by A. M. Myers
I have no idea where anyone went and the threat could be anywhere. A twig snaps from somewhere off to my left and my eyes snap open, searching the darkness but I still can’t see anything and I shake my head as my chest aches.
Okay…
I have to make a decision. If someone is out there, watching me right now, it’s stupid to stay here in this spot and wait for him to find me but if there is no one there, if my mind is playing tricks on me and I run, it could get me killed. My whole body shakes as my mind spins but when another twig snaps, this one closer than before, my instincts make the decision for me. Turning to the right, I sprint off in that direction and as I run through the forest, twigs and branches smack me all over my body, scratching up my face but I don’t care. I just have to keep running until I’m safe. Just keep running…
Glancing back over my shoulder, my feet stutter. Behind me, too close for my comfort, is Warren. He’s running after me with that white mask of his covering his face but it doesn’t matter because I can still see it in my mind, it haunts me every time I close my eyes. Chills blanket my skin and I will my legs to move faster, pump harder because I know I’m running out of time. His boots crunch fallen leaves and twigs, reminding me of his progress as he creeps closer and I look around for a place to hide or a way to escape him but there is nothing.
Oh, God.
Run, my mind screams at me and tears streak down my cheeks.
Glancing back again, I scream.
He’s too close.
The breath is knocked from my lungs as he tackles me from behind and I scream again, pain shooting through me as we tumble to the ground and his large body covers mine. He slips me to my back and I fight against him, my entire body trembling violently but I don’t care. I strike out with my uninjured arm, hitting and fighting him off as best I can but he manages to grab it and pin it to the forest floor above my head as he rips his mask off of his face.
“Hey, baby,” he whispers, flashing me a grin that sends ice cold dread washing through me as I struggle to free myself from his hold. It only seems to amuse him more and the wild look in his brown eyes makes me want to cry as my stomach churns. He shakes his head. “You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart. You’re mine now.”
I grit my teeth and shake my head as I try to buck him off of me. “I’ll never be yours.”
“Now, that’s just not true, Rowan.” He tosses his mask aside, finally done with the façade, and leans down, dragging the tip of his finger down my cheek as his hot breath blankets my face. It smells like tobacco and stale beer and I gag but he misses it… or ignores it as he traces my lips with his thumb. “See, when I first started all of this, it was all about making the club pay for what they did to me. I never had women or love on my mind but as soon as I saw Streak fucking you up against his window on your first night in Baton Rouge, I was hooked.”
“You watched us?” I spit and he laughs quietly.
“Of course I fucking watched. Have you seen yourself, Princess? You’re a goddamn smoke show.”
I wince at his use of Travis’s nickname for me before steeling my gaze and meeting his eyes. “You’re fucking sick.”
“Naw, baby. That’s just you. I stood outside of the clubhouse, watching you and I couldn’t look away even if I tried. You put me under your spell.”
“Go fuck yourself,” I hiss. The thought of him watching us that night makes me shudder as I close my eyes and jerk my face away from him.
“That’s no way to talk to your man,” he growls, gripping my face in his hand, turning me back to him and squeezing until I’m certain he’s going to crack my jaw. Seeing the fear in my eyes, he smiles. “We’ll just have to teach you the proper way to behave, won’t we?”
“Fuck off,” I snarl, meeting his stare and he sighs as he pulls his hand back and backhands me. My head jerks to the side as pain rocks through my head but I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry anymore. Turning back to him, I narrow my eyes into a glare and he laughs.
“Oh, I can see why Streak is so whipped by you, baby. You’ve got fucking fire.” He leans down again and grabs my face again, holding me still as he brushes his lips over mine. This time, I can’t hold the cry back as I struggle to free myself, thoughts of Travis cementing themselves in my mind. When I refuse to give him what he wants, he releases me and jumps to his feet. As soon as I’m free, I roll to my belly and try to scramble away from him but he grabs my ankle and pulls me back across the ground before lifting me to my feet.
“That’s enough of that. Besides, we’ve got to get going if we don’t want to miss our flight.”
My heart jumps into my throat. “Flight? To where?”
“You’ll see,” he answers, flashing me a wide smile. My stomach drops and I struggle against him, pulling a sigh from his lips. “But I promise you’re going to love it, baby.”
“Rowan?” Travis’s panicked voice is my salvation and I look up, opening my mouth to scream to him for help but before I can, something round is shoved between my teeth. My head jerks back and I try to spit it out but Evan chuckles, holding it firmly in place, as he spins me around and secures it with straps behind my head.
A fucking ball gag?
Turning me back to face him, he grins. “Knew that might come in handy.”
“Rowan! Please, baby, where are you?” Travis screams, his voice closer than before and I spin around, my eyes wide and my heart climbing into my throat. Evan wraps his arms around my body, holding me back as I try to get away from him, screaming despite the gag in my mouth.
I won’t give up.
I won’t relent to Evan.
I won’t stop fighting to get to Travis unless I’m dead.
I turn to glare at Evan, hoping he can see that shining in my eyes. He studies me, a smile stretching across his face and I flash him a glare before I drop my head back and scream again.
“Rowan?!” His voice is closer again and a wave of calm washes over me. He’s almost here and he’s going to save me, I just know it.
“Son of a bitch,” Evan hisses, grabbing me around the legs and hoisting me up over his shoulder as I scream again. He takes off running in the opposite direction and the feeling of calm is quickly dashed out. My throat is sore from the smoke and all of the screaming I’ve already done but I keep going, hoping like hell Travis will hear it and be able to find me. The idea of never seeing him again pops into my mind and tears gather in my eyes as I watch as the forest floor races past my vision.
I should have told him I loved him.
Damn the consequences because if I die tonight or Evan manages to get me away from here, that will be my greatest regret.
After what feels like forever, Evan skids to a stop next to a giant oak tree, bigger than the one in the middle of Emma and Nix’s yard, and sets me back on my feet. My knees buckle and he catches me as he clenches his teeth and studies me, his chest heaving. Staring back at him, I see the moment something changes and all of the life drains from his eyes until all I’m left with are the cold, dead eyes of a mad man.
“You know what? I really wanted to keep you for myself… I dreamt of the life we could have had together but this is quickly turning into a no win situation.”
“Then go,” I try to say against the gag but I know it just sounds like gibberish. Evan glances back at the way we came, chewing on his bottom lip, deep in thought, before turning to me with a grin that makes my heart jump into my throat and my stomach churn. I stumble back when he steps toward me but he grabs me, pulling me back into his body.
“Guess I’ll just have to settle for second best, won’t I?”
I have no idea what that means, no idea what to say to him so I just watch him as he bends down and pulls a knife out of his boot. As the blade glints in the moonlight, I scream into the gag and struggle against his hold, desperate to get away from him but it’s no use.
“Shh, Princess,” he coos, gripping the back of my neck with one hand as I struggle against him. “I wish I could
say that this will be over quickly but if I can’t have you, if I can’t keep this sweet little pussy for myself, then I want Streak to watch you die. I want him to see the life leave your eyes and know it’s all his fucking fault.”
He sinks the blade into my abdomen, just below my belly button and my eyes widen but I don’t feel a thing except for the punch of the handle hitting my skin and he pulls back before doing it again as I crumple in on myself.
What is happening?
Why can’t I feel it?
“There, there,” he whispers, taking the knife out of my body and tossing it to the ground as he holds me up and pets my hair with his blood-stained hand. He leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek before laying me on my back underneath the tree. “If I can’t have you, then the next best thing is to make sure Travis can’t either.”
Tears pour down my face and I struggle to breathe as pain begins radiating from the wound, white hot, and each second it seems to grow in intensity until I’m certain I’m going to pass out as I stare up at the stars peeking out of the tree branches above me. There is a tug on my wrist and I turn my head to watch Evan as he ties my good hand to the tree, pulling the rope tight so I can’t even move it an inch before he turns back to me and flashes me a sad smile.
“Oh, Rowan, it didn’t have to be like this.”
My brows furrow and more tears fall as I stare up at him, wondering what I ever did to deserve this. He kneels beside me and brushes the hair out of my face, combing his fingers through the long dark strands before he drags the back of his fingers down my cheek.
“Rowan!” Travis’s voice cuts through the fog and I cry out, begging the universe that he hears me. Evan glances over his shoulder and sighs.
“It’s time for me to go, sweetheart.” His smile turns wicked. “Make sure you bleed out nice and slow for me, okay? I want this to hurt him.”
And then he’s gone.
Turning my head, I stare up at the branches above me. The pain is overwhelming and I can’t make my mind work as I wonder if anyone is ever going to find me or if I’m going to die right here as darkness creeps in around the edges of my vision and my body jerks to attention.
No.
Stay awake.
Relaxing back into the ground, I call for Travis in my mind even though I know it’s useless. My strength is waning and despite what I want to tell myself, I know I don’t have long. The darkness ebbs and flows around the corners of my vision and the sky above me begins to tilt as I suck in a breath and close my eyes.
“Rowan!” Travis screams, closer than before and my eyes snap open. I must have passed out at some point but there is no telling how long I’ve been unconscious. Gritting my teeth, I use my injured arm to reach down to my stomach and feel the wound there, wincing. “Fuck. Rowan!”
His voice is even closer and I suck in a breath, calling out for him against the gag but it’s too quiet for him to hear and I can’t muster the strength to scream any louder.
“Rowan, baby, please! Where the hell are you?” The pain in each word he speaks rips a sob from my throat and I look down at my injured hand, the one Evan left unrestrained before peeking down at the ground next to my body. There is a large stick not too far from me and if I get it, I can smash it against the tree trunk to get his attention. But, fuck… it’s going to hurt like hell. Sucking in a breath, I lift my arm from my belly and scream, squeezing my eyes shut as pain swamps my body and tears fall down my face into the grass below me.
It’s too much.
I can’t do this.
“Rowan!” Travis bellows, tears in his voice, and he sounds even closer this time. God, he’s right there…It spurs me on and I scream through the pain as I lower my arm and grab the stick before struggling to raise it back up again.
Come on.
Fucking do it.
“If you’re out here, baby, I need you to make a noise.”
The world spins around me as I use the last of my strength to lift the stick into the air and smack it into the tree again and again, sobbing as I pray to everything I can think of that he’ll hear me. Travis bursts through the brush and I cry out in relief as I drop the stick to the ground and close my eyes.
“Jesus,” he hisses, kneeling next to me and quickly removing the ball gag from my mouth. I flex my aching jaw as he pulls it away before turning to look at him as he works on untying my arm. When he’s finished, he scoots closer to me and runs his hands over my body. “Are you hurt anywhere else besides your arm?”
“Stomach,” I whisper, my voice rough from all of the screaming and he glances down, lifting up my sweatshirt as his eyes widen and he turns to look at me. His heart is breaking in his eyes, I can see it clear as day, as he pulls out his cell phone and tries to reassure me with a smile.
“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve always fucking got you.”
“Travis,” I breathe, reaching up and cupping his cheek as he presses the phone to his ear, calling for help but darkness creeps in around my vision again and I know this could be it. This could be the last time I see his handsome face, his green mesmerizing eyes, and his cocky grin and I don’t want to die without telling him the truth. His gaze locks on mine as the darkness grows, pulling me under.
“Stay with me, Princess.”
“I love you, Travis,” I whisper, unable to hold back anymore as I’m swallowed up by shadows once again and if this is death, at least I died with a smile on my face and the love of my life by my side.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Travis
“Sir, you can’t come with us,” the paramedic says, placing her hand on my chest to stop me from climbing in there with Rowan. It’s not going to fucking work though. There is not a damn thing on this earth that could keep me from her right now and I turn to stare at the paramedic, making that damn clear as I shake my head.
“I’m going with her.”
She sighs. “No, you’re not, sir. You can follow behind us in your own car.”
“Absolutely fucking not. That is my woman in there and she fucking needs me so I’m going.”
“Just let him come,” the other paramedic calls from inside the ambulance where she’s treating Rowan and Justine, the one holding me back, sighs as her hands falls away.
“You best not give me any damn problems.”
I hold up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
She hums in agreement and moves out of my way, mumbling something about me never being a scout as she walks to the driver’s door and slips behind the wheel. I jump in the back and grab the doors to close them as Tate and Kodiak come running up.
“You got her, brother?” he asks and I nod, meeting his gaze. After a second, he nods and Tate grabs his hand as she turns back to their cars.
“We’ll follow behind you.”
Nodding, I slam the doors shut before turning to look down at my girl as she lies in the middle of the stretcher, her skin too fucking pale. She’s passed out fucking cold and I watch her chest to make sure she’s still breathing for a second before sighing in relief. Laura, the other paramedic, points to the bench behind me and arches a brow.
“Sit there and stay out of my way. She’s the patient and I don’t have the time or patience to put up with any shit from you, ya hear?”
I nod and sit down, grabbing Rowan’s hand in both of mine and bringing it to my lips. “You just keep her breathing.”
She gets to work, moving around the back and grabbing things out of cubbies before focusing back on Rowan. The ambulance starts moving and I press my lips to her hand, begging her to come back to me.
“I love you, Travis.” Her voice whispers in my head again and again. They keep playing on a loop, repeating endlessly as I try to wrap my mind around everything that just happened. When I heard that first shot go off, I ran around the house so fucking fast, not a goddamn care in the world that I was running straight toward the danger but she was already gone. It took me a minute to find Tate, who told me the last place she saw my girl and I jus
t went from there. Most of the fucking time, I was certain I was going in the wrong direction but something, deep down in my gut, told me to keep going so I did. I searched those woods for what felt like an eternity, screaming her name and begging every deity I could think of that she would call back to me. The relief I felt when I heard that stupid fucking stick banging against the tree almost made me pass out but it was nothing compared to the sight of her, gagged, shot, stabbed, and tied to a tree.
Staring down at her, I shake my head.
She loves me?
Thinking back over the past month, a riot of emotions rocks through me and as I run through the past ten days, everything snaps into place and smacks me in the chest. If I wasn’t already sitting, I would have fallen on my ass.
Fuck.
She loves me.
I don’t know how to feel about her admission because it’s all so much more complicated than she realizes but as I try to think of my life without her, I know I can’t fucking walk away. Let’s just hope she feels the same way once she knows the truth about me.
The ambulance stops and the front door opens as Laura stands up and begins tucking things into the stretcher and making sure it’s safe to move again. When the back door opens, Justine points to me and orders me to stay until they get the gurney out and I nod, releasing Rowan’s hand and setting it on her body. They wheel her out and I jump down after her, my hands shaking as I follow them into the emergency room. A team of doctors and nurses rush up to her, taking over for the paramedics and one of the nurses directs me to wait in the family area off to the side but I can’t move. With my feet planted to the floor, I watch them wheel her into a trauma bay and begin checking her over as my heart races.
“Sir.”
I glance down at the tiny old woman in blue scrubs as she flashes me a no-nonsense look.
“You need to go sit down in the waiting area and someone will come talk to you when we know more.”
