Ruined 20

Ruin

“Hello?” Brown eyes lifted to mine and the first thing I noticed was how similar to Averys her eyes were.  And it wasn’t just her eyes either. The brown hair, although shorter was the exact same shade. She was dressed casually, a baggy T-shirt over yoga pants. 

But it wasn’t her casual outfit or the fact that she looked so much like Avery that took me by surprise. It was the bewilderment on her face as she looked up at me. Like she was confused to see three huge bikers on her doorstep on a Sunday afternoon. 

“Can I help you?”

“You’re Sandra Briel?” Uncertain I threw a glance behind me, meeting Wickeds puzzled expression with one of my own. 

If this was the wrong house, it would mean we had lost hours. Not only that but we would have traumatised the poor woman in front of us.

“Yes…” Her eyes darted to Wicked and then skirted behind him to Truth who hovered by the bikes and her face paled. “Is there something wrong?”

She wasn’t acting like I expected her to act. Why wasn’t she throwing a fit? Being the psycho bitch I had been expecting. Sandra Briel stood in front of me and actually seemed normal. 

“Do you have Parker here?” Wicked said over my shoulder. “We’ve come to pick him up and take him home to his mum.”

Something flickered across her face. Confusion. “Dean told me, he would be picking him up. I’m not sure….”

“Ruin?” Parker skidded to a stop. “What are you doing here? Is mum ok?”

“He’s fine son, just fine.” Turning my attention back to the woman I kept my voice as even as I could. She had said that Dean had said he would pick Parker up. Which meant that son of a bitch had known where he was this whole time. “Mrs Briel, could we step inside of a minute? I think we need to clear some things up.”

“Things?” She squeaked and this time there could be no mistaking the fear on her face. I didn’t want her to be scared but I didn’t have time to mollycoddle her either. 

“Yes, Miss Briel. Things like the fact we were told you kidnapped Parker.”

   ***

“I….”  Sandra’s face was twisted in something akin to horror as she motioned for us to sit down. “I didn’t kidnap anyone… I swear…” she threw a glance at Parker. And the fear that had been on her face at finding us on her doorstep had been replaced by terror. But she was trying not to show it. “Parker?”

“She didn’t..” The boy looked just as confused as I felt. “Dad came and got me from the service station and we came here. He said mum said it was ok. That ….” his young face crumbled. “He said that mum needed some time alone. He said it was fine. I….”

“Parker.” My hand came down hard on his shoulder, forcing him to look at me. “You haven’t done anything wrong, you went with your dad that’s all. Don’t get so upset buddy.” I couldn’t understand his tears.

“But why would he do that? Why would he want me away from mum?” Parker’s skinny arms went around my waist and for one second I froze. I didn’t know how to console him. 

I didn’t know how to be a dad to this boy. 

“I think what we should be asking is why he brought Parker here. And why he lied about it…” Wicked spoke from his perch on the couch. “Obviously he still feels close to you Mrs Briel.”

“Close to me? Why would he feel close to me?” Genuine confusion clouded her face. “I’m sorry but I don’t understand.”

“Because you were his mistress….”

Her laughter was manic, “his mistress? I was never his mistress. I was his secretary. And ever that didn’t last long. I don’t know where you have got your information from but it isn’t correct.”

“Avery said you were…”

“I don’t know why she would think that? I mean he tried. He tries with all his secretaries. He had a type and I fit it.”

It hit me then, she looked like Avery. I had noticed it when she first answered the door. And here she was saying Dean had a type? That he liked his female employees to look like his wife. I just didn’t understand why.

“But I’m not into dressing up in some man’s wife’s clothes so he can get his rocks off. Dean is totally obsessed with his wife. With this whole role-playing thing. It’s why I was so surprised to see men like you at my doorstep.”

“Men like me?” My eyebrow arched.

“Biker, he ….” she threw a look at Parker. She wanted to say something but couldn’t in front of the boy. “Parker go and get your things.”

“Deans a sick individual.” She finally spoke when the sound of Parker’s feet grew fainter on the stairs. “And he likes to hurt his lovers, and not in a fun way either.”

I already knew how sadistic he was. I had seen the marks left on Avery’s pale throat. 

“He likes to make them hurt while he has sex with them?” Wicked leant forward. Elbows on his knees.

“He likes to dress up like a biker when he hurts them. He likes to punish them….”

The words echoed in the air. Faintly I heard Wicked swear under his breath. But I couldn’t move. All I could do was stare at the woman in front of me. “You’re sure?” 

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“But you did him this favour? Bullshit… she’s lying about something.”

“I am not lying. I am out of work and he offered me a grand to watch Parker for a few days...I’ve met Parker before it wasn’t… Hey, where are you going?”

I didn’t answer her, my feet were almost running by the time I got to the front door. How had I been such a fool?

I had left her alone. Alone with a monster who liked to hurt women who looked just like her. Who liked to punish them for something Avery had done thirteen years ago. 

“Ruin?”  Truth pulled himself to his full height as I crashed out of the house and down the wide sandstone stairs. 

“Get Parker home.” I almost screamed it at him, as my hands fumbled to find my phone. Scrolling until I found her name I hit the call button again and again as it went to answer phone every single time.

“What is going on?”

“It’s all been a part of his plan.” I whirled on him. “He planned this and we fell for it and now.” I couldn’t finish. 

I had let her down. Again.

I kept fucking letting her down. 

“Plan for what?”

I turned towards Wickeds younger brother and his face paled. 

“His plan to fucking get her alone.” To hurt her I added silently but I couldn’t say that out loud. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t let him hurt her again. “Get Parker home. I have to go.”

“Hurt who?”

“Avery, this has been his plan all along.” swallowing hard I swung my leg over the saddle of my Harley, shoving the phone back into my pocket.

Why wasn’t she answering? Unless… unless she couldn’t answer. 

“Cutter?”

 I turned to Truth with a snarl. Why was he talking to that old man when Avery might be in danger and then it hit me. Of course, he was phoning her father. If anyone knew why Avery wasn’t answering her phone it should be him. He had been the one I had left keeping an eye on her after all. 

I had been so blinded with worry that I hadn’t even thought of it. “Pass me the phone.” I held my hand out, but instead of passing it over like I expected him too. He shook his head, his brows slammed down. 

“What do you mean… shit…shit… ok we will be back as soon as we can. Call the club we need to get on the road.”

“What’s happened? Avery?”

“Gone Ruin, she gave her old man the slip and went off with Dean.”