“You’ve been watching me?” I asked, trying to get a handle on what was going on. “How long have you been in Vegas? Why are you here?”
Ignoring my question, he continued on his tirade. “I don’t understand what possessed you to start acting like such a slut. You were always the good girl. It’s why I loved you. Now I don’t know what to do with you.”
He started pacing the room, and I took the opportunity to check out my surroundings. I needed to find a way out of here. It appeared we were in a house, but it apparently had been abandoned for a while. The mattress I was laying on was bare and smelled musty. There was a table next to me that was covered in a thick layer of dust.
I had no idea how long I had been here. The last thing I remembered was a truck following too close behind me as I drove from Viking and Meredith’s house. I was worried about my brothers, and I was praying someone helped them. If someone helped them, then the club would know something happened to me. But even if they knew I was missing, they wouldn’t know where to look for me. I needed to find a way out on my own.
After considering my options, I thought it might be best if I tried to talk to Jonathan. If he truly believed he loved me, then maybe I could convince him to not hurt me.
“Jonathan?” He spun around, almost like he forgot I was here while he had been thinking.
“What?”
Everything about him was so different from the guy I knew a couple of months ago. I planned to engage him in conversation, but as he prowled over toward the bed, fear took over.
“I really need to use the bathroom,” I blurted out, as an excuse to get away from him.
“Fine, but don’t even think about trying to run out of here. I’ve been nice and not tied you up. Don’t make me change my mind.”
Running wasn’t an option regardless of how much I wanted to. I knew I wouldn’t make it very far. That much was clear the moment I stood next to the bed, and the room started to spin. I took a couple of deep breaths and waited a few seconds before attempting to move.
Jonathan led me to the door that was just down the hallway. It was brighter out here with the lights on, and it took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust.
“Don’t take too long.”
I walked into the bathroom and tried to close the door behind me.
“That’s staying open.”
There was no way I was going to be able to pee with him watching me. “Please. I promise I’ll be quick.”
He hesitated for a second. “Fine, but don’t do anything stupid. You won’t like the consequences.”
Never would I have thought Jonathan would be capable of physically hurting me, but this was a side of him I never knew existed. I had no idea what he was capable of.
I needed a few minutes to think. I looked around the bathroom, but there was nothing that would help me in this situation. And there was no way I could squeeze through the tiny window at the top of the wall above the shower.
It was starting to feel like the situation was hopeless.
26
Mac
I followed behind Viking as we headed toward Nevada, but I was shocked when we pulled off the highway just a few minutes outside of town.
“What the fuck are we doing? We need to get home to Kate!” I’d never questioned Viking before, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I wouldn’t calm down until I knew Kate was safe.
“My phone has been ringing nonstop since we got on the road, but I needed to get us out Apple Valley before Stu went running to the cops,” Viking explained.
Viking was right, but I was agitated and just wanted to get back on the road.
“Colt, you call Wolf. Mac, call Kate,” Viking continued. “I’m going to call Meredith back.”
I looked down at my phone and saw that I didn’t have any missed calls. I called Kate’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I was feeling helpless, something I wasn’t used to and never wanted to feel again.
“Meredith, slow down, babe. What happened?”
My attention immediately turned to Viking, and I ran over to him. I could hear Meredith on the other end of the phone. She sounded hysterical, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“Shit! Is everyone okay?” Viking’s knuckles had turned white, he was gripping the phone so hard. I needed him to hurry up and tell me what was going on.
“Motherfucker,” he mumbled under his breath. “We’re on our way home now.”
As soon as he hung up, I was all over him, trying to get answers.
“There’s been an accident. Kate was driving back to her place with the boys when someone hit her car and sent them off the road.”
“Fuck! Are they okay? Was it the Phantoms?” I asked, feeling time slipping through my fingers.
“Finn and Gunnar are fine, they’re home with Meredith, but the boys said Kate was unconscious. They tried to help her, but someone came along and pulled her from the car.”
My mind went to every worst-case scenario imaginable, where Kate was hurt, and I was miles away from home.
Viking placed his hand on my shoulder, grabbing me harder than I expected. “When the boys got out of the car, Kate wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean she wasn’t there? Was she taken to the hospital?” None of what he was saying made sense.
“No,” Viking started, and I took a moment to look at him. He was trying to remain calm, but I could tell he was just as freaked out as I was. The dread I’d started to feel was taking over. “No emergency vehicles had shown up yet. The police think whoever pulled her out took her. They questioned the residences and businesses nearest to the accident, and none of them said they saw the Phantoms or gang members.”
“It has to be Jonathan. He’s obsessed with Kate, and he’s MIA.” Viking nodded his head in agreement. “We need to get home. Now!” I yelled as I hopped back on my bike.
Typically, we followed behind Viking, but I didn’t wait for him to lead. I just prayed the three of them could keep up with me as I hauled ass back to Vegas.
It was late when we got into town. We immediately drove to the accident scene. Kate’s car had already been towed away, but a couple of police officers were there, finishing up their investigation.
The minute we were off our bikes, we ran over to them. “Did you guys find anything yet?” Viking barked.
“You need to back the hell up, Viking,” Officer Davenport demanded.
We knew Davenport well, and he didn’t care much for the club, but he didn’t go out of his way to cause trouble for us either.
“My daughter is missing!” Viking yelled. “I want some fucking answers.”
“We haven’t found anything,” Davenport reluctantly explained.
While the two of them argued back and forth, I looked up and down the street, trying to piece anything together. I stopped scanning when I saw the convenience store on the corner.
I started running that way, hoping they had what I was looking for.
“Hi there,” the young lady greeted me as I walked up to the counter. “Can I help you?” Her voice shook a bit. I was sure my cut and the intensity showing on my face made her nervous.
“Do you have any surveillance cameras that face the street?”
“Um…we have one that records the parking lot. You can see a little bit of the street on that one.”
“Can I take a look at it?”
“I don’t know how any of that works,” she responded.
“Can you call your boss?”
“O-o-okay.”
I watched as she picked up the phone. “Hi, Tom. Sorry to bother you at home. I have someone here who wants to look at some surveillance footage. Can we even do that?” She looked up from the phone to me. “He wants to know who’s asking.”
“Here, give me the phone,” I demanded, holding out my hand.
“Tom? The name’s Mac. I need to take a look at that footage. The Desert Sinners would be grateful if you could help us out.”
Mentioning
the club got his cooperation a lot quicker than explaining the whole situation to him. He gave me a quick rundown of how to get the footage I needed. Just as I was about to go into the back room, Colt and Viper came in.
“Find anything?” Viper asked.
“They have a camera that picks up the street. Gonna check it out.”
The three of us sat in the back room messing around with the equipment until we narrowed it down to the time Kate would have left Viking and Meredith’s place.
“Fuck!” I yelled when I saw her car fly by on the screen. Just a moment later, I could see a white pickup truck follow her. It had to be Jonathan. His mom said he’d just bought a new truck.
I rewound the tape and watched again. We couldn’t pick up a license plate number, but at least we had something to go on.
We walked out of the store, saying a quick thank-you to the cashier. When we got outside, I saw Viking jogging toward us.
“I just got off the phone with Wolf. He was able to get ahold of Jonathan’s mom, and she was a little more forthcoming with some information. I’ve got an address to a place Jonathan rented for a couple of days.”
“What the fuck are we waiting on? Let’s go!”
Viking reached out and pulled me back.
“I need you to get your shit together. I can’t have you going in there with guns blazing. My daughter’s in there, and I want her safe.”
We all nodded in agreement. Even if we knew where she was, we had to play this smart. We had no idea what Jonathan’s intentions were, and I wasn’t going to risk Kate’s safety. One thing was for sure. Tonight, someone was going to die. And it wasn’t going to be Kate or any Desert Sinners.
27
Kate
It was pitch-black outside, and my hopes of finding a way to escape were quickly diminishing. Jonathan had left the room a few minutes ago, and I’d already looked around for anything I could use to help my escape. There was nothing in the room, and I knew I didn’t have the strength to fight Jonathan if he caught me. The lights above me kept making this eerie sizzling and buzzing noise that was grating on my nerves.
I prayed that someone had come upon the accident scene and helped Finn and Gunnar. The guilt of not keeping them safe was too much to bear. I couldn’t believe I’d brought these problems to Viking’s life. What kind of daughter was I?
“What are you thinking about, love?” I heard Jonathan’s voice come from the doorway. The use of the word “love” made my skin crawl. His calm, quiet voice scared me even more than his sinister one from earlier.
“I’m not your love,” I seethed. There was only one man I would ever belong to, and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to see him again.
I probably shouldn’t have argued with Jonathan, but I figured he was going to do whatever he wanted with me anyway, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking I was his.
“C’mon, don’t be like that. We had one little fight. Once we spend some time together again, you’ll forget all about this place and realize we’re meant to be.”
He had to be insane. That was the only explanation for his delusional behavior.
“You’re crazy!” I yelled.
I saw the flash of anger in his eyes as he made his way over to the bed where I was still sitting. I moved back as far as my body would allow.
“You’re obviously still not thinking clearly,” he said as he gripped my jaw tightly, forcing me to look at him. “I’ve spent too many years waiting for you. I’m done waiting.”
“What are you talking about? I told you we could only ever be friends.”
“Well, I don’t accept that. I’m going to make some dinner, and you can sit in here and think about how being with that criminal hurt me, and how you’re going to make it up to me.”
Nausea returned with a vengeance, and I was grateful when he walked out of the room. I decided I wasn’t going to wait any longer to see what he was going to do. I sat up, taking a moment to let the dizziness fade. I didn’t have any weapons, but I was going to do whatever it took to get away from him.
I heard movement in the kitchen and decided to wait by the bedroom door. If I could surprise him, maybe I could hit him hard enough to get a few seconds of lead time and run out of here. It was a risky move, but it was better than lying around here doing nothing.
His footsteps were getting closer, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I crouched down a bit to try to get a little extra leverage and waited to pounce. As soon as I saw his shadow cross over the threshold, I got ready, and when I saw the first hint of his body, I went into attack mode.
I pushed the tray he was carrying into his body, the soup on it spilling all over him. Unfortunately, some of the scalding liquid landed on me as well, but I wasn’t going to let the pain slow me down.
“You fucking bitch!” Jonathan yelled as I grabbed the tray. I swung it as hard as I could at his face, then dropped it and ran.
I was almost to the door when I was suddenly pulled backward. The stinging of my scalp where my hair was being ripped out hurt like hell, but I kept fighting. Unfortunately, Jonathan was stronger than I was, and he was able to pull me back down the hallway, even while I was kicking and screaming.
“You really are stupid,” he said as he dragged me back up to my feet, then stopped suddenly. “What the hell was that?”
I didn’t know what he was talking about. My head was pounding. Then I heard the front door crash open, making me scream.
Before I knew it, Jonathan jerked my body in front of his like a shield and pointed a gun at my head. I had no idea where the gun had come from. When I looked to my left, I saw Mac and Viking standing at the entryway with guns pointed at Jonathan.
My knees went weak, and it took every bit of strength I had to remain upright.
“Put the fucking gun down,” Mac instructed. His deep voice scared me, but I could also hear a hint of fear laced in his words.
“This is a bit unexpected.” Jonathan chuckled, still not removing the gun from my right temple.
“Let her go!” Viking roared.
“The two of us are meant to be together, and there’s nothing either of you can do about it.” Jonathan was starting to rant like a lunatic. He was losing control, as was evident by him flailing the gun around to emphasize his words.
“You’re going to put the gun down and let her go,” Mac repeated. His whole body was tight with anger. “You’ve got a chance of getting out of this alive, but you need to let her go.”
Jonathan started laughing hysterically. “Do you think I’m stupid? You’re not going to let me live.” Suddenly his voice changed, and I’d never heard anyone look so evil. “But if I can’t have her, no one else can either.”
Everything from there happened in slow motion, but my eyes stayed on Mac. I heard several shots go off at the same time, and once again, I was thrust into darkness.
28
Kate
The fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling were making the pain in my head excruciating, but I didn’t close my eyes. Instead, I lay there, watching the two most important men in my life sleep on the small sofas the nurses brought in for them after a couple of nights trying to sleep in the hard, plastic chairs.
They hadn’t left my side since I was rushed to the hospital with a bullet wound to the shoulder. I was lucky my injury hadn’t been more serious. Jonathan hadn’t been as fortunate. While a small part of me mourned the loss of a friendship I once held dear, it was clear Jonathan wasn’t the same person I once knew. Or perhaps, I’d never known the real him.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Meredith asked quietly as she walked into the room, careful not to wake the guys.
“I’m okay.”
I may have been in a considerable amount of pain, but I was alive, thanks to Mac and my father. Every time I thought about what they risked to save me, it brought out emotions that were difficult to handle. I owed them everything.
When I woke up after surgery an
d saw the two of them, I was so relieved neither had been hurt. I asked them if they were going to be arrested for killing Jonathan. I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if either had to serve time because of me. They assured me it was all taken care of, but they wouldn’t give me details. They said it was club business, which drove me crazy.
“The doctor said you might be able to go home tomorrow,” Meredith stated, and I nodded my head.
“So, we’re busting out of here soon?” Viking asked as he stretched and slowly sat up.
“You don’t have to stay,” I told him yet again, which earned me a hard glare. Viking had already made it clear he wasn’t leaving until I did.
“Hey, baby,” Mac said. Our conversation must have woken him up as well. He got off the sofa and walked to my bedside.
“Hi.” I smiled at him. Every time I looked at him, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t believe I’d been lucky enough to not only find a family but also find the man I was meant to be with.
He leaned down to kiss me. He was being gentle, but I wanted more. I reached up and pulled him even closer. I moaned into his mouth, completely forgetting we had an audience until I heard my father clear his throat.
“We’re going to get some coffee in the cafeteria,” Meredith announced, pulling a reluctant Viking behind her.
“I’ll be right back,” Viking called from the doorway.
“No, he won’t,” Meredith stated emphatically. “You two need a little privacy.”
I heard my dad grumble all the way down the hallway and it made me laugh.
“That’s a beautiful sound, babe.”
I looked at Mac. “What’s a beautiful sound?”
“That laugh. I was scared out of my mind that I might never hear it again. Seeing a gun pointed at you nearly broke me.” I saw his eyes glisten with pure, raw emotion. “I knew then I could never live without you. I love you.”
Mac (Desert Sinners MC Book 1) Page 13
