by Evans, Bryce
Getting off the elevator, Jonas ran into Ash who was coming out of her office. “River left. The staff said they saw her leaving this morning around seven. Now, Larsen called asking if River was here at the lodge. They had someone call in saying that a girl looked like she was taken from her car out in front of Carousel. What if—”
“Paddock!” Reece said out loud.
“Activate the unit, Ash. Call Larken, tell him we need some of his best. Reece—”
“I’m already on it.” Reece had his phone to his ear already giving orders to Levi on the phone.
Ash called Larsen back telling him that River’s stuff was missing from her room. Larsen advised Ash that it was River’s car and her pocketbook was lying on the ground beside the car. Her car door was still open. Larsen added that he found an envelope that had Reece and Jonas’s name on it.
Reece and Jonas sped to the scene to find the street was packed with sheriff deputies and wolves from Larken’s pack. Running up to Larsen, Reece asked for the envelope. Larsen hesitated before handing him the envelope. Inside was a handwritten note addressed to Reece and Jonas.
Dear Reece and Jonas,
I have enclosed the receipts where I used your credit cards to pay for the clothes I purchased. I understand that you made a mistake so don’t worry about me. I know how to survive. I would like to tell you that I had the time of my life and I will never forget the happiness and joy you showed me. I knew it was too good to be true and I understand, Reece, that you had second thoughts at the end. I’m not a wolf or vampire and you both need a strong mate who can help you run the clan and help with the unit. Please tell Ash and her mates that I will send her some money when I find a job. I don’t know yet where I’m going, but I will never forget you guys and all the love you showed me. Please tell Mary that I will be in touch with her soon. I didn’t have the guts to say goodbye to anyone and that makes me weak. Your mate should be strong. I never was and although I’m stronger, it’s because of how good you were to me. Have a happy life and if I was honest with myself, I fell in love for the first time in my life.
Thank you,
River
Reece dropped the note to the ground.
“Fuck.” Jonas bent over placing his hands on his knees. He felt sick. She thought they had changed their mind? About her? “How could she think that we didn’t want her? I’m so pissed right now. All I want to do is blister her ass for thinking that.”
“It’s my fault, Jonas. It was me who put that doubt in her head. She just reacted to my dumb ass. I’m to blame not her. Now Paddock has her. God knows what he is doing to her. We have to find her.” Jonas put his hand on Reece’s shoulder.
“We will get our mate back.” Jonas turned around and asked Larsen, “How long?”
“I would say no longer than thirty minutes. He has thirty minutes on us,” Larsen advised.
“Let’s meet back at the lodge down in the war room. We are getting our girl back and I’m going to kill that son of a bitch…” said Reece.
Jonas grabbed Reece and hugged him close. He could feel his fear. Hurting for his mate, Jonas knew they had to keep a level head and work together. Anger wouldn’t help right now. River needed them. He was afraid that Paddock would drain her dry once he tasted her blood. “Yes we will. Let’s go. I need your head in the game now,” Jonas said as he let Reece go so they could race back to the Lodge.
Ash, Larken, Pelton, Banks, Jansen, Nash, and Levi were waiting in the room when Reece and Jonas jostled through the door.
Levi ran up to Reece putting his hand on his Prime’s shoulder. They were best friends and he cared about the man. “The Guards are on standby outside waiting in their vehicles. I’ve got people tracking, asking around about seeing anything unusual. I’ve checked and no one has rented anything lately that hadn’t already made reservations from months out.”
Reece couldn’t control the anger he was feeling. He couldn’t let Paddock take someone else he loved from him. His fangs descended from his mouth as he closed his eyes trying to breathe in the air to clear his head.
Ash and Pelton went to the board and started putting out suggestions of how they would find River. When something got accomplished, they would mark it off. News of the kidnapping had gone out to Larken’s pack. Members were reporting to the lodge to help search. They were waiting upstairs in another room for orders and news of River. She had made a lot of friends since she arrived. She was always sweet and helpful to everyone.
Mary came downstairs for breakfast and Ash explained to her what was going on. Ash had to beg her not to go outside and try to find her. Mary started crying and it broke Ash’s heart. She escorted Mary to the war room so she could be included in the search. Even if she just sat there, she would always be included in everything.
*****
River tried to open her eyes but her eyes felt like something was holding them down. Her eyes fluttered open then closed again. She tried again to open her eyes. She wanted to use her hands but she couldn’t seem to move them. Open your eyes, River, now. River blinked then opened her eyes. It was dark in the room she was in. She looked up and saw her hands were tied to the bedpost. The events of what happened came rushing back to her as she remembered Paddock standing in front of her. Her biggest fear had come true. Paddock had taken her when she was leaving the store. She would never be able to say goodbye to Jonas and Reece or Mary. She knew Paddock would kill her. He waited too long to get her. He would punish her and make an example for running from him.
River looked down at her feet and they were tied to the bed too. Listening, she heard someone coming. She closed her eyes, trying to act like she was still out. She heard the door open then close. Her heart started beating faster as she heard something being dragged across the floor.
“Open your eyes, River. I know you are awake.” River shivered, remembering the voice she had been running from for over a year. She turned her head and opened her eyes. Paddock was sitting in a chair beside her bed. He was still good-looking but she knew the real Paddock. He was a killer and the vampire who would kill her.
“I have been looking for you for a long time, but you knew that, didn’t you?”
River just stared at Paddock afraid to open her mouth and talk to him, but a lot had changed and she wasn’t going to let him scare her anymore. She knew she was going to die, but she wouldn’t show him fear. He took her life from her and she wasn’t going to let him have her fear.
“What do you want with me?” River asked menacingly.
“I want your blood, River, that is what I want. You see, I know what it will do for me. Reece Ramsey’s father taught me well. He wanted to find the kids of Mitchell and Alisha Leland. He explained the kids would be special kids with unimaginable powers. The blood of the kids would give a vampire more strength than one ever dreamed. I will be the most powerful vampire in the world with your blood.” Smiling at River, Paddock grinned showing River his fangs. He would finally be able to kill Reece Ramsey.
“So you can kill Reece?”
Paddock’s smile faded. “What do you know about Reece?”
River could see the fire in his eyes when he spoke of Reece. “Reece Ramsey is my mate and so is Jonas Glenn. They know about you and are coming for you. You see, Reece has been drinking my blood for a while now. So you will see that you won’t be the strongest vampire in the world.” Paddock jumped up and slapped her across her face.
River felt the sting from the hit. Not allowing herself to give him her fear, River spit the blood from her mouth then turned and glared at Paddock. “Yeah, he told me about you running from him when he killed his father. He has been training and waiting for the moment you and he cross paths and now that you have taken his mate. Well, let’s just say that his anger and revenge will be stronger than anything you can dream up. You have nothing. Your clan hates you because you make them fear you. You’re not a real leader. You make them do your dirty deeds. But Reece Ramsey’s clan loves him. They will search until th
e end of time for you because you took their leader’s mate. I’m sure they are searching for you now.”
Paddock was enraged at her comments. Standing up, he punched River in the stomach, this time making the air escape her body. Gasping for air, River tried to breathe. The pain she was feeling made lights flash in front of her eyes.
“You bitch. You are not his mate. Do you hear me, you are mine and you will be mine until I have no use for you anymore. I will drain every last drop of your blood from you before he gets to you. You see, he doesn’t have as much blood as I will be getting and that is the edge I need to kill him.”
Trying to talk, River croaked out, “Wow, you are stupid if you believe that. But hey, I hope you do keep believing that because the quicker he finds me the quicker you die.” River didn’t see the hand that hit her in the face. It happened so quick she didn’t have time to expect it. So quick that when she woke up the sky was dark outside. River remembered daylight was outside when he was last in there or when she was conscious. Licking her lips, River could taste the blood on them and she could tell her eye was swollen. She could barely see out of it. River lay there listening for any noise outside the room. She couldn’t hear any cars driving by so she figured she was off the main road. Pulling on the rope, River felt the blood dripping as she strained to pull the rope off the bedpost.
River tried to stay awake but found it difficult to move or breathe. She knew it was a matter of time before Paddock came for her blood. River turned her head and looked out the window as she prayed. “Please find me, Reece and Jonas. Please find me before it is too late. I love you,” River whispered as she closed her eyes. The pain in her head became too much to take and River passed out again.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Information was coming into the room about seeing suspicious people but no one described Paddock. Lilly Wilder walked in the room searching for Reece. Pulling a chair up in front of him, Lilly picked up Reece’s hand. “Hey. How you holding up?” Reece smiled at Lilly, but Lilly could feel his pain. She could see it etched on his face. He blamed himself.
“I guess as best as I can,” Reece muttered. He pulled his hand away from Lilly and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Have you eaten anything yet?” Lilly asked and Reece shook his head no.
“You have to keep your strength up, Reece. They will find her and you will need your strength.” Reece shrugged then looked down at the floor, away from Lilly.
“How does it feel to find your mate?” Reece looked up at Lilly. He thought at one time he was in love with Lilly, but they were not true mates and they both knew it. They were friends who helped each other out when they needed it.
“Scary sometimes and when she is not around me—I feel lost,” Reece admitted.
Lilly could see how much he loved River. His voice was weak and not anything like the Reece she knew. “Well pull up your big girl panties, my friend. She is going to need you and I can’t wait to see you kill that son of a bitch. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and let me get you something to eat so you can keep your strength up. You’re going to need it. She will need you.” Reece snorted when Lilly told him to pull up his big girl panties.
“Big girl panties?” Reece asked.
Lilly laughed out loud. Sometimes she shocked herself with the stuff that came out of her mouth. “Hey I was on a roll and it was the first thing that popped in my head. I got you to smile though.” Reece shook his head as he smiled at her. “I will be back with a steak. You need the protein and you are going to need blood, Reece.”
Reece couldn’t think of taking blood but from anyone except his mate. It was such an intimate thing. “No! I’m okay. I can wait on the blood.”
Lilly didn’t say anything further. She got up and went to get Reece a bloody steak. Maybe that will help some, Lilly thought.
Jonas came and sat by Reece as the room came alive with people talking and information coming in. Larken came and handed them something to drink then sat down himself. The door opened and Rod Tracy walked into the room. He scanned the room until he found Larken. “Alpha, I need to talk to you and River’s mates. Alone if possible.” Reece and Jonas knew this was something big. Rod Tracy was a good man. He wouldn’t interrupt what was going on unless he had found something out. They both got up and walked over to the conference room with Larken.
“Alpha, a month ago, a young woman and man came to town looking for a job. They were brother and sister and once they showed me some of their furniture, I hired them on the spot. I let them live upstairs above the store for free. These two young people looked like they had nothing and after speaking with them I found they didn’t. Well when the information got out about River and the kidnapping, Star and Sky came to me and told me that River was their sister. They have been following her around town and the lodge but were scared to tell her that they were related for fear of being turned away. They are young, Alpha, and have been through a hard life living at the orphanage.”
Jonas and Reece couldn’t believe what they were hearing. River had a brother and sister here in town and she didn’t even know it.
“How do they know she is their sister?” Reece asked.
“They said her blood calls to them and their not vampires or werewolves. Star said that before her dad died he told her that she had an older sister and younger brother and once she got near them she would be able to tell. He said he had to separate the kids for fear of someone knowing what they could do. Each of them was taken to different orphanages and their last names were changed. They are skittish kids. But my wife and I have taken a liking to them and help them out whenever we can. They are very talented, but could this really be true, Alpha? Could Star and Sky Johnson be River’s sister and brother?”
“Damn.” Reece got up pacing in front of everyone.
“Anything is possible,” Larken added as he watched Reece pace the floor.
“They do look like your mate?” Rod added.
“Where are they now?” Jonas asked.
“Upstairs. They are scared to come in here with everyone. Like I said before, they are very skittish people. They don’t hang around in the showroom or talk to anyone except the wife and me. They seem to like it that way.”
“Can you bring them down here and tell them, Rod, that nothing will happen to them. We want to meet them and maybe they could help us find their sister,” Larken responded.
*****
River woke with the worst headache. Her body was hurting from being tied up so long. River jerked her eye closed as the lights came on in the room. “It’s time for a little taste.” River opened her eyes to Paddock’s second in charge, Rick Johnson.
“They’re coming for me.” Rick laughed as River spoke of her mates coming to her rescue.
“I hope they do. I’m not scared of them. Plus I will have your blood in me and that will be the edge we need.” Rick leaned on the bed. River struggled and tried to get away by scooting backwards but she forgot her legs were tied to the bed too.
Rick Johnson grabbed her head, jerking it to the side then quickly pushed his fangs into her neck. Gasping for air, River tried to calm her nerves down. His bite hurt as he punctured her skin. He groaned as he took in deep drinks. River couldn’t move. Rick had her head turned, holding her in place by her hair. The pain from the hit to the mouth made her want to vomit. She swallowed, trying to be still so the vampire didn’t slit her neck open.
Reaching out with one of his hands, Rick grabbed River around her breast then he ripped her shirt open with his hand. He raised his head, opening his eyes, as he glared down at her. “God! I can’t get enough of you.” Rick’s fingers descended into claws and ripped her bra open. Getting up, Rick straddled River then leaned over, striking fast, as he extended his fangs into her breast. River screamed as she felt the pain as he sucked deeply, drinking more of her blood.
River couldn’t move. She could feel her mind drifting as he sucked her blood. Before River passed out from the blood loss, Ri
ck was jerked from her body and thrown against the wall. Facing off, Paddock stood in front of River. “Get out. I told you I was first.”
River could tell Rick thought about challenging Paddock, but stopped his actions and walked out of the room and slammed the door. Paddock turned around and sat beside her on the bed. “He couldn’t help it, my pet. They all want to taste the blood from you. He already started without me I see.” Paddock reached over, pushing her neck to the side looking at the marks Rick left. River could tell the more Paddock looked at her the more lust she could see in his eyes. He got up and straddled River like Rick had done. He slid down her body touching and squeezing her as he went. He grabbed her breasts, squeezing so hard that tears fell from her eyes. Reaching over, Paddock licked her breast before he sucked it into his mouth. The moan coming from his mouth made River sick. Trying to calm herself, River closed her eyes, trying to forget what was happening. Taking her self back to the ice skating ring that Reece and Jonas took her for their first date. She was happy with them. Silently, tears streamed down her face knowing that she would never get to see them again. She loved them and wished they loved her too.
“Open your eyes,” she heard Paddock demand. River opened her eyes as Paddock’s fangs extended. She didn’t see him when he struck the vein in her neck, but she could tell he had ravaged her throat as he took long gulps of her blood into his mouth. She knew he was taking lots of her blood when her limbs felt too heavy to struggle. She couldn’t keep her eyes open as Paddock sucked more blood from her body. She could feel her body slipping away from consciousness. Before she closed her eyes, she watched as Paddock threw his head back growling.
Jumping off her, Paddock wiped the blood from his mouth. “I have a surprise for you, my pet.” Paddock opened the door and yelled for Rick to bring her surprise.
Trying to stay awake, River watched as Jacky Boy was thrown into the room. He looked like he was dead. His face had been beat so badly he could barely open his eyes. Old blood caked his face. River wanted to die now. She had caused this. If Jacky Boy hadn’t helped her then he would still be alive today.