THE DEVIL’S BRIDE

by April Lust

  Finally, after half an hour, I stand up and yawn. “It’s pretty late,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “I think I’m gonna turn in, Dad.”

  Dad frowns. “It’s only eight-thirty,” he says.

  “Seeing Linds really tired me out,” I lie. “Besides, I’ve got a big paper to write tomorrow. I need to make sure I get enough rest before I sit down at that desk again.”

  Dad smiles and I feel my heart twitch in pain.

  “Okay, princess,” he says. “That’s my girl. Always keeping up with her schoolwork.”

  Before I go into the bedroom and shut the door, Dad kisses the top of my head, just like he did every night when I was a little girl. It hurts to lie to him like this, but I know that what I’m doing is for the best.

  Landon’s life is at stake if Dad stays angry, and I want to be the person who helps my dad reconcile with his former second-in-command. Besides, after this is over, Landon and Dad really will be family.

  I blush at the thought of becoming Landon’s wife.

  As quickly and quietly as I can, I throw what little clothing I have and some energy bars into the backpack. I remember Lindsay’s suggestion to pack water, but the bag is already heavy and I don’t want to add too much. I toss in two bottles, followed by a couple of books. After all, I’ve never seen where Landon lives. I don’t know what kind of things he does when he’s not around me. For all I know, he only has old copies of Auto Mechanic lying around.

  When my watch strikes nine, I try to open the window. It sticks–the sash is swollen in the frame–and I have to grit my teeth and use all of my effort to heave the glass panes into the air. It makes a terrible squeaking sound and I cringe, listening for the telltale sound of my dad’s heavy footfall in the hallway. But after a few seconds pass and I don’t hear anything, I hold my breath and slowly swing my legs over the frame.

  The drop to the ground is a little further than I’m expecting and I don’t land on my feet, but rather stumble and fall to my knees. One of my ankles starts throbbing immediately and I curse loudly, reaching down and wrapping my hands around it. I can feel that it’s already starting to swell, but I can’t risk standing outside the hideout. There are motion-activated floodlights, and I have to creep away as stealthily as possible so they won’t activate.

  Yeah, I can do this, I think as I creep slowly away from the house and towards the woods. This isn’t too bad at all.

  When I’m a little ways out, I turn around and glance back up at the house. It already looks small. My bedroom window is a tiny triangle of light. From a distance, it doesn’t look like much at all. It just looks like a rundown house in the Texas countryside, forgotten about by long-ago ranchers. Somehow, the thought is a sad one.

  I grumble, setting off into the woods, favoring my good ankle with every step. It really does hurt, but I figure that as soon as I see Landon, he’ll help me out. Surely the MC has a doctor around.

  That’s when I remember that Landon technically isn’t a member of Blacktop Chaos anymore. I shudder. A cold breeze ripples through the woods and I resume walking, placing one foot in front of the other. My ankle is throbbing after only a few minutes of walking.

  I know I haven’t gone far–the house is still within my sight. But fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any activity behind me. The floodlights have stayed off and while I’ve been keeping one ear open for the whine of a motorcycle, the only thing I can hear is the sound of my feet crunching through the dead leaves.

  Thinking about seeing Landon again makes my ankle hurt less. For a moment, I close my eyes, trying to remember the sensation of his hands gliding over my body. My breasts grow warm and the area between my legs pulses with desire. Soon, I think. Soon, we can be together and no one will think of tearing us apart ever again.

  That’s when I hear an engine. Crying out in fear, I dart around a big tree and glance behind me. A car is barreling down the grass road, headlights bouncing. It’s Lindsay, I realize.

  “Hey, Lindsay!” I yell, stepping out from behind the tree and waving my arms in the air. “I’m over here!”

  The car turns towards me and seems to speed up, gliding roughly over the bumpy grass and dead leaves. The engine is louder than a bike, and I shiver. Even though I know Lindsay is behind the wheel, it’s a little frightening to feel so exposed in the glare of the headlights. They’re so bright that it hurts my head. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I squint at the car.

  It looks familiar, I think when I see the black Honda Civic skid to a slow stop in front of me. Where have I seen that car before?

  That’s when I realize I’ve made a horrible mistake. It’s not Lindsay. It’s the same car I saw the library parking lot that night, the same car I saw in the grocery store parking lot the day I snuck out to buy breakfast.

  It’s not Lindsay.

  It’s the men who want to kidnap me, and they’ve managed to find me in the middle of the woods.

  “Help!” I scream loudly. My voice rings through the air, echoing off the trees. “Help!” I yell again, straining until my throat aches.

  The doors of the car open and I hear two male voices laughing and joking. There’s a sound of leaves crunching underfoot as the men run towards me.

  I turn around and start limping away as fast as I can. My ankle is killing me but I know I have to try to outrun the men who want to kidnap me.

  “Help!” I scream as I run blindly through the woods. My foot hits a rock and suddenly I’m flying through the air, cartwheeling my arms as I fall. The ground seems to smack me in the face and the air whooshes out of my lungs. For a second, I’m dizzy.

  “Hey, bitch,” one of the men says. He stands in front of me, swinging a bundle of glossy white rope. “Long time no see.”

  As he advances on me, I scream and scream.

  Chapter 20

  Landon

  After I leave the hideout, I ride around aimlessly for a while before going back to Blade’s. Something isn’t right, but I know that I won’t be able to figure it out on my own. If I want to help Vivian, I’m going to have to work harder than I’ve ever worked in my life.

  Blade and Robin are settling down for dinner when I roll up. I can tell Blade’s annoyed, but Robin sets a place for me and pours me a beer.

  “It didn’t work,” I say glumly, sitting down at the table and resting my chin on my fist. “She wouldn’t come out. I yelled to her, and I heard her yelling from the inside of the hideout. But I didn’t even get to look at her.”

  Blade’s head snaps up like I just told him the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders had walked into the room.

  “You did what?” He stares at me, his eyes wide.

  “I went outside and I yelled her name a couple of times,” I say, raking a hand through my hair. “I know, it’s like something out of some dumb teen movie from the eighties. But I wanted her to know I was there. I didn’t want her to worry.”

  “You’re a fucking idiot,” Blade says. “You realize that if someone was hanging around and waiting, that told them she’s inside?”

  My heart sinks and I close my eyes.

  “Fuck,” I say. “You’re right. I’m so fucking stupid.”

  “Hey, stop,” Robin says. She reaches forward and grabs my hand. “That wasn’t the best thing to do, yeah, but it’s okay. We’ll figure out a way to make sure Steel understands that you have good information. Information that can help. You told him, right?”

  “I tried,” I say miserably. I feel like such a fool. My heart is pounding and suddenly, I’m feeling so anxious that I don’t even want the beer in front of me. “I failed her, guys. I went to try to help and I failed.”

  Robin shakes her head. “We’ll talk to him,” she says quickly. “I promise, Landon. We’re not going to let Vivian get hurt.”

  I sense the unsaid implication of her words—we’re not going to let Vivian get hurt because you fucked up.

  “I gotta go back,” I say, standing up from the table. “I gotta go back there and make Steel listen. Blad
e, can you call him?”

  Blade’s already holding the phone to his ear by the time I ask. But he doesn’t greet Steel. Instead, his expression turns sour and he frowns, putting the phone down on the table.

  “Steel didn’t answer,” Blade says. “You gotta go back over there.”

  “But dinner—“

  “He has to go now, Robin!”

  In thirty seconds, I’m outside, climbing on my bike and driving towards the hideout. As soon as I get close, I know something’s wrong. The front door is open and light is spilling out all over the porch.

  “Fuck!” Screaming, I climb off my bike and let it fall to the ground as I run towards the house. My heart is pounding and I don’t want to go in, but I know I have to look. Whatever’s happened to Steel and Vivian is all my fault, and I have to take responsibility for my actions.

  I nearly scream again when I see Steel. He’s lying on the kitchen floor, covered in blood. There’s a stab wound in his chest and he’s barely breathing. His breath is slow, labored, and his eyes are closed.

  “Steel,” I say, kneeling down on the floor and reaching for his wrist to check his pulse. It seems too slow–almost scarily slow. “Steel, man, it’s Landon. Wake up!”

  Steel’s eyes slowly open and he blinks. I can’t even tell if he knows that I’m there.

  “Landon,” Steel croaks. “Vivian’s gone.”

  I’m on my feet before he even finishes the sentence, running through the house and screaming Vivian’s name. In the bedroom, her signature sweet scent still hangs in the air. But she’s not there.

  Whirling around, I run back into the kitchen. “Where the hell did they take her?”

  Steel shakes his head slowly. “She was gone before they got here,” he croaks. “She…she must have left out the window.”

  My heart sinks and I bury my face in my hands. Vivian’s gone, and it’s all my fault. She must have decided to come after me after hearing me yell her name outside.

  “You gotta go find her,” Steel says. He grabs my hand and squeezes hard. I’m sure he’s in a lot of pain, but he’s barely showing it. “You gotta go save my daughter, Landon.”

  “I’ll find her,” I swear. “I promise.”

  Steel shifts and a torrent of blood gushes out of his side. As much as I want to go save Vivian, I know that I can’t leave my former boss here to die. Quickly, I get to my feet and run into the bathroom for a medical kit.

  When I get back to the kitchen, Steel’s eyes are closed again. I drop to my knees and rip his shirt open. The stab wound is huge, and it’s gushing so much blood that it looks like he was hit with an axe. As tenderly as I can, I pinch the folds of skin closed. Blood oozes through my fingers.

  “What are you doing?” Steel croaks. He winces, and I know he must be in tremendous pain.

  “Gotta patch you up,” I say grimly, reaching for the medical kit. “Have to make sure you’re okay.”

  Steel’s eyes flutter closed, and I pray that it won’t be for the last time.

  Chapter 21

  Vivian

  I try to struggle, but my ankle hurts too much and the men are too strong. They pull me through the air. I kick and scream and try to fight, but I know it’s useless.

  As soon as we get back to the little black car, one of the men roughly holds my arms behind my back while the other secures me tightly with rope. The rope digs into my skin and I cry out in pain, but all that I receive for my efforts is a strong slap across the face.

  “Shut the fuck up,” one of the men growls. I shiver when I realize it’s the same man who has tried to grab me twice before. He’s got a red birthmark across his face and foul breath, like all of his teeth have gone rotten in his head.

  “Branden, she’s a feisty little cunt,” the other man says.

  Branden throws his head back and laughs like this is some kind of funny joke.

  “Yeah, I’ve had my eye on her for a while,” he says. “That’s why I needed your help, Alan.”

  Branden and Alan, I think, trying to memorize the names. My mind is whirling a million miles per minute, and I know that I’m probably not capable of rational thought. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to run away from the hideout. I wonder if Lindsay knows that something’s wrong. Surely she must be wondering why I haven’t made it to her car yet.

  “Help!” I scream again. Branden slaps me across the face. He stares at me with narrow, beady little eyes.

  “You shut up, bitch,” Branden says. “I’ve already got a headache, and I don’t need you making anything worse for me.”

  Tears come to my eyes but I don’t try to blink them away. My arms are already numb at the sockets from the rope behind me. My ankle feels so swollen that I’m worried I won’t be able to take my shoe off…at least, if I’m ever untied and given the opportunity to do that.

  Branden and Alan wrestle me over to the trunk of the car. Branden pops it open and Alan shoves me inside. I take the opportunity to kick out with my legs, but Alan punches me in the thigh and I cry out in pain as my wounded ankle slams against the side of the car.

  “Gimme some more rope,” Branden says. Alan obliges and Branden reaches into the trunk, holding my ankles together and wrapping them up.

  “Please, please don’t do that,” I beg. “I hurt my ankle in the woods and it really hurts, please don’t tie it tightly!”

  “Oh, she hurt her ankle,” Alan says sarcastically. “Stupid bitch. That’s what you get for trying to run from us.”

  With as much effort as I can, I arch my neck and try to spit in his face. The glob of saliva lands on his chin and it’s almost worth it for the murderous look that Alan gives me. But seconds later, the blows to my face and upper body make me regret being feisty.

  Alan and Branden slam me inside of the trunk. When I hear them get in the car and start the engine, a wave of despair washes over me.

  This is it, I think. They’re going to hold me for ransom and then kill me because they’re deranged fucks and I wasn’t able to escape. Fuck, I’m so stupid! Why the hell did I have to try escaping like that, anyway?

  When Landon’s face flashes into my mind, the tears come harder than ever. I’m crying so hard that I can barely breathe. Tears and snot are streaming down my face and despite trying to twist around so I can wipe my nose on my shirt, I can’t move very much in the tiny little trunk. Whoever is driving the car speeds up and we fly over a rough bump that smacks my head against the wall of the car.

  That’s when the music starts. It’s classic rock—the kind of stuff that my dad listens to. Hearing one of his favorite songs makes me feel worse than ever. I’m going to die and it’s my fault. I should have just listened to him.

  The car slows down and finally the engine cuts. I hear the doors slam shut, and then the crunch of footsteps in gravel. I hate the idea of meeting more men like Branden and Alan, but at least we’ve stopped somewhere and doesn’t seem like we’ve gone that far. My heart sinks when I hear the footsteps fade.

  They’ve left me here, I realize, shivering with cold. They’ve left me here to die.

  I don’t know how much time passes in that little trunk. Every moment is painful. My whole body hurts. I can feel that my face is bruised and swollen from the abuse lobbed at me by Branden and Alan, and my ankle is killing me. Each breath is painful, and I shudder at the thought of having to spend the whole night in some goddamned trunk.

  The footsteps start again. Crunch crunch crunch over the gravel, closer to the car. When I hear the metallic twist of a key in the lock, I hold my breath and close my eyes.

  Bright light spills into my face as the trunk opens. When I open my eyes, I can barely see anything except the black silhouette of a man leaning over my bound body.

  “Welcome home, bitch,” Branden says. “Now it’s show time.”

  Chapter 22

  Vivian

  Before I can move, Branden reaches into the trunk and grabs me. I don’t know where we are, but the crunch of gravel along with the scent o
f moldy leaves makes me think we’re out in the country, far away from Big Hill.

  Branden leers at me, digging his fingers deep into my upper arms. It hurts, but I’m almost too scared to make a sound. I’m aware that everything I do and everything I say will make a difference in whether or not I survive.

  If I survive, I think bleakly.

  “Come on,” Branden grunts. He heaves me out of the trunk and sets me down on the ground. Instantly, I feel a nasty chill work through my body. My teeth are chattering and there are goose bumps standing up on my exposed skin, but I can’t even cover myself with my arms. I’m wearing jeans and a thin shirt, but I feel like I might as well be naked. Texas has never felt this cold before. If we’re even still in Texas.