Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4) Read online

  Who was Stoner? A man of contradictions, he continued to confuse and amaze her at the same time.

  A man like Stoner didn’t say things he didn’t mean. He meant every word. A man like Stoner was blunt, to the point. He told it like he felt it.

  I still want you.

  Karen drew in a ragged breath, swallowing hard. Did Stoner know how much those words affected her?

  Yes. Of course he did. He was an intuitive man. Stoner didn’t do anything without planning, thinking about it first.

  Her heart clenched. His kindness was unexpected, but knowing Stoner, he hadn’t done it out of kindness. He was just being honest. He wanted her to know he cared, that he had feelings for her, which was so unexpected. So un-macho man.

  She giggled. Stoner was definitely a macho man. But he obviously had a tender side as well, which touched her more than she wanted to admit. She wanted to know so much more about him. He was the only good thing in this house of bikers. Their attraction might be the only thing that kept her sane while here.

  She needed to find him. To let him know she’d gotten his note and appreciated it. To let him know how much those words meant to her.

  Since she had no change of clothes, Karen dressed in her dirty jeans, but her shirt was ruined, since Stoner had popped the buttons off. She put her bra back on, stuffing the pads back in the cups. She searched the small dresser against the wall and pulled out one of his T-shirts, yanking it over her head. Running her fingers through her damp hair, she glanced in the mirror.

  With her face washed clean of makeup and her hair damp from the shower, she looked much younger than forty-six. She might even pass for thirty-five. Would Stoner still find her attractive?

  Unsure where that thought had come from, knowing her insecurities were returning, she jerked away from the mirror.

  It didn’t matter what anyone thought. She was who she was, and she couldn’t change that.

  But she still hoped he found her attractive, that he had meant what he’d said in the note.

  That he still wanted her.

  Karen pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway. The sound of approaching footsteps had her jerking her head to the right. Viper approached down the hallway, his creepy pink gaze steady on her. She took a step partway back into the room. Paused. Fighting the urge to run back into Stoner’s room and slam the door, she lifted her chin and held her ground. She would not show fear in front of Viper. She would not give him the satisfaction.

  She kept the door ajar at her back.

  Just in case.

  Viper reached her. Karen met his gaze.

  “Going somewhere, Ms. Williams?”

  She nodded. “I was looking for Stoner.”

  He didn’t speak for a long moment, just perused her with that frightening gaze. She tried to ignore the creepy serpent tattoo slithering across his head, the strange body piercings, but was unable to keep from staring. The man really was frightening.

  He cocked his head. “Do I scare you?”

  She let out a snort. “No,” she lied. “You’re just a mean bully who likes to force others to bend to your will. Do I think you’re strange? Yes. Creepy? Yes, again. Scary looking? Yes, most definitely. But you don’t scare me, Mr. Viper. And that bugs you, doesn’t it?”

  He let out a chuckle. “You’re a poor liar, Ms. Williams. It’s a good thing for you that Stoner made you his woman, and even better for you that I don’t poach on other men’s property. If I did, I’d take advantage of this situation and teach you a thing or two about respect.”

  Karen bit back an angry retort. The man was a self-important, ego-inflated, chauvinist, racist pig. Viper wanted her to fight with him so he could force her into submission. But she wouldn’t let that happen. He was never teaching her a thing about “respect,” because she wouldn’t give him the chance.

  “Lucky for you,” he went on softly, “I prefer my women of the pure white race, not dirty South American trash. The only thing you’re good for is whoring.”

  What? Had he called her South American trash? Had he called her a whore?

  Her temper boiled.

  Don’t do it, Karen. It’s what he wants.

  “I’ll have you know…” She lifted her chin high. “A Latino heritage does not make me trash. My parents were kind, wonderful, hard-working people. If you knew my parents, you wouldn’t call them trash. You wouldn’t call me trash. But then, you’re so closed-minded you only see what you want to see, don’t you, Mr. Viper? You only view the world in your warped ‘white power, better-than-everyone-else way.’ You’re so closed-minded that you judge people just by the color of their skin. All that garbage in your head makes you the trash, Mr. Viper. You, not me.”

  A tense silence followed her outburst. The longer the silence stretched, the more worried Karen became. Temper brewed in the man’s creepy eyes. His albino skin was so transparent the blue veins popped out in his neck.

  Oh shit.

  “And I’ll never be your damn whore!” Karen scrambled back into Stoner’s room and slammed the door.

  Viper’s evil laughter echoed off the walls after her. “I’ll be watching you, Ms. Williams,” he called. “And as soon as Stoner’s done with you, I’m taking over.”

  The hell he was. Karen’s heart raced as she stared at the closed door, waiting. Would he break the door down? Come in after her? Rape her?

  She pressed her ear against the door. Listened.

  Silence. Then footsteps fading away.

  Karen sank to the floor in relief. Drawing her legs against her chest, she huddled back against the door. She hated this place. Thanks to Viper, now she was too scared to leave the room.

  She wanted to go home. She wanted her boring botanist’s life back. The samples she’d collected today were ruined now. She’d have to start all over again, try to remember the areas where she’d collected them and try to find new samples to bring back.

  She had to get out of here. As soon as possible.

  What about Stoner?

  “Screw Stoner,” she whispered to the empty room. “He probably only wrote that note so he could get laid.”

  Her heart clenched at the thought, even though she knew it was true. Stoner didn’t care about her. Why would he?

  Karen drew in a breath, slowly exhaled.

  Yes, she was getting out of here.

  Tonight.

  As soon as everyone went to bed, she would sneak out. She would slip past the snarling Rottweilers, scale the fence surrounding the property, and be gone before sunrise.

  Screw them all.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Viper eyed Rage, Scorpion, and Rebel across the table where they all sat, drinking beer. It was nearly two in the morning. Most of the other bikers had gone to bed, though some were still playing videogames in the game room and a few others were still passing around the bong and getting high.

  He’d chosen these three men for a reason.

  “I’ve got a job for you three. I’m sending Stoner out to the woman’s house with her tomorrow. I want you guys to go with them and keep an eye on them. I don’t trust Stoner and I think he might be up to something. Watch him closely and report back to me when you return to the compound tomorrow. I want to know his every move. Same with the woman. I want to know what she does 24/7.”

  He glanced at Rage, the meanest, ugliest biker in the compound. Rage was around forty years old and sported a purple Mohawk and multiple body piercings. His skin crawled with crude tattoos that would offend most people. What Viper liked about Rage was that the man had no soul. He killed as easily and callously as some people squashed a spider beneath their shoe. Not to mention Rage was loyal. He did whatever Viper asked. No question.

  “You’ll be in charge, Rage. Rebel and Scorpion will answer to you. The woman is supposed to be teaching Stoner how to clone pot. I need you guys to all watch closely so you can pick up on it in case he fails. I’ll need at least one of you to know how to do it.”

  He glanced at
Rebel. The kid was smarter than most. Rebel had a veterinary degree. He kept the compound’s guard dogs vaccinated and attended to any of Viper’s fighting dogs’ injuries. Rebel also euthanized the dogs that were too injured to repair. The fact that the kid had brought that useless pup back from the dead proved his capabilities. Viper glanced down at the dog in question. The beast cowered under his stare and shuffled around to hide behind Rebel’s legs.

  Viper let out a snort of disgust. The dog was about as worthless as a woman, in his opinion. But if Rebel wanted to keep the stupid thing, so be it. He had more faith in Rebel than he did in the other two. Rage, while short-tempered and mean, wasn’t very bright. Scorpion was quick with his blade and a damned good spy. But neither possessed Rebel’s higher intelligence. If he expected any of them to learn how to clone marijuana, it would be Rebel.

  “Especially you,” he told Rebel. “Learn everything she teaches Stoner. If I end up having to dispose of him later, then I’ll be able to use you to take over the production.”

  Rebel nodded. His strength was his intelligence. The kid wasn’t a killer. If it came down to a fight, Rebel wouldn’t be the one Viper would bet on winning. The kid treated sick animals. He had a soft spot for injured creatures. If Viper hadn’t witnessed for himself the way the ladies reacted around him, and the way Rebel responded in kind, flirting shamelessly and never going to bed alone, always taking one or more of the compound’s whores with him, Viper would think the kid was gay. The ladies loved Rebel’s striking good looks and charming personality, his southern accent, which annoyed Viper sometimes. But the kid had his uses. And he was likeable.

  Viper planned to have Rebel buddy up to Stoner and the woman, get them to trust Rebel and talk to him. Scorpion could spy on them while Rebel sucked up to them. Rage would take them out if necessary.

  He gave the men their orders, then watched them leave.

  Viper couldn’t shake his suspicion that Stoner was up to something. And if he was, Viper intended to put a stop to it.

  No one betrayed Viper and got away with it.

  Absolutely no one.

  * * *

  Midnight rolled around, then one o’clock, two. Stoner still hadn’t returned to his room. It was time to take action. She was getting out of this place. Pulling open his door, she peeked out into the hallway. A door slammed from halfway down the hall, but no one was about. Taking a deep breath for courage, she slipped down the stairs.

  She reached the main floor without running into anyone. Laughter came from the weed room as she neared. She held her breath as she raced past the room, the strong smell of marijuana floating out into the hallway. She prayed no one noticed her.

  Shouts came from the videogame room two doors down. The guys were still battling it out on the screen. She peered in. She spotted Stoner seated on the couch with Rebel and another biker. All were engrossed in the television screen, so she was able to sneak past without their knowledge. How could they stay up all night playing videogames? It must be all that testosterone.

  There were a few bikers in the dining area playing cards and drinking beer, but no one noticed Karen as she headed for the front door. Stepping out onto the porch, she glanced around, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the dark. Two guards stood at the main entrance to the property with Rottweilers on leashes. They were facing away from her, staring at something on the other side of the fence.

  Karen slipped down the steps and headed for the trees off to the left of the building, away from the guards. Crouching down behind a large tree trunk, she paused to catch her breath and figure out what to do next. She had to scale the fence somehow, but it had to be at least ten feet high and was topped with rolls of barbed wire that would be difficult to navigate.

  She wouldn’t let a few cuts stop her. She was getting away from these creeps tonight.

  Karen headed for the fence that lined the perimeter, stopping and pausing behind each tree trunk as she went. She was only a few feet from the fence when a low growl came from somewhere close by.

  Shit.

  She froze, her ears prickling, as she tried to locate the menace in the dark. The outline of a huge dog slowly materialized through the trees a few feet away. The animal’s teeth were bared as it focused on her and snarled.

  “What is it, Buddy?” A man stepped up behind the dog. “You find something interesting?” He shined a flashlight through the trees.

  The dog’s growls grew louder. It pulled at its leash as it lunged for her.

  The flashlight beam landed on Karen’s face.

  Karen sailed forward, leaping for the fence.

  Her hands slammed into the chain link fence, her fingers tightening in the metal links. She managed to grab on and propel herself up out of the dog’s reach, barely managing to avoid the animal’s snapping fangs. She scrambled up the fence until the barbed wire at the top halted her ascent. Her heart pounding, her breath coming in quick pants, she tightened her fingers in the fence to hang on. She stared down at the man and dog on the ground beneath her.

  The man chuckled. He tilted his head back and peered up at her. Lifting the flashlight, he shined it in Karen’s face. “Well, would you look at that, Buddy? I think that’s Viper’s new slave, the plant lady.” He snickered. “What you doing out here, plant lady?”

  Plant lady? Was that what they were calling her?

  Karen didn’t answer. She hung on to the fence, her fingers pinching in the loops and the metal scraping at her flesh. Go away asshole.

  The man lifted a two-way radio and spoke into it. “Hey Grizzly, it looks like Viper’s new slave was trying to escape. She’s out here hanging on the fence. Wanna come help me get her down?”

  The radio crackled as another man responded, “Shit Cougar, how’d you get so lucky? Yeah, I’ll come help, but only if you let me do her first.”

  The man called Cougar snorted. “I found her. I get to do her first. But you can have her second, okay? Now come on, it’s gonna take both of us to get her down off the fence.”

  Her heart racing, Karen loosened one hand and flexed her fingers, then switched with the other hand while Cougar and Grizzly argued over the radio. A few moments later Grizzly arrived. The two men glanced up as Cougar shined the light at her.

  Grizzly, a big hairy dude who indeed resembled a grizzly bear, scratched his head. “How we gonna get her down?”

  Cougar was tall and lean, whereas Grizzly was short and stocky. Both were ugly as sin. Together they were extremely intimidating. Karen didn’t want to contemplate what might happen to her if they got a hold of her.

  “Well.” Cougar grinned up at her. “I do have this here Taser gun. We’ll let you decide, plant lady. You want us to shoot you down or are you gonna come down willingly?”

  Karen eyed the Taser he pointed up at her.

  Shit.

  If he shot her with the Taser, she would fall to the ground, probably suffer painful bruises, maybe even snap her neck when she landed. But if she climbed down on her own, she might avoid injury.

  If she could elude the dog.

  The Rottweiler barked, then let out an impatient whine as it lunged upwards, snarling and reaching for her with its fangs spread wide.

  Karen shivered. She jerked her leg farther up out of the dog’s reach. To hell with that. She was not about to have that beast’s fangs sinking into her flesh. She was staying put as long as she could.

  “What the hell’s going on out here?”

  Karen’s heart stopped. She jerked her gaze toward the darkness where the angry voice had come from.

  She recognized the voice immediately.

  It was the voice of the devil.

  Viper.

  * * *

  Viper eyed Ms. Williams clinging to the fence above him. He shook his head. He wasn’t surprised. The woman had tenacity. But did she really believe she could scale that fence?

  She reminded him of someone he’d once loved. Long ago.

  Monica.

  He hadn’t allowed
himself to think of Monica in over thirty years. His first and only love, Monica had died because of him. He’d never forgiven himself for what had happened to her.

  He would not taint Monica’s memory by comparing this woman to her. Karen Williams would never compare to Monica. She didn’t even come close.

  He strode up to the fence and leaned against it. Lifting a hand, he tickled her leg where her jeans rose up above her hiking boot. She kicked out at him and jerked her leg higher.

  He chuckled. “Going somewhere, Ms. Williams?”

  She glared down at him. “I was trying to, until those assholes came along.”

  “How long do you think you can hold on?” He snagged the flashlight from Cougar, shined it up at her. Her arms shook. It wouldn’t be long before she fell.

  “As long as I have to.”

  “Ah.” He snickered. “How about you come down right now?” He reached up, grabbed both her ankles.

  He yanked.

  Her hands ripped loose from the fence and she tumbled down, crying out as she fell.

  Viper stepped aside, letting her crash to the ground.

  Buddy leapt at her, the dog’s fangs slicing through the large T-shirt she wore—it looked like one of Stoner’s—but somehow missing her flesh. She screamed and reared back, bumping into Viper’s legs. Snagging her short hair, Viper hauled her to her feet. She whimpered but didn’t fight as he tightened his fingers cruelly in her hair. He turned her toward the building. Marching her across the yard, he barked at the men, “I’ll handle it from here.”

  Cougar and Grizzly both grumbled, then went back to their watch duties. He had other plans for her right now besides letting his men use her. They could play with her later.

  Viper wanted to scare the hell out of her first. Show her what happened to those who disobeyed. She should have stayed close to Stoner, but instead she’d gone off on her own and tried to escape. He would teach her a lesson she’d never forget.

  Viper shoved her into the building. He forced her down the cold, dark stairs to the dungeon. They traveled down the long, dank corridor, the musty smell of dust and rot permeating the air, mice squeaking and skittering out of the way.