Page 14 of Pound

Fuck.

Leone was smiling at the memory and Anna had returned to her breakfast as if he hadn’t just laughed about breaking the bone of a child.

“How old were you?” Meri didn’t really want the answer, but she was curious. Anna didn’t answer, Leone did.

“She was seven. It was her second most precious age. I remember her curls.” Leone seemed contentedly lost in the past and Meri was swallowing back bile. Anna was indifferent.

His physical abuse of her started early, and she wondered if the sexual abuse did too.

Meri was so done. She had played along, hoping to find her own way out of the mess, but she was in over her head. Leone was sick and she couldn’t bide her time any longer knowing what she knew. She needed backup.

“What did the Phantoms say about your money?” Meri needed to deflect his attention, or he’d never make the fucking call. And until he made the call, she was in limbo, waiting for the other shoe to drop. If they denied her ol’ lady claims, she knew the abuse would start. While she didn’t look forward to it and would fight the monster every step of the way, the waiting was hell. Always wondering.

“That anxious to get back to your Pound, are you?” He sighed and motioned to the Buick in the corner. She still didn’t know his name. He stepped forward and handed Leone a phone. “I hoped I’d have more time to win you over, but alas, I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” He pushed the button and pressed the phone to his ear. “Maybe once we’re on a time crunch, you’ll feel differently.”

The man was certi-fucking-fiable.

He reached forward and squeezed Anna’s hand. He said something she couldn’t hear, but it gained Anna’s attention and fear. Leone leaned back and spoke into the phone.

“Hello, this is Leone Moreno, and what fine upstanding citizen do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?” He winked at her as he spoke. Freaking winked. Like he hadn’t kidnapped her, threatened her kids, confessed to murdering someone named Lizzy, threatened to break her, and obviously abused his own sister.

The person on the other end of the phone was muffled, but she recognized the voice.

Granite.

Why didn’t I claim I was his ol’ lady? That would’ve scared the psychopath. Granite scared everyone, even her. Meri was not the type who was intimidated by many people, but Granite was one. He just had that look about him. Silver fox was an understatement, but to her, that just added to his don’t fuck with me attitude.

Her brother claimed Pound was the scary one, but that had never been the case for Meri. He seemed haunted more than anything else. That quiet, intimidating air never fazed her. Maybe that’s why she always had an extra smile for him, a passing word. Things that came relatively easy with the rest of Trip’s club were like pulling teeth with Pound. So, when she did earn a look that wasn’t a scowl or he gifted her a quasi-smile, she knew she’d earned it.

Of course, it never lasted long at all. It was a microsecond and gone. And Meri thrived on it. Even when he was getting a blow job from one of the club girls—yeah, she’d seen that too—his face wasn’t inviting. When she discovered that, early on in Trip’s club days, she’d always made the extra effort. She’d never act on it, but she wanted him. Wanted him to want her, but that was a pipe dream. He’d never once looked at her with desire. Never engaged her in conversation. It was always her approaching him.

Maybe her choosing Pound over Granite for her little lie was more intentional than she’d realized. She allowed herself the fantasy.

Since those men invaded her home and losing everything was a real possibility, she allowed herself to fantasize. It was the only thing that afforded her some sleep since she’d been taken and would get her through her captivity, whatever it may bring.

Pound wasn’t as tall as the other Phantoms, but he had an air about him that made him seem six feet tall. His long, dark hair and beard helped. The beard most definitely helped. She dreamed about running her fingers through his hair and stroking his beard while…

Another glorious thought made her smile.

What if she was really Pound’s ol’ lady? Meri had given up daydreams after Jake. When he left her pregnant with twins, she’d made every decision since with forethought and planning. Not whimsical ideas or the kind of romanticized love stories found in those books with bare-chested men on the covers.

Nope, Meri Adams wasn’t that type.

“Ah, the president of the Desert Phantoms. Perfect. I believe I have something that belongs to your secretary and maybe your vice president?” Leone Moreno didn’t sound convinced by her lie and she was sweating the possibility of them outing her right then and there. “I was wondering if either might want it back and what it would be worth to you?”

Granite’s muffled voice was interrupted by a menacing growl that came through loud and clear. “Touch one hair on her head and you’re a dead man, Moreno.” Pound all but shouted, corroborating her lie with his outburst.

Something about that possessive, protective declaration set fireworks off in her blood. For a hot second, she forgot about her predicament and the fact that his anger was all an act. Trip must’ve told them what she’d do so when Leone mentioned the VP, Pound acted accordingly.

The flutter in her heart hadn’t yet gotten the memo. It was all for show, and she liked how it felt to have a man defend her with that amount of passion. Calm down, it’s an act.

While she wasn’t one to fantasize before, apparently being kidnapped altered that. She was fantasizing all over the place. Meri decided to just go with it and enjoy the lie to help her get through the ordeal. Afterward, she could deal with the feelings that would inevitably develop if she gave in to the thoughts. Hence, why she didn’t let her mind play those games with her.

The look on Anna’s face was inexplicable though. Pound’s voice seemed to panic her. Her eyes darted from the phone to her and back to Leone. Maybe she got all the brains in the family and was rightfully scared of the vice president of the Desert Phantoms. Meri got the feeling she was missing something.

Leone pulled the phone from his ear and grabbed her by the chin harshly with his free hand. After he snapped a picture of her face, he stared at the screen. The sound of the whoosh told her the photo was sent. “Check your email, and you’ll have both proof of life and possession. I’ll be in touch with more details. In the meantime, I think I will go enjoy my company.” He ended the call.

The way he said the last chilled her to the core. The man was taunting them. A freaking MC. He clearly thought he was untouchable. That wasn’t the only part that scared her. He said it like it was a possibility. The look he raked her body with stroked her with evil intent.

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