Page 35 of Providence

With that, she hightailed it out of the garage and I frowned at her retreating back.

Sera bit her lip, her nose wrinkling with a frown. I leaned over and kissed her head, wrapping and arm around her shoulders. “I’ll call Goose and Bear, send them over to check out the girl’s house.”

I made the call, giving Trigger a message to put out any feelers on the street. By the time I was finished, Madoc was awake and fussing. It was almost time for his bottle, and while he never outright screamed like you sometimes heard about, he made his displeasure well and truly known.

“Come on, Sweetheart. I’ll take you home so I can fill Judas in about our little meeting. Maybe I’ll come back later and have a chat with Ricky myself.”

Sera’s face twisted in a satisfied smirk. “Make it hurt.”

Fuck, I loved this woman.

You wouldn’t have knownthat Judas wasn’t happy over the news of Bambi’s disappearance and Ricky’s generally sketchy actions unless you knew him. His shoulders went tight, and he sucked his back teeth hard.

He’d called Goliath, and told him to meet us at Apocalypse. Solomon was staying with Sera and Madoc, as well as Marco.

We parked over at the Clubhouse, stopping in at the bar to have a beer with our Brothers. I’d been neglecting them, anxious to get home to Sera every night. The Club was once my everything but now? Now that woman was my everything.

Once we decided that the Club had emptied out enough at around two, we walked over to Apocalypse like we fucking owned the joint. Goliath peeled off, walking around the rear fire exit just in case Ricky decided to run like a rat.

I nodded to the bouncers, watching their wary eyes as they nodded to us respectfully. I smiled, clapping them on the shoulders, making out like this was every other business visit we’ve ever paid to Ricky. Nothing to worry about. Until I knew that the bouncers weren’t in on the shady shit going on over here, I’d keep an eye on them. ‘Trust no one but the Horsemen’ had been my mantra in life for way too long.

Apocalypse was still busy considering it was nearly closing time. Bored husbands lined the bar, sleazy fucks ogling the women from the front row. College kids guffawed obnoxiously from the corner booths. The human condition in all its glory festered inside these four walls. The bartender, a busty blonde whose name I didn’t know, tipped her head respectfully and pushed two fingers of scotch at us. I gave her my most charming smile, trying to channel that fucking panty-dropping grin Solomon seemed to wield like a weapon. She smiled back at me, but when her eyes slid to Judas, it melted from her face. He was a scary bastard.

He threw back his scotch and stood. “Ricky out back?”

Some kind of dark satisfaction crossed the bar chick’s face when she nodded. Hmm. I downed my drink, nodded in thanks, and headed out back.

When we got to Ricky’s office, we didn’t knock. We fucking owned everything in this club. From the poles to the shitty brass sign glued on the door that said management.

Judas slammed it open, and I wasn’t overly surprised to see Ricky’s hairy fucking ass bouncing around on a dirty couch.

The girl on the couch looked bored as fuck. When she turned her head, I realized she was young and not bored, high as hell.

Rick reared back when the door hit the frame. He snarled toward the intruders in his office, but the expression melted from his face, along with all the color when he saw who was darkening his doorstep.

Yeah, you better be fucking scared, you piece of shit.

“You better put your tiny dick away, Ricky, before I cut the fucker off,” I growled, and Ricky didn’t waste any time scrabbling from the couch, pulling up his pants. The girl blinked huge doe eyes at me, and I realized she wasn’t with us at all.

Shit, I should have brought Sweetie, or one of the fucking other dancers or someone. I walked over, and even though she seemed completely languid, her eyes looked scared. I squatted down on my haunches near her head, not looking away from her face as I smoothed down the too tight skirt until she was covered again.

“Hey Sweetheart. You okay?” I asked gently, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. She just blinked, so I gently put my hand under her back and sat her up.

Judas swore. “How old is she, you fucking cocksucker? You trying to get us shut down?”

Ricky put his hands up, sweat gathering on his brow. “She said she was eighteen on her application.”

“And you checked her ID right?” Judas growled, because he knew the answer. Stupid fuck. I was going to turn him into minced meat.

Fuck. I snapped my fingers in front of the girl's face. “Hey, do you have a name?”

She tilted her head, her face way too slack for my happiness. “Billie.”

“How old are you, Billie?” I asked softly.

She blinked toward me. “Seventeen. And six months.”

The look I shot Ricky had the fucking little weasel pushing past Judas and out the door. Judas swore, but I smiled when he turned toward the back exit. Goliath was about to have some fun. I focused back on Billie. Her eyes were wide and scared now. “I’m just going to get someone over here to take care of you, Billie. Don’t worry. That fucker will never hurt you again.”

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