Broken Beauty: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Rough Jesters MC Book 2) Read online

  “You know why,” I bit out, not taking it any further. If I did, I would have another bruise or burn mark to add to my growing collection, and I was running out of places that could be hidden with clothing.

  Cesar smirked and dropped his hand. “I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your spirit yet, querida. It will be a sad day when you do.”

  I glared at him. If he only knew how close I was to doing just that. The strongest person alive would break at some point under these conditions.

  I held my tongue when his finger pushed into my body possessively, his touch drawing both pleasure and disgust. I wanted to say I hadn’t responded to him sexually at all, but that would be a lie. Six months of being used over and over again, the body starts to respond out of an instinctive need to protect itself while the mind did its best to block everything out.

  I hated myself for it.

  “Ah, I will be gone for a while,” he finally said, pulling his hand away. “You will not give my men any issues. If you do, you will not like the consequences.”

  I gave him a short nod, acknowledging his idle threat. I wasn’t about to cross him again, not in that way.

  Cesar made a sound before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. I let out a shuddered breath, not even bothering to stop the tears from flowing this time. Cesar was gone, but he would come back, and when he did, the torture would start all over again.

  I tried to be brave, clinging to the fact that I had two clubs looking for me in the first month of my capture. I endured every burn of his cigarette, every punch and slap for disobeying him. A few broken ribs from a beating within the first month had pained me for weeks after. And the bruises peppering my body were a roadmap of his sadistic methods.

  But the worst were the scars he left on me the night after he’d taken me back from his men. He had cut me—a thin red line along my inner thigh—and held the bloody knife in front of my face as he raped me, so that I would be reminded of the pain with each thrust and what else he could do to me if he wanted.

  The last two months I had been more complacent, slowly finding myself growing used to this way of life. The clubs had not come, and I was starting to believe maybe I wasn’t worth saving to them. After all, I had only just become a full member of the Hell’s Bitches right before I they kidnapped me, not enough time to make my mark.

  Oh, but I had plans, lots of them.

  Blowing out a breath, I sat up in the bed, wincing as my wrists brushed the rough sheets on the bed. Cesar had been drunk last night when he visited me, and though I had done everything he wanted me to do, it wasn’t enough. He had tied my wrists to the bedposts and no amount of begging got him to release them until this morning when I was brought my breakfast. My arms still hurt from being pulled so tightly.

  Still, though, despite his torture, I was alive. Barely.

  Reaching for the t-shirt and shorts they gave me last week, I slipped them on, taking a moment to pull my hair into a tight braid despite the pull on my arms. When I dressed, I felt more like myself and not like the slave they had made me. There were some days I couldn’t do it, some days I chose to lay on the filthy sheets and cry my eyes out.

  And then there were days like today, where I clung to the smallest amount of hope that someone was coming. Though I wasn’t ever allowed to be in the main rooms with the rest of the gang, I could hear heated discussions through the walls, catching on that Cesar had moved more than he usually did in the last month.

  Someone had to be coming.

  Rubbing a weary hand over my face, I thought about who that could be. There was one man I kind of hoped it was, one who wouldn’t give up so easily. Even after everything I had gone through, I still remembered the smell of his cologne, the way his green eyes twinkled with laughter whenever he watched that stupid sitcom he was so fond of.

  How I wished I hadn’t complained so much about it! Those times with Corey ‘Ironsides’ Steele had been some of the best, if not the best, times in my life. The feelings I had for him, the way he made me feel, it was beyond anything I could describe. He had made me feel loved, made me feel safe, which was so much more than what I was feeling now.

  Now, I felt dirty, used, worthless. Corey would likely turn his back on me if he could see me now, nothing like the confident woman who had matched him shot for shot that first night we met. We didn’t know each other and after that night, I hadn’t anticipated seeing him again.

  Little did I know we would end up training together when the Jesters and the Bitches joined forces.

  We couldn’t stay away from each other either. I had tried, but those sessions in the gun range brought us together and it was hard to forget his strong body or the way he kissed. Even though there was a huge age gap between us, I didn’t see it and neither had he.

  It was like we were meant to be together.

  Dashing the tears away, I wrapped my arms around my waist and hugged myself, trying to remember how his arms felt around me. It was the hardest part of being here, under Cesar’s thumb, knowing I had found someone only to have him ripped away from me.

  Just like the rest of my life. I had no family outside of the club, no friends, no home to pine over. If, and only if, I got out of here, I wouldn’t be able to look Corey in the eye. I wouldn’t be the same girl who was kidnapped from the parking lot that night.

  I didn’t know if I ever could be, even with time. Cesar had taken so much from me, and it seemed like some pieces of me weren’t recoverable.

  That is, if I was ever rescued. I was surprised Cesar left me, though. Something must have happened, something he wasn’t so sure would work out in his favor or else I would have been dragged to the next place to live out this nightmare.

  The one thing Cesar couldn’t take away from me was my dreams. When I finally did close my eyes at night, I dreamed of my green-eyed soldier. No matter what happened to me, my dreams were still very much intact, and for a short while, I could remember how it had been.

  Standing up, I moved to the pot Cesar always provided, doing my business quickly. There were a lot of things I had gotten used to, this being one of them. Now I was lucky to take a shower every few days instead of every day, forced to sleep on scratchy, dirty sheets most of the time. I learned to eat whatever they served me no matter how hard it was to swallow, and keep my ears open for any chance I might leave one day.

  Either dead or alive.

  Crossing the small room, I washed my face in the cool water from the chipped basin, wishing I could scrub Cesar’s scent from my body. I would never be able to do that completely. His black soul had seeped into my own, marking his territory, and no matter what happened in the future, I would never be able to push him out.

  Never.

  But it didn’t mean I couldn’t dream.

  And hope.

  And pray.

  This wouldn’t be the end of me. This wouldn’t be the end of my life. I had fought too hard, come too far to let this be the end of my story. Corey or no Corey, I wanted to get out of this mess, get away from Cesar and rebuild what had been torn down.

  I could hang on a little bit longer.

  Just as soon as I turned around to crawl back into those dirty sheets, the door splintered open. Screaming, I dove for cover, the sound grating on my ears. Cesar must have changed his mind.

  “Fuck. Jessie?” a familiar voice sounded.

  It couldn’t be. This had to be another one of Cesar’s twisted games.

  Steeling myself, I looked up over the bed and found Corey staring back at me, his eyes wide. “Corey?”

  He rushed to me and my world went black.

  Chapter 3

  Corey

  I found her.

  The truth played over and over in my mind as I raced back to the clubhouse, Jessie seated in front of me. The moment I saw her peering at me over that bed, I felt relief like no other. After six months of anxiety and dread, going from house to house with no success, it had finally come to an end. Cesar had escaped at some point during the gunfire, but I had found the one person I’d desperately been looking for.

  And now I didn’t know what to fucking do about it.

  I had caught her before she hit the floor, trying hard to keep my emotions in check as I carried her out. Chuckler had taken one look and raced to make the call while I headed straight to my bike, my heart about to explode out of my chest. I couldn’t believe we had actually found her, and she was in my arms, alive.

  Safe.

  But I hadn’t been stupid enough to ignore the bruises on her legs, the gauntness of her face. She had suffered some shit from Cesar, and I wanted nothing more than to find his ass and make him suffer.

  Jessie stirred in my arm and I slowed the bike down so she could get her bearings. “I got you.”

  “Corey,” she said, collapsing against me. “You found me.”

  “I did,” I said gruffly, the emotion getting the best of me. “And I’m taking you home. Hold on, sweetheart.”

  She didn’t respond when I gunned the bike again, glad we had the cover of night. It would be less likely that I’d be pulled over going through this stretch of town in the dark. Our relationship with the local police of Castillo was rocky at best since we killed their chief.

  I mean he deserved it, but both clubs were waiting on the backlash that was sure to happen.

  Finally, the bike’s headlight shone on the Jester clubhouse and I pulled to a stop, knowing all the right people would be inside. During a raid, Kristina and Rex had made it a point to bring both groups into one house so that it was better defended when half the clubs were gone. The arrangement had taken some getting used to, but the respective presidents had done a good job of maintaining independence of each MC even though they were married to each other.

&nbs
p; “Come on, baby,” I said, gripping her gently. “Let’s get you inside.”

  Jessie didn’t say a word as I lifted her once more and walked up to the clubhouse, where Kristina immediately met me.

  Her eyes were wide with concern when she saw her member. “Oh god,” she said, her hand up to her mouth. “You actually found her.”

  Jessie let out a whimper and turned her face into me, causing my chest to tighten. She had to be overwhelmed and I wanted nothing more than to make her as comfortable as possible.

  “I did,” I said, tightening my hold on her. “Where can we get her away from prying eyes?”

  Kristina tore her gaze from Jessie. “This way.”

  I followed her down the hall to Rex’s office, setting her gently on the couch there. Rex stood by the desk, along with Mama Bear, the Bitches’ second-in command. Their conversation ceased when I walked in, all eyes on Jessie.

  I lowered Jessie down on the couch. Stepping back, I clenched my fists together while she get herself situated, choosing to sit upright instead of lying down. She looked like hell, her hair hanging limply around her shoulders and longer than I remembered. The clothes on her body were grimy and two sizes too big for her. But the worst thing about her appearance was the bruises on her legs and arms, a variety of size and color indicating they weren’t all from the same time.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out who gave those to her.

  Kristina knelt before her, her hand resting lightly on her arm. “Jessie? Do you know where you are?”

  She drew in a breath and nodded, her hair falling like a veil. “I do. I haven’t lost my mind.”

  “Of course you haven’t,” Kristina replied evenly. “How about we get you a shower and some clean clothes? Are you hungry?”

  Jessie didn’t make eye contact with anyone and the vise grip on my heart tightened even more. This was not the Jessie I remembered.

  This Jessie had been broken.

  “Out,” Mama Bear said, shooing both me and Rex out of the room. “Let us get her cleaned up before you start in on her.”

  I had no choice but to step out, running a hand through my close-cropped hair. Ten years of military training had kept it short, though my skin had changed since those days. Two tattoos turned into several along my arms, and a huge tribute to my squad on my back.

  “Shit, man,” Rex swore, concern on his face. “She looks like shit. What did he do to her?”

  I didn’t want to think about it, even though I was sure we were all thinking the same thing. A man like Cesar in the company of a beautiful woman? There was no doubt what he had done to Jessie, but it was more important to find out how deep his abuse had gone. I had seen people lose their minds. Some wounds couldn’t be healed.

  I hoped that wasn’t the case with Jessie. If she lost her shit, I wouldn’t be able to hold onto mine either. “I don’t know, man.”

  Rex clapped a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I’m glad you found her though. I take it you didn’t find Cesar?”

  I shook my head, hating myself for not capturing him. “He escaped.”

  “Slippery motherfucker,” Rex said. “Let’s go get a drink while they take care of her, alright?”

  I forced myself to turn away and follow him down the hall, not really wanting to leave her but knowing she was in good hands. She and I would talk soon. I wanted to know everything she had been through, everything she had suffered so I could find a way to help her move past it. I had been in her shoes, fighting an uphill battle.

  I could help her.

  Rex led me to the bar and stepped behind it, pulling out two beers from the cooler. I popped the top of one and downed it, trying to kill the worry and tightness in my chest. Jessie was here. She was safe. I did what I had set out to do six months ago.

  But I knew it wasn’t going to be easy now. She had been through shit and I didn’t know what it would take to truly get her back.

  “You know,” Rex said as he opened his beer, “Kris had nightmares for at least two months afterward. I had to back the fuck off, let her find her own way to heal. If I could give you any advice, man, that would be it. Jessie’s gonna need a shit ton of space and no matter how hard it’s gonna be, you have to give it to her.”

  “I know,” I sighed, palming the beer. That was going to be hardest part. I wanted to scoop her up, take her home, and shield her from the world for a while. I wanted to erase the last six months for her, take on that hurt and have my Jess back.

  But that woman in the office was not my Jess. That woman was nearly broken, and by some fucking miracle had held on to some shred of sanity.

  Hell, I didn’t deserve her.

  ***

  An hour later, they let us back in the office. Jessie wore a pair of jeans and a shirt with the Bitches’ logo on the back. Her hair was pulled back away from her face and there was some color on her cheeks, and a half-eaten burger and fries in front of her. Kristina and Mama Bear hovered near her, probably expecting her to break down.

  That wasn’t my Jessie. My Jessie didn’t let anything get to her. She was strong and I was going to remind her of that person.

  “How do you feel?” Rex asked softly, choosing to lean against the opposite wall. I stayed in the doorway, propping myself up and keeping my distance. I wanted to gather her in my arms, block out the questions and help her forget everything she’d been through.

  That was the possessive need in me.

  Jessie drew in a breath, looking only at Rex. “I’m good, I mean I’m not good, but I will survive.”

  “Of course you will,” Kristina exclaimed. “That’s what we do. We survive.”

  “Did Cesar tell you where he was going next?” Rex asked. “Where he might go?”

  Jessie shook her head. “He didn’t. He just left after well, you know.”

  Shit. I didn’t know if I could sit through this. Knowing that bastard had abused her body the way he had, it was almost too much.

  “Maybe you should start from the beginning,” Kristina said, her expression softening. “As much as you want to tell us.”

  I waited for her to say she didn’t want to tell us anything. I wouldn’t have if I was in her shoes, not now when it was all still too raw and fresh. But she didn’t protest, and instead chose to look at her bare feet.

  “They took me the night of the wedding and shoved me in the van. We rode for hours before they got to the house. Cesar was there, pissed off about the attack on their club and losing Kristina. He told me he would make both clubs pay for what they had cost him.” She drew in a breath. “He raped me that night.”

  I forgot to breathe, the tortured sound of her voice nearly tearing me in two. I knew it was coming, but I still wasn’t ready for it.

  “He raped me any time he was around,” she continued, her voice flat. “And when I resisted, he hurt me and told me he’d break me in time.”