by Sophia Gray
As a result, Shane had money and lots of it. Growing up the way we did, he had always been desperate for wealth. He wanted to have it and he wanted to flaunt it. I saw that now in his mansion. What did he need all that space for? I wasn’t fooled into thinking this was for the sake of his men, though I knew it was convenient when he wanted a small army there at his disposal.
Which was part of why I was so disappointed to see it really was a house here. There could be a lot of men in there and I wouldn’t see them until they were right on top of me. Of course, I told myself that I, too, would be invisible. Except they knew where they were going and I didn’t have the foggiest idea of where Elle was being held.
I wanted to go look for her first, but as I pulled up towards the front of the house, I quickly saw that that was not an option. Standing on the porch, alone and looking almost sinister, I saw Shane. He was waiting for me, his eyes unwilling to leave the truck.
Coming to a stop, I lingered in the cab as my eyes met Shane’s. He had a smile on his lips, but it was tight, caught somewhere between angry and maybe even a little scared.
Dare I hope that he was planning on fighting me fair, one on one?
It would be stupid to assume that, I thought, but I did hope it was true.
Finally, I bit the bullet. I pushed on the door to the truck and forced it open. The cold air rushed at me, pinching at my exposed face and my worn hands. It wasn’t a blizzard outside anymore, but the snow was coming on and off, little flakes dropping down through the freezing night.
Holding myself taut with the readiness to fight, I slipped out of the cab and left the door open. It would be a frigid bitch in there, but at least I could get into the cab faster if I had to make a break for it, which I expected I would have to do at some point tonight.
So long as I get to Elle first.
I stepped towards the porch where Shane waited. I had a gun tucked into the waistband of my jeans and it was pressing cold metal into my back. I itched to pull it out and just fire at him, but I didn’t know what I was getting into. I didn’t know who waited in the wings, where Elle was, or if I was walking into a trap of six men all hanging back in the shadows. And if that last one was the case, then I needed to be patient. Keeping Shane alive might be the only thing keeping them at bay.
And more importantly, I didn’t want anyone getting any funny ideas about Elle.
Doing my best to remain calm, I called out to Shane, “Where’s Elle?”
He shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unconcerned about the whole thing. “Elle? Is that her name? Pretty.”
My shoulders tightened, my body wanting desperately to fight him—no, to kill him. But I needed to play this smart. “Where is she, Shane?”
He pretended to think about it, tapping his chin with his forefinger in an exaggerated motion. He looked up at the sky and even hummed as though really giving it some thought. The whole show made the urge to punch him that much stronger, but I somehow managed to keep that desire at bay. For now.
“You know, I don’t know. I think she’s having tea or something with the boys.” He grinned at me, his tone of voice telling me that he thought this whole thing was just one big joke. Like Elle’s life didn’t even matter.
“I swear to God, Shane, if you’ve touched a single hair on her head—” I began to threaten, but he just waved me off, unconcerned by my anger or my threats.
“But enough about her.” He moved to stand on the first step of the porch and that was when I noticed the ice lining the overhang. Thick icicles hung over the edge, formed after the days of snow and sleet. It might have made a nice, cheery picture for a Christmas card or something if it wasn’t about to become the place for a battle between two brothers. “I think it’s time to talk about us, don’t you?”
He waited for me to get closer, and I didn’t disappoint. My boots crunched on the snow beneath them, packing it down as I strode with purpose towards him. I came to a stop only a few feet from the man I had grown up with, standing at the base of the stairs with three separating me from him. “What’s left to talk about Shane?”
He frowned. “I thought you wanted to talk peace. Wasn’t that what you were all about?”
I gritted my teeth until I thought I might crack them. “I think the time for peace has passed, don’t you?”
“What makes you say that?” He asked in such a way that I knew this was all just blowing smoke up my ass—which made me wonder why he was stalling. Was there something going on? Was there some plan underway I didn’t know about? Or was this just him teasing me?
With Shane, it was impossible to say.
“Mostly because you had our mother killed,” I said, feeling a resurgence of anger and grief both.
Something in his face tightened and he took another step down towards me. “I didn’t have her killed. It was an unfortunate accident.”
“How can you call a bullet to the chest an accident?” I demanded, closing the space between us until I was just one step down from him and was just a hair shorter.
His hands clenched tightly at his sides, good only because it meant he wasn’t going for a gun. “I didn’t order anyone to kill her, but sometimes people have to die, wouldn’t you agree?”
And for once, I did. Not Ma or Elle, but Shane? Yeah, I believed he needed to die. And while something inside me still squirmed at the idea of having to be the one to do it, I knew I couldn’t rely on anyone else for this. He was my brother, my responsibility. “I do,” I said in a low voice, and in that moment, there couldn’t have been any questioning what I meant by that.
I saw Shane’s hand twitch and begin to move around behind him, probably reaching for the gun that he would have hidden in the same spot I did. I did the same, but before either of us could get to our guns a shrill scream sounded into the night, echoing from inside the house only to be tamped down by the snow.
“Elle!”
I forgot about the gun and about Shane. I shoved past him and raced towards the door, which still hung open, desperate to get to Elle. God, tell me I’m not too late! Panic rose in my chest. I made it to the porch and almost reached the door, but before I made it a hand wrapped around my upper arm and jerked me back. I swiveled around only to get a hard fist to the face.
I stumbled back from the force of the blow, my hand automatically going to clutch at my nose, which didn’t feel broken, but was definitely bleeding. I looked up to see he’d managed to get a hold of my gun when he’d swung me around and was grinning triumphantly now. He didn’t use it, though. Instead, he tossed it away to land in the snow somewhere on the other side of the balcony.
I didn’t know why, but sensed his need for physical violence tonight.
Shane was already coming at me again. I had a moment to wonder why he hadn’t gone for his gun before he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. He jerked me up again and cocked his hand back as it formed into a fist, ready to hit me again. “I’m going to enjoy this,” he said right before he swung at me again.
I jerked out of the way of his fist, letting it slam against the siding of the house instead. He cried out in pain and rage, but it was enough for me to slip out of his grip. I swung around myself with a hard fist to his ribs, hoping to bruise his kidneys enough to make him go down.
It didn’t work.
Pissed off, Shane had evidently decided he wanted to beat the shit out of me, but not at the expense of losing the fight. He reached around again for his gun, but I saw it coming this time. I rushed him.
I barreled into him, grabbing him around the waist until we both tumbled back. He slammed into the banister hard enough to shake snow and several icicles loose up from above. I tried to get to his gun, but he squirmed out of the way, shoving me back far enough to give me a hard kick to the chest. I grunted in pain, spiraling away from him.
He reached for his gun again and this time got a good grip on it. He aimed it at me and I only just ducked in time to dodge the bullet. I landed hard on the porch, my already injured shoulder
taken the brunt of the blow. I cried out and felt my vision clouding, but reminded myself I had to keep moving or I was dead.
Another shot rang out, but I was already scrambling out of the way. I jumped off the porch, ending up rolling around in the snow.
Shane fired several more shots after me before I finally heard that lifesaving click that told me he was out of bullets. He cursed. “Shit!”
I took that opportunity to come up with a new plan. My gun was buried in the snow somewhere off the side of the porch. Shane’s was out of ammunition, but he might get enough time to reload. I had to do something now. I looked up, searching for options, and that was when I saw the icicles again.
Big, thick icicles with sharp points. Several had already broken loose and landed heavily on the porch before shattering.
My eyes dragged down to where Shane was standing, only inches from them. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. My shoulder throbbed and was probably bleeding again. Shane was slapping at his gun, trying to reload quickly. And those icicles dangled precariously overhead, close to me, close to him.
Maybe it was dangerous since one could hit me, too, but I didn’t have my gun and I couldn’t wait any longer to try to wrestle Shane’s away from him.
I lunged at the porch, grabbing the railing with one hand and with the other I reached for him. I grabbed him by the shirt and jerked him back, using our combined weight and gravity to pull us down. His eyes widened in surprise. I knew if this was going to work, it was going to be now or never. I grabbed Shane’s gun toting hand by the wrist. He’d managed to put a new magazine in it and there was a round in the chamber. I slammed his wrist against the banister hard, hoping to dislodge another icicle, and hoping it would land where I needed it to. But the shove wasn’t hard enough to dislodge anything.
I slammed his hand again. He cried out in pain, his free hand trying to get ahold of me while I tried to hold him off. I slammed his hand a third time and that was when the gun went off.
It was pointed up towards the sky. Towards the overhang that only barely covered us. The bullet hit the edge of that overhang, shattering one of the icicles and dislodging another.
If I hadn’t been trying to do just that, it would have hit me. But I’d been waiting for it, trying for just that thing to happen, and I was prepared. I jerked back away from Shane and before he had a second to register what was happening the icicle fell. It hit him point first in the throat, that spot between his shoulder and his neck. Blood spurted instantly as the sharp object went in deeper than I would have guessed. Shane’s eyes widened in surprise and his free hand clutched at his throat. The other jerked and a second shot went off. More icicles fell, another hitting his leg as he fell.
Blood stained the snow, pouring from his wounds and his mouth. His eyes jerked to me. I thought he was going to try to shoot me again, but his grip on the gun lessened and then finally released. Instead, he mouthed, “Help.”
A year ago, I might have stopped to help him. But a lot of things were different a year ago and I had more important things to worry about.
Like Elle.
I remembered her scream. Turning away from Shane, who was still trying to stop the blood and call out for help, I ran up the porch steps again and headed for the door. This time no one stopped me as I raced inside, hoping against hope Elle was there and she was fine. I prayed I wasn’t too late.
Chapter 20
Elle
There was something about knowing you were going to die that was both utterly terrifying and strangely liberating. Nothing I was going to do would change the outcome of tonight, so why not speak my mind? Why not do all of the things I had always wanted to do? Why not take some risks?
Of course, all of these things made infinitely more sense if I weren’t strapped down to a chair unable to move.
I should have felt relieved when Shane left. After all, he was more or less the means of my destruction. I hoped it would at least be quick, my death, but mostly I just tried not to think about it. I still had hope that maybe Ciaran would come for me. Shane certainly seemed to think so.
My heart wanted to believe it was because of something sweet like love, but the more practical part of my mind reminded me if Ciaran did arrive to save me, it was because of a drive to protect me. After all, I’d professed my love for him and he hadn’t said a thing back to me. Not a single, solitary, darned thing. It was enough to break a girl’s heart—and it had.
Guess I should be relieved for the whole kidnapping thing, I thought wryly. After all, it saved me from having to wallow over the shattered pieces of my heart.
I told myself I was being melodramatic, but I couldn’t shake it. It hurt to know Ciaran had rejected me, and while I tried to remind myself he was the more reasonable one for it, I couldn’t deny how much it stung. We’d only known each other for days, but they had been powerful days. I’d gotten a glimpse inside of a complicated, handsome man who carried with him scars and secrets and a kindness that ran as deep as a mine. How could I not fall for someone like that?
Doesn’t make it less foolish, my mind whispered to me treacherously.
After all, what was the line? Only fools rush in? Well, I was definitely a fool, and I felt the full force of that. I shouldn’t have fallen so hard, so fast, but I just couldn’t seem to help it. Ciaran wasn’t like anyone I had met before. He was dark and powerful, but more than that. He seemed to connect to me. Maybe it was the confidence he exuded or just the way he seemed to be cocky one minute and then comforting the next. Maybe I just had a thing for taking care of guys, I didn’t know.
But I did know I wanted Ciaran. Having him physically had pushed those boundaries until I stumbled over the edge and now I wanted him in my life as a permanent fixture.
It sucked to know he didn’t want the same.
And this is what you’re focusing on while being a kidnapped prisoner in a crazy motorcycle gang leader’s house after a man just tried to stick his hands between your legs all the while knowing you’re not going to make it through the night?
I was messed up. But then, maybe I just didn’t want to think about my situation.
But you have to! You have to get yourself out of here!
That determined little voice in my head was urging me to not give up, and to not wait on any knight in shining armor to come save me, no matter how much I really hoped he would. I looked towards the door in front of me. There was another one behind me that led to the room where I had first met Shane, the one with the fireplace. I wasn’t sure where the one I was staring at led to, but it was where Shane had exited.
Had he been leaving the house? Was that the exit? Maybe Shane had been leaving to…go somewhere?
Doubtful, I thought dejectedly.
If Shane was using me as bait to get to Ciaran, then it was doubtful that he would leave me alone and wander off to do something. He was waiting on Ciaran, after all. He wouldn’t miss his chance to catch him.
And kill him.
That thought shot through me like a quick, hot knife. I swallowed heavily and tried to tell myself that wouldn’t happen. Even if Ciaran came, he would survive. He’d manage to get himself out alive, even if in the end he didn’t save me.
Though saving both of us would be better, I admitted silently to myself.
I really didn’t want to die tonight.
Standing next to the door where Shane had left was Bryce. Every time I’d tried speaking to him, he hadn’t said a word. He just remained standing by that door, silent and staring straight ahead. He didn’t even glance in my direction. Which was a marked improvement from the last asshole, but that didn’t mean I was necessarily comfortable with this guy.
Would he be the one to kill me? One call from Shane and then bam? Dead?
I didn’t want to think about it. Maybe I can appeal to his conscience. It sounded like a kind of harebrained idea at this point—it hadn’t exactly worked out so well with Shane. But I decided it was better than just sitting here waiting for m
y demise.
Clearing my throat, I tried to get his attention. He didn’t even glance at me. “Hey. Hey, you. Bryce?” Nothing. I cleared my throat again and kept trying. “I, um, I’m Elle. I’m…” I fell short there. What exactly was I supposed to say to him? I hadn’t the foggiest. Introducing myself as the kidnapped victim that was going to die sometime tonight didn’t really seem like a wise decision, so I ended up falling silent for a moment.
When he remained silent, I tried again. “You’re Bryce, right?” Still nothing. “Um, have you been with the Irish Hounds long?”
I figured that at the very least the stupidity of my question might draw his attention, but he didn’t even bat an eye. He might as well have been a statue. I let out a frustrated breath and wondered how in the hell I was going to get anywhere.
“Um, do you think I could use the ladies’ room?” I held my breath. I didn’t need to pee, and I definitely didn’t want to try to do it with him watching, which was probably how he would insist on doing it. I’d had enough with pervy guys for the evening, thank you very much. That being said, if I could get him to take me to the restroom, then I would at least be untied and maybe I could make a break for it. Be a heroine and save myself.
