by Lilly Atlas
But she’d had to be present. She and Zach had driven around for almost two hours under her terrible navigation until a farm stand on the side of the road finally jogged her memory and she’d recalled the maze of dirt roads leading to a turnoff in the middle of the nowheresville that led to Shark’s old cabin. Once she’d identified the spot, Zach called the cavalry and had a prospect drive her a mile out to wait.
Very impatiently.
But she refused to leave until she saw Zach walking out of those woods with her own eyes. Hopefully next to Maverick.
“Tell me something about yourself,” she said. They’d left the truck’s doors open and it provided just enough light to see his face.
Special K shot her a look that said he ate nails for breakfast and wore puppies as slippers, so he couldn’t be bothered with inane chatter. “Quiet.” Hand on his very scary gun, he scanned the area all around their vehicle.
“Come on,” she said, trying very hard not to whine. “I’m going out of my mind here. If you don’t want me to start singing to myself—and trust me, you don’t want that—I need a distraction.”
He just stared at her.
“Give me something here, buddy. How about your name. Why do they call you Special K?”
His lips quirked. “My name’s Ken.”
“Seriously? That’s it? Your name starts with a K and you’re special? No offense, but that’s so lame.” Toni paced back and forth in front of the car, kicking a rock with her foot. On one pass, she got a little overzealous and sent the rock flying into the undercarriage of the car.
“Shit, woman!” Ken stalked over to her. “If I tell you where my name comes from, will you park your sweet ass against the truck and stop moving?”
Victory. At least she could listen to him talk instead of obsessing in her own head. With a tentative smile, Toni walked to the car and leaned her bottom against the grill. “Okay, I’m parked. Start talking.”
He folded his arms across his chest, letting the gun hang crosswise in front of his torso. “I have a reputation for being skilled at something. Guys found out about it and gave me my handle.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Well what is it?”
“Something for the ladies.”
Really? This was the perfect distraction. “That could be anything from holding purses while they use the restroom, to foot rubs, to…”
His lips curved in a sexy grin.
“Special K…” she muttered. “Oh my God!” Toni jumped away from the car with a laugh. “Please tell me that doesn’t stand for Special Kisses.”
The grin grew even bigger.
Toni slapped a hand over her mouth in a fruitless effort to stifle the laughter. “That is too much,” she said. Then she stopped laughing and thought. “What do you do that makes you so good?”
Ken snorted. “Not telling you that, babe. You think your ol’ man would be okay with me describing my technique to you?”
He had a point. Zach would probably flip his shit.
Wait. “I don’t have an ol’ man.”
“Whatever you say, babe.”
If she wasn’t so curious, she’d be pissed at his dismissive attitude.
“Just tell me one—”
“Shit, you don’t ever shut up, do you?”
“Hey!”
“Okay,” he said, as he scanned the area once again. “I’ll just say this. Under four minutes. Every time.”
Toni’s jaw dropped. “No way! Every woman you’ve ever…you know to has come in under four minutes?”
“One hundred percent success rate. And the sample isn’t small.” He smirked.
“Well, color me impres—” A quick succession of three pops coincided with Ken’s body jerking three times. He gasped and brought a hand up to his chest. “Ken? Oh fuck! Ken?”
He drew his hand away and stared down at his bright red palm while red bloomed across his chest soaking his gray shirt in an instant. His legs gave out and he crumpled to the ground, sprawled out on his back. A terrible whistling sound came from his chest with each attempted breath.
The entire thing seemed to happen in slow motion, as though hours were passing when in reality it couldn’t have been more than five seconds.
Toni dropped to her knees beside him. “Shit! Ken? Please hang on.” She patted her pockets. “Where the fuck is my phone?”
“Run,” Ken rasped out, the sound gurgly and muted.
Toni shook her head as tears started to fall. “No. I’m not leaving you.” She pulled off her sweatshirt, completely impervious to the chilly night air. After balling it up, she jammed it against his chest and put her full body weight into it.
“No u-use. I’m fucked.” Ken said, his eyes closed and face pale as a ghost already. “Th-they’re com-coming. Run.” His voice was barely a whisper.
“No, no, no. You’re gonna be fine, Ken. Focus on something good. Think about all the ladies who still need to experience your talents.” Oh my God, she couldn’t do this. Couldn’t watch a man die. A man who she’d been joking with and driving crazy just seconds before. A sob lodged in her throat, coming out like a wounded animal sound instead.
Ken coughed making blood erupt from his mouth and trail down his cheek.
Another rapid clip of gunfire sounded and this time a bullet whizzed by her head.
Toni shrieked and tried to keep pressure on his wound and inch toward the car at the same time.
The heavy trod of footsteps crunching over gravel sounded way too close for comfort.
“Run, woman.”
“I c-can’t just l-leave you.” She was sobbing now. How could she leave a dying man on the side of the road? One who was dying because his job was to protect her.
“The o-others…” He coughed one last time then his body went limp.
Toni’s breath seized in her lungs. The others! Shit, if Shark knew they were coming, they’d be walking into an ambush. Without thinking about the fact that she barely knew which way to point a gun, Toni pulled a pistol from the holster on Ken’s hip and stuffed it in the waistband of her jeans. It was hidden by the oversized T-shirt she’d stolen from Zach.
As the footsteps grew closer, Toni sprang to her feet and ran about fifteen feet before a male voice shouted. “Stop running, or I’ll shoot you in the fucking head.”
Her feet stopped so abruptly she nearly toppled ass over head.
“Hands up!” the voice barked.
Trembling like she was naked in a snowstorm, Toni stuck her hands in the air. Her eyes drifted closed and she tensed, waiting for the pain of a bullet to rip through her skull. When the barrel of a gun was rammed between her shoulder blades, she couldn’t help but screech in shock.
“Walk into the woods.”
Into the woods? At night? With no light, no jacket, and all kinds of hungry darkness-loving creatures? No way. No how. Her legs were shaking so hard she’d probably fall flat on her face with the first step.
Her captor nudged her forward with the gun. Inside her chest cavity, her heart pounded so fast she felt lightheaded. It took everything she had to keep from hyperventilating. She had to get herself under control. Zach’s life and the lives of his brothers might depend on her ability to keep her shit together.
With a stuttered breath, she took small steps toward the woods. At least there was a chance the animals in the woods wouldn’t kill her. The guy behind her had already proven his willingness to end a life.
She whimpered as she thought of Ken.
Running would never work, so without any smart alternative, Toni tromped through the woods. The hike seemed to last forever and she tripped and stumbled in the darkness more times than she could count. Without light to guide her way, Toni smacked into trees, and branches ripped at her bare arms. She’d be a bloody mess of scratches by the time they reached their destination. For some reason, whether it was cold, shock, or the fact that her mind was clogged with fear, the pain of tearing flesh didn’t even register.
After another few minutes
of trudging through the growth, some distance up ahead, through the dense mass of trees, the forest suddenly flared up with light. What would she find when she reached the light? Would Zach and the rest of the men even be alive. Suddenly paralyzed, she came to a complete stop. Her stomach churned and she swallowed down the need to vomit.
“Keep moving.” The gun hit her between the shoulder blades yet again.
The lighted area grew closer and closer until she could finally see what was waiting for her. And then she recognized five of the men she’d traveled with standing in the center of the clearing, guns aimed at the building.
Oh, thank God. They were all alive.
When she was just five feet from being out in the open, she heard Shark’s voice and nearly lost her stomach contents. The rush of negative memories was so powerful, her vision blurred and a buzzing kicked up in her ears.
Shark was too dangerous. This wasn’t going to end well for the Handlers.
“No,” she said and stopped walking again. “I’m not going any farther. Shoot me if you have to.”
Her asshole captor laughed and grabbed the back of her neck, dragging her forward.
She fought. Kicked, screamed, attempted to bite and scratch, but it was useless. In the next thirty seconds, Toni blinked and realized she was now in the clearing, staring at Zach’s shocked and outraged face.
“Antonia,” Shark said, making her cringe. She hated the name since leaving him. He’d always called her by it. At first, she’d thought it was so sweet. Now, the memory made her want to vomit.
On Shark’s grave.
“You’ve made some new friends in the years you’ve been gone.” He was holding Maverick, who looked so battered Toni wanted to weep for him. “I see you remembered how to get here. The place must have had a big impact on you.” The way he said it made her think he was recalling the hours spent with her there. Hours she found revolting and panic-inducing but he seemed to relish. “But a few things have changed since you’ve been here. Like the cameras I’ve isntalled all over my woods.”
Shit. It was a risk Zach and the boys had identified earlier in the day. Had Mav been with them, he might have been able to do some computer voodoo and discover the cameras, or so Zach claimed. As it was, they didn’t want to waste the time finding someone else they could trust. So they’d taken the risk. And failed. What would happen now? Would Shark kill them all? Take them prisoners?
She caught Zach’s gaze just before he turned away. God, how she wanted to run into his arms. But she stayed still. And silent. Shark would not get to her.
“Okay, Shark. Gang’s all here. We get it. You have the upper hand. What the fuck do you want?” Copper yelled out. Toni looked around but didn’t see him. He must have been in the woods, waiting for an opportunity to take a shot.
Shark looked the same as she remembered except for the crazy in his eyes. He wasn’t overly tall, a few inches under six feet, and broad. Built like a rectangle, he had long blond hair that reached his shoulders and hazel eyes that, depending on what he was wearing, could look green as the grass. It boggled her mind now that she’d once found him attractive.
“Well,” he said. “I had a plan.” His gaze shifted from Zach to Toni and she shivered. “But plans change. I’ll make it very simple. A trade. Mav for Antonia.”
Her knees wobbled and threatened to buckle.
“Not fucking happening, Shark.” Zach said, the anger in his voice a living thing.
“No?” Shark walked forward, dragging Mav, until he was halfway between the building and Zach. “I guess I’ll just have my guys shoot Maverick right no—”
“I’ll do it!” Toni screamed. She’d survived Shark before and could again. This time, she had the Hell’s Handlers behind her. They’d come for her. Rescue her, eventually. The alternative was Maverick’s death on her conscience, and that was something she couldn’t live with. She’d already have to find a way to deal with Ken’s.
“Toni, no!” Zach yelled. “Fuck no!” He started toward her but Rocket caught him with an arm around his chest. “Brother, get the fuck off me.”
“Come on then, Toni. Let’s get this reunion started.” Shark stared at her.
As she walked toward Shark, she locked eyes with Zach and tried to convey to him that it was okay. She’d survive. She had a plan. Somewhat. When she passed him, he whispered, “Please don’t do this, Toni,” and reached for her, but Rocket held him firm.
“It’s okay,” she whispered and kept walking.
When she reached Shark, he said. “Get behind me.”
She obeyed without a word.
“Here’s how this is going to go,” he said. “Mav will walk toward you and Antonia will come around and take his place. You shoot my guys on the roof, and I’ll slit her throat. We’ll stand here until you are gone. If you don’t leave, she’s dead.”
Zach made a choked sound that had Shark laughing. “Guess we know which one of you she’s been fucking.”
“Hope you can stay on your feet,” Shark said to Maverick as he removed the knife from his neck. “Walk straight. No funny shit or she dies.”
“Antonia, after he takes five steps, you slip around front. When they are gone, we’ll go inside and get reacquainted.”
She shuddered and bile rose in her throat. She’d sooner die than have his hands on her again.
This time, instead of fighting the unpleasant memories, she let them come. Let them fuel her hatred and anger. She embraced the feeling of being a needy unloved seventeen-year-old girl yearning for attention and affection. She let the old feelings of shame, humiliation, and fear wash over her and power her next move.
She knew what she had to do. Could live with it.
She just prayed it would work.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zach struggled against Rocket’s unbreakable hold. He was going to kill his brother the second they were free of this fucked up situation.
The only reason he didn’t let his rage fly and take Rocket down was that he couldn’t put Toni at risk any more than she was already.
She had to be terrified, standing behind Shark, knowing what would happen to her the moment Maverick reached the group. Blood ran in small rivers down her arms and face from what looked like dozens of scratches. They’d better just be from the trees in the woods. If the fucker that brought her from the car had laid a hand on her, he’d be dying a slow death as well.
“I’m cool,” he said to Rocket who loosened his hold. That was a damn lie. He was about as hot as it got, but his hands were tied. Used to being in a position of power, being rendered impotent and unable to help his woman was torture. There might not be anything he could do in that moment to save Toni. But he damn sure could end Shark’s life when this was done.
As he watched, Maverick took a staggering step forward then stopped to catch his breath. After a few seconds, he managed another step that looked agonizing.
Mav would need to be transported straight to the hospital. For a second, Mav’s gaze found Zach’s and Zach worried his friend would turn and charge Shark. He wouldn’t survive it and Toni might not either. He gave Mav the smallest head shake he could manage.
Mav struggled forward another step and then a loud bang rang out. Shark made a strangled noise, clutched his abdomen and fell to the floor.
Zach gaped at the gun hanging limply in Toni’s hands and her dazed expression before all hell broke loose.
Zach and Rocket both charged forward. Rocket grabbed Mav around his waist and swung him toward the building. Zach plowed into Toni. He tackled her to the ground and shielded her with his body while the pop of assault rifles sounded around them.
It didn’t take long before quiet ensued. Zach lifted his head and did a quick count. Ten Handlers were milling around. Mav was over Rocket’s shoulder in a fireman carry that must have hurt like a sonofabitch but was the easiest way to get him out. The two rooftop guards weren’t anywhere to be seen but were probably dead on the roof, and the man who’d escorted
Toni out of the woods was dead as a doornail. Shark lay unmoving just feet away in a pool of his own blood.
The only thing Zach regretted was not being the one to dish out a little MC justice before killing Shark himself.
Beneath him, Toni squirmed. “Let me up. Are you hurt?” She pushed against his chest until he sat back on his knees. Scrambling to her knees as well, she ran her hands over his body. “Did you get hit anywhere?” Her voice was one breath away from hysterical.
Zach grabbed her hands, stilling her frantic search for bullet holes. “Baby, I’m fine. Not a scratch on me, though I can’t say the same for you.” He ran his finger over an angry gouge running up the side of her porcelain neck.
Toni didn’t even seem to notice she was bleeding. “Is everyone else okay?” She tried to shove him away with thrashing arms, but he yanked her close and held her head against his pounding heart. “Everyone is okay. You did good, baby. You are fucking amazing. Shit, I can’t believe you had a gun.”
“Oh my God. I shot him. I had to do something.” Trembling in his arms, she burrowed as close as she could get without climbing into his skin. “The guys on the roof! Did they kill anyone? Should I have waited? Oh my God. Did I get someone killed? Let me see. Please, I need to see everyone.”
She shrugged out of his embrace and Zach helped her to her feet. The red, ragged scratches covering her skin looked worse up close. Her hair was a snarled mess, falling out of its band and with twigs scattered throughout.
“Wait,” he said, lifting one of her arms. “Baby, you’re scratched to shit. I promise everyone is okay and you can see them in a minute. I just need to know you’re okay. Scared ten fucking years off my life just now.”
She met his gaze and he saw that she wasn’t quite as good as she claimed. Hell, she’d just taken a life. But being the fierce woman she was, she didn’t fall apart. She shoved it down and straightened. Later, in private, might be a different story, but Zach planned to be there for every tear, every second of guilt, every worry, and he’d soothe them all away.
“I’m good,” she whispered.