Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4) (11 page)

“Bossy,” Rebel teased, but he went out to retrieve the plant with Scorpion, who didn’t say much. Scorpion was a watcher, not a talker. She would have to be careful what she said or did around him. She was certain everything that happened here today would get right back to Viper.

Stoner finished washing his hands while Rage leaned back against the wall and watched. Rage would be the most difficult one to escape from. She might manage to outwit Scorpion and Rebel. She might succeed in seducing Stoner. But Rage was pure evil. She had no doubt he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if she gave him a reason.

“Now put on a lab coat, hair cap, mask, and some of those latex gloves.” She motioned to the small closet that contained the clean items. Stoner did as instructed.

Rebel and Scorpion returned with the marijuana plant. They set it down outside of the lab. Karen sliced off several cuttings.

“Come on, Stoner. It’s time for your first lesson.”

She opened the lab door and stepped inside. Stoner followed at her heels. He closed the door behind them. Rebel and Rage leaned up against the glass to watch, while Scorpion wandered off, chewing on a fresh piece of jerky.      

Karen showed Stoner how to trim the cuttings. “Potentially, one explant can produce an infinite number of plants.” He watched as she trimmed each plant section into more sections. He stepped close to her, his clean masculine scent floating over her. Karen tried not to think about him standing so close, smelling so intoxicating, but it was impossible not to notice. Her body responded by tilting toward him, her shoulder brushing his. Awareness crackled between them. Karen swallowed hard, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. His gaze locked on hers, his eyes darkening with intensity.

Her heart pounded. Holy hell, if only they were alone…

She cleared her throat and stepped away.

“Now we have to sterilize the cuttings.”

Stoner watched while she showed him the sterilization process. Sexual awareness continued to arc between them, making it difficult for her to concentrate. Karen glanced back through the glass wall. Rebel had disappeared, but Rage was still standing there, watching them. The lasciviousness in the creep’s eyes ruined the mood.

She shuddered and turned back to Stoner. “While these are soaking, let’s go mix up our medium.”

Stoner glanced at Rage through the glass. Impassiveness had settled over his face, hiding his thoughts. Rage stared back at Stoner. Unblinking. Was it a silent challenge? What was up with those two?

Karen tried to ignore Rage as she contemplated what medium would work best for marijuana. She didn’t want to get it right the first time around. She wanted the cuttings to spoil. So she chose a medium that was less likely to work. Stoner watched as she mixed the medium, dispensed it into several test tubes, then put the test tubes in a pot to boil.

“That will sterilize the medium for us. Once it’s done, we can put the cuttings in the test tubes to grow and multiply. Then the test tubes will be transferred to the growing chamber. Later, if it works and they begin to multiply, we will transplant them into pots to be hardened off in the greenhouse.” She paused and glanced up at him. “You do realize this isn’t going to happen overnight. It can take several days, several weeks, or even longer for callus formations to appear on the explants. So you can tell your boss Viper that we’ll be here for awhile.”

Stoner raised a brow. “Several weeks?”

She nodded. “Possibly longer if the medium doesn’t work. Like I said, I’ve never tried to clone marijuana before, so I’m not sure of the best medium to use. It will be trial and error at first.”

Stoner searched her gaze. Did he think she was lying?

She wasn’t. But she would do everything she could to make sure the explants got spoiled and didn’t multiply. It would be easy to do.

She pulled the pot off the burner before the medium was fully sterilized. The cuttings would become contaminated if she placed them in the medium before it was sterilized.

And that was her plan.

She would not help these guys produce more drugs.

Stoner’s gaze narrowed, as if he’d read her mind.

“Here, help me fill the tubes with medium.” She handed him a spoon to scoop out the medium. He didn’t say anything, but she felt his intense gaze on her as they filled the test tubes, then added the cuttings, and finally, placed the test tubes in the grow chamber.

“Well, that’s it.” Karen closed the door to the grow chamber. “All we can do now is wait and see if they take. We can come back after lunch and do another batch. You hungry?”

Surprise entered Stoner’s eyes, followed by wariness. “You’re going to feed us?”

Could he tell she was up to something? That she was planning on escaping somehow?

“Not willingly, but I’m starving, and I suppose you guys are hungry too. I’m going to need some energy to come back and do another batch later.”

He searched her gaze. “I could eat,” Stoner said at last. “You’re not going to poison us, are you?”

Poison? That was a good idea. But she had nothing to poison them with.

Or did she?

“Honestly, I’d love to poison all of you. If it were easy to do, I’d kill every one of you.”

She spun around and left the lab. Stoner followed at her heels, his gaze boring into her back. She sensed his mind mulling over her words, wondering if she would attempt to poison them.

And it gave her an idea.

They removed the lab coats, gloves, masks, and caps. Karen led the way out of the greenhouse. Stoner was behind her, with Rage, Scorpion and Rebel following after them. The smell of wet potting soil permeated the air. Water dripped off the tables in several places, splatting on the concrete floor. Someone had watered her plants.

Rebel. He was the only one who would. His kindness only reaffirmed her belief that he was better than the other bikers. Why was he even with the Cobras? It was obvious he didn’t belong with them.

Stoner pulled a cellphone from his pocket. He glanced at the screen. “Shit. It’s eleven o’clock already. Didn’t realize it was so late. I need some sleep.”

“Me too,” Rebel muttered. “I didn’t go to bed until five. I’m exhausted.”

“So am I,” Scorpion admitted. It was the first time Scorpion had spoken around her. His voice didn’t fit his appearance. He had a nasally pitch some people would find annoying.  

Karen couldn’t believe her luck. If she was going to escape, now would be her chance. The idea continued to brew in her mind, forming into the perfect escape plan. She had drugs in her bathroom. Diphenhydramine aka Benadryl. Not poison, unfortunately, but a large dose would knock them all out. Four tired bikers who had stayed up all night combined with an antihistamine that caused drowsiness…if she could find a way to get to her bathroom cabinet and somehow drug these guys without them knowing, somehow slip the drug into their lunch, they’d all be asleep soon.

And she could escape.

Her heart raced. She could tell the bikers to get comfortable on her couch while she fixed lunch. She could slip the drug into their food…and after they all fell asleep, she could sneak away and steal the truck. But she would have to convince these guys to hang out at her house for a while or it wouldn’t work.

“Let’s have lunch, then we can go back and do another batch.” She spoke loudly, making sure they all heard her. “You guys might as well make yourselves comfortable while I fix us all something to eat.”

Stoner’s eyes bored into the back of her head as they all entered the house, but she refused to meet his gaze. He might realize she was up to something. The man was too astute.

“Have a seat, guys.” She motioned to the couch. “I need to use the restroom. Then I’ll fix you something to eat.”

Rage went to her refrigerator and opened the door.

“Or help yourself,” she muttered, turning away.

Stoner followed her down the hallway. He stuck his foot in the bathroom doorway, preventing her from closing the door. “You’re not going to try anything, are you? Like jump out a window?”

Karen stepped back. She showed him the small window her head would barely fit through. “I don’t think so.”

He nodded and left her alone.

She quickly used the restroom, then opened the bathroom cabinet. Snatching up the bottle of Diphenhydramine, she opened it and poured some out into her hand.

Stoner banged on the door. “You done in there?”

Karen stuffed the pills into the front pocket of her jeans, then added the entire bottle, squishing the pills around in her pocket to hide the bulge. She would need to give the bikers a large dose of the antihistamine for it to affect them the way she wanted. If they overdosed and passed out, even better.

She set the empty bottle back in the cabinet and opened the door.

“Your turn.”

Stoner eyed her suspiciously. She moved past him out into the hallway. He entered the restroom and closed the door.

The T.V. blared as Karen headed for the kitchen to start lunch. Rebel and Scorpion sat on the couch drinking Coke and passing a bag of Doritos back and forth. Rage sat in her recliner, a Coke in one hand and a bag of ruffled potato chips in the other.

Karen sighed. “I told you guys I’d fix you something. You could have waited a minute. Anyone want a sandwich?”

They all nodded. She pulled out lunchmeat and bread, mayo, cheese and lettuce, and began preparing sandwiches. Karen reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of the pills, hiding them beneath the lunchmeat on the cutting block. She chopped the pills up until they became a pink powdery dust.

Stoner came back into the room. He went to the refrigerator. He pulled out the last Coke and popped the top. He leaned back against the fridge and watched her.

Karen hesitated, her hand covering the lunchmeat with the chopped up drugs beneath it. If Stoner came up behind her, he might realize what she’d done.

You can do this, Karen. It’s your only chance. 

She glanced back at Stoner. He was now watching Rage from under lowered lashes. Probably planning how he would take the other man out.

Karen sprinkled the powder over the bread slices, smothered them with mayo, and added the lunchmeat and cheese.

“Anyone want lettuce on theirs?”

Stoner and Rebel both said yes. Rage and Scorpion shook their heads no.

She finished the sandwiches, sliced them in half. Putting the sandwiches on paper plates, she handed one to each man.

Then she handed Stoner his sandwich. He nodded his thanks, his gazing probed hers as if he suspected she was up to something. Her nervousness must be showing.

Get it together, Karen. Don’t let him suspect.

Rebel said, “Thanks Karen,” while Scorpion and Rage snatched up their plates and began eating. Not wanting Stoner to get any more suspicious than he already was, Karen made herself a sandwich, then cleaned up the mess. Leaning back against the counter, she watched everyone eat. The men made quick work of their sandwiches. All except Stoner.

He took a bite, chewed, swallowed. His gaze bounced to hers. He took another small bite, slowly chewed.

Did he taste the drug? Could he tell? She’d hoped the mayo would help disguise the bitterness of the drug.

Karen bit into her sandwich, her gaze on Stoner’s, wanting him to see she was eating the same thing they all were. Not wanting him to suspect what she’d done.

“You got expired lunchmeat or something?” Rebel glanced over at her. “It tastes kind of funny.”

Karen took another bite of her sandwich. “No. Mine taste’s fine. Must be the after effects of all that pot you guys smoked last night.”

Rebel shrugged. “Could be.” He finished eating without any other comment.

Karen glanced back at Stoner. He was no longer eating his sandwich. He stepped up next to her, his gaze intense, suspicious. “I didn’t smoke anything last night and my sandwich tastes funny too.”

Shit. He knew.

Rage cranked the television up, drowning out the last of Stoner’s words. Karen didn’t think the others had heard him.

But Stoner had taken two bites of his sandwich.

Would it be enough to knock him out?

It had to be.

Or else she was screwed.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

What the hell had she done? Stoner tossed his partially eaten sandwich onto the kitchen counter. He’d thought it tasted funny, so he’d taken another small bite to be sure. Then Rebel had confirmed his suspicion, voicing Stoner’s thoughts aloud.

Grabbing Karen’s arm, he propelled her down the hallway in front of him. She gasped, dropping her sandwich in the struggle. Pieces of bread and meat and cheese littered the floor behind them as he marched her toward the bathroom. Rage’s gaze followed them, but he didn’t get up from the chair. He was too interested in whatever he was watching on the T.V.

Stoner shoved her into the bathroom. He searched her pockets, ignoring her futile protests. He pulled out a folded piece of paper and several pink pills he recognized as Diphenhydramine aka Benadryl.

Shit!

Yanking open the bathroom cabinet, he searched through the bottles. He snatched up the Diphenhydramine. Shook it.

Empty.

Commonly used as an allergy medication and a sleeping aid, large doses of the drug could cause delirium and symptoms similar to schizophrenia. Stoner had used it plenty of times in the past to help him fall asleep at night. There was no telling how much she had put in their sandwiches. It wouldn’t take much for any of them to fall asleep, since they’d been up all night. Stoner was already exhausted. A couple of those pills and he’d be out like a light.

And she’d be at the mercy of Rage and the others.

He glared down at her. “You drugged us.”

She paled, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. She lunged for the piece of paper in his hand. He lifted his hand higher, out of reach.

“What is this?” He unfolded the paper. His gaze skimmed over the note he’d written her last night. His face grew warm. She’d kept it? Carried it around with her? Hell, if his note meant that much to her, he had to give it back.

The fact that she’d kept it made his chest tighten with emotion.

He dropped the paper in her palm without meeting her gaze. She crinkled it up and stuffed it back into her pocket.

“How much Diphenhydramine did you give us?” How much had he ingested?

She shrugged. “I don’t know. A bunch.”

He pushed her up against the bathroom wall. “You little fool. Do you realize what you’ve done?” He wanted to shake some sense into her, but he admired her gumption.

“Probably saved my life,” she whispered, glaring defiantly at him. “I hope you all die of an overdose.”

He released her. She sagged away from the wall. “Not likely, but if you want us to pass out for awhile, you’ll get your wish.”

Rage appeared outside the bathroom door. He peered in at them. “What’s going on?”

Stoner debated what to tell Rage. There was a reason the guy was called Rage. The man was a soulless beast with a quick temper. Stoner had no doubt Rage would hurt Karen if he discovered what she’d done.

“Just thought I’d see if I could get a nooner.” Stoner kept his gaze on Karen’s. “But she’s not in the mood.”

Rage snorted. “She doesn’t have to be in the mood. Just take the bitch. When you’re done, I want a go at her.” Rage leered down at Karen before heading back to the living room.

Karen shuddered, her gaze darting back to Stoner’s. “You can’t fault me for what I did. I don’t want to die. I don’t want anyone’s filthy disgusting hands on me. I don’t deserve any of what you bastards have done to me.”

“Filthy disgusting?” he asked softly.

Color crept into her face. She lowered her gaze. He lifted a hand to stroke her soft cheek, then trailed his thumb across her bottom lip. Her gaze darted back to his. He ran a finger down her throat to feel the pulse in her neck.

“You like it when I touch you, Karen. Admit it.”

Her pulse skyrocketed beneath his finger, telling him how much his touch affected her.

Stoner locked his gaze with hers. Damn, she was distracting him again. He wanted to lock them in the bathroom and shove her back against the wall, make love to her until he got her out of his system. Would she stop him if he kissed her right now?

He leaned closer, his mouth almost touching hers. “Tell me you don’t find my touch repulsive. Tell me you don’t think I’m filthy and disgusting.” He brushed his lips against hers.

She let out a soft whimper and closed her eyes, leaning into him, her lips pressing against his, moving over his. Her hands came up to tangle in his shaggy hair as she pulled him closer.

Stoner let out a soft growl. He pushed her back against the wall, kissing her hard, devouring her mouth all the while wanting to devour every inch of her. God, she tasted good. He ran his hands down her body, stroking along her curves. He wanted her naked against him. Wanted to feel her softness against his hardness. Wanted to bury himself deep inside her. Right this very instant. He rocked his hips against hers, rubbing, pressing her ass back against the wall.

She made a sound against his mouth and pushed against his chest.

He stumbled back, breathing heavily, and stared down at her. She stared back, her eyes wide and dark and full of desire.

Jesus.
What the hell was he doing? Three other bikers were out in her living room. And Rage was waiting for an opportunity to take Stoner out so he could claim her. Stoner needed to get it together.

He cleared his throat. “Have I hurt you in any way?” He needed her to say he hadn’t harmed her. “Honestly?”

She pulled her gaze away from his and stared down at the floor. “You tied me up, blindfolded me, kept me prisoner against my will, tried to make me smoke weed, then forced me to micropropagate marijuana.” She hitched in a breath.

She hadn’t said “forced me to kiss you” which filled him with relief. She wanted him as much as he wanted her and she couldn’t deny it. But now wasn’t the time to satisfy their lust.  

Stoner sighed. “I didn’t try to make you smoke weed. I merely suggested it might be a good way to help you relax. I didn’t stop you when you left without smoking, did I? And despite what you may think, you’re better off with me than you are with any of the other bikers. Do you have any idea what Rage will do to you if he gets his hands on you?”

She shivered, her eyes going wide. She stared into his eyes for a long moment, then looked away. “I’m hoping he’ll pass out first so I can escape.”

Stoner let out a curse. “Then you better hope I don’t pass out before he does, or he’ll pounce on you.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “Why would you care what happens to me?” she whispered. “Who the hell are you? Sometimes you act like you might actually care about me, and other times it seems like you want me dead and gone.”

Stoner glanced away from the probing look in those sultry dark eyes. God, how could he tell her he’d noticed her all those years ago and hadn’t been able to get her out of his head since? Of course he cared about her. Too fucking much. It was because of her that everything was going to shit.

He didn’t answer her. How could he without spinning another lie?

“Why are you with the Cobras?” she pressed on. “Why won’t you tell me about yourself? You can’t deny there’s something between us. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels it. Every time we touch it’s like…magic.”

His heart clenched. In another world, another time, he would have relished those words, reveled in whatever was between them, seeing where it would lead. But the timing was way off. It was too dangerous. It hurt knowing the woman he’d wanted for eight years was attracted to him in a way he’d always dreamed, but now he couldn’t have her. 

Or could he? Could he let his feelings dictate what happened between them, regardless of their situation? Would that be wise? She was already distracting him too much, making him lose sight of the goal. Would it hurt to allow himself to find happiness in her arms for a short time, knowing he might have to kill her soon? Could he do that? 

“The less you know about me, the better.” Stoner turned away before she mentioned the note. He didn’t know how to explain it and he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it now. That note revealed way more than he wanted to admit.

Pushing his feelings aside, he contemplated the situation. He figured he had two choices here. He could try to vomit up the sandwich he’d eaten and hope his body hadn’t absorbed too much of the drug. Or he could wait it out and see what happened.

He
hated
puking.

The other bikers had all eaten their entire sandwiches, so he had no doubt they’d all ingested more of the drug than he had. He’d only had two bites. He was less likely to be affected by the Diphenhydramine.

He searched his vest pocket and discovered he still had two zip ties. Perfect. Grabbing Karen’s wrist, he attached one of the zip ties to it. Then he attached the second zip tie through the loop around her wrist and snagged it closed over his own wrist. Now she couldn’t escape. No matter what happened.

She glared up at him. “Why couldn’t you have just let me go?”

Because he was scared to let her out of his sight. The situation was more dangerous than he’d originally thought. Rage was not a threat to be taken lightly.

He dragged her out of the bathroom. “Let’s go sit on the couch and see what happens over the next few hours.”

The only way to keep her safe was to keep her by his side.

So that was what he would do.

* * *

It worked! An hour later, Rebel and Scorpion were asleep on the couch, Rage was snoring in the recliner, and Stoner’s eyelids kept drooping. Karen wasn’t sure how much of the drug she’d sprinkled onto each sandwich before spreading the mayonnaise over it, but it appeared to have been enough to knock them all out. Except for Stoner. If he’d eaten his sandwich like the others, she was certain he’d be asleep now too. But damn him, he’d spoiled her plans. Not only had he not eaten all of his sandwich, he’d zip-tied her wrist to his. There was no way she could escape when her wrist was attached to his. Despite her attraction to the man, he infuriated her. The only way to escape the Cobras would be when she was outside of the compound. Like now.

Stoner’s cellphone vibrated in his vest pocket, jerking him back to alertness. His gaze flicked to Karen where she sat next to him in the corner of the couch. He pulled the phone out and checked a text message. He typed a response, then stuffed it back into his pocket.

“Viper checking up on you?”

Her sarcasm went right over his head.

His eyelids drooped again. Several moments later, he was snoring softly. She wasn’t sure if it was the drugs or lack of sleep or both, but he was finally out.

Trying not to disturb him too much, she pulled at her wrist, trying to wiggle free from the zip tie. He hadn’t secured it as tightly around her wrist as he could have, so she had some wiggle room. If she could somehow work her wrist free, she could escape. 

Tiara strolled into the room and leapt into Karen’s lap. Curling her tail around her body, the cat snuggled against Karen and closed her eyes. Karen stroked Tiara’s fur while she continued to try to wriggle her wrist free from the zip tie.

She’d discovered if she squeezed her thumb against her palm, her wrist grew smaller.

Karen squeezed, pressed, pulled, pushed…She was not giving up. The zip tie left a nasty pink abrasion on her skin where it rubbed against her, but she kept at it. Fifteen minutes later, she was still struggling. Her skin had been rubbed raw, the flesh tender to the touch. But still she fought to be free.

Then finally, with a final wiggle and push and an in-drawn breath, she was free.

She glanced at Stoner out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were closed. His mouth slack. He was still asleep.

Karen rose to her feet. She set Tiara on the couch where she’d been sitting, then glanced back at Stoner. He hadn’t stirred.

Tiptoeing across the room, Karen headed for the front door. Since their truck was blocking her garage door, she couldn’t escape in her own car. She would have to take theirs. But where were the keys?

She glanced back at Stoner. He’d been driving. The keys were likely in one of his pockets.

Shit.

She crept back to him. Hesitated. How would she search his pockets without waking him up?

Tiara opened an eyelid and peered up at her. Then the cat climbed into Stoner’s lap and got comfortable.

Karen froze, watching Stoner’s face to see if Tiara had disturbed him, but he didn’t move a muscle. Either he was out cold…or he was fooling her.

Karen’s heart stopped. Was he pretending so he could see what she would do? If so, why hadn’t he stopped her from pulling her wrist free?

She watched him a moment longer, but he appeared to be truly asleep.

Kneeling in front of the couch, Karen gently searched Stoner for the truck keys, first checking the pockets of his leather vest, then reaching down to explore the front pockets of his jeans.

She found the keys in the right front pocket of his jeans, but getting the keys out of his pocket was going to be tricky.

Rage mumbled something from the armchair.

Karen jerked toward him. His eyes were open. He stared at her, unblinking, a dazed expression on his face. Karen stared back, unable to move.