Looking at him as he sees me, I have a feeling that I have the wrong man. This man doesn’t seem like a killer. He has a gun strapped to his waist, and meanwhile, instead of going for it, he is trying to crawl away. Something is wrong here; I growl threateningly and hear him weep in fright.
“Stop,” King threatens as he approaches. The man jumps in fright at King’s voice but then sags in relief.
“Th . . . There’s . . . a wolf,” the man stutters as he points at me.
“He won’t hurt you,” King says. “What are you doing out here?”
“There was a shooting. Didn’t you hear it?” he says as he looks back at me and then at King again. “I was relieving myself just behind a tree when I heard the shots. There was no way I was going back there. I saw people being shot. Fuck, I think they’re dead.” I look over at King and see him incline his head, which tells me that he also thinks we have the wrong guy. Fuck, stepping around him, I head back into the woods before I try to listen to any nuances again. I know these woods like the back of my hand, every rock and every tree. If this guy is still here, I will find the motherfucker.
I run through the woods until I find the area where he was hiding. I can hear police sirens nearing. Someone must have called the police. I will continue looking until I find a lead. Only then will I return. I take in his scent and then slowly start following his scent. To my surprise, instead of moving away from the house, it is moving towards the house. Did this sick motherfucker go back to the house after the shootings? When I am a few feet to the clearing that leads to the house, I see Hawk walking towards me. Instead of his wolf form, he is in his human form, which tells me that he must have found something.
Changing back to my human form, I stand here naked before him; I left my clothes just a few metres away; therefore, if needed, I will get dressed before joining the others. “Did you find anything?”
“I followed the scent here like you just did, but the fucking cops are questioning everyone. If we come out of the woods, they are going to suspect us.”
“There are witnesses who saw me there when the shooting happened. We can say that we went looking for the shooter,” I say.
“Yeah, and how long are you going to be there while they find these witnesses, and in the meantime, the asshole who shot at us will be getting away.” Hawk has a point; we have no time to spare, because if the shooter leaves in a vehicle, it will be harder to track. I can feel Dakota’s distress, and it’s getting worse as time passes. Soon, I will have to go back even if just to appease her.
“Who the hell was he trying to shoot at, or was he meaning to be random?” Hawk asks with a raised brow.
“Don’t know, but I think I’m going to go check around the house but stay within the treeline so no one sees me,” I say, readying myself to change again.
“I’ve already done that; he didn’t come back into the woods, which means that he’s among everyone.” Well then, if he’s among the others, we need to be there to catch him, and I’m not going to leave my woman there with a fucking killer when I’m not around. Heading towards where I left my clothes, I stretch up and pull them down from where I hid them in the tree. Throughout the woods, we have had areas in trees where we have made places to keep clothes. Sometimes it is necessary to dress in a hurry. In this case, it’s my own clothes that I placed here. When I am fully dressed, I walk back to where Hawk is standing, looking at what is going on by the house.
“I’m going in,” I say when he looks over at me.
“Are you sure?” he asks with a raised brow.
“Don’t you think it’s easier for us to catch him now that we have his scent than stand here looking in, and also, there is no way I’m leaving Dakota there with a fucking killer.”
Hawk scratches his jaw before he nods. “Okay, I’m coming with you.” We both make our way towards the group of people standing outside with the police standing around them, their weapons at the ready.
“We really don’t need this shit on our doorstep. This is the last thing we need,” I mutter. Cops snooping around our woods is not a good idea. If they know what they are looking for, they will find evidence of wolves, and then they will find the hollows in the trees, and they will want to know what they are there for. We know that they will never suspect what we are, but wolves so close to town might be a problem for them.
“Just chill. The sooner they clear us, the sooner we can find this asshole,” Hawk says just as one of the cops sees us. He raises his weapon and starts running towards us. Idiot. Doesn’t he know that’s the fastest way of getting himself killed?
“Hands in the air,” he yells as he approaches. Hawk and I raise our hands and stop as not to excite him any more than he already seems to be.
“What were you doing in the woods?” he asks as he stops a few feet ahead of us, another two cops right behind him. Sure, because if I was the killer, I would definitely be telling him.
“We are from the Wolverine MC; this party was ours, so after the shooting, we went into the woods to try to find who was shooting at us.” One of them is now frisking me. Asshole. As if I was the shooter, I would bring the weapon here with me.
“Who else is with you?” the one asks as he looks behind us at the woods.
“No one,” Hawk replies.
“How do we know you two aren’t the shooters?” the one patting us down asks.
“You can ask the people at the party. Lots of them saw us before and just after the shooting,” I state. Where is Dakota? Is she still in our room? I can still feel her fear, but I can’t see her among the group. I see Fang on the far side, talking to a police officer, but Dakota isn’t with him.
“Don’t you worry, we will definitely follow up on your alibi,” one says as he steps back and then inclines his head behind him. “Now go join the others.”
I notice that the Hades MC guys who were here earlier are nowhere to be seen. I wonder if them being here was a distraction. We are making our way towards where Fang is standing when one of the police officers tells us to stand where we are.
“I can’t see Dakota,” I mutter.
“Where was she last?” Hawk asks as he also looks around. I see his nostrils flare, which tells me that he’s trying to scent her.
“I think she went to our room. Fang was to take her there. I told her to stay there until it was safe to come out.”
“Well, she’s more than likely still there. The police most probably haven’t been inside yet, or they would be asking us more questions than they just did.” Looking around, I can just imagine the questions that are going to be asked when they see our comms room. Only a select few in the police force know about our undercover work in this area. If they go snooping where they shouldn’t be snooping, our cover will be blown.
Just then, another car pulls up and the captain steps out. “We should get cleared faster now,” Hawk mutters. Looking at the captain, I see him looking around. His eyes fall on Fang, and then he approaches him. The captain is one of those who knows that we are undercover. He doesn’t know the full extent of our secrets, but he knows that we help him sometimes solve cases.
Suddenly, I feel my heart racing and fear exploding within my body. “Something is wrong,” I state as I look around. And then everything just stills. It’s like an emptiness that has my wolf wanting to break free.
“Dakota!” I call as I start running into the house. I hear shouting from behind me, but I don’t stop, as I need to get to my woman. There are running feet behind me, but no one will stop me. No one will keep me away from my woman. I run up the stairs, heading down the corridor, my heart racing as I see the bedroom door is open. When I reach it, I see that it has been kicked in. My wolf is fighting to break free, but I hold it at bay as my fury explodes within me.
“Dakota,” I call as I rush inside, but even before I enter, I know she’s not here, and then the scent that I caught in the woods explodes around me. Motherfucker, was this all about my woman? Did he shoot those people just to get
to her? Why would they go through so much hassle to get to Dakota? Yes, she’s my woman, but Hades MC know that the quickest way to have us in arms and at their door is to take one of ours. Is that what they want? Or was this someone else?
The questions are rushing through my head, and all I can do is look helplessly at the empty room where my woman was supposed to be safe but wasn’t.
DAKOTA 16
The pain in my head has me wincing. When I try to open my eyes, the pain shoots right through me. My body also feels stiff and sore. What is wrong with me? Did I get sick? Forcing my eyes open, I wince, as the light feels like needles stabbing in my head. Trying to concentrate, I look around and wince at the pain. Where am I? This isn’t our room, and then images start flooding back and I feel myself tensing, the pain that my tense muscles incite excruciating, but I don’t care, as I know that if I’m not imagining this, and I’m sure I’m not, then I’m in for a whole lot more pain.
I was standing at the window, looking out at the woods, when I heard the bedroom door handle turning. I remember looking back, hoping that Hunter was back, but then the door swings open and Jason is standing there. I tried to fight, but the minute he walked in, I knew that no matter how much I fought, he would subdue me. He always did.
I remember thinking what I could have ever seen in him. His eyes were bloodshot with a wild look in them. I knew that look, and I knew that it was the look that always had me bloody and sore. The first words out of his mouth when he found me were, “I told you I would always find you.” And then he pulled back his arm and punched me. I vaguely remember the pain exploding in my head as I fell back, but then everything went dark, until now.
I try to move, but groan when lights explode behind my eyes. I must have a concussion by the way my head is paining. “Awake at last.” I hear his voice from just behind me, and flinch. That voice has given me nightmares for years, and now here it is again. I should never have let my guard down, but I really thought that now I would be safe. Now in the midst of men used to fighting, used to catching men like Jason, I thought I had a chance to finally live a normal life.
To know that those people died because of me has tears squeezing past my closed eyes and streaming down my cheeks. I know that Hunter and the men would have done everything in their power to protect me, but I should have followed my gut. When I think of that, fresh tears squeeze past my lids. Hunter, I won’t see Hunter again. The thought has my stomach squeezing so tight, I think I’m going to be sick.
Maybe this was my purpose, to find Hunter so that he could mate with me and be able to control his wolf. If nothing else, I am thankful to have had the few days I had, and to have felt what I did for Hunter. “Tears?” Jason’s voice brings me back to the present and to my worst nightmare. “Tears won’t help you now.” And then his hand is around my neck and the air is being squeezed out of me.
“Look at me,” he roars. I try to open my eyes, my tears obscuring his face right above me. My gasps for air are loud in my ears as I struggle to take in air. “You little bitch, you think you can shack up with another man and I will let you?” I can feel myself starting to slip into oblivion. Maybe this is it. An image of Hunter flashes into my mind as everything starts darkening, and then I feel air rushing into my lungs again.
“I’m not going to let you die that easily,” I hear Jason say as I gasp for much-needed air. A click tells me that he has left the room. I need to try to get my bearings, because if he didn’t kill me now, he will sooner or later. I think back to what Gloria said about fighting, about not being a victim. I know that fighting Jason will be pointless unless I catch him unaware, and then I need to make sure to incapacitate him or he will be on me in a flash.
Will Hunter be able to find me? I could have doubts that he will come looking for me, as we have only been together for such a short time, but I don’t. I just need to hang on until he does, and that is something I don’t know if I can do. Jason was unpredictable when I was with him, and it seems like he is much more now. He shot at a group of people to get to me. He killed people because of me. How am I ever going to face those men who took me in when they find out that this violence was brought to their doorstep because of me? What will they do? Will they convince Hunter to let me go?
I feel a rage inside of me that is different from anything I have ever felt before, a fury that feels like I’m going to explode. Opening my eyes wider, I notice a cheap-looking painting on a wall to my left. Looking down, I see threadbare dark-blue carpeting. Jason must have brought me to an old motel somewhere, because I can hear the sound of cars in the distance. What are his plans for me? Is he planning on torturing me, keeping me, or simply killing me right off?
After the beatings and threats before I ran, I was sure that I wouldn’t have survived for very much longer, but then I escaped, and my hope grew. I met people who even though they knew what I have been through and what was bound to happen, they were willing to give me a chance, willing to place themselves in danger for me. I can’t disappoint them. If they had faith in me, then I needed to have the courage to live up to that faith.
I try to sit up, but only now do I realize that my hands are bound and my feet too. No wonder I feel so sore. Slowly turning on my back as not to jolt my head, I look around me. I am lying on a double bed. By the feel of the mattress, I would say this bed has had a lot of use. Looking to my side, I see the bedcover is a garish floral in a silky material. There is a bedside table, but no bedside lamp, the only light coming from the overhead light.
I don’t know how long I have been here, but I know it could have only been a couple hours, as I can see that it’s still dark when I look out the window covered by a light lacy curtain. Just then, the door opens and Jason walks in, a frown marring his face. How did I ever find this man handsome? Compared to Hunter, he’s not even mediocre, and when I think of the way Hunter treats me and the way this man has always treated me, it leaves me baffled.
Jason pulls up a chair to the bed and sits down, his eyes boring into me. “So, you run away from me to become a biker’s whore,” he mutters. “Not very picky, were you?” From experience, I know that it will be worse if I answer. Therefore, I let him speak, but to think that he considers a biker below him, I cringe thinking of how much lower he is.
He leans forward, his hand picking up a corner of my kutte. “What the fuck are you wearing? Do you think this is feminine?” Jason always insisted that I wear dresses or skirts. He always said that I was a woman so I must dress like one. I think that is why since running from him, my general wardrobe has been jeans and T-shirts. In my own way, I was trying to contradict him even though he wasn’t around.
“You even smell like those bastards, but we’ll fix that,” he mutters just as he pulls a long blade from his ankle holster and swipes it through the ties at my wrists. I flinch but don’t make a sound. I will not give him the satisfaction of knowing the pain that he is inflicting on me. He then moves down to my ankles and cuts the ties there too. “Sit up.” He grabs the kutte and pulls me up. The pain in my head explodes in a ray of light, and I groan.
I feel a yank, and then the kutte is being ripped off me. “You belong to me, do you hear me?” he yells as he throws the kutte. I hear it hit something before it falls to the ground.
“I don’t belong to you,” I mutter, and am awarded with a slap for my contradiction, which has my vision blurring again.
“Shut your filthy mouth. I will show you.” He yanks me onto my feet, my head spinning with the movement, and drags me to the bathroom. Here, he pulls at my T-shirt until it is off me, and then my jeans. Only now do I realize that I am barefoot, as I had taken my shoes off when I had gotten to the room after the shooting. When I am standing before him in my lingerie, he swears in anger. Before I can put up a fight, he has the blade under the material and is slicing the bodice down the middle. “Whore, were you dressing for him?” he yells as he grabs at my hair and pushes me into the shower.
The water is scalding on my skin, bu
t I don’t complain. One thing I have learnt about him is that no matter what I do, he will only calm down at his own time. “Wash yourself, or do you want me to do it?” I quickly look around until I find the soap. Bending down, I pick it up and start by washing my body so as not to entice any more of his violence.
He stands right outside the shower, the curtain wide open as he looks at me washing my body. I ignore his rude comments. Closing my eyes, I imagine Hunter, and immediately a feeling of rage engulfs me. Is it possible that I’m feeling his rage?
“Enough, get out.” Jason’s voice interrupts my train of thought. I quickly turn off the shower and step out. Jason hands me a small towel that barely covers my body as he leans forward and sniffs at my neck. “Better,” he mutters as he takes hold of my upper arm and drags me into the room once again. Leaning down, he picks up a paper bag that I hadn’t noticed before and hands it to me. “Put this on.” He lets go of my arm. I know that I will have bruises on my arm from his grip, but that is the least of my worries, because I am sure that those won’t be the only bruises I will have from him.
Looking into the bag, I find a yellow summer dress. Pulling it out, I see that there is nothing else in the bag.
“There is no underwear,” I comment, and he grunts.
“Whores don’t wear underwear; you won’t need any. Now put the dress on,” he orders as he turns and moves towards the window. While he is distracted, I quickly drop the towel and pull the dress over my head. I look around to see if there is anything that I can use to get away, but there are no sharp objects in view. Also, if I do manage to get away, where will I be running to? I can’t go back to the MC; it isn’t fair to place them in this danger.
“Did you shoot those people?” I ask.
“It was a distraction to get you alone. It worked,” he mutters as he turns around and looks over my body.
“How did you find me?”
“I have my means.” He takes a step towards me and stops again. I know that he will try to intimidate me at every turn, but the woman he was used to pushing around isn’t here anymore, and I will not let him do it to me again. He takes another step closer and then frowns, his eyes running up and down my body.
Bound (Wolverine MC Book 1) Page 12