Lifting my chin, I keep my eyes focused on Ford and Wyatt’s back, then on the front door as they stand and wait for someone to answer. My skin itches, it burns from the inside out, clawing to get free, to burst through and do what is in my nature to do—get my woman.
Holding my breath for what feels like longer than should be physically possible, I let it out in a whoosh when both Ford and Wyatt turn toward the truck. They make their way back to us.
“Fuck,” Louis hisses from behind me. I’m not surprised. If I were holding a woman hostage, I wouldn’t answer the fucking door either.
Wyatt and Ford jump in the truck and I watch as Wyatt immediately grips the steering wheel. “No answer,” he grunts. “I heard a noise inside though. I think someone is in there. If it’s Channing, I don’t know, but that house is not empty.”
My stomach twists at the thought of what that noise could mean. I don’t ask what it sounded like, if it sounded like a woman struggling, or crying, or what. I honest to fuck cannot handle that right now. I dig my fingers into my thighs and try to take calming breaths.
I cannot go off half-cocked. I cannot bust into that house. But then again, I cannot sit here and do nothing either. “I have to do something. She’s in there, we all know she is,” I growl.
Wyatt nods. “Those fucks will call the police, then it’s us that gets arrested. We already know that’s what will happen,” he mumbles.
“The five of us have to be smarter than those three,” Beaumont drawls.
A thought pops into my head. “Smoke ‘em out,” I say.
“Rylan,” Wyatt says with a warning tone.
I look over to him. “Serious as fuck, we need them out.”
I slide out of the truck, walking over to a neighbor’s house, ignoring the calls from Wyatt, Ford, and the others. I don’t really give a fuck, I need them out, and I need Channing, right fucking now. There is no more sitting around holding my cock.
“Yes?” a woman asks, clutching onto her chest as she stares at me through her screen door.
Fuck do I look that scary? I’m probably wild-eyed, maybe I do look like a psycho. I don’t really care though, I just need this bitch to get my woman out of that house. Maybe I am that fucking scary, I am completely tatted up, neck to hands. Some people may find that frightening, though these days it’s kind of a norm anymore.
“The house next door? Have you seen two pregnant women go inside?” I chance asking.
Her eyes shift to the side, then come back to me. “There are always young girls going in and out of there. You know it ain’t right, he’s a grown man. It’s none of my never mind, but those girls don’t look of age,” she explains.
“I think he kidnapped my girlfriend, she’s pregnant. Do you think you could try and get them out of the house. I just want to talk to him, see if she’s in there,” I ramble.
The woman’s eyes widen. “I’ll call the sheriff,” she nods.
Shaking my head, I frown. “I already called, they said because she’s an adult they won’t file a missing person’s report yet. She’s missing though, and I think they took her,” I explain.
The woman looks over to the house, then back to me again. There is movement behind her, and I see a woman making her way to the door. “MawMaw, what’s going on?” she asks.
She’s about our age, maybe a little younger. Her eyes skirt past me and lock in on Wyatt. I watch as her cheeks blush crimson red, and if I didn’t want my fucking woman out of that house so goddamn bad, I would like the look she’s giving him, and I would encourage something more. Wyatt needs a good woman in his life, one who isn’t Sammi.
“Exeter?” Wyatt asks from behind me.
I watch her smile, then tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “Hey, Wyatt,” she whispers.
“Fuck, do you think you could help us?” he asks.
Without hesitation, she steps around the woman and opens the screen door to come outside. “Whatever you need, Wyatt,” she breathes.
He curses behind me, beneath his breath. If this chick hears him, she doesn’t act like she does. “Go ahead inside, MawMaw, call the sheriff if you need to,” she mutters.
“What do you know?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
She glances over at Jacob’s house then back over to us. “I know whatever he does in there, it’s nothing good. I’ll see if I can sneak in the back. He never locks it,” she shrugs.
“Exeter?” Wyatt grunts.
Her eyes find his, and instead of girlish blushing, she looks sad as she gazes up at my cousin. “Doesn’t matter, Wyatt. I know who Channing is, I’ve heard the rumors. I know who Jacob and James are, too. I want to help.” Without another word, she hurries toward the back of the house.
“We need to be close in case she needs our help,” Ford grunts.
“Fuck that,” Wyatt growls. He takes off in a full run, catching up to her quickly while we all kind of stand back like a group of dumbfounded idiots and watch.
Chapter Twenty-Six
CHANNING
There is a knock on the door, then the bell rings, then another loud booming knock. I know who it is. It has to be. There is nobody else it could be. My heart races as I try to wriggle against my wrist restraints. They’re still too tight, and not getting any looser. I feel defeated, but I know that Rylan won’t give up, not on me.
“Fuck,” James hisses. “That fucker is here, isn’t he? How did he find us?” he rambles.
Jennifer, Jacob, and the mystery abused girl all come into the room a few seconds later. Jacob looks panicked wearing only a pair of jeans, Jennifer looks oddly satisfied, but dressed, and the girl is completely naked.
I don’t tell him that he’s stupid. We’re at Jacob’s house. It wouldn’t be hard to draw the conclusion. There are less than five-hundred people that live in Gallup. If I wasn’t at James and Jennifer’s, this would be the second stop. I’m just grateful they are all that damn dumb.
“They’ll go away.” Jennifer shrugs. “They won’t come in here, my guess is they’ve already called the sheriff, but he won’t do dick,” she smirks.
Her eyes find mine and her smirk turns into a huge smile. “Rylan would call the sheriff, wouldn’t he?” she asks. I press my lips together, refusing to answer her, the crazy bitch. Hell yes, Rylan would call the sheriff.
She leans forward, luckily the knife from earlier is gone from her hand. Her eyes are alight with evil delight, she is downright fucking terrifying. I hold my breath as her face gets closer, too close, so close that her nose runs alongside my own.
“All I want to do is see you suffer and bleed. The sheriff isn’t going to do shit, nobody in this town is going to do a damn thing for a no good homewrecking whore like you, Channing,” she whispers.
I refuse to respond to her. She doesn’t deserve my response. She deserves nothing.
“Jennifer,” James barks.
She stands, turning to him, but I watch the exchange. I watch him back down, his shoulders slump and his head hangs slightly. “James,” she purrs.
“They’re gone,” he mutters.
“Go look out the front window and fucking check you moron,” Jacob barks.
The girl’s body at his side physically jerks from his harsh tone. I stare at her, trying to figure her out, but I can’t. I cannot tell if she’s here because she wants to be, or if she’s like me, forced to join in their sick games. Unfortunately, I think it’s a mixture of both. My heart sinks for her, even if she’s got this sick look in her eyes, I know that this is not a life she chose freely.
James leaves the room, and my heart clenches, because I’m left with Jacob and Jennifer. They both look over to me. Jacob licks his lips, but Jennifer scowls. There’s a noise in the kitchen and we all freeze.
“The truck is gone,” James announces as he walks back into the room.
Jennifer’s head whips around to look at him. “Shut up you idiot,” she screeches. “Someone is in the house.”
James frowns, his eyes lift and follow the
direction of Jacob and Jennifer’s gaze. We all sit in silence. I’m half tempted to scream or cry out, but I’m afraid I’ll be backhanded again. My cheek and the side of my head is still aching from the last time.
“You’re sure the truck is gone?” Jacob asks.
James nods, he looks down at the naked girl on her knees. “Maybe it’s her friend?” he asks, kicking the girl on the floor. She makes a grunting sound.
“You mean the uptight cousin? I highly fucking doubt it,” Jennifer snorts. “She’s been little Miss Priss since high school. No way would she ever come over here.”
The three of them begin to argue amongst themselves. I take the moment to close my eyes and inhale deeply before I let out the exhale. I need these assholes to just leave me the hell alone, but I know if I remind them of my presence, Jennifer will talk about cutting my stomach open and killing me again.
“Leave the bitches here, we need to have a family meeting,” Jennifer growls.
I watch as they walk out of the room, both men following behind her. My eyes shift over to the girl on the floor, but she doesn’t make a move. It’s as if she’s frozen solid. I feel something brush my hand. Then I feel someone behind me, and lips pressed against my ear. “Don’t worry, I’m the uptight bitch from next door. The sheriff is coming, maybe. Wyatt and his crew are outside, pacing and pissed,” she whispers.
“I’m not pissed,” I hear Wyatt hiss.
I hear her squeak behind me. “Where did you come from. Why are you here?” she asks.
“Can you guys argue elsewhere?” I grind out. “I’m kind of in a situation.”
Wyatt chuckles. “Okay, Channing.”
Both Wyatt and the mystery girl are focused on untying my wrists, as am I. None of us see the naked beaten girl move. That is until she’s holding a knife to my stomach.
“Exeter, you make one more move and I’ll cut this bitch,” she growls.
She sounds animalistic. My wide, terrified eyes lift from the knife against my stomach to hers. Looking at her, really looking into her eyes, I notice that she looks more animal than human. My heart sinks for her, as well as myself. I will not make it out of this house. The realization fills me. I thought there was hope, but now, I’m not so sure. I’m beginning to lose all hope that there is an out for me here.
“Don’t do this, Emily. Please, don’t do this,” the girl behind me begs.
Emily, that’s her name. She looks like at one time she could have been as sweet as the name suggests. However, she’s no longer that sweet girl. Her eyes are wild, and I wonder if she’s actually high. With Jennifer and Jacob, it wouldn’t surprise me. Obviously, that whole family is into some sick shit, and Jennifer is the ring leader, the bitch in charge.
“She is trying to ruin everything, Exeter,” she hisses.
Exeter makes a noise in the back of her throat. “No, she’s not. Her boyfriend wants her back home, she doesn’t want anything to do with these people, you have to believe me,” she pleads.
“I can’t just let you walk out,” Emily mutters.
I hear someone shift behind me, then she appears from my back. Exeter has dark shiny hair, she’s pretty, curvy, and her face is beautiful. Wyatt moves as well, his hand pressing against her back. I bite the corner of my lip, wondering if there is something between them, almost forgetting about my current predicament.
“You can, and you will,” Wyatt announces. He moves forward displaying the gun in his grip. He points the barrel toward Emily.
Emily’s hand moves, she swings the knife toward Wyatt and Exeter. I expect him to pull the trigger, but he doesn’t. His grip is firm, unwavering, but he doesn’t even jerk at her movement. “If I scream they’ll be in here, then you’ll all die,” she says. “You need to leave, Exeter. I can’t save you.”
“Why are you this way? Why do you do this?” Exeter asks, keeping her voice soft and gentle.
Emily shakes her head, lifting her free hand to her throat. “He loves me. You don’t understand. You never will, because no one man wants you the way Jacob wants me.”
“He’s sick, Emily. You’re sick too,” she whispers. There’s a tremble to her voice and I know that she’s hurting for her cousin.
Emily shakes her head, her eyes even wilder than before. “He’s not. He loves me and sometimes love hurts. Just like your dad hurts you, just like mine hurt me,” she rambles.
I notice Wyatt’s back stiffen. Then before I know what’s happened, I watch in astonishment as he shoves his gun in his waistband before he charges Emily. He places his hand over her mouth and pushes her down to the floor, struggling with her for the knife. Exeter stands frozen. I sit in shock, just watching. Suddenly, the front door opens, and the sheriff is standing there—gun drawn.
RYLAN
Wyatt and Exeter have been gone too long. We had the grandma call the sheriff a few minutes ago, though I’m not sure that lazy bastard is really going to do anything. In preparation, and hopes that James and Jacob are just as stupid as we anticipate, we moved the truck down the street as soon as Wyatt and the girl went into the back part of the house.
Now, we wait.
I hate it.
I hate that my hands are tied. I hate that I can’t get my woman. I hate that I wasn’t able to keep her safe.
Watching down the street, I let out a sigh of relief when Sheriff Robby’s car pulls up. Ford marches toward him, and I stay back, waiting for them to have it out. The sheriff’s face is all red and he looks like he’s about to blow his top. He inhales then exhales and nods. I watch as he lifts his finger and points it at Ford’s chest. He turns and walks toward the house, Ford flips him off and I chuckle.
“What was that?” I ask as Ford makes his way toward us.
“He’s a dick, but he promised to put forth some effort,” he grunts.
All of us wait, I hold my breath as he takes his gun out and slowly turns the front doorknob. He takes one step inside and his body jerks. I hear a guns blast and ice floods my veins. I know he sees something. He holsters his gun and runs into the house.
“We need to be his backup,” I growl.
Louis presses his hand to my chest to stop me from running. “You don’t do shit. Let us go,” he growls.
I’m left behind. I watch as Beaumont, Ford, and Louis jog toward the house. “Fuck this,” I grunt.
I follow behind them, unwilling to let all of this go down without me being close. If Channing needs me, I have to be there for her.
As the last to arrive, I walk into the living area and my knees practically give out. There is a dirty, beat-up naked woman sitting down with her back against the wall. Jennifer, James, and Jacob are on another wall in the same position. James is holding his side, looking pretty goddamn uncomfortable and I can’t deny that it makes me smile.
My eyes skirt over the other people in the room and when I see her, I let out a sigh of relief, but I’m also filled with rage at the same time. Wyatt is behind her, she lifts her hands and I watch as she rubs her wrists. She must feel my presence. Her face lifts to mine and my blood runs cold.
“What the fucking fuck happened?” I roar.
Her hand automatically lifts to her cheek and her eyes water. I can’t hear her, my blood is rushing through my ears so damn fast and loud that I can’t hear a damn thing. When I see her lips say my name, I shake my head once.
I’m so goddamn angry. My eyes leave hers, looking around the room and then focus on James. One of the guys must be watching me, before I can reach the pussy assed piece of shit I’m restrained, both of my arms are pulled behind me and I’m forced to stand down.
“Go to Channing. She needs you.” Beaumont’s voice breaks through the roaring. I drop my head, inhaling and exhaling, attempting to calm myself down. It doesn’t work.
I nod once. “I’m good,” I lie. I can’t fucking calm down.
He releases me as I shake him off. I turn my back to James, finding Channing again. Slowly, I walk toward her, going against everything inside of me
that begs for me to beat the ever-loving shit out of James and his brother.
Channing is still sitting in a chair, her face bruised, swollen and a little bloody, but she seems otherwise unharmed. I immediately sink to my knees.
“Sweetheart,” I rasp. My hands flex and itch to touch her, but honest to fuck, I’m scared. She smiles, lifting her hands she cups my cheeks.
“I’m okay,” she states. Slowly she leans forward and presses her lips to mine.
I try to return her kiss softly and gently so that I don’t hurt her. I fail. Lifting my hand, I grip her at the back of her head, and I press my lips against hers, forcing my tongue into her mouth. I need to taste her, to hold her, to remind her, and myself, that she is mine.
Only mine.
Forever mine.
Slowly, I release the kiss, wishing that I could stay there forever, but knowing I can’t. Not in this shit hole. I almost reach into my pocket and propose to her right here, except glancing around, I don’t want this to be the place. Not in this house, under these circumstances.
Keeping my hand in her hair, I look behind me to the sheriff. “Can I go and take her to the hospital?” I ask.
“Already called in a bus for her and James. Just sit tight,” he grumbles.
“And the rest of these fucks?” I ask, lifting my chin at the three pieces of shit against the wall.
The sheriff hums. “Taken care of. Got some help coming in to take statements. After that, we just got to process it all,” he shrugs.
I hate how nonchalant the asshole is, especially after he refused to listen to us about where Channing was. Turning back to my woman, I press my forehead against hers, breathing heavily as the weight of what’s happened finally crashes around me.
“I’m okay,” she breathes.
Lifting my forehead from hers, I look into her pretty cornflower blue eyes. “You’re not, but you fucking will be. I’ll make sure of it, sweetheart,”
CONVICT: An Unfit Hero Novel Page 20
