Opal (Rugged Skulls MC Book 2) Read online

  “Archie went to school, Roy,” I cry. “They broke it off together, because they were going to different schools.”

  “No!” he screams, and I shrink back.

  “Yes, I saw it. They talked for ages on the front porch. She was smiling when she left,” I explain, but from the look on his face, it doesn’t matter what I say. He will never believe me.

  “I found her, you know. Found her note. She slit her wrists in the bathroom at home. There was so much fucking blood. I will never get that image out of my head. I will make sure that they never get the image of you out of their heads.”

  He glares at me, before he speaks again, spitting pure venom at me. “She said that ‘he’ broke her by touching her when she didn’t want it, and then threw her away!” he bellows at me again, and I cry for him and Diana.

  “It wasn’t Archie. I promise you that, Roy. Please?” I beg, but it falls on deaf ears. He slaps my thigh before pinching the skin.

  A high-pitched cry leaves my mouth and he laughs before doing it again.

  “Yeah, cry for me, bitch. I want to see you break. I want them all to see you break, and that it’s me breaking you,” he sneers.

  I can’t stop my frown from forming, and he laughs, before nodding at the camera and its tripod. Looking over, I see the numbers counting up, showing that he’s recording everything he is doing to me.

  My heart drops as another gut-wrenching sob breaks free from my body. I cry for Tucker, for Opal and my family; seeing this video will kill them. Tears stream freely down my face, onto the surface below me.

  The two men laugh as I cry, clearly enjoying my suffering. All of a sudden, I feel a slap and I scream and buck, but it’s no use, not with my wrists and ankles bound to the table.

  They touch me everywhere. They don’t penetrate, but I have no doubt they will. Pain rushes through my thigh as I feel someone bite me, so hard I feel fluid trickle down my skin.

  My jaw is gripped and my eyes pop open. I see the other guy sneering down at me. His eyes are blazing with rage and hate.

  “For Roy, this is revenge for his sister and wanting his kid back. For me… well, baby, this is me fucking with your old man and his club.”

  “Opal?” I croak.

  “You got it. Him and the pussy Skulls kicked me out of the club because I touched a little British bitch that cried wolf after wanting it. Fucking cunt. So this,” he snarls as he leans in and bites my breast, making me scream out in pain before he rears back and punches me in the face.

  “That’s for you, Opal. Every time you look at your bitch, you will see my mark on her.” He laughs, then adds a slap for good measure.

  My body is aching all over, but I know these two are not finished with me yet. I can only hope and pray that they don’t rape me. I’m not sure my family nor myself can come back from that.

  I could never look at Opal the same way again, knowing that they did this to me. So many women are strong when it comes to this act. Every woman reacts and responds in different ways, and none of them are wrong.

  We are all different. We all love, hate, bleed and heal in different ways.

  Roy laughs from the bottom of the table, between my legs. He slaps my vagina a few times, releasing a menacing laugh that’s sends chills through my body.

  He really has gone off the rails.

  Our gazes connect, his dead eyes meeting my fearful ones.

  He stops in the middle of the table, pulls his arm back and punches me in the stomach. I let out a rush of air. He throws more punches at my body, hitting different parts each time. He’s going for maximum damage with me. The hate blazes from him with each punch.

  “I can’t get to Archie, but this is better. He will feel what I felt when I lost my baby sister. They will all feel this pain.”

  He forces my head to the side so that I’m facing the camera, giving Opal and my family the full effect of my torture. I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to see the camera and wishing that something goes wrong, and they don’t record this or send it out.

  My hopes and prayers are not answered as the other man walks over to the phone and sneers into it.

  “Can you stop me now? We will ruin the Rugged Skulls. Creep has changed his mind. We will kill the bitch and then come for the boy. See you soon, bitches.”

  He walks back over to me, smiling with every step. Then he brings his arm back and punches me in the jaw. The pain sears through my body until the darkness takes over and I pass out.

  Twenty-Five

  Opal

  We’re sitting in church, looking over the security footage from around town, trying to spot fucking anything that will give us a lead as to where she is, where these fuckers have taken her.

  She’s been gone for over twenty-four hours now and with every passing second, it fucking kills me. Thankfully, Risky, Ida and Sweets have been keeping Tucker occupied. Just seeing his fearful eyes guts me. He knows that Roy has Jodie, but we haven’t told him any details.

  He’s trying to be strong, and that itself fuels my own strength. I need to keep my shit together so when the time comes, I can bring my woman home safely to our boy.

  In between looking for Jodie, I’ve been spending time with Tuck, and he’s an extraordinary boy, smart as hell and ready to take on his basketball journey to the NBA. He wants to take care of his mom when he hits the big time, but he knows that he needs to stick with his studies just as much as his training.

  “How you holding up, brother?” Sarge asks from his seat at the table.

  “Okay for now. But the more time that passes, the more my calm wavers. I need her back, brother. For Tucker more than anything,” I tell him, keeping my eyes glued to the laptop screen. So far, we have found fuck all. It’s like they vanished.

  “We will find her and bring her home. She’s a tough chick, Opal. She’ll be fine. How are the injuries?” he says, and I nod in agreement.

  “I fucking hope so, Sarge. We haven’t been together long, but fuck, man, it’s like she’s a part of me. Her and Tucker both. I want it all with her. Nothing I can’t handle, plus I have had worse,” I state to him and he smiles at me.

  It shocks me a little, but I don’t show it because he was the one that told me not to jump into something with Jodie so soon. We stare at each other for a few more seconds, and I can see something in his eyes, maybe regret or uncertainty.

  “Who was she?” I ask, because it hits me. He’s lost a love.

  His body goes rigid at my question, and he goes to stand, but I stop him, gripping his forearm.

  “Talk to me, brother,” I urge. He lets out a big sigh and sits back down.

  “We were together for over a year when we were in college. I thought we would go the full hog, you know.” I nod. “I enlisted with Magnum. She was so fucking excited for me. She knew why I needed it. College was doing fuck all for me. I was gone for a few weeks when I got a letter from her telling me that she couldn’t wait for me, that she didn’t love me enough to wait.”

  “Fuck, brother. Quick question: Is she the reason you don’t kiss the Regs?” I mutter.

  “Yeah. Fuck me, she could kiss. It was like her mouth could make me forget everything around me; soft and supple. She even made me forget to breathe.” He moans, then catches himself. “But it’s in the past. I forgot about her. The last I heard she was marrying some uptight prick that her parents approved for her,” he tells me. His hands fist on top of the table. Clearly this woman has left a lasting impression on his heart that he hasn’t gotten over yet.

  “You’ll find someone one day, man. I mean, look at me. It took me coming off my bike to meet my woman.” We chuckle and it feels good to laugh a little.

  As cheesy as it sounds, I believe we all have the one out there, just waiting to be caught.

  “Maybe. Seeing you and Prez settle down gives me some sort of hope, but man, can a woman put up with my fucked-up head? The nightmares are still there like it was yesterday, but some nights are better than others.”

>   “Like I said, Sarge, you need to go and see the head doc. He did wonders for me,” I remind him.

  “Maybe,” he says, shrugging.

  Loud voices coming from the other side of the church doors has me spinning in my seat to see what is happening. Sarge being the SAA of the club gets up to inspect the situation.

  “I need to see Opal. NOW.” Comes a voice, a panicked voice.

  I jump to my feet and meet the commotion by the bar. Sarge and Edge are standing in front of a guy that has similar features to Jodie. I step closer and see he’s gripping a cell phone in his hand.

  “I’m Opal. Who are you?”

  “Uncle Archie,” Tucker screams as he runs into the room and straight for the man. He wraps his arms around the man’s legs, and the man picks Tucker up.

  “Holy shit, Tucker, are you okay?” he asks, then he eyes everyone around the club. He grips Tucker tighter to his body, before bracing himself to talk to me.

  “I’m Archie, Jodie’s brother. Why the hell didn’t I know she was taken? Are the police involved?” he asks, clearly angry at me, us, the situation.

  “Opal is getting Mom back, Uncle A. He’s her old man, and this is his club—well, not his club because Magnum is the President of the Rugged Skulls. He’s awesome.” Tucker praises up the club and my heart swells for this kid even more.

  “Another MC? What the hell has your mother gotten herself into?” he asks, speaking to Tucker. That pisses me off, so I step forward to defend Jodie and us.

  “Before you start shit… Tucker, go with Risky. I need to talk to your uncle for a bit, yeah?” I tell the boy, and he nods.

  “My nephew isn’t going anywhere but home with me, once someone explains what the fuck is going on with my sister and this video,” he spits out.

  “Video?” Sarge asks, closing ranks on me.

  We’re locked in an intense stare, but I refuse to back down. “Tucker, go,” I state, still staring at Archie.

  “Come on, Tuck. Let’s go and check out the stream,” Risky says and Tucker runs to her.

  There’s a stand off until Tucker is removed from the room. That’s when Magnum steps in, taking his place at the front of the club.

  “I’m Magnum, the President of this club. Now, Archie, I understand that you’re upset, and we are looking for Jodie. She’s family since she’s my brother’s woman.”

  “I don’t give a fuck who you are. My sister will not get mixed up with another criminal MC. Now give me my nephew and I will take this video clip to the police.”

  “What fucking video clip?” I bellow, finally losing my cool.

  Everyone in the room looks at me. Archie is scowling at me, but right now I don’t give one flying fuck. I want my woman home, and he has the only fucking clue to finding her.

  “I’m not showing you shit. The police will handle this. I know what you MC do,” Archie spits out. Sarge growls from my side and I shake my head at him.

  “Hand it over or I will force it from you. I don’t know you and you sure as hell don’t know me. I love your sister and our boy; I will do whatever it takes to get her back, and that includes taking you down for her safety.” I use my calm voice, the one I’ve been told time and time again sounds more deadly.

  Archie looks around the room, checking out my brothers, before he brings his gaze back to me. His shoulders lower in defeat and my heart rhythm goes almost back to normal.

  He steps forward, holding the phone out to me. I reach for it, but he grips the phone tightly as I go to pull it away. His eyes narrow on me.

  “You bring her home safe and we will talk. Will Tucker be safe here?” he asks.

  “You have my word. Nothing will touch him. My brothers will lay their lives down for him and Jodie.”

  Murmurs of agreement sound around the room. My chest swells with pride to be a part of this club, the brotherhood and family.

  “How did you know to come here? To the clubhouse?” Edge asks Archie.

  He sighs, twisting his neck back and forth to ease the tension. “A text came through with the video clip, saying to bring it here. That you needed to see and feel the pain with me,” he explains.

  He lets the phone go before sitting down on a chair right behind him. He buries his head in his hands before bringing his gaze back to mine. I can see the pain and anguish on his face, and it tells me that I am going to go fucking crazy when I see this clip.

  “It’s bad, Opal. Fucking bad,” he sobs. Ida and Sweets surround him, soothing him in this painful time.

  I bring the device up in front of my face and take a deep breath. As I hit play, I can feel the brotherhood surround me, each one of my brothers closing ranks on me, sharing their support and loyalty.

  “We got you, brother.” I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I turn my head to face Magnum. He gives me a nod and I turn back to the phone and hit play.

  The screen loads and I can see Jodie is tied to a table, bound by her wrists and ankles. She’s naked. My anger boils. Roy touches her and says some nasty shit to her. He talks about a plan to ruin her, but she got pregnant with Tuck.

  I hit pause and look at Archie. “Who is this Diana chick?”

  His pain deepens. “She was a girl I dated in high school. We thought we were in love but when it came to going to college, we knew it wasn’t. We broke up on good terms, but a few weeks later she killed herself. I didn’t know she had any other family. She never talked about them.

  “I got a letter a few weeks after she died, explaining to me why she couldn’t live anymore. Her uncle was raping her. I passed on the letter to the police, but I never heard anything back.”

  “Fucking hell,” Rookie mutters. He walks away and comes back with a set of shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey for everyone. He pours one for Archie, who takes it greedily.

  Hitting play again, my stomach churns at seeing Roy touching my woman. But then he says, ‘we’, and nods across the room. In a split second, Omen steps into view and my anger goes from boiling to fucking volcanic.

  He steps closer to Jodie and grips her jaw so tightly I see her wince.

  “For Roy, this is revenge for his sister and wanting his kid back. For me: well, baby, this is me fucking with your old man and his club.”

  “Opal?” her broken voice says, and my chest constricts.

  “You got it. Him and the pussy Skulls kicked me out of the club because I touch a little British bitch that cried wolf after wanting it. Fucking cunt. So this,” Omen explains before he leans in and bites her breast. She cries out. The device cracks in my hand when I see this cunt hurting my woman.

  He will burn in hell for this.

  He raises his head, looks over her body at the screen, before smirking, like he’s looking directly at me through the device. My gaze connects with his and I feel his hatred.

  “That’s for you, Opal. Every time you look at your bitch, you will see my mark on her.” He laughs a laugh that would send every woman running from him, it’s so fucking evil. Then he slaps Jodie across the face, just adding that extra pain.

  I watch for a few more seconds and see Roy and Omen bite her a few more times, Roy paying extra attention to her thighs and telling her that I will always think of him when I take her again. That fucker couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Omen steps back and Roy takes over, hitting her square in the jaw. I can see the moment her body gives up and her head lulls to the side, facing the camera. Blood drips from her mouth and my stomach rolls again.

  “FUCK,” I scream, the pain ripping through me at seeing my woman in so much fucking pain.

  “They will die painfully. Slowly. They will be scraped off the face of the earth, like they never existed,” I say with a deathly calm.

  Many things flit through my mind; ways to track them down, ways to slowly kill them and watch the life fade from their eyes, because that will happen. I know just how I want to wipe them from this earth. I just need to make sure we get our hands on them rather than taking them out with a
bullet.

  “I want them both alive. No kill shot,” I state and walk out of the room. I need air and a clear head.

  Twenty-Six

  Opal

  I know I need to remain calm, but the images of Jodie strapped to that table and that cunt touching her, hurting her, has my lungs unable to suck in the much-needed air to survive to bring her home.

  With my hands on my hips, I close my eyes and raise my face up to the sky, needing healing thoughts and vibes right now. The day’s sun heats my skin and I feel the calm take over my body, mind and soul.

  “Just hang in there, baby. We are coming for you. I am coming for you,” I say to no one.

  After more deep breaths, I open my eyes and turn to walk back into the clubhouse, when I hear a car approach. I squint against the sun and see a black 1972 Ford150 drive up to me.

  I stand as the truck comes to a stop and the door swings open as the driver steps out. He reaches in and picks up a box before walking over to me, offering me his hand. My heart races as my gaze swings between River and the box. All kinds of bad shit are racing around my head.

  “How’s things, Opal?” he greets, giving me a wide smile. I take his hand.

  “Not too good, man. Shit is happening. Why are you here?” I ask calmly.

  On the outside I’m as calm as a serene lake, but inside I’m like a fucking tsunami of nerves, waiting to see what’s in that box. Fucking horror movies.

  “Shit sorry. I hope it isn’t bad. I’m dropping this off for Edge. He ordered a part for a bike he’s working on. To be honest, I think it’s something for Syn, but you know how secretive he is when it comes to my sister.”

  River Logan is Synclare’s older brother and owns Logan’s Rides with her and their father. He’s a few years older than Syn, so he’s really protective when it comes to her. Unless you’re Edge, then you can do no wrong by her.

  “Thanks, man,” comes from behind me. I turn to see Edge walking toward us, the rest of the boys following.