His Hostage: A Dark Romance

by Penelope Woods

  I’m done being scared. I don’t shake as much as I used to. I don’t breathe with ease, but I also don’t cry as much either. Things are just a blank slate for me, covered in a foggy haze. I feel like I’m outside of my body.

  They put me in Rowan’s car, and we speed off into the desert. The sun is burning its last embers of the day. Soon, darkness will take hold, and life out here will come crawling out of its caves.

  The desert never stops watching. It’s always alive, whether you know it or not.

  An hour or so passes, and I start to feel a little uneasy. There’s nothing around us. Even Rowan is oddly quiet. I expect him to make a joke or two, or to say something that might used to piss me off, but he doesn’t. Instead, he’s got his eyes on the road, his hands plastered onto the steering wheel.

  “Where are you taking me?” I finally ask.

  “Shut your mouth,” Andy says. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “Rowan,” I whisper. “Where are we going?”

  Andy turns around and puts his pistol against my stomach. “I said, shut the hell up.”

  I stop talking and place my head against the warm window. We pass mountains and alien-looking desert plants. Insects are drawn to our headlights.

  “Just a little longer,” Jeffco says. “Don’t worry. We’re making good time.”

  “I’m not worrying about that,” Rowan says. “I’ve got other things on my mind.”

  “Like what?” I find myself asking.

  I know I should stay quiet, but the tensions seem extremely high right now. I’m not feeling good about any of this. Not one bit of good.

  “Shut your god damn mouth, or I’ll blow your brains out all over this car,” Jeffco says, smashing his yellowed teeth together.

  Bits of spit fall across my face, and I’m beyond appalled.

  The men go back to talking in calmer tones. Jeffco has to settle his breathing down before saying, “We won’t have any trouble. We have their word.”

  “I’ve been doing this for as long as I’ve been alive,” Rowan says. “The thing about peoples’ word is that it’s constantly changing. How can we really know the outcome of engaging in something like this?”

  Andy sighs loudly and says, “Can you both just stop worrying about it? I’m starting to get uneasy about the whole damn thing.”

  “You always are, Andy,” Jeffco says, laughing lightly. “Try and stay calm, will ya?”

  “I will when this is all over,” he says. “Look at my fucking leg. It’s going to fall off, I swear to God.”

  He lifts up his jeans to the place where he was shot, and everyone in the car winces. “Did you go to the vet like I told you to?” Jeffco asks him.

  “You think I got any money for that?” he asks. “I followed some website’s advice. I poured alcohol on it to disinfect it. Vodka. I got the pieces of shrapnel out. I don’t know why it looks so bad.”

  The wound is turning green and it doesn’t look good. “You idiot,” Rowan says. “You don’t pour vodka on a gunshot wound. You need legitimate medical care. Jeffco’s right. You should have gone to the vet to avoid the cops. They could have fixed you up.”

  “Is it going to fall off?” he asks, voice turning a pitch higher. “I can’t have my leg get cut off. I can’t, guys.”

  “You won’t lose the leg if you see someone soon,” Rowan says. “I swear, man. Sometimes I wonder how the hell you survived this long. It blows my fucking mind.”

  “Tell me about it,” Jeffco says.

  Andy’s face turns red and then pale with fear. Whatever we’re about to do, he’s not the strongest link of the bunch.

  “Are you going to kill me?” I speak up one more time.

  “No,” Rowan says, before any of the other two can yell at me again. “We’re just doing a little job. We’ll need you to stay in here.”

  “Why did you bring me?” I ask.

  “We weren’t going to leave you back there so you can escape again,” he says. “So, if shit hits the fan for us tonight, you’re in for a little fun.”

  “Great,” I sigh, wondering how the hell I even got into this position, in the first place.

  We pull off to the side, and we’re still in the middle of nowhere. It’s silent. The radio is off and the wind blows outside. The only sound that can be heard is the rustle from some bush nearby.

  “Where are they?” Rowan asks.

  “They’ll be here,” Jeffco says, holding his pistol in his hand, steady. He turns off his safety and cocks it back. “In the meantime, everybody arm up.”

  “What the hell is going on?” I ask again, this time with more urgency.

  Are they gearing up for an all-out war?

  “Just sit tight,” Jeffco says. “And don’t say a fucking word if you want to live. This is some serious shit. You stay out of view, you hear?”

  Andy exits the car and opens the trunk. The rumble of motorcycles can now be heard in the distance, and my heart beats with a wild fury.

  Caroline, you’ve really done it this time.

  The rumbling comes closer.

  Closer.

  Closer.

  And then we see them.

  The dark riders in the distance, dressed in leather, wearing black masks. I feel a cold chill run down my body.

  On the back of each bike is a lit torch that refuses to burn out.

  “Are those…” I whisper.

  “The Hunters.” Rowan nods.

  Each rider parks their bike. The leader of the pack is bigger than the rest. His muscles are huge, but they’re not appealing. They’re horrifying.

  “You,” he bellows, wielding a large magnum. The barrel must be at least 12 inches long. “Get away from the trunk.”

  Andy doesn’t back up. He stands his ground. I can tell this is making Rowan and Jeffco uneasy.

  Rowan whispers, “Come on, brother. Do what they fucking say.”

  But Andy doesn’t move. He stands tall and holds his pistol in front of him.

  “Move away from the car,” the man in the mask says again.

  “I want your word first,” Andy says.

  The man holds his magnum in front of him and whispers a sort of prayer. “To those who leave, we pay our last respects,” he says. “To those who stay, we give the gift of death.”

  Andy breathes out. I can hear the fear in that breath. A gunshot echoes across the desert, and he falls onto the dirt.

  “No!” Rowan screams, but Jeffco’s hand covers his mouth.

  “Anybody else want to disobey my orders?” the man asks, shooting another round into Andy’s lifeless body.

  His boots crunch against the dirt, and in the distance a few coyotes can be heard howling.

  “Now, where is Rowan?” he asks.

  Rowan steps out from the car, and I find myself saying, “Don’t do it. We need to leave.”

  Jeffco doesn’t turn, but I hear him whisper, “There’s no turning back now.”

  His voice sounds heavy, like he’s suffered a huge loss. His friend Andy is dead. Though he was my captor, I feel for the both of them.

  “What do you want with me?” Rowan asks him. “I’m playing ball and following your orders now. That should make you happy enough.”

  “You owe me,” the man says to Rowan.

  “Do I?” Rowan asks in that cocky tone of his.

  I’m extremely worried. I don’t want to be seen, but the man is walking by the vehicle, toward Rowan. I duck on the floor and hold my breath, trying my hardest not to move.

  “Don’t play dumb with me,” he says, voice deeper than the devil’s. “You know what you did.”

  “All I know is that shit went wrong,” Rowan says, lighting a cigarette. “These things happen. We paid you back. You deserve nothing more.”

  “I deserve your respect,” he screams. “You should fall to your knees when addressing me and my men.”

  “I’ll do whatever you ask of me. But I won’t fall to my knees,” he says. “That’s where I draw the
line.”

  “My men died out there,” he howls, finger against the trigger of his gun. “My best men.”

  I’m on the floor of the car, but I can peak out of the corner of the window if I’m careful enough. I witness the man aim the gun at Rowan, and I can feel the hatred radiating from him.

  “Put the gun down. I’m not a threat to you,” he says. “I didn’t kill your men. Police killed them. It was a butchered job. The other gangs in the lower counties need to stay united if we’re going to continue to make money through this channel. Don’t destroy our business relationship over this.”

  “United? That’s humorous, considering the circumstances. No, I think it’s about time we withdraw our alliance,” he says. “The Hunters have always acted alone. We’ve been the outcasts since day one. Now is the time to declare our secession.”

  “Then, I guess we have nothing else to talk about. We brought gifts in the trunk. But you just killed my partner. People have died on our side too,” Rowan says, grabbing his gun from his holster.

  “You’re outnumbered,” the man says. “What are you going to do? Shoot me? I cannot die.”

  “All men die. Even the hardest of men fall,” Rowan says, throwing his cigarette onto the dirt.

  “The deal is, you come with us. If you don’t, we’ll kill you right here,” he says.

  His gang stays silent, watching and waiting. They wield rifles and they aim solidly.

  “Go fuck yourself,” Rowan says, smiling. Before anyone can even react, he rolls to the side of the car and fires his pistol at the man, hitting him in the shoulder.

  “Don’t you dare move,” Jeffco says, leaning out the window, firing. He hits three men, and they fall to the ground, dead.

  Bullets come crashing into the vehicle. Some of them pierce through the metal and nearly hit me. I’m paralyzed with fear, but Rowan grabs and pulls me out.

  “Hide!” he shouts. “Run as far as you fucking can.”

  But I don’t hide.

  Strangely, I crawl to Andy’s body. I grab his pistol, and I stay with them.

  “What are you doing?” Rowan asks.

  I fire once, and the bullet pierces wildly through the air. I fire a second time, and it hits the dirt. Third time, I take a deep breath and steadily aim. I hit one man on a bike.

  Their engines rumble. The Hunters rush toward us. Rowan screams, “We have to get the fuck out of here. In the car, now.”

  We jump into the vehicle, but before Jeffco can get inside, one of the men hits him in the back with the butt of his rifle.

  He falls to the floor, and the man takes aim. I fire my pistol, and the man falls to the soil, dead.

  Jeffco, stunned, turns to me and says, “Nice shot.”

  We peel out of there in a plume of dust and smoke, but we’re not in the clear. The leader of the Hunters is hardly dead. No, he’s alive and he’s out for blood.

  “We’re fucked,” Jeffco says, shooting out the window. A bullet hits the side of my seat. Luckily, it gets stopped by a piece of metal.

  “No, we ain’t,” Rowan says.

  He reaches into his bag and pulls out two grenade-looking weapons. He tosses one through the window, and then another. A white explosion penetrates the darkness.

  “Flash bang,” he says. It’s impossible to see behind us. The whole desert has lit up in white.

  “Son of a bitch. You didn’t tell me you brought those.” Jeffco says. “Turn left at this boulder.”

  In the distance, I see a flashing light. “Keep going. We just might be able to make it.”

  The rumbling behind us hasn’t stopped, however. The bikers are still on our trail.

  They’ve stopped shooting. Both parties are conserving their ammo. Now, it’s become a chase to the end. Whoever runs out of gas first loses this one.

  I stare at the Hunters. It’s an eerie sight to see. Flames flying through the darkness is how I’d best describe it.

  “Just a few miles now,” Jeffco says.

  “Where the hell are we going?” Rowan asks, slamming his foot down against the pedal.

  “Grim Runner territory,” he says. “It’s the only place we can get help.”

  “They’ll run us down. They’ll kill us all,” Rowan says, looking worried.

  “Hunters won’t follow us there. Trust me on that,” he says. “It’s part of the deal they made ten years ago. Remember the pact?”

  “I remember,” he says. “But I don’t think they’re too keen on following any rules right now.”

  “The whole place is booby-trapped, and I’m the only outsider who knows where to drive. They’re stupid, but they’re not that stupid,” he says. “The Grim Runners are always ready. No doubt, they’re already aiming their rifles now.”

  A few miles later, we pull into a mountainous region. There’s one lone light flashing near one of the rocks.

  We slow down, and Jeffco runs out, quickly turning it off and on three times.

  A team of seven men come down from the rocks.

  “Who are you and why did you give the sign?” one man asks.

  “Jeffco. I come with one of the High Priests from down south. I used to roll with the Hangmen. Get your leader, Iago,” he says. “Quick. The Hunters are on our tail.”

  The man steps into the light and nods toward Jeffco. “Yeah, I remember you. Where’s your partner?” he asks, looking into the distance.

  The Hunters have stopped and turned off their engines.

  “Shot dead,” he says. “Kaine. The fucking Hunters.”

  “Come through,” he says, pointing to the right at an opening of rocks near us. “You’ve got our protection for now.”

  “You just saved our lives,” Jeffco says. “I owe you something big.”

  We drive through to a small settlement. I still have the gun in my hand, and I’m trembling. Rowan glances at me, and I can see in his eyes just how distraught he is over everything.

  “I’m proud of you,” he says. “But I never wanted to get you involved.”

  It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m already in this for good now. I’ve seen too much. I’ve done too much, too fast.

  I killed two Hunters. I’m a part of their dark world.

  I’m totally fucked, and not in the way I wanted to be.

  21

  Rowan

  I step into the compound, surrounded by men with familiar faces. “I’m sorry to put you up like this, Iago,” I say.

  Iago, a short man of about forty, twists his mustache. “I heard what happened to you. And then I heard about Ash. Those bastards deserve to pay. It’s time for your retribution, my friend.”

  “I just want things to go back to the way they were,” I say. “I want my crew back. I want my home. We were all doing well. Making money. I’m tired of this bloodshed.”

  But things won’t ever be the same, and that’s the big fucking elephant in the room. Iago knows it, I know it, Jeffco knows it.

  I know for a fact Caroline knows it, more than any of us. She shot some Hunters tonight. That takes transformation.

  Jeffco sighs and takes off his vest. “It’s been a long fucking day. Too long,” he says.

  He looks over at Caroline. “Who the hell are you?”

  Around her wrists are the light markings from her chains. There aren’t any shackles around here to keep her down. She’s not running.

  Surprisingly, she stands up and faces Jeffco.

  “I’m the woman you underestimated,” she says.

  Jeffco laughs harder than I’ve ever seen anybody laugh before. It’s contagious. Iago starts laughing, too. “What’s so funny?” he asks.

  “This woman was our hostage,” Jeffco says.

  “She saw some things,” I interrupt.

  “He thought I might tell on them. But I’m not a snitch,” she says.

  “No, you are not, ma’am,” Jeffco says, shaking his head. “My God. I would have never imagined. Not in my entire life.”

  “Soon enough, you’ll be leading
your own gang,” Iago jokes.

  “No thanks,” Caroline says, walking into the room Iago set aside for her.

  Her ass rocks back and forth.

  She’s a fucking firecracker, a force not to be reckoned with. “I’m just trying to set things straight,” she says.

  “Woo!” Jeffco hollers with a giant grin on his face. “That woman is something else.”

  I head on after her. “Yes, she is.”

  They look at me in disbelief when I walk into her room and close the door. If Jeffco had no idea I was fucking her, he does now.

  She’s waiting for me on the bed, legs spread. Her eyes say it all.

  Her dress is on the floor. She’s wearing that same pair of lingerie from the other night. She wants me.

  I have to admit, it’s practically all I’ve been thinking about.

  “You’re a free woman,” I mutter.

  “It feels good,” she says. “But I like being trapped by you.”

  I walk toward the bed and take off all my clothes. Leaning over, I taste her lips.

  She feels how hard I am, hand circling around my shaft. Her grip turns firm and steady, and she pumps.

  I moan, and she bites down on my lip, pulling back. This sends me into a sexual frenzy. Everything feels better when she touches me like this.

  She’s the only thing that can get me to forget about my pain.

  I touch between her legs. No surprise, she’s slick. I rub her lips open, circling up her clit with my wet fingers. She starts to purr.

  Towering over her, I watch as she hunches and takes my cock in her sweet mouth. My eyes go wide as I feel the crown hit the back of her throat. It comes out with glistening saliva.

  Catching her breath, she spits more onto my shaft and strokes me faster. I give her more fingers. “Good girl,” I moan.

  This is everything I’ve been dreaming of. The Hunters might be sitting on the other side of this compound, waiting to blow us to hell. But right now, this is all that matters.

  Caroline blows me to hell better than any of them ever could.

  Tongue curling around my shaft, she learns how to take me without gagging. She knows just how good she is at this.

  “Fuck,” I moan, astonished by her beauty. “You’re too gorgeous for me. You know that, right?”