Page 16 of Sinful Deeds
It’s the same nightmareevery time I close my eyes.
The familiar metallic smell filling my nose, screeching tires and twisting metal ricocheting through my head. The lights are blinding. I hear her screams, but I can’t get to her. My body is like a weight pinning me against my seat. There’s so much blood.
I jolt awake. My eyes assaulted by a flashing red strobe light and heavy footsteps in the hall outside the bedroom door. Loud voices of varying pitches and volumes yell, “5-0.” as they pass by.
My heart jumps into my throat as my brain registers what’s going on. I climb out of the bed and yank the door open, stepping out into the hallway. From the ledge of the catwalk I can see down below. The members of the club dash in and out of rooms, passing guns and other contraband off to one another, stashing them in secret hiding places.
The high-pitched wails of police sirens grow louder from outside the clubhouse, and a thundering boom bangs against the metal door leading into the room below. Out of nowhere Tank grabs me by the arm and pulls me back into the room. He presses his index finger to his lips, to keep me quiet and drags a tall metal shelf away from the wall between the bedroom and the hall. Hooking his fingers between the slots of an air vent, he pulls and pops it out of the wall and waves a device in his hand across the hole. A hidden door slides open.
“What is that?” I whisper.
“Think of it as a safe room, only smaller. You’ll be able to hear what’s happening out here, but you have to stay quiet.” Tank motions for me to crawl inside.
I shake my head back and forth. “No way am I getting in there. I’ll suffocate.”
“No, you won’t. There’s air.” He sinks to his knees and motions inside, running his hand along the top to show me the air vents.
I lean closer to inspect it. “What if you can’t let me out?”
“You need to trust me. Besides, if you don’t get in there and they find you, Chainz will kill me.”
I doubt Chainz would kill him, but he’s right, they can’t find me here. I’ve brought enough trouble to the club and this time it’s at their door. The banging of a battering ram continues to pound against the door downstairs. I inhale a deep breath and crawl in, folding into myself to fit inside the small space. There’s a flashlight and plastic tubes running along the top that are blowing air into the cramped space.
“Stay quiet.” Tank whispers.
I suck in another breath and am plunged into darkness when he waves his hand in front of me and the door shuts. Metal on metal clangs against each other as he works the vent cover back in place and drags the shelving unit in front of it.
I switch on the flashlight and hold the small beam in front of me, tipping my head up to let the air blow into my face. Despite the tubes pumping in oxygen, the air doesn’t move. The flashlight barely cuts through the dense darkness. The heat is stifling, and the confines cramped, making me feel claustrophobic.
Muffled voices grow louder over the low-pitched hum of whatever device is providing me air.
“Hands on the wall and don’t move,” someone shouts. I recognize that voice.
A shudder runs through me. My heart beats grow faster and faster with every word that comes out his mouth. “Tear this place apart until you find her or bring me something I can haul his ass in on.”
Heavy footsteps clang up the stairs and move past me. I’m so scared that my heart misses a beat. The closer they come, the louder the voices get. Fear settles in the pit of my stomach. I wrap my arms around my legs, holding them close to my chest. The longer I’m in here, the more the walls feel like they’re closing in on me. I can’t breathe.
It’s Tank’s voice I hear next, “You have no fucking business here, man.”
“See this badge mother fucker? It makes everything my business. Now shut the fuck up before I put a bullet in your head for resisting.” Raw hatred simmers under the surface of his words.
“Fuck you, pig. I don’t know what you think you’ll find.”
“The girl. I want the girl.”
I pray that Tank will shut his mouth. These guys aren’t fucking around. He won’t hesitate to kill them all if it means getting to me, and if they’re dead, I’m trapped.
“I can hook you up with a patch whore or two. They’ll go down on any cock, even a pencil dick like you.”
“I’m not warning you again. Shut the fuck up. She’s here. I feel it.”
The movement comes to a sudden halt on the other side of the wall, keeping me hidden from view. He knows. He can sense my presence. Does he hear my heart thundering from behind the wall?
I breathe long and slow, afraid to make a noise, but not even that slows my racing heart. The sound of it pounding against my chest fills every inch of this tomb, threatening to shatter me into a million pieces. He’s too close. Even shielded by concrete walls I’m vulnerable, exposed, helpless. My mind races, but I keep my limbs still. A subtle movement or involuntary gasp, and it’s all over. He will find me and there will be nothing Chainz or Tank can do to stop it.
After several excruciating minutes, I hear another man’s voice. “There’s no one else here, Boss.”
How can I ever forget that voice? It’s the man from the stash house. The one who shot Fuel.
