Rough & Rugged (Notorious Devils Book 3) (34 page)

Dragon rubs some goop on my arm and wraps it in plastic as he hands me instructions on my new addition.
Dirty Johnny,
etched into my skin. I make a note to ask Johnny why they call him
Dirty
Johnny—how it all began. I know he’s dirty with me, but I also know there has to be more to the story.

I love it, though. Dragon is truly a talented artist, and I’m excited to show Johnny the finished product, if he would ever come back inside from his cigarette break. It seems like he’s been out there for at least an hour.

“You were a champ, babe. Hardly any bleeding, and you didn’t pull away or flinch once,” Dragon compliments.

I thank him, but I don’t tell him the truth.

I don’t tell him that the dull pain from the needle turned me on like nobody’s business. I know that I like it when Johnny’s rough, and when he bites me, but I had no idea how
much
I liked it. I wonder if I asked him, if Johnny would test this pain thing a little with me. I don’t think I’d want anything too crazy, but it was hot.

“Your boy’s next. I’ll go and get him,” Dragon offers.

“No, I’ll run out there. You rest for a bit. Your hand probably hurts,” I smile.

“Thanks, babe,” he chuckles.

I walk outside and expect to see Johnny leaning against the building, smoking or fiddling around on his phone, but he’s nowhere to be found. I furrow my brow and call out his name, but I hear nothing. Then I walk down and around the corner, thinking that maybe he’s doing something on his bike; but when I turn the corner, I freeze.

His bike is gone.

He’s
gone.

I start to panic.

Johnny’s gone
.

I don’t know if he’s left me or if something’s happened; all I know is that he’s gone. He’s gone and I’m standing on the sidewalk with his name freshly tattooed on my arm. I turn around and go back into the tattoo parlor in a daze.

“Hattie?” Dragon asks as his eyes roam my face.

“He’s gone,” I whisper as the first tear falls.

“Maybe he just went for some smokes at the mini-mart next door. Fucker lights up like a freight train, babe,” he suggests.

“He’s gone, and his bike’s gone,” I announce.

Dragon’s eyebrows shoot up. He then pulls out his phone and starts punching numbers before he brings it to his ear.

“No answer. Somethin’s not right. Sit here and I’m gonna call Fury,” he mumbles.

I watch as he walks out of the little room and into the hall before I lose sight of him. He’s right. Something isn’t right, but I have a feeling it’s me. I saw the slight panic before he went outside.

He doesn’t want me anymore.

He spent all night long partying, and now he’s realizing that being mine, having my name on his body and his name on mine means that he can’t do whatever he wants anymore. I want to believe that he was being truthful when he said that he wasn’t with anybody, but now…now I’m not so sure. My insecurities are clawing their way to the surface and piling up all around me.

“Fury is sending Torch to come and pick you up,” Dragon announces a few minutes later.

“Why?” I ask as tears continue to silently stream down my face. I can’t stop them at this point.

“Don’t know, babe, but he said to sit tight,” he murmurs. He walks over to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“I don’t think it is. He’s gone,” I sob, turning and burying my face in his chest.

Dragon wraps his massive, tatted arms around me and holds me to his chest, one hand in my hair at the back of my head, and the other pressed to the center of my back. His comforting is too much, and I continue to sob, soaking his t-shirt with my tears.

“Hattie?” A deep voice murmurs. I turn toward the direction of it, pressing my cheek against the wet mess I’ve made of Dragon’s shirt.

“Yeah,” I sigh.

The man in front of me is probably one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. He has light blue eyes, the color of water, and short, dark hair. He’s clean shaven and his jaw is chiseled. His face looks like it was carved out of stone. And he’s tall—really tall. His muscle is extremely defined, and if I hadn’t been head over heels in love with Johnny since I was sixteen years old, I would definitely want to know more about him.

“I’m Torch. I’m here to take you to the clubhouse,” he says, keeping his voice soft and gentle.

He puts out his hand, approaching me like one might approach a scared animal. Aren’t I just that, too? A scared, helpless animal. I sigh and take a step back from Dragon, then my eyes stop on the gigantic wet spot my tears have left on his shirt. They widen as my cheeks turn hot with embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry,” I mutter, still staring at his shirt.

“I’ll dry, babe,” he laughs before he presses his hand to my back and gently pushes me toward Torch. I slip my hand into his, but don’t look away from Dragon.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“Take care of your arm, and keep me posted, yeah?” he asks.

I nod as my only response, and then Torch gently tugs on my hand and we leave. I can feel Dragon’s eyes following me until we’re outside. I’m grateful and thankful for his help. Without him, I’d probably just curl into a ball and cry, having zero idea what to do, being the silly, young girl that I am.

I watch as Torch stops in front of a motorcycle and straddles it before he turns and lifts his chin to me, wanting me to do the same. I bite my bottom lip and try to hold back the tears. There’s only one man I want to hold onto from the back of a bike, and it’s not the sexy one in front of me. It’s my man, my Johnny.

I inhale deeply, letting out the air before I bite the bullet and climb on. I try not to press my body against his, but I have to. I’m not one hundred percent comfortable riding on a bike, and I need to hold on to him or I’ll freak out even more.

“Bitchin’ ink, darlin’,” Torch yells over the roar of his engine. Before I can respond, he takes off down the street.

I try not to think about Johnny, about where he could be or what’s happened to him, at least not until I know more. Turning into an anxious ball of insecurity, doubt, and fear won’t do anybody any good, especially not me.

We pull into the clubhouse parking area and I’m surprised to see so many bikes parked during the day. It looks like they’re having a party, or maybe like they could all be on lockdown again.

Torch doesn’t say a word as he dismounts his bike and then takes my hand again, helping me off of the motorcycle as well. He doesn’t release my hand as we walk toward the clubhouse door. I don’t want him to either. I’m shaking and scared.

When we walk inside, the whole place is silent. There are no women or children around at all; there also aren’t any men.

“I’m gonna take you up to Johnny’s room. I want you to stay inside until Fury or I come up to get you. Don’t open the door for anybody else, do you understand me?” he asks, pinning me with his watery blue eyes.

“Yes,” I whisper.

Torch nods as if my one-word answer was all he needed, and he tugs on my hand as he takes me toward the bedrooms. I step through the threshold of Johnny’s room and look around. Everything is exactly how we left it the last time we were here a couple of weeks ago. Not even the bedclothes have been touched.

“He didn’t leave me, did he?” I ask, turning around to face Torch.

“No, honey, he didn’t just take off on you. Nobody can get a hold of him. We’re going to meet and then we’ll get a plan of action together. We’ll find him,” he says quietly.

“I thought… I thought maybe he freaked out, about the tattoo,” I mutter, more to myself then to him.

“He’s an idiot, but he’s not a fool, Hattie. He knows the kind of girl you are, and no way is he going to just walk away from you.”

“Do the same group of men who had me, did they take him? Are they going to hurt him?” I ask as my heart starts to race.

I have been so consumed with my own fears and doubt that I didn’t even think of those men that he called the
Bastards
—they could have him.

“Don’t know, honey. But you need to be strong, yeah?” he says.

I nod.

Torch leaves and I run over to the door and flip the lock. I feel anything but strong. I feel exactly like the weak, scared girl that I am.

Johnny knew I wasn’t ready for this world, and he offered me a way out, a way to still have him yet not be exposed to any of this. He knew what was coming, and he knew I wasn’t strong enough.

I close my eyes, but when I reopen them, I see his name on my arm and I know that it wouldn’t be possible, not being embedded in his life this way. Even if it hurts, even if he does things that I don’t agree on, I don’t care because I want to be at his side.

I am going to be the strength that he needs, the woman he needs. Because the hurt boy I’ve seen glimpses of, the painful past that makes him who he is, he deserves happiness. I aim to be the woman to give that to him.

I slide down on his bed, lying on his pillow as I inhale his scent before I close my eyes and let sleep take over.

D
evastated.

That’s how I would describe little Hattie Morris. Right now, she should be celebrating with her Old Man. She’s been branded, made an Old Lady of the
Notorious Devils
. She’s now one of us, a part of our family, and instead of partying and fuckin’ her man, she’s upstairs no doubt crying.

“What have we found out?” I ask, walking into church.

The room is full to capacity; every single brother is here. One of our own is missing and we all know something ain’t right. Johnny is a hot head who likes to fuck and fight, like the rest of us—but no way would he just abandon Hattie like he did today, especially after the
Bastards
held her hostage the way they did.

“A fuckton of nothing,” Fury grunts, leaning back in his chair.

“Was it the
Bastards
or
The
Cartel
?” Vault asks.

“Got a call from my contact with the Russians, their tech Oliver says they’re retreating. Apparently, there’s a bite elsewhere on some flesh. If it’s them, they ain’t claimin’ a fuckin’ thing,” Sniper says.

“What about his parents?” Grizz asks.

Grizz is a giant grizzly bear of a man. He’s older than most of us, and he’s been around in this club his entire life. I don’t understand him, though. Why the fuck would Dirty’s parents have anything to do with his disappearance? His mom’s hooked on some shit and asks him for money, but other than that, they’re quiet as can be. I don’t think I’ve ever even
seen
his dad.

“His mom’s a junkie. Doubt she’d have the strength to kidnap him
and
his bike,” Fury says.

“His mom is a junkie, but his dad is a mean sonofabitch. A complete piece of shit. Makes Sniper’s dad look like father of the fuckin’ year. He’d not only do it, but he’d laugh that he got the drop on Dirty. Johnny’s been payin’ for his mama’s habit to keep his dad happy, not her,” Grizz explains. I’m still confused.

“But why?” I ask, thinking out loud.

“When he decided to claim Hattie, Dirty cut them off completely. He blocked his mom from calling him all together. He hasn’t talked to them in weeks,” Grizz says.

“How do you know this?” Fury asks, looking just as confused as I feel.

“Got plastered a while ago and told me everything about cutting them off. I’ve known his father my whole life. He’s my fuckin’ brother,” Grizz announces.

Everybody, including me, stares at him in shock. Grizz is Dirty’s uncle.
His uncle
. How did we not know this?
Why
did we not know this? Every man’s mouth in the room is slightly agape at the news.

“There’s a reason he’s part of this club. He’s my nephew, and his life was shit. He needed a family, a good family,” he announces.

“Where would his father have him?” Fury asks, breaking the awkward silence.

“No clue. If I knew, I’d already be gone,” he says.

“I might know,” Serina says as she walks into the room, a room she’s forbidden to enter.

“The fuck?” Drifter growls.

“I didn’t know they’d take
him
,” she says. “I thought they’d take that stupid little cunt he’s set up.”