“You want me...to talk to your hostage?” I breathe. This is far too good to be true. “But...why me?”
“I think a good woman-to-woman chat would do her some good,” Leo shrugs, “I’d send in Blaire, or Quinn, or one of the other girls, but I think the whole porn star thing might freak her out a bit. You’re less intimidating.”
“Thanks? I guess?” I stammer.
“So, you up for it?” Leo asks, setting his strong hands on my shoulders. “The Wraiths could really use your help with this one, Kelly. Who knows? Maybe we can take you off office duty and make you our full-time hostage babysitter for the time being.”
“Anything for the club,” I say softly, staring up into those gleaming eyes of his.
What I mean, of course, is anything for Kassie. But I realize that I’d do anything for Leo, too. At the end of the day, where does my loyalty lie, anymore? I can’t bear to dwell on that question for too long. I’m a little afraid of the answer.
“Great,” Leo grins, “Let’s go. The dishes can wait until our little damsel has been quieted down.”
I trail Leo out of the house in a daze. Is he seriously going to lead me right to Kassie? Looks like my job from the Nine just got a whole lot easier. Well, the first part, anyway. Soon, I’ll know where Kassie’s being kept, and be able to make sure that she’s safe. But after that, how to go about mending relations between the clubs? Something about their brewing conflict still doesn’t make any sense to me. There’s a piece of information I’m missing, I’m sure of it. But where to look for it next?
We climb onto Leo’s Harley and fly off at full speed. Night has fallen on the Nevada landscape, and on this moonless night the bike’s headlights are blazing bright. I’m sure that Leo can feel my heart pounding through my chest against his back as we soar along. I can’t wait to get to Kassie, to see with my own two eyes that she’s safe after all. By now, I know that Leo would never hurt her, or any innocent woman. But the other Wraiths? There’s something brutal about some of them that I haven’t come to trust, just yet.
I can hear the ruckus of the Devil’s Playpen before the Nest even comes into view. Pounding bass, shouting voices, hoots and hollers of drunken men and girls alike fill the night air. Now I understand why they built this compound so far off the beaten path. As we approach the Nest, I see the Playpen gleaming like a beacon in the dark. Neon, flashing lights burst out of every crack in the tall structure. Dozens of people mill about outside, flirting and coercing and propositioning. A few couples have already slipped within the barracks to continue their fun in private. Their rowdy voices cut through the classic power ballads pumping out of the Playpen.
“Now you get to see this place in full swing,” Leo says, parking his Harley in front of the Wraith’s chapel.
“Lucky me,” I murmur, climbing off the bike.
“What, not a fan of strip clubs?” Leo laughs.
“Just not a fan of the men this one seems to attract,” I say, narrowing my eyes at the douchey business types all around.
“Think of it this way,” Leo says, slinging an arm over my shoulders, “We’re scamming them out of insane amounts of money. They’re paying us for an illusion. The girls in there are the ones with all the power. Sounds better right?”
“A little,” I allow, “I guess it does.”
“That’s the spirit,” Leo says, “Now, come on. Let’s introduce you to your new playmate.”
I grab Kassie’s jacket from the saddlebag, and Leo leads me off across the compound, away from the pulsing den of sin that is the Playpen. I cross my arms tightly, trying to hide my shaking hands. This could either be a fantastic development for me and Kassie, or our undoing. Only the next few moments will tell.
“Where are you keeping her?” I ask, looking around the Nest for signs of life.
“You’ll see,” Leo smiles, “We’ve found, over the years, that the very best place to hide something—or someone—is in plain sight.”
“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” I mutter, as I spot a faint light in the distance.
The battered old RV that I was so lustily pressed up against on my first day here is standing just before us. The shadowy figures of Buck and Dewey pace around it, obscured by the dark night. But from within the rusty motor home, a faint light glows. They’ve been keeping Kassie in that shoddy old can? Not a hundred yards away from where I’ve spent most of the past two days? Those sly sons of bitches.
“How’s our little princess?” Leo asks, as we draw up next to Buck and Dewey.
“Still raving like a maniac,” Buck grumbles.
“She tried to brain me with a toaster,” Dewey puts in.
I swallow a smile with some difficulty. Of course Kassie hasn’t been taking her captivity quietly. These guys abducted the wrong chick if they were looking for a cooperative hostage.
“She asking for anything in particular, or she just pissed?” Leo asks.
“She wants to talk to someone from Dante’s Nine,” Dewey replies, “She wants them to know she’s OK, or whatever.”
“I’m gonna let her talk to Kelly instead,” Leo says.
I swallow hard. If only he knew that by talking to me, Kassie does get a direct line to Dante’s Nine. God, if he knew...
“What in the hell is she gonna do?” Buck scoffs, rolling his eyes at me.
“A whole lot more than you have,” I snap back, “She’ll appreciate having a half decent, full-brained human being to speak to, I’m sure.”
“You little—” Buck growls, taking a step toward me.
“Hey,” Leo spits, “You cool it around my woman, you hear me? That’s an order.”
“She started it,” Buck mutters.
“Idiot,” Leo sighs, shaking his head at the dimmest of the Wraiths.
He takes me by the hand and leads me to the door of the RV. The entrance is dead bolted, impossible to get out of from the inside. As Leo unlocks the impenetrable device, I hear a very familiar voice call out from within.
“I thought I told you to stay the hell away from me, Buck!”
Kassie, I think to myself, arrested by the sound of my best friend’s voice. It’s so good to hear her speak. Or rather, shout like there’s no tomorrow.
“It’s Leo, Kassie,” my man says, forcing patience into his voice, “Can I come in?”