Kim scowled. “I assumed you knew me, since you brought me here and had me tied up. I didn’t think you would kidnap someone you didn’t know.”
His smile faltered slightly. “Now, a smart mouth isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. I don’t respect a sharp tongue or a certain degree of arrogance or defiance. I like cooperation and quiet obedience.” He uncrossed his legs and leaned his elbows on his knees. “I could have assumed you knew who I was, too. But it seems you didn’t. Now, I know who you are associated with, but I still believe introductions are in order.”
With a sigh, Kim simply told him, “My name is Kimberly, but I go by Kim.” If he wanted anything else, he could damn well do his own research.
Corbin leaned back and crossed his arms, looking like some awkward gangster. “And you, ma’am, are the new wife of a man in which we take great interest.” He made a pouting face. “Unfortunately, it is incredibly difficult to get to him with all of the other Skulls around. And I don’t want to lose any of my men trying, especially after the untimely death of my brother. So, when I learned that you’d been left alone, I found it to my advantage to use you to lure in the man with whom I want to speak.”
And that’s exactly what Kim feared. They were going to send Diesel video showing her being tortured to coax him in. He’d come alone, and they would have him. Whether they killed him on sight or tormented him for days on end until he died didn’t matter. He would end up dead no matter what.
And in the meantime, she’d suffer and perhaps die. And if there was a baby…
Now, she was panicked. “Please don’t do this!” she begged, no longer caring how desperate she looked or sounded. “I can call him. I can get him here. If that’s really what you want, I can have him come and talk to you, or whatever! But he’s not your man.”
Corbin tilted his head, considering her closely. “You really do love him, don’t you?”
Frantic, Kim nodded. “Yes, I do. And you’re right. He loves me, and he’ll come for me. But please, let me talk to him. Let me bring him here. You don’t have to hurt me.”
“That’s sweet, and I appreciate the offer. But I won’t take risks. I won’t have you deciding to tip our hand or to tell him not to come, that it’s a setup.”
“He didn’t do it!” she shouted, tears running down her face now. She was sobbing, terrified of what they would do to her, what they would do to Diesel, and how this whole thing might affect a baby she may or may not be carrying.
“That’s not what the police said,” he countered. So, he had an inside man. Lovely. “The bullet was consistent with his gun.”
“Which isn’t the only one of its kind around here! And he doesn’t even have it. Someone else grabbed it, and whoever that was is probably who shot your brother.” But Corbin’s determination didn’t waiver. It was time to play the last card and hope for mercy. “Please, I might be pregnant. If I am, and you hurt me, you could hurt the baby.”
The challenge in his expression told her he didn’t believe her. “Women will say anything to save themselves.”
“But it’s true!” she screeched, her tears coming harder and hotter until they blurred her vision almost to blindness. “I took a test just before Spencer came and brought me here. I never got to look at the results.”
“Then why didn’t you say something before? Why wasn’t that the first issue you addressed when you realized what we were going to do?” he asked.
“Because I was afraid you would use it against me,” she told him, hanging her head and feeling defeated.
He didn’t answer right away. Finally, he told her, “I will assure you that no one will affect any area that could hurt an unborn child. I’m not such a monster. The child is innocent. But we will get a verification, and if you’re lying, you are going to be sorry. I’ll make sure of it.”
That was fine. If she wasn’t pregnant, she could handle it. But at least they were going to find out before they did anything that could harm the baby. Corbin stood and walked away, giving some sort of hand signal, to which a very ugly, scarred man responded. He stepped in front of her, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his twisted, ruined face. There was a lighter in one hand and something Kim couldn’t make out in his other fist.
Bracing herself for the onslaught, Kim sucked up her tears and faced him, waiting for the first blow.
Chapter 7
Breathing heavily, Kim let her head loll back on the chair, the ropes tying her arms having been loosened enough for her to lean back a little. She was too exhausted to even try to wriggle out of the bindings at this point, having withstood hands that squeezed tightly enough to leave dark purple bruises on her arms, followed by multiple pin pricks up and down one arm that left tiny blood spots all over.
And she had a small, stinging burn on the inside of her left wrist from the flame of the lighter doing more than a quick brush over her skin. She was out of tears and out of energy, so when she heard a set of footsteps that sounded completely different from anything that had come through this stupid little room in this horrible compound, she didn’t bother to open her eyes and lift her head.
It wasn’t until the source of the voice called her by name that she realized she knew the person. “Kim, look at me. I need to check you over.”
A sudden rush of adrenaline woke her from her quiet hopelessness, fueled by rage, and Kim’s head popped up, her glare biting into Sophia, who stood a few feet from her. The other woman averted her eyes, casting them down at the ground, and while she was as well put together as ever, she looked like she had aged several years in the past couple of months. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Sighing and crouching down, Sophia spoke quietly, though Kim didn’t know why. There was no one else around. Was she being videoed even now? “Look, I’ve made mistakes, but I’m here to help you.” She held up both hands, one holding a first aid kit and the other a pregnancy test. “I’m going to do what I can to keep you well, and if you’re pregnant, I’ll make sure they don’t go too far. I would stop it altogether if I could, but I can’t.”
“This is probably all your doing, you bitch,” Kim spat at her.
“I’m not blameless,” Sophia admitted. “But I’m here to do everything I can to make sure I fix what I messed up when I can. Now, I can help you, but you have to let me help you.”
Kim didn’t trust her, but she didn’t have any other allies. One thing that resonated with her, though, was that Sophia seemed terrified, something she hadn’t seen in the woman’s eyes before, and she also seemed to feel guilty. Maybe there was hope for Sophia, and even if there wasn’t, Kim couldn’t exactly turn down the medical assistance. And she would be forced to take another pregnancy test one way or another. She might as well cooperate with Sophia to avoid any harsh, questionable men coming around.
As Sophia pulled out alcohol swabs and washed off Kim’s arm, Kim winced with the stinging pain and asked, “Why are you here, Sophia? Why did you get mixed up with these guys?”
Sophia sighed and shook her head. “I let jealousy and control drive me, and I gave the cops information that wasn’t verifiable and that made the Skulls look bad. It was what drove them to keep questioning Diesel. That’s a betrayal to the club, and I needed protection. I didn’t know where else to go.”
She paused, scoffing and looking disgusted with herself as she finally met Kim’s eyes. “I heard what Spencer told the guys, too, the way he put questions in their heads about why Diesel would want to marry you.”
Kim interrupted her right there. “What are you talking about? I know they were upset about crossing family lines with the history our families have…”
But Sophia was already shaking her head. “No, Kim. Spencer wanted Diesel out a long time ago, and when you chose Diesel over him, Spencer decided to use you to get his brother out of the pack.” Settling back on her haunches and wearing a grave expression, Sophia said, “Spencer spread rumors that Diesel planned to hand the Skulls over to your family. He claime
d Diesel had killed DeLucci so that the club would need protection against the Skeletons and the DeLucci family, to get the rest of them to agree to end up under the thumb of your family. He wanted both of you handed over as a peace offering and wanted to take over the Skulls.”
Kim was appalled. Spencer had been her friend for so long. What had come over him that he turned into such a bad guy? Before she could ask, Sophia continued, “When the guys started to realize that Diesel had no such intentions, they were ready to turn on Spencer. He came to me, and I brought him into this fold. I didn’t know he’d do something this insane.”
Now, Sophia started untying ropes, and Kim realized just how much they’d cut into her skin. She was in excruciating pain, and this had only just begun. How long was this going to go on before they made contact with Diesel? How much could she take?
“Come on, we’ve got to get this test done,” Sophia said, helping her to her feet. “Can you do it on your own?”
Kim tested her balance and leg strength and nodded. She was weak and a little wobbly, but she could walk, and she could take the test on her own. Her muscles ached from head to toe, and her skull felt like someone was hitting it with a jackhammer. “Am I going to be starved while I’m here?”
Sophia shook her head. “I’ll make sure you get some food and water as soon as we’re done here.” Kim started into the bathroom she’d been led to, but Sophia grabbed her arm. “Kim, if you’re pregnant, I promise nothing is going to happen to hurt that baby.” It was the best assurance Kim could ask for, and the sincerity in Sophia’s tone was clear. Kim was grateful to have someone to count as a friend in this situation, even if it was the last person she would have imagined.
She took the test. It wasn’t difficult. All pregnancy tests were essentially the same, with the exception of blood tests. Her nerves had her pacing back and forth and opening the door to let Sophia in. At the end of two minutes, Kim couldn’t bring herself to pick up the stick and look at it, on the verge of tears with fear and concern. “Do you want me to read it for you?” Sophia asked quietly.
Kim chewed on her thumbnail and thought about it, then nodded. “Please.”
Sophia walked over to the test, which lay on the back of the sink, and reached for it. She stopped short of grabbing it and looked back at Kim for one more verifying nod, which Kim gave. She picked up the stick and gazed down at it, her facial expression completely blank, stoic. Kim was antsy, her body tense, and she wanted to know but didn’t want Sophia to tell her. It was a terrible spot to be in. She wanted a baby, but she didn’t want a child involved in this situation.
Slowly, Sophia held the test up in one hand and smiled. “Congratulations, Mama. You’re going to have a baby.”
Kim sobbed with joy and fear. She was pregnant. She was going to have a child with Diesel, and that was the most gratifying thing she could imagine. But that came with a big ‘if.’ She was going to have a baby with Diesel if they made it out of this together.
“I promise, Kim, I’ll find a way to get you out of this. Nothing’s going to happen to that child, which means I won’t let you die.” Sophia’s determination was fierce, and she was being honest.
Kim walked over and hugged her. “Thank you,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say.
“Don’t thank me.” There were tears in Sophia’s eyes, and that was hard to see. Despite her poor attitude and conniving ways, Kim was used to the image of Sophia as a strong woman. “Don’t thank me until this is over, and everyone comes out alive. Then, I might deserve it.”
Kim nodded. There was a long way to go, and as she walked back to the dreaded chair and ropes with Sophia, noting that one of the large, angry men was waiting to tie her back up, time seemed to stand still. But she had to be strong, had to do everything she could to keep her chin up and her will strong. She had to make it through this, if not for herself, then for Diesel.
And for their child.
Chapter 8
Diesel had intended to call Kim before they headed home, but since they were ahead of schedule, he thought it might be nice to surprise her. He wanted to feel her in his arms and under his body. Now that he seemed to have repaired his relationship with his brothers, and had been told that Spencer had spread rumors before disappearing, he was in much better spirits and knew he owed his wife an apology. He could sweep her off her feet and carry her away for a romantic vacation.
As they rode into town, he waved to his crew and turned off, heading home rather than to the clubhouse. He’d had enough testosterone over the past few days. He wanted his soft, sexy wife. It put a smile on his face to think about Kim at home, waiting for him. Of course, it wasn’t like she was lying on the couch, pining away for him, but Diesel knew she’d be excited to see him and thrilled he’d come back early, no worse for the wear.
He’d never felt that way about Sophia. Sure, there had been times when he’d had a bad trip with the boys and found comfort in her arms on his return. But he’d never been eager to get to her and never in felt appreciated, as Kim made him feel.
He parked in the driveway and frowned. There was a package on the doorstep, and that instantly made him nervous. Glad he’d worn his riding gloves, he picked it up and examined it. Whatever was inside was pretty flat, square, and hard. Carefully, he opened the envelope and found a disc – a DVD – inside with no label, and he whirled, looking around to see if anyone was waiting for him to find it.
Then, he realized that Kim should have taken it inside long ago. He reached for the door, rolling his eyes because he hadn’t grabbed his keys, but it was unlocked. Another alarm went off in his head. “Kim?” he called. There was no answer.
He rushed through the house, his fear growing with each empty room, calling out to her and hearing nothing in return. Frantic, he put the DVD in the player, hoping he was wrong. But as he watched, his stomach churned, his rage and terror almost tangible, and he screamed wordlessly. How could anyone be so sadistic? How could anyone look at Kim and want to hurt her, for any reason?
The video ended with a deceptively pleasant man behind a desk in an office, wearing a wolf’s grin. One of the DeLucci’s, obviously. “I’ll send a messenger for you, my friend. He’ll have an address and a time for a meeting between you and I. In fact, I’ll invite my father as well. We’ll have coffee.” His smile fell, and those snake eyes sharpened, their evil shining through. “Come alone. The Skeletons can deal with your brotherhood. It’s only you with whom I want to speak.”
And it was over.
Diesel rushed out the door, tossed the DVD in his bag, and rode furiously to the clubhouse. He had heads to roll for not looking after Kim, and he had to get to the DeLucci’s ahead of schedule. Taking them by surprise was the only way he was going to get Kim out alive.
***
Kim’s teeth chattered, and she couldn’t stop them, but the rest of her body was limp. She literally couldn’t move except to shiver, the cold water that had been poured over her doing its job as the industrial sized fan blew on high at her. She knew she couldn’t withstand this for long, and she’d begged for a while, until she no longer had control of her mouth.
“What the hell is this?” Sophia’s voice was like an angel of mercy, her outrage drawing her tormenter’s attention. And she was a savior as she turned off the fan and found a blanket for her. “Are you trying to kill her, Abe?”
The big sadist suddenly looked like a small child being chastised for tearing the heads off his sister’s dolls. Sophia pressed the blanket tight around Kim’s shoulders and told the beastly man, “She’s pregnant, and you’re not supposed to hurt the baby. What happens if you give her pneumonia? I understand disobeying orders, especially with someone’s life involved, rates some pretty harsh punishment.”
“I…” he stuttered, but Sophia gave him a harsh look, and he left the room.
Moving around in front of Kim, she said, “I’m going to get you warmed up, and I’m going to get some dry clothes for you.”
“It do
esn’t matter,” Kim told her, the words barely coming out between her weakness and the clattering of her teeth. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Don’t talk like that. Abe’s going to get his ass in a sling, I’ll make sure of it. And nothing is going this far again.” She was searching for something and came back with two threadbare towels. She started drying Kim off the best she could, and she wrapped one of the towels around her hair.
But again, Kim tried to deny the help, shaking her head. It barely moved. “I can’t let them get Diesel, either. We have to stop him.”
Sophia snorted. “Fat chance. I heard them talking. They already delivered a video this morning. And the Skulls weren’t due back for two more days, but they rode into town about lunchtime today.” She started untying Kim again, probably so she could help her change.
But Kim’s mind was already somewhere else. If Diesel watched that video, he wouldn’t act rationally. He’d come running here without a plan, without backup, and without a prayer. If the DeLucci family was willing to treat a pregnant woman like this, just to get a man’s attention, what would they be willing to do to Diesel? They sure as hell weren’t going to make it a quick, painless death. They would want him to beg for his life. And they’d probably mentally torture him with the fact that he would never see his child, or even make him watch them kill Kim and the baby.
“Sophia, you have to get to Diesel. You have to stop him from coming here!”
“Honey, there’s nothing I can say or do that would make him change his mind about anything, especially when it comes to you. I tried that already, remember? That’s part of how we got in this mess. Now, let me do what I can to get you out of it. Come on, we’re going to my room to find you something else to wear.”
“You can’t take her out of here!” the man guarding the door bellowed, filling the door frame and blocking their exit.
BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) Page 16