Konrad Read online

  “Someone here wants to see you, if that’s okay?” I ask her. “He’s a male.”

  She looks scared for a second. “Stay with me please?” she begs.

  “I won’t leave you, honey.” I run my hand down her wet hair. “Come in!” I yell.

  The door opens and I watch her reaction to seeing Kyle. She bursts out crying and runs to him. “Uncle Kyle.”

  He lifts her off the ground, holding her tightly as she cries and cries. “I have missed you, pumpkin,” he tells her, kissing the top of her head.

  His eyes are looking straight ahead, fire inside of them. I know that there will be hell to pay for this and I know one thing— I want a part of that.

  There is a knock on the door and it opens. “The female doctor is here.”

  This part sucks. I was terrified out of my mind when Lani and Vinny took me to the doctor, but hopefully it will be easier for Olivia because she grew up in the normal world first.

  Olivia sniffs and steps back from Kyle. “Let’s get it over with,” she says without emotion. I know she’s turning it off.

  Kyle steps out, looking at me pleadingly. I know he wants me to stay with her.

  I nod once, letting him know that I will stay with her. I hold her hand, talking her through everything as she gets checked, tested and then gets her blood work done. It only takes a few minutes, but I know in her head it feels like forever.

  I hear a loud truck outside and her eyes widen. Her dad is here. I move to the foot of the bed, my heart pounding, waiting for the guys to bring him up.

  The door is pushed open. Brian’s eyes go straight to his daughter. “My baby.” He walks to her and starts to pick her up but stops. “Can I touch you, baby?”

  She jumps up and he lifts her. “I missed you so much, Daddy,” she cries, holding onto him for dear life.

  I have to look away, the scene too raw. I look at Kyle, who is barely holding it together, and Konrad looks just as devastated.

  “Can she go home?” Brian asks me.

  “Yes, but I recommend her coming back here every day for therapy. She has been seen by a doctor and we will have those results soon,” I inform him.

  He closes his eyes, hugging her a little tighter. “Want to go home?” he asks.

  “I really want that.”

  He takes her hand and Olivia slowly walks from the room. I know she’s in pain. Brian bends over and carries her down the stairs.

  “Come on, honey, you’ve done all you can do.” Konrad takes my hand and lets me into my apartment on the top floor.

  I let him drag me; I am so emotionally drained.

  He sets me on the bed and walks into the bathroom. I stare at the doorway he just walked in.

  I notice a duffle bag on the chair. I walk over and open it. It’s full of clothes for Konrad.

  I guess he’s planning on staying for a while, and I have to admit, I’m not mad at it.

  “I’ve started the bath for you. I’m going to run downstairs for a shower. I want you to relax—no more worrying about the others, okay?”

  “Okay.” I let out a deep breath. “Thank you.” I am totally exhausted and most of it is just mental exhaustion.

  I sit in the warm bubbles, closing my eyes and wanting to forget this day even happened.

  Konrad

  A piercing scream wakes me up from my dead sleep. I look over at Etta, who is fighting in her sleep, her face looks like she’s in pain and she’s gasping for air, like she’s having a panic attack.

  “Etta, baby.” I try to wake her up and it doesn’t even faze her.

  Fuck.

  I put my hands on her face. “Baby, wake up. You’re having a nightmare,” I try a little louder and her eyes open. The complete and utter terror on her face makes me lose my fucking breath.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, pushing her hair off of her face.

  I can feel her shaking under me. Whatever she was dreaming was bad. She shakes her head no, my heart breaking a little.

  Fuck, she is wrecking me.

  She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down until I’m practically lying on top of her. “I’m too heavy,” I tell her, trying to take my weight off of her.

  “No, you’re just right. You make me feel safe.”

  Fuck, if that didn’t make me feel a hundred feet tall. She breathes deep, in and out, trying to calm herself down.

  I lean up, staring down at her. “Baby, what did you dream?” I don’t want to fucking know, but I know that speaking about it may help her.

  A tear falls from her eyes. I catch it with my lips, pressing a kiss there and resting my forehead against hers, giving her all the time she needs.

  “I have PTSD. Today just made it worse. Today was hard.” The pain on her face is real. “I dreamed that I was fourteen again, when I was forced to marry. I have that dream usually every night I have a mission, but this one was extra bad because that could have been me…” She trails off. I can’t fucking fathom that she could have gone through that.

  Fuck, I hate this shit. “Fuck, I wish I could take it from you, the hurt you have suffered. I would do anything.” I whisper the last part, my heart fucking hurting so fucking bad for her, for all of the girls here.

  I spent many years of my life on missions, protecting and serving this country from those who dared to harm it, but this shit? Right in the fucking US? I will stop this shit.

  I wish I could have protected her from it. Life isn’t fucking fair. “You being here with me, taking care of me, it’s taking a small bit of the hurt from my heart a little at a time.”

  That shit hits me right in the heart. “Baby.” I shake my head, leaning down, kissing her, wanting her to feel everything I’m feeling right now.

  I am so fucked when it comes to her.

  She has wrecked me.

  * * *

  The Next Day

  Etta

  My phone rings and I pick it up when I see it’s the doctor from yesterday. She usually sends the labs over. If I get a phone call, then it means she has some news.

  We always send in swabs in case there is DNA. Usually there is none, but sometimes in rare cases we get pings in the system. It’s rare, though, as most of the guys in the cults are off the grid.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I ask.

  I’ve been busy all day long making sure the girls have everything they need.

  “We have a ping in the system for Olivia and a few of the other girls,” she says, and she has a weird tone.

  “Who is it?” I ask, putting a book one of the girls was reading on the shelf.

  “It’s Randy Henderson.”

  Fuck, this is bad.

  Konrad overhears because the call is on speaker phone, and before I can utter a word, he is running out of the house.

  Randy is the high school principal at the school that Olivia went to. Another of the girls we rescued goes there too and I have gotten calls from other girls that go to that school.

  Wait…

  My eyes widen as I connect the dots. I run out of the house, catching Konrad before he leaves, hopping on the back of his bike.

  This is not fucking good. At all.

  7

  Konrad

  That fucking name.

  It’s running through my fucking head because this stupid fucker had played all of us.

  He cried on fucking camera, begging for Olivia to be returned home and he was fucking raping her all of this time.

  The betrayal that little girl must have felt, the hurt she experienced on an emotional level.

  I make it to the Devil Souls club house in half of the time on my bike. I help Etta off of the bike and into the club house.

  Lane jumps off of the couch with Amelia when he spots me. “We need to get Kyle. We have information.”

  Lane looks at Etta; she’s pale from the information she has gotten. Lane runs off and Amelia looks unsure of what to do.

  I pull Etta into me, hugging her to my chest. She settles against me, arms right
around me.

  Kyle runs into the room with his brothers and he motions for me to come into the conference room. I hold Etta’s hand and lead her into the room.

  Everyone sits down. Etta doesn’t though.

  Her jaw is set. I can see the fire in her eyes, the need to avenge Olivia. I know the fucking work she put into finding that little girl.

  “They found DNA on Olivia and a few of the other girls.” She shakes her head like she can’t fucking believe this.

  Kyle sits up straighter. “Who is it?”

  Etta walks toward him. “Randy fucking Henderson.”

  The silence around the room is deafening as everyone wraps their head around what the fuck is happening.

  Kyle stands up, lifting the chair and throwing it against the wall.

  Etta flinches hard at the sudden anger from Kyle. I pull her into me, pissed off that he scared her, Devil Souls MC president be damned. “Chill the fuck out, you scared her,” I growl at him.

  I see Lane shift beside me and I know even though they are good fucking friends, he is my brother. I helped raise him.

  Kyle looks at Etta with regret. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. She’s just a few years older than my daughter, they grew up together,” he tells her gently.

  She reaches out and touches his arm. “I understand, Kyle. This hurts all of us. I worked with him alone, repeatedly. I have spoken to him about the cult, the horrors of it.” She clears her throat.

  Fuck, the pain on her face is raw.

  “He cried for her and the other girls that went missing in Raleigh. He played me, he manipulated me. I am fucking sick to my stomach.” She touches her stomach.

  She looks around the room at each and every man. “We have made a lot of fuckers suffer for the things they have done, but this person, he is going to feel the wrath of a father and a whole fucking MC. His end is going to be the worst, because he fucked with all of us.”

  The guys around the room nod, agreeing with her.

  This is different, this is personal.

  “Looks like it’s time to reap, boys.” I grin at that, more than fucking ready to cause shit and raise hell.

  * * *

  Etta

  I have been trained in a lot of ways, but Liam personally trained me. I wanted to be knowledgeable in everything.

  I am in the basement as they track down Randy. I had a prospect bring in a small cage for Randy to enjoy his long stay.

  He’s not going to die today nor tomorrow. He’s going to know the pain of what Olivia suffered in those damn cages.

  The claustrophobia—he’s going to be right next to the fucking bishop.

  Hell, I may make them hurt each other. What fun that would be.

  Right now, I am not Etta. I am someone different, someone who tastes revenge. It’s so deep and thick inside of me.

  Liam is right next to me, making a plan of action.

  But first everyone is going to have their fun. I can’t watch that. I can’t stomach it, but I take satisfaction in what is going to happen.

  He is not human in my eyes and he won’t be treated as such.

  Poor Olivia—the nights I have lost sleep, her father tracing every little step trying to find his baby.

  He did this.

  He caused the kind of suffering that nothing can soothe, but I can surely try.

  “Konrad is a doctor, so we can use him to keep him alive,” Liam says to me. I hear a door opening and the sounds of yelling.

  It’s time.

  * * *

  Konrad

  We find him on his couch, lying there in his underwear without a worry in the world.

  We bust in the door and he sits up, relaxing when he sees us. “Hey guys, did something happen?”

  He speaks to us like we’re his friends, when really he is shit beneath our toes. “Oh, something happened alright. We found Olivia.” Kyle walks up from behind me, with Brian right on his fucking heels.

  His face changes to one of utter horror as he connects the fucking dots. “Looks like your time is up, Randy boy,” I taunt him and grab him by his hair. I cut off his underwear, knowing that it will humiliate him.

  “Better get used to not having one of those.” I shove his face toward his dick. I laugh at him gagging.

  Brian’s eyes are on him. I can feel that shit, that anger is so deep. I drag him out, and he sobs and screams the whole time.

  I grip him by the face, pushing him against the van. “Your fucking sobs make me happy. Keep it up.” I squeeze his face hard, and his eyes roll back from the pain.

  I throw him to the prospects. “Keep the air on arctic in the fucking back.” They nod and toss him.

  Brian is eyeing the van. I know it’s taking everything in him not to tear after him. Olivia is at the compound for therapy today.

  “In time,” I tell him, and he gives me a hard look before nodding.

  “How do you feel about me being a brother?” Brian asks Kyle.

  Kyle looks at him in surprise. “I’ve been meaning to ask for a long-ass time. Now is the time, because the things I am going to do to him… The chief of police is no more, not after this.”

  Kyle looks at his brothers surrounding him, and they all nod. “Fuck yeah, brother, no need to prospect. The patch is yours.”

  Brian walks over to his bike, climbing on. Pulling up behind that van, I know he is going to protect that van with his life until he can take a life.

  * * *

  Etta

  At the first glimpse of Randy, I see how terrified he is. He is completely naked and I am disgusted by that.

  I walk over to my cages. Some are so small that he may have to break some bones to even get inside. “Randy, look at your new home.” I grin, waving my arm like I’m on a fucking game show.

  Randy looks at the cages in horror. “Not too keen on them now, are you? But don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.” I grin at him.

  “Me and Liam have gone through and selected the best tools for you. Nothing but the best for you.” I walk over and grab a cow castration tool with a band on it.

  “Now this is my favorite tool.” I rub it lovingly.

  I hear a weird, wet sound, then I scrunch up my nose at him pissing all over himself and the floor.

  Konrad looks at me in amusement, completely unfazed. “Well shit, I think we just need to hand him over to Etta,” Liam jokes.

  I put the tool back on the table. “I’m going to leave now. Have fun,” I call and walk out of the room.

  I go into the kitchen and make some dinner for the guys with the girls. We all pretend we have no clue what’s going on downstairs.

  Shaylin walks in with Tiana, who is ten years old now. “Hi, sweet girl.”

  She smiles at me, her ponytail swinging. She has grease all over her face and is completely obsessed with working on motorcycles like her dad Butcher.

  The first time I saw Butcher I was terrified of him—he is huge, completely covered in tattoos, and so intimidating.

  The second I saw him with his sweet daughter and the way he treats Shaylin and their son, it completely changed my mind.

  All of these guys did.

  Lynn and I were both so jaded when it came to men—all we knew were the horrors we had faced and what others had.

  They changed our lives.

  They are all my best friends. Did I ever think that would happen? Definitely not. “Do you guys want to come watch a movie while the food cooks?” Alisha asks.

  She is the sweetest and so is her mom Adeline, who is Smiley’s old lady. She is a huge help in the compound. She loves kids and she’s a mother figure to everyone.

  We all settle under blankets in front of the TV, Tiana scooting in closer to me, wanting cuddles.

  * * *

  Konrad

  Randy’s arms are hanging above his head. They dragged the bishop out of his cage and he’s hanging the same exact way.

  The bishop is already fucked up. He has been here since yesterday and everyone has com
e down to fuck with him to get more information.

  One thing is for sure, we have not been asking all of the right questions. “Are you responsible for the girls going missing at your high school?” I ask Randy.

  He clenches his mouth shut, along with his eyes. I laugh. “Please don't speak, you’re just going to make it so much more funner.” The guys laugh with me.

  We all agree. We love that they don't talk. The longer they hold on, the better it is for us. It becomes a competition to see who can get them to talk.

  In the end it’s usually Liam. The fucker has been trained in torture and he did that shit when he was a SEAL.

  Brian stares at Randy. He fucking stares at him in a way that is promising so much fucking pain.

  Randy has his eyes closed like that is going to help him. Kyle has fucking helped Brian raise Olivia. They grew up together.

  Liam steps forward, smiling, Torch standing next to him. Liam walks to the castration tool that Etta had. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think it’s time for us to put this on. It does take a while for it to work.” Liam puts the band on the clamp, opening it and closing it.

  He puts on a pair of gloves and walks to Randy. He screams at the top of his lungs, trying to kick at Liam when he gets closer.

  “Answer the question,” I say once again.

  It isn’t going to stop it from happening, but it doesn’t hurt to let them think that. Randy looks at the bishop, whose eyes are glassy from the trauma. Fucking pussy.

  Butcher is standing next to me, Techy on the other side. Trey and Vinny are hanging beside me also.

  Randy kicks one last time before realizing that it’s not going to help him. “Wait!” he yells when Liam bends over. “What do you want to know?” he asks, sweat pouring down his face.

  “Are you responsible for girls going missing from your school?” I ask my first question again.