by Becca Van
Emma knew she was in trouble and tried to fight off the fog, but she couldn’t even get her mouth to cooperate with her brain let alone control her arms or legs. The door burst open, and she shivered as a cool breeze washed over her. She tried to fight him, but she didn’t stand a chance. He was too big and she was too groggy.
He carried her toward a four-wheel drive SUV that was already running with the front and passenger doors wide open. The bastard threw her into the backseat, and she cried out with fear and pain as her forehead connected with the metal doorframe. She landed on the seat and clutched her throbbing head as the door slammed closed behind her.
The other door shut with a loud bang and then the vehicle was careening into the street. When the pain in her head dulled to a loud throb, Emma removed her hands and stared at her blood-covered hands with incomprehension.
And then stark terror permeated her body when she heard a voice from the driver’s seat.
“Did you think you could escape me forever, you little slut?”
Chapter Thirteen
Gary helped deal with the three wannabe Doms as they fought over a sub. The poor woman was so scared she was shaking. Jack tended to the sub, making sure she was okay and trying to get her to calm down.
When the ruckus had started he was worried that more than three men had been involved but was thankful to see that the monitors had the situation well in hand. Two monitors who were also fully trained Doms pulled them apart and Barry also stepped in. Just as Gary turned to go back to Emma, he spotted Tank heading over.
“Where’s Emma?” Gary snapped.
“She’s fine. She promised to stay on the sofa and not move. No one can get her unless they go past us first, and Mike was given a photo of Mitchell. There is no way in hell that asshole will get in here.”
Just as Tank finished speaking, all their cell phones rang. Gary frowned, and when he looked at the display and saw the number, he spun around and hurried back to Emma as he answered his call. His knees nearly buckled when he spotted the empty sofa. He didn’t even give Turner’s security monitor a chance to speak.
“Where is she?”
“One of the delivery guys took her.”
“Where?”
“Out the emergency exit near where you are now.”
“Fuck! How the hell could this happen with so many people in here?” Gary snarled.
“I’m sorry, Gary, but everyone’s attention was across the other side of the room where the guest Doms were fighting over the little sub.”
“Did you see the vehicle?” Gary asked as he burst out the emergency door with Tank close on his heels.
“Yeah, I have the license plate.” Tom the security guy rattled off the number and gave him a description of the SUV.
“Thank God for small mercies. I’m going to hang up now so I can call in reinforcements and put out an APB on the SUV.”
“Wait,” Tom said. “I was able to blow up the image of the driver. That delivery guy drove in, but once he got out, another man jumped out of the back and got behind the wheel. It’s that guy you were looking for.”
“Jesus! Call me if you find out anything else. Thanks, Tom.” Gary disconnected the call. Jack came sprinting out the side door moments later, his medical bag in hand. Gary filled him in on the little information he had as the three of them headed for his truck. “Mitchell’s not working alone anymore. He must have bought off this deliveryman.”
“What about the officers you put in the lot to watch for Mitchell?” Jack asked.
“He must have hidden in the back. They didn’t see him.” He yanked open the driver’s side door. “But they’re chasing him now.” Gary gunned the engine, talking on his police radio as he drove like a bat out of hell.
“Do you have any idea where this fucker will take her?” Jack asked.
“No, but we won’t stop looking until we get her back.”
Just as Gary finished speaking, a voice came over the radio. He reached down and turned up the volume. Mitchell’s SUV had been spotted heading in a northwest direction and had just hit the NW Sunset Highway. Tank reached out and flicked the switch for the lights and siren. Gary zipped through traffic and planted his foot on the accelerator, hoping that the fucker wasn’t headed toward one of the small airports on the outskirts of town.
* * * *
Emma clutched at the door handle as Andrew swerved through traffic at a high speed. If she hadn’t, she would have been thrown across the other side of the car. Her head was still swimming and her vision was blurry. She didn’t know if that was because of what was on the cloth earlier or from when her head had slammed into the door frame, not that it mattered at that point. Even though she was feeling sick to her stomach and the pain in her head was still bad, it had dulled a little and she was able to think. Being careful not to give herself away, she lifted her head from the seat and looked at the lock on the door. It wasn’t engaged.
When the car swerved again, she pushed aside the thought of jumping from a speeding vehicle. With her luck she would land on the road in front of another car and get run over.
“The bitch is awake.”
Emma looked up to see the man who had abducted her watching her over the back of the front seat. He leered at her body, and she pulled the blanket tighter, trying to hide her nakedness from view. She tucked one end in between her breasts and glared at the asshole.
She’d seen him before, but what was he doing here? Was he a friend of Andrew’s?
The man answered that question for her when he turned to Andrew. “You forked over ten thousand just so I’d kidnap her? I’d have done it just for five minutes with this little beauty. I still get to take her first, right?”
“Right,” Andrew grunted, his attention on driving.
Neither of you will lay a hand on me. This wasn’t going to be like last time, Emma resolved. She was up against two men this time, but she was going to keep her wits about her.
Hearing sirens in the distance, she struggled to pull herself into an upright position. Her stomach roiled, protesting the movement, as did her throbbing head. Emma reached up when she felt warm moisture trickling down her nose and wiped it away. The blood on her hands was testament that her head was still bleeding, albeit a bit slower. With care she turned to look out the back of the SUV and was pleased to see two police cars giving chase. When she turned back she was thrown across the other side of the vehicle as Andrew swerved around a truck into oncoming traffic.
“Are you crazy?” Emma yelled and clung to the handle above the door. “Are you trying to get us all killed? If you pull over now and surrender, the police will go a lot easier on you.”
Andrew ignored her and careened back onto the right side of the road. Emma let out a sigh, but her relief was short lived. The next thing she knew, the SUV lurched into the gravel on the side of the road and the rear end of the car swung out. It teetered on two wheels for what seemed like minutes, but Emma knew it was actually tenths of a second. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
The SUV tipped up onto its side, sliding on the tarmac. The sounds of metal crumpling and glass breaking were so loud they drowned out everything else. Emma screamed, but she couldn’t hear her own voice as glass rained down over her. She clung to the handle above the door, her only lifeline in a world gone topsy-turvy. Her shoulder felt like it was about to pulled out of its socket as the vehicle rolled and rolled again. Her body hit the roof, and she covered her already injured head with her free arm, trying to protect her head and face as the vehicle continued to roll.
A loud bang and the crunch of more metal rang in her ears, and sparks flew by as the steel frame of the SUV scraped along the road. When the car finally slowed and came to a stop, Emma’s ears were ringing and the smell of gas filled her nostrils. She groaned when she let go of the handle. Her arm was throbbing and her shoulder ached from being wrenched so hard. She blinked a few times but could only see blurry light. Did I hit my head again?
Then she r
ealized her eyes were covered in a thick, sticky substance. She wiped them with her hands, which came away covered in blood. Emma tried to keep the panic at bay by inhaling deeply as she took stock of her body. She wiggled her toes then shifted her legs.
So far, so good. Her body ached from head to toe and her head was pounding like a jackhammer was lodged in her brain, but she was alive.
The scent of gas became stronger, and Emma knew she had to get out. She looked about and cringed when her neck protested, but she spied the broken window nearby and began to carefully crawl forward. She didn’t have to travel far before her head poked out of the opening.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
Emma looked up into the worried face of a police officer. He reached in and gently helped her out of the destroyed vehicle.
“Can you hear me, miss?” the officer asked as he wrapped her in a silver thermal blanket and then lifted her into his arms.
“Y–Yes,” Emma answered as best she could. Now that she was away from Andrew Mitchell and out of the car, reaction set in. She was cold to her bones and shaking like a leaf. She tried to stop the tremors running through her body, but it didn’t make any difference. The harder she tried to stop the quakes, the worse they got. The officer rushed her over to the side of the road and gently placed her on a patch of grass.
“Don’t move, ma’am. Paramedics are on their way.” He turned away. “I have to see if I can get the other two people out of the car.”
Before he finished speaking, there was a loud explosion. Heat and debris flew into the air. If Emma had been standing, she would have been knocked to the ground. The officer dove for her and covered her with his larger body. Emma held in the scream as he hit her hard. Her ribs protested as did every other bone in her body. The officer lifted off of her.
“Sorry, miss. The blast threw me.”
“’S okay,” Emma managed to slur just before she let the world spin away and blessed darkness beckoned.
* * * *
“Can you see the SUV yet?” Gary asked as they virtually flew past cars which moved out of their way.
“No,” Tank replied as he scanned.
“How far behind are we?” Jack asked from the back seat.
“No more than a minute,” Gary answered.
Tank listened to the police radio and cringed when the officers chasing Mitchell said the idiot had swerved into oncoming traffic.
“Can’t you go any faster?” Tank snarled at Gary. “Sorry, don’t answer that. You’re doing the best you can with all the other cars on the road.”
Gary didn’t reply and Tank knew it was taking all of his friend’s concentration to weave through the stream of cars as they got out of the way.
Another report came over the radio. Tank gripped the dashboard and seat until his knuckles turned white as he listened to the police officer describe how the SUV lost control and started to roll. Pain lanced his chest and fear permeated his soul for Emma’s safety.
Another officer’s voice came over the police band. “We need paramedics and the fire department on site.”
“Fuck!” Jack yelled from the backseat as the accident site came into view.
There was a long line of cars but most had pulled off onto the shoulder of the road.
Gary was able to get within fifty yards of where the smoke and fire lit up the night sky. He slammed on the brakes, and as soon as the truck stopped, Tank jumped from the cab and ran. He could hear Jack pounding the asphalt behind him and knew Gary would be following, too. Tank’s legs buckled and he went down onto his knees when he saw that the SUV was engulfed in flame.
There was no way anyone could survive burning alive. Tank’s eyes filled with tears and he was only vaguely aware of the tortured roar from the man beside him. Jack gripped his shoulder as he, too, went down to his knees. Gary had halted on his other side, his face pale. He hands clenched in fists so tight they were turning white, and Tank could hear him grinding his teeth as he tried to control his anguish. Grief pierced his heart and he was about to lose total control of his emotions, but a glint off to the side of the road caught his attention.
Tank looked over to see an officer moving off a small female body covered in a silver thermal blanket. The auburn-colored hair shone in the headlights from a car. Even though her face was covered with blood, he knew it was Emma.
“Jack, Gary, she’s alive,” Tank rasped out of a throat tight with emotion and gripped Jack’s shoulder. “Get it together, man, our woman needs you.”
Tank pointed to the gap between two cars at the side of the road. He rose to his feet and helped Jack stand, looking at Gary to make sure he had heard. The three of them sprinted over to their woman. Emma was covered in blood, and from what he could see she was as white as a ghost beneath the red, but he saw the silver blanket rise as she took a breath. Their little darlin’ was alive.
Jack opened his bag and began to assess Emma. “She bruised all over and has a laceration on her forehead.” Tank held his breath as Jack examined Emma’s neck and then lifted her eyelids and shined a small torch into her eyes. “I think she has a concussion and possibly whiplash and her ribs are bruised, possibly fractured.”
Tank watched as Jack took her blood pressure.
“Her blood pressure is low, which could be caused by internal bleeding or shock. I’m going to set up an IV and give her something for pain.” He stood up and shouted for the paramedics, who had pulled up not far behind them.
Tank had never been so glad that Jack was a surgeon. He worked tirelessly, checking Emma over thoroughly and directing the paramedics. He and Gary kept out of the way.
Within minutes Jack and the paramedics had a brace around her neck and a backboard beneath her to support her spine, and then they carefully loaded her onto the portable gurney.
“I’ll call as soon as I know how she’s doing,” Jack yelled as he followed the paramedics to the ambulance. Tank wanted to get in the truck and follow, but first he and Gary had to deal with the officers.
It was going to be a long night, but he didn’t care. As long as Emma was alive, that was all that mattered.
Chapter Fourteen
Emma frowned because the beeping wouldn’t stop. The noise was driving her crazy and causing her head to ache even more. She shifted her arm and felt a slight sting in her hand, as if something was piercing her skin. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were heavy and wouldn’t obey her command. A moan sounded close by and she realized she had made the sound. Her whole body ached and throbbed, and she wondered what had happened. She tried to remember, but concentrating just made the pounding in her head intensify. Darkness consumed her again, and she relaxed and let it pull her back into the bliss where there was no pain.
When she surfaced again, she was more aware of her surroundings. She had no idea how much time had passed since she last became semiconscious. Large, warm hands gripped both of hers and she wanted to see who was beside her. The hum of a machine drew her attention, and she whimpered when a tight band began to crush her arm.
“Shh, Emma, you’re safe, baby. You’re in the hospital.” A hand stroked her hair and she sighed with contentment. She knew that voice and touch.
“Gary?” she croaked.
“Yeah, baby, I’m here.”
“We won’t leave your side, darlin’,” a deep, gravelly voice chimed in from her other side.
“Tank?” Emma licked her dry lips.
“Yes, Emma. Just rest, darlin’. The more you rest, the faster you’ll heal.”
“Thirsty.”
Something touched her lips and Emma opened her mouth. A straw was pushed into her mouth and she sucked the liquid up until her mouth was once more moist. There was a slight swishing sound and the air moved. Emma tried to pry her eyelids open but the feat was beyond her.
“Emma, how are you feeling, sweetie?”
“Jack?”
“Yes, sweetie, it’s me. Can you open your eyes for me, Emma?”
Emma co
ncentrated on opening her eyes, and her eyelids finally lifted so she could see through mere slits. The light was too bright and hurt her head. She sobbed with pain and closed her eyes again.
“Good girl, Emma. You’re going to be fine, sweetie. Just rest and let your body heal.”
Each day she felt better. Knowing that Andrew Mitchell would never be able to come after her again helped her relax. She wouldn’t have wished him dead, but knowing that she was safe lifted a weight from her shoulders. Gary had informed her that the vehicle had exploded before the police officers could get him and his friend out of the wreck. They had died at the scene.
Emma spent a total of a week in the hospital. She had been lucky and had suffered no broken bones. Other than being stiff and sore and suffering from headaches and whiplash, she had suffered no adverse effects. At least one of her men was with her all the time. Jack stopped in to check up on her regularly, at least five times a day, since she was in the hospital he worked at.
By the end of the week Emma was chomping at the bit to leave. She found it hard to sleep in the hospital now that she was almost well. The noise was constant. She didn’t complain, but she really just wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed again.
My bed or theirs? The thought stopped her in her tracks. When her Doms visited, they didn’t say anything about the future. What would she do if they took her back to her apartment?
They said they wanted me to move in with them. They even moved the furniture. But will that change now that Andrew’s dead? They no longer had to protect her.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to settle properly until she was back with her men, cuddled up between them, surrounded in their heat and love. If that love was gone, she might never sleep again.
Trying to set aside her worries, Emma pushed the button on the remote and sighed with relief when the top half of the bed began to tilt up. Her ass and back were going numb from being in bed so long, and she wanted to get up to shower. Although she’d had daily sponge baths given by the caring and dedicated nurses, she still felt grungy and wanted to wash her hair. Now that the needle for the IV had been taken out of her hand, she was determined to do just that.