Chapter 5: The devil's compound
916 Words
Aria’s heart hammered as she stared at the door. The handle rattled again. She grabbed the lamp from the nightstand, yanking the cord out of the wall, and held it like a bat.
“Who’s there?” she called, voice sharper than she felt.
Then footsteps walked away down the hall.
She stood there for a long minute, lamp still raised, breathing hard. When nothing else happened, she set it back down with shaking hands. She paced the small room instead, studying every corner like it might give her answers.
The place was nicer than she expected. A small window that looked out over the compound yard. No bars, but she spotted cameras on the buildings outside. This wasn’t some rundown shack full of drunks and drugs. The Iron Reapers ran a tight ship.
Morning came too soon. Someone knocked hard and a woman’s voice called through the door.
“Breakfast at ten. Don’t make me drag you out.”
Aria opened the door. A tough-looking woman in her thirties with a braid down her back and a
“Property of” patch on her cut stood there.
“Name’s Carla,” she said.
“Kitchen duty mostly. The boss says you eat with everyone today so they can get a look at you.”
Aria followed her outside. Daylight showed just how big the compound really was. Multiple garages with guys already working on bikes. A main clubhouse with picnic tables out front. It felt more like a military base than a criminal hideout.
Men watched her as she walked past. Some are curious, Some are hungry. A few nodded like they already knew the story.
The dining hall was loud with plates clattering, guys talking s**t, laughter mixed with the smell of bacon and coffee. Carla pointed her toward a table in the corner.
“Eat. Then you’ll do your chores.”
Aria grabbed a plate of eggs and toast. She wasn’t hungry but forced herself to eat anyway because She needed strength.
Halfway through her food, the room got quieter. Jaxon walked in.
He looked like he hadn’t slept much either, but it didn’t soften him any. His eyes found her immediately. He grabbed coffee and came straight to her table, dropping into the chair across from her.
“Sleep okay?” he asked.
“Someone tried my door last night,” she said bluntly.
Jaxon’s jaw tightened.
“That won’t happen again. I’ll make it clear.”
Aria pushed her plate away.
“How long do I have to stay here?”
“Until the debt’s considered paid. Could be months or longer” He took a slow sip of coffee.
“Depends on how useful you are.”
“I’m not warming anyone’s bed,” she said, loud enough for nearby tables to hear.
A couple guys chuckled. Jaxon didn’t smile, but his eyes warmed just a fraction.
“Nobody touches you unless you want it. That’s an order I already gave but you work. Kitchen, cleaning, laundry and whatever Carla needs. You stay inside the fences unless I say otherwise. No phone calls without permission.”
Aria met his stare. “And my brother?”
“Safe for now. I’ve got eyes on the apartment. He tries to run or causes trouble, that changes.”
She hated how relieved that made her feel.
Jaxon stood up.
“Finish eating. Carla will show you around. Don’t make trouble, Aria. This life gets ugly fast if you push back.”
He walked off, barking orders at a couple guys near the door.
Carla appeared a minute later.
“Come on, new girl. Tour time.”
The next few hours blurred. Carla showed her the kitchens, the laundry room, the supply sheds. Everything ran smoothly. These guys had money, nice bikes, good tools, even a small gym and medical room. No filthy mattresses or passed-out drunks like she’d pictured.
By late afternoon, Aria was wiping down tables in the main hall when Mason walked in. He was younger than most, maybe late twenties, with an easy grin and grease stains on his shirt.
“You’re the famous debt girl,” he said, grabbing water from the fridge.
“I’m Mason, the mechanic. Don’t mind the stares. They’ll get bored eventually.”
Aria wiped her hands on a rag.
“Are you always this welcoming to kidn*pped women?”
He laughed.
“kidn*pped? Nah. More like… acquired. Reaper doesn’t usually take these kinds of deals. You must’ve made an impression.”
She didn’t know what to say to that.
Mason leaned against the counter.
“Look, it’s not all bad here. We ride hard, but most of us aren’t monsters.”
Before she could reply, Carla called her back to the kitchen.
The day dragged on. By the time the sun went down, Aria was exhausted, her body sore from cleaning, mind worn out from constant watching eyes.
They gave her the same room again. She locked the door from the inside this time and shoved a chair under the handle for good measure.
Then, sometime deep in the night, it happened again.
The handle on her door rattled like Someone was out there, trying to get in.
Aria sat up fast, back against the headboard, heart racing. She didn’t call out this time. Just waited, listening.
The rattling stopped.
Whoever it was didn’t leave right away. She could hear breathing on the other side of the door then footsteps faded down the hall.
- Writer
