Talia
I didn’t know how much time had passed since the man had freed us. While he’d gotten rid of the bodies, I’d taken the time to get to know the other women and the younger girls. We’d all been taken from different cities and even different states. None of them had been forthcoming with what they’d been through so far, but I could use my imagination. It was clear Vega had planned to either sell us outright or prostitute us himself. I had a feeling he’d already done that to most of these women and girls. If the man who called himself Ram hadn’t freed me tonight, I would have joined them. The thought of owing him a debt didn’t sit well with me.
I didn’t know why the others trusted him so easily. Sure, he may have killed Vega and the others, but it didn’t make him a hero. What if he’d only been taking out the competition? Had it not occurred to them they could be trading one monster for another?
The youngest, a fourteen-year-old named Riley, clung to the man. I wanted to pull her away. I would have if she had been the only one looking at him in amazement. After everything they had been through, how could they be so trusting?
Idiots.
“Is everyone going with me?” Ram asked. “If anyone wants to return to their homes, I will make sure you get there safely.”
“I think they’ve made it obvious they plan to go with you,” I said. “You haven’t told us where the Devil’s Fury is located. How far do we have to go? How are we going to get there? You don’t honestly expect us to go into this completely blind, do you?”
He smiled faintly, crossing his arms and rocking back on his heels. Something about the look on his face rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps life had made me too jaded. I might only be twenty, but I’d already lived through hell. And I didn’t mean this particular instance. Life had chewed me up and spit me out multiple times.
“First off, no I don’t expect you to completely trust me. In fact, I’d be surprised if you did. Second, the club is located in southern Georgia near the Florida Panhandle. As to how we’re getting there I’m not sure. All of you will certainly not fit on my bike.”
Great. He’d promised to get everyone to safety and didn’t have a clue how to actually do it. Had he even planned to help us to begin with? I still had my doubts as to why he’d taken out Vega and those men. For now, I’d be cautious. At least one of us needed to be.
The woman who’d introduced herself to me earlier as Heather lifted a hand as if asking for permission to speak. Ram gave her a nod, which seemed to be all she’d been waiting for.
“If you don’t have a large vehicle for us, I know how to hot-wire a car. What little I saw of this neighborhood when we were brought in was enough to tell me no one would report a stolen car from this area.” She paused a moment. “We were brought here in a large van without windows. Dumped in the back like cargo. There was another man, and I think he left, so I doubt the vehicle is still here.”
Her words surprised me. She didn’t seem like the type to know how to do something like hot-wiring a car. Judging from the expression on Ram’s face he hadn’t expected that from her either.
“You’re right. No one around here would report a vehicle theft. There are a lot of things everyone needs right now, including clothes and food, but it would be best if we got those items after we left town.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I may not be rich, but I can afford to buy you the basics. Once we reach the club’s compound, my brothers will make sure you have everything you need.”
“How can you be so certain they’ll help us? What if we get there and they turn us away?” If no one else would voice any concerns, then I would. I refused to run off with a man I’d never met before, careening toward an uncertain future. To some, perhaps going with him was better than staying here. I supposed being on my own and earning a living could be done from anywhere. It was better to go with the group. Worst case, Ram ended up turning on us. If that happened, I didn’t think these women and girls would stand a chance. None of them had any fight left in them. I hadn’t thought I’d had any left either.
But what if he wasn’t a bad guy? What if the Devil’s Fury really would help us? It wasn’t an opportunity I could pass up. While I’d always prided myself on earning the things I had, I wasn’t stupid enough to struggle if I didn’t need to.
“I know the club president has a soft spot for women and kids in trouble. As to how I know, that’s his story to tell,” Ram said.
“Fine,” I said. “We’ll go with you to Georgia.”
Ram smirked. It made my fingers itch to reach out and slap him, but I refrained. Even if he turned out to be the biggest asshole on the planet, as long as he didn’t hurt us, it still made him better than Vega. As the saying went, better the devil you know than the one you don’t, and if this man was truly part of a club called the Devil’s Fury… Well, the name really said it all.
Heather left, taking one of the other women along with her. I knew Ram would ride his motorcycle. I might not be overly familiar with bikers, but I did know one would never leave something like that behind. Which meant we needed a vehicle large enough for myself and five others.
“Will it set your mind at ease if I call the president of the club and let him know I’m bringing all of you there?” Ram asked.
“It’s a good place to start,” I said.
“What exactly happened when I left the building? Did they make you their spokesperson? Or did you just take charge all on your own?” he asked.
“Does it matter?”
He smiled again. “No, I just find this bossy side of you rather cute. I wasn’t sure if it was a temporary thing or if this is just who you are.”
Was he flirting with me? It didn’t seem like the time or place, but the men I’d known all seemed to follow their dick and not use their brain. For some reason, I really hoped this man was different.
“That’s something you’ll have to keep wondering about. Even though you’re helping us, it doesn’t mean I want to get to know you better. Then again, you might be one of those men who assumes all women want him.”
“Ouch!” He pressed his hand to his chest. “Don’t hold back. Tell me how you really feel.”
“It’s probably better if I don’t. I’m not sure your fragile male ego can handle it.”
Ram threw back his head and laughed hard. The sight did strange things to me. I felt an odd flutter in my stomach, and my heart sped up. No. No, no, no. I couldn’t be attracted to him. There was absolutely no way. And yet I recognized all the signs. Maybe it wasn’t a crazy biker I needed to worry about. Instead, I should have been concerned with myself. Clearly someone had scrambled my brains. Why else would I react this way at such a bad time, and to such a cocky bastard?
He removed his shirt and handed it to me. “Put this on for now.”
My ripped clothes hadn’t even been a concern, until he’d made me aware of them. Although, the flimsy things the others wore could hardly be considered clothes. All of us needed something else to wear.
Begrudgingly I accepted the shirt and pulled it over my head. Heather and the other woman returned. She motioned for us to step outside. Parked near the door was a large van. Not new by any means. I only hoped it would be sufficient to get us where we were going.
Everyone got inside with Heather behind the wheel and me in the passenger seat. Ram held my door open, leaning in. The scent of him filled my nose, and if I breathed a little deeper, then no one had to know except me. Why does he have to smell so good?
He gave me a wink, agitating me even more, then he focused his gaze on Heather. “Follow behind me. If you need to stop, flash your lights and I’ll pull off at the next exit. I know you’re all hungry, tired, and probably want to take a shower, but I want to put some miles between us and this place before I find you clothes and food. The compound is about five hours away.”
“Did you forget you said you would call your president to let him know we’re coming?” I asked.
“Right.” He took out his phone and pulled up a number in his contacts list. He put the phone on speaker -- we could all hear it ringing. A man with a deep, gruff voice answered, and I heard some of the women whimper. “Badger, it’s Ram. I need a favor. And before you start cussing me out, you should know you’re on speaker with several women present.”
“Does the favor have to do with them?” he asked.
“Yeah, it does. Remember earlier when I said I had something to take care of? Well, this is it. I took down Martin Vega and his men. He’d captured six women. Some of them are barely more than girls. They don’t have anywhere to go and they need help getting back on their feet. The younger ones either don’t have a home to return to or don’t want to go back.”
The man he’d called Badger sighed. “How long before you get here? And -- just double-checking -- you said six beds, right?”
“Yes, six beds, and it will take us at least five hours. They’re going to need clothes and food as well. I’m going to purchase them each a new outfit on the way there, as well as a meal, but they’ll probably want to shower and change after we arrive.”
“Why didn’t Why didn’t he ask you who Vega was?” I asked after he ended the call.
“Because Vega’s been plastered all over the news. There isn’t a single person in this entire country who hasn’t heard of Martin Vega. I’m going to assume the charges were not false, which means I know what all of you have suffered. You’ll be safe when you get to the compound. No matter how rough some of us look, we’ll never hurt you.”
I bit my lip to keep from saying anything more. Honestly, though, did he really expect us to just take his word for it? It wasn’t like the bad guys always advertised they were bad. No, most pretended to be nice, even caring, and would lure in their victims that way. If anyone else in the van felt apprehensive, I couldn’t tell. I had to wonder if I was the only one thinking logically right now. These women might have given up, but it seemed as if some of them still had a small spark of hope. For right now that meant they would take Ram at his word and believe he would protect them. But the moment he slipped up, the very second I thought things would take a sinister turn, I would do everything I could to fight for myself and the others.
I wasn’t brave. Truth be told, I was terrified. While the others might tremble and shake in fear, I faced it head-on, pretending to be stronger than I really was. It was a bluff and nothing more. Perhaps I was a bit like my gambler of a father after all, except my stakes were higher because the only thing I had to bet was my life.
Please don’t let me down, Ram. Prove me wrong. Be the hero all of us need because one stiff wind and I’ll fall down like a house of straw. No matter how much I wanted to keep my distance, or how badly I wanted to distrust him, in the end I knew I needed someone to lean on. I could be cruel and sarcastic if necessary. My survival instincts were strong. Much like the wild animals who puffed up to make themselves appear larger in front of a predator, I was doing much the same thing. I only hoped it wouldn’t backfire on me.
“Are you expecting us to pay you back for anything you purchase tonight, Ram? It’s not like any of us have a wallet or purse with us. Or do you plan to take payment in another way?” The moment the words left my mouth I immediately wanted to cringe. He hadn’t said or done anything to make it seem as if he would harm us. It still didn’t mean I was ready to trust him one hundred percent. Maybe more like ten percent.
He slowly reached toward my face, his fingers brushing my chin. As I focused my gaze on his, the concern and pain I saw nearly took my breath away. Ram didn’t appear to be the same as the men he’d just killed. However, I didn’t easily put my faith in anyone, not even blood relatives. No, especially not my family. If anything, they were the first to teach me about betrayal, and it was a lesson I wouldn’t soon forget.
He gently rubbed his thumb across my chin, and it felt like my heart skipped a beat. My reaction to him didn’t make any sense to me. Not once had I ever felt attracted to anyone like him. Why this man? What made him more special than anyone else I’d met before?
He leaned in a little closer and my breath caught. Was he going to kiss me? Before I could react or pull away, he whispered to me in a low raspy tone only I could hear.
“While I love your ferocity, and I’m happy to see you would defend yourself when you’re in danger, I promise you’ll always be safe with me. So, Talia, give me just a little bit of your trust and a chance to prove I can take care of you.”
His words left me shaken. I shot a quick glance toward Heather and the others. It was clear they were curious as to what he’d said. The fact I wanted to lean into his touch, and to believe in him, frightened me. Something told me Ram was far more dangerous than anyone I’d ever met. Not to mention, I didn’t remember telling him my name. Had he been listening to our conversation while he’d been outside?
“Don’t forget what I said, Heather. If you need to stop, flash your lights. I’ll pull over when we’re at least forty-five minutes outside of this town.” With those parting words he backed away and walked over to a motorcycle I hadn’t noticed in the shadows. He started the machine and it gave a deep rumble. A minute or two later, Ram pulled away and Heather fell in behind him. I couldn’t decide if I was running toward something better or far riskier than my current situation. Only time would tell.