I stood there awkwardly for what felt like hours. Corinth appeared to be in no rush as she bid adieu to her beau for the night. He held her tightly, lost in her eyes as she teased him time and time again with playful kisses.
"This is Eli by the way." Corinth informed without looking away from him, holding no regard with whether I actually heard her or not.
It was Eli who finally broke their eye contact and tossed me a loose grin. He had warm brown eyes and matching hair with a boyish charm about his features. Though he was tall and muscular, he was almost nothing compared to some of the others I've seen thus far. An attractive man though inferior to Dustin.
Why was I comparing him to Dustin, of all people?
Corinth kissed him once more, then was on her feet with her arm over my shoulders. I glanced down at her torso only once, "Do you want to ... um ... change?"
She followed my gaze to her bare stomach and chest, but only laughed. It was a musical sound, "Honey, if I was ashamed, I wouldn't have taken my shirt off in the first place."
With her declaration, she steered me towards the crowd which still moseyed throughout the compound, carelessly. Her arm slipped from my shoulders, allowing her hand to grip mine tightly to lead me through without the two of us getting separated. Half drunk girls stumbled past me, fully drunk men chased after them.
Corinth seemed to enjoy the show. Once we were past the madness and inside the large building where Dustin had disappeared into earlier, she let out a long sigh, "Isn't it fun? I'm glad he's back, honestly. Things were getting boring around here."
The main lobby of this building was huge. A bar stretched out to my left, countless glass bottles shelved behind the counter. Most of them were empty at this point with only a few still holding their contents. Three pool tables were stationed to my left, the games cresting their felt tops were all but forgotten now that the celebration outside was well underway. Chairs were scattered throughout the room, some stacked in corners, others forgotten in the middle of the room as if they had been discarded in an attempt to get outside.
Along the walls were various pictures of both men and women in leather cuts, each one branded with one word embroidered across the back shoulders. Tribe, stitched in red lettering, looking as though it had been written in blood. These photos depicted different occasions: parties, weddings, funerals, and ... court hearings?
One doorway sat in front of us, above it were several separate pictures of men. Each one looked as though it were a mug shot. Then again, they probably were. The two pictures at the end looked vaguely similar to one another.
"Who are they?" I heard myself asking.
Corinth stopped under the doorway, looking up, "Those are the leaders of the Tribe, past and present."
The images of various bikers plastered across the walls reminded me of where I was, of who I was dealing with. Corinth, though she seemed petite in stature, could probably kick my ass without breaking a sweat. No doubt Dustin taught her self defense since, you know, they're cousins!
Corinth took my hand again and pulled me down a long hallway that split into two separate directions at the end, "How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
There was something odd about her smile, "I turned eighteen a few months ago, I was the last one. So you are officially the only minor at the compound until the next generation. Congratulations!"
I didn't try to hide the disdain in my voice when I said, "Thanks."
She led me to the end of the hall, then pulled us left until we reached the last door in this hallway. Unafraid, she reached up to knock on the door. It took only half a second for me to realize why she was knocking ... and who's door this was.
A moment later, my suspicions were confirmed.
"What the hell do you want?" Dustin demanded as he threw the door open. My eyes instantly dropped to his bare chest, solid as stone and darkened by a blanket of tattoos ranging from shadowed skulls to swirling barbed wire amongst a series of others.
But what made my heart falter was the muscular V-line carved into his hips which disappeared into the hem of his jeans.
His unbuttoned jeans, mind you.
Nothing but toned, tan, and drool worthy muscle from his incredible biceps to his delicious pectorals.
Oh God, my knees were weak.
Corinth crossed her arms, "I'm glad you're back, my dear cousin, but if you expect me to take care of your prisoner then you have to give me some direction as well."
Dustin ran a hand through his hair, sighing at his cousin's apparel, "Nice, Corinth. Real classy. Put some damn clothes on."
"I could say the same about you." Her eyes dipped towards the naked brunette from earlier now hiding under the blankets of Dustin's bed. Corinth shook her head with a snicker, "I mean, come on Dustin. Heather, of all people? You know those legs open for every guy with a dick, right?"
My face went bright red at her blunt statement but it got even worse when Dustin replied, "She's easy, so what?"
Now that I think about it, maybe it isn't so impossible to believe that these two are related.
The brunette, Heather, crossed her arms over her chest, now only covered by a thin sheet that didn't leave much to the imagination, "I can hear you two."
"That's the point, dear." Corinth cooed back at her.
But before Heather could charge from the bed, Dustin stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. I had to force my gaze elsewhere while Dustin reached down to zip up and button his jeans. Still, seeing him in only those pants, with nothing blocking my sight from that incredibly alluring chest and all the tattoos and those perfectly sculpted abs ...
Focus Sadie. Focus.
"I love you to death, Corinth, but you have the worst timing." Dustin grumbled to himself. When he lifted his head once more and the hair fell away from his face, I found myself trying to determine the color of his eyes. Blue ... or violet ... maybe both?
"Really? Seems to me like you weren't far into your ... activities." Corinth replied sweetly. She nodded towards me, "So what do you want me to do with her?"
For the first time since arriving, Dustin turned towards me. It was easy enough to ignore his exposed torso and plaster a frown on my face. He scratched at the back of his head, "I don't know. Let her sleep with you tonight and I'll make permanent arrangements tomorrow."
Corinth shrugged, giving in way too easy for her naturally mischievous personality, "Okay. If you say so."
Dustin narrowed his eyes at her, "You came all the way over here and interrupted me just for that?"
"Yep."
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, crossing his arms which made them bulge, "You could have figured that out on your own."
Corinth nodded, "You're right."
"So why did you come here?" He pressed further.
She giggled and gave him a punch to the arm that looked too painful to be playful, "Because I enjoy messing with you. And because you can do so much better than Heather the Hoe."
Dustin let his head hang forward with the slightest of smiles tugging at his lips. Despite her games, Dustin loved his cousin. That much was clear. But even the love of a devil must be something terrible.
Corinth pulled at me again but we both froze when Dustin's voice called out, "Sadie?"
I turned to find him halfway through the doorway, leaning against the wood with one arm propped over his head. A husky chuckle rolled from him, "Don't miss me too much."
The smile I gave him was one made of malice and disgust, "I promise, that will never happen. In this life or the next."
He laughed again, then shut the door. Toying with me was becoming his new favorite pastime. Tomorrow, I'd fix that real quick. Until then, I let Corinth tow me away towards the other end of the hall. She hooked her arm with mine and patted my hand with hers, "Don't worry, love. His bark is much worse than his bite. Although, you don't want to get in a fight with him because I once saw him bite a guy's ear clean off."
At her words, my mind wandered back to the alley. Where Jeremy's corpse still sat, probably undiscovered as the night carried on. The blood, that copper smell, it all drifted back and hit me like the broad side of a planet.
My fingers curled around Corinth's arm, "I don't feel so good."
Instantly, her humor vanished. She briskly escorted me down the hall and into another room. She directed me straight towards the connected bathroom where I collapsed to my knees and vomited my guts into the toilet.
Surprisingly, I felt Corinth right beside me, rubbing my back in large circles with one hand while her other held back my long hair. Before long my stomach was empty but the heaves continued, resulting in only a series of coughs and dry wheezing. Through it all, Corinth didn't move nor did she speak. She sat beside me in silence and in comfort. Something I haven't had in a very long time.
Distantly, I heard the door to the room open then Eli appeared in the doorway. A long, low whistle rolled from his lips when he saw me, "Damn."
"Be nice." Corinth ordered, "She's had a long day."
"I can see that, the poor thing." Eli commented, leaning against the doorframe with his arms and ankles crossed, "Do you want some water, sweetheart?"
Even shaking my head caused the room to spin.
When the heaves stopped and my breathing evened out, Corinth helped me stand and led me back to where her bed was shoved against the side of the room. I noticed then that her room looked as any typical teenage girl's room would. Poster's hung on the wall of popular bands, though most of them I didn't listen to. Makeup littered her vanity which was painted a dark black, with red lipstick written across the mirror.
Live life like the devil is watching.
I liked that.
Eli turned away while Corinth helped me into a pair of her sweatpants and a t-shirt, and a pair of really fuzzy socks that hugged my feet like clouds. She folded my clothes and set them on a recliner chair in the corner as Eli pulled the blankets over my body and tucked it around my stomach, "It gets cold in here at night but this should keep you warm."
"Thank you." I breathed out, feeling my eyes becoming heavy with sleep. It could be from getting kidnapped, or being threatened, or the vomiting. Whatever the reason, I found myself drifting off as Corinth laid down beside me and Eli draped himself across the foot of the bed.
"Sweet dreams, honey. Tomorrow is a new day." She whispered back.
*****
When I woke up the next morning, only silence met my ears. Except for the deep breaths sounding throughout the room. I looked to my right to find Corinth curled up beside me, now dressed in a pair of short and an oversized t-shirt that made her look like an infant. Eli slept peacefully near our feet, his head resting on Corinth's thigh while his legs coiled over my own. He was now dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that hugged him in all the right places. Now I understood Corinth's fascination with this boy.
A yawn escaped me and I stretched my arms high over my head, feeling a wonderful pull on my aching muscles. Now that I wasn't hindered by sleep or sickness, I took in my surroundings. Corinth's room was decent in size and spacious enough that even with three people laying in this queen size bed, it wasn't cramped. In fact, I felt rather ... comfortable.
How strange. I was locked inside a compound with nearly fifty or more Tribe members, yet I felt at ease.
For the moment at least.
Almost instantly after, a loud pounding echoed through the room from the door. Corinth shot into a sitting position which caused Eli to tumble onto the floor. I sat up too though my head swam with dizziness at the movement. I should have accepted that water last night, now my stomach was empty and I was dehydrated.
What a wonderful start to a 'new day' as Corinth promised.
She looked towards me for a moment, checking me over before she slid out of the bed and stalked towards the door. When she opened it, we saw a disheveled Dustin on the other side, most likely hung over, with his fingers in his hair as he slumped against the door, "Morning."
"No." Corinth answered then slammed the door in his face. She was on her way back to the bed when Dustin opened the door again and stepped in, nearly tripping over Eli on his way.
"Sorry, man." Dustin apologized before looking back towards me. Something flashed across his face, could it possibly be guilt? Did I look that bad? I'd never know because the emotion faded and was replaced with stone, "I've got a meeting with Donovan in five minutes and the prisoner has to come."
Corinth dramatically plunged onto the bed, throwing her arms around my waist as she cuddled her head against my stomach, "She's mine now. I call dibs."
Dustin's eyebrows rose, "You don't get to call dibs."
"Too bad, I already did."
"Corinth-"
"I can't hear you." She sang.
"My God, it's too early for this." Dustin massaged the bridge of his nose, "Eli, get your rider."
When he got to his feet, Corinth gaped at Eli for betraying her. But Eli only shrugged and threw Corinth over his shoulder, "Sorry babe but we both know I'm under obligations to follow his orders. Technically, so are you."
Corinth continued to pout while she sat over Eli's shoulder. Dustin came to the side of the bed, yet again offering me his hand, "You look like shit."
"Take a look in the mirror, buddy." I told him, rolling off the side of the bed farthest from my kidnapper. I looked to Corinth who had her head propped up in her hand with her elbow digging into Eli's back, "Thank you. For last night."
"No problem, sugar. When you're done with the meeting, come find me." She answered happily.
But Dustin burst that bubble, "Nope. After the meeting, she goes into lockdown. She's still our prisoner."
"Dustin, don't be a dick."
"That's enough." His deep command was final, enough so to silence Corinth. She huffed angrily then shoved away from Eli, twirling into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her. Dustin took my elbow in his grasp and pulled me from the room, "I swear, she may be eighteen but she acts like a child."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I mumbled, jerking my arm out of his hold. He didn't seem to notice and continued walking, his hands now positioned in his pockets. He too wore a pair of sweatpants, grey in color which contrasted against the black t-shirt covering that glorious chest I saw last night.
This all felt like a dream ... no, a nightmare. One I couldn't wake up from.
"Who's Donovan?" I asked when the silence stretched on.
Dustin didn't answer me. He walked on, his head held high as if he had something to prove. But still, his strut was lazy and his countenance was calm. He wore a poker face better than any I've seen before.
"Can you at least tell me where we're going?" I tried again.
We reached the lobby area but it looked slightly different than it had last night. Maybe because of the random bodies littered across the floor, pool tables, and bar. I felt my hand reach up to cover my mouth as my chest jerked with a gasp.
I looked to Dustin but he only rolled his eyes at my shock, "Calm down. Parties get pretty wild around here and rules say you sleep where you drop."
So they were sleeping, not dead. My hand fell to cover my heart as it slowed once more. Dustin led me through the bodies, stepping over some, walking over others. I spotted Mark amongst the carnage, sandwiched between two redheads. And across the room, I saw the feather blonde man who hugged Dustin upon his return. He was draped over a couch with one of his shoes missing.
When we reached the front door, Dustin pushed it open and waited for me to step through before he followed me. Outside, the lot looked like mayhem. Beer bottles and empty cups devoured the concrete below our feet and broken glass crunched wherever we walked. Since I was only wearing the socks Corinth provided last night, I had to skip over the shards to keep from cutting my feet.
Despite the destruction in the lot, the bikes along the fence were untouched, their paint shining in the early morning sun. As though they were idols to be worshipped.
Once past the remnants of last night's party, we reached a smaller set of building at the back of the lot. One looked like a garage, probably to repair damaged motorcycles. The other building was tiny in comparison with only one door at the front framed by two windows.
"What is this meeting about?" I tried to put as much control behind that question as possible with the hopes that it would force him to answer. But I knew, as well as he did, that he wouldn't answer if he didn't want to and there was nothing I could do sway his mind.
So imagine my surprise when he spoke of his own free will, "To discuss my return and my authority."
A short laugh escaped me. When Dustin's gaze turned on me, I gave the slightest of shrugs, "I'd say that I'm sorry, but I'm not. Besides, I can't imagine you having much authority. Even your own cousin hardly listens to you."
"You could say that my cousin is a free spirit, and I nor anyone else could ever pin her down." Dustin informed casually, reaching up to knock on the wood of a door labeled, 'Go Away', "Once we get in here, do me a favor. Don't speak."
No sooner had those words left his mouth, I heard the deepest voice growl from the other side of the door, "Can't you read?"
"Nope." Dustin called back as he twisted the knob and walked right in.
I followed after Dustin, feeling my legs quake in fear when I spotted the man sitting behind a dark wooden desk. Gray hair sprouted from the top of his head and twisted down the sides of his face in a burly beard that now covered a wrinkled frown. One brown eye glared at me while the other was permanently held shut by a healed scar that ran diagonally across his face. Tattoos climbed up his neck, disappearing into his beard and coating the length of his arms until I saw nothing but ink.
True to Corinth's word, he looked just like his picture hanging over that doorway in the warehouse.
"What's up, old timer?" Dustin asked frivolously as he entered and strode towards the desk without any trace of fear. Meanwhile, I remained near the door, ready to bolt if this man decided my life wasn't worth the trouble.
The elder man, whom I could only presume was Donovan, let the papers in his weathered hands settle on the desk as that beady eye swung towards me, "Who the hell is this and why the hell is she in my office?"
My bones turned frail and the fear of passing out was no longer a possibility. It was a probability.
Dustin laughed quietly to himself, rubbing at the back of his neck, "Well that is what I came to talk to you about."
Donovan's face twisted in anger and it made my heart hammer faster, "Oh really?"
"You see, what happened was-"
Donovan stood and smacked the side of Dustin's head in one swift motion, "Mark already told me what happened but I didn't believe him until now. Did your time in the cell hinder that intelligence you're so damn proud of?"
Dustin shrugged, rolling those large shoulders with power and grace that even Donovan must have noticed, "I made a decision for the good of the Tribe."
"No, you made a decision out of spite." Donovan looked towards the heavens with a scowl clearly written on his face, "How many times have I told you that a hot piece of ass is not worth the jail time?"
My mouth dropped open in disgust, "Excuse me?"
Dustin's warning to remain silent was lost but luckily, my words were ignored. Dustin sulked in boredom, "This has nothing to do with a hot piece of ass. The penalty for an outsider witnessing official Tribe business is death. I showed her mercy by bringing her along instead of putting a bullet in her brain. Would you rather me go back in the pen for yet another murder? Maybe this time it will be I who doesn't make it out." Dustin snarled this last part as if it physically hurt him to say it. I wonder why.
When Donovan remained silently glowering from where he stood near his desk, Dustin continued on with a strange satisfaction written over his features, "That's what I thought. Face it old man, I'm not that screw up kid anymore. My decisions now are for the Tribe and only so. Besides, she's only seventeen and I wasn't about to cap a kid-"
"What the fuck did you just say?" The voice thundered through the room and Dustin's face dropped. He realized his mistake the same moment I did. Obviously Mark hadn't told their leader everything, which left Dustin and I the wonderful pleasure of watching an already terrifying man nearly explode in furious astonishment, "You took a minor? Have you lost your goddamn mind?"
Dustin held up a hand, "Wait just a minute-"
Donovan jabbed a finger towards me, "Girls like her don't just disappear. The police are going to be all over this, and do you know who they're going to come for first? The criminal who just so happened to get released from jail the same night she got kidnapped. Hell, Dustin, you should have just killed her. Either way you'll go back to jail."
"They have no evidence pointing her abduction towards me." Dustin when on the defensive, his muscles going taut in rage, "And the cops will be too busy with Jeremy's murder to be focused on some missing kid."
"They won't need evidence to convict." Donovan shouted, his voice booming through this small room. It made me stumble back a step though neither of them noticed, they were too busy yelling, "Men like us don't get fair trials, I thought you would have learned that by now. Those cops will come for you the first chance they get."
"When that time comes, I'll handle it." Dustin roared back, obviously pissed at being accused in such a manner ... even though Donovan was right.
The leader dropped his face into his hands, sighing, "Do you have any idea how much shit I went through to get you out early before Rosen could get to you? I burned a lot of bridges for you kid, and this is how you repay me? By killing a man and stealing a girl all in the same night?"
For half a second, Dustin looked ashamed. But all too quickly his signature smirk was back and he gave a playful shrug, "You worry too much."
"As the leader of this shit show, it is quite literally my job to worry." Donovan replied.
Dustin clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Well don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."
Donovan shook his head, "That is my greatest concern, nephew."
They went on to discuss the matter more but my head was still trying to wrap around that word. Nephew. As in they were related too ... wait – that means this ogre of a man is Corinth's father? What, a family who slays together stays together? I've been kidnapped by this man's batshit crazy nephew and befriended by his daughter, that can't be good for my health.
"Give it a rest, old timer. She'll behave, I promise." Dustin spoke for me. Did he not see me standing here? I could speak for myself.
His uncle shifted a concerned gaze towards me but in that look, I saw years of bloodshed and bottomless fury. Okay ... maybe it was better that Dustin spoke for me. Donovan wouldn't kill his own nephew for speaking out of line ... right?
Eventually Donovan gave a small sigh and hung his head, "Fine but if you've taken her as your rider then she is your responsibility. And if the cops come looking for you, it is up to you to explain why she's here."
Dustin waggled his eyebrows at me, "I think I can come up with a believable explanation."
I tossed him a bored look before turning away from him, "Please excuse me while I go vomit."
If only I could, there was nothing left in my stomach to throw up.
But something Donovan said caught my attention, about me being Dustin's rider. And for all you dirty minded people out there, myself included, I'm almost positive the leader meant motorcycle rider. Dustin mentioned it in Corinth's room, she was Eli's rider. I wonder –
"Fine, then you're both dismissed. I've got other shit to deal with than the mishaps of children." Donovan barked out, plopping himself back down in his chair.
Dustin leaned against the desk, "I'm twenty-three, I hardly think that counts as a child. The girl on the other hand is about as childish as they come."
For that one, I would have kicked him where the sun don't shine. Twice. But my train of thought was lost to this new information bouncing around inside my head.
Twenty-three? This devil of a man was six years older than me? No wonder Corinth was so surprised by my age, her cousin kidnapped someone six years younger than him. But did it really make a difference? He would have taken me no matter how old I was for what I witnessed.
Or maybe ...
Donovan practically threw us out after that, the door closing with a concluding click of the lock being slid into place. Dustin smiled down at me cheekily, "I think that went well."
He started off across the lot again without so much as a warning. I took off to keep pace with him and exclaimed, "You're twenty-three?"
"From that entire conversation, that's what stuck with you?" Dustin chuckled to himself.
"Are you some weird pedophile or do you have a habit of kidnapping girls six years younger than you?" I snapped, now jogging to keep up with his long strides.
His eyebrows rose in total shock, "Um ... well considering I didn't kidnap you to be my sex slave, I think we're good." A moment later he added, "Besides, blondes aren't my type."
My entire face heated in embarrassment, I guess I didn't really think that one through. It took a minute or two to gather enough of my dwindling dignity to ask, "Why did you kidnap me then?"
Now his face turned solemn, "You already know why. You saw me kill someone. And from the conversation I just had with Donovan, you know that the penalty for a witness is death."
But no, that couldn't be right, "If that were true, why didn't you kill Jeremy after he witnessed you kill that man last year-"
Dustin snorted, "Jeremy didn't see shit." His words sliced through my own like knives, "He turned me in only because he was put up to it. If he had been a real witness, he would have died a long time ago."
We reached the door to the warehouse and Dustin pushed me in, following right after. He was irritated by far and that should have been enough of a warning to keep my mouth shut but curiosity got the better of me, "If he wasn't a witness, why did you kill him?"
Dustin froze mid-step, his foot coming down to rest atop some sleeping man's hand. With a paling face, he turned to look at me with eyes burdened by secrets only he knew of, "It wasn't just me he put away."
My mind instantly snapped back to the moments before Dustin pulled that trigger on Jeremy. Say hello to Brandon for me, Dustin had said.
"Who's Brandon?" I asked quietly.
Dustin's eyes darkened and his face twisted in anger, mortified that I would know such information. He didn't know I was hiding behind that dumpster at the time he said Brandon's name. He wouldn't know it was him who I heard the name from.
"Damn Corinth and her inability to keep that mouth shut." Dustin swore, already starting off at a rapid stride which left me racing to catch up. We reached the end of the hall before I had a chance to speak.
"She didn't tell me. I overheard you in the alley when you were talking to Jeremy." I explained quickly. Dustin stopped dead in his tracks, causing me to collide into his back which was nothing but solid, firm muscle, "I'm not an idiot, I put two and two together."
He whirled on me, furious, all signs of his earlier careless mood now gobbled by that rage. We stared at one another for a while, neither of us willing to give in. If he thought I was going to spend my time here cowering in a corner, then he was in for a rude awakening. That wasn't in my nature and it was time he learned that.
Without warning, his arm shot out to the side, forcing a door to my right to fly open. I hadn't realized where we were until Dustin grabbed my shoulder and threw me into the room. His room. I stumbled over my feet and almost fell but managed to catch myself on the bed.
"What the hell is your problem?!" I shrilled, turning to search for that steady gaze I knew he'd be wearing. But before I could utter another syllable, something cold and metallic closed around my wrist.
I looked down to find a handcuff fashioned tightly around my skin, the other end now connected to a thick pipe which ran parallel to the wall. Being the moron that I am, my first instinct was to pull on the chain, hoping that it would break free. But it didn't.
My eyes narrowed in on Dustin, "What do you think you're doing?"
His lips were turned upward in a malicious grin, "Putting you on lockdown."
"Get this off of me."
His smile grew.
"Get this off of me, now!" I screamed at him, jerking at my restraints again as if to prove how serious I was.
He stepped closer, his chest now pressed incredibly tight against my own as he bowed his head to be level with mine. Then the son of a bitch had the audacity to trail his fingers down my arm, hitching on the metal handcuff around my wrist while he whispered, "Make me."
Fine.
I didn't think, I only acted.
My fingers curled into a fist, and I punched him across the face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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