The Price We Pay Read online

  “I’ve tried.” I slipped into the back seat. “I’m in her ride now.”

  “Shit Ded-”

  “Don’t say my name,” I ground out.

  “It was out of habit and I hate the name, Latch.”

  I ignored him. “I can’t risk anything. She’ll have to go to the house for now.”

  “You sure about that? Not only will we be late but it’s not the best idea.”

  “Keylan’s always late and I have no other choice. We don’t know who she is or who sent her.”

  “Can’t you just knock her out?”

  “I’m not hitting a woman.”

  “Not like that,” he snapped back knowing neither of us would do that. We didn’t have many options and there was no way she’d be coming along for the meet.

  “Randy will love the company,” he said changing the subject.

  “It’s the only option at the moment.”

  “Right, man. Be safe and don’t give the girl a heart attack. We’ll figure out what to do with her after we meet up with Keylan.”

  I hung up and slouched down behind the driver’s seat. She didn’t even lock the door. Clearly, she had no idea how to follow or track someone. The windows were tinted black so when she came running out she never noticed me sitting in the back seat. She pulled the front of the hat up and looked across the street, most likely to track me. I can’t believe she bought that ugly fucking hat.

  She stomped her foot and even though I couldn’t hear her, I saw her lips moving. Cursing. She was still cursing as she rounded the SUV and climbed in.

  “I’ll just wait until he comes out,” she said tossing her purse, which looked more like a backpack, onto the passenger seat and turning the vehicle on. “He can’t stay in there all day.”

  I sat forward. “No, I guess he can’t.”

  She screamed, grabbed the wheel with both hands, and then glanced behind her. Well, she tried but the hat was in the way. She tried to move the hat out of the way but I reached around the side of the seat and put my gun on her ribs. I hated doing it but she wouldn’t cooperate if I weren’t armed.

  She tensed at the feeling of it. “I’m broke. This isn’t even my ride!”

  “Drive.”

  “I can’t!” she yelled.

  “Drive,” I growled and pushed the gun into her ribs harder.

  “I’m broke!” she yelled again, then pulled that stupid hat off and tossed it aside. “No money. Not me. Got the wrong girl.”

  “Don’t want your money,” I said putting the gun in the back of my pants and sitting back. “Put your seatbelt on.”

  “Why should I? You’re going to kill me anyway.”

  “Do I need to remind you that I’ve got a gun?”

  “Whatever,” she huffed, but buckled up and pulled away from the curb. “Why don’t you let me go and take the ride?”

  “Don’t want it either.”

  “What about your bike?” she asked nodding at the passenger window.

  “So you were following me,” I said then I told her to turn left.

  “Maybe,” she said shrugging a shoulder.

  “You were.”

  “Fine,” she huffed, “I was. But not because I wanted to.”

  “Tell me more.”

  I needed to know who she worked for and to figure out if my cover was blown. I’ve been working this case for over two years now and wasn’t going to let this ruin my chances of bringing down the largest MC Club in the city.

  “Why does it matter; you’re just going to kill me.”

  “I’m not going to kill you.”

  “Rape me?”

  “No.”

  She lowered her voice, “Sell me?”

  “What the fuck?”

  She kept going. “Trade me for drugs?”

  I told her to turn right and pulled my phone out. I shot a message to Jaxon. Don’t think she’s a threat.

  He replied instantly. Good, now hurry the fuck up.

  I put my phone back in my pocket and she was still rambling on. It was kind of cute. Hell, she was kind of cute.

  “You’ll probably rape me, then trade me for drugs. My new master will grow tired of me quickly, then I’ll be sold to someone from a foreign country. He’ll probably be rich and handsome, but an asshole,” she paused but not for long. “You’ll have to change my name. No one’s gonna buy me with a name like Marvey. Marvey Korelsta. Most people can’t pronounce it either. You better pick something sexy-”

  “Woman!” I roared and sat forward. “Shut the fuck up with that bullshit and tell me who you work for!”

  “No! Tell me why you kidnapped me!”

  “You know why.”

  “I do?” She tried to turn around and I pointed out the front window. “Keep your eyes on the road, we’re turning soon.”

  I told her where to turn and we headed down the dirt road that took us to my house, my real house and not some rented shell of a condo. Not that I didn’t like the condo, but it was all a front.

  I’ve been hiding Randy at my house to keep him safe in the witness protection program, kind of. He really wasn’t part of the program, but I owed him my life so I was doing this as a special favor. We had a mutual understanding. He was a crackhead, witnessed a few murders by the same person, making him a key witness in the investigation. He’s been laying low out here for a year now, anxiously awaiting the trail to go to court. He decided he wasn’t ready to die, so he got clean and got his shit together. I allowed him to have a gun because I trusted him and wanted him to be able to defend himself just in case a situation arose that would require it. Giving him a gun was against policy, but Jaxon and I were the only ones that knew where he was. Not even the captain knew, and it would stay that way.

  There are very few people in the world I trusted. Three people to be exact.

  “This is a nice house,” she commented as we pulled up into the driveway. I remodeled the old house after my grandparents passed away. It was a two-story home, holding five bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an impressive wraparound porch. I painted the house dark red, a nice change from the moldy green color, and refreshed the shutters to a pristine white.

  Randy was sitting on the steps smoking, something he did a lot. Marvey grabbed her purse and hat from the passenger seat and followed me out of the vehicle without saying a word.

  “This is new,” Randy said eyeing her up and down, a smile spreading on his face. I knew he’d never touch her but I kicked his foot anyway.

  “Marvey. Randy.”

  Randy nodded at her and stood.

  “If you try to rape me I sw-”

  “No one’s going to rape you!” I grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs and into the living room. “I repeat, no one’s going to rape you, sell you, or trade you for fucking drugs. Your ass is staying here until you tell me who you work for.” Her soft blue eyes went big and I continued, “Randy has a gun, so if you try to leave he’ll shoot you.”

  “Oh my God,” she breathed. She yanked her hand from mine and took a step back. “She was right.”

  “She?”

  She snapped her hand over her mouth and shook her head no.

  “Good to know your boss is a woman.”

  I turned and walked outside to chat with Randy. “You heard that?”

  “Yep,” he answered.

  “Don’t actually shoot her,” I told him.

  “Those legs?” he chuckled. “Never.”

  “Don’t touch her legs either,” I warned and he kept smirking.

  “What if she wants me to?”

  I cracked a small smile and walked toward the SUV knowing he’d never lay a hand on her.

  If anyone was going to touch her legs, it would be me.

  I took the lavish SUV back to the shop and left it there so I could get my bike. I shot a message to Jaxon letting him know I was on my way.

  We weren’t late for our meeting. We had been there for a few minutes before Mack showed up. This was the first time we wer
e meeting Keylan’s runners. It was a step closer to getting more access to their people, and the operations they ran. It was an understanding from the beginning that we would never join their club. We were strictly independent contractors for them. Hooking them up with an out of country operation that had secure and reliable ways to get more product into the United States. At least that’s what they believed. It took us two years to get this far. They were a tight-knit group of assholes, drug dealers, and murderers.

  The three of us all stood by our motorcycles the moment we heard the car.

  He pulled the Camaro into the lot from the alley. Mack wasn’t alone. There was some blonde chick in the front seat. They stepped out of the car with Mack putting his arm around her waist. For a second, I thought she flinched at his touch.

  The closer she got, the more pissed off I was.

  What was it with women today?

  Keylan’s eyes were trained on them so he didn’t see Jaxon kick the side of my boot. He was telling me we had a problem. And we did.

  Harper Ziegler wasn’t supposed to be here.

  Chapter 2 – Harper & Jaxon

  Harper

  “Harper!”

  Staring out the passenger window, I continued to ignore the man that was yelling my name. Mack Gilson was a waste of space, a complete and utter disappointment of a man, and I hated him. He was a low life thug who ran drugs for one of the largest drug dealers in town. I know this because my brother used to be one of them. I tried over the years to get him help, to get him out, but he always went back. Why? I don’t know. I never will.

  Harry graduated with honors and we both lived at home while going to college. Mack, of course, wasn’t in college but somehow my brother met him and they became instant best friends. He started skipping school and would disappear for days at a time. Every time my parents and I questioned him, he said he was with Mack. He started using drugs, losing weight, and eventually stopped coming home. He dropped out of school after his freshman year and we hadn’t seen him since.

  Six weeks ago, his body washed up on shore.

  “Harper!” he yelled again.

  I hated him.

  I despised him.

  I wanted to kill him because he took my brother away from us.

  I knew what Mack wanted and even though he always asked, I never gave it to him. I’m not sure how I lasted this long at his side without having sex with him, but I did. I guess he really did like me. It took me a few minutes to gather myself and pretend to be the person he thought I was. I needed him to think I was some blonde bimbo that followed him around like a lost puppy and so far, I’ve managed to do that for almost a month; a month that produced no answers.

  A month that was making him agitated and impatient with my decision to not have sex with him.

  “Yeah, honey?” I used my sweet and innocent voice and turned my head towards him. He was actually pretty decent looking, showered every day and wore nice clothes. He kept his hair buzzed and always wore baseball hats. Even though he was decent looking, he still had the sunken cheeks of a crackhead.

  He glanced his brown eyes at me. “You just gonna sit there and ignore me?”

  I reached over, put my hand on the back of his neck, and felt him relax under my touch. He went back to looking at the road.

  “Sorry, honey.” I closed my eyes, resting my head on the back of the seat and lowered my voice. “I’ve got a killer headache.”

  His right hand reached out and gripped my leg. Every time he touched me, I did my best not to flinch. He wasn’t a bad kisser, though, so I was always torn between liking them and hating them afterward.

  “I’ve got something that’d cure it.”

  I kept my eyes closed and reminded him of our relationship. “Not yet, honey.”

  “How much longer are you gonna make me wait?”

  I felt the car turn the corner and opened my eyes. He’s never let me ride along when he meets with Keylan, his boss. But he thinks he can trust me now and if I help him, he can move more product. I wasn’t going to touch the shit or move product, but he doesn’t know that yet.

  I need to meet Keylan, then I could figure out my next move.

  I had to know what he looked like, get his license plate number, and memorize every feature I could about him.

  I’ve overheard Mack on the phone several times when he thought I was sleeping or was in the shower. I’ve also seen some papers on Detective Smith’s desk the last time I went to see him. He was an older man close to retirement and in my opinion, wasn’t very good at his job. I’ve gone several times to get more information on my brother’s case and he said he’s still following leads. I’m sure those leads guided him to the best donuts in town because he’s made no progress. No arrests. Just people of interest; one of which is Keylan, Sergeant in Arms for the Invisible Demons Motorcycle Club.

  I think Keylan, or some other members of the club, killed my brother.

  Mack wasn’t part of the club, though. He just ran drugs for them in hopes of becoming a member someday. Like it or not, this was my only way in, and the chance was slim at best. Maybe if I could meet Keylan, find out where he lived or where he hung out, I could figure out if he was the one who killed Harry. I knew a man like that wouldn’t fall for my bullshit so I had to stay under the radar as much as possible.

  “Soon honey, I promise,” I said softly as we drove down an alley that had seen better days. We weren’t in the best part of town. “And trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

  “It better be,” he said pulling in front of a vacant three-story building. I saw three men standing in front of their bikes, arms crossed on their chests, eyes firmly trained on us. I wasn’t prepared for three of them, not that it mattered. Mack stopped far enough away that we had to walk about ten feet to meet them because they didn’t move. There was a black duffle bag sitting on the ground in front of the guy on my right. He was wearing a leather vest with a bunch of patches on it. With the sun shining bright, and right on them, I wasn’t able to make out any details. Not that it mattered; I knew it was Keylan.

  He had greasy black hair that was long enough to touch his shoulders. A few piercings in each ear and was glaring at Mack. But the other two men standing at his side were glaring at me. The one on the left caught my attention the most. Black boots, dark jeans, and the cleanest white t-shirt I’ve ever seen. It had to be brand new. His bright blue eyes were on me, boring into mine like he was trying to read my soul. His jaw was tight. His eyes hard as rocks. I got the feeling he was pissed at me and I wasn’t sure why. Not being able to take it anymore, I snuggled into Mack’s side. Not that he can protect me.

  “You’re an idiot, Mack,” Keylan ground out taking a step towards him. “You got no fucking right bringing some bimbo with you.”

  I took that hit the best I could, I had to.

  “She’s good,” Mack replied with confidence, pulling me closer to his side. “My old lady.”

  “You ain’t shit, Mack!”

  I jumped at his words. I tried very hard to keep my composure and not let it affect me, but the guy towered over me and leaned in close.

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  I was not prepared. My body stilled and I tried very hard not to look into his cold, lifeless blue eyes. I wondered briefly if those were the last things my brother had saw.

  “Barbie,” I squeaked out, trying to stand tall and brave.

  He reached behind me, grabbed a fist full of my hair, and pushed me towards him so my chest pressed into his belly. “You look like a fucking Barbie Doll.”

  That was my whole point.

  “Hey man,” Mack cut in, “she’s mine.”

  “She ain’t yours, dipshit,” he growled back.

  “Ye-”

  He swung his eyes to Mack and growled, “You. Don’t. Talk.” He brought his eyes back to me and slowly let go of my hair.

  “Keylan,” a gritty voice said behind him, making him take a step back, “I don’t like this.” The middle guy
was speaking to Keylan but he was glaring at me. “This,” he jerked his chin at me like I wasn’t even a person, “wasn’t part of the deal.”

  I lost all my composure and wanted to get the hell out of here. My confidence was shot. Being so close to the man I think killed my brother was messing with my head. Plus, I was afraid of him. I was afraid of all three of them.

  I glanced at the bike that was behind Keylan but it was turned sideways so I wasn’t able to see the license plate. It was for sure a Harley, had a lot of chrome, and I noticed a deep scratch mark on the side of the chrome pipe. I needed to remember that.

  “It wasn’t.” Apparently, Mack grew some balls the more he spoke. “I want a larger haul this time. My girl’s here to help me.”

  Hah! I’m dumping ass as soon as we’re done here because I now know what Keylan and his bike looks like.

  “You’re right Latch, this wasn’t the plan.” Keylan flashed his eyes between Mack and me.

  So the other guy’s name was Latch. Must be his club name even though he wasn’t wearing a vest either. He dressed the same as the man in the white t-shirt, but his t-shirt was black and he slid down his sunglasses and hid his eyes, but I could still feel them on me.

  “Come on Key,” Mack spoke up again. “Just let me have double this time.”

  “No.” Came from the man in the crisp white shirt.

  Keylan jerked his head to Mack. “You ain’t in charge either.”

  Latch’s jaw ticked and when he spoke next, my heart dropped. “Take her,” he ordered, nodding at me.

  The other man started coming at me, and I stepped back. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

  “What the fuck?” Mack said, shocked. “Don’t touch my old lady.” It was nice he was trying to defend me but he had no chance.

  “Jaxon,” Keylan warned but didn’t move.

  So the man with the clean white shirt was, Jaxon.

  Then Latch spoke up, “She wasn’t part of the deal. She needs to go.”

  Jaxon shoved his arm out to the side and Mack fell on his ass, but he never took his eyes off me. He grabbed my arm and started to drag me behind him. “I’m not going with you!” I told him and he ignored me.