Page 4

Slider

What the fuck had she meant I was her husband?

I would damn sure remember getting married, and I hadn’t seen her before I’d found her in my bed.

Which meant Surge had something to do with this shit.

I’d tried to find him at the clubhouse without any luck, and the fucker hadn’t been at his house either.

I blew up his phone with texts and calls, but he refused to answer.

I didn’t know what else to do, so I called Wire over at the Dixie Reapers.

I didn’t think Surge would have pulled off something like this without a little help, and since Wire was a fucking genius, it had his name written all over it.

I worried he wouldn’t pick up, but after a while he answered.

“It’s late and Lavender needs her rest. You woke her up so what the fuck do you need?” he asked.

“Sorry for waking your woman. I think Surge did something he shouldn’t have, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it.”

Wire sighed.

“Slider, I presume?”

“Yeah.”

“Your wife was listed on the Dark Web, for sale to the highest bidder. They had it dressed up like a mail-order bride ad, but those women never end up in a good place. Surge said you wanted a wife and kids, so I helped him get her over here. The two of you were married by proxy.”

Fuck.

“So it’s a legitimate marriage?”

“About as much as anyone’s is around here. But yeah, as far as the government is concerned, she’s here legally… as your wife.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

I hung up the phone and wanted to slam my head into a wall.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried to hold off the headache I felt forming between my eyes.

I knew I needed to go back home, talk things over with Vasha, and figure out what the fuck we were going to do.

I couldn’t divorce her or she might be sent back to Russia.

Did I really want to stay married to a woman I didn’t know?

Yeah, I’d fucked her, taken her innocence…

shit.

She could be pregnant even now.

I wandered the compound for a while -- hours in all honesty -- just trying to clear my head, then went to the clubhouse to drown my sorrows.

I didn’t know how much time passed before I went back home.

The house was eerily silent.

I didn’t see Vasha in the bedroom or bathroom, but I noticed the bed was neatly made and the sheets smelled like detergent.

Even the towel I’d left out for her was laundered and put away.

But where the hell was she?

After scouring every square inch of the house, I realized she wasn’t here.

Was that why Surge wouldn’t answer?

Had Vasha gone to him?

Anger simmered in my gut, even though it was ridiculous.

Why should I care if she ran to him?

He’d created this mess and he should help clean it up.

Since Vasha wasn’t here, and Surge wasn’t home, had he taken her to a hotel?

I tried calling him again, and this time he answered.

“It’s about fucking time you pick up,” I said.

“Shouldn’t you be fucking your wife?” he asked.

“Fuck you!” Wait.

“You mean she’s not with you?”

Surge was quiet a moment.

“I really hope that’s a bad joke. Of course she’s not with me. I left her in your damn bed.”

I narrowed my eyes and held my phone out to glare at it before putting it back against my ear.

“You’d better not have seen her naked.”

“What I should have said is that she was going to wait for you in your bed. No, I didn’t see your wife naked. Why are you calling and texting me so damn much?”

“And you didn’t answer!”

He snorted.

“Yeah, because I figured you’d be pissed if you were blowing up my phone that much, but your wife is gorgeous and she’s exactly what you need. Now what the fuck do you mean is she with me?”

“Vasha is missing,” I said.

“I was angry and left, went to find you actually. When I came back home, she wasn’t here.”

I heard rustling and a soft murmur in the background, then his booted steps across a hard surface.

“I’m on my way. Call Fox and Bear. Get them over to your place. It’s really fucking bad that she’s missing, Slider. You have no idea the shit storm she left in Russia. Those men won’t let her go easily. If she’s out there on her own, she’s vulnerable.”

My throat tightened.

“Surge, I didn’t use protection. What if she’s already pregnant?”

“Don’t do anything stupid. I’m on my way.”

The line went dead, and I quickly called Fox and Bear, telling them I had an emergency.

I didn’t get into the details over the phone.

The fact Surge had done this behind everyone’s back wouldn’t look good.

I didn’t know how the VP would react when he heard the news.

I couldn’t cover for Surge this time.

He’d not only done something like this without the club’s knowledge, but he’d involved an officer.

Me.

Fox was going to lose his shit, and I had a feeling Bear would be pissed too.

Now we had an innocent Russian woman roaming around, and Surge seemed to think the men she’d left in Russia would be coming for her.

I paced my house while I waited.

I heard all three bikes at the same time.

Fox came through the door, followed by Surge and Bear.

I could see the panic in Surge’s eyes, but I didn’t know if he was worried about his own ass or Vasha.

Maybe it was both.

“What’s going on?” Fox asked.

“My wife is missing,” I said.

Fox and Bear shared a look, then stared at me.

I knew they wouldn’t ask, but they needed to know.

“Surge bought me a mail-order bride from Russia.”

“Is that why the two of you were spending so much time together lately?” Bear asked.

“Because we all just thought the two of you were fucking. Not that we care either way. I’m with Fox, though. What’s the emergency? Just go get your woman.”

I looked at Surge, giving him the chance to redeem himself.

The idiot wasn’t even paying attention.

Instead, he was fiddling with his damn phone.

What the fuck?

He’s the one who told me Vasha could be in danger, and now he was what?

Playing Candy Crush or some shit?

“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked him.

Surge jerked his gaze up to meet mine.

“I was reaching out to our friends in the area to see if anyone saw Vasha.”

“Maybe we need to know exactly what we’re getting into,” Fox said.

“Can one of you start from the beginning? Because none of this makes any fucking sense. For one, why did you have to buy a woman, Slider? They fall at your fucking feet.”

“That was my doing,” Surge said.

“I knew he wanted to settle down. I saw an opportunity and I took it. Wire helped me get Vasha here, and helped arrange her marriage to Slider by proxy.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Bear muttered.

“The men who are after her… who are they?” Fox asked.

Surge tapped on his phone, then turned it toward us.

Two men filled the screen one.

One was fit, but his features were hard and cruel.

The other had a rotund figure, jowls that reminded me of a hunting dog, and eyes that were devoid of any warmth.

No wonder Vasha had risked everything to escape.

I hated the thought of either of those men touching her.

She’d been a virgin, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t put their hands on her.

I studied the men, committing their images to mind.

If I saw either of them, they were going to die a slow and painful death.

What they’d done to Vasha was inexcusable.

For that matter, I hadn’t been much better.

I’d run out of here, angry, and she’d disappeared.

Had she thought my anger was directed at her?

It wasn’t.

I’d been furious with Surge, but never her.

She was an innocent in this mess.

“Find my fucking wife!” I growled at Surge.

“This is your damn fault! If you’d just told me up front what the hell you’d done, then she wouldn’t be out there alone! She probably thinks I’m mad at her, but it was you that I was pissed at.”

Fox’s phone chimed and he pulled it from his pocket, his eyebrows climbing high.

“Anyone know the Mississippi chapter was in the area?”

“No. What the hell? Shouldn’t they have given us a heads-up?” I asked.

“Usually. I’ll find out why they didn’t at another time. Right now, it seems they have your wife. Titan said they’re in a motel a town over from here. Found her walking around over there.”

What.

The.

“Are you shitting me? How the fuck did she get all the way over there? It’s miles from here!”

“Let’s go find out. And we can ask whoever is on the gate why the hell they let her leave,” Bear said.

I looked down at myself and realized I’d thrown on the clothes I’d worn to the clubhouse earlier.

If I was going to get my wife, I didn’t want to go smelling like cigarettes and cheap perfume.

I waved a hand at my brothers and went down the hall to my room.

I stripped off my clothes, then got in the shower, giving myself a quick scrub.

When I got out, Surge was sitting on the foot of the bed.

“Seriously?” I asked, walking past him naked.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it before.

Before today, I’d have teased him about doing a lick test to see if I’d gotten my dick good and clean.

But right now, it just felt wrong that he was in here while I was getting ready.

Thanks to him, I was off the market.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Vasha. I worried you would say no, and I knew she needed help.”

I jerked on my boxers, then my jeans, tucking my underwear so it didn’t bunch under the denim.

It didn’t escape my notice that Surge was watching my every move, his heated gaze lingering a little too long on certain parts of my anatomy.

At one time, I’d have gotten off on him watching me dress.

Hell, I’d have gladly undressed for him, before he’d put Vasha in my bed.

Whether I’d asked for it or not, things were different now.

I grabbed a black tee out of the dresser and pulled it on before sticking the end down into my pants.

The zipper gave me a fight, refusing to close.

I growled as I jerked on the damn thing.

“Need some help?” Surge asked.

I glared at him and finally managed to fasten my jeans, and I made a mental note to toss this pair out later.

Who the fuck had time for troublesome zippers?

As for Surge’s offer of help, I’d deal with him later.

Right now, I had a missing wife to find.

After threading a belt through them and fastening it, I slipped on my cut and my boots.

Surge followed me out of the bedroom and I stomped my way through the house, still pissed as fuck at him.

Fox and Bear were out front, sitting on their bikes ready to go.

We drove through the compound and stopped at the gate.

Jack was at the gate, and while he was usually diligent, I was about two seconds from tearing into him for letting Vasha out of the compound.

Surge placed a hand on my arm to hold me in check.

It took a great deal of effort to bite my tongue and let Fox ask the questions.

The last thing I wanted to do was terrify the kid, but at the same time, maybe he needed a good scare.

“You let a woman out of here earlier,” Fox said.

Jack snorted.

“No offense, VP, but I’ve let a ton of women in and out of here tonight. The clubhouse looks like it’s at capacity.”

“This one wasn’t a club whore,” I said, my tone biting.

“She’s my fucking wife and now she’s missing.”

So much for letting Fox talk.

The VP shot me a look, but I shrugged.

It wasn’t like I was tracking down a pissed-off teen or something.

Even though Vasha and I hadn’t shared our ages, I did know Surge well enough to know he wouldn’t have married me to someone underage.

So at least there was that.

It didn’t change the fact I needed to find her, and I needed her right this damn minute.

This was a woman who was in trouble, could have gotten hurt, and I wanted to know how the fuck she’d gotten out of the compound and who had taken her to the next town.

I couldn’t keep her safe if I didn’t know where the weak spots were.

Jack opened and shut his mouth about five times.

“I’m sorry, Slider. I didn’t know. She said something about you being angry and that she needed to leave. I thought maybe she’d tried to ask too much or something and overstepped.”

“Wait.” Fox lifted a hand.

“She mentioned Slider specifically, and when we asked about a woman leaving, you gave me some smartass comment about there being a lot of women here tonight? You obviously knew who we meant.”

Jack’s back stiffened and he threw his shoulders back.

“Sorry, VP. I didn’t mean any disrespect. Honestly, the woman looked like she was about to start crying. I felt sorry for her. If Slider was pissed and going after her, I just…”

Jesus Christ.

I slammed the heel of my hand against my forehead.

Was I such a jackass that the Prospect thought he had to protect a woman from me?

And the way she’d run off…

I’d known she thought my anger was directed at her.

There was no other reason for her to leave.

Hearing Jack confirm it fucking hurt.

I hadn’t meant to do that to her.

Maybe there was a reason I hadn’t had a steady girlfriend or boyfriend.

I apparently sucked at this shit.

Hell, Surge had thought he had to buy a woman and cheat to marry the two of us.

Maybe I needed to re-evaluate a few things, but first I needed to get Vasha home, where I knew she’d be safe.

Then I wanted to know more about the men who wanted her.

I hoped they didn’t know she’d come to America, that they wouldn’t be able to find Surge’s purchase and trace her here.

He was good, but he wasn’t the best.

I could only hope that Wire had set everything up so that shit didn’t come back to bite us in the ass.

Or more importantly, place Vasha in danger.

“I know where they have her,” Fox told me.

“Let’s get your wife and we’ll settle all this later.”

We rode through the gates and hit the highway heading out of town.

It wasn’t until we were on the open road that I realized I never asked Jack how Vasha had gotten so far from home.

Someone had to have picked her up.

But who?

Surely she hadn’t walked that damn far.

I opened up the bike and took lead, roaring down the road as fast as I dared.

If Vasha was with our Mississippi chapter, then I knew she was all right.

I still wanted to see for myself that she hadn’t come to harm.

More than that, I wanted to clear the air and let her know I’d never been angry with her.

I hadn’t reacted well when she’d claimed we were married, and that was on me.

I could admit my part in her running off, but I was still pissed as fuck that Surge hadn’t given me a heads-up and that Jack had let her leave.

By the time we reached the next town and I found the motel, my stomach was knotted up and I worried that seeing me might upset Vasha even more.

I’d been an ass.

My gaze scanned the lot and I frowned when I didn’t see any other bikes.

We circled the building and still couldn’t find anything but cars and trucks.

“This is the right place, isn’t it?” I asked.

Fox nodded.

“Yeah. This is where they said they were staying.”

The sun was peeking over the horizon and I wondered if we’d just arrived too late.

Had they already gone home, taking Vasha with them?

I glanced at Fox and he pulled out his phone, making a call.

I assumed he was reaching out to Titan, but he must not have gotten an answer by the aggravated look on his face.

“I’m heading in to see if the manager can tell me anything,” I said, driving back to the front office and parking outside the glass door.

I heard my brothers following.

An elderly woman was at the desk, knitting what looked to be a baby blanket.

I pushed on the glass door and stepped inside.

She smiled when she heard the bell over the door jingle, then a cautious look crept across her face when she saw me.

It was the cut.

I damn well knew it, and it pissed me off that there were assholes who gave the rest of us a bad name.

I’d never hurt a woman or child, but this lady didn’t know that.

“If you’re looking for your friends, they took off when the police were called,” she said, her voice thin and reedy.

“Police?” I froze mid-step.

“Did something happen? The woman with them. Is she all right?”

The lady eyed me up and down.

The way her lips pressed together, I knew she didn’t want to tell me shit.

“Please,” I said, softening my tone.

“She’s my wife. I’ve been trying to find her all night and was told to come here. Did she leave with a group of men? Did she look like she was okay?”

The woman relaxed a little and beckoned me closer.

I walked up to the counter, laying my hands on top so she’d see I didn’t have a weapon.

At least, not in my hands.

There was a nine millimeter at my back, but she didn’t need to know that.

If she had information of Vasha’s whereabouts, then I wanted to hear it.

If anything had happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.

If I hadn’t lost my damn temper, hadn’t made her think I was angry with her, then she’d have never left.

She’d be safe.

“Something was wrong with her. Could barely stand up, looked drugged or something. One of them tossed her across his lap and they rode out of here like the devil was nipping at their heels.”

Right.

Because someone had called the cops.

Dammit!

“Did you see which way they went?” I asked.

She pointed down the highway, farther away from the Hades Abyss compound.

“Cops chased them for a bit, but I don’t know if they caught up to them.”

I thanked her and went back outside.

Fox was still frowning at his damn phone, and the others were waiting patiently.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a damn thing to tell them, other than our brothers weren’t here and neither was my wife.

“Titan still isn’t answering,” Fox said.

“The lady said she called the cops. I think she was under the impression they were going to hurt Vasha. Instead, they tossed her over one of their bikes and rode out of here, but the woman said Vasha couldn’t stand on her own and appeared drugged.” I wanted to put my fist through something.

“Where the fuck did they go? They knew we were coming, right?”

Fox nodded and tapped at his screen.

“I’ll call Wizard,” Surge said.

I’d damn near forgotten the Secretary for the Mississippi chapter was a computer genius like Surge.

Well, calling Surge a genius was a stretch, but he knew a lot more about computers than I did.

While he made the call, I walked down to the street and looked in the direction our brothers had supposedly taken.

It wasn’t like I really expected to see them waiting just down the road, but maybe some part of me had hoped for a clue.

I was about to turn and head back to my bike when I heard the rumble of a Harley.

It could have been anyone.

It wasn’t like only clubs rode.

Someone could have been driving to work, or just out to enjoy the morning.

Either way, I turned and watched, waiting to see if it would be someone I recognized.

When Stone pulled to a stop two parking lots over, I ran to my motorcycle.

“It’s Stone. Come on,” I said, turning the engine over and roaring through the lot.

I pulled onto the street and went to meet him.

I heard my brothers at my back, but as we got close, Stone pulled out onto the road and went back the way he’d come.

We stuck close, following in hopes he’d take us to the others.

Or in my case, I was hoping he would take me to Vasha.

The town limits came and went, and still Stone kept going.

I started to worry we were in for a long-ass ride, and my bike needed gas soon, but I’d go wherever the fuck I needed if it meant getting her back.

After another thirty minutes, I saw a sign for a gas station and motioned that I would be getting off.

I pulled ahead of Stone so he would see me exit the highway and I stopped right by the pumps.

I filled my tank and Fox did the same while the others waited at the edge of the lot.

Within ten minutes, we were back on the road.

I seriously hoped we weren’t driving all the way down to Mississippi.

If Vasha couldn’t stand on her own, what the hell had happened to her?

And how was she handling being on a bike for so long?

Finally, Stone pulled off.

We’d been riding for hours and had crossed into Arkansas.

The little town that came into view looked like it came straight out of a 1950’s sitcom, but I could see the appeal.

Stone stopped at a motel on the main strip and shut off his bike.

We did the same and followed him to a room on the first floor.

He did a complicated knock and Titan opened the door.

“It’s about fucking time,” the Pres muttered.

I entered the room and my legs about gave out.

I rushed to the bed, where Vasha lay deathly still.

My hand shook as I reached for her, but I ran my fingers through her hair before pressing them against her throat.

“She’s alive, but she’s been through hell,” Kraken said.

I could see that.

There were purple smudges under her eyes and she seemed even paler than before.

“What happened?” I asked.

“We were hoping you’d tell us.” Titan folded his arms over his chest and glared.

“We found her on the outskirts of that town, looking half dead. She could barely stand, was about to pass out, and hadn’t eaten in a long-ass time. So what the fuck happened?”

“It was a misunderstanding. I was pissed, but it was at Surge. I think she assumed I was angry with her, so she ran. Do you know how she got there?”

“Walked,” Philly said.

Walked?

They had to be fucking with me.

There was no way.

Was there?

“Are you telling me she walked from our compound to the next fucking town down the highway? Alone? At night?” My heart hammered in my chest as I thought about all the things that could have happened.

She could have been hit by a car, picked up by someone who would rape and murder her, a starving coyote or rabid animal could have attacked.

Vasha was so small, so helpless.

And I’d made her feel like she had to leave, to face all that on her own.

My knees hit the floor next to the bed and I took her hand in one of mine.

The moment I’d seen her in my bed, I’d felt like she was mine.

I’d never been possessive of someone before.

At the time, I’d thought it was the fact Surge had drugged me, but now I knew different.

It didn’t have anything to do with the beer I’d had.

It was just Vasha.

She made me want to keep her safe, and I’d failed her.

“I’m so sorry, zolatka . I never meant for you to leave,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Come back to me. I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

“She can’t go anywhere yet,” Titan said.

“Not on a bike at any rate. We wouldn’t have even left if it weren’t for the crazy lady at the other motel calling the cops.”

Fox leaned against the wall and stared at Titan.

“Why did you go so far? One town over would have sufficed.”

Titan rubbed at the scruff on his jaw, and I didn’t think he would answer.

His gaze held mine, and I saw the anger simmering inside.

Then he looked down at Vasha and his features softened.

It seemed she’d gotten to the Pres.

I could understand it.

Beautiful women had a tendency to make men do stupid shit, like try to take someone’s wife all the way to another fucking state.

“I was taking her home,” Titan said.

“She trusts us and Philly speaks her language. Since it seemed she’d been unwanted by Slider, I thought I’d give her a place to stay until she figured shit out.”

I snorted, knowing that was bullshit.

He’d known I was coming for her.

But I wasn’t about to argue with the President, even if he wasn’t over my chapter.

Didn’t matter.

Either way, he outranked me.

Last thing I needed was to piss off Titan and then end up on Spider’s bad side.

“You don’t have to stay,” I said to the room in general.

“I’ll keep watch over her until she’s able to travel. Then I’m taking her home.”

“What if she doesn’t want that?” Philly asked.

“It’s my hope that she’ll understand and forgive me once I explain things.” I rubbed my thumb over the back of her hand.

“I was angry at Surge for doing something without saying a fucking word to me. Then I realized Vasha was missing, and none of that mattered. I just knew I needed to find her, keep her safe.”

Kraken barked out a laugh.

“He’s already fucking falling for her. I think she’s in good hands, Pres.”

“Fine. We’ll head out, leave her with your crew, but if she ever wants to leave and needs a place to stay she’s welcome in Mississippi.” Titan gave me one last glare before he turned and walked out.

“I’ll take care of the room situation,” Fox said, stepping outside.

One by one, my brothers cleared the room, leaving me with the woman who had turned my world upside down with just one look.

Maybe Kraken was right.

Maybe I was already falling for her.

As long as she gave me another chance, then I was perfectly fine with that.

If she kicked my ass to the curb, it was going to hurt like hell.

No less than what I deserved.

I’d take whatever she threw my way.

Within reason.

I just had to get her well and back on her feet.

Better yet.

Get her back into my bed.

There was already a chance she was pregnant, but if I made sure of it, then she’d have no choice than to stay.

Might make me an asshole, but I wasn’t letting her walk away without a fight.