Chain (Heartlands MC) Read online

  A shiver crawls up spine as I imagine him pushing me up against this wall, breathing in my face, hand around my throat, telling me to spread my legs so he can...

  Deep breath, Meadow, this isn’t helping.

  “I’m gonna start by tying you up.”

  I gulp, my mouth dry. “What?”

  He shakes his head. “Can’t have you loose if that’s how you’re going to act. I trusted you, you betrayed that trust. You’re going to find out that’s a bad idea.”

  “But my wrists...”

  “I’ll make sure it’s not too tight. You brought this on yourself.”

  He’s across the room in a single stride and grabbing my arms from by my side. I can almost feel the heat emanating from his cock, and I wonder if I should play up to that, maybe look for another opening to get away, but before I get the chance he’s dragging me back over to the filthy mattress, shoving me down and twisting the old sheet into a makeshift rope. Before I know what’s happening, my hands are tied behind my back again and I know I’m not going to get out of this easily.

  “Look, I didn’t get anything. You guys win. If you let me go, I’ll never bother you again, okay?”

  He shakes his head. “Wow, how benevolent of you. What’s your name?”

  “Meadow.” As soon as I say it, I wonder why I just gave this guy my real name. I never give anyone my real name.

  “Well, Meadow, I was bringing you a cheese sandwich, but you knocked it all over the fucking floor when you had your little tantrum. Are you hungry? You like cheese sandwiches?”

  I nod, not saying a word, not sure where this is going. If he’s going to kill me, shouldn’t he just get on with it?

  “Then I’m going to get you a fresh one. And then we’ll talk.” He glances down at my tits, visible in the low cut of my shirt, growls and turns. “Don’t move, or you’ll find out how like those other guys I can be.”

  ***

  “Open.”

  “This is ridiculous,” I complain, my shoulders sagging. “Can’t you just untie me and let me feed my—”

  “Nope,” he says as he shoves a potato chip in my mouth. “It’s this or nothing. I don’t have to give you anything to eat, you know. Your behavior has been fairly shitty.”

  I release a sigh through my nose as I chew and swallow, then open my mouth for something else. He’s been feeding me for ten minutes now, and I don’t like the fact that I like it. I have to try and figure out a way out of this mess and getting emotionally invested in my captor isn’t the way to do that.

  “So, who are you?”

  “I told you, my name’s Meadow. Meadow Greene.” I figure what the hell, I’ve already given him my first name, so what the hell.

  “Meadow Greene?” He shakes his head then continues, “That’s not what I mean.” He stares me down, then breaks off a bite of sandwich and pops it into my mouth. “Who are you?”

  I finish chewing, swallow, then shake my head. “I’m full. And I’m nobody. Just a chancer that ran out of chances.”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t buy it.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “You mentioned your mom. Where is she?”

  Fuck.

  “I...don’t want her involved.” I try to keep the lie out of my voice, something I good at but I usually don’t throw my dead mother into the mix.

  “And it’ll stay that way, so long as you cooperate.”

  “So, you’re not going to kill me?” I give him a defiant stare. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about these MC thugs it’s that you can’t afford to let your guard down for a second. Gotta keep pushing, don’t let them smell fear. It’s like having a wild animal staring you down. The second they no longer respect you, that’s when your slim chance devolves into none.

  “Haven’t decided. That all depends on how cooperative you are. But I can check out your mom for a start, make sure you’re not a liar.”

  That’s wouldn’t go so well...

  “Yeah? You gonna check her out the same way you’ve been checking me out since I got here?” I try to deflect the conversation away from my mom.

  He growls, but not before his eyes flick down over my body. I’m suddenly sorry I mentioned anything, because while I wanted to get him riled up so he’ll make a mistake, I didn’t expect this. Every place his eyes touch feels like it’s on fire, and when his gaze lands for a moment on my crotch...

  Panties ruined.

  Because this hulking MC fuck seems to have a direct connection to my lady parts, and I have no idea how to switch that off so I can think straight.

  “Well, this is a waste of time.” He stands, leaving the plate on the filthy mattress beside me. “You get hungry, maybe you can lean far enough over to eat. You can at least try.”

  “Wait, where are you going?”

  “I’m going home, darlin’. Shower, change of clothes, sleep in my big, soft bed. You’re staying here, and when I get back if you’re still not in a mood to talk you’ll stay here a bit longer. And a bit longer after that.”

  He turns and strides over to the door.

  “Wait!” I plead, but he’s already through, closing it behind him and shoving the key in the door. A second later the light goes out and I’m left all alone.

  Chapter Four

  Chain

  “Fucking hell, Chain, we can’t wait forever.” Troy leans over the table, staring me down. “You’ve had three days with that cunt, I say we put a bullet in her and be done.”

  I growl low. Troy is the club president, and I shouldn’t be questioning his judgment, but if they think I’m going to stand by while they hurt Meadow, they’re wrong.

  Okay, sure, I haven’t had as much success with her as I’d hoped. She’s still holding out on me. And if she was just some guy, or hell, even some girl, I could break her nose or cut off a finger or a toe and have her telling me exactly what I want to know.

  But she isn’t.

  She’s Meadow.

  My Meadow.

  “I say we take a vote. See what the club’s feeling is here. All those in favor of cutting her up, seeing what she’ll tell us before she expires and then dumping that bitch?” He raises his finger. “Aye.”

  “Nay,” I say, then turn to stare down Buzz. He pauses for a second, but he owes me one and eventually he shakes his head.

  “Nay.”

  The vote passes around the room, and Troy grits his teeth when the vote goes my way. By one.

  “Fine. You’ve got some more time to do things your way. But you’d better use some of that famous Chain charm, because tomorrow we’ll have another vote. And another the next day. And the next. Eventually, you’ll run out of good will. Either that gash is going to talk to you, or she’s going to talk to us. So, you just tell her that.”

  “I need to make her an offer,” I mutter, placing my fist on the table. “Let’s face it, we need to know who she’s working for. We need to know if more shit’s coming. She’s might be nothing, but who knows what’s behind her.”

  Troy purses his lips, then nods. “Sure, I’m listening. What do you have in mind?”

  ***

  She looks up as I enter the room. “Oh, thank God it’s you.” There’s genuine relief in her eyes, and the red rims tell me she’s been crying. My chest clutches, but I try to keep it out of my expression. “Those other guys aren’t like you. The things they say they’re going to do to me...”

  “Yeah, well, they won’t touch you so long as I’m here.”

  “I know. Thank you.” She pulls herself up into a sitting position. The day before yesterday, it became clear she needed to sleep, and use the bucket for...well, use the bucket. So, we swapped the tangled sheet for a metal chain, and a locked stainless-steel collar around her neck, so she’d have a bit more slack. And I gotta say, it looks hot. I like knowing I padlocked that on her. “What have you got for me?”

  “Chicken pot pie. Hungry?”

  She nods, and I sit beside her and start cutting up
the pie. This has become our routine and I fucking hate to admit it, but I love feeding her.

  Her clothes are filthy, and the bucket beside her bed stinks of shit and piss even though we empty it. She must be desperate for a shower and the use of a bathroom. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care, but this girl has me wrapped around her finger.

  “So, I’ve done something for you.” I turn and raise my eyebrows, but she barely responds, her spirit about as low as I reckon it’s ever been in her life. “I’ve got you a deal. You talk to me, I get to let you out of here.”

  “I can go?” The hope in her voice almost breaks me.

  I just nod because yeah, I can let her out of this room, but letting her go isn’t in the deal. “You gotta talk to me though. You gotta give me some info.”

  She nods sharply as I put a bite of pie in her mouth. After she’s chewed and swallowed, she meets my eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “You gotta talk though, Meadow. I can’t help you unless you do. Who are you working for?”

  Tears start to brim in her eyes. “I told you already.”

  “I need the truth this time.”

  “Please, I’m not working for anyone.” She looks directly at me. “I’m telling the truth. You have to let me go.”

  I sigh. I know she’s hiding something. It’s been there from the beginning, but every time I ask her she tells me she isn’t working for anyone, and I believe that. So, what is this girl’s deal? What is it she’s still lying about?

  “Okay, so what about this mom of yours? You want to go home to her, tell me who she is. I can go round there, talk to her without raising suspicions, and if your story checks out we’re good.”

  She hesitates for a moment. It’s barely there, but it’s something I can’t ignore.

  “Who’s your mom working for?”

  Meadow shakes her head, and I finally see her break. I see tears start to flow down her cheeks before she turns away from me, then her shoulders start to shake. “She’s dead, okay? She’s dead. Both my parents are dead.”

  Chapter Five

  Meadow

  I’ve never told anyone that before.

  The look on Chain’s face tells me I’m not just some prisoner. He looks hurt by what I’ve said. I’m affecting him, and that should be something I’ll use for leverage.

  But somehow, I suddenly don’t want the leverage.

  I’ve tried so hard to avoid looking at his eyes.

  The blue is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Hypnotic, eerie...a brilliant glowing light blue surrounded by a band of black that draws me in and makes me forget to breathe. He wears a white t-shirt with his vest and patches. Classic Levi’s with a wide worn leather belt, chained wallet and black boots.

  His face is thick with that beard, and under his t-shirt and down his arms and around his neck I see the thick cover of ink and my mind wanders to exploring all that intricate detail.

  With my tongue.

  “Hey.” Chain puts another bite of the comforting pot-pie between my lips as I still the tears that are burning my lids. “I’m sorry. You can tell me what you want. What I have to know before we leave this room, what you need to convince me beyond any doubt, is what happened here was you on your own.”

  I nod, chewing and swallowing, then answer, “I swear. It’s just my deal. I’m alone.” I start, unable to stop the words once they start. “After my parents were killed, I got so fucking sick of watching the takers constantly take from everyone. Power, intimidation...I’ve sort of become this weird Robin Hood. I do it because it’s what I can do and it gives me a sense of purpose in a strange way. I don’t care to live in the suburbs with a mortgage and the oppressive who has what mindset.”

  “So, you are a beautiful con artist.”

  His voice hits me somewhere in my heart and I shrug. “Not sure about the beautiful part on my best day. And for sure, this is not my best day.” I glance down at the bucket and screw up my face.

  “They’re all your best days.” He chides, giving me the last bite and watching me intently as I chew and swallow.

  I’ve survived a lot. Being locked in this room not the worst of them, but certainly not the best. I should still want to hit Chain in the head with that pipe, but instead I want to lean into him. I want to put my head on his chest and feel his arms loop around me, tugging me tight and making me feel that he is my safe harbor.

  Not my captor.

  Not the one that could decide my fate.

  “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I’ll help you make money. I’ve got other skills, with money, currency trading. I’m more than a low-level shit taker. I’ll help your club, whatever. Just, let me out of here.” Part of me is still playing the part. Counting on him letting down his guard, then I’ll make my move.

  But another part of me, a twinge I don’t recall feeling before, is sincere. I will help them. Especially if it means more time with Chain.

  “If I give you your freedom, it will be earned. You will do as I say, and I will protect you from the rest of the club. They want you dead. Or half of them. You disrespected us. That’s not easily fixed.”

  I nod, the stench of this room and the way he’s looking at me making my head spin.

  “I’m going to untie you. And then I’m going to walk you out of here. You keep your mouth shut and hold my hand and things will get better for you. You try any shit again, being tied up will be the least of your worries.”

  His spooky blue eyes are always connected to me when he’s in here, and as much as I am planning my getaway, I’m under his spell. “How do you know what my worries are?” I counter, unwilling to completely yield to the power he has over me at the moment.

  “I’d like to know.”

  He sets down the plate and stands, pulling a key from his pocket and clicking open the padlock holding the chain attached to the steel collar around my neck.

  He reaches down with his other hand and I grab his hand with mine, the other pushing up until I’m next to him and that scent once again wraps itself around me, making me weaker than I already feel.

  “You’re going to keep your mouth shut. This collar stays. You follow where I lead, we clear?”

  “Clear.” I agree, the two parts of me still battling it out, but if my goal is to be out of this prison I’m going to do as much agreeing as is necessary at the moment.

  “Where are you staying? You said you just came into town when I asked you the other day...”

  “Haywood Motor Lodge on Route 6. But, my pick-up is parked a couple blocks from here...”

  “Okay. I’ve got your backpack upstairs, I’ll get one of the guys to drive your pick up to my place. We’re going to go get your things, then you’re staying with me. You’ll get a shower and I’ll tell you what’s next for you. You step out of line, you try any shit, you’re going to end up right back here. And that’s if you’re lucky.”

  I swallow, and against my better judgment I salute. “Yes, Sir.” The mocking tone does nothing for him as he rolls his eyes and gives the leash a tug.

  “Your survival instincts are shaky, you get that??”

  I screw up my lips. “My father always said it would be my mouth that would get me in trouble.”

  We walk through the metal door as he turns his head and looks at me. “I’d like to get that mouth in some trouble.”

  My belly flutters and flips. How is it that my captor is captivating me? I should hate him, spit on him, try to kill him. Instead, the way he looks at me makes my nipples tingle and my clit come alive.

  The rest of the way upstairs, I keep my trap shut. The idea of sunshine and a shower is more motivating than the thought of escape, and when Chain leads me though the back of the bar a group of men and women stare, some of them the guys that I’ve encountered since I’ve been here, other’s I don’t recognize.

  The two women smile, look at each other, then at the floor.

  “Seriously, Chain?”

  “Troy, man, just let me handle th
is. I’ll be back later and explain. For now, I’m taking her.”

  The rest of the men at the table look at the guy Chain called Troy, waiting for whatever shoe is about to drop.

  “I want you back here in three hours. We need to have another meeting. Another vote.”

  I see the muscles in Chain’s jaw harden as he moves us to a chair where I see my backpack. He picks it up, clears his throat on a nod toward Troy and tugs me along behind him, heading for the door.

  One of the girls giggles as we pass. “Always knew you were the leash and collar type.”

  “Shut the fuck up.” Troy points toward the girl, and she drops her head as she turns, stepping toward the bar. “Get me a Bud, and mind your business.”

  An instant later, my neck is jerked in the direction of the door.

  “Oww.” I bite out, reaching up to grab the chain and give it a good tug back.

  Wrong. Move.

  Chain is in my face in a half second. His fist now looped with the leash, giving me only a few inches between his hand and my collar.

  “Do we have short term memory loss?” He seethes, and I hate the reaction I’m having to him even now when he’s dragging me around like a dog.

  I’ve disappointed him. And I don’t like the fact that I care about that.

  I hear laughter from the table of guys, and instead of indifference, which would be my usual reaction, my cheeks burn. There’s a pit of tension in my gut from Chain’s disappointed glare.

  I shake my head. “No.”

  “Good. Because, if you’d like, I can hand over this leash to the guys at that table.” He tips his head and runs his tongue along his top teeth.

  “No. Sorry.” I swallow, hating the gathering heat between my legs.

  “Good girl.” He whispers into my ear, and the world is spinning.

  Plop. I’m done.

  Chapter Six

  Chain

  “Wow.” The dark eyed girl that has become a permanent fixture in my mind looks around my living room as I turn the deadbolt on the front door and lead her toward the kitchen.