*Important Warning - this book is for mature adult readers for a reason. From here on out, there will be some intense subject matter such as torture and murder. If you are uncomfortable with these topics, then please, skip or read at your own risk. I will not be writing summary chapters or non graphic chapters such as in 'Blade'. These gruesome acts are necessary to the plot, as Talia's revenge is the main plot of this novel. I understand that this can be triggering to some, so here is your warning that what transpires between Talia/Ryder and the men who hurt her is not pretty and will be hard to read for some. Remember, this is just fiction for the sole purpose of entertainment. Violence in media is very popular, though hard to watch/read. If violence is not your thing, I completely understand. Thank you for reading.*
•Ryder •
Talia may have left last week, but that doesn't stop the fact that two of her attackers will be arriving later this evening.
In a stretch limo filled with all the pleasures a couple douchebags could want.
Turner insisted we make it as legit as possible, and then I had the thought that it would be a good precursor to the events that will soon unfold. Lure them into a false sense of security. Let them enjoy themselves. And then boom, take it all away and ruin them.
Only when Talia comes back.
After she texted me a few days ago that she wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. I know she wants to be the one to do this, but I can't let this opportunity slip away.
Plus, it's not like I have to end their lives tonight. No, they're getting locked away in the basement of the cabin until Talia returns. Until she can handle them herself, they'll sit in their own filth and rot in the darkness.
For what they did to her, they deserve it. They deserve everything that is coming to them. And even then, it still won't be enough. Death will never be enough to satisfy revenge against the men who tried to destroy her.
Stevie, one of the dancers and part-time Sheep, is helping me tonight. I hired her as the female entertainment, but I explained that who she'd be working for aren't people she needs to get too close to.
She understood without me having to explain further. As someone who knows what the club does - without actually knowing - she knows that these men aren't going to survive. She also knows I'll protect her and won't let her get into a dangerous situation.
I sit on the back of my bike in traffic, a couple cars behind the sleek black limo carrying the men to the Lotus.
I haven't seen their faces yet, which is good. Because if I had been there when they were picked up from the airport, they might not have gotten the chance to make it to the hotel.
My phone vibrates in my breast pocket but I ignore it, knowing it's probably Ash with more bad news concerning the Australians. That seems to be our new norm these days: wake up, get bad news, try to survive, go to sleep.
Everyday, it's something new with them and I know the club is getting antsy. We want out of this deal, but it's going to look bad if we break it off with them. Them being the only people who will do business with us. People will still buy, but getting someone to sell to us is another problem. Another thing to be worried about is the Australians taking it out on us after the deal.
If we renege on our deal with the brothers, they'll shit on our tarnished name even further, ruining us with any potential contacts.
Grabbing a smoke and putting it to my lips, I inhale deeply, trying to keep my cool as I watch the limo pull into the half moon shaped driveway in front of the Lotus.
I'm right behind them, pulling up to the small parking lot area reserved for my brothers and I.
"Don't turn around," I mumble to myself. If I see them now, I'll rush them. I'll end it right where they stand. In this moment, I wish I could have a drink. Just to calm my raging emotions. To give me more of a level head.
I pull fiercely on the cigarette before tossing it to the ground and stomping it out with my booted foot.
Hearing a woman's laughter, I finally look up to see Stevie leading the two men inside of the building, her hands at their backs.
I only catch the backs of their heads, both blonde military cuts. One even has sunglasses perched low on the back of his head.
"Fucking idiot," I spit, killing the engine on my bike and getting off, taking lengthy steps to get to the front.
"Welcome back, Sir, in for a night of fun?" Liam, the valet out front shouts as I breeze past him.
At one point he was a potential member, even going as far as to be offered a position as a prospect. Then his girlfriend got pregnant and he turned it all down, not wanting to get caught up in something his offspring wouldn't be proud of.
I don't blame him. Club life isn't supposed to be like this. Club life is a brotherhood, based in the love of motorcycles and family. It's not meant to be this constant cycle of wrongdoing, illegal activity, death and murder. There's plenty of clubs out there running the straight and narrow. Hell, the vast majority of motorcycle clubs are completely free of the shit we do. I guess I can only hope we pull in that direction one day.
"Got some business to handle," I say, not waiting for a response before ducking into the front entrance.
People surround me as I step into the large lobby, covered in light pink and gold accents. Lotus flower carvings are expertly placed along the walls, glinting in the bright lighting of the room. Chaise lounges draped with guests surround me, the chattering nearly overwhelming as everyone talks over everyone else.
My eyes zero in on exactly who I came here for, though, and it doesn't take but a second to catch up to them before they enter the double doors leading to the main casino.
I stand from afar, pressed against the wall as to not draw any attention to myself - not that they would ever recognize me. We've never met and they are completely unaware of my existence as their worst nightmare.
They have no idea I'm stalking them, staying just out of arms reach where they can't pick up on the predator lurking nearby.
"Let me get a whiskey, neat, and for the lady?" The bigger of the two men speaks. Chris Dafoe. Ex Marine, dishonorably discharged for drug abuse and theft of equipment. Unmarried. Unattached. A pussy. A lowlife. The dirt under my boot.
Tattoos peak out from the back of his button down shirt, the tribal kind that kids freshly turned eighteen get to piss their parents off.
"I'll have a glass of Chardonnay," Stevie breathes seductively. Good girl. I told her to not order anything too strong if she was coerced into ordering drinks. I didn't want her to lose herself too much. There's no telling what they're going to try and do to her, but I'll be there before they get the chance.
"Lemme get a gin and tonic," the other of the duo tells the waitress, eyeing her tits spilling over the top half of her lingerie. Never in my life have I wished the staff wore different outfits until now. Until these sick individuals were eyeballing them with lust.
It makes my blood boil and my hand twitch to the gun held firmly between my jeans and back.
It would only take a moment. One single moment for me to pull my weapon and end their lives. But, Talia's pain wouldn't be healed that way. It wouldn't be enough to satisfy her bloodlust.
This is something she has to do herself and me handling her problems for her probably wouldn't go over too well. No matter how satisfying it would be to watch them bleed to death on the carpeted floor covered in little lotus flowers.
Their poker table is soon joined by more and the dealer begins dealing cards out to the group. It sickens me to watch them sit there, play their game, drink their alcohol, all as if they didn't rape and torture a young woman last year because they were asked to. And Talia couldn't have been the only one. There's no telling how many women they did that to.
Can the people at the table sense they're monsters? Even now, standing at a distance, I can feel that something isn't right about them. I can see it in their eyes. Dead and cold. Their faces hold smiles but their eyes hold malevolence.
My hands clench into fists as another wave of anger passes through me, but I restrain myself. I have a plan and I need it to go off without a hitch, for Talia's sake.
Several hours pass, and several drinks are consumed. Enough that when they finally stand up, they're wobbly and using Stevie as a crutch to keep them both on their feet. She buckles slightly under their grasping hands, but I know she's in no danger. Only when she's alone with them for that split second upstairs will I be truly concerned.
I get to the elevator first, press the floor for their room and step off, swiping my own key through the door and heading into the bathroom.
It's elegant, such is every bathroom and bedroom in this hotel. We're nowhere near on par with places such as the Bellagio, but the Lotus does have notoriety as a fancy hotel. People come from all over just to stay here and bask in the opulence.
The scent of the hand crafted soaps wafts into nose as I step into the closet, just in case they come in here to take a piss before going to the bedroom.
My pulse thunders in my ears, drowning out all sounds and taking over my senses - until I hear the click of the door unlocking and boisterous laughter fills the room outside.
Stevie is laughing along with them, so I know she's still relatively safe.
They bypass the bathroom - actually surprising considering how much they drank - and go straight to the bedroom like I hoped.
The door from the living space shuts behind them and I know Stevie has closed them off in the bedroom.
I listen for any indication something has gone wrong but all I hear is the flopping of bodies onto the mattress.
"Take your clothes off," one of them demands and Stevie laughs.
"Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we. Shouldn't we have another drink?"
"I don't want another goddamn drink, take your fucking clothes off, whore, and suck my dick."
I hear her yelp and my hand reaches for the container in my pocket.
If possible, Stevie was supposed to get them to have another drink, where I'd laced the liquor with rohypnol, but if she was unable to, the backup rests within my pockets.
"Give me a moment to freshen up? I won't be long fellas." She puts on her seductive voice once more and they must concede to her wishes because I don't hear any objections and a few seconds later the door to the bathroom is opening and locking behind her.
Stepping out of the closet, I see the look of disgust on her face. "They're pigs."
"They're much worse than pigs." We keep our voices low enough that they won't hear us but we can't chat for long. "Are you okay?"
She nods. "Not much bothers me after working at the Lounge."
My lip twitches at that and I decide I'll have to have a chat with the club about the way women are treated in there. Men can be disgusting but that doesn't mean we have to put up with it. I know our girls are taken pretty good care of there, but there's still things that happen that aren't reported by the girls.
"Well, get out of here. I've got it from here on out. Thank you, I appreciate the help and I'll slip you the money back at the clubhouse tomorrow morning."
"Thanks, Ryder. I really need it. Rent is due and my brother needs his asthma meds."
My heart hurts at that and I wish there was something else that we could do. A lot of the Sheep are nuisances, but then there are ones like Stevie just trying to get by in this life however they can.
She leaves out of the other entrance to the bathroom that leads back out into the living space and out the door. She's quiet enough and even if she wasn't, I'm sure the alcohol has dulled the men's senses enough that they didn't hear it.
Taking a deep breath, I pull out the syringes, already prepped with enough ketamine to knock them both out long enough for me to drag them to the cabin and lock them up.
I know as soon as I open the door and they see a fully grown man emerging instead of some piece of ass, they'll try and attack. That's why, my best bet is to just rush one of them, subdue him as fast as possible, then try and take the other out.
I don't have the weight and muscle that Ash or Stone does, but I do have endurance and I do have desire fueling my actions. And enough cocaine to give me a boost.
Snorting just enough to potentially give me the upper hand, I place the baggie back in my pocket and pull the caps off the syringes.
Busting through the door, both of the men stand abruptly but one of the needles is already sinking into the thigh of the closest - sadly it's the smaller of the two, Rob. I had hoped I'd be able to take out Chris first.
The cards aren't in my favor tonight it seems.
Shuffling ensues and the lamp is knocked off the nightstand as Rob falls to the floor.
"You son of a bitch!"
Angry eyes turn on me and Chris leaps across the bed, his arms outstretched until they're wrapped around my neck.
The syringe is knocked from my hand when he tackles me to the ground, his hands quickly cutting of my circulation.
I can feel myself losing consciousness with the way he's pressing his meaty hands so hard against my trachea, but I flail around enough and pull a bitch move, kneeing him in the nards.
"Fuck you!" He hollers, grabbing for his balls, giving me enough time to reach for the syringe and stick it deep into his thigh.
It was a cheap shot but these fuckers don't deserve anything honorable.
He goes down quickly, the drugs taking hold of his system and knocking him on his ass.
They're both out cold in less than a minute.
Standing up and cracking my neck from side to side, rubbing the now tender area around my throat, I open the doors to the living space and head to the entrance where a hotel staff member on the Wolves' payroll waits for me.
"Ryder," he says with a nod before heading into the room with me.
We grab the first piece of shit by his shoulders and feet and lift him, leading him back out the door where a laundry cart waits for us.
The floor belongs to the Wolves so no one should be wandering around unless somehow they got up here by accident.
We cart the second body over and I cover them both with a few sheets, hiding them from view of any unsuspecting guests I might run into.
Pulling a wad of cash out of my pocket, I hand it over to the burly ex con. "Thanks for the help, Willie."
"Anytime. You know I've got the Wolves' backs." He sends me a nod before stalking off in the direction of the staff stairwell whereas I head to the elevator, wheeling the cart carrying over 300 pounds of dead meat.
Out back, a truck waits for me, the keys hot and heavy in my pocket. Opening the back, I slide the entire cart in, closing them up in the dark.
I don't bother tying them down. If they get shuffled around, oh well. It's nothing that'll be worse than what is going to happen to them inevitably.
I step through the damp ground from the leaking pipes, lighting up another cigarette and getting into the front of the truck.
The drive has me restless and I'm itching to snort a little more coke, but I hold back, knowing I don't need another impossible addiction on my hands.
The truck's headlights are the only lights on the road, the stars not overly visible until I get further away from the city.
Turning down the dirt path that leads to the cabin, I hear the cart bang against the walls of the back, sliding around and potentially causing damage.
I smirk, praying they wake up with headaches.
Getting them into the truck wasn't hard, but getting them out and then getting them out of the cart might be more of a struggle.
I decide to just dump the cart onto its side. Pulling them out one by one after we get into the cabin.
The concrete flooring of the basement is icy cold and will strip the duo of their natural body heat within the hour.
Good.
I remind myself I can't let them die before Talia can see them and decide to leave a couple blankets along with enough non perishable food and water to last for another week. A bucket and a few rolls of toilet paper sit between the two men and I contemplate taking that comfort away but it'd be a pain to let them die from some hygiene related disease before what they deserve comes to them.
No matter how much I want them to suffer, they need to still be awake and cognizant by the time Talia comes home.
Chaining them both to the walls with unbreakable bonds, I walk over to the corner where a camera is and turn it on, making sure the feed is set up to deliver to my phone where I can watch them.
It's a night vision feed and once I flip the light switch on the outside, I can see them more clearly.
Now, all I have to do is wait.
♠️♥️♣️♦️
My phone rests beside me as I lay on my bed, my body removed of clothes and freshly showered. I felt sick with their touches on my body, knowing those were the hands that touched someone against their will. Hands that beat and broke someone undeserving of their hatred.
Hearing the shuffling sounds coming from the video, I grab my phone and turn over onto my side, watching as the two of them begin to wake up.
It takes a good ten minutes before both of them are fully aware of the gravity of the situation they've gotten themselves into.
"Chris, wake the fuck up!" Rob shouts, knocking the empty waste bucket out of the way accidentally as he reaches over to try and grab his buddy.
"What the fuck is going on? Where are we?" He groans, rubbing his head with his hands. He takes note of the chained bracelet around his wrist and tries pulling on it.
They struggle for a while, trying to free themselves. Rob even whimpers a little.
I laugh.
While it's pitch black to them, I can see everything they're doing. Chris finally touches the water jugs and after opening it and sniffing to make sure, he takes a large gulp, offering it to Rob afterwards.
They sit in silence for a split second before Rob speaks up. "I think it's a camera."
He points towards where I'm videoing them, the red light from the camera very visible in the blackened room.
"Hey! Who are you? Why are we here? We're good people! We didn't do anything wrong!"
I snort. Good people. Good people? Really. They're going with that excuse?
I clench my teeth. They wouldn't know what good was if it leapt up and bit them in the ass.
Disgusted with their bargaining techniques, I shut the video off. Let them tire themselves out. I'll check on them tomorrow to make sure they haven't killed each other and once a day after that, but I can't sit here and watch them any longer. Not if they're going to preach that they're good souls who don't deserve this.
Because they're not. They're pure evil. And they will die, painfully, for what they've done.