Page 6 of Pound

Her newfound attitude seemed to amuse Designer Suit. “Ha, you’re a feisty one. That. That right there.” He pointed to her but looked at the man holding her. “That is why he keeps her. It’s also how we get our investment back with interest.”

He turned his cold eyes, which had warmed to an almost affectionate look, back to her. “While I am sure your pussy is absolutely divine, at least Jake couldn’t stop going on about it, I buy and sell pussy all day long, but that, that, madam, is priceless. And if Pound wants it back and your kids not to take on the sins of their father, which I am sure he does, he’ll pay what Jake owes, and then some.”

He made that hand motion once again, and they shoved her through the front door and to a waiting car. She took note of everything she could in case she found a way to communicate. Make and model of the car. Description of the men now that they were out in the natural light. She noticed Buick number two dragging a body into her house, and she hoped it wasn’t a dead one.

As they were leaving, she heard the rumble of pipes in the distance. Unmistakable. That would most likely be the Iron Travelers. A friendly club to the Phantoms. Meri took one last look back toward her house and realized the body dragged inside was one of theirs. She hoped just a little bit harder that he wasn’t dead. She thought she saw him move a little before they slammed the door.

Her nerves were in control as they pulled away from her house. She’d breathed a sigh of relief that neither her kids nor the Travelers had shown up before they drove away.

The heart that had been beating so frantically in her chest damn near seized as the car stopped to let a school bus unload a kid just a few streets down from her house. A kid she knew, a kid who took Tae Kwon Do with James. She fought the urge to stare into the bus through the tinted windows to get one last look at her kids in case she died. But Meri refused to tip her hand. Once she mentioned being an ol’ lady, Designer Suit seemed to focus on Pound and the Phantoms rather than her kids. She wasn’t about to do anything to remind him that Jake had children he wanted. He seemed satisfied with her at the moment, so she’d leave it at that.

Meri would cultivate his interest in Pound and why he kept her in Reno. Distract Designer Suit from looking at the faces in the school bus windows too hard.

Everyone was always stunned at how much both twins favored her over Jake. Designer Suit was shrewd and wouldn’t miss something that glaringly obvious.

“What will you do with me if Pound doesn’t pay? According to you, he has whores, so why would he pay to get me back?”

She breathed a sigh of relief when the bus’s lights stopped flashing, and they started rolling forward.

“He would be a fool not to, whore or not. Like I said, you have a fire that calls to men like him. Like me. If he happens to be such a fool, I will keep you for myself.” Meri swallowed the rising bile. He’d already told her his business, and he wasn’t afraid to kill. “I have to say that while I’ll take immense pleasure in the process of breaking you, I’ll be sad when it’s done.” Meri refused to flinch or show anger.

He seemed to get off on both when she stood up to him and when she cowered. The only thing that appeared to bore him was her indifference, so that’s what she’d give him.

His eyes sparked. “Then I will find your kids and they can pay Jake’s debt.” That got the reaction he wanted, and he smiled. There was some sort of silent communication between him and the goon in the passenger seat. He passed a phone back to his boss. Designer Suit turned it her way before hovering his thumb over the circle that would connect a call.

Teasing.

Taunting.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. Let’s see what your ol’ man has to say about the whole situation, shall we?”

Without thinking, Meri made an offer. Not since getting pregnant way too young did Meri do anything without thought. But he was talking about her children, and she would let an entire country run a train on her to protect them if that’s what she had to do.

“If Pound doesn’t pay, I’ll stay with you. Willingly.” He lowered the phone slightly and studied her without connecting the call.

“Ah, worried about the whore you think he doesn’t have?”

No, dickwad, I’m worried about the fact that he will expose my lies and you’ll realize my kids are less than a few blocks away.

“No, not at all, but it never hurts to have a backup plan.”

“Damn, Meri, I almost hate to make this call.” He caressed her shoulder with the hand that was on the seat behind her. “While I can’t pass up an opportunity to stick it to some biker scum, I can defer this call until after dinner… or later. How does that sound?”

Was she supposed to answer? He was certainly looking like he expected one.

Designer Suit’s hand left her shoulder to trace his finger back and forth up and down her thigh. “You know, I am a man of my word, and as long as I get paid, I will release you to your ol’ man’s tender care.” His finger stopped, and he grabbed her right between the legs. He brought his face to hers. It had taken every ounce of her restraint not to headbutt him.

His grip on her crotch tightened to bruising, and he licked her face. He abruptly let go and fully relaxed back into his seat. “I just don’t know if that pussy is worth five hundred thousand dollars. In my experience, none ever is. But that doesn’t mean I can’t seduce you into my bed and collect my money too. A win-win.”

What in the actual fuck?

Clearly, Designer Suit was batshit crazy with a side of psychopath added for flavor.

Psycho or not, she couldn’t hold back her snark. “I’m just your run-of-the-mill RN, but even I can see you clearly need help. I know a good psychiatrist I can refer you to.”

Wrong thing to say, Meri.

If she’d had any doubt about that man’s mental stability or lack thereof, the look in his eyes would’ve erased that.

---