by L. Wilder
As we stood there watching the fire, I thought about that little girl in the back. For a moment, I considered going after her, but something stopped me. The thought of her parents seeing her broken little body—and knowing what those men had done to their daughter—made me sick to my stomach. No parent should see their child like that, so I figured them not knowing would have to be better. Or at least I prayed it would be.
Once we were certain the fire had taken hold, we got in the truck and headed back to the warehouse. Stitch filled in the others on what we’d found. Like us, they were disgusted and had no qualms about eliminating every one of them. With that tape, they’d shown just how far they’d go to make a buck, but we would put a stop to it once and for all.
As we pulled up to the warehouse, Stitch turned to Cotton. “How do you want to do this?”
After a long pause, he answered, “You take the reins on this one. I just want them gone.”
He nodded, and none of us had any doubts that Stitch would carry out the ultimate vengeance, making them all pay for the fucked-up shit they’d done. Once we were back at the warehouse, he and Big started working out a plan.
While they were talking, I took out my phone. With everything that was going on, I hadn’t had time to check in with Zoe. The last time we’d spoken, she was headed to work. It was almost closing time, so I reached for my phone and sent her a text message. When she didn’t immediately respond, I walked over to the laptop displaying Nudie’s security feed to see if I could spot her. I found her sitting at the bar with Kat. While I was relieved she was okay, seeing her made me want to hear her voice.
I dialed her number and watched as she reached for her purse. She started fumbling through all the different pockets as she searched for her phone. I was still watching her when something in one of the other cameras caught my attention.
When I leaned closer for a better look, the breath rushed out of my lungs. Making my bad day dramatically worse, I saw Slider walking next to Hawk, and they were headed for the front door. I looked back over to Zoe. She had her phone in her hand and was smiling, totally unaware that he was approaching. When she finally answered my call, I yelled, “Zoe, I need you to get the hell out of there.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s no time, Zoe. Move your ass now!”
My blood ran cold as I watch Slider’s hand reach for the door handle. Still trying to understand what I was saying, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Slider! Listen to me! You’ve got to get the hell out of there!” I shouted.
She stood up and took her purse in her hand as she started to back away from the bar. “What do you mean Slider?”
“He’s there!”
It was too late. He was already through the door and charging straight towards her, and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it. I heard him snarl, “Who the fuck are you talking to, Zoe?”
Rage enveloped me as I watched him jerk the phone out of her hand. He forced her against the counter of the bar and looked down at the screen.
Zoe mumbled, “It’s no one, Slider.”
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He leaned over her, his face just inches from hers. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out who’d stabbed me in the fucking back, who’d have the balls to plant all that coke in my bike.” His nose crinkled like a mad dog as he continued with his attack. “I had no idea who it could’ve been, but then I get word from Dodger that you—my fucking ol’ lady—were whoring around. He told me that you met up with some guy in a fucking hotel room, that you’ve been running all over town with this asshole, and that got me to thinking.” He wrapped his fingers around her throat, squeezing tightly as he barked, “It was you, wasn’t it? You fucking whore! You’re the one who stabbed me in the fucking back!”
She shook her head frantically but couldn’t speak with his fingers wound so tightly around her neck. I had to do something or he was going to kill her. Knowing I didn’t have much time, I yelled, “Big!”
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he turned around in his chair to face me.
“Zoe, she’s in trouble.”
He came over and looked down at the screen. We both watched in horror as he slammed his fist into her ribcage, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could recover, he reared his fist back and slammed it into her jaw. “I knew when we killed your father that we should’ve killed you, too. No fucking pussy is worth all this bullshit.”
Big’s eyes widen with disbelief. “What the fuck?”
“He’s gonna kill her. We’ve gotta get over there before it’s too late.”
Slider punched her once again, and when I saw the blood streaming down her cheek, I called out to the others. In a matter of seconds, we were in the SUV and driving towards the bar.
Big had his laptop out and was steadily typing as he said, “I’ll kill the power. Maybe that’ll buy us some time.”
I glanced over his shoulder and saw that he was using a split screen, with half being used to type in codes and the other continuing to display the camera feed. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Kat run over to Slider. She tugged at his arm as she pleaded, “Slider! Don’t… She didn’t do anything! I swear!”
His hand flew back and collided with her face, causing her to stumble back. Even though she was dazed, she didn’t stop. She reached for him again, and his attention was diverted over to her as she pleaded, “Slider! Let her go!”
A feeling of nausea twisted in my gut when Hawk reached for the back of her hair, fisting it in his hand as he forced her forward. He slammed her head viciously into the counter, knocking her out. Her limp body dropped to the ground. With an angry scowl, he kicked his daughter in the side and growled, “You should’ve stayed out of this, Kat, but then, you’ve always been just like your mother. A stupid, good-for-nothing whore. I’m done with your ass.”
Just as the words left his mouth, the lights cut out. “Goddamn it!”
We were still five to seven minutes out, which seemed like a lifetime as Cotton sped towards the bar. When we finally arrived, I got out of the SUV and raced towards the door. I could hear them calling out to me, telling me to wait, but I couldn’t wait a moment longer. I had to see if she was okay. When I made it to the door, I gave it a hard tug, but it was locked. When I looked inside, everything was pitch black, and there was no one in sight. I took a step back and kicked the glass door, shattering it to a million pieces. The others came rushing up behind me, and we all charged inside.
The place was completely empty with no sign of Zoe.
Chapter 20
Zoe
I had no idea where we were or how long we’d been there. I just knew it was dark, and the cold floor felt good against my skin. It hurt to breathe. Every breath felt like a thousand tiny needles were piercing my lungs, but I was still alive—at least for the moment. It was only a matter of time before they came back for us, and while I knew time wasn’t on our side, Kat hadn’t given up hope. I could hear her stirring around the room searching for a way out. I wanted to reassure her, to tell her not to worry, but she knew the inevitable was coming. I’d double-crossed the club, sealing my fate with them, and she’d done the same when she tried to cover for me.
“Damn it!” Kat cursed under her breath. “There has to be a way out of here!”
“Kat,” I mumbled. “Just stop.”
She sat down beside me, lifting my head into her lap as she said, “How are you feeling?”
“Like my entire body has been beaten with a two-by-four. How about you?”
“I’m too pissed to even know. I can’t believe this is happening.”
“I’m sorry. This is all my fault,” I cried.
She ran her fingers through my hair as she whispered, “No. This is all on them. None of this would’ve happened if—”
“If they hadn’t killed my father.”
“I hope Slider burns in hell. I hope they all do.”
I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the anxiety building in the pit of my stomach. Every muscle in my body felt like it was on fire, making it impossible to sleep.
My mind drifted to Seth. I wondered if he’d seen what had happened and if he was out there looking for me. I held on to the hope that he’d find us, but with each moment that passed, that hope faded. Even if he had seen, there was no way he’d know where they’d taken us. Hell, I didn’t even know myself.
A strange noise drew my attention to the door, and when I looked closer, I noticed a thin line of light coming from beneath it, making me wonder if that meant it was daytime outside. I was still staring at the door when someone knocked and whispered, “Zoe?”
Stunned, I sat up and answered, “Yes! I’m in here!”
“It’s Scotty. You okay?”
Kat jumped up and went over to the door. “We’ve been better. Can you get us out of here?”
“No, not without them seeing me. Zoe, I need you to tell me who he is.”
“Who?”
“The guy, Zoe,” he pushed. “Who’s the guy you’ve been seeing?”
Confused by the question, I asked, “Why does that matter?”
“Just tell me this. Is he with Satan’s Fury?”
I didn’t know why he was asking, but it was Scotty—the only one other than Kat who I knew I could trust. Knowing he wouldn’t use it against me, I answered. “Yes.”
“That’s all I needed to know. Hang tight. I’ll do what I can to get you out of there,” he promised.
“Scotty?” I asked, but got no reply. He was gone, leaving us both there alone in the dark.
“What do you think that was about?” Kat asked.
“I have no idea.”
The minutes lingered into hours, and I was becoming more and more miserable. My bladder was full. My muscles ached. My head was pounding. I was thirsty, hungry, and completely exhausted, but could only sit there with Kat and wait. I tried distracting myself by thinking back over the past few weeks. The time I spent with Seth in the hospital. The feeling I got when I first saw him at the coffee shop. The way his eyes sparkled when he looked at me. The way his hands felt against my skin. The soft touch of his lips against mine. It helped momentarily, but then I suddenly felt much worse. I started to wonder if I’d ever get to see him again or feel his arms wrapped around me. The thought of not seeing him again devastated me, and I had to fight the urge to cry.
I reached for Kat, took her hand in mine, and whispered, “Do you remember that winter when we had that bad ice storm?”
“The one where I got trapped at your house for a week?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“How could I forget?”
“It’s one of my favorite memories. We made a pallet by the fire and spent the night talking and laughing… I never wanted that ice to melt.”
“I didn’t either.” Kat chuckled. “I wanted to stay there with you forever.”
“I liked pretending we were sisters.”
“You always had a wild imagination,” she snickered.
“Remember that time we buried that box full of stuff in Daddy’s backyard?”
“Of course, I do. We had all our prized possessions in that box.”
“I think my Mickey Mouse watch is still in there,” I sighed.
“And didn’t we put a wish list or something in there, too?”
“It was all the things we’d have done before we turned twenty-five.”
“I have no idea what I put on that list.”
“You were going to be a school teacher… and you were going to be married with three kids.”
“At twenty-five? What the hell were we thinking?”
“Twenty-five seemed really old back then.”
“What about you? What was on your list?”
“I said I would be living by the ocean in a beautiful house with my Prince Charming, and we’d have one boy and one girl: Mathew and Samantha.” I sighed. “I guess that’s never going to happen.”
She gave my hand a tight squeeze. “Don’t give up just yet.”
“You’ve always been a fighter.”
“No. You’re the fighter, Zo. No matter what’s thrown your way, you never give up. You face things head on and never make excuses. That’s a fighter.”
“I love you, Kat. I hope you know that. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been in my life.”
“Don’t go getting all sappy on me, Zo. I can’t take it… not right now.”
“I’m sorry, but I needed you to know.”
“Well, I already knew, so stop freaking me out,” she scolded me as she stood up and brushed herself off. When she walked past me, I noticed the light was no longer shining beneath the door. It was night, which meant we’d been locked away in that room for at least twenty-four hours.
Kat started pacing around the room, searching again for another way out, when she stopped dead in her tracks. “What was that?”
“What? I didn’t hear anything.”
“Come over here. Hurry!”
I pulled myself off the floor and hobbled over next to her.
“Put your ear against the wall,” she instructed me.
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
Reluctantly, I pressed my ear against the wall and listened, trying to hear what Kat had heard. “I don’t hear… Oh my God. What was that?”
“I think it was gunshots.”
I held my breath as I tried to hear the sound again, and after several seconds, I heard the same popping noise, only this time it was louder, closer. “I think you’re right, Kat.”
“Do you think it’s the cops? Maybe they’ve come back for more?” Kat asked excitedly.
“I don’t know.”
We stood frozen, our ears flat against the wall, and listened. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion, one that was large enough to make the walls and floor shake. “What the hell was that?”
Our heads were still pressed against the wall when there was a loud boom at the door. My heart started to pound against my chest as I stood there frozen, waiting to see what was on the other side of that door. There was another boom at the door, only this time it opened. A bright light filled the room, blinding us both, but I would know his voice anywhere.
“Zoe!” Seconds later, I felt Seth’s arms wrap around me, lifting me into his grasp. I’d never felt such relief or overwhelming joy in my entire life. I grimaced when he gave me a squeeze, making him ask, “Are you okay?”
“I think so. My side is pretty sore.”
“I was going out of my mind with worry. I saw everything up until the lights went out. When I couldn’t find you, I was…”
“I’m fine, Seth. Still talking. Still breathing,” I assured him.
“Whoa, dude. Hands off. I can walk on my own,” Kat growled as Clutch tried to help her.
I smiled when he held up his hands. “Easy there, killer. I was just trying to help.”
Ignoring them, I turned back to Seth. “I can’t believe you found us.”
He motioned his head towards the door. “I had some help.”
When I turned, I found Scotty standing in the hallway. “Scotty?”
“It took some time, but he managed to get word to us. He put his life on the line for you.”
My voice trembled. “That’s what you were up to. Thank you, Scotty. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
Scotty gave me a smile and a wink, then motioned us forward. “We’ll take them around back. There’s a path through the field. We can follow it back around to the truck.”
Seth nodded as he carried me out into the hall and up a flight of stairs. When he reached the outdoors, he turned to Clutch and said, “Stay close.”
I could still hear the sounds of gunfire echoing around us as Seth carried me out towards a row of trees. Onc
e we were in the clear, he looked down at me and asked, “Can you walk?”
Even though my ribs were still killing me, the thought of getting out of there had me forgetting about the pain. “I think so.”
He lowered my feet to the ground, then reached for my hand, leading me over to the path. The grass was tall and prickly as we made our way over to the path. Even with the dirt and gravel, the path wasn’t much better. I flinched and cowered with each gunshot that rang out, but Seth just kept trudging forward. The longer we walked, the more familiar everything became. I knew I’d been there before, and when I saw my favorite oak tree, I knew exactly where we were.
It wasn’t until then that I’d realized that Slider had locked us in the old cellar under the clubhouse garage. I’d been there a hundred times as a kid, but in the pitch black, it seemed completely different. With each step, my lungs burned like fire, but I didn’t complain as I followed Seth back to Clutch’s SUV.
By the time he’d gotten us both safely inside, I no longer heard any gunfire. “What’s going on back there?”
Without answering, he turned to Scotty and handed him the keys. “Can you get them to the hospital?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good. Get her checked out, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“The guys need me. I won’t be long. I’ll be at the hospital before you know it. For now, I want you to get yourself checked out. Can you do that for me?” he asked with concern in his eyes.
I hadn’t missed the bloodstains or the smell of gun smoke on his clothes. He could’ve been hurt or worse, and it terrified me. “I don’t want to leave here without you.”
“I’m going to be fine. Don’t you know? There’s nothing in this world that’s going to keep me from you.” He pressed his lips tenderly against mine, then said, “Be careful. Go straight to the hospital and wait for me there.”
“Okay.”
I watched as he and Clutch disappeared into the line of trees, and my heart sank when I could no longer see him. I knew he was headed into danger. I’d heard the gunshots and knew what he was up against. I could only pray that when it was all over, he’d find his way back to me.
