Wandering along the floorplan of the Craftsman-style home, I locked every door I came to that might lead to the outside. There were more than just a simple front and backdoor. The door Gunner and I had entered through was one of four. Some rooms had doors that looked like they might go outside but ended up leading to massive closets or pantries, depending on which room I was in.
The front door had multiple locks to use and I secured every single one. The original owners of the home hadn’t been imbibed with Gunner’s confidence in their security. The evidence of their$$ insecurity assuaged mine and I moved to sit in the lavishly decorated living room. Multiple cushions and throw pillows padded the seats of the four couches and settees lining the living room’s walls.
Taking a deep breath, I sank onto the couch furthest from the door. The side tucked neatly into the corner of the room offered me comfort I desperately needed. Kicking my shoes off, I pulled my sock-covered feet onto the cushion beside me and pulled one of the throws into my arms.
Staring straight ahead, I unseeingly blinked at a coffee table, rug, and shelves. The window would let me see anyone who tried coming to the property. The drive snaked directly in front of the window’s view. Even the patio to the front door was in plain sight. No one was getting by me.
My eyelids pulled down and I pinched the soft inner skin of my forearm to keep myself awake. I couldn’t sleep while waiting for Brock and Stryker. I couldn’t sleep while who-knew-what-happened to Sara.
What kind of a person was I that I would let myself relax so much I’d fall asleep on my watch? My eyes closed again and I snapped them open with a huff, sitting more upright on the couch.
That didn’t help. What could I do? Maybe I could take a minute and just let myself sleep. I’d hear them when they arrived and I’d be slightly rested and, in a position to actually help plan instead of in the mental cloud I seemed to be locked in from fatigue.
My eyes closed and my head fell back and I didn’t fight it. Honestly, I was getting sick of fighting everything and everyone.
***
I had no way of knowing how long I’d been asleep. Outside the darkness seemed more complete as if even the moon had taken a break.
Inhaling through my nose, I shifted my gaze around the room and rubbed my eyes. What had woken me? Were Stryker and Brock there? Had they snuck into the house and gone upstairs to sleep?
I rubbed my eyes again, confused by the utter silence of the house. My breathing grew more ragged and I pushed the cushions from my lap. Something wasn’t right. I stood, walking softly across the floor to stand at the bottom of the stairs.
In that instant, I knew Gunner was upstairs, trying not to lose it. A guy like that had already experienced so much loss. He didn’t want to be the reason he lost everything he had left after his father’s suicide.
What could I do for him? Not much considering he’d had to abandon his cousins for me.
For me.
I could have taken care of myself. I couldn’t even finish the thought. I’d barely been able to walk on my own because of what I’d been through. I wouldn’t have made it out of Tiny’s house on my own.
Climbing the dark wood stairs, I clung to the railings for security. I reached down into my pocket, gripping my phone in my hand.
The last call had been from Stryker’s phone. I thought he’d called me but my mother had been on the other line. When I found Gunner, maybe he’d be interested in calling the phone with me to see if we got any information. Would she talk to me? Maybe she’d given the phone back to Stryker. Maybe Stryker had stolen it back. I had no idea what was going on with him and Brock or even when they were going to return to us and the not-knowing drove me nuts.
The landing at the top of the stairs gave me a moment to scan my surroundings. There had been a shift somewhere in the house and I couldn’t place what felt different.
The sound of a shower running pulled me away from the stairs. I wouldn’t go in the bathroom, but I could wait for Gunner in the bedroom. Maybe he needed some kind of a support system, or maybe I did. I wasn’t sure what exactly I needed at that point in time.
The bedroom with the loudest bathroom sounds also had a nightstand lamp on. A bed, set of drawers, and a desk furnished the room and I slouched onto the edge of the mattress facing away from the bathroom door. Light glowed from under the bottom seam of the doorway.
Leaning my elbows forward onto my knees, I pulled my phone out and stared at the last call in my call history.
Stryker. He hadn’t had his phone at the time. He might at that point. I could call him. If he answered, I could find out where he was or how he was.
If he didn’t answer… I’d either get his voicemail or someone else would answer.
The someone else could very easily be my mother. The sudden desire to hear her voice again overwhelmed me and I inhaled as if trying to breathe through a tube. It hadn’t been possible for so long and now… I mean, I’d already talked to her. She’d spoken to me. She hadn’t addressed any of my concerns from the time we’d been apart, she hadn’t even said she missed me. Was it too much to hope that maybe she was with Dominick because she had to be? Was it even feasible?
Did I try calling Stryker and find out who would answer? My hands shook as I stared at the phone. Part of me wanted him to answer. A miniscule part wanted the voicemail to answer. And another part, maybe the biggest part, wanted my mom to answer so I could ask my questions – especially those about Stryker and my mom’s role in his kidnapping – and be done with it. The not-knowing made so many things harder than they needed to be.
The water shut off in the bathroom and after a couple minutes, the door opened. Light spilled from the doorway across the bed and Gunner froze over the threshold.
I didn’t look up. He had nothing I wanted. The only guy I wanted to see in a towel wasn’t there.
Gunner’s voice rumbled over me. “I don’t think Stryker would like this.” I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not, but I wasn’t in the mood for a laugh.
I shook my head, holding up my phone with Stryker’s number featured on the screen. “I’m thinking about calling him.”
The floor creaked as Gunner moved about the room in a controlled flurry of movement, pulling on jeans, a shirt, socks, and work boots. None of which I saw until he sank onto the mattress beside me.
“I want you to call him, but I’m also conflicted. What if he doesn’t answer?” Gunner said exactly what I was thinking and I breathed out on a sigh.
“I think we should try it, just in case?” The questions in my voice were more for me than anyone else.
“What if it’s your mother?” How had he known what I was thinking? There was a level of reassurance that he understood what I was thinking with all of it. If he understood everything that fast, maybe I was normal for thinking the way my mind had gone.
I nodded mutely, turning the phone over and over in my hands.
“Let’s try. Put the call on speakerphone.” Gunner settled next to me, crossing his ankle over his knee and leaning forward to rest his forearm on his lower thigh.
Glancing at him as if to gauge if he really thought I should or not, I lifted the phone like me might stop me.
He nodded to encourage me to go on.
Swiping the screen, I held my breath as I selected the speakerphone button and the ringing filled the suddenly silent room.
I bit my lip as it rang once, twice, then a third time. Halfway through the fourth ring the other line picked up but no one spoke. Heavy breathing and then the sound of the phone being shoved against something. A door opened and closed and then a rough voice I recognized from only a short time ago barreled through the phone but from a distance as if they too were on the speakerphone.
“How’d they get away?” Dominick’s voice was unmistakable.
Immediately recognizable like the fear in my mother’s tone. “Demetri and I drugged the boy like you told us to. He drank a lot of the water. We didn’t think he would be able to gr
ab the injured one and jump.”
“You stupid wench. These boys were trained by their dads – special forces in the military. Don’t you understand what that means? They aren’t normal teenagers. They have more talents and skills than you can imagine.” Dominick’s breath grew more raw and jagged. “Get over here. You’re going to pay for losing them. Now, I have no way to follow through with Gray.”
The sound of someone moving around and the sudden blast of skin on skin thundered over the line.
I clamped my hand over my mouth, eyes wide as I shifted my gaze to stare at Gunner. How did I tell him to shut off the phone when I didn’t want to break that connection with my mom? It was worse than driving by an accident. I couldn’t help but listen even as the sounds from the phone made me swallow back the bile climbing in my throat.
“What do you need me to do, Master?” My mom’s submissive tone made me press my lips together and close my eyes. I hung my head in both shame and disgust. What had she been caught up in? She wasn’t the type to be submissive. My mom was spark and life and what the hell was going on?
“You’ll be Gray until I can get her. She better be everything you promised me, Maria. If not, I’ll take it out of your ass.” Dominick’s pure cruelty rang out around us, followed by Mom’s whimper.
Then suddenly the call was cut off. I snapped my gaze up and exhaled at the sight of Gunner holding the phone in his hand, his finger on the end button.
He shook his head, regret in his eyes. “You don’t need to listen to that.”
I nodded, my chest tight with fear and sadness. Was my mother turning me over to Dominick? Was that what had happened? How could she do that? But did I really wonder that when I could hear what she put up with? Who wouldn’t sacrifice someone to save themselves any degree of pain?
Even their daughter.
Gunner searched my face and then, without prompting, he reached out and pulled my face against the crook of his neck. “Don’t think about it. At least we know they don’t have Stryker and Brock anymore. That’s something we can work with. You can call Dominick in a little bit and demand Sara back since you haven’t seen Stryker or Brock. There’s a lot we can do with this.”
Nodding, I sniffed, wiping at my damp cheeks before he could investigate too closely at the signs of my weakness.
The weeks of hell were catching up to me and things were just starting. Was I going to be able to survive what we had to face or would I do better to just walk away?
If it was just me, I’d walk without looking back. But it wasn’t just me. There were too many people wrapped up in the trap for me to leave. I owed it to them to at least try.
“We have to believe they’re headed this way. This is headquarters. Hunker down and try to get some sleep. We’ll know more in a few hours. I’ll send out some feelers into the community. Someone will have to know something, if they know what we’re looking for.” He patted my back and I stood, moving from his room like a zombie wandering aimlessly.
Gunner called after me. “First door on the right. You’ll be most comfortable in there.”
I didn’t question him as I turned in the direction he pointed me.
The door shut easily behind me and I turned to face the bed and other simple furnishings, similar to Gunner’s. Stryker’s room. I could tell by the simple style and dark bedding. Flopping onto the bed and resting my head on the pillow, I rolled to my back and inhaled the remnants of his cologne on the sheets. It didn’t take much more to get me to sleep. I’d have to worry about everything else when I woke.
My fingers didn’t let go of the phone as my eyes closed and sleep claimed me.
Stryker… wherever you are… hurry back.
Chapter 6
Stryker
“Come on, man. You’re a lard ass.” I grunted, hiking Brock higher on my back as I waded down the freezing creek another ten feet.
The SUV paused on the bridge and, I assumed, Demetri shot off a few bullets into the night in our general direction, but there’s no way he could see me. Especially since I couldn’t see them from beneath the bridge.
I waited until the rumble of the railroad ties dissipated into the other sounds of the night; water rushing around us, an owl in the trees, traffic far off, and the sound of my breathing and heartbeat.
I took a deep breath, grinding my teeth together as I struggled forward more. I couldn’t feel my feet, but at least that helped with whatever pain I would have been burdened with after falling from the SUV.
Maria’s expression of almost permission had burned itself in my mind.
I should probably stop and check to see if my cousin was even still alive, but honestly, something I didn’t want to admit was that I didn’t want to know. As long as I didn’t check, there was still a chance that he was alive. Once I checked and found out he was alive or dead, that was it, it was final. As long as I didn’t check, anything was possible. Sure, he could be hurt and needing attention, but I didn’t want to find out that instead of being injured, he was actually dead.
Not yet. Not while I worked so hard to keep going. I had to get back to Gray. She had to know we made it out and Dominick had no control over us anymore.
I tried not thinking too hard about Gray and Gunner, either. While there was a possibility Brock was dead, I still had the control to stop and check. I had no way to check on Gray and Gunner. I couldn’t check in with anyone and that left me feeling powerless which frustrated me more than stepping on the slippery rocks of the creek as I attempted to walk downstream of the bridge.
Clouds covered the stars in spurts while the moon peeked at us through the edges of thick clouds passing overhead.
I pushed forward, placing one foot in front of the other in a consistent push to get out of there. Lights illuminated the low-hanging clouds, giving me a direction to go in. There had to be some kind of town or neighborhood that direction.
“Umnh.” A groan behind my left shoulder jerked me to a stop.
I braced my feet in a comfortable stance that would keep me from falling in the water rushing around my calves. Swinging Brock to sit on a rock protruding from the water to my waist height, I steadied him in a semi-sitting, semi-slumping position. I grasped at his face with my fingers. “Are you okay? Oh, hell, man, I thought for sure you were dead.” Relief flooded through me, even as I witnessed the pallor in Brock’s face.
Blood had bloomed across his back, but I hadn’t known for sure what had happened. I checked him while he braced his hands on his knees.
Running my hands down his back, I pulled my fingers away at the wet blood still running warm from his wound. “Were you shot?” I leaned over, yanking his shirt up and finding a heavy gash that ran parallel to his spine on the right side. A jagged edge on the wound led me to suspect he’d probably been hit with a ricocheted rock.
No bullet. He’d survive.
I exhaled on a whoosh, nodding as relief rushed through me. “This is good. You weren’t shot. Just a weak pussy. I can work with that.”
Brock groaned, rolling his head back and peering at me from one squinted eye while the other was closed. He worked to get the words out. “Don’t be a douche. Where are we? My back is on fire.”
I glanced up the creek and then down, nodding in the direction of the lights. “I think we’re at Tiger, but we might be by Blue Gold. I have no idea. If we keep going, we might be able to get some help in that town.” I glanced at my cousin; grateful he wasn’t dead and unable to voice my appreciation. “Do you think you can walk? We need to get out of this creek, now that you’re awake. I didn’t want to be anywhere they could track us in a car.” I also relied on the direction of the water as it ran west.
Brock didn’t answer me, his head bent again over his knees. I reached out and shook his shoulder. “Hey, can you do it?”
He took a deep breath and nodded, pushing himself into a wobbly standing position. “Yeah, I can.”
I nodded, studying him in the waning moonlight. After a second, I reached out, ruf
fling his hair gently. “Let’s get you to town. I’ll see if we can get you bandaged.”
He nodded, setting his jaw as he stabilized his footing. He reached out, grabbing my arm as he slipped and I realized just how weak he really was.
“Hey, do you need me to still carry you?” I wasn’t sure just how much strength I had left in me, but for Brock, I’d force it.
He shook his head. “Nah, just give me a second.”
I nodded, waiting the few seconds he needed and then falling into slow steps beside him as he worked his way toward the bank on the south side of the water. He fell to his knees on the shore, leaning forward and resting his head on his forearms. I followed him from the water, sitting beside him as he gathered his strength to go on.
I ignored the chill in the air and the bite on the skin of my legs and feet. I could deal with it. We had to get back to Gray and Gunner. Taking away Dominick’s power was the most important thing at the moment. As long as Gray thought Dominick had us, Dominick had the power.
I had to make sure he lost all semblance of control.
Brock worked himself to his feet, staring down at me with the angles of his jaw clenched tight as he glared to hold his pain at bay. “Let’s go. I’m going to kill those bastards.”
A side-smile curved my lips. “Yeah, now I know you’re going to be alright.” I stood and we took long strides to get across the slightly moonlit field between the creek and the town.
I wasn’t sure how, but Brock and I were going to get back to town and set things right.
***
The pickup pulled in front of the Asher rental, pausing long enough to let Brock and me out before zooming off. We hadn’t spoken much but the guy had given us a ride when he didn’t have to.
The ride to the Asher house had been strategic. I had no idea what to expect at Nana’s and the bunker might be compromised. I wouldn’t know for sure. Plus, if the workers were in place at the factory, we’d run the risk of giving away our position, if we drew too much attention to the tunnel.
Her Champions: A high school bully romance (Bad Boys of Jameson High Book 3) Page 5