by Eve R. Hart
Oh please, God, don’t let it be a needle.
I could only imagine what the hell kind of grossness I was laying in. Using my legs, I tried to wiggle forward and away from whatever the hell it was that was cutting into me.
“What are you going to do, Tara?” I asked and tried to keep the bite out of my voice.
“What do you mean?” she asked and her head cocked to the side in confusion, but the look she held on her face was downright frightening. There wasn’t anything in her eyes as she stared down at me. Not a glimmer of the Tara I had gotten to know. Or maybe it was that I’d just never noticed the emptiness before.
“Why are we here? Why am I tied up? What is it that you are trying to accomplish with all of this?”
“I just want to be you. Is that so wrong, Gwenie?”
She leaned over me and I had to crane my neck to the side to keep her in my vision. Then the dim light in the room caught on something hanging around her neck. The pendant swung back and forth on the chain as it dangled in the air. My mom’s necklace. I closed my eyes and a tear slipped out, leaving a wet trail over my nose.
“You are going to disappear and Knight is going to get a note saying you couldn’t take it anymore and you had to leave.” She pointed at me as she spoke.
“I’m not writing shit for you,” I bit out.
So, I was really scared right then and I honestly had not one clue how to get out of this. I knew all the things that were the smart thing to do in a situation like this, but knowing and being able to do them were two different things. Like, stay calm. And not taunt your tormentor. And try to connect with them on some level. Or wait for the right moment to strike out.
Yes, I understood all of those things and I could even recite them in my head at that moment. But as the panic that I was going to fucking die on that dirty mattress kicked in, I couldn’t follow any of those rules.
I swung my bound legs out and made contact with her knee. She stumbled back a few steps but it wasn’t enough to bring her down. By the maniacal laugh that rang out, she wasn’t even fazed by the action.
She picked up a baseball bat I had neglected to notice when I had scanned the area. I closed my eyes as she began to raise it in the air. I didn’t want to see it come down on me. I knew feeling it was going to be bad enough. The air whooshed right next to my face and the smack of it hitting the mattress echoed in my ears.
“Please,” I whimpered because I just couldn’t hold my fear back anymore.
Everything flashed in my head. I always thought people were full of shit when they said that. But right then, I sent silent apologies for every time that thought crossed through my head.
Millions of images were right there and I didn’t dare open my eyes. If I was going to die, I wanted the last thing I saw to make me happy. To fill me with the love and warmth I’d had my entire life.
I wanted to remember my dad and mom together. Every hug and kiss they ever gave me. Every birthday we shared. Every holiday. All the times they were there cheering me on for one little thing or another.
I wanted to remember every single time that Knight had smiled and said my name. Every time I caught him looking when he didn’t think I knew. Every touch and his smell. The kiss. Oh God, I wanted to live in that kiss.
I tried not to think about everything I would miss out on or wouldn’t get to do. Like how I’d never get to meet Stacy’s baby. Or that I wouldn’t get to see my dad’s proud face as I walked the stage and was handed my degree. All the goodbyes I wouldn’t get to say. And the three words I should have said to Knight the morning he said them to me.
I love you.
I whispered the words over and over again in my mind, all while praying to the universe that he would hear them. I needed him to know. I forgave him for everything. I didn’t even care about the past at that point or how much he’d hurt me all those years ago. I let it all go because I realized right then that it wasn’t what mattered the most.
“Oh. My. God,” Tara said with a dramatic tone of frustration. “Will you please stop. I can practically hear your thoughts and fuck, it is annoying.”
I refused to open my eyes. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction that she was getting to me.
“So after you are gone, poor Knight is going to be so heartbroken and sad. Guess who’s going to be there, understanding his sadness, sharing his grief? Me, that’s who.”
“No,” I growled.
“Yes. He’ll be so sad and I will be right there lending my shoulder for him to cry on. I will have it all then. All his attention. His love. I’ll be perfect for him.”
“You’ll never be me,” I barked as I lost the fight to keep my eyes closed. I met her lifeless eyes and regretted it the second I did.
“No?” She popped her hip out and put her hand on it. Her head tilted as her eyes went to the ceiling like she was actually taking a moment to think about what I’d said. After a long pause, she shrugged and looked back down at me. “Maybe not, but I will have everything you have. I will get everything you wanted.”
Knight wouldn’t. I knew it in my heart that he would see right through her. That he would know that I wouldn’t ever leave him and he would keep looking until he found me. I had to believe that.
That was when it all clicked into place. The club would know something was wrong by now. I was supposed to meet my dad and Knight, and when they couldn’t get in touch with me, I knew they’d panic. I imagined that the whole club was probably out looking for me. I needed to suck it up, find the strength inside, and try to delay whatever she had planned for as long as I could.
Keep her talking.
As I thought about that, the bile threatened to push its way up my throat. I wasn’t sure I could listen to another crazy word come out of her mouth but it looked like I didn’t have much of a choice.
“Why now?” I asked and yeah, okay, maybe a part of me did wonder what had changed. What was it that made her want to kidnap me and plan to kill me?
She let out a heavy sigh that almost sounded regretful. Her head dropped and her shoulders sagged.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I don’t really want to hurt you. It was all going fine.” Her head snapped up and her arms raised, her hands curled into claws. “Until him!”
“I don’t understand. Please, help me make this right.” My tone was surprisingly calm and even.
Did I mean those words? Fuck no! But I could sense this was what she needed. I knew she was talking about Knight and my mind raced as I tried to place all the pieces together.
“At first he did his best to avoid you. He was an asshole to you and it was almost like you didn’t exist to him. But I saw it. I saw how he looked at you when he did look at you. Though, you didn’t. It was all alright when you were blind, when you thought he hated you.”
She paced the small area in front of the mattress, her fingers clawing at her strange, blonde hair.
“You should have gone for Dale. If you had then everything would be fine. Because I knew you’d never really have feelings for the guy. I mean, like really?”
She laughed like the thought of me being with Dale was ridiculous. The guy was nice and I liked him, but as much as I hated it, I had to agree with her. My heart belonged to someone else and even if I did date him, he’d never be able to get even a sliver of me.
“It would have been perfect because you’d have this mundane relationship with lukewarm feelings at most. So, you’d still want to hang out with me. I wouldn’t be pushed aside because you’d never let Dale have that much of you.”
I must have been losing brain cells from the filthy air around me because I could almost see the picture she was painting. And as much as I hated to admit it, she was right.
Not that it made any of this even remotely okay.
I mean, she was still crazy beyond reason.
“But then something happened between you and Knight, and I’m so desperate to know how he got his princess. I really am. Did he finally break and tell yo
u how he felt?”
She looked up like she was trying to figure it out.
I wasn’t about to tell her that he finally let his guard down for me. That he finally stopped fighting everything. Oh, and how could I have forgotten the kiss. Honestly, I think that was the breaking point for both of us. But she didn’t get to know any of that. It was mine, and if that meant I’d take it to my grave, then so be it.
“I need caffeine,” she announced like it had been something normal to say right then. It didn’t escape me that I’d heard her say those very same words on more occasions than I could count. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?” Her voice was oddly chipper and the smile that graced her face would have seemed normal if she hadn’t drugged, kidnapped, and bound me.
Then she bounced out of the room.
I was mentally and physically exhausted. I wanted to close my eyes but I was afraid what would happen if I did.
The minutes stretched on and I questioned if she was even going to come back. My whole body ached and it hurt to even shift on that lumpy mattress. I pushed it all down as I tried to plan a way out. My ears were pounding, but I did my best to listen to any sound that might indicate where she’d gone. I couldn’t hear a damn thing.
I tried to roll over again, gritting through the pain as my body screamed at me. I wondered how long I’d been in that position. My legs and shoulders were stiff and cramping. With my hands tied behind my back, I had no way to free my legs. I finally managed to get myself in a seated position. I looked around for something—anything that would help me rid the tape that held me bound. Not finding a thing, I started moving my legs back and forth in hopes to loosen the duct tape around my ankles. My skin burned as it felt like it was being ripped off.
I felt the slick heat of blood building up inside the tape and I wanted to cry. I was getting nowhere and I wasn’t sure if I should even try to keep at it.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Tara’s voice made my whole body snap to attention. I hadn’t even heard her come back in the room. “Trying to escape? You wound me, princess.”
She tossed a canned coffee energy drink my way. It hit the floor and rolled right into me. I looked up at her wondering why she would do that. It wasn’t like I had my hands free to even open the thing, let alone drink it. She raised her can to her lips, her head tilting back as she swallowed the last little bit.
“Much better,” she said with a shrug and tossed the can over her shoulder without a care in the world.
“So I was thinking…” There was a long pause as I waited for whatever new psychotic plan she had now. “I might be going about this all wrong. I don’t want to hurt you. I really don’t. You believe me, don’t you?”
I found myself nodding but only out of fear of what would happen if I didn’t agree with her.
“I don’t need to get rid of you. I need to get rid of him. With him out of the way, then I can have you all to myself. I mean, as much as I would love nothing more than to take over your life and be you, I’d rather have you here with me all the time.”
I swallowed hard. It worried me how she was all over the place. Was she that off her rocker that she couldn’t even keep her plan straight? I had no idea how the crazy mind worked but I wondered if that was usual in cases like this. As I struggled to pinpoint what exactly was wrong with her, Tara continued to ramble on and on.
“So.” The sharp bark in her tone caught my attention. “I’m just going to hurt you a little. Then I’ll send him a picture and I have no doubt he will come running to save you. All I have to do is let him know where you are and wait patiently. I should be able to do that. I hope. I do get bored easily.”
The blow of the bat against my side forced all the air out of my lungs as I fell to the side on the hard, cold floor. Her foot reared back and I didn’t have time to ready myself for the kick to my abdomen even though I saw it coming. The pain was too much. I tried to hold on, but as she delivered another kick, my vision became spotty right before it went fuzzy.
I couldn’t let her do this. I had to warn him somehow. I had to warn all of them because I knew that he wouldn’t come alone. If any of them died, it would all be my fault. I should have seen that something was off. I had to save them.
Knight.
My dad.
My family.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Knight
“Where the fuck is my little girl?!” Brass roared as he stomped through the clubhouse.
This was on me. I should have seen it a fucking mile away but I was too wrapped up in my shit to take a step back and pay attention to the world around me. Replaying it all now only made me angrier with myself as the seconds ticked on. Seconds that went by without her by my side. Seconds that stretched out the longer we tried to search for something. At this point, I would have taken anything, just a little breadcrumb that might lead me to her.
“Knight!” Brass barked over all the commotion of the room.
Every single one of us was on alert, half of the brothers out pounding the pavement looking for her. While the other half were ready to go at a seconds notice.
“Brass,” I called out as I made my way to him.
I was angry with myself and put the blame on my shoulders. I didn’t want to face the man because I knew he was thinking the same thing. And to be honest, who wouldn’t? But with that said, I was no coward. I’d come out and face him because I was a fucking man.
“I need answers.” I didn’t miss the shakiness in his tone.
“Working on it,” I said and all I wanted to do was put my hand on his shoulder. I wanted to comfort him like I knew we both needed at that moment. But I didn’t dare because I had no doubt that he’d rip the damn thing off. “Headed to Cable’s room.” I motioned with my head for him to follow me.
After talking to Dale, I headed back to the compound and straight to Cable. Armed with the knowledge of who had Gwen, he began frantically searching. While we’d been gone I knew he was trying to find out anything on the crazy bitch, but seemed to be coming up empty-handed. I had only headed back down to the clubhouse to fill in Iron and take a breath. Standing in that room not being able to do anything was driving me insane.
I was ready to snap and I didn’t have the first clue on how to calm myself down.
Fuck!
I’d fucked up in the biggest way ever.
And now Gwen was paying the price. Again.
“A car matching the make and model of Tara’s car was seen on one of the traffic cams turning onto Fifth Street from Church Street. Called Charming and Banger because they were the closest. Time stamp was over an hour ago, but it’s something,” Cable said the moment we pushed through his door without so much as a knock of warning. “I couldn’t see who was in the car though, so I’m not sure if it was hers or not.”
“What do you have on her?” I asked.
Ky and B-ry pushed their way into the room but I didn’t move out of the way.
“Not a whole lot, man.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Tara Mallard, age twenty. Enrolled in UNCW. Address listed on her license is for a place in Georgia. House is owned by her parents. Going back, it looks like she was born and raised in southern Florida until age fifteen. Then her parents moved to Texas. They were only there a year before moving to Kansas. Then fourteen months after that, moved to Georgia.”
Why would they have moved so much in such a short time? It seemed odd to me especially since they had stayed in one place for so long. The weird feeling turning in my gut made it hard to breathe. What was it that we were missing?
“A couple of police reports popped up but they are sealed so it will take me a little while to get into them.”
“Keep working. I need something now, Cable,” I said, the tension thick in my tone. I knew I didn’t need to tell him that it was urgent as fuck, but I still had to put the pressure on.
“Call Lucy,” Ky said from behind me.
“Can’t,” Cable said, his fingers still flying across his
keyboard as his eyes remained glued to his computer screen. “She’s on her honeymoon in Greece and ‘unreachable’ for the next two more weeks, or so she told me.”
“Great,” I grumbled. “Down a hacker as well as the man to take care of the body. Well, fuck!”
Lucy was the best hacker we knew. We had some good ones in the club, but she put them all to shame at times. Her best friend was now the old lady of Axe at the Moon Hill chapter. So, therefore, Lucy was a close associate of the club and often helped us out when needed.
Not to mention, she was the one that vouched for Cable.
To say that we really could have used her help on this was a huge understatement. But it looked like we were on our own and time was fucking ticking away. And what was I doing? Standing around with my goddamn thumb up my ass.
“I…” My hand raked through my hair with frustration. “I have to get her back.”
I didn’t speak those words to anyone in particular. I didn’t think I even meant to say them out loud.
“Wait! Shit,” Cable said suddenly. “Why didn’t I think of this before?” he mumbled under his breath as he searched for something.
The room was dead still as we waited to hear what he’d found. The only sound was the click click click of the keys and with every one, my muscles twitched with a tense anticipation.
“I couldn’t find any other properties rented or owned by the parents, but I didn’t think to look under her father’s company. They seem to be well off. The mother is old money and the father owns his own law firm.”
I tried to see where he was going with this. I imagined if they had money then they could cover their tracks well and bury anything and everything they might need to. Like Tara being an insane, crazy as fuck cunt. Yeah, I said it. She threatened the woman I love, she wasn’t going to get off easy.
