Page 9

Chapter

Nine

MAXIM

L una is silent on the ride back to the clubhouse.

A lot happened tonight between the concert and the shooting and the hospital. She keeps asking me how I feel for her, and I can never give her an honest answer because how I feel for her is fucking complicated.

I can’t get her off my mind. She’s sweet and beautiful, and I like her. But she’s also so innocent to life that I’d feel like a fucking creep if I were to pursue her. For some reason, I find that hard to explain in a way she can understand.

Luna doesn’t say another word to me as she walks into the clubhouse. With a sigh, I get off my bike.

“Having trouble?”

I startle when I realize Ed is leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, prospect.”

Ed doesn’t say anything more, but I can feel his eyes on me even when I go inside.

When I reach my room, I pause outside the door. I can hear Luna inside … crying. Rose is talking to her.

“Why does Maxim not like me?”

Rose sighs. “Sometimes that’s just life, sweetie. It can hurt.”

I clench my fists. Luna thinks I don’t like her, and that’s fucking gut-wrenching. I’m the reason she’s crying right now.

But I’m not the one to comfort her. Rose is.

My phone beeps with a text. It’s Nikolai. Another gun shipment has been destroyed. Fuck. We’re losing out on money at this rate. If this is Anton, then he really does need to be dealt with.

Giving my door one last glance, I walk away, leaving Luna to cry into Rose’s arms.

“It happened again?” I ask once I’m at the warehouse meeting spot.

“It did,” Nikolai growls.

Dimitri’s hands flap down to his sides. “That’s it. We have to deal with Anton. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

Nikolai hesitates, and that tells us everything.

“Have you known where he is?” I ask. “This whole time?”

“Yes.”

“And you haven’t done anything about it?”

“Trust me. Bringing Anton back into my life is not a good idea. He could kill Ava. I can’t risk that.”

I run my hand down my face. “I can’t believe this.”

“I can,” Dimitri says. “Nik will do anything to make sure his precious Ava is ok, even at the expense of our livelihood.”

“Oh, come on. Are you telling me you wouldn’t do anything to keep Evie alive?” He sets his gaze on me. “And Maxim, is there no one in your life you care about enough to do anything for?”

Luna’s kind eyes flash through my mind.

“I’ve been looking into the lighthouse for you. I’ve been trying to find who took her.”

“And?”

“I’m close to a lead, but I’m not there yet. So don’t fucking piss me off. I’m not going after Anton because, right now, all he’s doing is blowing up our guns. But if we go after him, it’ll be like poking a bees nest, which will only make things worse.”

“Fine,” Dimitri snaps.

Nikolai looks between the two of us and mutters as he walks away.

“So, are we going after Anton?” Dimitri asks me.

“You heard Nikolai.”

“I did. And I can’t stand back and let Anton destroy our guns like this. If we can find and kill him, problem solved.”

“Do you even know where he is?”

“I’ve been having my men look into it, and they found a few locations where he could be. Want to check them out?”

“Will this bite me in the ass?”

Dimitri’s grin is devilish. “Probably. But where’s the fun in being afraid?”

With a sigh, I nod. Going after Anton will help distract me from Luna. If I can end him, it’ll be one less thing on my mind.

“Let’s do this.”

After checking a couple of the locations on Dimitri’s list, we finally end up at a mansion outside the city. It’s in fucking Jersey.

“God, I hate Jersey,” Dimitri mutters as we get out of the car. A large black iron fence keeps us from getting inside.

I rattle the fence. “There’s no way to get in.” A camera on the fence zeros in on us. “Dimitri, look.”

A smile spreads across his face, making him look a little bit like a madman. “Someone’s home.”

“You’re friends of Nikolai,” a voice says through an intercom.

“We are,” I say.

“Then welcome.” The gate opens.

“Is this a trap?”

Dimitri shrugs. “Who cares? If it gets us closer to Anton, the better.”

We walk through the gate and up to the house, where a butler opens the door for us and leads us inside. A man walks into the foyer—he’s younger than I thought he’d be. Classic good looks, but there’s a darkness to his eyes that makes me hate him instantly.

“Anton,” Dimitri says. “You’re Anton, correct? We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting.”

“I am. May I ask what you’re doing in my house?”

“You’ve been stealing our guns,” I growl.

Anton eyes me over dismissively, and it makes me want to punch the shit out of him. “You’re a biker.”

“So?”

“So, what’s a biker doing in Bratva business?”

Dimitri slings his arm around my shoulders. “He’s our partner. And we’re here to discuss our guns. Why the fuck are you blowing them up?”

“Because it’s fun. And because I can.”

“Is there anything you want?” I ask. “Anything we can do to get you to stop?”

He taps his chin and frowns, thinking it over. “Mmm. You know what? Nope. I’m good. There’s nothing I need.”

“So, you’re going to continue doing this … for fun? You’re even crazier than Dimitri.”

“Thank you. I always appreciate a compliment. Now, get out of my house. Before you regret it.”

“Not if you’re dead first.” Dimitri raises his gun and fires at Anton, but Anton is fast. Much faster than I thought.

He already has his own weapon raised and fires at Dimitri, who grunts as a bullet lands in his arm.

Anton sets his weapon on me, but I dive behind a side table and narrowly avoid getting hit. Bringing a gun out, I shoot at Anton, but he laughs as he runs away.

Dimitri is lying on the ground, struggling to get back up. It’s then I realize he wasn’t just shot in the arm. He was shot in the chest.

“Shit,” I mutter, running over to him. Placing his arm around me, I help him stand, and we run from the house together. Well, I run, Dimitri stumbles.

I have no choice but to leave my bike behind as I get into Dimitri’s car and drive him to the nearest hospital. I can’t let my business partner die.

Everything I’ve worked for just got shot down the drain. The men I’ve known can be reasoned with. But Anton just wants to shoot up our guns for the fun of it. That’s not a man you can ever come to terms with.

Nikolai was right—we just poked the bee’s nest. What’s Anton going to do now?

LUNA

My tears eventually dry, and Rose leaves me be.

Back in the lighthouse, I only had to worry about boredom. But here, I have so much on my mind that it feels like it’s killing me. Rose told me it’s ok if Maxim doesn’t like me. I’ll learn from it. I’ll find someone else.

But I’ve never liked someone like this before. I’ve never been around someone like Maxim. It’s all-consuming, and I don’t know how to let him go.

It’s at this moment I wish I were still back in my lighthouse.

A knock on the door makes me sit up with a gasp. It’s only Colin.

“Brought you some food,” he says with a sheepish grin. “Rose ordered me to come up here.”

“Thank you.”

He sets a tray of food on the bed. “Maxim isn’t here right now. So, it’s probably best if you just stay in here.”

“I understand. Thank you, Colin.”

His smile is cute. The more I study Colin, the more I realize how handsome he is. Not as handsome as Maxim, and my stomach doesn’t flutter when I look at Colin. But maybe Colin would like me back. Maybe Colin wouldn’t break my heart the way Maxim does.

Colin doesn’t stay for me to eat, and I’m left alone again. I’m getting really tired of being alone.

So, once I finish my meal, I decide to head downstairs. Rose and Colin can protect me, but ever since Jasper left, I haven’t had any problems with the other men. They keep their distance—even Sal, who still looks me over on occasion.

And then there’s Ed.

He doesn’t just look me over the way Sal does. Sal’s desire for me is obvious. He practically salivates. But Ed will just look at me like he’s studying me. Like he’s trying to crack a code.

And other times, I’ll find him staring at me with such an angry expression that it sends chills down my spine. I haven’t done anything to him, so I don’t know why he hates me so much.

I make sure to keep my distance from him as I sit down at the bar. Rose offers me a sympathetic smile. Despite having my back to him, I can feel Ed’s eyes boring into me.

“Come on, honey,” Rose says. “Let’s go sit down. Chat.” We go to the couch, but I freeze when I see Ed lingering nearby. “Don’t you have something to go clean?” Rose says to him.

Ed sneers and walks away.

“How do you do that?” I ask as I sit down. “Be so brave?”

“Experience. You’ll learn in time. You defended yourself from that man in the alleyway. You told me you hit him like I taught you. You’re learning.”

“Still. It feels like I’m not learning fast enough.”

“You’ll get there. In time.” Her phone beeps. I’m still fascinated by the small piece of technology. With one little device, you can talk to so many different people. I wonder who I could have talked to growing up if I wasn’t stuck in my lighthouse. “Oh, shit. I have to take this. I’ll be right back.”

“Ok.”

Rose hurries outside, talking to someone on the phone.

The clubhouse is fairly quiet tonight. The only people around are Colin and … Ed.

I notice right away that I’m alone in the room with Ed. Colin is in the other room.

Ed comes right over to me, making me freeze. Everything inside me is unable to move. My throat is closed. I can’t scream for help.

The smile he gives me sets my body on edge. And then he speaks.

“Hello, Luna.”

I know his voice. It’s God’s voice. I would recognize it anywhere. “God?”

“It’s me. I’ve come for you. You weren’t supposed to leave the lighthouse.”

“I … Maxim showed up. I …”

“I know. I saw it all on camera.” He grabs my arms and hauls me to stand. “You little slut. You weren’t supposed to leave. You were supposed to be all mine.”

“You kidnapped me. I know that now. You …”

“You’re coming back home with me, Luna. Where you belong. I’m going to claim what’s owed to me.”

“My body?”

“Of course. You didn’t give yourself over to Maxim , did you?” The way he says Maxim as if it’s a dirty word sends a chill to my stomach.

“No,” I whisper.

“Good. Now, come along.” He doesn’t let me go as he drags me outside. Rose is still on the phone and doesn’t notice us until God is practically forcing me into his car.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Rose shouts, dropping her phone and sprinting over to us.

God punches her right in the face, sending her sprawling to the ground.

“Rose!” I try to go to her, but God wraps his arms around me and hauls me into the car. He locks the door before I can leave.

Colin comes running out of the clubhouse, but God drives away before he can follow us.

“Please,” I whimper. “I just want to be free.”

His hands clench on the steering wheel. His large hands that could do so much damage to me. Maxim said God wanted to rape me. I think God wants to do all the things he warned me about other men doing to me.

I think he wants to seriously, seriously hurt me.

“You belong to me. I raised you. I took care of you. And yet, you left me. How could you leave me?”

“Because I didn’t want to stay in the lighthouse anymore.”

The roar that leaves his mouth makes me flinch. “You don’t get a choice. You are mine!”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“I’m taking you back to the lighthouse. You’ll never be able to leave again. You’ll be mine. All mine. I will have your body. Your innocence. I will have what’s owed to me.”

I look down at my body in my shirt and jeans. The swell of my breasts. The breasts God always talked about. The ones he couldn’t wait to touch.

My eyes flick to my lap, where my vagina is hidden. He’s going to force his penis into me. Rose explained a little bit more about sex to me—about how it’s not supposed to hurt. How you’re supposed to want to be with the person you’re having sex with. How if you don’t give your consent, it’s rape.

I know I don’t want to have sex with God. Looking at him, I realize he’s just a man. “I don’t want to be with you.”

“You don’t get a choice.”

“But I don’t want to be with you. I don’t give my consent. You have to have my consent before you touch me.”

His laugh is full of darkness. “I don’t need your consent, Luna. I raised you to be mine, and so mine you will be.”

“But you’re not handsome like Maxim is.”

He slams on the brakes, making me hit the dashboard. “What did you say to me?”

I’m confused. Why is he so upset? I’m just telling the truth. “You’re not handsome like Maxim is. He makes my stomach flutter. You don’t.”

God runs his hands down his shirt and large stomach. “I lost weight for you, you know. I got a spray tan. I got my teeth whitened. I wanted to look good for you, and the fact that you’re sitting there now and telling me I’m not as handsome as that fucker Maxim breaks my heart. You’re breaking my heart, Luna. You know that.”

He looks so sad. Guilt rips through me. God was always good at making me feel this way; he’s still good at it. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to break your heart.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. I raised you, Luna. I gave you food. I gave you shelter and clothes. I gave you everything. And how do you repay me? By telling me I’m not good-looking. That hurts.”

“I never said you’re not good-looking. I just think Maxim is better looking.”

“That’s not helping,” he snaps. “You were supposed to only ever know me. You were supposed to only like me. You were supposed to find me handsome. I deserve that for how I raised you.”

I mean … I guess? God has a point. I should be grateful for how he took care of me all my life. Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that Rose and Maxim would be disappointed in me for feeling this way. They would tell me that God is not truthful. They would tell me that God is a bad man.

But is he truly a bad man? When he gave me everything?

All I know is I miss Maxim already, and I want to be with him, but I’ve learned enough to know I shouldn’t tell God that.

“Say thank you, Luna.”

“Thank you,” I say on autopilot. I’ve spoken these words to God more times than I can count.

“Good.” He starts driving again. “Now, let’s just get to the lighthouse.”

“And we can talk more?”

“Yes, we’ll talk.”

“You won’t touch me unless I say you can?”

His hands tighten on the steering wheel again. “Mmm. Sure. I won’t touch you unless you say you can.”

I relax slightly. Good. God doesn’t want to hurt me. This was one huge misunderstanding.

It has to be.

MAXIM

Dimitri groans from the backseat, which tells me he’s still alive.

“Just hold on.” I speed through red lights and ignore the cars honking at me as I drive to the hospital. Dimitri may annoy the shit out of me, but we’re business partners. I can’t leave him to die.

Even though he did leave me to die at one point. I’m not a petty man, though. If I were, I would hardly have accomplished anything in my life. And I’m not going to lose it now that Dimitri may die.

I slam on my breaks in the hospital parking lot and manage to get Dimitri out. He slumps against me, not using his legs.

“Come on,” I grit. “You can walk, you asshole.”

“I can’t,” he groans.

We manage to make it inside, where I call for help. Nurses and doctors run up to us and place Dimitri on a gurney. He’s wheeled away while I’m left behind, covered in blood.

My phone rings. It’s Nikolai.

“What the fuck did you do?” he seethes.

“I take it you know.”

“Of course, I know. I just received a fucking letter on my doorstep from Anton telling me he had fun meeting you and Dimitri. You went to see Anton?”

“Yes,” I admit. “We thought we could reason with him. Well, I thought that. I think Dimitri just wanted to kill him. But Anton isn’t a man you can reason with. He’s blowing up our gun shipments for fun. Not for power. For just pure, plain fun.”

“I could have told you that. Anton is certifiably fucking insane. Is Dimitri alive?”

“Yes. But he got shot, so we’re at the hospital.”

“Fuck. He better not die. Losing a business partner will not benefit us against Anton.”

“It was stupid of us. I know Anton is a force to be reckoned with now. I’ll be more careful.”

“You better.” He pauses. “I got a lead on your girl. About who took her.”

My heart leaps into my throat. “Who?”

“A guy named Oliver Rhodes. He would send food to the lighthouse. Security cameras caught him going to and from the lighthouse. I have his address. Go find him.”

“Thank you.” I hang up and leave the hospital. Dimitri will be fine without me. Someone will call his wife. He’ll be fine.

I have a meeting with the fucker who kidnapped Luna.

Oliver Rhodes lives in a shitty apartment that isn’t much. He doesn’t seem like the kind of rich man I expected to keep a girl locked away in a lighthouse, but what the fuck do I know? I’m not the kind of man who kidnaps girls.

I pound on his door, and after a beat, someone opens it. A blue eye stares back at me.

“Yes?” It’s a man, his voice scrawny and weak-sounding.

“Oliver Rhodes?”

“Are you the police?”

“No. Just answer the question.”

“No. I don’t have to do anything you say.” He tries to shut the door, but I slam my hand against it and bash it open. He stumbles to the ground as I enter. I kick the door shut behind me.

“Are you Oliver Rhodes?”

“Yes! Ok, yes.”

I bend down and grab his shirt, hauling him to his feet. “You kept a girl kidnapped for years, you fucker. You’re going to pay for that.”

“Wait, what? What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Don’t lie to me.” I punch him, which causes him to fall onto his ratty couch.

“I’m not. I haven’t kidnapped anyone. I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“You delivered food to a lighthouse every day for years. You were caught on camera.”

“So? I was delivering food for some man who lived in the lighthouse. He told me to bring food and leave it on the doorstep and walk away. That was it. He paid me decent money. I needed it, and it was an easy job.”

Oliver’s face is too open and sincere for me to think he’s lying. He’s also too young. The way Luna spoke about God, it had to have been an older man, at least in his forties. Oliver is barely pushing twenty-five.

“So, you didn’t kidnap a girl and keep her hostage in that lighthouse?”

“What? No! I just brought the food he told me to bring, and that was it.”

“Did you ever meet this man?”

“Once. He showed up at my job. I work at a deli. He asked me if I wanted to make some extra cash for easy, and I said yes. He gave me the address to the lighthouse and told me to bring food to it every week, so I did. I’d bring enough for a whole week. I just thought the man lived there and was kind of a hermit who didn’t want to leave. I never saw a girl. He told me to just leave the food and walk away. I didn’t ask questions. It was easy money. Good money. I couldn’t pass that up.”

Oliver’s blood drips onto the couch. Now that I know the story, I feel a little bad about hitting the guy.

“You really didn’t know? You never saw a girl looking through a window or anything?”

“No. Nothing. I would just deliver the food to the door and leave.”

“Do you know his name?”

“Um …” He scratches his head. “I’d have to think.”

“You don’t know the name of the man who paid you for years?”

“No. Whenever I’d get back from delivering the food, I’d find an envelope full of cash waiting for me back at home. I use it to help me live.”

“Right. But you know what this man looks like, don’t you?”

“Sure. I saw him once. I mean, he did say his name, but … I’m trying to remember. I think it started with an ‘E.’ Like Edward or just Ed. Something like that.”

I stand up straighter. What are the chances that I just got a new prospect named Ed right after saving Luna from the lighthouse?

It could be an utter coincidence. I mean, we do get a lot of men wanting to be members of the Knights.

But in my line of work, I don’t believe in coincidences.

I have a picture of Ed on my phone. Having pictures of each man at the club is a good idea. It never hurts in case any of them go missing. In my world, that happens a lot.

I show Oliver the picture of Ed. He’s not smiling in the photo. In fact, he didn’t want me to take a picture of him at all.

Oliver’s eyes widen. “Yeah, that’s him. I remember.”

Fuck. Ed is God. He has to be.

And I let him right into my clubhouse where Luna is.

I pull up my contacts to call Rose just as she calls me herself. “Rose?”

“Luna is gone. Ed just took her.”