Page 25 of Property of Prowler (Kings of Anarchy MC: Nevada #1)

Time passed slowly, pretending to sleep. She wanted to look around, to be on the offensive, but it was too risky. She did, however, ever so slightly keep that lightning bolt moving.

“Wake up, sweetheart.” She blinked her eyes open to see Travis standing by her head with the phone in his hand on speaker and ringing.

The ring abruptly cut off with Prowler’s voice.

“Where the fuck is she, you bastard?”

“Mykayla, say hello to your lover.” He held the phone closer to her face.

“Prowler?”

“Fuck, babe, are you okay? Where are you?”

“I’m sorry, protect Cass. T—” That was all she got out before a hand covered her mouth. She didn’t even notice Billy standing there. She tried screaming through his hands, but it was no use. She should’ve blurted out the address, but all she could think about was Cass.

“Taylor! Taylor!” She heard Prowler shout before Travis took the call off speaker and put it to his ear.

“Listen, Prowler. If you want Mykayla, oh I’m sorry, you know her as Taylor.

Whatever her name is, if you want to see her in one piece again, you’ll have two hundred and fifty thousand dollars put into locker 17 in the men’s locker room at Top Notch Gym on Rainbow. Lock it with the lock that’s inside.”

Prowler’s response was so loud, Taylor heard it through the phone.

“I’m going to eat your heart, motherfucker,” Prowler threatened.

“So, is that a no on the money then?” Travis asked with that air of superiority he always had. “I guess I’ll start with those luscious tits of hers. I’ll put them in a box and send them to you.”

“WAIT,” Prowler shouted. “Don’t hurt her. I’ll get you your fucking money, but how will I get my mate back?”

Taylor’s heart caught in her throat. Could she really be his mate, after everything that had happened?

Maybe romance novels had it wrong, and mates could cheat, but could she live with that?

She most certainly couldn’t live with it being an ongoing thing, but she could forgive him for his one indiscretion, if he could forgive her for the one he thought she’d committed.

She loved him so much she had pretty much forgiven him. She just needed to lick her wounds, and well … that didn’t work out so well.

She turned her head as much as she could and cut her eyes back to Billy to see if the word mate registered, and he had a curious look on his face. Shit, Billy was the last person who needed to be privy to that secret.

It didn’t appear Travis caught it. He started speaking over Prowler as soon as he said he would get him his money.

“Once I have the money, I’ll give you the address where she’ll be safe and sound, waiting for her knight in shining armor to save the day. You have until eight, or it’s bye-bye breasts.”

With that, he hung up, not giving Prowler a chance to respond.

“You’re gonna wish it was a knight in shining armor when a King in dusty leather shows up, asshole,” she mumbled against Billy’s hand.

When she’d heard the anger and determination in Prowler’s voice, a sense of comfort washed over her. Bone deep, she knew that she was looking at a dead man as soon as Prowler had found her—and he would find her, of that she had no doubt.

Billy let her go and stood. “Do you really think the Kings’ll pay two fifty for her? She’s just some gash. Hell, they got better than her working for them. That Darcy, damn. I might have to have another go at her.”

Travis turned to Billy, tapping his temple with his finger.

Travis was either incredibly brave or stunningly stupid.

“Think, monkey, is any pussy worth your life? We get this money drop from them, we disappear. You stay in town, and you’re a dead man. But hey, once you get your fifty back, you do you. I’m gone though.”

Billy slapped his hand away and spoke through gritted teeth. “Fifty’s not going to cut it anymore, Travis. I want half.”

“Half? For what? I did all the legwork, and I called you in out of the goodness of my heart. I could’ve done this without you.”

Travis called Billy on her. She already wanted to kill him, but that made her want to kill him twice.

“I gave you two guys to do your dirty work, and you killed them. You owe me,” Billy accused.

“Your guys were useless. You should thank me for ridding you of them.”

“Fuck you, Travis. I want half. You only owe the Kings a measly fifteen grand, add my fifty. We agreed to ask for one hundred just to square up, but you wanted more and changed the game. Now I want more, and I’m changing the game.”

Travis pulled a gun and stuck it in Billy’s face.

“You’re not in charge. I am. You’ll take the fifty and be grateful I gave it to you instead of blowing your brains out now and keeping it all for myself.

” Travis really was arrogant enough to think he had the upper hand, but he was woefully outmatched by Billy.

“And just so you know, Mykayla knew nothing about your stash. Rookie move keeping it in the same place all the time.”

Billy was a crazy motherfucker, and Taylor knew from experience that shit was about to go south real fast. She could practically see his temper rise and hear the blood pounding in the vein at his temple. The one that visibly pulsed right before he’d swing on her.

“You don’t have the balls,” Billy taunted and leaned closer to the gun, puffing up his chest.

When Travis didn’t respond right away, the smile that slowly curved Billy’s lips gave her flashbacks. Travis had crossed a line. One he wouldn’t come back from if she were a betting woman.

Lightning quick, Billy’s hand came up and batted the gun away. It landed with a dull thud on the carpet. He rushed Travis and was on top of him, pounding his face in the blink of an eye.

Taylor swallowed her scream, not wanting to draw Billy’s attention, and continued to poke away at the tape. She was making progress. Just a little bit more, and she’d be able to hook it on something and pull down to rip the tape.

Without warning, the dull thuds of Billy’s fists on Travis’s face stopped, and the sputtering started. She’d had Billy choke her unconscious enough times to recognize the horrifying sound.

She refused to watch as Billy choked the life from Travis. She couldn’t even bring herself to feel sorry for the bastard. What did that say about her?

Billy stood with bloody hands and a gleam in his eyes, stalking toward the bed. Grabbing her legs, he started removing the tape from her ankles.

“What … what are you doing?”

“Whatever the fuck I want to do.”

He started on the tape at her thighs.

“After I have you, I’ll go find that pretty little thing Travis couldn’t shut up about. I’ll fuck every one of her holes bloody, then I’ll take her with me when I split. They’ll never come after me if I have the president’s little girl.”

Before she could scream no, the bell rang, and Billy covered her mouth. “Don’t make a sound,” he rasped.

The bell rang again, followed by a knock. Whoever it was, wasn’t leaving.

“I’m going to remove my hand, and you’re going to tell them you’re coming, understand?” She nodded.

“If you do anything to tip them off, I’ll kill whoever it is, and it will be your fault.” She nodded again.

When Billy removed his hand, she shouted. “Be there in a minute.”

Billy finished removing the tape from her legs, and when he got to her hands, he tsked. “You’ll pay for this.” He indicated the tear in the tape.

“Now go.” He pulled her from the bed and shoved her forward. “Get rid of whoever it is and don’t let on, and don’t fucking run or else …” He let the threat hang with a bullet to the brain motion.

Taylor smoothed her hair as best she could and answered the door while Billy was just out of sight, watching.

“Oh wow, Miguel.” Her heart sank when she saw his wife and two kids in tow.

“Maria insisted on meeting you and bringing you some tamales.”

Maria held up a covered plate. “Hi, when Miguel said he met you the other day, I couldn’t wait. I hope you don’t mind.”

The other day? How long had she been drugged?

“Of course, I don’t mind. Who are these strapping young men?”

“This is Aiden and Isiah.”

Miguel raised a steamer pot. “We can help you set this up if you want.”

“Yes. I forbid you from heating my tamales in the microwave.”

As much as Taylor wanted to keep Miguel and his family far away from Billy, she couldn’t just kick them out, that would raise suspicion.

“Of course, come in. I hate to be rude, but it will have to be a quick lesson. I have to shower for work.” As the family filed in, she shifted nervously on her feet, trying to block the view down the hallway, but had to relent and join Maria at the stove for her lesson.

“It is really simple. Just put a few inches of water here. Place this on top. Then once it boils, place the tamales here and put the lid on. In ten minutes, perfect tamales.”

“Seems simple enough. I will definitely be noshing on these tonight after work, and I’ll return the pan and the dishes tomorrow.”

“We’re sorry, are we interrupting something?” Miguel asked as he glanced around, seemingly taking in everything.

“No, not interrupting, but I’m so far behind. I took a nap, and well, it was one of those naps that was supposed to be thirty minutes, but lasted hours, and now I’m late.”

She was rambling, but she had to get these precious people, who wanted nothing more than to be friends, out of the house where a dead body and a madman were just feet away.

“Of course, of course.” Maria gathered her sons, looking dejected.

“How about Saturday I come over and cook dinner for you guys, to make up for me rushing you off tonight? Spend the day getting to know each other.”

Her offer made Maria smile, and that made her feel better.

Miguel had a shrewd gaze about it but relented.

“Of course. You take care, Taylor, and in the meantime, if you need anything, anything at all, we’re just a shout away.

” The way he projected his voice made her wonder if he knew something. She blanked her face as best she could.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she closed the door behind them. She looked at the clock on the microwave, and it was not quite seven.

For a moment she thought of going for her phone, but knew Billy would make good on his threat, and she would not let Miguel and Maria’s family pay for her mistake.

She wasn’t taped, and that was something. She had a fighting chance, but only if …

Just then, Billy came from the bedroom, grabbing her by her hair and dragging her back.

“Now we’re going to have some fun.”