Desolation

by Bella Jewel

  “I understand that. Let me know when you’re safe, please?”

  I nod, and then Rainer and I climb into his truck.

  As we back out, I look over and see Tyke standing at the door, his face so pained it breaks my heart. I look away with pain in my heart. He doesn’t understand how much this means to me, but I can’t start something with a man who hasn’t respected the last woman he was with enough to give her one simple phone call.

  He needs to get that. And until he does . . . I can’t be here.

  No matter how much it hurts.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- THREE

  NOW – Pippa

  The drive down to the town is slow, and quiet. Rainer doesn’t say anything—he just lets me have my silence. As we reach the base of them mountains, things change. It happens quickly, so quickly I don’t even realize what is going on until Rainer bellows my name and the car speeds up. Then I hear it.

  Gunfire.

  The first bullet hits the back of the truck, bouncing off and disappearing into the setting light. Then another one comes, smashing the back mirror. Terror grips my chest and I turn to Rainer, gasping. “What’s happening? Rainer? W . . . w . . . w . . . what’s happening?”

  “Someone is shooting at us. Get down, Pippa, and call Maddox. Whoever it is was waiting at the base of the mountain. I was obviously followed.”

  Another bullet explodes into the silence, hitting the windscreen and smashing it into a thousand tiny pieces. I scream and Rainer reaches over, grabbing my head and shoving it forcefully down. I get as low as I can and shuffle through my bag to find my phone. More bullets sound out and Rainer growls with anger. “Whoever it is isn’t trying to run us off the road—they’re trying to kill us.”

  Oh my God.

  Panic grips my chest and I fumble furiously for the phone. I find it and flick it open just as another bullet hits the car. I dial Maddox, and it rings and rings. Crying out with frustration, I call Krypt.

  “Pippa?”

  “Krypt!” I screech. “Krypt we’re being shot at.”

  “Hang on, slow down, kid. What’s going on?”

  “We hit the base of the mountain and suddenly there were people behind us shooting.”

  “Shit, where are you now?”

  “Rainer?” I pant. “Where are we now?”

  He looks around. “Maybe a couple of miles from the base.”

  “A couple of miles from the base.”

  “We’re on our way; we won’t be down for about twenty minutes. Tell Rainer to circle, but don’t go too far. If they get hold of you, Pip, things will get ugly. You need to try and stay as close as possible so we can get hold of them ourselves.”

  “Krypt,” I whisper. “Rainer said they’re shooting to kill.”

  “Hang tight, kid. We’re coming. Keep your head down.”

  He hangs up and I look over to Rainer. “He said try and keep in this area, so they can catch up.”

  “Easier said than done,” Rainer grunts, his eyes frantically searching for a way to get out of sight.

  “This truck is made for off-road, right?” I whisper.

  “Yeah.”

  “And they’re only in normal cars?” I don’t know if they are, because I was too scared to turn back and look.

  “Yeah, and bikes.”

  “Then go off-road, Rainer.”

  He nods, his jaw tight. “Keep your head down, Pippa. This might get painful.”

  He suddenly swerves the car and the tires screech and squeal as he drops down a gully and into the trees. He dodges them, jerking us from side to side. I cry out and cover my head as it continually smashes against the dashboard. I hear the squealing of bikes, which means they have taken a risk and followed us.

  “They’re fucking determined,” Rainer grunts, plowing through the trees as best he can. “Not sure how thick this scrub gets, but if it gets any thicker we’re in big trouble.”

  Oh God. Hurry, Krypt.

  Hurry.

  ~*~*~*~

  NOW - Pippa

  Rainer drives like a mad man, taking us in massive circles, side to side, back and forth, trying to keep in the main area. He reaches the road again finally and launches up onto it, smashing panels off the beautiful truck. There are two sedans lined up on the side of the road, and the moment they see us, the tires skid and the chase is back on.

  It’s been at least fifteen minutes of hell, and both of us are scared. Rainer keeps the pace up as he moves rapidly down the road. He’s smart, because he’s managed to come out on the other side, taking us back towards the base of the mountain where the bikers will emerge. As if on time, we see them coming towards us. A huge group, bigger than what was up at the cabin.

  They called for reinforcement.

  Rainer swings the car around, trying not to hit them, and we go skidding down into a ditch at the side of the road. The bikes speed past us so quickly the sound is deafening. Rainer stops the car, pressing a hand to my head, checking to see that the sedans are gone. “They’ve gone after the bikes. Just sit tight, Pip.”

  I lift my head and stare out. Rainer has blood on his face. “Rainer,” I gasp, reaching over. “You’re hurt.”

  “Just from the glass shattering,” he says.

  I pull my hand back just as I hear the hum of bikes. I narrow my eyes, turning to look out the back of the car. Three bikes come to a stop at the top of the ditch and fear seizes my chest when I realize they aren’t any of Maddox’s boys. We were watching the sedans, and in doing that we forgot about the bikes that were chasing us through the trees.

  “Rainer,” I cry out.

  He turns and spits a curse, reaching for his key. He doesn’t make it. One of the guys raises a gun and pulls the trigger. It goes straight through Rainer’s side and even my screams can be heard over the deafening shot. Rainer drops forward, blood spurting from his chest.

  “Rainer,” I scream, scrambling to get to him. “Rainer!”

  His body jerks and I don’t know if he’s alive or if he’s dead. His head is on the steering wheel and I can’t see if he’s breathing. Panic swells in my chest and I turn just in time to see a man at my door. He jerks it open and reaches in, pulling me out without warning. He tosses me to the ground and I scurry forward, aiming for the trees.

  “Take another step, girl, and I’ll blow your pretty brains out.”

  I stop moving and slowly turn to see the three men standing, guns aimed at me.

  “Who are you? Lie and you’ll get a bullet.”

  I open my mouth and squeak. “Pippa.”

  “And are you an old lady, Pippa?”

  I shake my head, fear swelling in my chest.

  “What are you to the club?”

  Oh God. Oh no.

  “I . . . I’m just the sister to an old lady.”

  I try to make it sound as unappealing as I can, hoping it’s not enough, but then praying it is so they won’t kill me.

  “Which one?”

  I swallow and shake my head. The man rattles his gun. “I’ll fucking put bullets in you until you answer. Now answer,” he roars.

  “Santana.”

  The man to the left smiles big. “Maddox’s old lady.”

  “Please,” I whisper.

  “Pick her up. She’s exactly what we need.”

  I scurry backwards as the men descend, fully aware that they are going to take me. I don’t want to be taken again. I can’t. I don’t want that life. Even I know whatever they plan on doing with me would be so much worse than anything I endured with Artreau. The biggest of the three men steps forward, and then suddenly a loud bellow sounds out.

  My head swings around and I see Tyke stumble down the hill. I can already see he’s in pain. It could be because of the frantic state he’s in, but either way he’s not running right. That doesn’t stop him. He lunges at the closest man and the two of them go toppling down the hill. I cry out, terrified. These three men have guns. Tyke will die.

  “Tyke!” I cry out, and one of the men loo
ks over to me, a smirk on his face.

  I just gave myself away.

  “How nice of the cripple to join us.” One of the men chuckles, tapping his gun against his forehead.

  Tyke and the man he knocked over are still fighting. Tyke is furious, his face twisted in rage. The man is slamming his gun into Tyke’s face, but that isn’t stopping him. He’s like an uncaged animal, wild and crazy. They fight and fight, blood is shed, and I can’t stop the tears from tumbling down my cheeks as I watch helplessly.

  “Enough!” someone finally yells.

  The man fighting with Tyke aims his gun and I gasp, crying out. “No, don’t, please.”

  The man who I have already pegged as the leader of this group looks over to me. “Don’t tell me the cripple is of interest to you?”

  I say nothing, but he must see it in my face.

  He laughs.

  “Well, well, this is getting better and better by the minute.”

  “Do I shoot him, boss?” asks the man holding the gun towards Tyke.

  “No, please, no,” I cry, my voice shaky.

  Tyke’s eyes flick to me. “Pippa, don’t talk. Don’t give them anything.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” the leader roars.

  Tyke glares at him, spitting blood. He’s still on the ground, and I can see the pain flashing through his eyes.

  The leader of the group looks over to me, then back to Tyke, and smiles. “No, leave him here. Let them know what kind of game we’re playing. I want him to suffer a bit longer knowing that we have his woman.”

  I turn, without thinking, and run. I charge towards the trees, desperate to get away. I won’t be taken. I won’t let this happen again. Not again. I’m done being someone’s slave, or worse, their sex toy. No. No way. I hear Tyke’s bellow and then a hard set of arms go around my waist, hauling me back.

  I fight. I kick and scream, twist and turn, thrash and arch until the man presses the gun to my head. “Stop, or I’ll kill you in front of him.”

  I immediately stop, slumping down. I lift my head and look over to Tyke, who is still on the ground, kneeling, blood pouring from his mouth.

  “Get her out of here.”

  “No,” Tyke roars, lunging forward.

  He gets to his feet, but his legs give way. They’ve finally had enough. He topples back down and the three men roar with laughter.

  “A biker, yeah right.” The leader laughs. “He’s so pathetic I can’t even look at him.”

  “Tyke,” I scream, squirming again.

  He looks up at me and there’s something broken in his face. He can’t help me; his legs won’t allow him to help me. My bottom lip trembles as I hold his eyes, and something breaks inside him. I see it in his brown depths.

  “Get her in the car.”

  “No,” Tyke roars, pulling his body forward. “No, you won’t fuckin’ take her. Take me. Don’t take her.”

  The leader laughs. “That wouldn’t be nearly as fun.”

  They start dragging me away and I start to fight again. “Tyke,” I yell. “Tyke, please.”

  “Pippa,” he bellows, pushing to his feet. He takes two steps before he collapses.

  I watch in horror as he starts pulling himself along the floor, tearing up his skin. There’s a desperation in his face I’ve only ever seen once before. At the slave house. I cry out for him over and over, and he yells my name, attempting to get to his feet, but he’s too damaged and keeps toppling back down.

  The men drag me to their bikes and I stare at the man I love lying on the floor, his fingers bleeding as he tries to get closer to me.

  And I know, I just know.

  This will break him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  NOW – Pippa

  I don’t know where they take me. They just throw me on the back of the bike, cuffing my hands around the leader’s stomach, and then we’re speeding away from the two most important men in my life. I think about Rainer in that car, and tears burst forth. Is he alive? Will he survive if no one finds them?

  Will Tyke survive?

  The very thought sends agony straight through my heart, and I have to bite my lip to keep from sobbing. I can’t lose the two people that mean so much to me, all because of a stupid fight. If I didn’t storm off, this never would have happened. It’s all my fault, and if they die I’ll never forgive myself.

  The bikes come to a stop about an hour down the road, where two massive SUVs are waiting. The leader uncuffs me and then jerks me off the bike, shoving me towards the car. I keep my mouth closed, I’ve learned a lot in my time as a slave and one of those things is that crying and groveling will do nothing.

  If they have you, they have you.

  The best thing you can do is sit and wait it out.

  I pray that Maddox will find me, and that the boys will get to me. I hold onto that hope as I am cuffed and gagged in the back of the big black SUV. Tears prick my eyes but I force them back, not wanting to show any kind of weakness. I roll to my side and curl into a ball as the door is slammed.

  Then we’re moving and I’m being taken farther and farther away from my family, and closer to whatever horrors lie waiting for me. I close my eyes the entire time the car moves, not making a sound. When it slows and then stops, I open my eyes and still see nothing but darkness.

  Voices travel into the quiet space. The sound of men arguing. Are they arguing over me? Are they deciding what to do with me? What if they decide I’m not a good plan after all, and discard of me like I’m no more than day-old trash? My heart kicks up a notch as the back of the car is opened and a man I’ve never seen before stares down at me.

  “This is all you fuckin’ got?”

  The man who I’d thought was the leader looks away sheepishly. “She’s important to them. Really important.”

  The man studying me reminds me of Artreau, and that scares me. His tall, lean frame might not frighten most people, but it terrifies me. I shrink into myself as he reaches in and pulls me out, forcing me to my feet. “She better be important to them.”

  He shoves me towards a massive club. I blink a few times, confused. Why the hell would they take me to a club? It’s a nightclub, by the looks of it. There’s no one around, because night hasn’t fully fallen, but it’s without a doubt a place for dancing and drinking. I stare up at the flashing silver sign that informs me it’s called House Of Obsidian.

  In other words, House Of Black.

  How fitting.

  The club looks fairly modern as he come in closer to it, and I see the big swinging silver doors that open up onto a massive drinking deck covered in flash tables and chairs. I’m pulled up the steps and into a huge club that is all fitted out with black and silver. It’s edgy and dangerous, even if there’s no one inside.

  The chairs are all stacked up onto the tables and the sleek black bar is empty. There are black booths in the corners, big curved ones that about eight people could fit in. There are sleek silver and black floors and a massive stage. It’s an upper-class club, without a doubt. I wonder why they hell they’ve brought me here.

  Then they take me past the bar and into a quiet alcove. Someone reaches down and right out of the floor he lifts a huge door. Like a basement, I suppose. A light is flicked on and then the man holding me shoves me towards it. Wait, he wants me to go down there. I push my heels in, terrified. In a club is one thing, but underneath a club is another.

  “You move, girly, or I’ll make you move,” the man hisses into my ear.

  He shoves me forward, and instead of stepping into the massive staircase that leads underground, I stumble down it. I hit the first step with my cuffed hands first and cry out in agony as my body is tossed down. I roll, flip, and hit every part of myself, until I hit the bottom with a thud. Blood trickles from my lip and once again I fight the tears welling in my eyes.

  Then I lift my head and my eyes widen in shock at what I see. I’ve read enough stories, seen enough movies to know what this is. A massive fighting ring is sit
uated in the middle of the huge space. It’s blue and white, and so big I have to blink a few times to truly take it in. There’s a massive standing space all around it but aside from that, there’s nothing else in here.

  “Max isn’t going to be happy about you fuckers bringing this girl in here,” someone says in the darkness.

  Someone leans down and lifts me up and then I’m being dragged again.

  “Max owes me,” the tall man says. “He’ll deal.”

  They lead me to a room and fling open the door. It’s a locker room. I’m dragged through it and then pulled into a small space right at the back that looks kind of like a storage closet.

  “You’re going to put her in a fuckin’ closet?” Someone snorts.

  “It’s the only door that locks on the outside that I know she can’t fuckin’ get out of.”

  The man tosses me into the space and I crumble to the floor. He looks down at me, studying me. “Pretty thing, aren’t you? We might just have use for you yet.”

  Then he slams the door, and my world fades back into darkness.

  ~*~*~*~

  NOW -Pippa

  I sit in that closet amongst fighting gloves, brooms, punching bags and weights for what seems like hours. It’s cold in here, and I’m shivering, terrified. I can’t stop thinking about the place I’m in. It’s fascinating, and even through my terror I can see that. I know there’s a lot of underground fighting around these parts, but this club, it seems . . . classier.

  I shift about until I find a comfortable spot against a stack of towels, and I drape one over myself for warmth. I don’t know what they’re going to do with me; I don’t even know who they are. All I know is what Santana told me, and that’s that they are in the drug world. How bad they are, I don’t know. Are they members of a cartel? Or worse?

  I try to push my mind away from that as the closet grows darker and darker. Night has fallen, and the sounds of music thumping come from the club above. I wonder if all the people in there know that there’s a kidnapped girl downstairs. Would they even care if they did know? My heart aches at the very thought. What kind of people am I dealing with? Where will it leave me?