Page 40 of Patch's Bride
My phone vibrates against my thigh. When I pull out my phone, it’s a text from an unknown number. I don’t want to look, but I do anyway.
Last chance. Either you come back, or your sister goes in your place. Do not test me on this, Elizabeth.
I freeze, staring at the message as I unpick what my stepfather is telling me. He’s saying he’ll traffic her instead of me. But how does he know that I figured out his plan for me? He can’t know that I listened to his conversation the night everything changed. I made sure he couldn’t hear by being quiet as a mouse. I tiptoed to his office door and listened to him offer me to his associate to settle a business debt. He’s never hinted at it in all the unhinged text messages until now. Somehow, he’s figured out I know and is weaponizing it against me.
The room spins and I feel lightheaded. If I hadn’t been sitting down, I would have fallen to my knees. I choke back tears as I think about my frail sister being trafficked instead of me. I won’t let that happen. Not ever. I feel tears break free and go trackingdown my face, but my sister is in danger, and that means now is not the time for crying. Knowing I have to be brave for her sake, I wipe them away roughly with the back of my hand.
With shaking hands, I text him.
I’ll come. I want proof she’s with you, though.
It takes him only a few seconds to respond.
Leave now. Head west. I’ll send the address once you hit the county line. No cops, or bikers from the Legion. If you show up with anyone or tell anyone about our meetup, you’ll never see your sister again.
I text again.
I want to see Lila, or no deal.
There is another ping. It’s a blurry, low-light photo of my sister’s face. Her eyes are glassy, and she doesn’t look well. She has her inhaler clutched in one hand. His hand is grasping her hair, likely to pull her head back to capture the image.
I can’t let this happen. I have to save my sister. Part of me wants to tell Patch, I know he and his club brothers are doing everything they can to get my sister back, but I know my stepfather. I know what he’s capable of. I can’t risk that he’ll follow through on his threats. I need to do this alone. Once I know she’s safe, I’ll find a way to contact Patch and the Savage Legion.
Bolting into action, I slip out the door and into the bar area.
The second I step out of the room, Roxy pops right up in front of me. “Well, aren’t you hogging the attention of every brother in the clubhouse today?”
She catches me by surprise. I push her away from the door and hiss, “Keep your voice down.”
Instantly suspicious, her eyes narrow on me. She whispers, “What the hell is going on in there?”
I lie my ass off. “I don’t know. No one will tell me anything, and I’m done with this place.”
She motions towards the door with one hand, trying to hold back the smug expression that wants to jump onto her face. “You know where the door is. Don’t let it hit you in the ass on the way out.”
“I can’t leave. I wish I could, but I came on Patch’s bike and have no ride back to his place to get my car.”
“You serious about breaking it off with Patch?” she asks.
I nod, trying to look earnest. “Yeah, it’s like you said. I don’t understand how the brothers think, and I’m tired of trying to figure it out.”
“Seeing the outside is good enough.” She makes a snap decision and says, “I’ll give you a ride, just to get rid of you.”
We head out the back door, so we don’t have to walk through the bar area and risk getting asked questions about where we’re going. I know that lying to Roxy is wrong, but I don’t feel guilty because she’s lied to me about more important things than catching a ride.
Chapter 13
Beth
Roxy drones on about the club and how much the brothers adore her. I just scroll through my phone, rereading the texts from my stepfather and looking at Lila’s picture again. There are little beads of sweat around her upper lip I hadn’t noticed the first time I saw the image. Before I know it, we’re pulling into Patch’s driveway in the suburbs. I thank her and give her twenty bucks for gas because I don’t want to feel guilty about costing her money. Her mouth falls open in surprise. It feels like maybe people aren’t nice to her very often.
I jump out and literally run to my car. I don’t care if my behavior looks weird to Roxy or not. I’ve got to get to my sister before something bad happens to her. My tires spin when I pull out, but I head west, just like my step-asshole told me to. When I get to the county line, I stop, take a picture of the sign, and text it to him without a message.
My stepfather’s return text pops up almost instantaneously, like maybe he had it all typed out and just hit send. He tells me where to go in three texts, stringing it out and making me verify where I’m at every step of the way. It feels like he’s enjoying the control he’s lording over me.
Pull around the back of the house. Don’t be seen. Use the side drive.
Before I can ask, he gives the final set of directions but never includes the actual address. He’s probably afraid I’ll send it to someone.
