Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4) Read online

  His gaze narrowed. “You think you’re going to stop me from seeing my nephew?”

  “Not unless you plan on hurting him.” She lowered her voice. “He’s beautiful. So perfect. So precious.”

  Something flickered in his eyes. Something…human.

  “A bastard child,” he barked.

  Karen stopped herself from retorting that Runt was a bastard as well. His bastard. Didn’t the man have an ounce of feeling for his own child? How had he reacted when Runt was born? And who in God’s name would call a child “Runt?” Certainly the boy had been given a more appropriate name than that.

  “What about Runt?” she whispered, unable to resist goading him. “He’s a bastard child, too. Your son. Please tell me you gave him a more appropriate name than Runt.”

  His lip curled back in a snarl. “Leave that retard out of this. He’s nothing more than a whore’s screw-up. He never should have lived. He never deserved a better name than Runt, so that’s all he got.”

  “That’s a horrible thing to say!” Karen glared up at him. “Runt is a sweet, beautiful little boy. How can you be so cold to him? How can you not love him?”

  “Because he’s a weakling,” he roared, his eyes darkening with rage. “A worthless…weakling.”

  He shoved Karen aside and headed for the door to Tonya’s room. The man didn’t have a heart. He didn’t even care about his own child and there was no way Karen could make him care.

  Refocusing on the new baby, she rushed after him. “Damon wouldn’t be a bastard if you’d allowed his father to live, if you’d allowed his father to marry Tonya and provide for him like he wanted.”

  Viper spun to face her, his creepy pink gaze narrowing to tiny slits. “Don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t allow. That son-of-a-bitch was using her to get to me. He never loved her. He sure as hell never planned to marry her.”

  Karen shook her head. “You’re too blinded by your racist beliefs to see that your sister loved Tyrone. And she loves this baby. You were in love once. You know how it feels. Surely you understand?”

  He lifted a hand as if to strike her. Karen froze, but she held her ground. Their gazes locked.

  He paused, his jaw clenching, then he lowered his hand. “You will not speak of Monica around me ever again, you hear me?”

  Karen refused to be intimidated. She held his gaze. “I hope someday you get over this bunched up hatred inside you. Whatever your problem is, just let it go.”

  Viper shoved her aside. “What do you know of it? You’ve never been a freak, a reject. Get out of my way.” He pushed open the door to Tonya’s room.

  A freak? A reject? Had Viper been mistreated as a child? It would make perfect sense if he had. He was different. Strange. She imagined he’d been teased, ridiculed. But that was no excuse for the way he treated his son.

  She marched after him, not about to let him harm his nephew.

  Tonya glanced up. She smiled at her brother. Carrie and Delilah hovered back out of the way, waiting to see what Viper would do.

  “Want to see your nephew?” Tonya held the baby up. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

  Karen tensed, her gaze darting to Viper to gauge his reaction.

  Silence stretched. Karen held her breath, her gaze never leaving Viper’s face. And then, something remarkable happened. His harsh features softened, just a tad, but Karen was watching him so closely that she noticed the slight change in him. He hesitated, then stepped closer to the bed.

  “He’s…so…perfect,” he murmured.

  Tonya’s gaze flew to Karen’s and she gave a quick nod, indicating it was okay for Karen to leave. Still, Karen hesitated. She wanted to be sure...

  “Want to hold him?” Tonya asked.

  Karen almost laughed at the sudden terror that flickered across Viper’s face. “I…uh…no.” He stumbled back. “I have to go. I…” He turned and fled, slamming the door behind him.

  Karen was beginning to understand Viper. Somewhere deep down, he was still human. If she hadn’t witnessed his reaction to his nephew with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed it. Even the toughest of assholes could be softened by a baby’s precious innocence.

  So why was Viper so cold and unfeeling toward his own child? Did it make him feel inferior that he’d spawned a “defective” child? Was that why he was so cruel to the boy?

  Yes. That was his problem. It had to be. That was why he kept himself from feeling anything toward his own son.

  Because it made him feel weak.

  * * *

  Viper paused out in the hallway. He drew in a sharp breath and leaned back against the wall. Tonya’s baby was perfect. Beautiful. With no imperfections. So unlike Runt.

  Having a child with a whore had never been a part of Viper’s plans. The thought of fathering a child had terrified him. He wasn’t father material. What did he have to offer a boy? He was an albino, a freak, a weirdo. He sure as hell wasn’t a good role model.

  When he brought in a new batch of whores, the first thing Viper did was select the one who appealed to him and make her exclusively his. Whenever he chose a whore, the woman had to be free of diseases and put on birth control. Viper hated condoms and refused to use them. He expected the whores to be vigilant with contraceptives. He always made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate a pregnancy.

  Susan had forgotten to take her pills for a few days, which resulted in her becoming pregnant with Runt.

  If ever Viper had imagined having a child, it would have been with Monica, the love of his life. Long ago, he’d fantasized about a happily ever after with her, of raising a family together, strong sons and beautiful daughters, but that dream had died with Monica.

  When Susan had first informed Viper she was pregnant, he’d ordered her to get rid of it. He’d thought she had, until her stomach began to swell and he discovered she hadn’t gotten the abortion he’d demanded she get.

  “I couldn’t do it,” she’d cried. “I want this baby.”

  “Well I don’t!” he’d snarled.

  “That’s okay,” she’d whispered. “I’ll take care of it. You won’t have to do anything.”

  Against his better judgment, he’d allowed her to remain at the compound and give birth to his son.

  When Runt had been born three months premature, no one had believed the baby would survive. Though Susan had begged, Viper had refused to allow the infant to be taken to a hospital where he could receive special care in a NICU. If the kid was meant to live, he would survive without medical care. With Susan and Tonya’s nurturing, and with the assistance of the other whores, Runt had hung on.

  Though he would never admit it to anyone, Viper was pleased the boy had survived. It meant Runt had some strength, that there was a piece of Viper in him somewhere. The child wasn’t a complete wimp.

  But Runt’s prematurity, and his lack of proper medical care, kept his brain from developing properly.

  Viper’s son was a retard.

  And that hurt most of all.

  Viper wanted nothing to do with the boy. Knowing he had spawned such a weak, helpless fool, made him feel inferior. It reminded him he was a reject. A freak.

  It just reinforced his belief that he wasn’t father material. How could he be a father when he couldn’t even produce a healthy child?

  As the years passed, Viper would see Runt around the compound on occasion. The child always cowered away from him, hiding under a table or in a corner, acting more dog than human. Which disgusted Viper. What the hell was wrong with the kid?

  Viper never claimed the boy as his own. He was too ashamed. He hated weakness. Most of the bikers didn’t even know the kid was his. They just thought he was one of the whores’ mistakes. Which was true. Runt was a terrible mistake. He never should have been born.

  Viper tried to force the weakness out of the boy whenever he could, but nothing worked. Runt was indeed a retard.

  Seeing Tonya’s perfect, healthy son only reinforced Viper’s insecurities, reminding him of his ow
n failure, of his own imperfect child. Reminding Viper he was a freak.

  He’d fled, unable to look at the perfect baby any longer. Unable to witness such perfection when his own son was so flawed.

  Viper shoved away from the wall and headed down the hallway. He needed something to get his mind off his perfect little nephew. And off his own imperfect son.

  He needed a long ride on his motorcycle. The scream of the engine, the wind whipping around him.

  He needed speed.

  He needed to purge himself of his insecurities before any of his men saw his weakness.

  Viper needed his Harley.

  * * *

  As Karen made her way back to Stoner’s room, she spied Rebel sitting alone at a table drinking a beer. Scar was laying on the floor at his feet. She paused. The giant clock on the wall indicted it was nearly one o’clock in the morning. Rebel looked troubled.

  And Karen had a soft spot for the young man.

  She made her way across the room to his table. She pulled back a chair across from him. His gaze flew to hers. His mouth curled up into a smile that looked genuine. Karen didn’t think he was acting just now. It pleased her that he was letting down his guard around her. She liked Rebel and wanted to know more about him.

  “Hey Karen. How are ya? Did Tonya have her baby?”

  “Fine. And yes, she did. A beautiful little boy. She named him Damon.”

  Rebel nodded. “Cool.”

  He glanced down at his beer. “You want one of these?”

  “Sure, but I can get it.” She started to turn away, but he waved her into the chair.

  “I’ll get it. What kind you want?”

  “Dark beer. Negra Modelo will work.”

  He disappeared into the kitchen area with Scar at his heels. Karen glanced around. There was only one other occupied table in the dining area. Grizzly, the big hairy biker who’d helped Viper torture Stoner, was seated at a table halfway across the room. Two other bikers sat with him, but Karen had never seen either of them before. Grizzly was keeping tabs on her for Viper, but she didn’t care. They could watch her all they wanted. It wasn’t as if she could go anywhere.

  Rebel returned with two Negra Modelos. He popped the top of Karen’s with his pocket knife and handed it to her.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded, reclaimed his seat. The dog curled up on the floor beneath his chair. After popping off the top of his own beer, he took a sip and glanced across the table at her.

  “You doing all right in here?”

  “Yes. Stoner’s taking care of me.”

  “Yeah, he’s a good guy. He’s taking care of me, too.” Rebel broke off and lowered his gaze, as if he’d said something he hadn’t meant to or he was embarrassed.

  Karen’s curiosity spiked. “How long have you known Stoner?”

  Rebel shrugged. “Not long. A few weeks or so.” He stared down at his beer.

  “Were you here before he joined the Cobras?”

  He took a swig of his beer. “Yeah.”

  “What made you join?”

  He hesitated, his gaze darting to hers, then back down to his beer. “They needed a vet to care for the dogs. I applied for the job and got it.”

  Karen took a sip of her own beer. “Did you realize what you were getting into when you joined?” She had a hard time imaging this kind, decent young man willingly joining the Cobras.

  “Yeah…I was…warned.” He took another gulp of beer.

  Warned? Who had warned him? Karen sensed there was so much Rebel was keeping from her, but she didn’t understand why. What was going on? He didn’t appear to be acting right now. He was…lost, alone, troubled. He wasn’t the charming, carefree young man he’d been in the beginning.

  “You said you were an actor before you became a vet. I think I recognize your face, but I don’t recall your real name.” Would he supply the information? He wasn’t as secretive as Stoner. She didn’t think Rebel had an agenda like Stoner did. Rebel seemed like a kid who’d gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd and had no way out of the mess he’d gotten himself into.

  “Sebastian,” he murmured, sounding disgruntled. “That’s my name. Sebastian Wolfe.”

  Karen studied him across the table. Didn’t he like his name?

  “You don’t like your name?”

  He shrugged. “It’s not the name so much as who named me. And who I was named after.”

  Karen considered that for a moment. He was starting to open up to her, give her a glimpse into his past life. Did she dare question him some more? She wasn’t sure how much more information he would provide before he clammed up. He was a very secretive young man.

  “I like that name.” She didn’t want to run him off so soon, so she didn’t press the matter. “But I don’t recognize it. Did you use a stage name when you acted?”

  His gaze shot to hers. “You really haven’t heard of me?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry, but I haven’t.”

  He grinned, his entire face lighting up with genuine happiness. “You don’t know how good that makes me feel! Finally, someone who doesn’t recognize my name. I think I love you, Karen.”

  Karen chuckled. “Why would that make you happy?”

  He let out a loud sigh. “You don’t know how sick I got of women always flinging themselves at me. I couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized, without the Paparazzi in my face, cameras exploding, people screaming, Oh, Sebastian, Sebastian, can I have your autograph, please? We love you Sebastian!” He shuddered and took another gulp of his beer. “I had no privacy. People are so fake, it just pisses me off. The women only wanted to be seen with me because I was famous, because I had money. They didn’t care about me, the person. They didn’t care about who I was inside. They only wanted what they could get from me. I felt like nothing more than an object, something they coveted for their own gain. That’s why I gave it up. The whole celebrity thing disgusts me.”

  Karen touched his arm across the table, wanting to ease his distress. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. But didn’t you know when you became an actor that all that would happen?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so bad. I admit I loved it at first, all the attention women gave me, being recognized whenever I went somewhere. All the sex…I was somebody besides the poor kid from Alabama. But it got old quick. Why can’t someone be interested in me for more than just my looks or my fame? Why can’t they just want me for me?”

  Karen released his arm and leaned back in her chair. Her heart ached for him. Everybody wanted to be loved for who they were. “Someday you’ll find a nice girl, Rebel. Don’t give up on happiness.”

  His hopeful gaze swept back to hers. “You think so? I wouldn’t want her to be in show business. Just a regular girl with a normal life. Someone like you.” He grinned.

  Karen snorted. “You could charm the panties off an eighty-year-old granny, you know that?”

  He lowered his gaze, then glanced up at her sheepishly. “You wouldn’t happen to have a daughter, would you?”

  She laughed. “I do, as a matter-of-fact, but she’s married and has a little girl.” She finished her beer. “Have faith, Rebel. You’re a good kid. You’ll find your soulmate someday.” She rose. “Well, I’m off to bed. You should get some sleep too. You look tired. Do you ever sleep?”

  “Naw. I don’t sleep much. Too much going on inside me.”

  Karen sensed Rebel had serious issues he needed to deal with. “Maybe it’s time you let all that stuff inside you go.”

  A shadow came over his face. He lowered his gaze. “I wish I could.” He hesitated. “Is Stoner all right? I…” He swallowed hard. “…Didn’t hurt him too bad?”

  Karen paused before his chair. “Viper hurt him a lot worse than you did. Stoner wouldn’t want you to feel bad about it. He already forgives you, so stop worrying, okay? Stoner’s going to be fine. He’ll be up and about tomorrow. Are you coming to the lab at my house
with us?”

  “Yeah, Viper mentioned something about that. Seven-thirty tomorrow, right?”

  “Right. I’ll see you then. Try to get some sleep.” Karen turned away, headed for the stairs. Would Rebel ever overcome whatever demons possessed him? Would he someday find the happiness he desperately sought? She hoped so. He deserved to be happy.

  Karen entered Stoner’s room a few minutes later. His soft snores came from the bed. It was dark in the room, so she doubted the camera would pick up her movements as she stripped. Needing his closeness, she slid into the bed next to him. He mumbled something as she curled up against his back, entwining her legs with his, but he didn’t wake up. Snuggling up to Stoner gave her strength.

  Yet despite the temporary lull in the storm, Karen feared the worst was still yet to come. She wasn’t a fool. Viper would kill her when he was done with her. She would have to do everything in her power to keep them ignorant about micropropation.

  Because as soon as Stoner could do it without her, Viper wouldn’t need her anymore.

  And she didn’t think Stoner could save her, even if he wanted to.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The next several days passed without incident. Stoner awoke that first morning with Karen snuggled up against his back and dreamed what it would be like to have a life with her outside of this place. To wake with her cuddled against him each day. It was a foolish dream, but he longed for it just the same. If they managed to survive this place, he would do everything he could to make sure it happened.

  Karen wrapped Stoner’s ribs for him each morning before they went to the lab at her house to clone pot. She also attended to his whip lacerations, but those were healing much faster than the broken ribs and he was soon starting to feel like himself again.

  After micropropagating another batch at the lab every morning, they headed back to the compound. Grizzly, Scorpion and Rebel accompanied them each time, always watching and never allowing them to be alone. Even back at the compound, Stoner felt eyes on them everywhere they went and knew Viper was having them watched 24/7. He hadn’t forgotten about the camera in his room, either, so he and Karen were careful to keep their conversations away from any discussions that might make Viper suspicious.