don't you ask the other girl?"
Priest tilted his head in confusion while the others furrowed their eyebrows. "What other girl?" Axle asked.
"The other girl in the room," Kate said. "You mean Ginger?" Ice asked, trying to piece this puzzle together. Kate shook her head. "No, the other girl."
"Kate, what other girl?" "You were supposed to be the only waitress in the room." Spook reminded her. "Then who was the girl sitting in the booth next to Bianchi's?" She asked.
They all looked at each other concerned that they might have missed something. "Spook replay the tapes," Axle ordered. Spook took out his laptop and pulled up footage from that night. The room was dimly lit, highlighting only silhouettes of the men inside.
Spook continued to fast forward the tapes. "There!" Kate exclaimed. Spook squinted his eyes to get a closer look. "Wait, that's a girl? Capone asked perplexed.
The woman Kate pointed to bore a striking resemblance to Mischa, the bartender. But they knew it wasn't her considering she was at Cathedral the night Charlie was taken.
The woman had jet black hair that was cropped to her ears with a front bang that swooped to the right side, an eyebrow piercing over her left eye, and tattoo sleeves on both her arms.
"Spook, can you zoom in on her left arm?" Priest asked. "What are we looking at?" Viper asked. "That." Priest stated flatly pointing to the symbol right at the base of her left shoulder. He looked to Axle whose eyes widened when he recognized the tattoo. "No way." He mumbled in disbelief.
Priest got up and reached for his phone to make a call. "Are we missing something?" Tank asked, confused. Axle held up his index finger indicating to the others the question would be answered in just a moment.
Priest put the phone on speaker when a seductive voice spoke on the receiving end.
"Hey baby, it's been a long time." She purred. "Cut the shit, Kenzie, I know you're in Reno." Priest barked back. An exasperated sigh could be heard on her end.
"Am I blown?" She asked, concerned. "No, but if you don't get your ass to the address, I'm about to text you, it will be." Priest threatened. "It's not that easy, Caleb, you know that." She countered. "You're more than capable, just do it." "You have 20 minutes." He said before ending the call.
He stormed off towards the back of the room and let out a series of profanities. "Fuck!" "Fuck!" "Fuck!"
"Who the hell was he talking to on the phone?" Ice asked. Axle paused briefly before answering. "His wife."
Capone spits out the beer he was about to swallow. "I'm sorry, what?" Ink blurted in shock.
"I swear this club has more secrets than a Catholic confessional." The Unholy scowled, snatching the beer from Capone's hand, and gulped the remaining liquid inside.
"Did you know she was back on the job?" Axle asked when Priest returned. Priest massaged his face with his hand. "No, I thought she was out."
"Nice wedding ring on your hand, brother." Hawk quipped smugly pointing towards Priest's empty finger. "Wait... does your wife know about the..." Bas couldn't even let the words come out.
"About the women I fuck." Priest finished it for him. He chuckled knowing how bad it looks for him. He's indulged in his fair share of Harlots over the years. "It's complicated and that's all you need to know."
Exactly twenty minutes later, entering through the front door was a tall slender woman dressed in tight leather jeans, knee-high boots, a black tank top, with a black leather jacket. She took a step forward. "Stop right there, Kenzie." Priest instructed. "I need you scrubbed."
Kenzie raised an eyebrow giving a sly smirk. She removed her jacket, fanned her arms out, and spread her legs a bit. Priest walked behind her and began patting her down. A soft moan escaped her mouth when she felt his hands brush up her thighs and then around her ass.
Priest retrieved a rose gold desert eagle 45 caliber gun from her back. He held it out and Tank grabbed it, putting it inside a basket. "Where's the other one Kenzie?" He asked knowing his wife had a secondary weapon concealed on her somewhere. She nodded towards her left boot.
Priest kneeled carefully, unzipping her boots. He flipped the boot upside down and shook it until a small 22 caliber handgun fell out making a clunking noise as it hit the floor. He darted his eyes towards Kenzie while shaking his head.
Tank picked up the smaller gun and kept it with the other one.
Both of them stared at each other briefly. Kenzie leaned in, letting her lips brush up against his left ear. "Is there anywhere else you'd like to check?" She teased. He leaned his head back a bit. She tempted him in so many ways, but he had to focus. This wasn't about them. It was about how to get Charlie back.
"I'm good." He gestured for her to move towards the seating area where the others were anxiously waiting.
Priest let out a scruffy cough to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, this is Mackenzie Johnson, my wife."
Everyone greeted back. Some were still digesting the idea that Priest has a wife, and no one knew about it except Axle.
"What's up, Eric...it's been a long time." Kenzie smiled, sitting down on the arm of the chair Capone was sitting on. "Indeed, it has, but you seem to be keeping busy." Axle hinted as to why she was summoned to them.
She let out a soft laugh. "Ok, why am I here, Caleb?"
Priest motioned to Spook to show her the video footage from Circus Circus.
"What the hell is this?!" "Do you have me under surveillance?!" She bellowed in an agitated tone.
"What were you doing there?" Priest asked. Kenzie gave him this are you kidding me look. "I can't tell you that."
"I'm only going to ask you nicely this once baby," He warned, "What were you doing there?"
Silence.
Priest began moving towards her. Axle held up his hand to stop him. "Kenzie, my girlfriend's been kidnapped, and it was ordered by this man." He pointed to the man in the next booth.
Kenzie tossed her hands in the air indicating she didn't know who they were talking about. "Who the hell is that?"
Priest was losing his patience. He grabbed her chin hard. "Why were you in that room with Enzo Bianchi?" She scrunched her face, caught completely off guard.
She jerked her face and pushed Priest away from her. She gently rubbed her chin. Kenzie immediately recognized the name. "I don't know what your deal is with the Genovese family, but it has nothing to do with me."
"Then why were you there with him!" Priest shouted. The others watched in dismay as they realized these two were arguing about something much deeper than the issue at hand.
"I wasn't there for Bianchi!" She began explaining, "I was there for him!" Kenzie pointed to the guy in the booth with her. They all looked at the gentleman she was talking about.
She began pacing side to side. "Circus Circus is a hub for illegal activities." "There's all kinds of clandestine, grimy, dirty backroom dealings that happen there by dozens of repulsive men, including the one I was with."
"Who would that be, baby?" Priest asked in a softer tone. "Caleb, I..." He raised his eyebrows warning her to tell him the truth. Kenzie ran her hands through her hair. "I hate you." She mumbled. "I love you, too, baby." "Now tell me."
"Victor Kim, Korean national," She grabbed the whisky bottle and poured herself a quick drink, "He's been smuggling this new product called "H," the mortality rate is high and quick."
"How long have you been under?" Axle asked, knowing that's what Priest wanted to ask her. "A little over a year," Kenize answered honestly, hanging her head down not wanting to make eye contact with Priest.
Priest scoffed. "Are you fucking him?" He spat. Kenzie darted her bright blue eyes at him and chuckled. "You bastard, like you, have room to talk," She countered, "How much pussy has your dick been in this year?"
"Woah," Capone mumbled. "This is getting a bit personal, don't you think," Bas whispered to Ink, who elbowed him to shut up.
Viper stood up amidst the marital squabble. "I don't know what the fuck is going on between the two of you and I don't care." He faces Mackenzie. "All I care about is how to get my sister back." "Can you help with that?"
Kenzie shook her head. "Look, my assignment has nothing to do with Bianchi, the Genovese's, or whatever kind of bullshit is going on with the mafia." "My job was only to infiltrate Victor's gang, nothing else." "It's purely a coincidence I was there."
"Fucking great." "We're still at square fucking one." Viper huffed.
"Thanks, Kenzie." Axle gave a faint smile before pulling Spook off to the side.
"Am I done?" She asked, glaring at Priest. "Yeah, you're done." He answered.
Priest followed her to the door. She put her jacket back on and Tank handed her guns back. "That desert Eagle is sweet." Tank grinned cheekily. "Shut the fuck up and leave." Priest spat.
"You could've told me you went back in." He mumbled. She looked longingly at him. "No, I couldn't."
She turned walking towards the door but stopped. "We were never going to be a normal married couple, Caleb." "I can't be one of those wives who sits at home waiting for her husband to come home from work." "I can't be some ol'lady strapped to the back of your Harley," Kenize spoke honestly.
Priest reached out and caressed her face. "I never asked you to do that." "I would never ask you to do that." It pained him that their marriage was in such a rut. Was it irreparable, he didn't know? But he wanted to try to fix it.
Kenzie leaned into his touch. She did miss him. "I love you." He whispered, leaning his head against hers. Her phone started buzzing. She looked down and sighed. "I got to go." She mumbled. Priest grabbed her hand before she left. He gave a slight squeeze. Kenzie knew what he wanted.
"I love you, too, Caleb." She gave him a quick peck on the lips and then walked away.
Priest walked back to an eager crowd waiting to ask him questions. Hawk was the first to stick his foot in his mouth. "Your wife is smoking hot." He put his hands up jokingly when Priest reached for his gun. "No offense, just telling the truth."
"What exactly does your wife do?" Ice asked curiously.
There wasn't a lie creative enough for Priest to come up with to explain why Kenzie would be with a Korean drug dealer. Given everything at this point, honesty was the best approach. "She's a DEA agent." He answered.
"That explains a lot." Tank said, nodding his head.
"I got it, Prez." Spook exclaimed, jogging towards the crowd. "Let's have a look," Axle said.
"What are we looking at?" Viper asked. "I asked Spook if he could pull up blueprints of Salazar's house." He answered.
"Couldn't find blueprints, but I did one better." "Satellite images, in real-time." Spook smiled proudly. "Woah, that's a large property." Ink said. "Yeah, that's surrounded by mountains." Bas chimed in.
"We all knew it wasn't going to be easy." Spook voiced.
With Bianchi and the LOH, they knew the entire club couldn't go. "So, who's going?" Priest asked.
*******
The next day dragged along slowly. Charlie sat quietly on the cushioned bench next to the window. Her fingers traced Axle's name over and over. She hoped if she etched his name hard enough, he would manifest himself in the room. She let out a groan. There has to be a way out of here, she thought to herself.
She leaned her head against the window as Tommy entered the room. With the confession he admitted to her last night, she didn't know how to behave around him.
Tommy didn't say anything, just held out his hand. "What?" Charlie asked suspiciously. "You can't stay cooped up in the room all day." He gestured to the door.
She slowly got up and walked towards him. "Where are we going?"
"Downstairs to feed you, then maybe outside." "It's a large property, you need to stretch your legs." He half-smiled. Tommy was struggling with all of this. If it were up to him, he'd just let her go home. But this was Gabriel's deal and the one calling the shots.
"What about Damian?" Charlie asked with her voice trembling a bit. "I told you mi carina; he won't touch you when I'm around." He answered. Charlie raised her chin slightly to look at his almond-colored eyes that had flecks of gold shining. "You're not always going to be with me."
"Let me worry about that, ok." "One day at a time." He squeezed her shoulder trying to ease her anxiety.
As they reached the bottom of the staircase, Damian strolled past, giving Charlie a wicked grin. She instantly clutches the back of Tommy's shirt. He gave a harsh look at his cousin.
They walked into the kitchen and found Gabriel having a cup of coffee while reading a newspaper. "When do they come home?" Tommy asked his dad and uncle. Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. "Soon, I think." "How the hell should I know?"
Gabriel gestured to Charlie to have a seat. She looked over to Tommy almost checking if it was safe. Tommy nodded. Gabriel put down the newspaper. He glanced at Tommy then over to Charlie then back over to Tommy. "Is there something going on between you and Damian?"
Tommy shook his head while placing a plate of food in front of Charlie. Gabriel gave this look like he didn't quite believe him. "Well, Damian and I have to go into Medellín for a couple of meetings and check out some new products," Gabriel began explaining, "We'll be back this evening."
He folded up the newspaper as he got up from his seat. "You mi carina better behave yourself while I'm gone." He gave Tommy a side glance as he left the kitchen. Charlie released a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"You better eat before your food gets cold." He pointed at her plate.
After breakfast, Tommy kept his promise and allowed Charlie to walk around the property. Once outside, she understood what Tommy meant. The property was huge. It stretched across at least 20 acres of land. Charlie slumped her shoulders realizing escaping was going to be extremely difficult if not impossible.
The landscape was gorgeous. And in any normal circumstance, Charlie would marvel in its beauty, but she couldn't. She was being held against her will.
Charlie flopped down at the base of a large sycamore tree. The fanned-out tree branches cast a nice shade over her. Tommy sat down next to her. No words were spoken, just silence. The only sounds heard were from chirping birds or the rustling of feet from the guards patrolling the property.
"Can you let me go?" She mumbled. Tommy gave her the same look as before. She sat up on her knees to face him. "Come on, you heard Gabriel, they won't be back until this evening." "Please."
Tommy clenched his jaw. There was nothing he wanted more than to put her in his car and drive her to the airport. "I can't do that." He replied in a cold tone.
Charlie's eyes hardened as she glared at him. "Fuck you!" She shouted, then abruptly got up and started walking towards the front gate.
"Shit," Tommy mumbled under his breath, scrambling to get up and chase after her.
"Let go of me!" She yelled, trying to jerk her arm from his grasp. "What the hell are you doing?!" "If you try to walk through that gate, they will fucking shoot you!" Tommy shouted back.
Charlie shoved him backward. He moved closer, getting within inches of her face. "There's nothing I'd rather do than get you out of here, but I can't." "Please understand." He pleaded.
Charlie shook her head. "How can I?" "I've been kidnapped, hurt, and molested by that crazy bastard!" She bellowed, pointing her finger towards the bedroom window she'd been staying in.
"If you take me out of here, I'll do anything." She whispered the last part. Charlie gently grabbed his hand and held it against her face. Then she began moving his hand down her neck, along her collarbone, eventually resting on her breast.
Tommy leaned his head back and sighed. God, he wanted her. But he knew she was only doing this out of desperation. She didn't truly want him. She had a boyfriend whom she was pining to get back to.
He darted his eyes at her when he felt her other hand palming the outside of his pants causing his dick to harden with excitement. "Stop it, Charlie." He gritted through his teeth.
She began rubbing her hand around his dick. "I'll give you whatever you want if you let me go." She began unbuttoning her blouse but was stopped by Tommy when he grabbed her hands harshly. "I said stop!"
A solitary tear fell from Charlie's face. Tommy let out an exasperated sigh. "I want you to want me." "And I know you don't." "I know you love whomever the guy is in your life." "And as much as I want you, I won't be your second choice." He replied honestly.
Charlie deflated her shoulders. She didn't realize until that moment that his feelings for her were rooted much deeper than she imagined. If Axle weren't in the picture, could Tommy be someone she could see herself with?
"I think you've been outside long enough, best you get back inside." He said with a cold tone. Feeling defeated, Charlie nodded her head and started walking back towards the house.
Vocabulary: DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency)
Word count: 3,458