by Riley Ashby
“You can take this willingly, or I’ll force it down your throat.” I tried to swat away the pill with my free hand, but he closed his fist and whipped it back before I could. “Not quick enough for me, Quinn.” He opened his fist and showed me the pill again, holding it back a little farther so I couldn’t knock it away. “I can hold you down and make you swallow this, or you can do it on your own. But this meltdown has to stop.”
“Get the fuck away from me.”
“You want me to knock you out again? I can get another needle.”
No, that wasn’t an option. I couldn’t allow myself to be in any more of a compromising situation. The next time I woke up, I might find myself…
Don’t think about it.
I swallowed and focused on the pill. It certainly didn’t look too threatening. And he was offering it to me, not forcing me. If he wanted to knock me out to have his way with me, he could do it without a problem. The needle and whatever drug it contained would have been his first measure, not this.
“What is it?”
“Something to calm you down.”
I held up my palm.
“Nope. Open your mouth.”
Fresh tears sprung to my eyes as my face reddened. “I’m not letting you feed me a pill.”
“Well, I don’t trust you not to throw it across the room. If you’re going to act like a mental patient, I’ll treat you like one.”
I had to draw the line somewhere. It wasn’t going to happen. “No.” One tear fell down my cheek. “I’ll take it myself.”
Gunner’s eyes tracked my tear as it fell, then snapped back to my eyes. For a second, I thought I’d won. I waited with my hand open, sure he would give me the pill to take on my own.
He lunged at me.
I fell backward, but there was nowhere for me to go. I’d backed myself into a corner before he even came into the room. His empty hand seized my face and squeezed my jaw, forcing my mouth open wide enough for him to throw in the pill. Then he clamped his hand over my mouth and stared me down.
“Swallow.”
I didn’t have a choice. My mouth was filling with saliva as my panic rose higher than I thought possible, and I thought I would drown from my own spit.
He wrenched my jaw open again and stuck his fingers in my mouth, sweeping along each side to make sure I wasn’t hiding the pill. “Good girl.” He patted my face with his wet fingers. “Now we wait.” He let me go and moved to the end of the cot, giving me space. He checked his watch once, then pulled out his phone and started playing with it. I resumed staring at the wall.
“You didn’t have to do that.” I wiped at my face, smearing away my spit and tears. “I was going to take it.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But I wasn’t about to sit around watching you lose your mind.” He cleared his throat. “It was annoying.”
“Why are you being so cruel to me?”
He smiled at something on his phone, or maybe he was laughing at me. “You didn’t think I was cruel last night.”
“Don’t mock me.”
“I’m not. Don’t you remember?” He leaned toward me, resting one elbow on the cot. His shirt lifted, revealing an inch of skin above the waistband of his jeans. “I loved hearing you scream my name. I can’t wait to make you do it again.”
I gritted my teeth. “You will never touch me like that again. I won’t allow it.”
“We’ll see about that.” He returned to sitting with his back against the wall. “Just relax and let the meds work.”
I wasn’t sure what we were waiting for. Taking a strange pill from my kidnapper was possibly even more astronomically stupid than leaving the club with him in the first place. But as time wore on, some ease settled into my shoulders. My breathing returned to normal, and my throat was unobstructed. I waited for disorientation to settle in, but there was none. I was a little woozy like I wanted to lie down, but not so overwhelming I couldn’t function. When I looked back at Gunner his phone was in his lap and his eyes on me.
“Better?”
I nodded slowly, still suspicious. “What did you give me?”
“Classic Xanax. My best friend through college.”
My face was a little numb. I rubbed at my cheeks, making sure I was still intact. “Wish I had some of that in high school.”
“This has happened before.” He said it as a statement like he already knew.
I tugged at the collar of my shirt, checking to make sure no one was going to choke me again. “A few times.”
He placed his hand over mine and pushed back, putting pressure on my breastbone. Unbidden, my eyes fluttered closed, and I let out a deep exhale. His hand was warm, like sun-bleached sand on a beach had covered me. “You should see a doctor.”
I opened one eye. There was no way he didn’t know about my past. He had to know I’d been in therapy for years. But doctors didn’t exactly hand out Xanax to middle schoolers. “Thanks, Dr. Phil. I’ll be sure to mention my school stress at my post-kidnapping therapy sessions.”
He stared at me, and I closed my eyes to avoid his gaze. His hand slid up my chest, over my collarbone, until his fingers wrapped around my throat. His thumb moved across the side of my neck, pressing gently as he stroked the muscle. I sighed and sank back farther, the relaxation spreading further through my body. The knowledge that this man was dangerous, that he wanted to hurt me, was irrelevant. Right now, the pressure kept me grounded.
His breath was audible as he exhaled, then swallowed. “You just need a firm hand.”
His hand disappeared abruptly, and I moaned at the sudden cold on my flesh. He was almost at the door before I could even sit up and open my eyes.
“Wait! What time is it?”
But he was already pulling the door closed. I groaned in frustration, still apprehensive but no longer flush with dread. I had resigned myself to several more hours of silence when the door opened again, and Gunner stepped through with another sandwich. “Eat this. You won’t get more food until tomorrow.” Before I could reply, he was gone again.
I picked up the sandwich with one hand, using the other to slide the watch that had been on Gunner’s wrist a moment before onto the bed next to me, hidden from the camera by my body.
It was difficult to sleep that night, knowing I had a prisoner in my basement. The Disciples had planned this for months, but I could not have been prepared for actually having her down there. The house seemed to vibrate with this new presence inside it. I imagined every creak of the walls or settling of the foundation was a response to her movements—the tapping of her fingers on the wall as she tried to calm her mind to sleep or phantom footprints on the stairs.
I spent all night watching the video from earlier—catching her as she tried to escape, my hands on her neck as I pulled down her zipper. After I woke up and ate, I kept the video feed pulled up on my laptop. Knowing there was someone else in the house, even when I wasn’t able to see or talk to her, made the entire space feel lonely. There was nothing for me to do besides watch her or watch TV, and Quinn was infinitely more interesting. Her hysteria the day before had filled me with a familiar ache, stoked by knowing I was the reason she was panicking. I didn’t want to deal with that again, but at the same time, her pain called to the darkness that lived inside me. It gave me a chance to be her comfort in the midst of this mess. But Vin would hit the roof if I let her come upstairs so soon. He’d think I couldn’t keep my emotions in check around a pretty girl when there was a job to be done. I needed to let him run the show and do as I was told. Getting on his good side had taken longer than I anticipated, so I couldn’t risk fucking it up. Not when I was so close to my goal.
It wasn’t just that she was pretty. Pretty wasn’t even the right word for her. I’d never seen anyone with her exact shade of blue eyes or whose hair swung that way when she turned her head. I wanted to see her blue eyes swell with tears as I sent my cock down her throat and feel the strands of her hair slip through my fingers while I moved her head along my shaft. Th
e other men had to see it, too. There was no way Vin had plans to let her go home even after we got the ransom because she’d earn him significantly more money on the market. He hadn’t said much about it, but I’d learned to read him over the past few years. He kept his distance if we intended to let a victim go. But for this job, he’d made it a point to be present.
His intentions didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be going home, that was true, but not because of Vin.
Quinn had been tough throughout the situation, despite her panic attack. Having Vin in your face could be a terrifying situation for anyone, and his attitudes about the utility of the female sex were predatory at best. Instead of cowering, she responded with a well-aimed jab that had sent him reeling. I’d had to adjust myself discreetly after he shoved me away. The girl continued to surprise me at every turn—leaving with me in the first place, then letting go in the back of the car while parked on a public street. But striking the man who held her life in his hands showed guts that many hardened criminals didn’t possess. It was a whole new level of bravery.
Who wouldn’t want a girl like that?
I took her food throughout the next day but didn’t let myself linger. We never said a word to each other, nothing so much as a thank you or good afternoon. I took back the watch, too. It was stupid of me to give it to her, undermining half the reason we had her locked down here—to disorient and scare her. It was a risk on my part too, to disobey Vin, even indirectly. I expected her to be angry when I took it, but she looked more hurt than anything. Even that gave me some sick pleasure. The girl was dependent on me for everything, even the simplest gestures. She perked up when I entered the room, sending a flood of power to my head each time.
I flashed the lights in her room with a remote switch when I saw the car pull up on the outside camera. She sat up a little taller on the cot and shifted nervously, reaching beneath the blanket to clip the chain back around her ankle. I grinned to myself. I probably wouldn’t have noticed she picked the lock if I hadn’t watched her so closely. I had to hope Vin wouldn’t be obsessing over her with the same level of detail I was.
Vin and Colby stepped out of the car. I’d hoped I’d see Jonah today, but Vin knew how much Colby and I hated each other, so he brought him on purpose. He was trying to put me in my place and remind me I was far from in control even though this was going down in my house.
Bringing him here meant Vin was looking for payback after Quinn attacked him yesterday and me for letting it happen. Maybe he meant to repay the favor.
If they broke even one of her bones, I was going to lose my damn mind. Because if anyone was going to break her, it would be me.
Vin’s nose was bandaged, and he had some bruising, but he had seen worse. Still, the injury had a shit effect on his mood. He greeted me with barely a nod and waited for me to enter the code to the basement, then followed me down the stairs to the small room. When I opened the door, Quinn stood from where she was sitting on the couch. She met my eyes and seemed to try to arm herself for what was coming next. I stood behind her so I wouldn’t get distracted.
Vin brushed past me. “You’re gonna make a call,” he said, holding a burner phone in front of her. “You’re gonna get your mom on the phone. Don’t try to tell her anything about us or where you are. Just say hello. Got it?”
She pursed her lips, then brushed her hands across her stomach as though pushing away the wrinkles in her shirt. “Why would I do anything you say?”
I resisted the urge to kick her. She needed to get along with him so this process could flow as smoothly as possible.
His hand lashed out, catching her off guard. He snagged her around the waist and pulled her against him, pushing his face so close to hers that she had to turn her head to avoid their lips touching.
“You might think you’ve got it rough here, but Gunner has a soft spot for damsels in distress.” His other hand grabbed her ass and pulled her hips against his. Her hands flew up against his chest, trying to put space between them, but he couldn’t be moved. She twisted to look at me, and when her eyes found mine, their plea was visible.
Help.
I frowned. She needed to cooperate. Because if Vin kept his hands on her much longer, I’d kill him myself right now.
“If you keep giving me shit, you’ll find out how most of my hostages get treated. It’ll make this place look like a goddamn five-star resort. And you won’t be wearing any clothes.” He took his hand off her ass only to grab her face and direct it toward him. “Do you understand?”
She nodded mutely, then stumbled as he pushed her backward. The chain scraped against the floor before she steadied herself. He shoved the phone into her hand, and this time, she took it.
Her fingers were shaking so she had trouble dialing the numbers, but eventually, it started ringing. She started to raise it to her ear, but Vin snapped at her.
“Put it on speaker.”
She did so and held the phone in front of her face. Listening to the ring was maddening. It felt like time stretched on forever. I wanted Vin and Colby out of my house, and I wanted to put Quinn back in the chair upstairs and bring her every book she wanted until she fell asleep again. I didn’t want to include her in this part at all, but I wasn’t calling the shots.
Finally, the ringing stopped. There was silence.
“Mom?” I asked into the dead air. I thought I could hear someone breathing.
“Quinn? Baby? Oh, thank God.” Finally. My dad’s voice was in the background, yelling my name as he got closer to the phone. “Are you okay? Where are you?”
I tried so hard not to break, but I couldn’t help it.
“Mommy,” I sobbed into the phone, slapping a hand over my eyes now as if I could stop my tears from flowing. “Mommy, I’m so sorry.”
“What? Why are you sorry? Quinn, it’s okay. Tell us where you are. We’ll come get you. Where are you?”
I opened my mouth, but Vin snatched the phone from my hand. I let loose a sob and reached to grab it back, but Gunner’s hand fell heavy on my shoulder and forced me to sit on the cot.
“Good evening, Mrs. Allen.” Vin stared at me as he spoke. “You have no idea how happy we are to hear your voice.”
There was silence again, and I struggled to keep from crying out loud. I didn’t want my mom to think they were hurting me, but I had to talk to her. I had to know what she’d done to land me in this situation.
“Earth to Charlotte, are you there?”
“Who the hell are you, and where is my daughter?” My father’s voice was clear and strong.
Vin laughed. “You need to put your wife back on the phone, James. She’s the only one we’ll talk to.”
“Any negotiations for the safety of my daughter will take place through me.”
“This isn’t about your daughter. This is about Charlotte. I suggest you talk to her and ask her what this is all about. We’ll contact you once you’ve had a chance to discuss.” He hung up.
“No!” I cried, and this time, I did leap to grab the phone, but Vin held it out of my reach and put it in his pocket.
“Get her under control,” he snapped, and both of Gunner’s hands landed heavy on my shoulders as they pulled me back. I stumbled against his chest but fought against his grip. One of them had to have another phone. If I could find one, I could make another call. But I couldn’t go anywhere with Gunner holding me still, wrapping his arms around my chest to hold me against him so I couldn’t move.
“Don’t make it worse,” he growled in my ear.
Vin smiled when he saw Gunner whisper to me, but there was no mirth in his eyes. He took my face in his hands. Compared to Gunner’s, his skin was coarse sandpaper. I jerked my head away and heard the scrape of his palms against my cheeks. The back of my head hit Gunner’s chin, but he didn’t so much as grunt.
“Good job today, little girl. Now.” He snapped his fingers at Gunner. “Back upstairs, we need to talk.”
Vin left the room, and after a pause, Gunner relea
sed me and followed. The other man, however, didn’t move.
“Let’s go, Colby.” Gunner sneered as he said his name.
“What I have to say to you, you don’t want him to hear.”
Gunner tried to keep his face impassive, but I saw the twitch in his jaw. Something was wrong. I tried to catch his eye. Don’t leave me down here with him.
“She’s supposed to be with me. That’s the deal.”
Vin grabbed him by the shirt. “Keep your fucking mouth shut. You and I need to talk alone. My man can behave himself for a few minutes.” He looked at the other man. “Can’t you?”
Colby smiled at me with his mouth open, and I caught a glimpse of his tongue. “No problem, boss.”
Please don’t go. He’ll do something to me. I know it. It will only take a few minutes. Maybe that would be how I could talk myself through it. I can survive anything for a few minutes … right?
“Keep your hands off her.”
Gunner grabbed Colby while Vin was still holding onto him, and then fists were swinging, and all three were cursing and yelling over each other. I backed against the wall while they struggled. Colby and Gunner shouted expletives at each other while Vin threatened to pull a knife if they didn’t get themselves under control. Finally, he got Gunner out the door, but he was still spilling expletives at Colby.
“If you upset her, you’re going to have to deal with me.”
“I’m fucking terrified. Look at me.” He grabbed his crotch and flipped the finger with his other hand. “Go run along and get your talking-to. We’ll be waiting right here for you.”
“Keep your hands to yourself.”
“You don’t tell me what to do!”
“Try me, fucker.”
Gunner gave me one last look before allowing Vin to fully drag him out of the room. They continued to yell at each other as they walked up the stairs, but eventually, the door slammed, and Colby and I were left alone.