Crank's Rescue (Hell Raiders MC Book 6), page 12
He answered the call. "Yeah." After a short pause he nodded. "On our way." The phone disappeared back into his pocket. "We have to go. The boys got something."
When he stood and offered a hand to assist me in a gesture as natural as his coarse language, my heart melted a little more. As rough as he could be at times, his natural inclinations seemed to be those of a gentleman. How had a man raised as he had been learned things like that? It was just one more question to the puzzle Crank presented. One I could spend a lifetime solving.
Crank:
I took the long way back to the motel, just in case Sennit had enough brains to watch. Anyone watching for us would have to prowl through the fucking place in a deliberate search to find us. By concentrating on concealment, I managed to avoid thinking about what I'd said to Sarah at the diner.
Two Case met us at the door of the room he and the others had set up as a sort of surveillance station. "Took you long enough."
"Sennit spotted us at the diner." I gave him a summary of that bullshit.
"Good, you laid a false trail." He gestured us over to a table where a laptop sat open. "One of the kids talked to Lanea. You should hear it."
I took a seat in the surprising clean chair, and pulled Sarah to sit on my lap. "Okay."
He clicked something on the screen, and voices filled the room. I recognized Lanea's voice immediately.
"This place doesn't seem as bad as I expected. I need to watch out for anything?"
A female laughed. "Girl, you ain't got a clue. The man picks one of us for a blowjob, or more, every night. The woman knows, and doesn't care."
"Nobody tells the caseworker?"
Another laugh. "Hell no. And you won't either, if you know what's good for you."
"Why?"
"For one, we don't get dinner until he gets off. So whoever gets picked has to do a good job. For two, if you tell the caseworker, then the boss caseworker gets involved. He's a lot worse than giving a blowjob a couple times a week."
"What's he do?"
"Girl, he'll peddle your ass on the street. Or sell you to rich old dudes that can't get off without leaving bruises, or worse. So you give the blowjobs when he picks you, and keep your mouth shut the rest of the time. Mr. Sennit will be around to see you soon. He always comes see the new kids. And you'll do whatever he tells you, and you won't say a word about what happens here. If you do, the shit comes down on all of us, and we ain't going to be very happy with you."
A moment of silence. "What will this Mr. Sennit want from me?"
"He likes to be the first to fuck the new kids. The old man won't take more than a blowjob from you until he gives the go-ahead. You had your cherry popped?"
Something rustled, like fabric. "No. That's why I'm here. My mom got remarried, and her old man wanted me, but I got out first. Mom was glad to be rid of me, so she let me just stay with her sister. My aunt was always high on something, and social services got called eventually."
The other girl made a noise. "Well, you better not tell Mr. Sennit that. A virgin brings a high price. He'll auction your cherry off. Better just let him do it and not say a word."
"No. If I wanted to just give it away, I'd have let my mom's old man do it."
More rustling, and someone grunted. "Bitch, you listen. You ain't got no choice. The kinda mens he'll sell you to? They ruin bitches. I seen girls they had, couldn't walk or sit up for weeks. One girl died, bled to death after the man shoved something in her and tore her insides all up. Mr. Sennit is scum, but he just a straight fuck."
A choking sound. "Oh." More rustling. "How does he get by with it? I seen on the news where they put a kid in jail for fucking his underage girlfriend. This gotta be way more against the law."
The other girl gave a rough laugh. "Yeah, it is. But that was just a kid, not a growed man who knows how to cover his tracks, and how to make people say what he want. They say some girl tried to report Mr. Sennit. She turned up dead, right in her bed, strangled during the night. Two other kids in the house took the fall for it. After that, nobody say a fucking word."
A door slammed in the background, then another female voice. "Emma, you filling the new girl in on how things work here?"
"Yes, Mrs. Baker. She understands the rules now."
"Very good. The two of you come out here and get dinner started. Mr. Baker will be home soon."
Two Case click the audio off. "Rest of it's just normal shit, them cooking food and talking about school."
Sarah sat on my lap, tense and pale, with her hands over her mouth. I pulled her back against me. "It's okay, Sarah. This is what we need."
"So we can get her out now?"
Fuck. I shook my head. "No, we need more than just one girl talking scary shit to a new girl."
Two Case nodded. "Yeah, talking shit like that to scare the piss out of the new kid is common. We need it from Sennit. And we want the rest of his cronies, too."
Sarah looked sick. "I don't know if I can stand listening to this, Crank. To think, I put children where this predator could get to them. I'm as much to blame as he is." A big tear rolled down her cheek.
"First of all, Sarah, you had no idea what he was doing, right?"
She nodded, and another tear spilled over.
"You took kids out of bad situations and tried to make them safe, right?"
"Yes, but I should have seen the signs. Should have paid more attention." She turned into my chest. "I can't believe this is happening, and that I didn't see it."
"There are other caseworkers working with Sennit, right? Been there longer than you?"
She nodded with a sob.
"Did they know?"
She shook her head.
"No, because he was good at covering his tracks. Sarah, Sennit is a life-long sexual predator. He learned to keep his shit covered long ago, and he's good at it. For some reason, that one girl, out of dozens, maybe hundreds, of his victims, chose to talk to you. You didn't shrug it off and tell him, like you could have. You poked around, put yourself in danger. It's time to stop fucking with your own head and help us bring this bastard down."
She stayed silent, so I just rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.
Two Case stood up. "Hey, man, I had your stuff moved to another room. That shithole they put you in is supposed to be for the hourly-rate customers."
"Kinda figured that, but I didn't know if they had anything better."
"Yeah, the rooms up front are for the whores and junkies. Better rooms are in the back." He passed me a key. "Two fifteen. Ain't no second floor, but I guess they wanted the place to sound bigger or something. I’m in two sixteen."
"Thanks, man, appreciate it." I tucked Sarah's hair back. "Come on, darlin', we'll go get settled in." When she stood, I followed, and accepted Two Case's hand. "Let me know when you need me on the listening schedule." I dreaded that particular duty, but I would do my part.
"I will. We should have it covered unless something comes up."
We found the new room easily, not far from where I'd parked the car earlier. Sarah held her breath a little as I unlocked the door, then sighed with relief when she stepped inside with me. As clean as any of the big chain hotels, probably cleaner, the room had plenty of light, and smelled of disinfectant and air freshener.
"Thank God. I was afraid of that other room." She sank onto the bed, looking around.
"Yeah, I have to admit, I was too. I've slept in a few rat holes, but that was a whole new level of nasty even for me." Who knew what the fuck infested the other room. I was glad we didn't have to find out.
"I wonder why they set up the listening stuff in one of those rooms?" Her voice now held curiosity, rather the grief and dread from earlier.
"Reception, probably. The closer the transmission source is, the clearer the audio comes in." She didn't need to know they wanted to be physically closer to Lanea, too, in case something went wrong and she needed backup fast. I hadn't missed the weapons within easy reach in the room. They were ready to roll if she needed them.
"Oh. That makes sense. I guess having a whole building in between might interfere with the signal or something."
"Probably." I checked my bag, just to be on the safe side, and found everything as I'd left it. The mini-fridge sat on the dresser, beside the TV, and I found it stocked with beer, water, and a few soft drinks. "Two Case has been busy." I took out a beer, and offered Sarah a water.
"He did that?"
"Yeah. I'll get one of them to bring in some food in the morning. That way, we don't have to go out unless we want Sennit to see us."
"Why would we want that?"
I shrugged. "Just to rattle his fucking cage a little. Keep him off balance." I drained the rest of my beer and tossed the can. The way Sarah sat there on that bed, all unsure of herself, pushed my buttons and my dick swelled uncomfortably in my jeans. "You want to get your shower first? Because if you keep sitting there, I'm going to fuck you before you have a chance to."
Her eyes widened with surprise and she stood quickly. "Yes. A hot shower sounds like a good idea." She grabbed her bag and darted for the bathroom.
"Hey, Sarah."
She turned to look at me just before she closed the door. "Yes?"
"Leave the door unlocked."
Her lips parted. "Okay." She closed the door softly.
I tormented myself, imagining her getting undressed, seeing every inch of skin as it was revealed, until the water came on. My dick throbbed, begging me to go through that door and join her.
No.
She needed some time.
My dick cursed me, but I turned the TV on, instead of following orders. Searching through the channels, I found something that passed for local news. I even tried to pay attention to it, but nothing registered.
Fifteen minutes. I could live fifteen minutes before I opened that door and got in the shower with her. The image of water cascading down Sarah's body cut the time. Ten minutes.
I gave up at seven, and stripped out of my clothes, dropping them on the floor. At eight minutes, I stepped into the cloud of steam that filled the bathroom. The textured glass of the shower doors only hinted at the beauty beyond. I made it until nine minutes before I opened that door and stepped inside with her.
Crank:
She had her back to me, rinsing shampoo from her hair. Fucking irresistible. Wary of startling her, I spoke before touching her. "Hey darlin', need someone to wash your back?"
"Mmm, only if he's tall, dark, and sexy as sin."
No further invitation needed, I grabbed her bottle of shower gel, dumped some in my hand and lathered it up. I started with her back, stroking all that silky skin, then pulled her against me to reach her front. Her tits filled my hands, built just for me.
A soft moan escaped her as she let her head drop back on my shoulder when I thumbed her nipples. A light pinch earned me her ass thrust back against my hard-on. Fuck, I might die before I could get inside her.
I moved us back until my shoulders touched the end of the shower wall, then let one hand leave her tit and slide down. A light brush of my fingers over her pussy, and she thrust back harder. She easily spread her legs in response to my knee between hers.
"Bend over, baby, put your hands on the wall." The words nearly choked me. I dipped a finger between her folds and brushed over her clit, and she responded immediately, allowing me to line my dick up to her opening.
I buried my cock in her, and she met me halfway. We balanced there, basically on imagination, driving together, wet slapping sounds filling the air when our bodies met. My brain refused to register a goddamn thing, except the way her pussy gripped my cock, and the way my balls tightened.
Then suddenly all that wet heat rippled around me, squeezing, as she cried out. I locked inside her, helpless, coming until my balls turned inside out.
Keeping us upright turned into a real struggle as I returned to earth, and I finally had to lean against the side of the shower. How the fuck did she keep doing that to me? Every time I intended to play a little, and last long enough to make sure she thoroughly enjoyed it, her tight pussy clamped down and I lost it like a damn teenager.
Finally, able to stand somewhat steadily, I withdrew from her and helped her rinse off. That slick body tempted me to start again, even though my dick refused to show any signs of life. Eventually, I let her go reluctantly, so she could get dried off. I took three whole minutes to deal with the condom and wash up, then followed her.
She smiled up at me from where she sat on the side of the bed, toweling her hair dry. "You are just full of surprises."
"I am?" I searched my memory.
She nodded. "You know more delicious ways to have sex than any man on earth."
The laugh came out before I could stop it. "Darlin', you have no idea. That's okay, though. I'll happily spend the rest of my life fucking educating you." The thought that she lacked experience pleased me. I leaned in to let my mouth trail over her exposed neck.
A little shiver raced over her. "I'll just bet you will." Her head tipped back as her soft laughter filled the room.
I froze. That sexy, satisfied gleam in her eyes. I put that there. She fucking destroyed me with that look. Anything she wanted, I would do whatever it fucking took to put the same expression on her face again.
Shit. I needed some fucking distance. Nobody ever had that kind of power over me. With the way my life went, I couldn't afford it. The criminal in me drew away from her. "I'm going go over and see if Two Case has anything new. Be back in a few minutes." And I fucking bolted for my jeans.
"Okay. I think I'll go on to bed. It's been a long day."
"Yeah, it has. I'll be quiet when I come back in." I tugged my boots on, and pulled my t-shirt over my head. I leaned down to steal another kiss. "You keep that gun handy, yeah? Just in case."
She smiled and touched my jaw. "I'll be fine."
I turned away before I could confirm a tear glistened on her lashes. All the way over to the other room, I fucking cursed myself for walking out on her like that. Everything in me said go back, and hold her close, and never let go. Too fucking many people already knew she was important to me. It put her at risk. The best thing for her would be for me to go grab a pack of smokes and get the fuck up out of town.
Fergus and his boys were onto Sennit now, and they would hunt him down like a dog, so she would be safe from him. Sarah could go back to her nice small-town life, and get the kind of husband who worked regular hours, was home for dinner every night, brought her flowers on her birthday, took her out for date night once a week, and fucked her twice a week. My mind seized up on that last part. The thought of any other man touching her, ever, rocked me with a need for violent revenge.
I tapped at the door and stood clear so Two Case could see me easily. He swung the door open and signaled me to stay quiet. Lanea's voice filled the room on the audio playback from the laptop.
"…never done that before. I don't know how."
A man grunted. "Then it's time you learn. You just suck on it."
"But…it's gross. I'll get sick." She sounded timid, frightened.
"Not if you know what's good for you." The man's impatience came clearly through the speakers. "Now get down on your knees and get busy. Your boyfriend will thank me for teaching you."
Lanea's panicked-sounding breathing raised my hackles. When we started this, I assumed she was no shy virgin, but if she wasn't truly terrified, she was doing a damn good job acting.
The muffled whimpers, followed by retching, sent a chill down my spine. "I-I can't—"
"You will. They all do. Now quit playing."
She cried out. "Don't pull my hair!"
"Girl, shut up and suck, or I'll do a hell of a lot more." The fucker had no intentions of stopping.
A full ten minutes of choked sobs, punctuated by the man's groans of appreciation held us all in rigid fury.
Every shred of my instincts demanded I go snatch Lanea away from that monster and show him a little Hell Fire. I made a mental note to make sure and explain that principle to Fergus and his boys, and get them in on the party. Because that fucker was done raping kids.
I growled as the man shouted when he came, and Lanea gagged. "Two Case, is she that good an actress? Or has she really never done this stuff before?"
He shrugged and turned the audio down, maintaining that unreadable expression. "Don't know for sure, but I don't think she's acting. Girl is a warrior, always training, but even though she talks tough, she's never shown much interest in males. Females either, for that matter."
"Fuckkk. I wouldn't have agreed to her going in if I'd known that, and I know Sarah wouldn't have." I slammed a fist into the flimsy paneling on the wall, and was rewarded with a satisfying splintering noise.
"Don't break the wall, motherfucker. Calm down. Lanea is not stupid. She knew exactly what was going to happen. She chose to go ahead anyway, because this is about family honor to her. She loves Runner, and she knows what happened to him. For a long time, she's the only one he talked to. She's been waiting to avenge him, and the family, for years." He tossed me a beer from the fridge and cracked one open for himself.
The first swallow did nothing to lessen my fury. "I don't care, man. She can't let herself be raped, repeatedly, just to put that fucker in jail. Pull her out. We find another way."
Two Case grinned. "Sennit, and that scum over there, won't go to jail. Lanea will deliver that justice."
"What kind of justice?"
"She's a wizard with blades. For every piece of her they take, she'll take a hundred pieces of them."
"She doesn’t have to let them rape her to do that." The thought of Lanea cutting the bastards to bits pleased me, but her going through so much to justify it absolutely gutted me. "They already deserve it."
"Yes they do. But your woman needs solid evidence to turn over to the FBI, or whoever, to get this whole mess wrapped up. Lanea only wants Sennit, and whoever hurts her during this."
