by Brook Wilder
Christian snapped then, lunging towards Enrique in rage, but the other man was too fast. Enrique stepped back, levelling the gun once more, but this time it was pointed straight at Melody.
“If you move again, I’ll shoot her,” Enrique growled.
Christian immediately froze. He cast her an agonized look, and she tried to put all the words she could say in her eyes. There was nothing either of them could do. They were both trapped, and this time she couldn’t think of a single plan to get them out of it.
“That’s what I thought,” Enrique sneered, walking close once more to Christian, disgust painted on his handsome face. “You’re a little fucking bitch. You think she would ever want you when she could have me? She’s mine! Do you understand that! I own her!”
Enrique punctuated every word with another blow from the butt of the gun, and Christian did nothing to fight back, nothing to protect himself from Enrique’s wrath. He just stared at Melody, his eyes never breaking contact with hers until he was finally driven to the ground.
Melody gasped as she saw him mouth three words. I’m so sorry. And then Christian was moving again, lurching to his feet, reaching towards Enrique, but it was obvious that the blows were starting to take their toll as Christian stumbled forwards.
Enrique easily stepped out of the way, a terrible joy stretching across his face as he gestured to his men.
“Hold him,” Enrique ordered, watching as his men leapt to obey.
He smiled again and Melody bit back a cry of despair.
“Now it’s time for the real fun.”
Melody wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to look away. Somehow block her ears so that she wouldn’t have to hear the grunts of pain or the slap of flesh against flesh or the sharp laughter of Enrique’s men.
But she couldn’t.
She couldn’t even blink, no matter how bad she wanted to. This was her fault. It was all her fault.
Chapter 28
Christian couldn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to see the blows coming. It made it worse, knowing that the pain was about to come again. Knowing the blow that was about to land.
At least in the darkness, tucked behind his eyelids, he could lose himself in images of Melody. Of her laughing, her dark eyes glimmering with joy, with heat. The way she tilted her head back and made that little sound of pleasure in the back of her throat just before she came apart in his arms.
Christian clung to those images, those memories. Anything to block out the pain as Enrique’s fists landed over and over again. Anything to forget the pale-faced look of terror and guilt that Melody had sent him as she’d stood, powerless to do anything to help him, as Enrique’s men held him still so that their boss could beat the shit out of him.
It had only lasted moments, but those moments were the longest of his life. Because Christian knew that, once he was gone, there was no one else to keep Melody safe, no one else to protect their unborn baby.
He was the only one standing in the way of Melody and the enraged psychopath that was currently trying to beat his face into a pulp and doing a fairly good job of it. It gave Christian the strength he needed to hang on. For her. For their child. He had promised her that he would protect them, that he would keep her safe from harm. And he would fight for as long as he could to keep that promise. Even if it cost him everything. Even if it cost him his life. It wouldn’t matter, as long as Melody and their baby survived.
Christian had resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to make it out of this alive. He had reconciled himself to that. As soon as he had, a strange peace settled over him. He wanted to tell Melody that he loved her, that he would always love her, even after he was gone, but he could barely form the words.
So, he sent them to her, in his mind, with all the love that he had, that he’d never thought himself capable of. She had torn into his life like a storm, turning everything upside down and changing him forever. And he wouldn’t have changed a damned thing. Not even now, as he could feel his blood trickle down from multiple cuts and wounds on his face and body.
“NO! Stop! Please stop! You’re going to kill him!” Melody’s choked cry broke through the calm.
Christian drew in a ragged breath as the pounding blows stopped. Christian had to force his swollen eyes open so he could see Enrique turn to Melody, his face twisted in a snarl of rage at being interrupted.
“It’s not your turn yet, angel. Soon enough,” the man crooned.
Christian wanted to lunge to his feet. He wanted to tackle the other man and pummel him to the ground. But Enrique’s men still held him tightly in place. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“P-please Enrique. I’ll do anything if you just stop,” Melody pleaded.
Christian could hear something in her voice that made his heart break. Defeat.
“If you let them go, let ALL of them go, then I promise that I’ll stay here with you of my own free will. I swear that I won’t try and run away again. I’ll… I’ll belong to you.”
“Mel, no!” Christian shouted, horrified by her offer. He would rather die than see her in Enrique’s arms again. To know the pain and agony that he would put her through. “You can’t do that!”
But Melody didn’t look at him. Her dark gaze was locked on Enrique, holding his attention.
“Well? What do you say? Let them go, and I’m yours.”
“Forever?” Enrique growled.
After a harsh moment, Melody nodded.
“Forever,” she replied, echoing his word.
It had barely left her lips when Enrique started forward, rushing towards her, and pulled her ruthlessly into his arms.
Melody stiffened instinctively, and Enrique let out a monstrous laugh.
“Remember your promise. No fighting me. No running away. You belong to me now, and only me. I own you. I get to do whatever I want to you, and you won’t protest.”
“After… after you let them go,” Melody stuttered
Christian grit his teeth at the pain and fear he heard trembling in her soft voice.
“That’s the deal. Let them go first. Them I’m yours.”
Enrique grinned victoriously as he turned back towards Christian, dragging Melody with him, not letting her out of his iron hard embrace.
“Did you hear that? Melody is mine. She said so herself. Out of her own mouth. I own her, and you will never touch her again.”
Enrique punctuated the last word by grabbing a handful of Melody’s long dark hair and dragging her face painfully towards his as he kissed her hard and mercilessly.
Christian heard Melody’s muffled cry, and his heart stuttered and froze in his chest.
“No. No you can’t do this. You can’t…”
“Of course, I can,” Enrique sneered as he drew back from a shaken Melody. “I can do anything I want with my possessions. And Melody is mine. She’s always been mine.”
Enrique’s hands strayed over Melody’s body, touching her intimately in front of everyone, especially Christian, in a show of dominance and possession. Christian hated the look of pure agony on Melody’s face, the way her eyelids shuttered over eyes gone dark with despair.
Christian growled as his anger flared and a red haze filled his head. The only thing he could think about was getting Melody as far away from Enrique as he could, of taking the other man down and hitting the smug look of satisfaction of his face. It was obvious that he enjoyed Melody’s pain and discomfort, relished her embarrassment.
“Let her go! Fucking kill me. I don’t care! Just let her go!” Christian raged, struggling to get free of the hard grip holding him in place.
But all of his fighting was useless. He couldn’t break free, he couldn’t save her, he couldn’t save any of them. He had failed.
“There it is. There’s that look that I’ve been waiting for,” Enrique whispered softly. “You know now, don’t you? How useless it is to fight me. You lost. I won. You finally accepted that.”
Christian bared his teeth at the man, beyon
d words. He was stripped down to nothing but animal instinct, driven by rage and terror for his woman.
Enrique threw back his head and laughed.
“You still have some fight in you, though. Good. It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.”
Enrique suddenly grabbed Melody and pulled her body obscenely against his own.
“Now, I’m going to take her in front of you. And you’re going to watch how a real man…”
But the rest of the monster’s words were drowned out. Instead, another sound filled the air. A sound that had hope replacing the despair inside Christian, and he forced a smile to his cut and bleeding face. The sound of rumbling engines that could only mean one thing. Back up had finally arrived.
Christian turned that painful grin on Enrique.
“You lose.”
Chapter 29
Melody gagged, trying desperately to get away from Enrique, as the sound of the motorcycles filling the air got closer and closer. She could still hear his awful words in her head. She could feel his touch like a brand. Could taste his kiss, and it made bile rise in the back of her throat.
“Let me go!”
She swallowed down the scream of panic as she tried to free herself. She couldn’t stand another minute of touching the monster. But as she struggled to break free, Enrique turned on her with a snarl of rage.
“Shut the fuck up, Melody!”
His face twisted in that expression that she knew all too well, the one that showed the true monster he had hidden underneath, but at least he wasn’t focused on Christian anymore. If she could just stall him for a little longer…
“Just let me go, Enrique,” Melody pleaded, casting a wide-eyed look over the top of Enrique’s shoulder, her voice breathless and terrified as his gaze narrowed on her.
“You made me a promise,” he said, sounding more like a petulant boy who hadn’t gotten his way, only his temper-tantrums were downright deadly.
“Let them go then,” Melody said quickly, trying to keep her thoughts straight. But her mind was in chaos, “That was the deal, right? You haven’t held up your end of the bargain.”
Enrique pulled back his hand and slapped her so fast that she didn’t even have time to brace herself against the blow. Melody stumbled to the ground as pain radiated across her cheek.
“I’m making a new deal now.”
His eyes were black. Solid black. There was no humanity left in them anymore.
Melody could hardly breathe through the fear that choked her, clogging her throat. She couldn’t scream as he leaned close enough for her to feel his hot, fetid breath on her throbbing cheek.
“How about you all die. Starting with that whining boyfriend of yours.”
Enrique snarled the words and started to raise the gun. Melody could see the intention form in his eyes, and before the thought could even process she was moving. Her hand closed over his, still clutching the gun, and she kept it pointed at herself, holding his attention focused on her.
She knew it was useless to try reasoning with him, but she had to try.
“Please, Enrique. You don’t have to do this. You can just let us go.”
“I own you, bitch. You do what I say, when I say it.”
He swung his arm back to slap her again, but a hard voice cut through the air, stopping him.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Enrique spun around, his eyes widening in rage. On either side of the palatial mansion there were lines of Devil’s Martyrs, led by the crew’s president, Bones. Melody could see Hub staring cold-faced just behind him.
If you value your head still being attached to your body, you won’t lay another hand on that girl,” Hub said, his tone almost casual.
But there was nothing casual about the look in his eye, or the gun that he had leveled in Enrique’s direction.
Bones looked around at the scene spread out in front of him, taking it all in with a glance. He was obviously the leader, and he looked nearly bored as he threw one leg over his bike, got to his feet, and started sauntering towards them.
Enrique’s eyes suddenly widened with a wild look, swinging the gun to point it at the Devil’s Martyrs. But he didn’t know where to aim. They were spread out in a half circle, completely surrounding them. And they all had weapons that were pointed straight at Enrique.
Finally, Enrique settled his rage on the leader of the gang, Bones.
“Don’t take another step closer!”
Bones slowed, holding up his hands. He was the only one not carrying a gun. Not that the solid, very large man needed on. It was obvious that Bones was a weapon in and of himself. And he looked nonplussed at having a gun pointed at him, giving Enrique another bored look.
“I’m getting tired of playing these little games with you, son,” Bones said with an intentionally patronizing tone. “Time to let the others go.”
Melody flinched as rage twisted Enrique’s face. It was exactly the right thing to say to totally set the man off.
She tried to send a warning look towards the president of the crew, but he didn’t acknowledge it or turn his bored gaze away from Enrique. She just prayed that he knew what he was doing.
“You just made a big fucking mistake, asshole!” Enrique snarled, spittle flying wildly with every word. “A big fucking mistake! Do you have any idea who I am? What I can do to you?”
Suddenly, Bones was moving, taking several more decisive steps forward despite the gun still levelled in his direction.
“Oh, I know exactly who you are. You are nothing but a spoiled, self-centered child, throwing a temper tantrum because you didn’t get what you want.”
Bones growled the words, and the animalistic sound had the hair on the back of Melody’s neck standing up on end.
“Now I’m going to ask you one more time, since I’m feeling real nice and patient. But after that...” Bones said, ignoring Enrique’s splutters of outrage. “Let them go now, or I will destroy everything you own.”
That was Bones being nice? Melody wondered to herself in silence. The last thing she wanted was to draw Enrique’s attention back towards her. His face had gone a shade of crimson at the other man’s words, and his eyes somehow even darker, even more savage.
Enrique opened his mouth, but Bones cut him off before he could speak.
“Now, before you go on and decide to do something stupid, I want to remind you that we have the place completely surrounded. The rest of your men have already been detained, and there are at multiple guns aimed at your head. And those are only the ones you can see.”
Enrique shuddered at the hard threat in the other man’s voice. It was obviously nothing but the truth, and Enrique looked hastily around the property, his eyes widening on the shadows of the tree-lines and bushes that could all be hiding more shooters.
“My men…”
“Will be unharmed as long as you cooperate. If you don’t…”
Bones shrugged as if to say the ball was in Enrique’s court, and the man was obviously starting to sweat under the pressure. Melody knew he didn’t give a shit about his men, or anyone else for that matter. But he cared dearly for his own skin, and Enrique would do anything to protect himself.
“Let them go,” Enrique growled, his voice gravelly with rage.
“But, boss…”
“I said let them go!”
Enrique screamed the words, and his men jumped to obey his command. They could see how close the man was to losing his mind, but Melody knew that he already had, a long time ago. Any inkling of sanity was just another mask. The man was insane.
Melody watched Hub race forward to catch Bianca and quickly carry her back across the line of armed men to safety, holding each other tight in their arms. Amanda joined them, looking uncomfortable at betraying her family, but it was too late for doubts now.
Christian, now released, took several stumbling steps towards her, barely able to walk or force his swollen eyes open. But she could still make out the light of love in his brigh
t blue gaze.
“Mel…”
“Go, Christian.” Melody pleaded, “Go to your father. Get yourself safe.”
“Not without you,” Christian said, slurring his words as he lurched towards her with one hand outstretched.
But suddenly Enrique dragged her close in front of her, the gun pointed at her temple.
He was using her body as a shield, protecting himself with her life, with her child’s life.