by Paula Cox
“There we go,” he said. “Now don’t fight it. Gonna have us a grand hold time.”
Lena curled her fingers around a smaller shard of glass buried in her hair. Hardly the weapon she would have preferred, but the point still had the power to draw blood from her fingers, and Lena flexed her foot with a great cry as she kicked between his legs, her heart growing lighter at the sight of him spinning as she stumbled to her feet.
“Fucking cunt!” Eric screamed. Lena spied Mitch readying his gun for her eyes when she lurched forward and wrapped her slim arm around Eric’s chest. She pushed the tiny tip to his jugular, her eyes wide and wild as she stared Mitch down.
“I’ll cut him right here!” she swore. “Don’t even tempt me, you son of a bitch!”
Mitch backed off on Eric’s weak say-so, and Lena dragged him into the shadows, her mind trying to figure out her next move.
She wouldn’t cut him. Not just yet. In this moment, the man was more valuable to her alive, and Lena imagined forcing him back to his bike when she suddenly thought better of it. She couldn’t ride, and if she had to sit at his back, that would do nothing but give Eric the upper hand.
I’ll take him somewhere to wait. Jax has to be coming soon. I’ll cut him if I have to. But I don’t---
A stone suddenly caught under her heels, and Lena fell to the ground in a frustrated, furious heap. Her fingers tried and failed to keep their hold on the glass, but she lost the shard, her palms hitting the air when Eric fell on top of her and pushed her wrists into the ground.
“Wrong move, slut!”
He slapped her face hard and started to tug on her cunt when the ground just rumbled beneath them.
“What was that?” Mitch asked.
Eric sniffed the air and cocked his head to the side.
“Maybe nothing” he said. Lena held her tongue, barely sighing as she was forced to her knees.
“But tie her up,” he said. “Can’t take any more chances.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jax took off as soon as he had the word go. Call it a cardinal sin to leave his father’s territory, his own birthright in still unknown hands, but he could think of nothing but Lena as he hurried off into night and scanned the blackness for some sight of her.
He thought of her body against his, around his, as they lay in the bed back in the safe house. In those moments, he wanted nothing more than to keep her in his arms and kiss her lips, her cheeks, her breasts, do nothing but fall into her again and again. Would it have been any riskier to keep running in that moment? But he believed in the power of a club at his back. Black Legion be damned, he’d take up with a new crew. In so many ways, the Silver Horses were the worthier bunch. But he had still lost Lena, and without her, neither club meant anything. Nothing mattered now but finding her, trying to save…
I’m going to get you back, Lena. I swear to God I will.
Jax slowed his bike when a rumble of motors accompanied by hoots and hollers forced him off the road. Searching for any kind of cover, Jax spied a large tree, and he pulled away from the dirt, hiding his body and his bike behind the bark and the shadows. Narrowing his gaze, he saw other men who should have been loyal to his father, loyal to him, laughing as they rode across his eyes.
“Gonna bust that bitch wide open!”
“Wonder if Jax liked the Big Boss’ sloppy seconds?”
“Where’s his power now?”
Jax forced himself to stay still, and he waited until the bikes passed and he was alone again. So this was who and what they really were, and Jax wanted to blow their heads off, nearly made the move as he crawled back to the road when he suddenly held back. Hateful as their words were, they were just following orders, and if… when Milo had the power, it would prove a very different song.
She couldn’t be far, and Jax hopped back onto his bike and kept riding into the night.
Be smart, Lena. Keep him talking or something. I swear I’m…
Just the thought that he might already be too late filled him with dread. She swore she could do this much, seemed eager to buy him the necessary time to plead his case. Their case. But had she counted on how much Eric could hurt her if given the chance? Thinking he should have screamed louder to keep her at his side, he started to slow his pursuit when he saw two choppers resting below a series of branches. The vague images of struggling bodies set his teeth on his edge, and he was ready to plow forward and scoop Lena into his arms when he held back and pushed his foot the brake pedal.
She’s still alive. I’m going to get her back that way. Won’t settle for anything else.
He eased his bike back off the road and hid his chopper as he bided his time.
A few sharp screams hit his ears, and at every shriek, Jax was nearly on his feet, wanting nothing more than to rush forward and smoke Eric out. But even though he saw the rest of the Black Legion heading for home, it seemed totally possible that they were lying in wait. Knowing nothing of loyalty, they would mow him down with their bullets and leave Lena with no hope of rescue. Milo might do as much at Artie’s urging if Jax failed to return. But by then, it would be far too late. He had to save her now. The rest would fall into place later.
“Later,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m going to get you to later, Lena.”
Jax held his ground and his tongue. Whatever there was of her screams grew muffled and dull. But the silence was something. Had to mean he wasn’t hurting her anymore than he already had. Jax clung to those thoughts when he heard harsh words. There was talk of breaking her body, and Jax was nearly back on his bike when he opted to keep moving forward on foot. Stealth might prove his friend, and he pointed his gun before him as he stepped deeper into the darkness.
“Keep it up. We’ll punish you,” he heard in the distance.
“Like hell you fucks will,” he seethed.
Jax cocked the trigger and fired into shadows, screams of every tone hitting his ears.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The ropes were tight around her wrists, and Lena was ready to wretch at the feel of the greasy gag crossing her tongue. At least it was just Eric and Mitch. Not that she wanted even one of their cocks pushing inside her, but better two than the whole crew laughing and spitting in hair. Her eyes turned towards the dark horizon, and she longed for some sign of Jax.
I bought you time. Aren’t you going to do something with it? Jax… please don’t leave me here…
Her thoughts were cut off when a leathered set of toes hit her side, and she looked up with bleary eyes as Eric drank from a cracked can.
“Now that he’s back with his mommy, you ain’t such hot shit, are you?”
Eric swallowed and spit the excess into her face. Lena turned her face away and tried to draw a clean breath, the gag blocking her at every turn. Eric settled close to her side and pushed the matted hair away from her tear-stained face.
“You’re shaking,” he whispered. “Ain’t like we haven’t done this before. Way I remember it, you were so soft.”
Lena squealed as he pushed his free hand between her legs as he drained his beer and tossed his can aside. She longed to take hold of the metal; she’d slice through it with her teeth if she had to and find another sharp point to drive into his black heart. But the distance seemed insurmountable at the sound of Eric unzipping his fly and the feel of his leg flopping around her thigh.
“Such a turn on,” he grimaced.
“You just gonna talk about it? Or you gonna do the deed and let me have a taste?”
Mitch circled them, his cock already in his hand, and as soon as Lena spied his member, she tried to sink deeper into the grass, wanting nothing more than to become invisible. Having to lie with Eric was one thing. Maybe she could turn her mind off and tell herself that it would end once as it had before. But the gleam in Mitch’s eyes promised more pain than she could handle, and Lena started to thrash around her bonds when Eric lowered her gag with a cold laugh.
“Get the hell away from me!” she scream
ed. “Don’t you dare put your fucking hands on me!”
“Time’s made a fighter out of this one!” Eric said with a fiendish glint in his eye. “This promises to be all kinds of fun.”
Lying on the ground, Lena forced her mind towards Jax. He was kind when he touched her, his lips loving and sweet, and Lena would take him into her body right now if he suddenly appeared.
Where are you, Jax?”
Eric pulled her blouse away, a few buttons still intact as he flung the garment away from her body. With her hands still tied, Lena was powerless to fight the feel of his hands searching her breasts, and her free lips whimpered for him to stop when he cruelly kissed her again.
“First me, then Mitch,” he threatened. “Then we take you back and install you for everyone else.”
Her teeth chattered at the suggestion, and Eric laid at her side, his fingers probing her pussy as groaned into her ear.
“We got a bench down below,” he threatened. “Gonna spread you real wide. Flat on your tummy, cunt.”
Lena squirmed against him as Eric forced his fingers into her mouth and gave her no choice but to meet his eyes.
“We’ll take you every which way,” he threatened. “You ain’t never gonna walk straight when we’re done with you.”
Blinking back tears, Lena imagined hell but couldn’t bring herself to picture that as the rest of her life when Eric fell on top of her, his cock staring to invade her flesh as he pushed her shoulders into the grass.
“Don’t worry,” he teased. “Once you’re broken in, you can serve drinks. Then we’ll take you above ground. But you’ll still sleep with me when your day is done. Between your uncle and the Kid, think you a got a lot to make right.”
Lena’s body tensed as he started to consume her. Every thrust felt like a blade slicing into her soul, and Lena was resigned for all of a second before she started to kick her unbound legs wildly. Her heel hit his back, and every time she felt as if she could push away from him, every time she nearly did, Eric grabbed her legs and forced her back to his cock.
“Get the fuck away from me!” she screamed.
“Keep it up, slut!”
Eric smacked his hand across her mouth. Lena moaned around the stinging of the bruise, but she still kicked as Eric took hold of her ankles and forced her limbs around his back.
“Can always keep you below ground and whip your back raw. That might be fun, too.”
Mitch laughed as he worked his cock around his hand, and Lena looked from one man to the other, her heart seizing in her chest at the thought that they would hide her away in a place where Jax would never find her and Eric would do all kinds of horrible things…
“I said leave me the hell alone!”
Lena landed a sharp kick to his jaw, and even as her shoes left her feet, she had the seconds where Mitch fell to Eric’s side.
“Big Boss? You okay?”
She held her breath as she found her way to her feet and broke into a hard run. As she peered into the night, Lena’s eyes searched for Jax. He was going to come. He had to. Stumbling and forcing her body back to her feet, her knees skinning against the soil as her bare soles scraped against the ground, Lena wasn’t sure how many more seconds she could buy when a dark figure raced into view.
“Jax…”
Lena fell back into the trunk of a tree, thinking nothing of her bound hands as the shadow drew closer. Had to be Jax. Ready to lift her into his arms and carry her back to…
“That was a mistake, slut.”
Eric appeared and captured Lena where she lay. He pushed her tattered shirt between her screaming lips and pulled her body to her aching feet.
“And here we were trying to make it nice for you,” Eric spat. “Well no more.”
He forced Lena to her back and lifted up her skirt.
“I’ll beat you blind after this,” he threatened. “So you won’t go looking for them that ain’t coming.”
Lena moaned into her blouse. She could still kick her legs, but soon Mitch’s hands held her down, his fingers taunting her flesh as she struggled and screamed.
“Keep it up,” Mitch laughed. “We’ll punish you---”
A gunshot cracked through the air, and Lena spit out her shirt. Sitting up slowly, grateful for Eric’s absence from her body, she saw Mitch ducking the bullet as he fell to the ground.
“Big Boss? What the shit?”
As Eric scrambled to his side, Lena worked her way to her feet and moved to run again when she was caught in the crosshairs of another gun.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Look who’s back!”
Mitch laughed loudly as he looked to Jax before peering over his head.
“On your own, Kid?” Mitch asked. “Don’t even have Artie for back up?”
“Bald man has a busted arm,” Jax said. “Wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you?”
Mitch pressed his free to his pocket and practically spun up on his heels.
“It’s the only way to deal with traitors,” he said. “You two shits are well matched.”
He stepped aside, and Jax’s heart fluttered in his chest at the sight of Lena. Her breasts were bare and trembling, and Eric has his gun to her temple as he licked her cheek with a laugh.
“Kid, to what do we owe the fucking pleasure?”
Jax hardly heard him as he searched for the entirety of Lena’s stare. When their eyes met, her terror overwhelmed him, but she forced her mouth into a faint smile. Just the sight of that put the best part of his mind at ease, and as he nodded his head, Lena followed his moves. Even scared, she was still brave, and Jax found the strength to pull his gun back.
“I’m here for Lena,” he said. “I don’t care about anything else.”
Eric answered his plea with a twist of her nipples. Lena tried not to cry out, and Jax’s skin crawled at the sound of Mitch’s laughter close to his ear.
“She is fine, Kid,” Mitch said. “But she selected to come with us.”
“That’s fucking right,” Eric said. “Thought you’d be back in bed with your new buddies.”
“Save for Artie,” Mitch laughed. “Did he bleed out or what?”
Jax kept his eyes on Lena as he absorbed the other man’s words. All those times when they had rode together, whether the collections were warranted or not…
“And you’d give no thought to him being dead?” Jax asked.
His love for Lena aside, he forced his stare to Mitch and waited for the answer.
“Dumb bald fuck,” Mitch sneered. “Never was anything to---”
Jax fired a bullet into Mitch’s face and watched his skin separate from his skull as he stumbled back and fell the ground. Only the sound of Lena’s screams as the blood pooled around his feet brought Jax’s focus back to his girl, and Jax aimed his gun again.
“Now let her go!” Jax threatened. “I’ll do you the same way if you---”
“Not if kill this cunt first.”
Jax’s heart bloomed in his chest as Eric lowered his gun, but in its place was a long shard of glass pressed to Lena’s pale pink throat.
“How about it, Jax? Think she’ll be as fun to fuck without a neck?”
Even as he hated making the move, Jax lowered his gun and pressed a single hand into the air.
“Why?” he asked. “Why did you do this to my family?
“Your… shit, Jax.”
Eric pushed Lena closer to his chest, the glass between her legs and laughed.
“It’s called a crew, Jax,” Eric said. “Your daddy was too dumb to get the long and short of it. So yeah. I laid the man down and worked all these years to keep you in line.”
Strange as it was, Jax felt a burden leave his shoulders, and he sighed as started to lift his gun.
“Didn’t do such a good job,” Jax spat.
“Point taken. Should have probably killed you when you first sniffed around this one and thought you were something special.”
Lena moaned as he twisted her nippl
es around his fingers, and Jax’s heart broke at the sound of the pain leaving her lips.
“Take your fucking hands off of her!”
Eric shook his head as he grazed the glass down her side, the sharp edge ever threatening to slice into her soft flesh.
“But this is so much more fun,” Eric teased. “Watching you dance for your life. And hers. Bet you’d give any hope of getting back in charge up I let her go.”
“I would,” Jax said. “Just stop hurting her.”
