Declan met with his guys in the back room of their bar. "You're sure this is her?" He studied the photo on his phone.
"Yeah, it's her. Pity, she's a cute young thing. You're lucky you get to be the one -"
Declan's glare cut the other man off. This was something that had to be done, not a choice. Their club had rules and unfortunately for young Ryan, her father had broken them. He had ratted, and now he was on the run. Declan, unfortunately, would have to use Ryan to get to her father. It was something he had done before.
"What's the plan?"
"O'Brien is going to go with you. He'll make the recording, then we send it to the fuckhead's lawyer. He'll surface or he won't, but... the point will be made."
"When are we doing this?" Declan couldn't take his eyes off the photo on his phone. She didn't look like the typical girl who got caught up in all this. She looked buttoned up... proper.
"You guys are set to go to her place Friday night, she lives alone in the country and if you... run long, no one will be waiting for her at work in the morning. You can take her to the farm... everything is set there for... maximum effect."
Declan dismissed the men and waited for his friend Sean. O'Brien had been his best friend for over twenty years and was the only one he trusted to do something like this with him. In his head, he tried to rationalize what the plan was... prove a point for the pride of the club. Was this girl innocent in the whole thing? Maybe, but her father had made a choice, and what was a man if not a protector of his daughter. This fuck had failed, royally, and that was about to be made clear to him.
Sean knocked once on the door and entered the office. "Maxy explain everything?"
"Yeah... Friday night, we grab her at her place and take her to the farm."
"And, you're good to..."
Declan thought of Sean's new wife and baby and understood that he didn't have this in him.
"Yeah, you're there to record, and help me out if she gets out of hand."
"Anything we need to know? She have a gun license or a black belt or anything?" Sean was only half joking.
Declan flipped open the file in front of him that the guys had left.
"She's a student, working on her Master's degree in fine arts," he flipped through the pages, skimming over more photos and background. "She's only 5' 2", max 100 pounds."
Sean gave Declan a look. They would have to be careful. When they had done this before, the girls were more involved in the gang and knew what they were in for when their brothers, fathers, and sometimes them, broke the rules. They were a rougher sort. This situation was different. But he understood the necessity. You don't go against the gang and not suffer repercussions. Too bad for Ryan her father had made a choice without her in mind.
"You know exactly what you're gonna do?" Sean waited for a response. It made him nervous to go in without a plan and have things go sideways. He nodded as Declan laid out the plan.
Ryan drove home from work on Friday evening, excited to relax with a glass of wine and maybe a cheesy movie. Pulling in front of the farm house, she didn't see the large black SUV parked at the side of the old shed. Inpatient to get in the house, Ryan leaned over to grab her purse and didn't see the man quickly approaching from the side.
Suddenly, there was a hand clamped over her mouth. Ryan tried to scream against the hand, kicking out trying to strike the assailant. She heard tires against the gravel and the SUV was beside them.
"Ungh! Ungh!" Ryan tried to wrench her arms free of the vice circling her, tossing her head trying to pull free from his other hand. The man managed to get her in the back of the SUV, never taking his hand away from her mouth.
"Go."
Ryan was shocked by the calmness of his voice. His complete control, despite her struggles caused a sense of dread to settle over her. He dragged her into the back seat, settling her over his large frame. Keeping his hand clamped over her mouth, he spoke evenly in her ear.
"My name is Declan, and I'm here because of your father." He gave her a moment to process the information, not surprised when she tried to spring away from him, clearly taking this information to mean he was a dangerous man.
"We're going to my farm, and we're going to make a little video for your pa." Ryan wasn't sure she understood him clearly. She had to puzzle over his words and his thick Irish accent to make sense of it. A video?
"You're going to be ok, you need to remember that." Ryan couldn't think clearly. What was happening? What the fuck had her father done this time?
They drove further into the rural area for about an hour before they pulled off the gravel road and down a long lane way. Ryan looked out over the ranch, impressed with the state of it. He had told her his name and let her see where they were going... did that mean he was going to kill her? The SUV pulled to a stop and the driver got out to open the door.
Declan, finally removing his hand from her mouth, man handled her out of the car. In something of a daze, she tripped out of the car as Sean stood to the side.
Firmly gripping her arm, he hauled her towards the house, only pausing for Sean to unlock the door.
Once in the house, he maneuvered her into the open main room. The house didn't require basement business, he could do everything in the open here.
Declan released Ryan's arm, letting her sprawl forward. He heard Sean's heavy footsteps behind him.
"Ready?" For a moment Ryan was confused, thinking he was talking to her, but then the other man answered, "Ready."
His attention back on the girl, Declan ordered her, "Take off your clothes."
Ryan held herself tightly and shivered. The two men were huge - obvious associates of her father with their copious tattoos, beards, and long hair. She was used to seeing guys like this, back when her father had actually been around. She stared up at the man, shaking her head.
Declan approached her, watching her tremble in fear, "Listen. You're gonna live through tonight; you're going to be ok. This will all be over soon, and we'll take you home. Your father did something bad, and sadly, that means you need to pay." He gave her a moment, hoping she was processing his words.
"Do you understand?"