A few weeks? I wanted to talk to Copper now, not a few weeks from now. What would things be like between us then? Phoenix said he wasn’t mad at me, but I know I upset him by not trusting him. All because of my stupid father. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him myself.
31
My head was pounding and my whole body ached, particularly my shoulders. I tried to roll to my side and couldn’t. That had my head shooting up, despite the pain, and opening my eyes to total darkness. I tried to wriggle around, and that’s when I realized I wasn’t lying in bed but rather hanging from the ceiling, by chains.
Mother.
Fucker.
At least my feet were somewhat touching the floor.
No need to panic. I’d been in worse situations before and come out fine. I just needed to bide my time until I figured out how to get out of this mess or the cavalry showed up. And I knew they would. It was just a question of how long it would take for them to realize I was missing and find my location.
The sound of movement nearby caught my attention, and I automatically dropped my head and closed my eyes. I didn’t want anyone to know I was awake yet. Unfortunately, that plan backfired, because I didn’t see the fist to my gut coming. My head shot up again, and I heaved in a pained breath.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” a disgustingly familiar voice crowed.
I said nothing as I glared at Asp. I expected him to look haggard and stressed, but he looked calm and calculating, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.
He grinned, “I can see the wheels turning. Figured it out yet, Copper?”
No, motherfucker, I hadn’t, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
He cackled like a maniac. “I’ve always loved story time. Do you? Most people do. So, let me tell you a little story. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
I don’t know if he paused for dramatic effect or what, but it felt like it took him hours to start talking. I was looking forward to the distraction because the ache in my arms and shoulders was growing by the minute.
He laced his hands together and tapped his chin with his index fingers. “Hmm, where should I begin?”
I rolled my eyes. “At the fucking beginning, where most people do.”
He threw his head back and laughed. I watched him closely. He was clearly insane, and that did not bode well for me.
“I never liked doing things the same as everyone else. So, I think I’ll start at the end.”
He paused and stared at me as if he was waiting for my agreement. Seriously? I was fucking hanging from the ceiling. It didn’t matter if I agreed with him or not.
He huffed in annoyance at my lack of response, but finally started talking. “I’ve known about Aim’s undercover work for quite some time, probably from the very beginning. It’s the only reason I haven’t killed that rat bastard. I’m not going down for murder. I’m not going down for shit. By the time they figure it out, I’ll be long gone.”
Well, I can’t say I saw that coming. Looks like we all underestimated Asp. It didn’t matter. I just needed to stay alive and keep him talking until the club arrived.
“What will they figure out?” I asked.
“That Aim is an idiot, and they can’t pin shit on me or anyone else in the club.”
What? Of course, they could. Hell, my club even had proof of their gun running. Not to mention kidnapping Layla and bombing my clubhouse. I didn’t ask, but I was sure Tiny and Coal could attest to their clubhouse being full of drugs. But it wasn’t in my best interest to argue with him.
He cackled loudly before plowing his fist into my gut, again. “Whenever there’s a problem with the club, who does everyone direct their attention to? The President. Not the VP. Not the officers. Just the President. So, I created some situations to keep the focus on Aim and not what I was really up to. I knew you fuckers didn’t kill my brother and sister, but it was easy to point the finger at the Blackwings. Everyone was running around talking about how they didn’t want a war with the big, bad Blackwings and worrying about how to keep the peace while I was busy selling off stolen guns and wiping out the club’s funds.”
Fuck. It was never a good sign when your captor started spilling all their secrets. It meant only one thing; he wasn’t worried about me telling anyone else because he was planning on killing me before I had a chance.
“Now, let’s have some fun. I have another surprise for you,” he said with an evil glint in his eyes.
He nodded to a man standing guard by a door. Seconds later, the door opened, and my heart exploded in my chest. Layla and Annabelle were shoved into the room before the door slammed shut again.
“Surprise!” Asp shouted and threw his hands into the air.
Layla gasped and started toward me, but Asp put his hand out and roughly stopped her. “I don’t think so, bitch. You stay right there and don’t move.”