by Jane Jamison
“Hell, Meno, for once you’re actually using that shit brain of yours.”
“Yeah, well…” Meno didn’t seem to know if he was being insulted or complimented.
Jackson got out of the car. “Get them inside.”
Meno yanked open the door and snagged Laney by the arm to pull her out. She would’ve stumbled if he hadn’t held on to her. One of the other men grabbed Harlen and brought him alongside Laney.
The shack wasn’t more than a ramshackle building. Sunlight sifted through spaces between the boards and dust floated in the stale air. Laney fell against the far side then twisted around. Jackson, Meno, and two of the others as well as the girl entered. The space was limited and the place grimy, but at least the shed gave some relief from the heat.
Jackson dumped the bag on the floor then unzipped it. “Let’s see if this shit is any good.”
Laney stood beside Harlen, fear taking hold. Unlike her brother, she’d never taken anything other than prescription drugs. Even then, she’d taken only as much as the doctor had ordered.
Jackson held up a baggie to the light. “Not sure what this shit is, but I’m sure it’s going to be a blast.” His gaze settled on Laney. “Don’t you think, baby? We can have a lot of fun.”
The girl pouted, not liking that Laney was taking attention away from her. “Baby, don’t go messing around with that skank.” She rubbed her breasts against Jackson’s arm. “I’ll show you a good time.” She shot Laney a hateful look then pressed her boobs harder against Jackson.
“Don’t worry, Joss.” Jackson caressed her cheek. “She’s just a fuck, that’s all. You’ll always be my girl. Still, it doesn’t mean I can’t screw a new pussy whenever I want.” His caress turned into a hard grip of her chin, earning a yelp from her. “Don’t ever tell me what to do. Got it? I fuck who I want to fuck.”
Joss squirmed out of his hold and stepped into the shadows. Laney could still feel her hateful glare.
Jackson dumped several of the pills into his hand. “Here you go, Harlen.”
“Leave him alone.” Laney put her arm in front of Harlen, disappointed when he leaned forward to take the pills.
“Stay out of this, bitch. The boy’s already drooling for them.”
Harlen wasn’t actually drooling, but he might as well have been. His eyes had glazed over, and his hungry look said it all. He wanted to get high, wanted to find relief from his fear in those awful drugs.
“No, Harlen. You can’t.” Yet why wouldn’t he? He’d already been using drugs before she’d taken off with the duffel bag.
Harlen hesitated, his arm in mid-air. “Sis, I have to. If I don’t, he’ll just shove them down my throat.”
“Yeah, man. One way or another, you’re going to take them,” warned Jackson. “If I were you, I’d do it the easy way.”
She had to stop him. Had to at least try. “No. Don’t.” Facing her brother, she put every ounce of feeling into her plea. “Please, Harlen, you can stop. You don’t have to keep using. Please, for my sake and yours, don’t do it.”
He hesitated, but the pull of the drugs was too much to resist. “I’m sorry, sis.” Scooping the pills out of Jackson’s palm, Harlen popped them into his mouth and swallowed a couple of times.
“That’s a good boy.” Jackson patted Harlen on the cheek then turned to Laney. “Now it’s your turn.”
“No. I won’t.” She gritted her teeth, determined not to let him force her to take the pills.
“Oh, yeah, baby, you will.” He cupped more of the pills in his hand and held them out to her.
“No.” She slapped his hand away, sending the pills flying.
“You bitch!”
Pain seared into her jaw, and she fell to the floor. Jackson bent over her, kneeling as his hand closed around her throat. “Like I told your brother, one way or another you’re going to take the fucking pills.”
She struggled against him, but it was no use. With Meno holding her legs and another man jerking her arms above her head, she could barely move, much less fight. Jackson forced her mouth open, and then, sending her an air-kiss, he spilled the pills into her mouth. The flask he took from another man was filled with whiskey. When he poured it into her mouth, she had no choice. She had to swallow.
“There you go. Now was that so hard?” Jackson motioned for the others to turn her free then stood up, leaving her on the dirt floor. “You should start to feel those in a few minutes. That’ll make fucking you really hot.” He glanced over his shoulder at the others. “Once I’ve had you first, then these assholes can have you. Hell, Joss, too. Show us some girl-on-girl action. Yeah. Now there’s a great idea.”
Meno started toward her. “Damn straight. Let’s get this party started.”
Jackson grabbed his arm, holding him back. “Not yet. Let’s play this out. Anticipation is the best part.”
“Jackson?”
Laney pushed to a sitting position, absurdly grateful that someone had distracted Jackson.
“What, Ripper?”
“We’re having trouble getting the tire off.”
Jackson groaned and stalked to the door. “Damn it. Can’t you guys do anything? The rest of you with me. Joss, you stay here and watch them.”
“Me?” squeaked Joss.
“Yeah, you. They’re not going to do anything. Not once those pills kick in.” Jackson winked at Joss then was out the door with the rest of the men.
Joss started to complain then held back. Instead, she walked over and kicked Laney. “You fucking bitch. You’d better stop making eyes at my man, or I’ll cut your ass.”
“I didn’t.” Pain seared up her leg, yet Laney didn’t cry out. Instead, she leaned closer to Harlen and tugged him to her. “Please leave us alone.”
“Fuck you, bitch.” Joss turned toward the open door, putting her back to them as she watched Jackson and the others.
“Are you all right, Harlen?” Had the pills started taking effect? She was still clear-headed. “Harlen, I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t run off with the bag, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“Bullshit. We both know I’m the one to blame.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I’m the fuckup of the family. You’ve done everything you can to help me, but I still fuck up. I’m sorry, sissy.”
He hadn’t called her sissy since he was a kid. Her eyes burned from unshed tears. “It’s okay. We’ll make it out of this together. And once we do, we’ll get you into one of those really good treatment centers. This time, you’ll break the habit for good. You just wait and see.”
Wetness struck her arm as Harlen’s tears fell. “Sure. Whatever you say. We’re going to be okay.” He lifted his teary gaze to her. “But if we aren’t, I want you to know how much I love you. I’m sorry for the shit I’ve put you through.”
She smiled, even as tears streaked her cheeks. “Stop it. Little brothers are supposed to give their sisters shit.”
“Then I did my job.” His chuckle ended quickly as a sob racked him.
She pulled him closer. “Yeah. You did a great job.” At least, she got another chuckle.
“Shut up, both of you.” Joss whirled to confront Laney. “And you, you skank, you stay away from my man.”
Her response of “I wouldn’t touch him for all the money in the world” died on her lips. Instead, she adopted a wicked smile. “Too bad for you, Joss. Jackson knows a real woman when he sees one.” She added an arched eyebrow. “And he knows a little girl when he’s fucked one.”
“Shut up.”
But she wouldn’t. If they had a chance, this was it. “What are you afraid of, Joss? Are you afraid I’m going to take your man? Because I can. You know he wants me. You saw the way he looked at me.” She went in for the kill. “I’ll fuck his brains out and make him forget all about you.”
“No you won’t. Jackson loves me.” Yet her tone held no conviction.
“Are you sure? Really sure? Because if you’re wrong…” She smiled bigger, with even more wickedness.
&nbs
p; “He’s my man,” whined Joss.
“For now. Maybe. But not for much longer.”
“Why you bitch!” Joss, fists clenched, started toward her when Jackson suddenly appeared and stopped her.
“Knock it off.” Jackson wrapped his arm around Joss’s waist, picked her up off her feet, and threw her to the floor.
Joss struggled, but not hard enough to get away. She clutched his hair with both hands. “You’re my man. You remember that.”
“You do what I tell you, bitch.” Jackson pulled at Joss’s shorts and shoved them down as she worked on his jeans. His hands slipped under her top, cupping her breast. He pulled her legs around him then turned his head toward Laney. Slowly, deliberately, he mouthed the words that struck fear in her heart.
“You’re next.”
Oh shit. Please, God, no.
Laney turned her gaze away. Dizziness swamped her as the first effects of the pills set in. Harlen slumped next to her. The sounds of Jackson and Joss fucking were disgustingly loud. Trying to keep from hearing every grunt and groan, every moan and dirty word, Laney closed her eyes and concentrated on one thought.
We will get away.
We will get away.
We will get away.
Silently, she prayed she was right.
Chapter Seven
“Get up, damn it.”
Laney’s head swam as she opened her eyes and tried to make sense of where she was. “What?” The strike to her face was enough to bring her out of her semi-unconscious state to find Joss bending over her, glaring down at her.
“I told you to get the fuck up.” Taking hold of Laney’s arm, Joss tugged her to her feet.
Laney struggled to stay upright then bent over to shake her brother. “Harlen, wake up.”
Joss strode over to the shack door. “If you want out of this, now’s the time. Everyone’s so fucked up they won’t know what’s happening.”
Laney pressed a palm to her forehead. Think. Think.
“Will you fucking pay attention? Don’t you want to get out of here? Run to the second car. The keys are still in the ignition.”
“I don’t understand.” Was it a trap? “Why are you helping us?” She squinted at the ceiling of the shed, but the light that had come through had changed. Instead of the purple rays of a fading afternoon, the golden glow of a morning sun peeked through the slats.
Joss’s sneer grew. “I’m not going to let you have him.”
Jackson? Yet hadn’t that been what she’d led Joss to think? “If I stay, he’s going to fuck me. We both know it.”
Anger flared Joss’s nostrils. “That’s why you have to get out of here. Now.”
“Which car?” Laney peeked outside. Jackson and his men were joking and laughing, staggering around a tall shade tree.
“The one to the left. Run fast. If you’re fast enough, you’ll get to the car before they notice.”
Laney had to support her brother. “Harlen, can you run? Answer me.”
His eyes were huge as he blinked at her. “Run? Yeah. I guess.”
Damn it. He’s messed up.
But she wouldn’t, couldn’t leave him behind. “Are you sure?”
“There’s no time. Jackson’s talking about fucking you.” Joss leaned back, almost seen by the others.
Laney would run. And she’d make her brother run, too. Yet she had to know the why of it first. “Tell me why you’re helping us.”
Joss stared at her, part in frustration, part in hate. “Because he’ll fuck you, and then he’ll want you. And he’ll keep you with him until you get hooked and won’t ever want to leave him.” She swallowed, her hard exterior dropping for only a moment. “Just like he did me.”
“He’ll be angry at you for helping us.” What would he do to Joss once he found out?
Joss jutted out her chin in defiance. “Yeah, he will, but he won’t kill me. And then he’ll forgive me and love me again.”
Laney fought back the urge to tell the girl how delusional her thinking was. Jackson didn’t love Joss. She was only a fuck. Someone to cling to him and make him feel like a man. But convincing Joss wasn’t an option. Not if she and Harlen had a chance of getting away. Instead, she gave Joss all she could. Taking the girl’s hand, she squeezed it firmly. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Joss looked down at their hands, staring at them as though she didn’t understand what Laney was doing. Slowly, she eased her hand away. “Just go,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
And so they ran.
Laney’s heart was in her throat as she clutched Harlen’s arm, forcing him to move as fast as he could. She hadn’t noticed much before, but suddenly it was all too apparent that the drugs had affected her. Try as she might, she couldn’t run in a straight line. Zigzagging, she concentrated on the car and ignored the shouts erupting around her.
“Get them!”
“Fuckin’ A!”
“Joss, what the hell?”
Laney kept running, trying to breathe while fearing the worst. Any moment now, they’d grab her. Or Harlen. Either way, they’d be doomed.
Amazingly, they made it to the car. Shoving Harlen toward the passenger door, she used her hands against the hood to make her way around the front of the car and on to the driver’s side. “Get inside now!”
She slipped onto the driver’s seat in the same moment Harlen finally managed to get the other door open. “Hurry!”
We’re getting out of here.
Oh, yeah. We’re getting out of here.
The shot rang out in the same moment that the surge of elation struck her.
Harlen fell into the car, a dark splotch of color spreading outward from between his shoulder blades.
“No!” She screamed. Taking hold of him, she helped him get the rest of his body into the car. Once he was inside, with the men racing toward them and bullets striking the car, she turned the ignition then stomped on the gas pedal.
* * * *
“Yeah?” Dart almost couldn’t get the word out.
Laney should’ve shown up hours earlier. They’d waited as long as they could and then called Shawna, only to be told she hadn’t seen Laney for hours. Had, in fact, assumed Laney was with them. After that, the night had become a blur of phone calls and searches, none of which had given them any information.
“Nothing. I’m sorry, Dart.”
He closed his eyes against Shawna’s voice, his phone gripped in his hand, then opened his eyes to find his cousins anxiously waiting to hear what she’d said. Instead, he shook his head and saw his own disappointment, his own fear in their expressions.
“We’ll keep looking. You know we will. With so many people looking, we’re sure to find her. You have to believe we will.”
“Yeah.” But he didn’t believe. How could he? Fate wasn’t a big town, and he was thankful for all the help his friends and neighbors were giving them, but the woods surrounding the town could hide a lot of things. They didn’t even know if she was still in the area. “Thanks, Shawna.” He ended the call, almost wishing he hadn’t made it in the first place.
“She didn’t leave on her own.” Brady’s gaze dropped to the ground then came back up, determination not quite wiping away the worry. “She wouldn’t do that to us.”
Ethan kicked at the dirt at his feet. “No, she didn’t. But I’ll bet the ranch her brother’s troubles are the reason she’s gone. We have to find her. I have a really bad feeling about this. Really bad.”
“Keep the faith. We have to believe she’ll be all right.” He’d repeated Shawna’s words, but they felt wrong. His inner wolf howled, instinct telling him that something was very wrong.
The phone vibrating and ringing in his hand brought him out of his despair. He answered, excitement and dread filling him. “Dart here.”
“It’s me again,” said Shawna.
“What is it?” She wouldn’t have called unless she had news.
“We don’t know anything yet, but—”
&n
bsp; “Spit it out.” Ethan and Brady came closer, sensing his hopefulness. Had they found her? Was she hurt? Or worse?
“A couple of teenage lovers skipped out of their homes last night. They just got home and told their folks that they saw a couple of fancy cars out on Turner’s Road near that old shack. You know where, right? Anyway, they said there were a bunch of men out there, whooping it up.”
“Did they see Laney?”
“No. They took off fast, thinking they were going to get caught hooking up.”
Damn. But at least it’s a lead. “Is anyone headed out that way?”
“Not yet. You were the first one I called. I can round up some of the guys and let them know.”
He started running toward the pickup, knowing Ethan and Brady would follow. “Yeah, you do that. We’re on our way.”
Just as he was getting into the truck, however, he saw two black cars speeding toward their home. “What the hell?”
* * * *
Laney slammed on the brakes, sending the car into a skid. “Run, Harlen!” But her brother wasn’t moving. He groaned as he slumped against the door. Stopping the car without bothering to turn off the engine, she fell out then dashed around to the other side.
Jackson and four of his men piled out of their car, guns pointed at Laney. “Just fucking hold up, bitch.”
“Go to hell.” She didn’t know how she’d made it to the Rolling Hills Ranch, hadn’t even realized she was headed toward their ranch until she’d seen the sign on the side of the road. So far their luck was holding, but if she didn’t get her brother moving, it would run out in the flash of a gunshot.
Startled by Ethan’s sudden appearance, she let out a cry when he pulled her away from Harlen. “Inside the house now, honey.”
Brady jerked her brother out of the car, tossing him over his shoulder as though he weighed no more than a sack of horse feed. Giving a quick look, he hauled ass toward the house, bullets nipping the dirt at his feet.
Ethan took her hand and started running for the house. Pulling her along, he kept his body in front of hers, using it as a shield to protect her. She stumbled as she hit the porch running, and went to her knees. Her hand fell on the small table next to one of the rockers. The cell phone on the table rang.