I snorted derisively. “Like I would ever beg you to fuck me. You conceited prick. Do you think you're so irresistible that I'd lower my standards to the gutter? I could never be that desperate.” Grinning so that I could feel my face contort between his fingers I spat, “Well let me tell you this. You're wrong. You disgust me. And I never slept with the men at The Fox Hub. They could look but none of them were good enough for me. Apart from Six. He's a real man. And you can do whatever the hell you want. Kill me if you have to. But just know that some day...when you're least expecting it...someone will be waiting for you. And I think you know who that someone will be and what he'll do to you. And he won't make it quick and painless. He'll hurt you so bad you'll wish you were dead.”
A growl erupted from Zak's chest and as soon as a searing pain shot through my cheek everything went black.
Chapter Forty-Two
Six
I glanced over at Colt has we rode at speed out of the town limits and toward the shack that Tyler had told us about. My stomach twisted and turned and I gripped the handlebars so hard I felt sure they'd snap right off. What would we find when we got there? Would she be okay? Tyler was behind us on Weasel's bike, hands tied to the rail at the back. I hoped to hell this wasn't some kind of elaborate trap.
After around an hour we pulled down a dirt track that Tyler had pointed out on a map for us and my mind wandered back to what he'd said when he came to the club in the early hours of the morning.
“He's...he's gone crazy, man. I know he's my brother but...He's acting all weird and shit. Says if he can't have her then no one will. One minute he says he doesn't love her and the next he's brushing her hair and talking about marrying her. It's freaky. He said he'd started all this to get on Deak's good side so he'd make him VP. But turns out Deak kicked him out a month ago and told him to get help. Said he needed his head looked at. Deak had nothing to do with taking Chloe. My dad tried to talk sense into Zak too but... No one can get through to him. He hadn't hurt her when I left. He'd just taken photographs of her sleeping and of her tits and stuff. Says he's going to make her fall in love with him. I've never heard him like this. It's like he's cracked up. I'm scared for him and for Chloe. But I can't go back there alone. He has a gun and a knife. See the cut on my cheek? He did that.”
I clenched my already aching jaw at the thought that Zak might have hurt Chloe. And I swore an oath that if he'd harmed any part of her he'd suffer.
Colt gestured to a building off in the distance and that we should pull over. I was eager to just get down there and get her out. But I had to stop taking matters into my own hands. We were a club and I had to remember that.
We parked up behind a row of brush to the side of the road and climbed off our bikes with the exception of Tyler who was still tethered.
Colt removed his helmet and the rest of us followed suit. “Okay... we gotta play this carefully. Six and I will make our way down there. You guys hang back but have your guns cocked and ready. Give us a few minutes and then get the place surrounded. If he comes out, fire to injure. Not to kill. He needs locking up and this is the one time I intend to get the cops involved. He's acting as a loner now. Deak is aware of what's going down and he's not happy. He wants no part in it but says he won't stop us seeking justice and doing what needs to be done.”
Chloe
I could hear singing when I woke. Tyler was still nowhere to be found and I wondered if Zak had hurt him. The thought terrified me. The kid was around nineteen years old and had clearly been manipulated into carrying out his brother’s will. I could tell from the expression on his face whenever we were alone that he wanted none of this. He was a good kid deep down. I just hoped that he'd gotten away. Maybe he would call for help?
And maybe I was a stupid delusional bitch.
Zak came through to the room I was being kept in. He was shirtless and I could see the tattoos depicting hell on his body. A shiver traveled down my body at the sight of him standing there, a lascivious grin on his face. A handsome face that had now been contorted along with my opinion of him.
“Thought we could take a bath, sweet cheeks. I know how you girls like baths.”
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my thumping heart. I had to get out of here. But how could I?
He crouched down before me. “I said, I thought we could take a bath, bitch.”
“I heard you,” I whispered.
He grabbed my arms and dragged me to a standing position. He yanked my skirt and panties down my body and turned me around to untie my wrists. I rubbed at the sore red marks and gasped as he tugged my shirt from my body followed by my bra.
“I should make you dance for me,” he said as he trailed his hooded gaze down my naked body. I closed my eyes and thought back to the dance in my living room. How Six had stopped the first track and changed it to something more befitting a lover’s dance. Tears slipped free from the corner of my eyes and I opened them again.
“Please, Zak. Please don't do this. Just let me go. I don't want this. I really don't.”
For a moment his expression changed and I could have sworn I saw a hint of regret there. But it rapidly disappeared and he grabbed my arm.
“Shut up. We're going to get you clean and then have some fun.”
I yelped as he tugged me forward.
Six
Creeping around the tumble down shack of a building, I was unnerved by how quiet everything was. The only sound I could make out was running water and splashing. What the fuck?
Colt gestured that I should peek in the window we were beneath and so I tiptoed until I could see through a gap in the dirty brown curtains. Zak was sitting there dipping his hand into the water and then flicking it up. I trailed my gaze to the corner of the room and almost lost my shit. Chloe sat there, naked with her arms hugged around her body and damp trails down her cheeks. Her eyes were closed and she was rocking back and forth.
“Aww come on, bitch. You're no fucking fun anymore. Bath time's supposed to be sexy time.”
My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth would break. And I dropped to the ground, inhaling hard to stave off the dizziness as the red mist began its descent.
“She's in there. So is he. He's running a bath.” I whispered over at Colt.
He scrunched his face. “A bath? Dude is way fucking weird.”
“Look, I have to go in. I have to get her out of there. I kind of get the feeling that he has other plans for her and I don't like it. I can't let him touch her, Colt. I...I just can't.”
He nodded his understanding. “You go around and knock on the door to distract him and I'll keep watch over the bathroom. Just be careful, okay?”
I didn't respond. My own safety wasn't my concern at that moment. The only thing I cared about was getting to Chloe.
With my gun in hand, I scrambled under every window and made my way to the front door. I banged on it and waited.
The door opened and I waited for Zak to poke his head out but he didn't. I stepped up and a fist landed on my cheek, taking me by surprise. I grabbed out and got a hold of the bastard's arm. Thankfully my lack of sustenance hadn't weakened me as much as I had thought and I managed to grab the son of a bitch and whack him around the head with the butt of my gun. He collapsed to the floor with a thud. Once I knew he was out cold I ran though the shack calling out for Chloe.
I located the bathroom and kicked open the door to find her huddled in a corner on the floor. I dropped to my knees before her and pulled her into my arms.
“It's okay, baby, you're safe now. Nothing else is going to happen to you. I promise. Now come on, we need to get you out of here.” Seeing her catatonic like this almost broke me. Water welled in my eyes and I had to rub them to clear my vision. I shrugged out of my jacket and wrapped it around the silent young woman who was barely recognizable as my Chloe dancer. She peered blankly up at me.
I cupped her cheek. “Chloe, baby it's me, Six. Are you okay? Has he hurt you?” I noticed the bruising and swelling to her
cheek and realized it was a dumb question. Gathering her limp body in my arms I stood and made for the door.
But Zak had gone.
Chapter Forty-Three
Chloe
The dream was so realistic. Like all the rest had been. Six carried me in his arms and began to jog away from the shack that had been my prison for goodness knows how long. It felt good to be in his arms again, even if it was all in my imagination. I found myself wondering if I was actually sleeping or finally dead. I couldn't remember it happening but I had been so numb that maybe it hadn't hurt at the end.
Voices echoed in my head. Like they were coming from a distance. Shouting voices I recognized...well some of them anyway. I glanced down at my naked body and the familiar leather jacket half wrapped around me. In the dream Six was breathing heavily as he swept me away and I nuzzled into his chest hoping that the dream would last a little longer this time.
Zak usually woke me up just as Six was about to kiss me or make love to me.
Bastard.
That familiar earthy, masculine smell encapsulated me and warmed my heart. This is what I remember of Six. And his arms. His power. His need to protect me. If only he could find me. But I knew that wouldn't happen for real seeing as Zak had confirmed where we were and how far away from civilization. I doubted that Six would know the place even existed. I sure as heck hadn't until that damned picnic. If only I'd known then what he was planning.
A little wooden shack that blended into the scenery until it was almost camouflaged miles out of town and on the way out of Utah. That and the fact that it looked abandoned from the outside. Actually, it didn't look any better on the inside. The smell of stale cigarettes and alcohol made me not want to inhale through my nose. But every time I did I almost lost my stomach contents.
The taps worked but the water was a sludgy brown color and the toilet wouldn't flush. It was the kind of place you would avoid at all costs if you had any choice in the matter. But of course I didn't.
I'd lost all track of time being out in the middle of nowhere. I think I'd actually stopped counting. What was the point? Zak hadn't hit me much, but when he had, he had said it was my fault for misbehaving. Then he would apologize and hold me. It was strange how I had forgotten how to feel.
The dream ensued and I glanced to my left and saw a group of people all wearing black waving and gesturing. They must have been the ones shouting too. Maybe I was dead after all. I couldn't make out what they were saying. But that was the frustrating thing about dreams. Things were rarely vivid and clear.
Unless they were bad dreams. They were always the clearest, unfortunately. Although this was probably the most vivid one I'd had. The feel of Six's hard chest beneath my cheek was painfully realistic.
A cold breeze whipped around my naked flesh and I shivered as arms tightened around me and a kiss landed on my head. I could hear someone telling me everything would be fine now. And I wished it was true. I closed my eyes and thought about the dance in my living room. The way Six's eyes had been filled with sadness. I wished I'd have told him the truth. Told him that I missed his arms around me. His mouth on mine. That he would always belong in my heart.
This dream was strangely surreal. I hadn't noticed being able to have lucid thoughts in my other dreams. I glanced up and for the first time in so long I could see Six's caramel eyes shining down at me.
“I love you, Chloe. You need to know that. You need to know that I never stopped loving you.” His voice broke as he confessed his feelings to me.
Just then a loud crack rang out through the air and suddenly I was falling down...down...down. The dream was over...
Everything was white and too bright. My eyes stung as I tried to allow them to adjust to my surroundings. Okay so now I'm dead. But there was no pain, and more importantly no Zak. A serene calm washed over me and I breathed a long sigh letting my eyes drift closed once more.
A piercing bright light made me wince. And then a kind voice spoke, “I'm sorry dear. Just checking your vitals. I'm happy to see you're awake again.”
Awake? What?
“If you feel sleepy just go with it. That'll be the meds. Your friends have been here the whole time though. I think they'll be happy you're awake.
I couldn't really process my thoughts and so when the heaviness of sleep tugged at me again, just like the kind voice had instructed, I gave in...
“I know we only met a couple times but...I think we could be friends. I think it would be cool to have a friend as tough as you. You really are kick ass you know. You survived such a shitty ordeal. I wish I had your strength of character. But I don't...I mean I already miss Cain like a part of me is gone. It hurts so bad. And even though I know I had to let him go, I don't think I can imagine a time when it won't hurt... Anyway, I've never really had a girl friend before. It's kind of hard when you're surrounded by guys who think of you as a kid sister all the time and women who think they're in competition with you. It's dumb... But that's club life for you. I hope you'll still come around...you know if... Aww look I'd better stop rambling at you. Even though you're unconscious I'm probably driving you crazy. Six always said I talked too much. It's silly but I'd give anything to hear him say all that to me again.”
Once the voice stopped I groaned. My head was pounding and I felt like I'd swallowed gravel. “W-where am I?” I asked the unknown female who had woken me up.
A scraping sound like a chair on tile came from the same direction of the voice. “Shit! Hey, hey Chloe. It's Dee...um...Delilah from the Company? Company of Sinners MC that is. I don't know if you'll remember me. You've been through quite a lot. And when this happened to Cain he couldn't remember shit.”
A face surrounded by a mop of bleached blonde hair appeared in my line of sight and gradually became clearer as I blinked. “Delilah...From the bar at the club? With the tattoos?”
She beamed. “Yeah! That's me! I didn't think you'd know me. I mean...I didn't know if you'd remember stuff... How are you feeling?”
“Like crap.”
She laughed. “Yeah well being dropped from a height will do that to you.”
“Dropped from a height?” I scrambled around my foggy brain to try and remember. “I fell...I remember...falling.”
“Yeah... You're right. Broke your wrist quite bad too.”
I glanced down and sure enough there was a cast in place. “But...how? I don't understand.”
The smile disappeared from her face. “It was when he dropped you. He was carrying you away from where that crazy-ass son-of-a-bitch had been keeping you.”
The vivid dream I'd had began to return to me. “Six? He was really there? He carried me? It wasn't a dream?”
She slowly shook her head and I felt her squeeze my arm. “No, it wasn't a dream. He'd been desperate to find you. But then...” Her voice wavered.
“But then what?” I whispered.
“Then he dropped you when...when the crazy bastard shot him.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Chloe
I held Six's hand as I stared at him where he laid. His eyelids were tinged purple and his skin was pale. It was a miracle that he was alive at all and no wonder that the doctors were keeping him asleep. The bullet had fractured the right side of his skull and they'd had to shave the hair off the right side of his scalp in order to remove the fragments. Now he was bandaged across the side of his head and over his eye. They had placed him in a medically induced coma too. And he'd gone through all of this for me.
To save me.
Apparently he had been running with me in his arms when Zak fired a single shot that hit the side of Six's head just above his temple. He should have died. But I like to think someone was watching over him and had seen the good he'd done for me.
I just stared at him. Willing him to be okay.
Colt had encouraged the doctor to speak to me as Six's next of kin, which was kind of weird, but I was grateful. The doc told me that there was a strong chance he would lose his sight in his
right eye and that broke my heart. I wanted more than anything to turn back the clock and change the events leading to us getting here.
There was so much I needed to say to him. I wanted to tell him that I hadn't killed Brett. That the body he had disposed of was dead at the hands of Zak and not me. And that I appreciated everything he had done to protect me without question. But deep down I feared that he would resent me. Hate me for what I had put him and the others through. As I gazed at his handsome face I tried hard not to memorize the sight of him laying there helpless and unconscious. If I had lost him, I wanted to remember the cheeky glint in his eye. The way he looked when he was about to kiss me and the smile had melted my heart on so many occasions.
I decided that this would be my last visit to his room. Seeing him like this was too much. Too hard. I was so angry at myself for not letting him know my true feelings. Angry that I had chosen another man over him. And angry that I hadn't listened to my heart instead of my stupid, stupid head.
I stroked my hand down his arm and squeezed his hand as tears welled in my eyes. I would have to let him go. Because, just as I had told Tyler, that's what you do when you truly love someone. You let them go. If they come back to you then it was meant to be. I could've maybe believed that about Six and I at one point. But not anymore. Not after all of this.
“Are you ready to go back now, Chloe?” A friendly voice asked from behind me.
I wiped the tears from my cheeks and nodded. I kissed my good hand and touched it to Six's face. Once I was back in the wheelchair, the kindly nurse took me out of the room and back to my own where Delilah and Colt were waiting for me.
Six: Company of Sinners MC #2 Page 23