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  “Think what you will.” Khloe flicked her hair over her shoulder. “But Ruiz called me just now. The Russians paid up front for the girls, and they were supposed to be with them right now. They want their payment, and the Russians don’t like being kept waiting.”

  I knew what this meant. Fernandez would know exactly who had sabotaged the exchange, and he would point the finger at the Ghost Riders. The Russians would come after us.

  “You are one fucking cold bitch.”

  Khloe didn’t even blink. She turned and walked towards the door.

  “Even if you want to have Amber to yourself, you won’t be able to much longer.” She gave me one last look on the threshold. “When they find out Amber’s baby, the Russians will certainly make her get rid of it, and it won’t matter to them how.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Amber

  I hadn’t realized how exhausted I had been. I was only vaguely aware of Diesel tucking me into my bed, stroking my hair before letting himself out. Whether he would be back tonight or not, I didn’t know. But I was too tired to care.

  I just wanted to sleep.

  So, when I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder, knocking me out of my slumber, I was reluctant to wake up. But then I heard Diesel’s voice.

  “Amber. Amber, you need to wake up. This is important.”

  I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes. Through the bleariness, I could see Diesel sitting on the edge of the bed. His expression was not happy at all. If anything, he looked ready to explode in a rage. I almost shrank back from it, but rubbed my eyes and sat up, holding the duvet against my naked body.

  “What is it?”

  “That bitch Khloe,” Diesel practically snarled. “She sold you out.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She made a deal with Ruiz Fernandez.” Diesel’s nostrils flared, his eyes darkening with his anger. “You were bought by the Russian mob. Alexei Torchev paid for you.”

  I began to panic. I had met Torchev once, and I never wanted to meet him again. The man scared me. The way he leered at me made me want to scrub myself down in a shower. Khloe knew that I was uncomfortable with the mob boss.

  What the hell was she thinking?

  “I was bought by him?”

  “You and the other girls. You were on your way to an exchange point.” Diesel was still looking like he had been wound up very tightly. “The Russians were going to take you away.”

  Khloe sold us. When she had promised to have our best interests at heart. I felt the urge to cry. And then anger. The bitch had just turned into everyone else in my life. The promises, the tease of a better life… all of it had been snatched away again.

  I should have known when I had been turned into a whore, having sex for money and giving Khloe most of the profits. I had been so naïve to think that Khloe would never do something like this.

  Clearly, she had. It had just taken a little longer for me to catch up.

  They had been going like lambs to the slaughter. And now the Russians were pissed that they hadn’t got the merchandise as promised.

  That’s all we were now. Merchandise. I shivered at the thought.

  “They’re going to come after us, aren’t they?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Diesel said grimly. He sat back, rubbing his hands over his eyes. “The cartel on its own, we can handle. But not if they get the Russians involved.”

  I had thought things had been worse before. They hadn’t. I could feel the panic starting to build, overtaking my anger. I clutched as Diesel’s arm.

  “I don’t want to go to them. I won’t.”

  “You may not have a choice.”

  “What?” I shrieked. “You’d let them take me?”

  “No.” Diesel took me in his arms and gave me a little shake. “Calm down, Amber, that’s not what I meant.”

  “That’s what you said.”

  “I said if they came here and took you away, you wouldn’t be able to fight them. But I won’t let them take you.” His fingers slid into my hair and Diesel rested his forehead against mine. “They’d have to kill me before they took you from me.”

  That sounded very primal. Very male. I almost burst into tears. Diesel was starting to really sound like a shining knight. I swallowed back the hard lump forming in my throat.

  “Don’t, Diesel. Please.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t give me hope like that.” I drew back, hugging the duvet closer to my breasts. “You make me think things I don’t want to think. All I want is to get out of here, away from people who consider me a commodity, a price tag.”

  Diesel’s expression softened. Then his hand brushed over my cheek, drawing me closer. I didn’t fight him and almost started when Diesel kissed me with such sweetness. Something he had never shown me before. Diesel didn’t do sweet. He did passion, fierce and hot.

  This almost didn’t feel like Diesel at all.

  “I know.” Diesel pressed a kiss to my nose, then my cheeks and finally my forehead. “And I wasn’t planning on doing that. You’re carrying my child, Amber. I won’t have my child, or the mother, taken from me.”

  He cupped my face in his hands, making me look at him. I had never seen him look so raw, so open, in the year I had known him. “While you know I can’t love, I do have some affection for you, Amber. I know you’ll be a great mom. And I want to make sure you and our baby are safe and well. Which means I will do whatever I can.”

  For a moment, I was speechless. My mouth had gone dry. I licked my lips, aware of Diesel watching my mouth.

  “I don’t think I’ve heard you say so much all at once.”

  Diesel’s mouth twitched.

  “It’s been a while.”

  I flung my arms around his shoulders. Diesel’s arms automatically went around me as I buried my face into his neck. He smelled like cigarettes, a smell that normally turned my stomach. But it was almost comforting. This was Diesel Jacobsen, a man who hadn’t let me down yet.

  And he had better not this time.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Diesel

  I had thought this situation couldn’t get any worse. I had been wrong. It was getting worse. I had had a couple of run-ins with Alexei Torchev, and they hadn’t been pleasant. Torchev was a sadistic, charismatic bastard. The sadistic side didn’t get revealed until he had completely sucked you in.

  If he got hold of Amber, he would rip her to pieces. Amber wouldn’t be able to withstand whatever sick games Torchev dealt in.

  The thought of losing Amber to that man made me feel sick. I wouldn’t let them have her. Not a chance. Amber was staying with me. I would make sure Torchev knew that.

  I was very reluctant to leave Amber’s side, especially when she was clinging on to me. But Mason needed to be told. After carefully untangling myself from Amber and kissing her enough to calm her, I hurried out to call him. The temptation to go back and not leave Amber’s side was huge, but that wasn’t going to get anything done.

  It felt like hours until Mason turned up. He came with three more bikers, who spread out around the building. I had been pacing about the lobby like a madman, which drew some strange looks from Lorraine as she passed through, and led Mason into an empty room behind the desk. He shut the door and leant on it.

  “Thanks for coming out.”

  Mason grunted.

  “Well, after what you texted me, I couldn’t stand back and do nothing.” He scratched his head. “Cassie’s coming over as well. She’ll be here any moment.”

  “I thought she and Khloe didn’t get on.”

  “They don’t. Cassie wants to make sure Amber’s okay.” Mason raised his eyebrows. “I take it she hasn’t been to a doctor yet.”

  “No.” I made a mental note to make an appointment. “But Cassie’s not a doctor.”

  “She’s a nurse. That’s good enough for me, if I were in your place.”

  I wasn’t about to argue with that. Anybody in any medical capacity would he
lp. As long as Amber was kept calm. I had heard intense stress could cause a miscarriage. The thought of losing another baby scared me

  “Now, your text only gave me urgency, nothing more.” Mason beckoned with his hands. “Tell me everything.”

  I did. Everything that had happened between me and Khloe came out. I purposefully missed out the part where Amber and I had slept together; that wasn’t for Mason’s ears. Chances were, he already knew it had happened. The man wasn’t stupid.

  It felt like a drain saying all of this. I was exhausted once I finished. When I did, I saw that Mason’s face had tightened in anger, his eyes so dark they were almost black.

  “That bitch,” he snarled. “That fucking bitch.”

  He spun and kicked out, knocking a chair across the floor. It hit the wall with a loud clatter before toppling over. I couldn’t agree more.

  Mason growled and started to pace.

  “She’s been pissed off with me since I withdrew from moving people about for auctions. That was a prosperous business for her, and I was a main link. Now I’m not involved, Khloe’s lost her primary source of income.”

  “I thought being a madam was the primary source.”

  Mason snorted.

  “Well, you thought wrong. This is a side-line business. Human trafficking is what Khloe loves the most.”

  I felt sick. I knew Khloe was cold, but this was going too far. She had resorted to even more disgusting measures.

  “And now she’s gone from trafficking runaways and orphans to selling out her own girls.”

  “To Ruiz Fernandez as well.” Mason’s hands flexed before curling into fists. “That bastard knew what he was doing, selling them to the Russians. He knew they would get a good dollar, as well as everything else.”

  I didn’t want to think about the ‘everything else.’ That was something he didn’t want to even contemplate. The cartel was bad enough, but the Russians…

  They were something else. And I knew that with a heavy feeling in his stomach.

  “We can’t take them on, can we?”

  Mason shook his head. He looked as miserable as I felt.

  “Not with the cartel. That would be suicide for us.”

  “Khloe’s sold us out, hasn’t she?”

  “I think she has.” Mason kicked over another chair, this one bouncing before a leg broke off. “She’s gone back on the deal we put in place with her. That bitch!”

  He stamped on the now broken chair, which exploded into chunks of wood and splinters. I focused on schooling my breathing back to level; I didn’t want to deal with Mason’s anger by matching it.

  “I always told you that she was not to be trusted.”

  Mason scoffed rudely. “Says the man who comes here on a regular basis to fuck one of the girls. And now look where that’s got you.”

  I could feel my face getting warm. “That was an accident,”

  “An accident you don’t plan on fixing.”

  I knew what Mason was on about. And I felt my hackles rising. No way would I let anyone harm my child, not even my friend. Mason would never do that, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

  “I won’t have my kid aborted, Mason,” I growled. “Amber doesn’t want it, either.”

  Mason was staring at me. I started to feel like I was under a microscope. We had known each other since childhood. Mason had known about Freya, but only the basics. He didn’t know everything; I hadn’t been able to tell even his friend. Mason knew why I was closed off to everyone, and he didn’t question it. Now he seemed to be on the cusp of questioning everything I did.

  I had never given him any reason to doubt me.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “How do you know she’s to be trusted?”

  “Who?”

  “Who the fuck do you think I’m talking about? Amber.” Mason’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know she’s not going to turn on you as well?”

  I couldn’t explain it, but I knew. Amber wouldn’t do that. I could see it. I shook my head, annoyed at the fact Mason was even questioning my judgment.

  “Mason, Amber’s not like that. She’s a scarred girl with trust issues, but she does trust me. I know she does. And I’m not planning on letting her down.”

  Mason was silent, still staring at me. I shuffled from foot to foot. This was disconcerting. Mason had got more astute, more aware of things and people since Cassie had come along. While Cassie had been good for him in some ways, this wasn’t one of them. Not in my case.

  “You have feelings for her, haven’t you?”

  I felt like I had been punched in the face. “Affection, yes, but nothing more.”

  “Nothing more?”

  “No. Why don’t you believe me?”

  “Because the look on your face tells me everything.” Mason folded his arms. “You really do have feelings for her, and it’s more than affection.”

  I wanted to lash out. No one was telling me what I was feeling. I knew what I felt for Amber, and it wasn’t love.

  Was it?

  “The only long-term plan I’ve got with Amber is raising our child together. I will provide for this baby, and for the mother to be able to care for the child in a safe environment. Nothing more.” I scowled. “I’m not about to play happy families like Noah is.”

  Mason grunted.

  “Noah said that once. But look at him now.”

  “He loved Liz before.” And prison had made him soft. “He knew what love was.”

  “And you don’t?”

  “Mason, you know better. After what I’ve been through? Not a fucking chance.”

  I almost jumped off the door when someone knocked on it sharply. My hand went to my gun as the door opened. Then Khloe appeared, her expression practically blank. She looked from me to Mason, and that was when some animation came into her eyes. Fury.

  Pure fury.

  “We need to talk.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Amber

  Being naked when I was moments away from being taken away didn’t feel right. As soon as Diesel left, I had dressed again. My sweater and sweatpants were my comfort clothes, ones I wore when I just wanted to chill. There weren’t many chances of doing that, but I took them whenever I could. Khloe didn’t often give us downtime. I wanted time when I could stop thinking about my pitiful work-life and sex, and just be myself.

  With Diesel about, I could do just that. He was the only one with whom I could fully relax. And he didn’t judge me.

  He had never judged me.

  I knew I had to stop thinking like that. Those thoughts could get me into trouble and end up with rejection. I didn’t want that.

  I had handled many things in my life, but I didn’t think I could handle a broken heart again.

  I jumped when there was a gentle knock at the door. Then I heard a familiar voice.

  “Amber? It’s Cassie. Can I come in?”

  I almost buckled in relief. A welcoming visitor was what I needed right now. I stumbled to the door and opened it. Cassie was in the hallway, wearing jeans and a soft-looking black sweater. She looked like she had just come off a long shift, but the light in her eyes was still there.

  “Cassie? What are you doing here?”

  Even as I spoke, I stepped aside to let the woman in. Cassie entered, turning to me with concern in her eyes. “I came to see you were okay. I was worried about you.”

  I almost collapsed. Diesel had been the only person who had ever been worried about me. I wasn’t used to such kindness. Cassie seemed to sense something, because she approached me and hugged me, rubbing my back at the same time. .

  “It’s okay, honey,” she whispered. “It’s okay.”

  “It’s not okay.” I managed to step aside, wrapping my arms around my waist. “I’m scared, Cassie. Khloe’s sold me out. I’m going to the Russians, and I don’t want to go anywhere. I won’t.”

  “Whoa, slow down.” Cassie held up her hands. “I don’t know what’s going on, ap
art from the bare essentials. Just start from the beginning.”

  I did. Cassie and I sat on the chaise longue by the window, and I told her everything. Cassie said nothing as I talked, but she was looking more and more shocked, then pissed, then outraged. I almost shrank back at the sight; the few times I had met Cassie, I knew the woman was fiery – she had to be, to keep up with Mason – but I had never seen her like this.