Page 59 of Riot's Thorn
“Maybe physically, but not mentally.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. It’s not really the place for this conversation, but I’m interested to hear his take.
“On the outside, you dressed and acted the part of the perfect spoiled rich girl, but the paintings on your wall, the lingerie in your drawers, and the things you let me do to you, even though it was your first time, tell a different story.”
I’m surprised he’s gleaned so much from just a few cues. He’s right, though. Dad expected me to behave and look a certain way, something that, if I think about too much, might add a year or two to my future therapy schedule. Was he expecting virginal sainthood from me to make up for his sins? Was he subconsciously presenting me in the same way he liked his victims? That thought gives me major ick, so I leave it alone for now.
“You went through my lingerie?”
“Hell yeah. Then I grabbed the ugliest pairs I could find so I wouldn’t be tempted to want to look.”
“I’ll bet you regret that now.”
“Nah, I don’t care what you wear now that I know what you look like underneath.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
RIOT
Igrip her by the nape and guide her to the little booth where money is exchanged. There, we find Navy sitting in front of her computer.
“Navy,” I say.
The area was made to look like an old-school movie booth, so it feels less like you’re making a bank transaction and more like a fun night out. But safety was a primary concern, so Navy sits behind a sheet of bulletproof, laminated, polycarbonate acrylic with a speaker system built in.
“Hey, guys. Let me close out of this, and I’ll come around.” She grabs a set of keys as Parker and I step to the side and wait.
I can tell my woman is nervous, just how I expected. She’s not from my world, so all the debauchery she’s being exposed to is new. What has my cock twitching is that I can tell it also excites her. After I get this shit done, I want to lock us in the cabin for a good, long while so I can show her everything she’s been missing.
“It’s good to see you again, Parker,” Navy says.
“You too.” Parker holds out a hand as Navy moves in for a hug. It’s amusing to see the two worlds collide.
“Sorry.” Navy laughs. “I have no manners.”
“No, it’s all good. I’m usually a hugger too.”
I place a hand low on Parker’s back and lean in. “You good?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait to see everything.”
Looking at Navy, I say, “My cell doesn’t work down there, so if you need me, have one of the guys come get me.”
“We won’t need you. Go take care of business or whatever. Myla’s already here.”
At the back of the restaurant kitchen is a deep pantry with a hidden door that leads downstairs. The basement isn’t on any of the blueprints we submitted to the city, and only club members know it exists, other than our chef, who knows better than to ask questions.
I give him a chin lift and make sure none of the other staff are around before slipping through the door and heading down the stairs. The air is thick from the scent of piss and fear with undertones of bleach. It practically singes my nose hairs, but it’s a smell I’ve grown accustomed to and almost like. It means I get to unleash my demons.
The man of the hour is exactly how we left him last night. His ankles are zip-tied to the legs of a metal chair and his wrists to the arms. When his friends and family notice he’s missing, the police report will describe him as having brown hair and brown eyes, an average height and build, and a hairline that’s just starting to recede, completely and utterly average in every way.
Because Chap has been in and out of consciousness, there’s only so much we know about him. Under normal circumstances, Killer would’ve stalked him for days before we attacked, but we had to get to him before the cops did. Hopefully, that won’t come back to bite us in the ass.
“Started the party without me?” I ask, slipping off my leather cut and hanging it on a hook.
Killer opens her mouth to speak but is cut off by the man letting out a howl of pain. It’s easy to see why—his nose isbent at an unnatural angle, and both his eyes are swollen and bruised. Killer backhands him, dazing him enough to shut him up for a minute. “As I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, yes, I did get started without you. It’s not often we get to play with our prey, and I was so excited, I couldn’t even sleep last night.”
Normally, we leave our victims where we find them, but he isn’t from around here, so unless we wanted to run the risk of someone hearing something at the motel he was staying at, we had to take him to a secondary location. Plus, this one’s personal. Chaplain is a friend of the club, and even though Golden likes to deny it, he has a thing for that girl. Even I can see that.
