Twisted Pieces (14 page)

“
Easy
now,
”
Miller said.
“
One piece at a time.
”

Miller turned and walked away and
the rest of the guys followed. Blaine patted Jace on the back and kept moving.

“
You
know,
”
Gaige said, when he
and Jace were alone outside,
“
you
took a hit for me, man. To protect Emily from Strokner. He wanted her. He
wanted to do to her what
’
s
happening now to Jordyn.
”

“
Yeah.
And you
’
re okay with it.
”

“
I
’
m not okay with it,
”
Gaige said.
“
But I have to fix what
’
s wrong. And I have to keep my
club in order.
”

“
All
this
my
talk,
”
Jace
said.
“
Last time I checked,
your patch still read
V
ice
President.
”

Gaige smirked.
“
Yeah, it does. I trust you,
Jace. When you say something, I listen. You brought Jordyn to us as though we
could use her. But then I saw the way you looked at her. That
’
s the way I look at Emily, bro.
You get that?
”

“
I
’
m not having this conversation,
”
Jace said.
“
I just don
’
t want her to get hurt. I
’
m sick of innocent people
getting hurt. After seeing so much shit in prison. Shit on the street. Fuck,
this Strokner thing started because his daughter was somewhere she didn't
realize she shouldn't be. I
’
m
done with it, Gaige.
”

Gaige touched Jace
’
s shoulder.
“
You
’
re only done with it because you found something
else to care about. There
’
s
nothing wrong with that. Just like you didn
’
t
hurt the judge
’
s kid. You
could have though, right?
”

“
He
was already getting the shit beat out of him, man. The work was being done for
me.
”

“
Fuck
that,
”
Gaige said.
“
You didn
’
t do it because you had something else to care for.
Dude, it
’
s not a bad thing.
”

“
And
how does it end?
”
Jace
asked.
“
Tell me. How does
it fucking end? With us getting sent away? Getting killed? And you want to drag
Emily through that?
”

“
She
’
s here because she wants to be here.
And she knows I
’
ll give her
every second and breath I have.
”
Gaige let go of Jace
’
s
shoulder.
“
I trust in what
you say, Jace. We
’
re going
to find out what the fuck is going on and take care of it. We
’
ve been through a lot and I'm
sorry it
’
s not slowing
down. But when you're the most feared and the best at what you do, there
’
s always going to be someone
wanting us dead.
”

Gaige started to walk away. Jace
gritted his teeth.
“
I did
it for the same reasons I am now.
”

Gaige stopped.
“
What?
”

“
What
I did for Emily. I couldn
’
t
imagine her being ripped away and taken advantage of by Strokner. I knew she
meant something to you. But now I have to sit back and watch Jordyn walk away
right into his arms.
”

“
It
hurts, doesn
’
t it?
”

“
What
if I say it does?
”

“
Then
I
’
d say you care more in
your heart than your dumb mind will admit.
”

“
I
promised to protect her, Gaige.
”

“
So
then protect her,
”
Gaige
said.
“
And thank you, for
what you did with Emily. You saved her, bro. I trust you will keep Jordyn safe.
”

The night settled in and darkness
swept over. Jace stood outside alone for a while. He had no interest in
drinking. No need to shoot pool, make jokes, or even fucking laugh. He wasn't
even sure he wanted to see Jordyn.

Jace forced himself to go into the
clubhouse. As he passed the bar, he was handed two cold beers. His plan was to
sit and talk with Jordyn. Tell her what had just happened with Gaige. It couldn
’
t hurt to open up a little more.
Tell her he cared about her. Maybe that would get her to stop this. To refuse
to go back to Strokner. The only way he knew he could protect her was if she
was right there with him at the clubhouse.

Jordyn was asleep on top of the
covers in the same clothes from before. She looked beautiful with her hair
sprawled out behind her. Like a peaceful angel resting on the devil
’
s bed.

Jace put the beers on the
nightstand and stepped out of his boots. He reached down to scoop her up and
then climbed onto bed, kicking the covers down. Gently, he placed Jordyn back
on the bed and covered her. He walked back to the door and turned off the main
light. He sat down on the bed next to Jordyn and turned on a small lamp next to
him. He grabbed a beer and twisted the cap off. He stared ahead, thinking.

I care about her. I shouldn
’
t. I don
’
t want
to
.
I want her
to be
safe. Happy. Gone from this goddamn clubhouse.
And
gone from
this goddamn life.

Jace looked over at Jordyn and for
the first time since getting taken to prison, he feared for his own life. If
the alleged evidence against him was actually brought to light, it was all over
for him.  

Jace squeezed his eyes shut.

He couldn
’
t face this right now.

When he opened his eyes, Jordyn
rolled over. She threw an arm around him and smiled with a sighed. She climbed
up him and put her head to his chest.

“
You
made it back,
”
she
whispered.

“
Always,
”
Jace whispered.

He kissed the top of Jordyn
’
s head and finished the beer. He
dropped the empty bottle to the floor and reached for the second one.

Jordyn was making it impossible for
Jace not to want to spend forever with her. Something had to be done.

fourteen.

Jordyn stood in the mirror in the
same bathroom in the same building. This time tears built up in her eyes. She
wiped them away and let out a shaky sigh. For the past three nights she spent
her time in Jace's bed
…
his body against hers, her body rocking at him, taking, accepting, Jace eager
to love her body. And, yes, Jace eager to
fuck
her when she needed it
most.

But each morning, Jace gave her a
ride to her apartment where she dressed and got ready for another day of hell
with Mr. Strokner.

Mr. Strokner had been eerily quiet
and normal for the past few days, but that changed this morning. In the hall,
Mr. Strokner stopped Jordyn and put his lips to her ear.

“
I
want those panties
…
meeting at two
…
I
’
m going to
have those panties with me during the entire meeting. And you
’
ll be there too.
”

Jordyn wanted to throw up. But she
managed to nod and move on with her morning and early afternoon. Her stomach
couldn
’
t handle lunch and
right now, her emotions couldn
’
t
handle standing in this damn bathroom to take her panties off.

But that
’
s what she needed to do.

Jordyn shut her eyes and managed to
take her panties off without looking at her reflection in the mirror. She
balled the panties up in her hand and squeezed them tight, wishing they would
disappear.

She then left the bathroom and
walked to the conference room.

Mr. Strokner had three private
conference rooms on his floor. They were for the most important and pressing
business matters. This meeting was taking place in the conference room closest
to his office.

Jordyn checked Mr. Strokner
’
s office first and he wasn
’
t there. She found him in the
conference room, already setup and waiting for her.

“
There
she is,
”
Mr. Strokner
whispered.
“
All mine.
”

“
Hello,
sir,
”
Jordyn said.

“
Do
you have something for me?
”

“
Yes,
sir.
”

Jordyn opened her hand and showed
Mr. Strokner her panties. They were all black with a lacy trim. Mr. Strokner
grabbed them and smiled. He smelled them, just like he had done with the
others. He squeezed them tight in his left hand for a few seconds before
slipping them into his pocket.

“
I
want you here for this,
”
Mr. Strokner said.
“
I want
you to observe and then I want you to ask a question when it
’
s over. If it
’
s the right question, you
’
ll be rewarded. If it
’
s the wrong question, you
’
ll be punished.
”

Punished?

Jordyn had never heard the word
punished
used before by Mr. Strokner. Hearing it and seeing the look on his face when he
said it horrified her. But she kept her composure and simply stood in place and
looked at Mr. Strokner.

“
I
can see you understand me,
”
he said.
“
Now, please go to
the end of the table and sit.
”

Jordyn went to the last chair and
sat down. A few minutes later, Mr. Strokner
’
s
personal secretary brought three men into the room. They were all dressed in
suits, carrying briefcases. They looked very nervous to be near Mr. Strokner. Bold
and maybe even a little callous, Mr. Strokner refused to stand to greet the men.

The business meeting got right down
to business. The men started to rattle off numbers, interest rates, and
something about special financing provided by the county and even on a state
level.

Mr. Strokner laughed.
“
Financing? Do you know who I am?
”

“
Well,
Mr. Strokner, if there were an issue with funds being tied in other investments
…”

“
I
can finance myself and half this damn town. If I wanted the land, I would take
it,
”
Mr. Strokner said with
a cocky smirk.

“
We
feel that the problem will only grow,
”
one of the men said.
“
It
’
s risky and we need the right
man to make it happen. That man is you. We have the muscle and manpower to
support you.
”

“
I
love how I
’
m going to steal
land, but yet I have to purchase it.
”

“
Well,
for all legality purposes,
”
another man said.
“
You
could understand that. We
’
re
not the outlaws here.
”

Everyone shared a laugh. When Mr.
Strokner stopped laughing, the men hurried to do the same. Jordyn realized then
that Mr. Strokner was enjoying this power he had over the these men.

“
We
’
re all working together here,
”
one of the man said.

“
Bullshit,
”
Mr. Strokner yelled.
“
You need me. You want me. I have
the money. I have the power and the lawyers you don
’
t. You
’
re
afraid to take those guys on."

“
It
’
s not the image we are concerned
about,
”
another man said.
“
It
’
s
a long history. Plenty of respectable people have taken up with them in one way
or another.
”

“
Just
like me?
”

“
You
’
re on a different mindset, Mr.
Strokner.
”

“
That
I am.
”
Mr. Strokner made a
fist and slammed it to the table.
“
But
I have no interest in getting involved. I prefer to hold my position. Let them
have it. They know I
’
m
sniffing. I
’
ve made that
very clear. That alone is enough fear, correct?
”

The room was quiet for a few
seconds.

“
Well,
it certainly helps
…”

“
And
because it doesn
’
t cost me
a dime, it
’
s a win for all
of us,
”
Mr. Strokner said.
“
Right now, gentlemen
…”
Mr. Strokner stood and
adjusted his tie.
“
Right
now, I have some pressing matters at hand here. There are several business
propositions on my table that I cannot ignore. This, sadly, isn
’
t one of them. I don
’
t like doing business with cowards.
I'm sorry.
”

“
We're
not cowards
…”

“
You
are. You can leave now.
”

The men stood. One of the men crept
closer to Mr. Strokner.
“
This
isn
’
t right. You know it
isn
’
t right.
”

“
But
it doesn
’
t affect me. This
is your problem, Steve. Not mine. Maybe it'll become mine. But right now, I
’
m going to hold out. Take it
easy, guys.
”

The men left the room and Jordyn
hurried to her feet. She really wasn
’
t
sure what she had just been part of.

Mr. Strokner stood and shook his
head. He then pointed to the door and told Jordyn to lock it. He was closer to
the door, but he had the power so people listened when he spoke.

Jordyn hated it. So much. She locked
the door and then paused for a few seconds, preparing herself for Mr. Strokner
to touch her. But he didn
’
t.
Instead, he leaned close to her and whispered,
“
You
’
re so loyal. I like that. Now
come sit with me, so we can have a meeting ourselves.
”

Jordyn nodded. She turned and sat
down at the table again. Mr. Strokner put his briefcase on the table next to
her and opened it. He pulled out another folder. He then reached into his
pocket and took out Jordyn
’
s
panties. He smelled them again before tossing them into the briefcase. He
closed it and opened the folder in front of him.

“
Those
men are desperate for me to purchase a piece of land,
”
Mr. Strokner said.
“
Do
you know why?
”

“
No,
sir.
”

He took out the listing of the land
with a detailed picture of it. He pushed the folder away and turned the paper
for Jordyn to see.

“
Looks
like a serene, quiet piece of land in Frelen away from everything, right?
”

“
Sure.
”

“
Other
people see it as a huge opportunity to develop for commercial use and turn
massive profits. They want me to buy this. But not develop it.
”

“
So
you can turn it when the market stabilizes?
”
Jordyn asked.

“
Oh,
look at that beautiful mind of yours working. That would be a nice play, wouldn
’
t it? Grab it cheap, hold it for
a few years, let it sit on my books, write off the taxes and other measly
expenses, and then develop it, sure. The problem is that it
’
s not for sale. Someone owns it.
”

“
Who?
”

“
Back
Down Devil MC,
”
Mr.
Strokner said with contempt in his voice.
“
Those
pricks own it. It
’
s all
theirs.
”

“
That
’
s why they
’
re afraid?
”
Jordyn asked.

“
Yes.
They can
’
t take on the MC.
Miller would never let the land be sold. So these savvy political assholes
decided to give me a chance to basically steal the property from the club. They
’
d sue, but it would get lost in
the court system for a long time. So long that maybe Back Down Devil wouldn
’
t exist anymore. Actually, that
’
s exactly what would happen. Do
you know why?
”

“
No,
sir, I don
’
t.
”

Mr. Strokner leaned toward Jordyn.
He put a finger to the paper.
“
Because
this is where they hide bodies, Jordyn. This is where they rid their evidence.
This is why they need the land. And if I bought it and started digging
…
do you know what would happen?
”

Jordyn nodded.
“
They
’
d get into trouble.
”

“
Trouble?
What a cute word. From such a cute woman.
”

Mr. Strokner ran a hand up Jordyn
’
s leg. He slipped his fingers
under her skirt and climbed up her bare leg. It took all of Jordyn
’
s focus not to smack his hand
away and scream.

She stared at the piece of paper
with the land on it.

More murder. So much more
…

She thought about a time - not that
long ago - that she had a really long conversation with her grandmother about
life, love, family, careers, and money. In Jordyn
’
s
mind, it almost seemed laid out, like the plan she had in college. She would
get her dream job and then, at some random point, a wonderful man would step
into her life and change everything. That man would be handsome, successful,
and have a heart worth loving for the rest of her life. She pictured the two
story house with shudders that matched the door. The elegant landscaping and
white picket fence.

It was all there.

She could feel
…
it
…

Jordyn gasped and jumped.

“
No,
it
’
s okay,
”
Mr. Strokner said.

Jordyn looked down and came back to
reality. Mr. Strokner was pressing two fingers to her body. He slipped inside
her and pulled back. When Jordyn looked at him, he was moving toward her.
Before Jordyn could say a word, Mr. Strokner pressed his lips to hers. Things
had never gotten this serious before.

In fear of being hit again, Jordyn
remained still. Mr. Strokner kissed her only twice and then stopped. He closed
his eyes and let out deep breaths. His hot breath was gross. The touch of his
fingers was awkward.

“
We
shared this moment,
”
he
spoke.
“
I trust you,
Jordyn. And when I take care of things, you
’
ll
be there with me.
”
Mr.
Strokner took his fingers from Jordyn
’
s
center. He touched the listing, leaving two small wet dots.
“
It
’
s
time I start to replace what I
’
ve
lost. The world keeps moving. I must do the same. Do you understand?
”