“Okay brat, just making sure you’re not causing trouble. See you when you get here. I’m making lunch.”
“Hahaha! Thanks for the warning. I need to give Tori a call and let her know everything went okay. See you soon. Bye Holt!”
She quickly keyed in Tori’s number only to get her answering machine. “Hey Tori, it’s Aspen. I just picked up the dogs and I’m heading back to the farm. Have Russell call when he gets close for directions. If he can’t get my cell, here is Holt’s, just in case.”
The trip seemed to go quicker than she thought. She was passing the seedy part of town and shuddered when she saw the condemned bar that used to be Roosters. That was the bar where dad met Helen. What a dump. She thought she saw movement and took a second glance only to see nothing at all. Maybe it was her imagination.
She had just put her attention back on the road when the roar of speeding motorcycles caught up to her ears. Before she could stop what was happening, the bikes were almost on top of her, forcing her off the road, causing the van to slam into a tree.
24
Holt
* * *
Several hours had passed since Holt had called Aspen, and she still wasn’t back with the canines. Holt and Beau had finished all the prep out in the barn, expecting her to arrive hours ago. Beau had since gone back up to the main house as Holt paced outside. Assuming it was just his paranoia, he tried to calm down by taking Gunner out to the cages to play with the remaining litter. Gunner was beginning to adapt to his new surroundings, and Holt loved watching him enjoy time with the rest of the animals. It was nice to see he was now avoiding puppies instead of bullets.
As the puppies pounced on Gunner, Holt tried to take his mind off Aspen, but it was difficult, especially after she’d been run off the road by that motorcycle gang. Why she insisted on going to Fort Bragg alone was beyond him, but he couldn’t smother her either. It was a double-edged sword, and something he had to overcome, but until then he had to figure out what was taking her so long. He continued debating with himself whether to call or not to call. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore, the paranoia was just too much. He was calling her. Grabbing his phone, he dialed her number, then hung up.
Aspen’s a strong-willed woman. She can take care of herself. I guess that’s why I fell in love with her. Where the hell is that woman at? Fine, I’m calling her. Dialing the phone again, he heard it go right to voice mail.
Aspen
Aspen’s head pounded as her eyes opened. It was dark, and she could feel blood streaming from her forehead. She attempted to wipe the blood from her eyes and realized she couldn’t move, she couldn’t see, and she had no idea where she was. Struggling against what she now realized were ropes, she began to scream.
“Somebody, anybody! Help me!” Aspen screamed, and the dogs began to bark.
In the dark, a voice screamed back at her, “Shut up, bitch.”
“Who is there? Where am I? Why am I here?”
“I said, shut the fuck up!” the voice in the dark replied. “Shut up or I am shooting one of these dogs.”
“No, please don’t. I swear I will shut up. Just please… Where am I?” Aspen felt a stinging pain when something struck her, and she felt the warm breath of her mysterious kidnapper against her neck.
“Well, baby girl, I warned you to stay away and you wouldn’t listen. Now I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”
“Tork?”
Folding his arms around her neck, he slowly drew his tongue over her cheek. “That’s right, baby girl. It’s Tork, and here soon, I am gonna show you how I teach naughty girls a lesson.” He grabbed her breasts, squeezing hard, and she screeched in pain.
“Get off me, you bastard.”
“Oh, I’ll get off on you all right. You just be patient. I gotta take care of a little business then I am all yours.” He licked her face again and kissed her, and she spat at him.
“Oh no, bitch, you do not get to disrespect me like that. Look what you’ve done—I’m even more angry now.” Tork punched her in the face, making her pass out. As he left the room, Diesel lunged for the man, sinking his teeth into Tork’s calf and drawing blood. As Diesel veered away, Tork kicked him hard, injuring the dog’s ribs. Diesel yelped in pain and fell to the floor.
Holt
Holt paced for over an hour, continuing to call Aspen with no answer. Finally, he jumped in his truck to see if he could find her. As he slid into the cab of his truck, Russell and Jasmine pulled up.
Russell jumped out then helped Jasmine down from their vehicle. “Where are you heading off to?”
“Ya, sorry about this. Aspen still hasn’t made it back, and I am worried,” Holt told the pair.
“What do you mean she’s not here? We talked to her several hours ago, and she said she was on her way. She shoulda been here a long time ago,” Russell exclaimed.
“That’s true, Holt. She called and said she was about twenty minutes out from here. She should have been here hours ago,” Jasmine confirmed.
Holt started pacing furiously. “I gotta find her. Something had to have happened.”
Holt hadn’t realized how loud he was until Beau and Maggie, who had been playing cards in the house, walked out onto the porch.
“Holt, is everything okay?” Beau asked.
Holt could have kicked himself, but he couldn’t keep it quiet. If something had happened, Beau needed to know. “I don’t know, Beau. Aspen isn’t back yet, and I am worried.”
“Not back yet? Well, what’s taking you so long? Go out there and find my baby girl.”
Holt smiled, a worried grin, and headed toward his truck. Russell stopped him in his tracks and declared, “You’re gonna need back up. I’m going with you.” He turned to Jasmine whose worried look was evident.
“Don’t worry about me, Miss Jasmine. I will come back to you.” Russell winked and Jasmine’s face blushed.
“Just be careful. Tori will kill me if you get hurt.”
“Not to worry. We are trained professionals. We got this.” He smiled as he and Holt, along with Jagger, loaded into Holt’s truck and peeled off toward Fort Bragg.
As the men scanned the back roads to Fort Bragg, the only good light was coming from the full moon overhead. Turning off to the next road, Russell saw something and pointed toward a ditch.
“Holt! Man, there’s a van over there!”
“Can you tell the color?” Holt’s voice was panicked.
“It’s red! Pull over!” Russell demanded. Holt quickly turned around, pulled over, and parked behind the van. Both men jumped out, checked the cab of the van, then Russell checked the back.
“They’re gone, Holt, all of them. Even the dogs.”
“There’s blood on the steering wheel airbag,” Holt replied. “We gotta find her!” The concern in his voice intensified.
“We will. I’m gonna call Jas and let her know.”
“All right. Aspen’s gotta be here somewhere,” he worried. “Unless…” Holt stopped talking when he saw tire tracks on the road. His flashlight had happened to skim burn-out mark on the concrete.
“Unless what, man?” Russell slid into the cab of the truck and pulled his phone out of his pocket so he could call Jasmine and let her know what was happening.
Holt shared the entire story with Russell after he had finished his call with Jasmine. She promised not to say anything to Beau and Maggie and told the men again to be careful. Once they were back on the road, they headed toward Tork’s place, only to find it abandoned when they got there.
“Any ideas, brother?” Russell asked.
“Not a clue. It’s like they disappeared off the face of the earth.” Pulling over on the side of the road, Holt and Russell racked their brains, then it hit him. “That old bar out on the highway, when we passed it, I swear I thought I saw something but decided it might be my eyes playing tricks on me.”
Russell was completely on board. “Let’s check it out. I’ll call Jas, so if we need back up, she wi
ll have the cavalry on their way.”
Aspen
Aspen stirred awake. Her face was swollen and sore, and she had the coppery taste of blood in her mouth. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she finally got a glimpse of the dogs. All were chained to spikes in the ground. Diesel, the dog Tork had kicked, was still laid flat on the ground, whimpering. Aspen began to cry, but through her tears she tried to comfort the injured dog. “It’s okay, boy. You are so brave. Thank you for trying to protect me. Once we are outta here, I will get you some help. But until then we gotta stay quiet because we don’t want them to come back in. You pups behave; I know Holt will come save us. I just know it.”
The dogs seemed to listen, and together lay down. Some stretched out with noses on front paws and others curled up like a ball. When the sound of motorcycles roared up to the building, Aspen knew they weren’t alone anymore. Laying her head back and closing her eyes, she hoped that if she played possum, it would buy her time for Holt to get there. She hoped.
Holt
“There it is, Holt. Those bikes were there earlier.”
“I see them. I’m gonna pull over. You up for a hike, brother?”
“Always. You got any weapons?” Russell asked.
“Ya, I got a 9mm in the glove compartment with a couple of clips, and an old com set.” Getting out of the truck Holt rummaged around behind the driver’s seat. “Got it!”
“What’d ya find?”
“My backup 9mm, com, and a bag of clips.” Holt pulled the bag out and placed it in the driver’s seat, dividing the ammunition between them.
“You ready?” Holt asked.
Russell checked himself then replied, “Damned right I am. I’ve been itching to kick some ass lately, and these guys are on my list. Jagger, let’s go,”
Holt smiled. “Roger. You two take the left, I’ll go right. I will be exposed, so cover me.”
“I got you, brother. Let’s kick some ass.”
The men and Jagger moved slowly through the wood line to the back of the bar. Communicating with hand signals only, they moved in. They could hear music coming from the main bar area, but it was muffled. Holt took cover near a window at the back of the building. Peering inside he saw Aspen, bloodied and beaten.
Holt broke radio silence. “Russell, I see them. All of them. Aspen doesn’t look good, and looks like one of the dogs is hurt. What you got? Over.”
“I count six, over.”
“Roger! We need a diversion. Any ideas?” Holt replied a little too loudly, and the dogs went crazy. “Never mind, there’s our diversion. When we get them separated, watch for my signal and go in.”
Holt watched as Tork and another man emerged into the back room where they were holding Aspen and the dogs. Tork kicked at Aspen’s feet as the other man began to kick the dogs. The dogs’ deep menacing snarls threatened retribution as they barked and growled at the man tormenting them.
Tork continued to kick Aspen, then took another approach. Kneeling at her side, he cut her ropes loose then reached into her shirt, ripping it in half and tearing off her bra.
Aspen screamed, “Don’t fucking touch me, you bastard!” as she hit him in the jaw.
Holt told Russell, “Take it!” The men burst through the doors of the ramshackle bar and began shooting, taking out all but one. Tork stood face to face with Holt, holding a knife to Aspen’s throat. He was apparently unaware that Holt was not alone. From behind the biker, Russell lined up and took his shot, hitting Tork in the head right as the police pulled up.
Aspen ran to Holt’s arms while Russell checked on the dogs. Healing Heroes gained not only the retired military canines, but twenty-two other dogs, all former fighting dogs. They would be retrained as service and assistance dogs for veterans.
“I knew you would come, Holt.”
Holt held Aspen as tightly as he could without hurting her. “You knew, huh?”
“Ya, I knew. You have always been my savior, my hero, the love of my life.”
“Love, huh?” Holt smiled, cupping the base of her neck and pulling her closer so their noses touched. “I love you too, Aspen. I have from the moment I met you. You have been and always will be the love and the savior of my life. For that I will never leave your side again. I will protect you and keep you from harm, even if it kills me.”
Aspen smiled, pulling him even closer. She winced when she kissed him. As they pulled from their kiss, Aspen looked at Holt with determination and replied, “Not if I kill them first.”
* * *
THE END
The author and I hope you’ve enjoyed this addition to the Suspenseful Seduction World. Please consider leaving a review on your favorite book sites. Thank you!
* * *
Love, Samantha
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Other Books by Shannon Nemechek
Check these Books out here
Warranted Pleasures (A Warranted Series Book 1)
Warranted Desires (A Warranted Series Book 2)
Snowed In (A Warranted Novella)
ANTHOLOGIES
Craving Soldiers
Craving Secrets
Craving Christmas
Craving Country
Craving Once Night
My Soldiers 2
Blame it on the Night
ARES TEAM
Rules of Engagement
TORN
FAIRY TALE RETELLING SERIES
ELLA UNCOVERED
MMA SERIES
BAMA TIDE
Book of Eleanor Series
The Traveler: Chimera Rebellion
The Traveler: Chimera Revolution- June 2020
The Traveler: Chimera Rising-Dec 2020
The Traveler: Chimera Requiem-June 2021
The Traveler: Chimera Reign- Dec 2021
The Traveler: Chimera Resistance- June 2022
The Traveler: Chimera Rivalry- Dec 2022
The Traveler: Chimera Reclaimed- June 2023
About Suzette Thurlow
Suzette grew up in Sandpoint, ID where she graduated from High School in 1984. She graduated from college in 1986 where she studied Culinary Arts.
After college she joined the U.S. Air Force and served twenty-two years as a MSgt and retired in 2008.
Always trying something new she looks for creative ways to recycle thrift store finds. She has recently turned to writing as an outlet for her creative side.
She is a wife, married to her wonderful husband of twenty-one years, and mother of four. They live in their cabin in the woods outside of Sandpoint, Idaho.
About Shannon Nemechek
Shannon is a USA Today Bestselling Author of over 18 novels and novellas.
Shannon is a multi-genre author who writes, Military, Contemporary, Historical Romance and is working on her first Fantasy series.
Shannon started her writing career while still serving in the US Army.
Shannon grew up in Macomb, IL where she graduated from High School in 1987 and soon after joined the US Army. Shannon served from 1987 to 2015 during Operation Desert Storm and during Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In April 2015 Shannon retired from the US Army with 23 years of service as a Unit Supply Sergeant. She is a mother of 4 children and a grandma to 2 beautiful Granddaughters. She has been married 26 years to her husband, Ken. They reside in Staunton, IL a small town along Old Route 66.
Shannon is best known for her Military Romance series A Warranted Series.
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This book incl
udes one or more characters from Samantha A. Cole’s Trident Security series and Doms of The Covenant series. Check them out and some of her other books listed below.
The Trident Security Series
Leather & Lace: Book 1
His Angel: Book 2
Waiting For Him: Book 3
Not Negotiable: A Novella Book 3.5
Topping The Alpha: Book 4
Watching From the Shadows: Book 5
Whiskey Tribute: A Novella Book 5.5
Tickle His Fancy: Book 6
No Way in Hell: A Steel Corp/Trident Security Crossover: Books 1 & 2
Absolving His Sins: Book 7
Option Number Three: A Novella Book 7.5
Salvaging His Soul: Book 8
Trident Security Field Manual
Torn In Half
* * *
The Trident Security Omega Team Series
Mountain of Evil: TS Omega Team Prequel
A Dead Man’s Pulse: TS Omega Team Book 1
Forty Days & One Knight: Book 2
* * *
The Doms of The Covenant Series
Double Down & Dirty Book 1
Entertaining Distraction: Book 2
* * *
Healing Holt Page 11
