I spend hours not thinking of a damn thing, then eventually my mind drifts to Avah. To the future, or lack thereof, with us. I think about her finding someone else, settling down, and starting a family, but I just can’t see it.
I can’t imagine her living out her life with someone else, not when I want to keep her all for myself. Not when I feel it deep in my marrow that she’s mine. She was meant for me, our lives have collided in a way that it’s obvious, but it’s also obvious that we want very different things.
Pulling over to the side of the road, I close my eyes as my head falls backward. I think about her, the sight of her as she comes—everything. The way she is when she’s all made up, or barefaced. I fucking love it all, because she’s the first woman I’ve ever actually loved.
The sound of crunching car tires and an engine coming up behind me forces my eyes open. Taking my gun out of its shoulder holster, I turn my head and look behind me. There is a blacked-out sedan making its approach.
The car lights flick off just as he stops the vehicle and turns the engine off as well. I think about starting my bike and taking off, but I have a feeling something is about to happen here and the last thing I want to do is guide this person straight to Avah or Trista.
The back door swings open and I watch as a man unfolds from there. Disengaging from my bike, I keep my gun held loosely at my side, my gaze never leaving this man as he approaches. He’s tall, barrel chested, and around my age. The closer he gets, I realize this is the man in the picture that Worm showed me earlier today.
This is the senator.
“Senator Walsh,” I growl, deciding not to pretend that I don’t know exactly who the fuck is.
This motherfucker is going to be a dead motherfucker tonight. This is good, this is great actually. I can end this right here and right now without some big elaborate plan to enact. I can just get rid of him and his lackeys.
“My reputation precedes me,” he purrs.
I don’t bother responding, he’s not worth bantering back and forth with. He’s honestly not worth very fucking much in my opinion.
“You’ve followed me, because?” I ask, ignoring him. I’m not going to buy into his ego, not in the goddamn slightest.
He shrugs a shoulder, he’s cool, calm, and collected in his suit and tie, his hair styled perfectly, and if I had to guess, his nails are manicured professionally too.
“I need you out of the picture and doing it while you’re alone is a lot easier than when you’re at your little club.”
Figures he’s a coward. Though it’s no surprise to me, not really. He stalked a woman, threatened her, and even terrorized her at work. None of this shit he does surprises me. He’s a worthless piece of shit who thinks he has some kind of power, but he doesn’t in my world and I give zero fucks about ending him out here in the middle of nowhere.
“If you were going to kill me, I’d be dead already. What do you want?” I demand.
His lips twitch into a small smile and he shakes his head once, his gaze finding mine and holding it steady. “If I wanted Avah, I’d already have her too. I like to watch the fear from a distance, I like to see someone get nervous with anticipation of what’s to come.”
Flicking my gaze to the car, I watch as the two front doors open and two men unfold from the vehicle. They’re closer to my height and about thirty years younger than me. I’m not out of shape by any means, but it’s obvious these two are the senator’s personal goons.
The goons are here for intimidation, for me to have that fear that he talks about, that terror that gets his dick hard. He’s obviously never come face-to-face with a real man, with a beast. He’s used to scaring poor little girls that he’s purchased and other weak-ass men like him.
“I’m not nervous, not of them and certainly not of you, so now what?”
He doesn’t say a word, one of his brows lifts, and then before I realize what’s happening the two men rush me. I lift my gun and fire off one round, but those fucks are fast and they take me down to my back without even breaking a sweat.
Letting out a grunt, I try to jerk out of their grasp, but I can’t. One of their knees is pressing against my chest on each side, the other is digging into my gut. Walsh appears in front of me, his smile full-on fucking maniacal, and he leans down, lifting his hand, and I notice that he’s got a syringe in his grasp.
“‘Night, ‘night, fucker,” he growls just as he pricks my skin and injects me with whatever the fuck he’s got inside. I open my mouth to say something, to tell him to fuck himself, but nothing comes out.
“This is going to be fun.” He chuckles. “You’ll be able to see, to watch, everything. You’ll be completely aware of the world around you, but you won’t be able to move. So when I fuck her, when I torture her, all in front of you, you’ll be helpless to stop me.”
I try to speak, but nothing comes out. He’s fucking right, I’m goddamn helpless. I realize now that it was me being the cocky one. Worm was right, this fuck is locked down tight. His men pick me up like a fucking rag doll and carry me toward the car.
The trunk opens and they toss me inside, then slam it closed. It’s pitch black and I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay in here without oxygen, but I supposed none of that matters, nothing does anymore. I can’t do a damn thing to help myself out of this situation.
I’ve never felt weak before, not like this. I felt like a weak man when I left Trista, when I walked away and never came back. When I didn’t get rid of Savanna and stay in Eagar and raise my own fucking kid. That was when I was weak. Walking away from her was weak.
Not giving Avah what she needs, what she wants, when I really do fucking love her. Not telling her how I feel, not willing to make her happy. That shit is weak too. We get out of this and I’m going to rectify everything with Avah. I’m going to plant my baby inside of her, I’m going to make her my Old Lady.
I’m going to keep her.
AVAH
I thank the prospect for the glass of water and make my way back to our table, or what I’ve dubbed as ours since it’s the same one next to the pool table that we sat at last night. Setting the water down in front of Trista, I smile as I sink down into my own chair across from her.
“I tried to call him,” she announces. “His phone just rang.”
Taz clears his throat from beside us, a pool cue in his hand. “Babe, he took off on his bike, he’ll be back soon, it’s starting to get dark,” he says. “Probably just wanted to go for a ride, get some fresh air.”
Pressing my lips together, I can’t help the bad feeling that flows through me. Trista and I had a great day. Not only did I get enough outfits to last me a good seven days, we got Trista some maternity clothes for the upcoming months, and even bought a few cute little neutral baby things.
Going into the maternity store and the baby stores, it made me realize that I can’t give that dream up for myself. For years I was resigned to never having a family. Mine was such a nightmare, then I became an escort and I thought I would just stay single and never have a lifestyle that I could bring children into.
Things are different now. The path that my life is taking now, I want to settle down, I want to have a baby. I want to have a life. I don’t have to just breathe in and out all day, every day anymore.
I can really live.
I want that.
I want it with Hawk, with Orson.
My heart aches at the thought of not having it with him, of having to settle for someone else. I would be doing just that, too, I would be settling. I continue to sit and stare at the front door, waiting for Hawk to walk through with his broody anger.
I wait.
And wait.
And wait.
All the while people around me chat and drink, the party grows louder and more and more people fill the room. The evening grows later, so late that when I finally glance down at my watch, it’s well after midnight.
“Taz,” I call out as I shift my gaze from the door to meet his.
He stops, the pool cue still in his hand. “He’s not back.”
Taz’s brows snap together, his gaze shifts around the room, then I watch as he takes his phone out of his pocket and taps on the screen a few times before he lifts it to his ear. He waits, and waits, his frown deepens and he shoves his phone in his back pocket.
He doesn’t say a single word to me, instead he puts his cue away and starts to walk toward the bar. I make a move to stand, but Trista’s hand wraps around my wrist, squeezing me and keeping me in my place.
“Let him find out, he’ll tell us what he needs, when he needs to.”
Shaking my head once, I wriggle my hand from her grasp. “I love you, Tris. I really do, but something is wrong and I’m going to find out in real time what it is. Taz is your man and if you want to wait for his word, that’s cool. But right now, Hawk is mine and everything is not okay.”
Standing, I hurry toward the bar where Taz has his head bent and he’s in a conversation with Dragon. As soon as they sense my approach, they stop talking and both turn their heads to look over at me.
“You can play he-man woman-haters later, tell me what the fuck is going on, now,” I demand.
Dragon’s gaze widens and his brows lift in surprise. “Don’t know, babe. Gonna call Worm, see if we can get a lock on his location.”
My legs start to tremble, but I refuse to show an ounce of emotion. Nodding my head once, I look from Dragon to Taz, then back to Dragon.
“Where is he?” I hiss.
Something unreadable crosses his expression, something akin to sadness, maybe even worry, and I watch as his gaze softens. I shake my head, taking a step back, but he doesn’t let me get far. He reaches out, wrapping his fingers around my forearm, and tugs me forward.
“I know where he probably is, but I’ll get him back here. Make sure you stay here until he’s back, yeah?”
“And where’s he at?” I ask on a whisper.
“It’s nowhere good or where he needs to be alone.”
“Find him,” I breathe.
He nods his head, his gaze not leaving mine as he releases his grip on my arm. Turning from him, I don’t go back to Trista, instead, I make my way up to Hawk’s room, our room. I need to finish putting my things away and try to busy myself.
I don’t want to believe that he would just leave me here alone, especially knowing that the senator is still out there somewhere. Just because I’m here doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t find me—he will.
Chapter Twenty
HAWK
It feels like I’m in the trunk of this sedan for hours, though it probably isn’t quite that long. Not having your faculties about you, it makes you feel fucking terrible and each minute drags on for far too long.
The car finally comes to a stop and I hear the doors open, then close after the engine is turned off. I watch the trunk, waiting for it to open and I’m not surprised to see the two asshole guards on the other side. It’s obvious to me that Walsh does zero dirty work and relies on these fucks for everything.
When he goes down, and he will, these assholes will go down with me. I will personally make sure of that shit. They gather me in their arms and drag my limp body across a rock driveway. I’m taken into a house, but I can’t lift my head up to look around and take in my surroundings, all I can see is the marble flooring.
They drag me through the house, then toward stairs and begin to walk down to a basement. I expect the space to be dank and dark, but it’s bright, a little too bright, and the flooring switches from marble to concrete.
My body is thrown across a room and I land on my side. There are bars all around me, as I’m obviously thrown into some kind of cell or cage. The door is locked and wordlessly, the men walk away, leaving the too-bright lighting glaring.
I attempt to take in what I can around me. I can’t move my head around, so all I can see is what is in my direct line of vision. There is a leather bench, a bed with black satin sheets, and a metal four-poster bed with a top that has chains and cuffs hanging down on all sides.
I assume the rest of the room has more kink equipment and my body aches at the thought of this fucker bringing my Avah down here to hurt her. I’m going to torture him. I’m going to enjoy it too, every fucking second of it.
Hours pass as I lay there and eventually, I start to regain the ability to move my limbs. It takes me far longer than I like to push myself to a sitting position. My eyes take in the rest of the room as my ability to move my neck comes back to me.
I was right.
The room is filled with implements and furniture for kink play, which in a normal circumstance, I could really get behind. However, I know that Walsh is not going to use it for a good time, he’s going to use it to torture both me and Avah, plus whoever else he’s kidnapped or purchased to harm.
Hours continue to pass, the lights stay on, bright and make it impossible to sleep, I’m sure a purposeful tactic. Then, I hear shoes walking down the concrete staircase. Men’s nice shoes click, one after the other with precision. Walsh.
He appears in front of me, his body loose and comfortable in his suit and tie, shiny loafers on his feet.
“Food will be delivered soon. Don’t get excited. You’ll eat just like all my pets. A plant-based nutrition drink that will keep you alive.”
I want to spit in his fucking face, but I don’t. Instead, I continue to stare at him, waiting to see what he’s going to say next. This is one of those situations where I can’t try to fight my way out of, at least not right this minute. I need to strategize, wait, and hope that my brothers come, but if they don’t, I need to get ready to handle shit myself.
“Tonight, you’ll get a nice show in preparation for Avah joining us. If you’re good, I’ll let you have a little fun too. I don’t mind rewarding you, Orson. You’re going to be here for a long time, I think we can become somewhat friendly and maybe eventually we’ll come to a mutual understanding and have a decent life together.”
Fuck. Off.
The words come to the front of my brain, but I don’t say them. Instead, I bite the inside of my cheek as I continue to stare at him impassively and give him absolutely nothing. He smirks, shaking his head a couple of times.
“It’ll take you a little while to warm up, but you will, Orson.”
Without another word, he turns around and I hear his shoes click as he walks away from me. He sounds like a damn woman walking in high heels, the fuck. Closing my eyes, I lean my head back against one of the bars that I’m propped up on.
I think about the fact that just yesterday, maybe the day before, I’m not really sure because I’ve already lost track of time, I was worried about the Donkey Punchers and whether or not I wanted to start another family or risk losing Avah forever.
Now I want to give her whatever she needs. She wants kids, she’s got it. She wants to spend her day at a fucking spa, it’s hers. We make it out of this shit and Avah gets whatever the fuck she wants. Everything. My Avah gets fucking everything.
A few minutes later a petite woman walks into the room, her head down and soft shoes on her feet causing her approach to startle me as she’s so quiet. She sinks down to her knees, then takes a bottle of something and slips it through the bars.
“Thanks,” I grunt.
She nods her head, lifting it slightly before her gaze flicks to mine. Her eyes widen and she dips her head again. I assume she’s never had a Savage Beast in this cage before or probably any other man.
“You one of the women?”
“I just clean and cook,” she whispers as she stands to her feet.
“He buy you?” Her eyes find mine again, and she nods her head with just a slight incline. “That’s what I fucking thought.”
She doesn’t say anything else before she turns and scurries out of the room. I don’t bother calling her back, I’m playing chess, not checkers, and I want her on my side. Typically, the help in situations like these are invisible, which means if I see her, then maybe she will be an all
y.
Right now, I need every possible ally that I can find, because I have a feeling this shit is going to get seriously real here, and fucking fast.
AVAH
There’s a knock on the bedroom door not long after I’ve locked myself in for the night. I’m already dressed in shorts, and even though I was angry at him earlier, I’m pretty worried now, so I grabbed one of Hawk’s shirts and put it on just so that I could smell him.
Tugging the bedroom door open, I’m face to face with a hot biker. My eyes flick down to his name patch and I see that it’s Worm. This is the tech wizard, which is kind of surprising because I was really expecting a total nerd type. That is not Worm. Not in the slightest.
He clears his throat and lifts his hand to run his fingers through his hair. “A few of the guys went out and they found his bike,” he announces.
“Where?” I breathe.
He shakes his head. “Abandoned not too far from here, looks like he was headed back when something made him stop.”
“His phone?” I demand.
Worm shakes his head. “Dragon makes us all keep our tracking turned on, but I added an extra tracking app to everyone’s phone a while back. I’ve been tracking him and he’s holed up in a house somewhere or at least his phone is…”
He doesn’t finish his thought and I take a step toward him, lifting my hand and placing it in the middle of his chest. “Worm, tell me,” I plead.
He clears his throat. “Feels too neat to me. That house it’s at, it’s fancy as fuck. Seems like a trap.”
“From the senator,” I point out. He nods his head once. “He took him to lure me,” I whisper.
Worm nods his head again, but this time he speaks. “Could be. I can only guess when it comes to him, mainly because that guy seems whacked as fuck, but I have a feeling he’s got a much bigger plan and he’s waiting for his moment.”
“What happens if I don’t give him the moment? What happens when I just show up?” I ask.
UnWreck Me (Savage Beast MC Book 7) Page 15