Sin & Savage (26 page)

Chapter 55

Saturday – 10:26 a.m.

Nevada Highway

As the semi
drove down the deserted highway, the blazing hot rays of the sun baked the concrete pavement, imparting the scene with a shimmering glaze of unreality. Up ahead of the truck, a car had pulled off to the side of the road. A tourist couple in their mid-thirties was sitting inside.

As the long vehicle whizzed by, the woman in the car frowned deeply and threw the man beside her a knowing look. She adjusted the earbud more securely then brought the wire hidden by her long hair, closer to her mouth. “Hank, we just found Snow White,” she muttered into the device.

“Shit!” Hank yelled back over the wire. “Where is she?”

“In a tractor trailer, about 30 seconds away from the Valley Lodge.”

“Fuck, man! That woman has been nothing but a constant pain in my big, ‘ole, fat ass this entire time!”

The ATF boss was sitting in the back of an unmarked van—which housed various tracking and communications equipment—situated about half a mile ahead. The rest of his ATF team was in position surrounding the decaying building but out-of-sight, waiting for his instructions to go in.

“Abort! Abort! Do not go in until I tell you. Repeat—do not go in! Snow White has arrived at the ball.” He leaned back in his seat, blowing out a sigh of frustration. “Shit, fuck and dammit all to hell!” he mumbled, using Savage’s favorite expression.

Chapter 56

Saturday – 10:27 a.m.

The Valley Lodge and Casino

Tori clambered out
of the truck’s cab and shut the door behind her, waving goodbye to Judd. The Texan had turned out to be a gentle, kind soul who had regaled her with stories of his adventures on the road during the short time it had taken for them to get here.

With promises from him to look her up in Gideon when he passed through next, she thanked him for his help. It was to his credit and integrity that he had never once asked her any personal questions, like why was she on the highway in the first place, or why did she want to be dropped off at an abandoned hotel.

As the truck drove away, Tori spotted the long drive leading up to the hotel. From her vantage point, the place looked deserted. There were no other buildings or gas stations or anything within view. She was on her own. But her Nana and Joe were in there, and she’d go through a lake of fire to get them out!

Screwing up her courage, she crossed the highway and walked down the drive leading to the hotel’s front entrance, her runners crunching the hard-packed dirt, baked hard by the harsh sunlight. It was the only sound in the still, barren setting.

Near the closed front doors, she wondered if she should just go up there and brazenly knock. After all, they were expecting her, weren’t they? They had probably been watching her approach anyway. But no, why should she make it easy for them? Let them come out and get her, if they wanted her! In the meantime, she would go around back and see what she could learn about the building itself. There had to be other entrances and exits to the place. It would be in her best interest to scope it out as best as she could in case she needed to use that information later on.

Her heart pounded with runaway fear and her forehead broke out in a cold sweat, so cold in fact that she wasn’t even feeling the desert heat anymore. Her thoughts ran away from her. Any second now, she could be killed; or whoever had kidnapped her Nana and Joe could jump out and grab her too. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then forced her trembling legs to move forward around the old hotel, her sharp mind taking note of all the windows and doors.

At the back of the property, Tori suddenly gasped. Parked in front of her very eyes were nine Harleys, all in a row. The first one, at the very head of the line, belonged to none other than Savage Monroe. Why, she would recognize that machine anywhere!

A surge of intense hatred filled her being. Why, that bastard! So, he was involved in all this along with the rest of his scumbag biker brothers, was he? It had been him all along! He not only had planted drugs on her, using her for his criminal purposes, but he was also a part of the plot to kidnap Nana and Joe! He was evil, pure evil—the son of Satan himself. How could she have ever believed herself to be in love with such a disgusting, vicious animal like him?

Hot tears pricked her eyes as a wave of longing washed over her, desperately wanting back that love she’d lost. She wanted the other Matthew back, the Matthew who had been kind and who had saved her and who had told her that he loved her. But that Matthew didn’t exist, did he? It had all been a lie—and now her heart was bleeding with the truth.

Stop it, Tori—stop it
!
That rotten bastard doesn’t deserve your tears! He’s a user and a liar and a criminal. He told you he’d always keep you safe, but who’s going to keep you safe from him?

Tori reined in her sad feelings, refusing to give into them. Wiping away her tears, she glanced back at his bike. No—she wouldn’t allow him to do this to her. After all, she was strong and tough and from Texas! She was fully in command of her emotions now and when she’d face him again inside, she would tell him exactly what she thought of him and his despicable ways, even if he was holding a gun to her head. Because if he was capable of setting her up with drugs or kidnapping people, then murder was only a breath away, wasn’t it? And after having seen him in action, she fully believed that Mr. Savage Monroe could be capable of even that; if he hadn’t done it already!

Tori spun around towards the building and…froze in mid-step.

“Welcome to the party, bitch!” Wizard crooned. He pointed his pistol squarely at her chest.

Tori’s blood turned to ice. No doubt that the weapon was locked and loaded, dead center on her heart. Her gaze came back up to his beady eyes. That’s when she realized that the calm in his black orbs was even scarier than the gun itself.

She recognized Wizard, the disgusting biker who had nearly raped her back at Delilah’s, and all of a sudden, she knew that she had made a very big mistake at that time. She should have gone to the police and had the creep arrested. Because if she had, he wouldn’t be standing here—now—with a gun aimed at her chest!

Taking in a quick, steadying breath against the panic threatening to spill out of her, she forced herself to remain cool and collected. Defiantly, she raised her chin. “Where’s my grandmother and Joe Sorelli?” she demanded.

His lips curled into a nasty grin. He slowly breeched the distance between them until he was right in her face. “What’s the rush, baby? All in good time,” he threatened softly.

In one fluid movement, he shoved the gun into Tori’s temple, jamming the coldness of the hard, steel barrel against her skin. His mouth spread into an evil smile. Clearly, he was enjoying the fear that rippled through her body.

“You don’t scare me.” Tori threw him a sharp look straight into his demon eyes.

He laughed at that. “I don’t want to scare you. I just want to get to know you better, sweet thing, that’s all.”

Tori heard excitement in his voice and it disgusted her to the very core of her being. But she needed to remain calm and not make any sudden moves.

“Where’s my grandmother?”

Wizard moved around her body until he was directly behind her. All the while, his right hand held the gun to her head. Suddenly his left hand stroked her hair as if he was petting a kitten. Tori instinctively twitched away from his touch. He laughed again before inching closer still, his nose now unexpectedly nuzzling her neck. “You smell so good, baby—so good! I bet you taste good too.”

He gave her neck one long, wet lick with his rough tongue, his dirty goatee scratching her skin. A wave of nausea rose up in Tori’s throat but if she pushed him away right now, he would shoot her.

“I want to see Savage. Where is he?” She tried to swallow the bile down.

A sarcastic grunt came from behind her ear. “Savage is—tied up right now, but I’ll take you to see Snake instead.”

“Fine, let’s stop wasting time and go see Mr. Snake then.”

He laughed again, his hot breath fanning the wet spot at the back of her neck. But when she thought that he would touch her again, he lowered his pistol.

Suddenly, he stripped her of her purse that had been slung over her shoulder. She sensed him taking several steps back. Tori turned and confronted him face-to-face. He was smiling at her now—in that superior, nasty way. He motioned with the tip of his gun for her to start walking towards the two open doors at the back of the building.

“Okay, let’s go inside, bitch—and take care of business.”

Chapter 57

“Through that door
on your right,” Wizard barked.

Tori tried to memorize the steps they were taking from the open back doors of the building, through the kitchen area, through several hallways before arriving at this spot. All the while, the biker had walked behind her, barking out directions while still aiming his pistol squarely at her back. If she’d tried to run or get away, he’d shoot her dead. She knew it! Better to just play along and maybe he would take her to see Nana and Joe; and then she’d try to figure out a way to get them all out.

Her body felt frozen with fear, making her movements clumsy and stiff, but there was no way in hell she was going to let this monster see that. No—she would just try to stay calm and collected, taking each moment as it came, with a silent plea to Jesus in her heart for all the help he could give her.

As Tori rounded the corner, she found herself in a large open space, what once must have been the main lobby. She took in the six other bikers staring at her as if dinner had just arrived and they hadn’t eaten in a week. A shiver went through her. She recognized three of them from that one time she’d been in their bar. Savage wasn’t among them.

Suddenly, Wizard heaved her purse into the middle of the room. Like a pack of rabid dogs, the bikers lunged at it. One of them turned it upside down and dumped out the contents. They rummaged through her things, pocketing her money and credit cards.

Another biker, a hulking brute with a shaved head and a large green snake tattooed on his entire right arm, was standing to the side enjoying the spectacle when he suddenly turned his black, empty eyes her way and threw her an evil grin.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss Tori Jones. About time you showed up!” He laughed, making a strange hissing sound that straightaway grated on her nerves like sandpaper.

A tremor went through her then but she vowed not to show any of these animals any fear, even though she instinctively knew that Wizard still had his gun aimed at her back.

She raised her chin with defiance. “You must be Snake.”

“Give the bitch a prize,” he mocked.

“Where’s my grandmother and Joe Sorelli?”

“They’re still alive, if that’s what you’re asking.”

A small sigh of relief rippled through her, as she sensed that he was telling her the truth about that, at least.

“What do you people want from us?”

Snake made his way towards her. The way he approached reminded her of a wolf stalking up to a tethered baby lamb that was waiting to be slaughtered. The cold-blooded image flashed in her brain and she forced down the scream that was threatening to erupt out of her throat.

“It’s just business between Sorelli and the club, that’s all. Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about.”

“I want to see them—now! Where are they?” she demanded.

His right arm shot out—the one with the snake tattoo—and his fingers grabbed her chin, bringing her face close to his. His small, dark eyes scanned her features and he leered at her. “Shit, you’re a real spitfire, aren’t you?”

“Let me go!” Tori yanked her chin out of his grasp.

A gleam of amusement shone in his dead eyes. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood right now, little honey, otherwise I’d shoot you dead myself for talking to me like that.”

Tori glared at him, her eyes narrowing with insolence. “No disrespect meant—
sir
—but I want to see my grandmother—
please
.”

In fact, she wasn’t afraid of any of them anymore! She’d had it up to her back teeth with their malevolent, threatening ways beginning with that animal Savage Monroe and ending with this disgusting demon standing in front of her. Yes, it was sheer craziness on her part to be thinking like this when her life was at stake, but dammit—she refused—absolutely refused—to bow down to evil anymore, and that was that!

Snake’s mouth curved into another slimy grin. That hissing laugh of his exploded out of him once again. “Much better, little lady.” He turned to Wizard. “Why don’t you accommodate our guest and take her to see granny.”

Wizard stepped forward, clamped his strong fingers around her arm and dragged her out of the room.

Tori fought back. “Hey, you’re hurting me!”

But the biker was too tall, too strong and too mean for her futile efforts to make much difference. “Shut the fuck up!” He gave Tori a hard shake. He released her then but not before shoving her towards the exit out of the lobby, causing her to stumble.

“Get going, bitch.” He indicated another hallway to her left that he wanted her to start walking down.

Chapter 58

Wizard led Tori
through several hallways that snaked towards the back of the building before taking her down a flight of concrete stairs leading to what looked like the basement of the complex. Her nose twitched at the stench of mold and decay and crumbling foundations as they trudged further down into the dim underground, their pathway lit only by various barren light bulbs hanging along the route. This part of the hotel seemed to be some sort of tunnel system with various closed doors on either side of the passageway, probably where the majority of the work had been done by the hotel employees for their glamorous guests above.

Every step Tori took made her heart beat that much faster with trepidation. Was this brute taking her to her death somewhere inside the bowels of this dump? After all, he could easily shoot her here and no one would find her body ever. Her last living memory would be of concrete walls and mildew before he put that one lone bullet through her head.

“That’s far enough,” Wizard grumbled, and before she’d had a chance to say a last prayer for her life, he fished through a key ring as he stood behind her.

Holding her breath, she watched him unlock a wooden door to her right. As the portal squeaked open, he grabbed her arm and pushed her into the room.

“Later, bitch.” He laughed, as he shut and locked the door behind her.

Tori stood there till her eyes grew accustomed to the dimness of the interior. Its dungeon-like appearance was lit by a single hanging bulb right in the middle of the room.

“Tori?”

She whipped around at hearing her grandmother’s voice. Her eyes focused on a far corner where her Nana leaped out of a chair to rush towards her. Joy and relief flooded Tori’s system to see her alive and well. “Nana?” she squeaked out.

“Oh my Tori, my Tori, my Tori!” Estelle wrapped her short arms around her granddaughter and hugged her fiercely.

“Nana! Oh my God, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Nana pulled away to look at Tori’s face. “No, sweetpea, I’m fine. But did they hurt you?”

Tori shook her head. “No, they didn’t touch me.”

Nana hugged her with all the strength she had. “Oh, thank God, I was so worried and scared.”

Tori pulled away. “What’s going on, Nana? Where’s Joe?”

“They took him to his bank to get the $65,000 that I sent him from Texas. Joe—he told me that he saw one of them, that Snake fella, kill his friend Dirty Dan and then they tried to get Joe too, but he ran. That’s why Savage Monroe agreed to help us find him. He was really lookin’ for himself and for his lowlife, biker friends, not for us. Did he hurt you, sugarplum, because if he did, I’ll get a gun and shoot him dead—deader than a hammer!” Her eyes shone with grit, like a mamma cub protecting her young.

Tori shook her head. “I’m okay, Nana. He didn’t hurt me.”

“Are you sure?”

Tori felt her broken heart break even more. So that’s why Savage Monroe was helping her? She was just a means to an end for the thug—part of his biker business dealings. He hadn’t been helping her for the stupid money they were paying him. No! He’d been hoping she would lead him to Joe, so that he could then kill the butcher to shut him up about what he’d seen.

When he found Joe, what was he going to do then? Was he prepared to kill her too, along with her Nana?

Tori vowed to never tell her grandmother the full extent of things, like how she’d fallen in love with the outlaw and how he’d played her for a fool. It was just too humiliating to admit how she had believed his lies. Well, that was all over with now and she refused to waste any more of her emotions on him.

A mixture of resolve and fortitude shot through her. “No, Nana—the bastard didn’t hurt me at all!” she gritted.

Nana let out a relieved sigh. “Well, thank the Almighty for that, at least. But—” she shook her head in confusion—“I still don’t understand how my tingle could have been so wrong about him. I was plum positive he was a man of good character.”

“Well, he wasn’t! He was a real rat, just like the rest of them.” Anger spilled through her again at how he had used her.

Nana stared deeply into her granddaughter’s eyes. “Baby, I would never have sent you with him if I hadn’t believed he was a good man, you’ve got to know that. You’re the most precious thing in my whole life and I love you so much, Tori. I’m so sorry,” she cried apologetically.

“I know, Nana, and I love you too.” Tori gave the older woman another quick, loving squeeze. “And know that you have nothing to be sorry about. That animal fooled us all.”

She took another good look around the room. It was just an empty basement cell with no windows and a couple of chairs. The only exit was the locked wooden door she’d just come through. “Nana, we have to get out of here and go for help.”

“I agree, but how, sweetpea?”

Tori tried opening the door, but that Wizard creep had locked it securely. She crouched to study the doorknob and jiggled it. It was flimsy. Maybe they could pry it open? It was worth a shot anyway. She looked around the room again and realized that the only thing she had to work with were the chairs.

“Stand back.” Tori waited till Nana moved away. She grabbed one of the chairs. Then, with all the strength she could muster, she began pounding at the doorknob with one of its wooden legs.