Viper’s fist made solid contact with asshole’s jaw. The sound of shattering bone was deafening. The man in the chair groaned and pleaded with words we couldn’t understand. Viper didn’t stop. He kept punching until the man’s head lulled to the left and his body sagged as he blacked out. Viper just stared at the pitiful excuse for a man, like he wanted to pull his head off with his bare hands.
I could understand that. I wanted to do the same.
I grabbed a towel from a stack on a shelf and handed it to Viper. “Let’s go, brother. We need to get back to the girls.”
Sal pushed away from the table. “You boys go ahead. I’ve got it from here.” Grabbing a pair of gloves, he nodded at Stefan, then at asshole. “Get his pants. And wake him up.” A sadistic smile I’d never seen crossed Sal’s face. “I don’t think he’ll be needing his dick anymore.” Sal pulled out a blade.
As Viper wiped his hands, we watched Sal walk to the wall and push a small black button. A shiny metal hook descended from the ceiling. Sal and Stefan uncuffed the piece of shit from the chair, then slid the cuffs over the hook. Stefan rubbed the guy’s chest hard, then slapped him. He jerked awake with a whine.
Sal waved the small knife in front of his latest torture victim. “Know where I got this from?” he asked, waiting a moment for a response. “No? You don’t? Well I got this from your kitchen. Is this what you used on the girls?” Sal kept waving the blade in front of asshole’s face.
I cleared my throat to get Sal’s attention. “Can I talk to you for a second before you get started?” He nodded and followed me and Viper out. “I’m heading back to the hospital to be with Jules while the cops talk to her. Will you be back up there tonight?”
“Yeah. Cara should be up soon. I’m going to finish here first and clean up.” I turned to head back up the stairs and Sal caught my arm. “Thanks again for taking care of my little girl. It would have taken me longer to find her without you and your brothers, and who knows what could’ve happened. I can’t thank you enough.”
I swallowed hard. “I love her. She’s my world.” I climbed the stairs, meeting up with Viper. My phone buzzed again. It was Tech. “What’s up, brother?”
“The pictures from the walls have all been burned, like you said. But shit, Dom, he has online photo albums. Fuck, there’s all kinds of nasty stuff on there.”
If it was possible for a brain to explode from rage, there would’ve been pieces of mine all over the wall. I forced myself to calm down enough to talk. “Try to find anything he’s posted and yank it down. Then take all of his computers back to the clubhouse. Go ahead and go through them, and I’ll be there to look at them later. Any news on where we might find this prick?”
“We’ve got some leads. A possible porthouse at the dock and a couple others. We have the boys looking into it now. But I don’t have anything solid. Yet. I will, though.”
I nodded as Viper and I walked outside. “Thanks, man. Call when you do.”
“Sure thing.”
I ended the call and hopped on my bike, riding side by side with Viper back to the clubhouse to clean up, then on to the hospital. I felt a little more at ease knowing my girl was safe. But that didn’t cool the rage burning in my gut.
The fuckers who’d done this to her and the other girls were gonna pay.
When I got back to Jules’ room, she was sleeping peacefully. I smoothed a soft kiss to her forehead and sat in the chair next to her. Thank fuck I’d had time to clean up and still gotten back before she woke up. I never wanted that part of my life to touch her. Ever. Irritation flared, knowing that her father’s lifestyle had already bled into hers. I gently brushed her hair out of her face, and she let out a sigh. She grasped my hand and opened her eyes, greeting me with a smile that was so bright it chased the devil away.
Sitting up in her hospital bed, she traced a finger over my stubbly jaw. “Did you take care of everything you needed to?”
“Yes,” I whispered. The relief in her eyes made my gut clench. Grasping her hands, I kissed her bruised knuckles. It wasn’t possible to love someone more than I loved her. It was time to let her know exactly how I felt. It was a lot easier than I’d thought it’d be. “Just so you’re aware, you’re marrying me after you get out of here.” I grinned as her eyes widened. “I’m putting a ring on your finger and never letting go.”
I teared up thinking I might have lost her. The images of what she’d looked like when we found her still haunted me and would until the day I died. I didn’t care if anyone thought I was weak. When it came to her, everything I felt was amplified.
Jules smiled up at me, her eyes glimmering.
“What’re you thinking?” I asked, hoping her smile meant she was on board with my plan.
“I was just thinking again about how the big, bad biker turned out to be the perfect Prince Charming.”
I kissed her hand and winked. “Well, baby, I told you what my daddy always said. Every princess needs a prince, even if he does ride a Harley instead of a horse,” I said with a smirk.
She laughed, the sound striking me in my chest and seizing my heart.
13
Jules
The cops didn’t stay long. They got statements from all us girls as quickly as possible, not wanting to upset us any more than we already were. They got the rest
