Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (27 page)

Grayson pulled a business card from his pocket. “If you see Wade again, give us a call.”

Zoe finished a long drag as she accepted the card. Turning her head away to blow out more smoke, she gave them a nod and a big grin. “Will do, handsome.”

Outside Wheeling, West Virginia

The next morning, Autumn blinked in surprise at what she was seeing. Wade’s phone sat on the motel room nightstand, recharging. For once, he hadn’t taken it into the bathroom with him.

She rose from her bed and moved toward it, picking it up with shaking hands. When she swiped her finger across the screen and hit R
ECENT
C
ALLS
, her excitement rose. There was a number Wade had called several times. She quickly committed it to memory.

When the shower shut off, she scrambled to place the phone exactly where she’d found it. Tonight, after Wade went out, she’d call Camden and give him the number.

As she sat back down on her bed, the bathroom door opened, releasing steam into the cramped room. Wade stuck his head out.

“Get ready. We’re checking out.”

• • •

Autumn and Wade hadn’t been on the interstate long before Wade suddenly exited in a rural wooded area. He parked on an undeveloped side street, got off his bike, and pulled out his phone to place a call. He spoke in a low voice, but she heard his words clearly.

“I’m having trouble finding the place.”

Chills ran up Autumn’s arms. It was Butch that Wade was speaking to; she had no doubt. And from what Wade was saying, Butch was nearby.

Bone-numbing fear coursed through her. Whatever happened next, she needed to get rid of the credit card she was carrying. It had her name on it, but Butch had connections. He would be able to trace it back to Camden.

She scrambled off the bike as Wade turned back toward her, sliding the phone into his pocket.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m not feeling well,” Autumn called over her shoulder as she hurried into the edge of the woods. “I need to throw up.”

“Quit running!” he yelled.

She ignored him, picking up speed as she wove through the trees, but Wade was gaining on her. His footsteps pounded in the dirt behind her.

When he tackled her, she went down in a patch of undergrowth. She shoved the credit card she was carrying into the dirt beneath her and turned onto her back, struggling with her brother.

“Let go of me!”

Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her to her feet. “Why the hell were you running?”

“Because you’re taking me back to him!”

For a moment, Wade froze. Then he gripped her arm tighter and yanked her back toward the road. “I have no choice.”

Autumn’s fury rose. “You’re disgusting! It’s true, isn’t it? You sold me to Butch!”

Wade’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t say anything more as he forced her to walk in front of him.

“Get off of me!” She twisted her wrist hard, trying to pry herself from his grip.

When they broke through the trees and reached the road, both stopped short. Butch stood next to Wade’s Harley with his arms folded across his chest. Viking and Deck were beside him, leaning against a black van.

Autumn’s mouth dried instantly as her pulse skyrocketed.

“You got anything to say for yourself?”

Autumn clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering as she forced herself to meet Butch’s gaze.

Viking and Deck hadn’t said a word when Butch forced her into the van and drove them all to a Wicked Disciples clubhouse somewhere in the backwoods of West Virginia. When they arrived, Butch had dragged her out of the van, past a few motorcycles and pickups parked in the small gravel parking area, and through the front door.

From what she’d seen as he dragged her through the clubhouse, its layout was similar to the club in Newburgh. A large gathering room and bar in the front, a meeting room for church, a kitchen, and several bedrooms in the back. Some would be occupied by club members who lived there for a time, others used for quick hookups. The very thought made her shudder.

The gathering room was fairly empty, with only a few brothers nursing their beers at the bar. None of them even glanced over as Butch dragged her past them to the bedrooms in the back. He chose one with an open door and shoved her inside ahead of him before slamming the door shut and locking it.

When Butch turned to face her, his features were red with barely contained fury. “Well?”

Autumn sucked in a shuddering breath. “I-I’m sorry.”

He closed the distance between them so that she was backed against the wall. “You’re sorry,” he said in a falsetto voice, mocking her.

Her stomach dropped to her feet as he clenched and unclenched his hand. The blow to her face came quickly, making her gasp in pain as her head snapped back. His next blows forced her to the floor. She moved her arms over her face to protect herself. By the time Butch finished, she lay sobbing, curled into a ball.

Butch panted as he bent over her, his fists still clenched. “I’m only going to ask you this once. Where the fuck does the cop live?”

“I don’t know!”

He let out an angry stream of curses. “You do know! And you’re going to tell me just how the fuck he got away from us in the first place!”

Camden’s voice came into her head, clear and strong.
Say whatever you have to.

Autumn closed her eyes, not trusting herself to meet Butch’s penetrating gaze. “He came into the house and told me I had to go with him.”

“He didn’t come to the house! You cut him loose.”

“No!”

Butch grabbed hold of her hair and tugged her head upward.

“I didn’t!” Autumn screamed.

He gave her hair a sharp jerk before he released it, and she quickly put a hand to her scalp.

“You fuck him?”

“No!”

When his boots shifted on the floor, she curled into herself, sure he was about to kick her. “I didn’t!”

The blow didn’t come, and she took in a shaky breath of relief.

“Where does he live?” Butch ground out.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

He reached down and yanked her head back, glaring into her eyes.

“He never said where we were!” she cried out.

Butch let go and straightened. “Your brother said you took a bus to Saint Louis.” His tone was still filled with menace. “Where from?”

She swallowed hard as she looked up at him. Was this a test? She’d already told Wade she’d traveled from Pennsylvania.

“From Wilkes-Barre.”

“How’d you get there?”

“I hitchhiked.”

Butch’s eyes narrowed. “How long was the car ride from the house?”

“A little over an hour.”

In reality, it was fifteen minutes at most from Shavertown to Wilkes-Barre, but lying about the distance was the only way she knew to protect Camden. Thankfully, Butch thought she still couldn’t read, that she was too ignorant to even know where she’d stayed.

“How’d you pay for the ticket?”

“I took cash he kept in the kitchen,” she lied.

Autumn pressed her trembling lips together, praying the answers would satisfy Butch. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to gasp at the pain when she touched her ribs.
Now I know how Cam felt
.

At least she’d survived the beating. She’d been certain Butch was going to kill her. She’d have some lumps and bruises, much like she’d suffered through before, but thankfully nothing seemed broken. A tickle came from her hairline but she ignored it, knowing it was probably blood.

“What’s his name?”

“I don’t know his real name; he never told me. He went by Cam while I stayed with him too.”

Every muscle inside her body knotted as Butch put his hands on his hips, but he didn’t say anything more. A few seconds later, he stalked out of the room.

Putting a hand against the wall for support, Autumn slowly rose. She swallowed down the bitter taste of bile as she moved into the adjoining bathroom.

Leaning heavily against the countertop, she forced in some deep breaths. The mirror above the sink showed jagged cuts where Butch’s rings had cut into her, and one in her hairline was trickling a thin line of blood. Bruises were beginning to form all over her body, but nothing felt broken.

Hatred and panic warred inside her. What if Butch found Camden? She tamped down the panic, forcing herself to stay strong.
No
. He wasn’t going to; somehow she’d find a way to warn Camden.

When Butch slammed back into the bedroom, she startled.

“Get over here.”

Something dangled from his hand as she moved toward him. Her heart pounded hard when she realized what he was holding—a set of handcuffs.

“Onto the bed.”

Autumn was trembling as she made her way across the room. Butch grabbed her wrist and roughly clicked one side of the cuffs around it.

“W-what are you doing?”

He secured the other end onto the metal bed frame and growled, “Since I can’t trust you anymore, you’ll stay cuffed to the bed while I’m out.”

He left the room, locking the door behind him. A few minutes later, motorcycles roared as he and the brothers took off.

Autumn lay tensed on the bed the entire time they were gone. She knew better than to scream for help; none of the brothers that remained would help her. In fact, they might do worse . . .

Thoughts of Camden filled her head, which had since begun to ache with the familiar tightening.

What if Butch finds him?

• • •

By the time Butch strode into the bedroom hours later, Autumn’s bladder was about to burst. A shiver coursed through her as he approached.

“C-can I use the bathroom?”

He released her handcuffs and gave her a look of disgust. “Make it fast.”

When she came out of the bathroom, he stood waiting. The anger darkening his eyes nearly froze her in place.

“Back on the bed. Now!”

She forced her rubbery legs to move and stumbled forward. Butch cuffed her again to the bed and lay down beside her.

The thought of having sex with him made her skin crawl, but he didn’t touch her. Soon he was snoring.

Autumn lay awake for most of that night as dread churned inside her. How was she going to warn Camden?

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Camden and Grayson had headed back toward Pennsylvania, figuring it was the direction Wade and Autumn were traveling, but they’d found no other leads. Too tired to keep driving to Shavertown, they’d stopped in Pittsburgh at dinnertime and gotten a room.

After they had dinner, Camden stood pacing inside their hotel room, about to lose his mind as they went over for the millionth time what they did and didn’t know.

Grayson’s phone rang. “It’s a 614 area code,” he said as he pulled it out of his pocket and put it on speaker. “Hello?”

“He’s ba-aack,” a woman’s voice sang.

Camden and Grayson exchanged a look before Grayson asked, “Is this Zoe?”

“Yes, and Wade’s back.”

Camden’s pulse spiked. “He’s there with you right now?”

“Uh-huh. Asleep on my couch. I’m standing outside.”

Christ
.

“Keep him there, all right?” Grayson quickly said. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“I’ll do my best.”

• • •

“Let me handle this, Cam,” Grayson said as they approached Zoe’s apartment. “You look like you’re about to blow a gasket.”

Camden’s hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists as he followed his friend from the parking lot to Zoe’s apartment.

When Zoe opened the door to their knock, Wade was sitting up on the couch, yawning.

Camden stalked inside, pushing past Grayson. “Where is she? Where’s Autumn?”

Wade didn’t answer. He had a dumbfounded expression on his face as he stared up at them.

“You’re going to tell us, and you’re going to answer every question we ask you.”

Wade remained silent, so Grayson took a step forward and displayed his credentials, explaining who they were. “We’d be happy to haul you to the nearest police station if you’d rather talk to us there.”

Autumn’s brother closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll talk.”

“How did you meet Cobb?” Camden spat out.

“The Disciples had a gambling place in Chicago.”

“Cobb was living in Chicago?”

“He was visiting.”

Camden’s fist tightened. “And what happened? You were in debt and he just offered to bail you out? Or did you happen to tell him you had a beautiful sister?”

Wade remained silent.

“Do you know he abused her?”

Shrugging, Wade looked away.

“Do you even give a shit?” Grabbing Wade’s shirt, Camden pulled him to his feet. “How much did Cobb give you for her this time?”

Grayson snorted in disgust as Zoe stood silent a few feet away, her mouth agape. Her head swung back and forth while she followed the conversation with interest.

Camden grabbed hold of Wade’s throat. “Where. Is. She?” His hands tightened to the point where Wade began making gurgling noises.

“Ease up, Cam!”

The words barely registered through the haze of rage inside Camden’s head. He relaxed his fingers enough that Wade was able to choke in a breath, and he coughed and sputtered.

“Where is she?” Camden repeated the question through gritted teeth.

“Let go of me,” Wade said in a tight whisper. When Camden released him, he clutched at his neck. “I have an address in my phone. I’ll give it to you.”

Camden shook his head in disgust as Wade went to retrieve his phone. “All that time she was giving you the benefit of the doubt. Little did she know her only brother was a piece of shit.”

Grayson moved next to Camden and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Easy, man. Calm down.”

Once Wade gave them the address, Camden jabbed a finger into his chest. “You warn Cobb that we’re coming, and I’ll come back and kill you.”

Wheeling, West Virginia

“I’ve got his address.”

Butch’s malevolent grin brought bile to Autumn’s throat. Her handcuffs rattled as she shifted on the bed, inching away from him.