by James, Gemma
I glanced at the clock on the wall. Just past midnight.
Fuck.
This was going to be a long night because jacking off wasn’t going to cut it. I flopped to my side, facing the back of the sofa, and willed my dick to settle the fuck down. Eventually, sleep pulled at me, welcoming me into the embrace of oblivious relief. If not for the unexpected noise, I would have been out for good.
Footsteps.
Damn. Alex was going to be my downfall. I’d known it eight years ago but had ignored it. “Go back to bed,” I mumbled.
Something sharp pricked the back of my neck. I shot up, twisted around, and barely made out a large shadow as I slumped against the couch, hand reaching for the pillow.
Then everything went black.
22. TORCHED
Rafe
Voices drew me from the black pit I’d fallen into, except I wasn’t on the soft cushions of my couch. My cheek pressed against the hard floor where every footfall vibrated through my jaw with the force of a jackhammer.
“Hurry up,” someone muttered. Liquid sloshed and chugged, and the formidable odor of gasoline burned my nostrils. “Watch it! Don’t spill any on him.”
More footsteps thumped, more words drifted in the harsh air. I guessed there were two, possibly three of them surrounding me. I thought of Alex alone upstairs, and panic tore through my veins. I tried to push off the floor, intending to lunge for my gun, but my limbs were heavy and useless.
“I doused every part of the island.” Thud-thud-thud. Each step poked at the throb in my temples. “Is it done?”
“Yep. She’s across the river. I gave her enough to knock her out cold for a long time.”
“Good,” a deep voice said. “Finish with the inside. We need to get outta here.”
“What about him? Thought you wanted him to watch.” A shoe nudged my body. “He ain’t waking up.”
A sinister laugh chilled my blood. “Sure he is. See his hands? He’s itching to rearrange your face, dude. Hurry the fuck up.”
Feet shuffled across the floor. “Get over here and help me with him.”
Two pairs of arms dragged me to my knees. I tried to speak but only managed a groan. Forcing my gritty eyes open, I lifted my head, which felt as heavy as a bowling ball. Shadows surrounded me, and I couldn’t make out their faces, couldn’t tell for sure how many were in my house. Nausea rose, and my head pounded so hard, every word they spoke lanced through my brain like a spear. I dropped my head, chin to chest.
One of them yanked my neck back and a blow glanced across my cheek. “Time to wake up, buddy. You ain’t gonna want to miss the show.”
“Alex?” Her name was the only word I could force past my sandpaper tongue.
“She’s safe, and she’ll stay that way as long as you do what you’re told. Understand?”
No. I didn’t understand anything, except that I’d been drugged. Another fist connected with my face, and I didn’t have the energy to fight them.
“I asked you a question. Her life depends on your cooperation. Do you understand?”
I nodded, though my head drooped more than bobbed. “Yeah.” Little by little, consciousness settled into my bones, though I still felt weighed down, as if ten wet blankets covered me. “What’d you give me?”
“You don’t ask questions. You shut your mouth and follow orders, got it?”
When I didn’t answer, two hands banded around my neck, fingers pressing hard on my carotid arteries. Spots danced in my vision, and I lifted my sluggish arms to ward off the assault, but the drugs had rendered my body useless.
He pulled away before I lost consciousness. “Take him outside.”
Two men hefted me into a slumped-standing position, and we slowly stumbled to the front door. “Don’t do this.” Another blow to the face shut me up. My chest squeezed as they pushed me down the stairs of the porch. I plummeted to the ground, rolled, and tried to brand my mind with every detail of the place where I’d spent so many summers growing up.
The fuckers were going to burn it down. My father’s cabin. The island. All I had left of him.
“Why are you doing this?”
A boot shot out and struck me in the kidney. I grunted, back arching, and held my breath.
“Shut the fuck up!” one of them shouted, adding another kick to my side. “Stubborn asshole.”
I peered up, trying to make out a face, but a baseball cap and sunglasses obscured his features. The other guy stood off to the left, remaining out of sight. Neither of their voices seemed familiar, though that didn’t mean shit. Everything around me hit my ears in an odd way. Crickets sounded, normally a melodic chirp, but their call blared in my ears like a screeching alarm.
Footsteps thundered down the stairs. “Let’s go. Get him to the dock.” His buddies hauled me to my feet and forced me toward the path, and the guy at my back laughed. “Little early for the Fourth of July, but what a show, huh?”
I clenched my hands, tested my strength. Whatever they’d given me was beginning to wear off, though not enough that I could overpower three men. Maybe more.
And Alex…
I swallowed hard. They had her somewhere. If I fought them, they’d hurt her…or worse.
What if they’ve already hurt her?
The idea sickened me, made me want to lash out and pound into them. My mind was fully alert now, demanding I do something, but my sluggish body wouldn’t…couldn’t fight. I’d never felt so weak as when I climbed the small hill that led to the dock. Sweat slicked down my bare back, though I trembled from the chill of the late night breeze. I fell to the ground twice on the way down, and their laughter hollowed through me each time, like a demon that taunted.
Evil. Whoever these men were, they were pure evil.
When we reached the dock, they pushed me to my knees, facing the island. I couldn’t see the cabin from this vantage point, but the trees surrounding it towered, nothing more than shadows against the backdrop of mountains.
One of the men lit a torch and passed it off. “You get the honors. Make it quick. We need to get out of here.”
I blinked, horrified by the sting in my eyes. I’d survived a lot and had never cried, but the thought of watching my father’s island go up in smoke gutted me. “Don’t do this. I can get you money.” I risked looking up and met the dark gaze of someone who struck a cord of recognition in me, though I couldn’t place where I’d seen him before. “What do you want?” I asked.
“I want you to suffer.”
I opened my mouth, about to ask him what he wanted with me, when his fist slammed into my nose. I cupped my face and doubled over, crashing into the planks of the dock. Two hands wrenched me up. “Watch it fucking burn.”
A billow of smoke surged upward, tinted an eerie orange-red from the glow of flames. A guy sprinted toward the dock. “Get him in the boat! Let’s go!”
I shot out a fist at the first fucker who tried dragging me to my feet. He snickered. I didn’t pose a threat to them—I was so weak a kitten could probably beat the shit out of me. They lifted me and dumped my boneless body into a dinghy.
“He’s heavier than he looks. Think our weight will sink this thing?”
“Shut the fuck up and get in.” They piled inside, and someone started the motor.
The island grew smaller as we sped off. I gazed at my home, now nothing more than a raging inferno, some of the last memories I had left up in flames. Who were these men, but more importantly, why?
Why Dad’s island?
Why had they taken Alex?
What did they want with me?
The ride ended a few short minutes later, and they hauled me from the boat and up the ramp. I didn’t walk as much as shuffle toward the sedan parked a few yards away. A guy exited through the passenger side door and popped the trunk, revealing Alex’s bound and gagged form inside. She wasn’t squirming, wasn’t even moving.
My heart raced as I weighed my options. I could try to fight them off, but I didn’t know for cert
ain how many men surrounded me. Three, four, five? I glanced over my shoulder and met the barrel of the gun Jax had given me. “Don’t over think it, Mason. Get in the trunk.”
A startling blast sounded. I jumped, adrenaline flooding my system, and stared at the fire engulfing the island. Not a gun shot. The propane tank outside the cabin must have ignited.
“We don’t have time for this bullshit.” Sirens blared, distant, but it wouldn’t take long for the area to flood with emergency vehicles. Maybe I could fight them, stall long enough for help to arrive. “Get in the fucking trunk,” he said, cocking the gun and swerving it toward Alex, “or I’ll shoot your girl.”
I could fight them. I might even hold them off for a few minutes, but what if they shot her? What if they killed me and took off with her?
I did the only thing I could. I crawled into the trunk.
BOOK THREE: FERVENT
PROLOGUE
Darkness isn’t chased away by light
It’s merely oppressed
Hidden by the unconfessed
With shadows spilling through the cracks of hope
But the strong withstand
The brave cope
Triumph is an illusion
A trick of sadist’s magician
Even the willful stumble
Crash headfirst into submission
Rebirth by death is the only way to survive
The sting of pain is the only way one feels alive
1. PERILOUS
Alex
I was swaying. Or maybe I was flying. I couldn’t be certain, but the quiet thrum of an engine hinted at some sort of motion. That annoying rumble pricked at the edge of consciousness, threatening to take me somewhere I didn’t want to go.
Zach.
His name stormed through my blood, turning it to ice. I was trapped. He’d trapped me, locked me away from the world and from myself, reducing me to something unimportant. Meaningless.
A voice tunneled through my ears and landed somewhere in the muck of my mind. I clung to the blackness, every part of me revolting at the thought of forcing my eyes open. I was safe in this place, in this nothingness where I could just be.
But the voice was persistent. Someone curled their fingers around my bicep and shook me. Slowly, I came back to a reality I didn’t want to face, to an existence that was unavoidable, inevitable even. Cloth stuffed the cavity of my mouth, and I choked on a muffled cry. The gentle sway of movement reminded me of a trunk, bringing about panic. Swift and debilitating—it held me in its unmerciful grasp.
That voice washed over me again as cold fingers pulled the gag from my dry lips. I let out a scream that was little more than a hoarse plea for survival.
“Shhh, you’re okay,” he said, slapping a palm over my mouth until the scream died in my throat. His voice resonated in the deepest part of my soul, even at the level of a breathy whisper, and my heart tripped over in its haste to beat.
“Rafe?” I blinked against the pitch-black, eyes burning with the threat of relieved tears. In that foggy state of here and there, I’d feared I was back in Zach’s trunk, alone with the weight of Rafe’s death pressing on me. I squirmed, trying to maneuver so I could turn over and face him, inhale his scent, hold on and never let go…except I couldn’t move my hands.
As if he knew what I needed, he tugged at the bindings with deft fingers. I scooted forward and bit my lip, impatient to be in his arms.
“Hold on, baby.” His tone was rife with the same impatience. Several long seconds passed in each thud of my heartbeat, and the rope loosened in tiny degrees before dropping free. “C’mere.”
I wiggled to my back and bumped into his warm, naked chest.
“Just a little more,” he said, inching back to give me more room. I flopped over, and he crushed me in his embrace.
“What happened?” I asked, burying my face in the crook of his shoulder. But it was a stupid question. This wasn’t my first ride in the back of a trunk—as the dread in my belly and the fear souring my taste buds reminded me.
“You’re okay. I’ve got you.” Though his words came out calm, his pulse, sprinting to the fervent pace of mine, gave him away. We were far from okay. His nose nudged my temple, and I lifted my face in the darkness, shivering under the warm press of his lips on my skin. He brushed a kiss over each eyelid then dipped to my mouth, barely touching, and leaned his forehead against mine.
For a few moments, we just breathed.
No words.
No talk of what was coming next.
Nothing but comfort traded on the breath of our lips.
It didn’t last. The moment was too perilous, and falling into its trap would only foster a false sense of calm.
“How did we get here?” I searched my memory for a clue but couldn’t find one.
“They took us. Four or five of them, maybe more.”
“Oh my God.” A throb began at my temples and spread to the rest of my skull. With a groan, I tucked my head under his chin, unable to think beyond the pain.
“Are you hurt?”
“My head’s pounding.”
“Probably from the drugs,” he said. “Do you remember anything?”
“No.” My breath shuddered against his neck, and a niggle of a memory flourished in my mind; the hint of soft footsteps, a drift of air as the sheet lifted, the hope that rose in me when the mattress dipped at the edge. “Wait…someone got in bed with me. I thought it was you. Next thing I know, I’m waking up here.”
“They drugged me too.”
Whoever had taken us, and for whatever reasons, I was glad we’d landed in this trunk together. At least we were still together.
“Do you think Zach had something to do with it?” I asked, though the number of men involved in taking us implied otherwise. My brother had always been a loner.
“I don’t know.” He fell quiet, and the length of that pause carried special weight, an air of significance. “They set the island on fire.”
“They what?” Of course, Zach was my first suspect, but something seemed off, especially since Rafe was still alive, trapped in the trunk with me this time, and I couldn’t think of a single reason why my brother would take the time to burn the island. “Who else could’ve done this?”
“Your father, maybe? And I’m not ruling out Zach.”
“But you said there were four or five of them?”
“Yeah.” He tried to hide a groan, and I imagined him biting his lip to silence the sound.
“What is it?” I asked, wishing I could see his face.
“The drugs are still in my fucking system. I’m useless, Alex. They broke in, and I didn’t even realize it. I shouldn’t have let this happen.” He grabbed the base of my neck and tilted my head upwards, and his worried sigh breezed across my lips. “If they hurt you…”
I couldn’t dwell on what they wanted, on how they outnumbered us. I clutched his hair and held him to me, finding sanctuary in his presence even if we were trapped in a trunk together, half dressed, drugged, and possibly facing death.
“At least I’m here with you.”
“I don’t want you here with me. I want you somewhere safe.” He abruptly let go and rolled to his back. “If I can find an escape latch, or maybe break a taillight…” He kicked several times, each thwack of his foot escalating in effort. “Fuck!”
I pushed up on my elbows. “Something’s glowing over there. See it? By your feet,” I said, realizing he couldn’t see where I was pointing in the blackness.
“Yeah. Looks like the escape latch.” A loud thunk sounded, as if he’d bumped his head. “Damn it! I can’t reach it.”
“I might be able to.” I leaned over him and inched my way down his stomach and thighs. Stretching for all I was worth, I curled my fingers around the glowing handle and yanked, but nothing happened. “It’s not working!”
“Shit. They probably fucked with it.” He shifted underneath me, and I planted a palm on the fabric lining of the trunk to steady myself. I
gripped his leg with my other hand.
“Check down there for anything we can use as a weapon.” He scooted again, causing me to plop between his legs, and we became a tangle of twisted limbs as we maneuvered.
I reached out but only found empty space. “There’s nothing here, Rafe.”
“There’s gotta be a spare tire under here. Maybe I can find a lug wrench. Hold on.” He rolled, taking me with him, and my backside pressed against the back of the trunk as he lifted the flimsy floor beneath us. “I feel the tire.”
“Is there a wrench?”
A few seconds of unbearable silence passed before he answered. “No. Can’t find shit. Can’t see shit either.” We rolled again, and his fingers clamped around my bare thigh. “Give me your hand.”
I complied, and he yanked me up his body and back into his arms. “Alex…we don’t know what’s coming. When I tell you to run, promise you’ll do it and never look back. Promise me.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
He grabbed my chin, as if to force my gaze even though we couldn’t see each other. “When we get out of here, you’re gonna run for your life. Do you understand me?”
I tried shaking my head, but he wouldn’t allow it. “I mean it, Alex.”
“They could kill you.”
“I can’t defend us both against a gang of men. You running gives me my best chance.”
He was feeding me a line of bullshit.
“Don’t choose now to be stubborn,” he said, as if he’d heard my internal protest. “Just do as I say.”
The next few moments held me in a death grip, and a shiver went through me. This could be it. “Kiss me,” I choked out.
“Alex…” he said, a touch of warning in his tone.
I angled my face, sensing the heat of his mouth. “Kiss me.” The demand whispered from my lips, and I cursed the fear and grief stinging my eyes. He wanted me to fight, to believe we’d survive, but I wasn’t sure I had it in me. Too much had happened and I didn’t have any fight left.