by Harley Wylde
My breath stalled in my lungs when I managed to pull one of my hands free. My wrist throbbed and I felt blood trickle down my palm. I closed my fist so it wouldn’t drip onto the floor, then watched the man pace in front of me some more. I counted his steps, watched for a pattern, and when he seemed to be deep enough in an argument with one of his selves, I made my move.
I might not have been quite as quick as before, and I’d been stuck in that chair for who knew how long, but I was desperate. Shooting to my feet, I used the element of surprise to nail him right between the legs. His eyes went comically wide and his jaw dropped as he fell to the floor, hitting his knees and cupping his crotch. His eyes watered. Ignoring his accusations and ranting, I ran for the door on the far side of the building. Daylight streamed through the grimy windows along that wall, so it was my hope it led outside.
As I burst through it, it occurred to me he might have had help. I cast a furtive glance around, but we seemed to be in a warehouse district, and not another soul was within sight. I didn’t know where I was or how to get back to the Reckless Kings, but I wasn’t stopping until I found a way to call for help. Even if that meant calling my dad.
My stomach cramped and my vision blurred as I ran, my breath coming out in pants. This was the most running I’d done… Well, ever. I didn’t know how much farther I could go. I could see a busy street not too far ahead, and I pushed myself harder. I might have made it, if I hadn’t tripped and fallen.
I cradled my stomach, hoping I hadn’t injured my baby. As I struggled to stand, hands gripped me tightly from behind and I screamed, only to have a fist smash into the side of my head. I sucked in a breath as stars danced across my vision. The man lifted me into his arms and carried me back the way I’d come.
When he put me back on the wooden chair, I groaned and shook my head. “Bathroom. Please.”
“Bitch! I don’t care if you piss yourself.” The tone suggested it was one of the other voices I was dealing with this time. “Told him you were a stupid cunt, but he didn’t listen.”
My arms were wrenched behind me and secured once more. Not only with rope this time, but he wrapped duct tape around my wrists too. Then he fastened my ankles to the chair legs. I wanted to cry, but tears wouldn’t get me anywhere. I’d escaped once, which meant maybe I could do it again. I seriously needed to pee, though. The thought of wetting myself made me wince, but eventually my bladder would demand that I go. Even if that meant going while I was tied up in this chair. Dammit.
“Where’s Charlotte?” I asked.
“You need to worry about you right now,” the man said in the second voice I’d heard before. “Need to get a message to Beast, but it must be the right one.”
He eyed me and my skin crawled. What was he going to do? When he approached, I leaned as far back as I could, but it was no use. The ropes and chair held me immobile. He lifted my hair, bringing it to his nose and breathing in my scent. His eyes shut and he smiled faintly.
“What are you going to do with me?” I asked.
“Such a pretty little whore. First, I need to make sure that stupid oaf knows you’re missing. I think a lock of your hair might send the right message.” He pulled out a knife, grabbed a handful of my hair, and sawed off nearly six inches.
I’d held it together so far, and I refused to break down over my hair of all things. So I’d cut it. No big deal. It would grow back. I shut my eyes and remembered the way Dragon would often stare at my hair, the way it had felt the few times he’d touched it. I knew he loved my long locks, and I had too. But it was just hair and it would grow back. As long as I stayed breathing at any rate.
“Don’t worry, pretty. I’ll be back.” He gave me a smile that made him look more than a little demented, then he skipped out of the warehouse. Fucking. Skipped.
I looked around and tried to see anything I might be able to use, if I could get free again. My wrists were throbbing and still bleeding, but I worked at the ropes and tape just the same. A doctor could patch me up later, but I had to get out of here first. No matter how much I twisted, turned, or tugged, I couldn’t break free.
When Mr. Psycho returned, there was a gleam in his eyes I didn’t like. He looked exceedingly pleased with himself. What had he done? The lunatic actually rubbed his hands together like a cartoon villain when he got closer. “Now I’ll get everything I want. It’s all falling into place.”
I wasn’t about to ask what he meant. I was too worried about the answer. As long as there was hope he’d let me go at some point, then I could remain somewhat calm. He walked a circle around me. Twice. When he stopped in front of me again, he looked like he was shaking. From excitement? Had he taken drugs and was coming down? I didn’t know what the hell was going on, or how I’d make it through this. I hadn’t survived those years in Colombia to be taken down by this guy now.
“We’re going to make sure he knows I mean business. But first, a gift for the pretty.” He pulled out the duct tape, ripped a piece off, then slapped it over my mouth. My eyes went wide and my heart slammed against my ribs. “Now we can play!”
Play? What the fuck kind of playing did he have in mind? I had a feeling it was the sort that would make me scream, and he’d just effectively silenced me. Thanks to my hands being tied, I hadn’t had a chance to shove him away. My feet being secured meant kicking wouldn’t help either.
My kidnapper pulled out a pocketknife, flicked open the blade, then came even closer. I couldn’t stop the tears this time as they slipped down my cheeks. Whatever he was about to do, I was completely helpless. He’d made sure I couldn’t attack him again. The one chance I’d had to escape and I’d been captured again.
He grabbed the neckline of my shirt with his hand, pulled it away from my body, then sliced the material until it exposed my breasts. Everything in me went cold. My mind started to drift, and I prepared to shut down like I had before. It had been the only way to survive then, and I worried I’d have to go to that quiet place again. I braced myself for him to touch me, but he didn’t. Instead, he sliced the top of one breast with the knife. A shallow cut, but it still throbbed.
“Hmm. This knife just won’t do at all. Don’t worry, pretty. I have just what we need.” He scurried off. I watched as he approached a dark corner of the warehouse. A flash of something gleamed in the shadows, then he returned with a larger, much sharper-looking knife. Before I could react, he began slicing my pants off my body, leaving me in my panties. “Oh. You had to go to the bathroom, didn’t you?”
I nodded frantically, hoping he might release me. If he led me to a bathroom, maybe there was a chance I could escape again. Instead, he reached out, gripped my panties, then sliced them off me.
“There! Now you won’t have wet nasty fabric against you.”
I recoiled, wanting to close my legs. He pulled a phone from his pocket, then waved it front of my face. I eyed it, wondering what he would do next. Was he going to call Beast? With my mouth taped shut, I couldn’t scream for help, or tell him what was happening. I couldn’t give him a clue to my location.
I yanked my wrists again, but the rope and tape still held tight. I hadn’t even loosened it a little, which made my spirits plummet. I had to face reality. Unless this man let me go, or someone came for me, I wasn’t leaving until he was ready for me to go. I could only hope when that time came that I was still breathing and wasn’t leaving by way of a body bag.
The creep snapped a picture of my face, then backed up and took a full body shot. Humiliation burned through me. He was going to send that to Beast, wasn’t he? A man I barely knew was about to see me nearly naked, exposed and vulnerable. I hated it. Hated this man who was doing these vile things to me. And maybe I hated myself a little too. If I hadn’t tried to go to the appointment on my own, then there was a chance I’d still be safe right now.
You’re an idiot, Lilian. A big fucking idiot.
“Now. All we have to do is wait for him to ask for my demands. Then the fun begins.” The man laughed, b
ut it sounded like something you’d hear in a horror movie.
That’s because you’re living in one. Again.
Whatever happened, if I made it out of this in one piece, I wanted to make this asshole pay. Any sympathy I might have felt for him, any lenience I’d have given due to him being ill, was now gone. I wanted him to suffer.
Chapter Six
Dragon
“What the fuck do you mean you still can’t find her?” I demanded. Okay, so I was on thin ice. You didn’t go into someone else’s territory, then yell at their Pres. It just wasn’t done. Not if you wanted to keep breathing. “I’m sorry. I just… We have to find her.”
Beast growled. Literally growled. I wondered if that was why he’d gotten the name Beast. If it had anything to do with the bedroom, I really didn’t want to know. The thought of Lilian taking shelter with him still lit a fire inside me.
“You’re a fucking idiot, Dragon. You had someone sweet like Lilian give herself to you, and you threw it away. Threw her away. I’m looking for her. Not for you, but for her. As far as I’m concerned, you can go fuck yourself,” Beast said.
“Pres,” said a voice at the doorway. I turned and saw a Prospect with a package in his hand. “This just arrived at the gate. Kid said he was paid to drop it off.”
“Is he still here?” Beast asked.
“Yep. He’s waiting at the gate. Gave him a soda as a bribe.”
Beast took the package and opened it. A phone fell out. Had the kidnapper sent it? Were they going to call? If we just knew what they wanted, then maybe I could get Lilian back. Beast pulled a bandana from his back pocket and used it to pick up the phone. He unlocked the screen with a quick swipe, and I watched as the blood drained from his face.
“Motherfucker,” he muttered. Then he roared it. “Where’s that kid? Find out who paid him. I want to know everything. Where they were, what the person looked like. Every. Fucking. Detail.”
The Prospect nodded and took off.
I moved closer, but Beast moved the phone so that I couldn’t see anything. “Is that about Lilian?”
“You know damn well it is,” he said. “And don’t even ask to see it.”
“I have a right to know what’s being done to the mother of my child.” I had a feeling if I called Lilian my woman, he’d try to take my head off. I didn’t know what was going on between them, but it was obvious he felt protective of her. I hoped like hell that’s all it was. I hadn’t even realized she knew the President of the Reckless Kings until now.
Beast looked toward the doorway and bellowed, “Get me Shield!”
Shield. The name was familiar. Then I remembered. Shield was the hacker for the Reckless Kings, and one of the men Outlaw relied on when his hands wouldn’t cooperate. I didn’t know what a hacker could do with the phone, but if the man could find Lilian, I didn’t care how he did it.
Another Prospect came to the door. “Shield isn’t at the clubhouse. Do you want me to get him? Or take something to his place?”
Beast slid the phone back into the package, careful not to let me see the screen. Then he handed it to the Prospect. “See if he can trace where this phone came from. I didn’t touch it, so if there are prints, they should belong to the man who has Lilian. I want this asshole found. Now.”
The guy grabbed the package and left. I studied the President, noting that he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. As much as I wanted to be a dick and remind him Lilian was mine and not his, I also knew I needed his help. And it was clear he cared about her well-being.
“You in love with my woman?” I asked, then silently cursed myself. Not what I’d meant to say. Aloud at any rate. I wasn’t sure how he’d react to me claiming Lil, especially if he felt something for her.
“No. I’m not in love with Lilian, but I give a shit what happens to her. She was taken on my watch, and it pisses me off.” He shuffled some papers around on his desk, and a lock of hair fell from a plain white envelope.
Everything in me went still. “That’s Lilian’s hair.”
He nodded. “I suspected as much. It arrived this morning. Now the phone. I’m a little worried about what he’ll send next.”
Shit. This guy was escalating fast. I didn’t like it.
“You look like hell. There are some empty rooms upstairs. I’ll have a Prospect show you and your brothers where to go. Get some rest. If I hear anything, I’ll send someone to get you.”
“You think I can sleep right now?” I asked.
“No. But I don’t want you in the way either. You’re emotional and not thinking clearly. I get it. She’s yours and that’s your kid in her belly. Although you have a shit way of showing you care. Just go chill for a while. Take a shower. Something. Anything that gets you the fuck away from me so I can figure this shit out. They keep sending their clues to me, which makes me think this has to do with my club or me personally. I just can’t fit everything together in my head.”
“Fine. I’ll give you some space and some time. But every second she’s gone makes it less likely I’m getting her back.”
He stared at me. “I’m aware.”
I walked out of his office, caught the attention of a Prospect, and said Beast wanted me to have an empty room. The kid led me upstairs and showed me where I could crash. My brothers could find their own rooms when they were ready. Right now, Wolf was MIA, Colorado was at the bar nursing a beer and chatting with a Reckless King, and Cobra was at a table with three other Reckless Kings.
I went to the truck and grabbed my bags, then carried them to the room. After I shut and locked the door, I pulled out a fresh set of clothes and decided a shower might clear my head. I sure the fuck hoped these rooms came with shampoo and shit because I hadn’t thought to pack anything like that. I did have my toothbrush and some deodorant, but I’d damn near left those behind too. It wasn’t like I’d been packing for a vacation. The only thought on my mind had been getting to Lilian and bringing her home.
The bathroom was small, but it had a shower stall, sink, and toilet. That’s all I needed. I started the water, letting it warm, then checked the cabinet under the sink. I pulled out one of the two towels under there, and found a bottle of shampoo and several bars of soap. The mirrored cabinet over the sink had a few unopened travel-sized toothpastes and four new toothbrushes. Nice to know they took care of their guests.
I grabbed a bar of soap, unwrapped it, then placed it in the shower. There wasn’t a shelf or rack where I could place the shampoo, so I just set it in the corner on the floor. There was a shelf over the toilet, so I set the towel up there. A small mat was already next to the shower stall. Since everything else seemed new or clean, and the place smelled like citrus cleanser, I figured the mat was clean too. Not that I was squeamish about that sort of thing.
Stripping out of my clothes, I set my cut on the foot of the bed and dumped the rest on the floor. I shook my head over the wood flooring, and cast a glance around the room. Everything seemed to be of decent quality. There was even a TV hanging on the wall over the dresser. But then the Reckless Kings weren’t hurting for money. I kicked my pile of clothes out of the way, then went back to the bathroom. The water had warmed considerably, so I stepped under the spray and slid the frosted door shut.
I used the shampoo to scrub my hair and beard, then let the hot water beat against my neck and shoulders as I braced a hand on the wall. Whoever had Lilian had cut her fucking hair, and I didn’t know what the fuck was on that damn phone, but it had to have been bad. If they had hurt her, I’d make them all pay. I’d tear them the fuck apart, then show them why I was called Dragon.
Closing my eyes, I pictured Lilian the way she’d been that last day we’d been together. She’d smiled and been so damn sweet. When she’d asked me to fuck her… shit. I couldn’t remember ever wanting something more. She’d been tight. Wet. So fucking perfect. If I could go back and do that day over, I’d have taken her a different way. It would have been amazing to slide into her sweet pussy, then watch he
r gorgeous tits bounce as I fucked her. With all those generous curves, she’d been well blessed in the tits and ass department. Something I’d noticed the moment I’d realized she was an adult.
I felt like an asshole when my dick started to get hard, but it did that every time I remembered that day. Up to the point where I’d fucked up. But before that had been amazing. I reached for the soap and slicked my palm before grabbing my cock. The way she’d bent over, showing me that luscious ass, and giving me a glimpse of paradise was a sight I saw every night when I closed my eyes. Remembering what it had felt like to slide inside her, I yanked my dick, each stroke harder and faster than the first.
I’d taken her like a man possessed, and maybe I had been. Her scent had filled my nose, the softness of her skin had been a temptation I’d never forget. She’d been dripping wet when I’d taken her. I should have been slow and tender, but I’d lost control, slamming into her. I groaned as cum sprayed over my hand and hit the wall. I kept tugging until the last drops left my balls.
Opening my eyes, I stared at the mess I’d made. It wasn’t the first time I’d jerked off to thoughts of Lilian. Shame burned inside me, though. This time was different. She was missing. Possibly hurt, and here I was getting off to memories of our one time together. It made me a sick bastard.
I cleaned up, finished washing, then got out. Once I’d dried off and pulled on fresh clothes, I stretched out on the bed and tried to clear my mind. The release in the shower had served to ease a little of my tension, but I was still no closer to figuring out who had Lilian or where she was. Beast wanted me out of the way, but I wanted answers. I ran a hand over the faded scars over my side and lower abdomen. Ramirez’s men had given them to me, and I’d come here fully expecting that bastard had somehow gotten to Lil. If that wasn’t the case, then things were even worse.