The Hate Vow: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance

by C. Hallman

  He looks like a different person without the tattoos, beard, and constant angry frown on his face, but I’m certain this is Maddox. I can’t help but wonder how he changed so much. What happened to him? What happened to his family?

  With those questions still nagging me, my stomach growls, matching the sound of Mojo’s soft snoring coming from the couch. I walk into the kitchen, deciding to hunt down something to eat.

  Even though Maddox said there was food, when I open the fridge, I find it almost empty. Like a typical guy, Maddox has more beer and condiments than actual food. I do discover some cheese and sandwich meat hiding behind the six-pack.

  I rummage through the cabinets for bread but give up my search quickly. Getting out a plate, I put some cheese and ham on it. The smell of the meat fills my nostrils, and a wave of nausea overcomes me.

  My hunger suddenly turns into my stomach churning, and I dry heave. What the hell?

  Running over to the sink, I grab the counter on each side and let my head hang. Closing my eyes, I take some deep breaths through my nose until the queasiness subsides.

  More tears spill from my eyes and over my face. I don’t have to be a genius to know what this is. Our constant sex without a condom caught up to us. I don’t get my period regularly, so I couldn’t go by that alone, but being nauseated on top of that is a clear sign.

  “You better get the morning-after pill then. Because I’m not taking care of some brat,” Ryder’s words run through my mind. Me being pregnant will change nothing. He is still going to send me away…still going to leave me.

  How am I going to take care of a baby? I can hardly take care of myself.

  The moment the thought of abortion enters my mind, I push it out. I could never go through with it. No matter how hard it will be, I could never do it… never.

  Ripping a piece of paper towel off, I dry my eyes and grab my plate. That’s when I hear something breaking. A glass, or a vase, maybe. I run into the living room, sure Mojo must have stirred and knocked something down, but when I get to the couch, Mojo is still out. I don’t think he has moved at all, and there is nothing broken in the room either.

  Am I imagining things?

  Holding my breath, I stay still and completely quiet, listening for any sound. There is nothing but silence for a long moment. Then I hear something move… right behind me.

  I don’t have time to turn. Someone slams into my back. Two arms coming around my body, caging me in.

  “Hello, little pet.” Tucker chuckles into the shell of my ear. “It’s finally just the two of us. We’re going to have so much fun together.”

  No! I’m screaming in my head. I can’t let this happen.

  My heart sinks, and my blood runs cold in my veins as Tucker turns me in his arms, so I come face to face with him. His eyes are crazed, more of those of a wild animal than a man.

  His lip curls up into a malicious smirk, as if he is thinking about all the violent things he is going to do to me.

  I shove against his chest in a feeble attempt to get away, but he just chuckles and throws me over his shoulder like I’m a sack of potatoes and carries me away. I know I shouldn’t fight, I know it will only make it worse, but I have to try to get away. I have to because it might not only be me I have to protect. If I am really pregnant, I owe it to that life growing inside of me to fight for us.

  I bang my fists against his back and move my knees to free myself, but he only holds me tighter.

  “Keep fighting, that gets my dick even harder.” He slaps my ass and laughs.

  When we’re outside, I hear him opening a car. He throws me into a trunk. Literally throws me. My back landing harshly against the bottom of the trunk, knocking the wind out of me. Before I can regain my bearings, he shuts the trunk, trapping me inside and plunging me into darkness.

  I bang, kick, and scream the entire drive, hoping that someone might hear me. I don’t know how long we’re driving, but it feels like an eternity. With every bump, my body is bouncing over the unforgiving trunk floor.

  When the car finally comes to a stop, my throat is sore from screaming, and my hands hurt from beating against the metal.

  Tucker opens the trunk, and I have to squeeze my eyes shut, the sudden light blinding me. I swing my fists blindly, kicking my legs out while yelling for help at the top of my lungs.

  His fist comes out of nowhere, hitting me on the side of my face. My head snaps back, and my vision goes black for a moment.

  “Shut up. You’re hurting my fucking ears,” Tucker growls.

  He lifts me and throws me back over his shoulder. I lose consciousness for a moment, and when I come to again, we are inside. Disoriented, I look around. We’re in some kind of abandoned building, a storefront judging by the empty shelving on each wall.

  We walk into some kind of backroom, where tucker puts me down on a mattress. As soon as he has me on my back, he puts his knee on my chest, digging it into my diaphragm.

  “Don’t move.” He grabs something from beside us, which I quickly realize are cable ties. “Give me your hands,” he orders. I do it because I’m already gasping for air. If he puts any more weight on my chest, I won’t be able to breathe at all.

  He ties my hands together first, then my ankles, leaving me completely at his mercy. That fact becomes more apparent when he pulls a knife from his boot.

  “We’re going to have so much fun.” He smiles maliciously. His eyes are dark, his pupils so dilated they drown out the surrounding green. The hateful look on his face has only one word coming to mind.

  Evil.

  30

  Ryder

  The entire house smells of mold, dust, and something dead. Some rats must have starved to death in this place.

  With my gun securely nestles in my palm, I make my way through the house with Maddox by my side. It’s completely quiet, a little too quiet, and it was suspiciously easy to get in here.

  I glance over at Maddox, and without saying a word, I know he is having the same thoughts, which only intensifies the bad feeling in my gut. Something is off, and I don’t like it.

  “I don’t think he is here,” Maddox says when we clear the second floor, anger lacing his voice.

  “Who told you he was?”

  “Buck. He said he was sure too,” Maddox growls. My anger multiplies. Buck and Tucker are pretty close. “I didn’t think he would betray us.”

  “I know.” I nod, and I really do. I believe Maddox, and I didn’t think Buck would have betrayed us either. Not knowing what that would mean. Buck just signed his death certificate.

  “The question is, why did he send us here?”

  “Let’s get out of here before this place blows up,” I half-joke. Why else would he lead us here? Just to show that he can fuck with us? I wouldn’t put either past him.

  Not wasting any time, we move out quickly and get back to the car.

  “Fuck,” Maddox punches the steering wheel. “Fucking prick.”

  “Let’s go back to your place and figure something out from there.” I try to calm him down while there is a storm raging inside of me as well. “We’ll get him.”

  Just as Maddox cranks the car, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I get it out and look at the screen.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?” I growl. “It’s him.”

  I answer the video call, my thumb swiping over the screen so hard it might crack. The video comes on, and I freeze. My heart stops, and terror settles deep in my bones.

  “Hello, old friend,” Tucker greets, looking amused with himself. He has the camera angled from above him. He is sitting on the floor, and behind him is Penny. She is lying on her side, her hands and feet tied together, leaving her even more helpless than she already is. The side of her face is swollen, and her eyes are red from crying.

  “You’re a dead man,” I grit through my teeth, just as Penny raises her gaze to the phone. The moment our eyes meet through the screen, my chest aches. There is a distinct pain that only she could ever
make me feel. It’s a mixture of longing, sadness, and lost hope.

  Knowing that I never told her the truth is eating me up inside. I should have told her I forgave her. She doesn’t have to carry that guilt any longer. I should have told her she was safe here instead of toying with her. I should have done a lot of things, but it’s all too little, too late now.

  “Am I? I feel like I’ve got a lot of leverage here, and I’m not just talking about your little sex slave here. See, there are some guys in the club who are sticking by my side. They are tired of your bullshit, Ryder, putting some slut before your brothers.”

  “You’re lying,” Maddox growls.

  “How do you think I got Buck to send you to that house? Are you really that stupid that you can’t see when your men are turning against you?”

  “What do you want, Tucker?” I ask him.

  “I want you to leave the club. I’m taking your spot. The guys are okay with Maddox being president, but they want you gone.”

  “You know there is only one way out of the club,” Maddox answers.

  “I guess death for you it is.” Tucker shrugs. “Look, we can do it the easy way or the hard way. Maddox can kill you now where you stand. Quick and easy. I’ll even untie your pet and let her go. Then everything goes back to normal… well, almost. I’ll be VP.”

  “Fuck you,” Maddox roars, trying to snatch the phone from me.

  “Let her go first. Untie her. I want to see her walk away, then I’ll do it.”

  “You think I’m stupid? No deal. Do it now, or I’ll take my frustration out on her.”

  Maddox lunges for me, and this time he is able to grab the phone from my hand. “No!” I yell, but he’s already disconnected the call. My mind goes blank, and I throw punches. “You fucking asshole!”

  “Calm down!” Maddox yells back at me, his fist connecting with my ribs. “Listen to me.”

  I don’t. I keep hitting him as hard as I can, not caring what the fuck he has to say.

  “I know where he is!”

  My fist freezes in midair. “What?”

  “I know where he is,” Maddox repeats. “I recognize the fucking wallpaper.”

  The fucking wallpaper?

  I look at him dumbfounded. “Why didn’t you lead with that? Where the fuck are they?”

  “Tucker’s old man used to have a convenience store on the corner of Main and Bristol Street. It went bankrupt years ago. I used to joke it was probably the ugly ass wallpaper.”

  “Shit, that’s an hour away from here… but only ten minutes from the club. Call the guys, Maddox.” I stare my friend down, urging him to pick up the fucking phone.

  “Ryder…” There is a tone in his voice I haven’t heard in so many years, I can’t recall the last time it was. Uncertainty. Maddox, the president of the MC, who is always so sure of himself, hesitates. “What if Tucker was telling the truth? If there are guys against you, this will only make it worse.”

  “He is fucking lying, and you know it. Maybe Buck is in on it, but that’s it. No one else would go against us.”

  Maddox contemplates my words for another moment before unlocking his phone. “If I do this. If I involve the club to rescue your girl, then I need you to promise me something.”

  “Promise you what?” I’m almost scared to ask.

  “That this will be over after. You send her away, and that’s the very last time I see and hear about her.”

  “Deal,” I say without thinking. We don’t have time for a fucking discussion. I’d agree to anything right now, no matter how much I don’t want to do it.

  Maddox calls the club as we are speeding down the road. He puts the phone on speaker and explains what’s happened.

  “Maddox, I swear Tucker was lying.” Trick’s voice comes through the car’s speaker. “None of us would go against you or Ryder. That fucker is trying to play you. We got your back all the way.”

  I look over at Maddox, who is nodding and giving me the look that says, you’re lucky.

  “Yeah, Prez,” Bear comes onto the line. “We didn’t know, and none of us would have been okay with this shit. Tucker is a dead man.”

  “Buck is here now; what do you want us to do with him?” Tucker asks.

  “Put his ass in the cell, and I need at least five guys to this location,” he tells him the address and gives him all the detail they need. “Get Tucker, but don’t kill him yet. We’ll do that slowly later… and don’t hurt the girl. Just keep her there until we get there. We’re on our way now.”

  “Done and done,” Trick’s deep voice agrees through the speaker before the line goes dead.

  Sighing in relief, I say, “I told you–”

  “Shut up and tell me you understand what I’m asking you to do?” Maddox interrupts.

  “Cut her loose. I got it.” I huff, annoyance lacing my voice. “It was my fucking plan all along.”

  “Sure it was,” Maddox quips.

  It was my plan; I just never knew if I could go through with it.

  Now, I don’t have a choice.

  31

  Penny

  Dizziness overcomes me, but I force myself to stay awake. My vision is blurry from all the tears, but I still keep my eyes wide open.

  Tucker is kneeling next to me; using the knife in his hand, he slowly brings it to my throat and dips it under my shirt. Then cuts the fabric down the center. The cold blade grazes along my skin, and I’m scared if I look down, I’ll find blood.

  My entire body is shaking, my teeth rattling together in fear. I always thought there would come a time when I’d get used to this kind of fear, the pain, and the suffering, but I never did. The agony never lessens, the terror only growing with each experience.

  Maybe it’s because every time I feel like this, I’m scared for my life. I fear that he is going to take it too far and kill me. Maybe today I’ll die.

  “Are you cold, pet? Don’t worry. I’ll warm you up here in a minute.” He gives me a salacious grin.

  He stops between my breasts and slides the knife under my bra. In one slice, he cuts it, and my bra opens, leaving my chest exposed.

  “Nice tits,” Tucker says in approval. “A little small, but they’ll do. Plus, I’m more concerned about your pussy being tight.” He roughly cups one of my breasts and pinches the nipple.

  Biting the inside of my cheek, I muffle a scream and pull on my restraints. I try to roll away from him, my body jerking away like his hand is a branding iron. It might as well be. Every time he touches my skin, I feel like I will forever be tainted by him, like a curse, I won’t be able to shake.

  “I’m going to enjoy fucking you. I hope you’ll scream for me every second.”

  He picks the knife back up and continues to cut down my shirt. When the blade runs over my stomach, I panic even more. It must be my manic state that has me opening my mouth because I know better than to talk back. That’s only going to anger him further, make the punishment more severe.

  “Why are you doing this? Can’t you find a woman who will willingly sleep with you?”

  “Of course I can, but where is the fun in that? I like when they fight me. You’re gonna fight me too, aren’t you? Or you going to take my cock willingly? Tell me, did you fight Ryder?”

  At the mention of Ryder’s name, my heart squeezes in my chest as if an invisible hand clasps onto the beating organ behind my ribcage.

  “Tell me!” he yells, spit flying and landing on my skin as the blade digs into the tender flesh above my belly button.

  “No,” I whimper.

  “No? Why? You liked him fucking you?” He pulls the blade away and looks at the blood coating it now. My blood, I realize.

  “Yes,” I blurt out, not wanting to lie.

  “You did,” he laughs, “of course, you did. You’re nothing but a whore, after all. That’s what Ryder likes, you know? Whores, like you. Surprisingly, they like him too. Everyone loves Ryder, the fucking golden boy who can’t do wrong.” Tucker talks with such venom in his
voice, the hatred for Ryder can’t be missed.

  “Why do you hate Ryder so much?” I ask, trying to keep him talking.

  “Why? Because he has everything, and I have nothing. Everyone loves him. Everyone wants him. Even his fucking dog is loyal. You know what my dog did? Pissed on my boots.” Tucker laughs humorlessly. “It’s always Ryder, all about Ryder. What about me, huh?”

  “I-I don’t know.” I shake my head, not knowing what I could say to calm him down.

  “I’ll just have to take everything that’s his, starting with you. You should have just sucked my dick and taken the money when you had the chance. Now you’re going to get every hole in your body fucked, and you’re going to do it all for free.”

  “Please, don’t,” I beg, but that just seems to egg him on further. I see his dark worn jeans bulging in the front, letting me know how aroused he is.

  “Begging turns me on just as much.” He reaches for his zipper, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

  Just when I lose all hope to get out of here, I hear a loud bang coming from the front of the building. My eyes fly open just in time to see Tucker get up and spin around. He reaches behind him to grab the gun tucked in his waistband, but before he can lift it in the air, five men storm into the room. Three of them are pointing their own guns at him.

  “Drop it,” one guy orders. I recognize two of them from the bar. They are Ryder’s friends. Did he send them?

  “Listen, Trick, this is all a misunderstanding,” Tucker tries to play it off. “She came to me. She got tired of Ryder and wants me to fuck her.”

  Trick looks past him and down to where I’m lying on the mattress. All I can do is shake my head profusely, hoping he believes me.

  “She doesn’t look like she is enjoying it much.” Trick tilts his head and raises an eyebrow.

  “She likes to be tied up, you know how some whores are. They like it rough.”

  “I don’t know what’s more disturbing; how easily you lie to our faces or what kind of sick fuck you are that you get off on shit like this,” someone else says.