Ravage: Lightning Bolts MC (17 page)

Eric

I went to the clubhouse after leaving home. I had to remind myself at least three times on the way that Michelle was completely safe at the house. It was the safest place for her. Nobody could get in, and nobody was getting out. Meaning her. She wouldn’t be sneaking around anymore—though I doubted she would want to after what happened already.

Things were tense with my men, and I understood why. Nobody liked looking over their shoulder wherever they went. It was never easy when things got this way, and it happened from time to time. Another club would be pissed about something we did, or maybe there’d be a problem with one of our business partners. Tension would rise. It was never fun, but it always blew over.

After talking things out with Spike, and calling over to the hospital to run the plan by Slash, I was pretty confident in what my next steps would be to make sure our little problem with the Reign of Chaos was put to bed.

I was never so ready to fight. Even in prison I never felt the urge to kick the shit out of somebody the way I felt it toward Gareth. I didn’t even hate him so much when I was in prison, and I knew he was the reason I was there. It took Michelle to push me over the edge. She showed me what I was willing to do to get revenge. I would do anything it took, as long as he paid for what he thought he could do to my woman.

My woman. It sounded weird when I thought it. I didn’t know if she really wanted to be my woman or if she only screamed it in the heat of passion. I didn’t wanna hold her to it. I felt like such an asshole. Since when was I so whipped?

Once I checked in with the club, I headed out to a bar I liked to go to sometimes. Not that I didn’t like spending time with the club, but once in a while it was good to get out and see new faces. Everybody knew who I was, so it wasn’t like they wouldn’t accept me, unless it was a bar the Reign of Chaos hung out at. They were the only club we had a problem with.

I wasn’t going there to drink—not at noon, though it wasn’t like I never drank that early before. I wanted to see if any of the girls who worked there could do me a favor. I knew they always had pretty young things working the bar and the tables, so there was a good chance of me finding somebody perfect for the job.

When I walked in, the bartender called out, “We’re not open yet. Sorry.”

“No, no. That’s Eric. He can come in any time he wants.” One of the waitresses noticed me and winked. I grinned at her. I heard what she meant behind her words. A deaf man could have.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” I said, sitting at the bar. “I’m not here to drink anyway.”

“What are you here for?” Now that the bartender knew I was a friend of the place, so to speak, she was a little friendlier. I noticed her high, perky tits in her low-cut t-shirt. She had a slammin’ body, tiny and tight, and I couldn’t help but take a look.

“I was wondering if any of you lovely young ladies would like to earn a little extra money.”

She had been leaning toward me, but stood straight up, tensing. “We’re not like that here.”

“I don’t mean prostitution. Relax. I just need a girl who can pass for younger than she is. I have a quick little job for her, and I’d be willing to pay.”

“How much?” she asked, suspicious.

“A grand.”

“What?” Her jaw dropped. I guessed that was at least a week’s worth of good tips for her. Maybe two, depending on the crowds and the shifts she worked. Afternoons wouldn’t pay as much as evenings.

“For sure.”

“What kind of job is it?”

I grinned and looked her up and down again. She had a young face. I guessed she couldn’t be more than twenty-one, maybe twenty-two. Good skin, healthy-looking. She could pass for seventeen, maybe even sixteen.

“First, tell me your name.”

She smiled. “Jenny.”

“Jenny, I’m Eric, like my friend over there just told you. And I need bait.”

“Bait? You lost me, buddy.”

I liked her attitude. “I’m trying to trap somebody, to put it bluntly. I need to set up the bait.”

“Who is this person?”

“He’s a scumbag who needs to rot in prison for the rest of his life.”

“Why?”

“A lot of things. Don’t worry, you’ll be totally safe.” I didn’t think she’d wanna hear about the joyride Michelle went on with his friends. She’d kick my ass outta there in a second.

“How do you know?”

“I’m gonna put it all on the table for you. This guy holds auctions. Maybe you’ve heard about them, maybe not. They’re sorta underground.”

“Like…for things? Or people?”

“People. Women. He auctions them off to the highest bidder. He deals in virginity.”

“Oh, gross.” She wrinkled her button nose.

“I know. It’s a one-night thing, at least I think it is. Guys pay thousands.” I felt myself getting a little hot under the collar as a blush crept up on me. I didn’t have any room to talk shit on the guys who bought girls there since I did it myself. It wasn’t the same, though. I didn’t buy her because I was drooling over her. I did it to save her from the men who were.

“So what’s this got to do with me?”

“This next auction is gonna be different. He wants to use underage virgins.”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh, hell no.”

“Yeah. So that’s why I need you.”

“I’m not underage, though I’m flattered.” She winked.

“You could pass for it though. Easily. Maybe a little less makeup, a little more lip gloss. Something to make you look like a kid trying to look older than she is. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I know. I get it. So, what, you’d want me to walk up to him and ask him if I can be in his auction?”

“Exactly. I want you to walk into his office and tell him you’re sixteen. Ask if that’s a problem. When he says no, ask him again. Be clear. Is it okay that I’m not eighteen yet?”

“Gotcha. That’s all I have to do?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Give him a fake name, whatever. They don’t check ID. It’s a real shady operation.”

She leaned back against the shelves on the wall, thinking. “A thousand dollars just for doing that?”

“I’d need you to wear a wire, too.”

“A wire? Where would you get that?”

I grinned. “Already got it, darlin’. No need to worry.”

“And I would be totally safe? He wouldn’t, like, find the wire and kill me or anything?”

I hoped not. “Hell no. I’ll be just across the street in my car, and I’ll have my men around the place, too. We’ll take good care of you.”

She thought about it some more. I knew the money was too tempting for her to turn me down. I couldn’t imagine she would make a lot of money in the dive she worked in even on weekend nights, much less Monday afternoons.

She had one more question. “When is this going down?”

“This afternoon. Immediately, if possible.”

“Wait, what? I don’t get time to think it over?”

I stood. “No, I’m sorry. It’s gotta happen soon. I can find somebody else if it’s too much to ask. I get it, trust me.”

She looked around. “I’m working.”

“I could have you back before happy hour.”

“Nobody comes in here during the lunch hour anyway,” she muttered. “Okay. I’ll get somebody to cover for me. One of the girls can do it. It’ll be easy.”

I grinned, feeling relieved. “Great.  I’ll meet you outside.” I went to the car, glad Jenny was willing to go along with me. It took a lot of nerve for somebody to go along with a total stranger—especially when the stranger asked them to do something crazy like I was asking.

I laughed when she came out, already looking younger. She had let down her blonde hair, and it hung in long waves over her tits. Her makeup was a little fresher, a little less harsh. She could pass for underage in a heartbeat.

If it all went down the way I planned it, Gareth would be a distant memory in no time. I could go home to Michelle and tell her everything had worked out, and we could be together. If she wanted to.

“I’m not so sure I wanna do this.”

I looked at Jenny and tried to hide how crazy she was making me. I didn’t wanna scare her off.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” She looked at me with wide eyes. All the confidence she had at the bar was gone. Now she really reminded me of the kid she was supposed to be. I wanted to tell her to keep that scared tone in her voice when she talked to him, but I didn’t wanna scare her even more.

I clenched my jaw to calm myself down before I said anything else. “He can’t do anything to you. He won’t even know who you are. Believe me, when you walk in and he takes one look at you, he’s gonna shit his pants.”

“I might shit mine first,” she muttered.

I turned away to keep her from seeing my smile. “Well, I don’t think he’s gonna wanna use you if you go around shitting yourself.” I grinned at her, and got a smile, at least. It was better than nothing.

“I’m telling you, it’ll be fine. All you have to do is go in and tell him your name. That’s it. I promise they won’t even ask for ID, but if they do, tell them you don’t have it on you. They won’t even care. All I need is for you to go in there and get Gareth to say he’ll use you. You make sure to remind him you’re underage. That’s it. Then you can leave.”

She thought about it again, chewing on her lip and staring out the window. Her knee bounced up and down. She tapped her fingertips along the inside of the door.

“All right,” she breathed. “Let’s get it over with.”

“You sure the wire is secure?” I asked.

She looked down her t-shirt, to where she had fastened it between her tits. “Yeah, it’s good.”

I turned on the receiver and turned up the volume. “Say that again.”

She dipped her head down, toward the mic. “It’s good.”

I shook my head. “Don’t do that. Be normal.” She said it again, this time without bending her head down. She sounded clear.

I looked out the windows to confirm that my guys waited at both corners of the block Gareth’s clubhouse sat on. A lot of MCs kept to themselves and worked sorta outside town, but Gareth didn’t care. His clubhouse sat in the middle of the street, across from a bank and a post office. I had to give him a little credit for his balls.

She looked out the window at the building. “And you’ll still give me a thousand dollars?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.” She got out of the car without looking back and walked down the street to the front door of the clubhouse. I watched her swinging her hips and couldn’t help smiling. Gareth would lose it when he saw her body. All he could see were dollar signs, though. And she would bring a big price.

If he went for the lie. I hoped his greed would get in the way of his common sense, and he wouldn’t ask too many questions. Then again, it might not have been a good idea to find out too much. He could at least pretend he didn’t know anything about her—that she had lied to him.

Thanks to the wire, he wouldn’t be able to pretend.

She muttered to herself as she walked. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t.”

“Stay cool,” I said. “God, just keep it together.”

I hated losing sight of her, but eventually she walked in. I realized I was holding my breath. I hoped she was quick about it—or that they were. When I couldn’t keep an eye on her, I got nervous. I didn’t want to admit it before she walked away, but the feeling was there once she did.

“Just in and out…in and out…” I heard her clearing her throat and muttered instruction to her like she could actually hear me.

“Hey,” she said. Her voice even went up a little—I didn’t tell her to do that. She was dedicated to getting it right.

“Can I help you?” A female voice.

“Yeah, uh, I need some money, and I heard you guys help girls like me make it.” Good line. Smooth.

“Okay. I can go back and get one of the guys to talk with you about it—”

“Oh, um, I heard the guy’s name is Garrett, or Gareth, or something. My friend told me he was the one to talk to.”

“Yeah, well, he’s kinda busy right now.”

“Okay, well, I wanna do this, but I have to talk to the right person about it. It’s not like I’m buying a dress or something.” Good girl.

“I get it,” the other woman said. “I’ll tell him you want to see him. Be right back.” I heard heels on a hard floor, so the woman was walking away.

“So far, so good,” Jenny whispered.

“Stop talking to yourself,” I said. I wished she could hear me. The next time I did surveillance, I’d make sure the person I sent in had an earpiece.

I checked out the street. My guys were still waiting at the corners for my signal. If things went south, I would lean on the horn, and they would go in. It wouldn’t be safe, no matter what, but I couldn’t leave a civilian in there alone.

“Gareth will see you.”

“Be cool,” I said. “Be cool, please.” I closed my eyes with my fists against my forehead, wishing I could be in there with her. Not being able to do anything was driving me crazy.

I opened my eyes to find people walking around the street like nothing was happening. They could do that. Most people had no idea the sort of shit that went down all around them every day. They didn’t know I just sent an unarmed girl into an MC clubhouse.

“Hi,” I heard, and my blood ran cold. His voice. He was right there, across the street from me. All I had to do was go in and…

“Hey. I’m here to ask about the auction.”

“What makes you think there’s an auction?”

“I heard about it from a friend of mine. She knew I needed money, and word gets around.”

“So you need money?”

“Yeah. I need to get out of my parents’ place. I need to move away. It’s so shitty there.”

Gareth snorted. “Been there.” Then he went quiet. I imagined he was looking at her like a piece of meat. “Did your friend tell you what we need from you? Who we need you to be, I mean?”

“Who you need me to be?”

“A virgin. Are you?”

She giggled. She could be an actress, easy. “Yeah. Not something I like getting around, though, so don’t tell my friends. They’ll think I’m a prude.”

Gareth laughed. “Your secret’s safe with me. Besides, your friends don’t know how much money virgins can make. Won’t they feel like assholes for giving it up to some jerk they met at school?”

“So I can make a lot of money? That’s true?”

“Oh yeah. I just had a girl make thirty grand the other night.”

“Thirty thousand dollars? That’s crazy!”

“And you’re younger and prettier than her, too,” Gareth added. I bristled at the way he talked about Michelle. Jenny was younger, but not by as much as he thought she was. That was okay, since I wanted him to think it. I just didn’t want him to talk about her or even think about her. She was too good for him.

“So you think I could make money at it?”

“Oh, sure.” He sounded like such a sleaze. I could almost hear his dick getting hard.

“When’s the next auction?” Jenny asked. Good, good, I thought, listening hard. Get all the information like you really need to know.

“In a week,” he said. “At our warehouse on the docks.”

“How many guys show up? How many girls do you usually auction off?”

“Plenty of men, but they’re all high-class guys. They have the money. It’s word-of-mouth—and we only let in the best. I mean, it’s not like we can place an ad or anything. The people who know only talk about it with the people they know, if you get what I mean. Friends at their level.”

“So, rich?”

“Sometimes.” He chuckled.

“Old?”

That question, he didn’t answer as quickly. “Ehh, sometimes older. Sometimes younger.” I remembered some of the men I saw at the last auction and shook my head at the way he was bullshitting her. Odds were whoever bought one of the girls was at least twice their age.

“And I don’t get any say in who I go with?”

“That’s just not how it works. They win, they get you. I can’t ruin my rep just because a girl isn’t turned on by the man who wins her.”

“I get it.”

“Besides,” Gareth added, “it’s a lot of money, and it’s only one night.”

“You’re right,” she said. “It’s just a lot of money. It’s worth it.”

“So, are you in?” Even his voice was slimy.

“Sure. Only, there’s one thing…”
Go easy
, I thought.
Don’t overdo it. Please
.

“What is it?”

“See, I’m not technically of age.”

I grimaced. This was it. I hoped she handled it the way we talked about. I hoped she wouldn’t go off-script.

A pause. “What’s not technically? What does that mean?”

“It means…I’m seventeen. I didn’t want you to find out after and, like, take my money or something.”

“You’re seventeen? When’s your birthday?”

“I just had it last month.”

I held my breath, closing my eyes.
Come on, Gareth, go for it.

“That’s fine.”

I pumped my fists, pounding on the ceiling. I got him.

“Are you sure? Is it okay for me to be part of it even though I’m seventeen? I don’t wanna get in trouble or anything.”

“Good girl!” I said. “Get him.”

Gareth snorted. “It’s fine. Nobody will ever know.”

“That’s what you think, fucker,” I said with a grim smile. People would know. Plenty of people would.

Then I heard a firecracker going off. Only it wasn’t a firecracker. It was a gunshot. And it hit me in the arm, going right through the open window.

“Fuck!” I screamed, looking around. I couldn’t see anybody—they could have been anywhere around the clubhouse. And they’d spotted me.

I picked up my phone. “Get her outta there, now! I just got shot in the arm!”

“Are you okay?” I heard.

“I’ll be fine, just get her!” I drove away as fast as I could without getting into an accident. I could only hope they didn’t know she was with me. I had the evidence, but I didn’t wanna risk her.

As I drove, I waited for the phone call to confirm they got her out. When Spike called, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“What are you gonna do about that arm?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’m going home first. Not the first time I ever got shot,” I pointed out. I hung up and drove home. No way I could go to the hospital with a gunshot wound.

Now that it was over, and I had the evidence against Gareth, I couldn’t wait to get on with my life. I had to get home and tell Michelle.