Beast, page 6
“It was the only way she’d be safe.”
“You and I both know there were other ways to keep her safe. But here we are and now we need to formulate a plan that will move us to the next phase.” I sit back in my chair and accept the craziness in my mind as exhaustion. I haven’t slept in days. “Are you going to give it to her?”
“Of course. I haven’t been looking all these years for nothing.” Anna was smart. She knew to keep her sister a secret from everyone else. I knew about her, but just that she existed. She never revealed where she lived and only slipped up once, saying her name was IsaBelle.
“So, she has no idea her sister’s share is now worth millions?”
“No. She doesn’t have a clue about her sister.”
“When will you tell her?”
“When I know she’s safe and can handle it.” I seriously doubt she’s ready to process that kind of information. She didn’t ask a single question about Anna’s belongings, which leads me to believe Anna never told her about the land or the business. Not that anyone would assume someone who died at the age of seventeen would have a pot to piss in, let alone property that would be worth millions in just a few years.
“She reminds me of her.” Lou says what I’ve thought since I laid eyes on her.
“Just fuckin’ like her. It makes my stomach hurt seeing some of her expressions. It’s like Anna slips in and out of the room just to torment me.”
“She’d do that, wouldn’t she?” Yes, she would. I nod before finishing the last sip of my whiskey and reaching for the bottle to refill my glass.
“Do you think Gus recognized her?”
“If he didn’t realize who she was… he definitely noticed a resemblance. It’s impossible not to. Anyone who knew Anna can see it, not to mention they were fucking, so I’m sure he paid some attention to Anna’s features. It’ll just depend on Gus’s memory.”
“Then we have to keep her in this house. How do you expect to do that? She’s going to suspect something if we try to keep her trapped inside.”
“I’ll think of something; luckily I’ve had experience in dealing with a Stephens female.”
Lou starts to flip through his phone, so I sit back and do the same. I think we both see it at the same time because he yells “fuck’ before I can. He’s already hitting the numbers in his phone before I get my screen switched over.
“Where are you?” He’s short and to the point. “Who is with you?” I point to his phone and give him the signal to switch it to speaker so I can hear.
“She needed to get some things from her apartment. I’m standing outside waiting on her…” I rip the phone from Lou’s hand and take over.
“You’re what? Get the fuck inside her apartment now.”
“Ok. I’m going.”
“Who told you it was ok to leave with her?”
“We’re just getting her things…” I don’t give Chip a chance to finish.
“No, you’re not. Get her and get the fuck out of there. Drive straight back to the house.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Stay on the phone with me until you’re on the road.” Lou and I are already in my truck and driving toward town. I know where her apartment is located because of Hunter’s tap on her yesterday, which took minimal effort for us to get.
“We have to leave. Now.” He yells for her to move quickly and it’s immediately apparent that she’s going to pull some shit and give him trouble. “Listen… we will buy everything new. We have to go, right now.”
“You told me you would wait outside.”
“I changed my mind.” His response is followed by screams and her yelling. I put the gas pedal to the floor, imagining the worst before I hear Chip again. “You weren’t moving fast enough. I told you now and I meant it, so shut the fuck up for a minute until I get you to safety. You can tell me off in the truck.” There’s a bit more rustling before I hear the door slam and the ding of the truck key going in.
“Alright, Boss. We’re in the truck, headed your way.”
“Beast is behind this?” She sounds furious, which makes Lou and I both raise our eyebrows and laugh. “You think it’s funny to have your goons throw me around if I don’t do everything they say?” Her voice gets closer to the phone.
“Listen here… I’m not a damn goon, and you’ll quickly learn that sometimes you need to listen first and ask questions later. It might save your fuckin’ life one day.”
“And you’ll learn to stop dragging me out of places. It might save your fuckin’ life.” She gives it right back to him and god, it takes me back a few years and for once I’m smiling instead of wanting to off myself from a memory.
“Chip, take her back to the house and we’ll be there soon.” I hang up the second I’m done talking, knowing her questions are coming. I’ll think of a good response before we get there.
“Where are we going?” Lou starts flipping through the apps on his phone now that I’ve stopped driving like a lunatic.
“We’re cleaning out her apartment. She won’t be going there again.” I didn’t ask Lou if he was in for it, because I already knew he was. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me and the same goes back to him. I can’t think about where my life would be if I hadn’t met him six years ago.
We pull up to her apartment complex and both take the stairs to get to apartment 21B. Of course, I parked on the wrong end of the building, so we heavy foot past every fuckin door. Some of them are open, exposing filth and poverty, but I already expected that just being here. The complex has a reputation, and nothing will surprise me while we’re here.
The door isn’t locked, so the door is spared. If I didn’t know that Chip and IsaBelle just left here, I’d think someone had robbed the place. “Jesus. This place is empty as fuck.”
I do a quick search around the room and realize this is going to be a much easier task than I originally thought. There are a few piles of clothes neatly folded next to the mattress on the floor. A pillow and blanket and a few things in the bathroom.
“Shit. Was she starving? There’s just a handful of groceries and dishes in here.” Lou has opened the four cabinet doors and mini fridge to take inventory.
“Just grab what’s important and leave the rest.”
“She won’t be needing any of this. I refuse to waste an ounce of effort on this cheap shit.”
I toss the stuff from the bathroom onto the blanket, along with all her clothes with a plan of hauling it out of here in a single trip. “There’s a small bag in the corner up there.” Lou points behind her pillow, so I reach for it and toss the bag onto the mattress as well. It topples over one of the stacks and falls down the front side before the contents continue rolling and spilling at Lou’s feet.
“Well, damn.” Lou says damn while I internally say holy fuck and then we both stare at a couple of dildos and a wad of vibrators without moving a muscle.
Thank fuck it’s Lou that’s here with me and not one of the other guys because Lou might let something like this go without mortifying the poor girl. Not that I will let it go without mention. But at least she won’t have two of us.
“Girl must not’ve had a good dick in her life to need toys like this.” Lou states the obvious and I have to force myself to keep from laughing.
“I’ll make sure and mention that to her.” I bend down and individually toss each fake dick onto the covers and then shove a few handfuls of shit into the bag before sending it to the same place. “Does this look like it?”
“Looks like the important stuff.” Lou fuckin’ grins before I pull the corners of the blanket together and carry her shit out the door like I’m toting a full-blown Santa bag.
I could’ve kicked her sex toys to the side and left them for the apartment manager to deal with, but I’d miss out on an opportunity of seeing her squirm imagining what we saw when we gathered her belongings.
“Did Chip make it back to the house?” I shove the makeshift bag into the back seat and take the driver’s seat before he answers.
“It appears so. We will need to get her a phone since she must’ve ditched her other one. We haven’t had a location on her since yesterday before she went to work.”
“That’s another thing. Call the bar and let them know she no longer works there.”
“I already took care of that when I arranged for the repairs.” It’s rare that I ask for Lou to do something that he hasn’t already taken care of. He’s always prepared and usually a step ahead of everyone and those characteristics alone make him a great right-hand, not only in club business, but as a friend in life.
I’d much rather have him on my side over having him as an enemy. He’s proven that with every kill we’ve ever done together. Lou may seem put together and proper to those who don’t really know him, but he can get down to hell messy without even flinching and then walk away with zero guilt for what he’s done.
Chapter Ten
IsaBelle
Chip has only taken his eyes off of me to check his phone off and on quickly before resuming his watch. He’s got me in yet another room I’ve never seen, this one being the most comfortable I’ve been in. I melted into the cushions of the couch as soon as I sat down, even though I’m still not completely calmed down after being carried out of my apartment like a bag of dog food.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure yet; we’ll find out as soon as Beast gets back.”
“What’s it like taking orders from someone so demanding?” I’m genuinely curious how Beast has so many men ready to do anything he says. It’s a power I’ve never known, and I can’t imagine people fearing me to that extent. “Does he intimidate you into doing things you don’t want to do?”
“It’s not like that. I don’t work for Beast out of obligation to the club or fear of his wrath. I’m here out of respect. Beast saved my life and there’s not enough work in the world for me to repay him for having my back when no one else did.” Chip opens up just before his phone dings with the same sound from this morning.
“Are they back?”
“That would be Beast’s truck pulling in.” He stands to meet them at the door, but I remain seated, enjoying the comfort and not caring to make a different impression after Beast had me dragged out of my own apartment without even a second to grab my things.
Beast stomps through the room with my blanket in his grip as it sags down his back from the weight of what’s inside. “What are you doing?” He has me sitting up at the sight.
“We emptied your apartment. Do you want it all dropped here or in your room?” My heart races at the thought of him dropping my entire life at my feet in front of the other guys. I could try to carry it all just like he is, but there’s no way I’d get it up the stairs without dragging it up each step.
“Can you please take it to the room?” I rush to follow him out the door and up the stairs, having to move quickly the entire time just to keep up.
He pushes my door open and drops it all on top of the bed. Clothes and dildos roll in every direction. Oh, dear god.
I force myself to feign indifference even though I’m literally wanting to die inside from the thought of Beast and Lou finding my sex toys. Please don’t say anything… please for the love of god do not say anything about the glass dick between our feet.
“I think we got the important stuff.” He’s stone cold serious, not even a smirk of humor on the man’s face and that seems more important than my current state of mortification. Is he really so far into sadness that he can’t even find the absurdity of the situation the slightest bit funny?
“Let me see, did you get the big purple one?” He quirks an eyebrow at me before I start digging through my clothes. I toss my panties and bras around like it’s freaking raining until I finally see what I’m after. I hold it up in the air like it’s a damn Olympic torch and dramatically exhale in relief. “Ah, yes. Thank god. This is it. Thank you!” I move it to my chest and grasp onto it like it’s a long-lost photo that I want held against my heart.
He finally smirks and I quickly point the purple dick toward him. He even dodges to the left to break my aim. “Aha! He does smile.” My laughter fills the room, and his smile grows. His gorgeous grin even reaches his eyes as he shifts away from serious Beast to intrigued Beast right before my eyes.
“You’ve got quite the collection. Why the purple one?”
“It hits the spot.” Oh my god, did I just say that? I teeter near the edge of losing my mind and answer his question.
“You know the right kind of guy could do the same.”
I pause before responding and contemplate repeating something my sister once told me. I drop the purple dick to my side and decide to go for it. “A queen doesn’t rely on a man to give her what she needs.”
That gains a nod and enough intrigue to keep the smirk on his face a few seconds longer.
“You should really smile more. It makes you look more your age.” I can’t get enough of seeing him like this. I knew his demeanor would change the second I mentioned his slip up, but I wanted him to know how nice it is to see.
“I’ll take that into consideration.” He turns to leave me to my pile but stops before he reaches the door. “Dinner will be at seven. The guys will all be back, steak and lobster are on the menu. Dress accordingly.” He leaves without another glance and then closes the door.
Seven o’clock. That gives me a few hours to get ready, enough time to get all of this put away and maybe even an hour or so for the nap I so desperately need.
I start folding my clothes, quickly seeing that every single piece must be refolded. Knowing I’ll be leaving soon, I start rolling them all into space saving sizes and pack them back into my bag. When I get to the two dresses I own, I lay them both out and frown at the thought of wearing either one.
There’s a knock at my door, so I yell “come in,” fully expecting it to be Chip since he was given the job of keeping an eye on me. I’m a little nervous when Lou enters and holds out a phone, extending it toward me until I take it into my own hand. “You need this.”
“Is this one being tracked too?” I kick a dildo under the bed, hoping Lou didn’t see it.
“Consider it a safety feature.”
“I’ve never had a problem taking care of myself.” I hold up one of my dresses, busying myself with the decision of what to wear once again.
“Just consider this a backup plan. Do you need anything else?” Lou stands so perfectly straight with an impeccable posture that stands out against all of the other men I’ve met in this house, even though he fits the decor and the style to a tee.
“I don’t have a dress to wear for dinner. Beast told me to dress accordingly, whatever that means, and I don’t really have that option.” He crosses his arms and looks at me like he’s trying to solve a serious problem. Concern and deep thought move over his face before he picks up his phone and starts typing.
“Give me an hour and I’ll have something for you. Size six?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Shoes?”
“Size eight.”
“I’ll be back in about an hour.” He exits the room in a rush while I stand with everything I own and little to no dignity. I can’t believe how quick he just took over and handled my dilemma. I start thinking about all the guys seeing my apartment and try to imagine the judgement I’ll face when they start making comments. I scan the room in comparison… a guest bedroom in a huge house that in no way compares to my one room apartment with a mattress on the floor and my clothes stacked in piles around me.
I’m drawn to the dresser and even open two of the drawers before deciding to stick with the plan of packing my clothes back inside the duffel. It’s best to have everything ready to grab on a whim if I need to make a break for it or hell… I could get hauled out of here at any moment with these guys.
I draw the curtains back and let the warmth of the sun hit me, embracing the natural light before I go back to packing my stuff. The view is limited by the trees, but I love knowing the house is hidden in the forest.
Once I’ve cleared a spot on the bed, I make the mistake of sitting down to finish the tedious chore and end up falling asleep… the next thing I know, there’s another knock at the door.
“I’ve brought you a few options.” Lou saunters in with both garment and shopping bags draped along each arm.
“Oh. I didn’t expect you to do all of this. I can’t pay for these.” I’m half awake and I’m sure I’m mumbling through my words because I’m not sure how one is supposed to react to someone doing something this nice for them. It’s foreign to me and I’m not sure I like the vulnerability of it.
“Ma’am, please. Consider it a gift.”
“I can’t.”
“You must.” He drapes the garment bags over the top of my still very existent pile and begins to unzip at least four different colored dresses before moving them to the closet. “I wasn’t sure which shoe you’d prefer, so I just bought choices.”
“Lou. I can’t thank you enough, but this is too much.”
“Nonsense. Now get ready for your dinner. Towels are in the bathroom.” He closes the door and I’m still speechless, feeling like a blabbering mess of mush simply because someone was nice.
“Jesus, Izzy. Get it together.” I talk out loud to myself… because that’s what every sane person does.
Chapter Eleven
Beast
“The house is empty considering there’s supposed to be a dinner in five minutes.” I walk in on Lou in the kitchen with the chef and surprise him with my statement.
“I’ve moved the dinner for the guys to the clubhouse. Tonight, it will just be you and IsaBelle for dinner here at the house.”
“What are you up to?” I know Lou well enough to know what he’s up to… my question is meant to let him know I’m on to him.
