Hadley (The Club Girl Diaries Book 3) (23 page)

“Are we going to get Macy today?” I asked as I took a seat next to Leo at a table in the main room.

He shook his head. “Meyah has some production at school tonight, so she’s going to take Macy with her. We’ll get her tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He looked up from the card game he was playing with his brothers. “You miss the kid?”

I poked my tongue out at his teasing tone. “Yeah. Don’t say it like I’m the only one.”

He laughed, placing a card on the table in front of him. “Baby, I miss her like hell. But she’s having fun, and with shit still up in the air, as long as she’s happy, I’d like to keep her away for as long as possible.”

I understood his reasoning.

It had been two days since we’d arrived back at the clubhouse. Things seemed to be back to normal like there was no threat of drama going on.

It made me curious.

Was there something I didn’t know?

“Are you going to—”

Leo hit me with a hard look. “Hadley, I told you. We’re working on it.”

I glared at him but didn’t say another word. I didn’t like to fight with Leo in front of his brothers. I’d learned that I needed to show him respect when his brothers were around. I’d watched the other girls with their men, seeing that for the most part they kept quiet, but I knew for a fact that they weren’t afraid to speak up if there was something wrong. But they did it away from the club members.

Mostly anyway.

Chelsea was a tad temperamental at the moment, so Optimus was copping her attitude left right and center. It kind of made me giggle though, because it was always about silly little things. Not being able to have a drink when she’s stressed, or the fact that her pants are starting to get too small.

I spotted Rose standing at the patio door looking outside.

Kissing Leo on the cheek, I moved over to her, touching her lightly on the shoulder.

She jumped, and I quickly apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were so far away.”

She gave me a soft smile before turning back, her eyes watching the playground outside despite the fact that Jayla wasn’t even here.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She shook her head, the sunlight glistening against the wetness on her cheeks. “We have court next week.”

“For Jay?” I asked.

She nodded. “They found Jay’s grandparents.” She inhaled deeply. “They’re contesting our request for custody.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so—”

A loud alarm ringing from the building cut off my words. I spun around, watching as the brothers jumped from their seats. Leo sprinted toward Rose and me. “Get inside, now!”

Car tires screeched outside, car doors slamming closed.

He hurried us inside the doors and moved us toward the bar. I looked over to see Ham shooting through the door. “Cops are here!” he called loudly.

The room bustled, men running in different directions. Some tossed their weapons to Camo, who made quick work, running down the hallway that led to the club girls’ rooms.

“Get on the floor!” a voice yelled as men in what looked like SWAT gear swarmed through the main entrance. They wore vests on their body, some even had masks and helmets covering their faces.

My eyes searched for Leo inside the chaos, seeing him next to Optimus. Both men were being forced to their knees by the offending parties.

My body instinctually moved toward him, but Rose grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “He’s fine. Don’t move.”

Her eyes were wide as she watched Blizzard being pushed to the floor.

“On the floor, ladies.
Now,
” a woman ordered, appearing in front of us.

She was wearing a navy blue jacket that I recognized immediately—Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Jesus Christ.

I sat slowly, my back against the bar, Rose’s hand clenched in mine.

As the flurry began to calm, the woman turned back to the room. “All right boys, we’ve had word of illegal activity activating here,” she spoke loudly, commanding the attention of the room. “We have a warrant to execute a search of the entire property. So if there’s something you need to tell me, now is the time.”

She waited for a moment, but no one spoke up. The brothers simply glared.

She rolled her eyes. “Didn’t think so. All right. Let’s get this done.”

More agents moved through the doorway, they all wore jackets and badges while the men in the armor watched over us. More people were pulled into the room—Club girls and members who had been sleeping.

I saw Skylar struggling as a man dragged her by the arm and tossed her forcefully onto the ground beside us.

“Hey!” I yelled, pushing myself to my feet. “She didn’t do anything!”

The armored man grabbed my arm, spinning my body and throwing me to the floor with a thump. My chin hit the floor, and I bit my tongue, instantly tasting blood in my mouth.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” Leo roared from across the room. I looked over to see him fighting against the restraints that held his hands behind his back. It took three men to hold him down, his eyes blazing with fire.

“This doesn’t have to be difficult,” the woman stated, stepping in front of him. Her eyes move to Optimus, who was clearly furious with the situation. “You got anything to hide?”

“No,” he bit out.

“Then calm the hell down, and we’ll be gone soon enough.”

She turned to us as Chelsea was brought down the staircase holding a protective hand over her stomach. Her eyes wide with shock. She took a step toward Op but was held back.

“Take the women outside while we have a chat with the men,” the woman ordered.

Three men crowded around us, included the one who’d forced me onto the floor. My instincts told me to fight back, but I knew it would only make the situation worse.

They herded the club girls and old ladies out to the patio and shut the door behind them.

Chelsea pulled me into her arms before stepping back, her hand going to my mouth. “You okay?” she asked, wiping at the blood that was dripping from my lip.

“Yeah,” I told her.

“She’s fine,” a deep voice stated, one that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My eyes moved past Chelsea to see Simon removing the mask and helmet from his face.

His hair was longer now. He’d always liked to keep it short, but now it hung down to his ears. I opened my mouth to scream, but he was ready. The handgun he held in his hand was instantly pressed against Chelsea’s temple. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped, desperately wanting to draw his attention away from Chelsea.

Simon laughed, the sound chilling me. “Doing my job.”

“Which one?” I scoffed. “Seems as though you have two now… drug dealer and undercover agent. They don’t mix so well.”

The sadistic smile on his lips disgusted me. “Oh, I think they work perfectly.” His voice was low and quiet, clearly aware that there were two other men close by. “I get rich, and the Bureau protects me.”

“You’re not going to get out of here,” I told him, trying to force myself to sound confident.

“Seems as though your bodyguards are a little…
tied up
at the moment,” he stated casually. “This is going to end. You can’t hide from me anymore. You have no one left. The club is detained, and Judge and his boys can’t step in without blowing their cover.” His eyes hardened. “And your little bullshit stunt with the DePalma’s…” he shook his head, “…they can’t save you now either.”

I tried to hide my surprise, curious as to how he knew about Angelo taking us in.

“There’s no one left, Hadley.”

I shuddered.

“Put your hands behind your back.”

I glared at him, refusing to back down.

When he pressed his gun harder against Chelsea’s head, I quickly surrendered.

“Leave her alone,” I said as I turned my body and placed my hands together at my back. Rose stood behind me, one hand over her mouth and tears brimming her eyes.

Cold handcuffs were locked around my wrists. I cringed, they were tight. His hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me away from the other women.

“Hadley,” Skylar whispered in shock as she watched me move away.

“It’s okay,” I told them, trying to ease their fears even as my body filled with my own.

“I’m taking my wife. Mel has already okayed it,” he told the other men. They both nodded, stepping forward to guard the other girls.

Simon forced me in front of his body, pushing me forward, heading for the path that led around the clubhouse and out to the parking area. There were vehicles littered all over the place, crowding the men’s bikes as though they expected them to try and escape.

Simon opened the passenger’s door of a black SUV and pressed his hand to my back, pushing me up onto the seat. It was uncomfortable, the cuffs rubbing my wrists raw. When I was securely inside, he pulled at the seatbelt, dragging it across me and leaning over my body so he could clip it in.

As he pulled back, his face paused at my neck, his nose nuzzling at it softly. It was a soft, gentle touch that at one time I would have loved, but now I was repelled and disgusted. I froze, not giving him any sign of emotion. His hand ran up my arm, goosebumps rising on my skin.

He pulled his face back, his eyes running over my face as though he was seeing me for the first time. They finally came to rest on my lips just as his hand reached my face, cupping it softly.

The moment he began to lean in, I spat. My saliva, swirling with red from the blood that had settled in my mouth, hit him on the cheek.

He closed his eyes as if praying for strength. When he opened them, they flashed in anger. “I’ll give you that one.”

“Don’t do me any favors,” I snapped.

He pulled back, wiping the spit aside with the back of his hand before stepping away and slamming the door shut. The vehicle shook with his anger.

He walked around the front of the car, stripping away the bulletproof vest he was wearing and tossing everything to the ground, before climbing in the driver’s side and placing his gun on his lap, giving me a pointed look that said he really wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

He wanted to scare me.

He was doing a good job.

But I’d never let him know that.

I held my tongue as we pulled out of the compound and onto the main road out of town. I tried to take in my surroundings. I hadn’t been in Athens for long and had really only been into town. I hadn’t had much to do with the surrounding area, so my knowledge of where we were grew slimmer as we drove further away from the clubhouse.

“When they notice I’m gone, all hell is going to break loose,” I told him, staring out the window.

He chuckled. “I warned them that you were there. Let them know that you didn’t know what you’d gotten yourself into and were clearly innocent. So it was better for me to remove you before they start arresting the brothers.”

“I knew exactly what I was doing there,” I told him, turning my body to face him. “I was fucking the members, all of them, several times a day. It was good, real good.”

His features tightened, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly in his hands.

“Sometimes I even had two at a time,” I whispered, knowing my words would be like venom, seeping into his veins.

Simon liked simple sex. He had control, he got off, that was all.

“How do you think I felt Hadley? Having to tell my company that my wife was now whoring herself out to a group of bikers?” I felt the tightness in his words. He was upset, he hated being made to look like a fool, and that was exactly what I’d done. He took a few deep breaths, calming himself.

I wanted to make him angry, I wanted to throw him off. Simon liked control. He liked order. But anger was like a disease, it made us do things we wouldn’t usually. It fueled us, and we ignored our instincts.

I wanted him to make a mistake. It was the only chance I had to make it out of this alive.

We pulled off the side of the road, the car turning down a driveway. The grass on either side was long like it hadn’t been used in a long time. When we came to the end, I spotted a large barn and a farmhouse in the distance. A forest bordered the property, and I licked my lips, eyeing the thick bushes inside it.

If I could get out, that could be my escape.

There were two more cars parked outside the barn, and I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

It wouldn’t just be us. There were more of them here.

“Before you think of outing me to these men…” he said as he pulled the car to a stop and switched off the engine, “...think about that beautiful little girl that you’ve grown so attached to. What’s her name? Macy?”

My heart raced. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?”

He was right. I had no idea if he would hurt Macy or not. I clearly had no idea who this man was that was in front of me. Was he the man I married, or some monster that had taken control of his body?

“She’s just a baby,” I whispered, my throat tightening. Macy’s face flashed in my head, her beautiful smile and sparkling eyes. Full of innocence and life. I slumped against the seat.

“Good girl,” Simon praised.

He walked around the car, pulling open my door and guiding me out.

Two men with rifles stepped out of the double doors to the barn, holding them open as we stepping through. They wore dark clothing and seemed older, maybe in their late thirties. They nodded to Simon as we entered, following behind us and pulling the barn doors closed.

There were more men scattered through the building, these men were different, though. They were dressed in baggy jeans and hooded sweatshirts, bandanas covering their heads.

Gangsters. These were the recruits that joined the gang just to be a part of something. Kids, looking no older than Meyah, nineteen at the most. They didn’t know any better, driven by power and false promises.

The roof of the barn was high with rafters, there were a few old pieces of farming equipment, plows and haymakers, all covered in dust and looking like they hadn’t seen sunlight for years and a well looked after tractor parked by the barn wall.

A table in the corner caught my eye, the two guys who sat at it looked up as we moved closer. One stayed seated while the other pushed his chair back and stood.

He didn’t look like a gangster. He had long black hair that was pulled back into a short pony at the base of his skull. His clothes were pristine, and he was clean shaven, a suit jacket over a casual shirt and dark denim jeans. Both casual and professional.

He scrutinized me with his eyes as he came closer. “I never can fault your taste in women.”

I frowned, confused as to what he meant. I looked out the corner of my eye at Simon whose chest seemed to puff with pride at the compliment.

“Hadley, meet Isiah Lenthum,” Simon introduced, gesturing to the man in front of me.

“I’d shake your hand but…” I said sarcastically as I gestured to the handcuffs that bound my wrists.

A small smirk came across Isiah’s mouth. “I’ve heard so much about you, Hadley. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Can’t say the same, unfortunately,” I replied, faking a sweet smile.

Pain shot through my cheek, forcing my face to the side. I gasped, breathing through the needles that seemed to be attacking my face, the blow not hard enough to throw me to the ground, but enough to stun me into silence. I took a few moments, inhaling through my nose as I rode through the painful wave and waited for the aftershock to ease.

I pulled my shoulders back, narrowing my eyes at the man in front of me. He was unfazed by my act of rebellion.

“May I have a few words with my wife?” Simon asked, his voice polite.

“Make it quick,” Isiah ordered, his eyes burning through my skin like a hot poker. “You’ve already taken too long to retrieve her. You’re lucky I’ve had the patience to wait this long.”

My head was spinning, and I couldn’t grasp what was going on.

Who was Isiah, and what was his part in this equation?

Isiah headed back to the table in the corner, and Simon dragged me to the opposite side of the barn, shoving me against the wall.

“You need to keep your mouth shut,” he snapped.

“What the hell have you got yourself mixed up in?” I growled.

“That’s none of your damn business, Hadley.” He got right in my face. “It stopped being your business the day you refused to leave Arkansas with me.”

“That’s why you’re angry?” I asked. “This is all because I wouldn’t go with you?”

“I thought if I let you have time, that you would realize that you needed me.” He turned his body so he could see the men across the room, but kept his voice low. “I watched you start stripping, I was so angry. Made me sick that you were using your body like that.”

“It’s who I am. You never wanted me to be that girl, so I didn’t. I kept her hidden for you,” I told him. “But when you left. I got to be who I wanted, what I wanted.”

“Like a whore?” he spat, slamming his palm against the wall beside my head before taking a deep breath and fighting through his anger. “I would have given you everything. By the time the Syndicate realized I was still married…” his eyes drifted to Isiah, “…we were already beginning the merge. I didn’t think it would come to this.”

My breath halted in my chest.

“Wait. What?”

His eyes hardened, the small slip of emotion he released quickly covered. “Isiah is a businessman, he produces the product that we sell amongst other side work,” he explained. My stomach churned. “We are merging the Syndicate with his family business. Our production and distribution will be unlike any the States have ever seen.”

“What does this have to do with me?” The words tasted awful, I forced them out anyway, even through my fear of the answer I would receive.

“In order for the merger to take place, I must marry his daughter.”

I didn’t expect the laughter that bubbled up my throat and out my mouth. Simon quickly slapped his hand across my mouth, using his body to press me against the wall, the handcuffs pulling at my wrists painfully.

He slowly removed his hand. “Don’t fuck this up for me, Hadley. You’ve already made a mess. The phone call from Angelo, warning us away didn’t sit well with Isiah.”

Angelo called them?

This was new.

“Obviously, you didn’t listen.”

“Instead of just sending someone to kill you…” I shuddered at how easily he muttered those words as if I was nothing more than dirt that needed cleaning away. Instead of the woman he married and vowed to spend the rest of his life with. “Isiah demanded I bring you in as an act of good faith, so he could see it done himself.”

“So you’ve become his
bitch
?” I spat.

His hand went to my throat, his fingers tightening. I could still breathe, but it took a lot of effort to pull the small amount of air he was allowing. “I’ll be glad when I’m finally done with you,” he whispered, his voice so rough and deep that all I could think was that this was how I imagined the devil would sound.

“Why didn’t… you… sign divorce… papers,” I managed to gasp out, his grasp not loosening an inch. Shadows covered one side of his face.

It was like he was two people.

The man I married and the man greed had created.

Simon had never been perfect, but we’d had a good marriage. The moment he had a taste of the darkness, the money, the drugs, the power, there was no pulling him back. The other Simon was still in there somewhere, but he’d been smothered.

“If the Syndicate had’ve found out, we’d have both been killed.”

So he’d saved his own ass.

“I hate… you.”

The sick smile that pulled up on his face told me he didn’t give a shit.

I was beginning to feel dizzy when he finally released my throat leaving me coughing and gagging as I tried to draw air into my deprived lungs.

He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small box. Lifting the lid, he revealed a daisy—

or what was left of one—only one petal remained, and just like all the other packages, this one had a note.

He raised the gun in his hand and held it against my chest, right over my heart.

I heard the words as he spoke them, his voice a low whisper that chilled my body to the bone.

I knew it was over.

“She loves me not.”