“Speaking of which…” Connie pointed to the floor. “Do you still want to find out about the mysterious woman in the dungeon? There’s nobody downstairs right now.”
Evie clenched her hands by her side. Did she want to go down there? Did she really want to know? She could just ask Zane, but it would bring up all the issues and emotions again. And yet woman’s life could be at stake. After confronting Jagger, feeling the power of her anger, she wasn’t as afraid of the Sinners as she had been before. She wasn’t a victim. If she was even going to consider being part of this world, she needed to understand it. And if they were doing something that was morally wrong, if they were hurting innocent people, she needed to know that, too.
She reached out, gave Connie’s hand a squeeze. “I need you to run interference. I’ll just be five minutes.”
Connie raced outside and Evie headed into the kitchen and then down the stairs to the basement. The lights were still on, illuminating the open space. She skirted around the pool table, taking care not to knock over the beer bottles lining the edges and the ashtrays full of butts. Smoke lingered in the air, and the floor was awash with hoodies, pizza boxes and crumpled newspapers.
Heart thudding, she made her way to the far end of the game room and knocked on a metal door beside a long, dark hallway. “Hello?” She waited and knocked again.
No answer.
She moved down to the second door and knocked, speaking louder this time. “Hello? Is anyone in there?”
“Who’s that?”
Evie startled at the sound of a woman’s voice and fought back a wave of nausea.
“Evie. My name is Evie. Are you okay?”
She heard the scrape of iron on concrete, the thud of feet, and then the woman’s voice, louder now.
“Evie? You a sweet butt? House mama?” She had a harsh voice, grating and hard. “Did they send you to look after me in case I’m on the rag or PMSing or some other woman thing that’ll scare the shit out of them?”
“No. I’m just … visiting.”
The woman barked a laugh. “Visiting? This ain’t no tourist attraction. You coming in?”
“No. I can’t.” She drew in a ragged breath. “What’s your name? Did they hurt you?”
Silence. And then the woman’s voice softened. “I’m Doreen. What is this? Why are you here?”
“I just…” Why was she here? “I heard they had a woman in the dungeon and I wanted to know if it was true, and maybe, I thought I could get you out.”
“Ah.” Doreen gave a heavy sigh. “You’re not part of the MC, are you?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so. You sound like a good person. You got a nice voice, sweet and soft. Kinda innocent like. You got kids Evie?”
“Yes. I have boy. He’s eight years old.”
Doreen gave a little sob. “Me too. I got a little boy. He’s just learning to walk. I miss him something fierce.”
Evie’s heart squeezed in her chest. “Who’s looking after him?”
“He lives with my mom. Viper killed his dad. I came to the morgue in Conundrum to see my Axle one last time. That’s when the Sinners took me.”
“Which Sinner?” Her voice dropped to a whisper, but the woman heard her.
“The dark one with the long hair is the one who caught me. I think his name is Zane.”
Evie covered her mouth to stifle her moan.
“They thought Viper would pay to get me back ’cause I was wearing his old lady cut,” Doreen continued. “But I told ‘em, Viper doesn’t care about me. He told me that the first time he threw me on his bed. Told me I was nothing but a place for his dick.”
“Oh, God.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ll do everything I can to get you out of here. I’ll call the police…”
“No.” Doreen barked the word so loud Evie stepped back from the door. “This is biker business. You don’t involve the cops or everyone goes down. You gotta find another way.”
Evie heard footsteps on the stairs, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. And dammit someone had to answer for this. She stiffened her spine, folded her arms, and glared when Arianne walked into the room.
“What are you doing down here?”
She opened her mouth to lie, but what was the point? She was standing right outside the door and Arianne would have heard her talking. “There’s a woman in that room.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Evie took a step toward Arianne. “We have to get her out of there.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?” Arianne gestured her away from door, keeping her voice low. “Doreen knew the risks involved if she crossed the border into Conundrum. Just like Zane knew the risks of disobeying Jagger. They both got punished the biker way, although Doreen wasn’t hurt because Jagger doesn’t allow violence toward women, and women usually. aren’t involved in biker business. This was an exception.”
“She’s imprisoned. And away from her son. That’s hurting her.”
Arianne rolled her eyes. “She’s a Black Jack old lady so it’s hard to know how much she says is lies and how much is the truth. But one thing I know for sure, Viper didn’t force that cut on her. The only way to get Viper’s old lady cut is to get rid of the woman wearing it and be stronger than the next woman who wants it. Viper thinks it’s amusing to watch them fight over him. Doreen is a hard woman. She’s ruthless, conniving, and vicious. She injured two of the junior patch who were sent down to bring her food, and that’s with her hands tied.” Her lips curled into a grin, and she lowered her voice to a whisper. “You want a little taste? Walk up the stairs really loud then come down again real quiet.”
Evie did as she asked and returned to Arianne’s side. Arianne put a finger to her lips. “Yo, Doreen.” She bashed her fist on the door. “She’s gone, so don’t waste your breath with the sob stories. We both know what goes on in the clubhouse. And guess what? Your ass is mine next time Jagger wants some intel, and I’m no softie like the boys. I know where to stick it so it hurts.”
“Fuck off you fucking bitch.” Doreen shrieked. “The minute I get outta here, I’m coming for you. It’s your face I’m gonna cut up first. I’m gonna make it so Jagger gets fucking sick every time he looks at you. Then I’m going after the dark one who snatched me. It’ll be a slice and dice. This fucking clubhouse is gonna run red with Sinner blood. I’m saving Jagger for last. He’ll be a present for Viper. I’ll deliver him all wrapped up in a bow made of your sweet little girl’s hair.”
“Our world,” Arianne said quietly. She gestured Evie toward the stairs. “You have to be strong to survive. But we do have rules and a code. And we have our own rough brand of justice.”
Still shaken by Doreen’s outburst, Evie paused on the stairs. “But how do people with kids handle this kind of life?”
“You should talk to Dawn, or Dax’s old lady, Sandy,” she said. “Or any of the other old ladies. Most of them choose to keep their family life separate from the club. And that’s fine. There are no rules for old ladies. It’s whatever works for them. And yeah, sometimes their men come home battered, bruised, and broken, but that happens to civilians, too. Boxers, fighters, stuntmen … they all put themselves in danger. The old ladies patch them up, give them heck, and then love them until they do it again. It’s the risk we take to live this life. It’s what we do to survive. But it’s a life of freedom, honor, loyalty, and brotherhood; a life where you make the rules.”
“You love this life.”
Arianne’s face softened. “Yes, I do. Although I almost gave it up to get away from Viper. But then I met Jagger, and I found a way to make it work for me. That’s the thing about love. It makes the impossible possible. And it won’t be denied.”