by J. R. Ryder
My eyes widened. “No!” I screamed as best I could, struggling with all my might.
Still, he advanced right toward me, knife aimed at my face.
Oh, god, please. Don’t let him hurt me. I started to cry harder than ever. I squeezed my eyes, unable to witness what was about to happen.
He grabbed me by the hair, pulling so hard that I thought he would rip it right off my scalp.
I cried out in pain.
And that’s when he sliced through the gag.
At first, I didn’t comprehend what had happened.
The wad of fabric fell into my lap.
My mouth remained open as I sat there, completely frozen.
A second later, he pressed his lips against mine.
I nearly threw up, the taste of him was like vinegar – bitter and disgusting. Desperately, I tried to push him away, but I was vulnerable to his advances. He could do whatever he wanted to me.
The thought just terrified me even further.
What was I supposed to do?
Think, Mandy, think. my brain had stopped working long ago.
Finally, he pulled away. “Hmm, we will have to work on that. Seems like spending time with the billionaire has tainted you. It doesn’t matter. I’ll make you mine once more. And, this time, you won’t get away.” Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed the side of my neck.
“Stop… please. Keith. You can’t do this.”
He laughed. “I can’t. I’m sorry. And, who exactly is going to stop me? You’re supposed to be a police officer and yet you’ve done nothing but cry this entire time.” He shook his head, running the tip of his knife against my thigh. It was then that I noticed I was wearing nothing but my underwear. I had been so preoccupied with my situation that I hadn’t even realized that I was practically naked.
Now, I had no doubt about his intentions.
No. He couldn’t do this to me. He just couldn’t.
He wasn’t supposed to be a part of my life. That nightmare was over and yet, here I was, staring it right in the face.
“ Maybe you mean that your billionaire will come and rescue you like some kind of fairy tale prince. Well, you can keep dreaming, princess. There’s no one left to save you this time. You’re mine.” He hissed, the blade pressed against the waistband of my panties.
“Please…” I begged but my pleas fell on deaf ears.
Chapter 20 (Jasper)
“If you lay another finger on her then I swear I’ll break every single bone in your body and that is no exaggeration.” I stood in the open doorway, staring at my enemy.
I had tracked him like a hunter tracks his prey. For someone who had been bold enough to break into my home and pull off a stunt like this, he was not at all careful with what he did. He left clues everywhere, making it easy to find him – too easy.
A cruel laugh escaped his lips. “I was wondering when you’d show up. To be honest, for a Navy SEAL, you haven’t impressed me. You’d think a man as decorated as yourself would be less of a coward and yet, you hide away in the mountains, too scared to face reality.”
My fists tightened by my side.
Don’t lose your temper. I reminded myself. This wasn’t a game. Mandy’s life tottered in the balance of my actions.
All I needed to do was buy myself some time until Andy showed up. As soon as I emerged from the tunnel I had thought about finding Mandy, but I knew better than to go on such a mission alone. I had run all the way home and attached a note to one of my carrier pigeons, hoping it would make it to my friend and comrade. If there was ever a time when I needed him, it was now.
Wolf had vanished.
“Giving me the cold shoulder?” The man pressed his lips together in disappointment. Obviously, he expected more of a reaction out of me.
“All you have to do is step away from her and no one gets hurt.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Do you want it to be?” I continued to stand in the doorway, waiting for him to make a move.
A small smile twitched onto his lips. He spun his knife between his fingers before suddenly throwing it with all his force.
“Jasper!” Mandy screamed, straining against her binds.
I ducked just in time. “Oh, you shouldn’t have done that,” I growled, charging forward and tackling him into the nearby wall.
He groaned in pain, but he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. He rammed his knee as hard as he could into my groin. A cheap shot. what did I expect from a crook like him?
He hit me again, this time winding me completely.
I doubled over, holding my stomach.
He grabbed me by the collar, slamming me into the wall.
My brain rattled inside my skull, compounding with the pain that was already there. Despite my best intentions to save Mandy, I crumbled to the ground, lifeless. My body had given up on me, but I was still conscious, watching as Keith rolled back his shoulders, a satisfied smirk painted on his face.
“That wasn’t even a challenge.” He said, shaking his head. “I thought for sure you’d make this interesting for me, but I guess I was mistaken.”
He grabbed his knife off the ground before heading in my direction. It was obvious what he planned to do.
Get up. I yelled at my body, but it wouldn’t listen to me. Come on, get up. it was like I was paralyzed.
“Leave him alone!” Mandy screamed.
No, don’t draw attention to yourself.
Keith paused, glancing over at her. “Why should I?”
“This has nothing to do with him, Keith. I’m the one your after. I don’t know why but if you want to make my life a living hell… go ahead but leave him out of it.”
“Aww.” He mocked. Without an ounce of hesitation, he pulled back his hand and slapped her across the cheek.
“Bastard!” I screamed but still, I could not get up.
“The bitch had it coming to her, you know. This wouldn’t be happening if she only knew how to keep her nose out of other people’s business. You just had to know the truth about my family, didn’t you?” He laughed, throwing his head back.
This guy was nuts.
“You couldn’t just let it go like the rest of your department. You knew it would get you in trouble and yet, you couldn’t stay away. You always were a stupid girl. I cannot understand what I ever saw in you, but it doesn’t matter. The fact is you know too much already. I can’t let you get any deeper into our affairs. I’m going to have to get rid of you once and for all, but I think before that, it won’t hurt to have some fun with you. Don’t you think?” He ran the blade along her neck, pulling her hair so hard that there were tears in her eyes.
“Please…” She whimpered.
“Let go of her you fucking bastard.” With every ounce of strength I had, I managed to get up. I grabbed him by the shirt and threw him aside.
Quickly, I tried to untie Mandy but before I could even loosen up the knots around her wrists, I felt the cold barrel of a gun against the back of my neck. “Move and I kill her.” He threatened.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the cavernous room.
Before I could react, a pair of big, brawny men grabbed me by the arms. Another pair grabbed Mandy.
“Stop! What are you doing! Put me down!” She screamed.
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
Suddenly, something was pressed against the side of my neck. A deep warmth spread through my veins.
No.
A tranquilizer.
My body grew slack. I wanted to resist the effects of the drug, but it was impossible. All I could do was crumble to the ground as I heard Mandy screaming my name, begging for help.
I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to keep her safe.
And, all I had done was fail her.
Chapter 21 (Mandy)
This couldn’t be happening. Just when I thought I would be saved by my lover, things got even worse. Now he was unconscious, and I was being carted off by the ve
ry family I had tried to expose.
If I had only let the matter go, none of this would have happened. I would still be working at the station, living my normal life. Instead, I ignored direct orders from my boss and here I was, in a very bad situation.
Fuck.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get away from the men that carried me into the back of a van. I did everything I could to remain calm. Maybe, if I just held my tongue, I could survive long enough for Jasper to save me.
who was I kidding? I’d probably never see him again. I shuddered just thinking about the killer look that had flashed across Keith’s eyes, holding that knife, charging toward Jasper. He wasn’t going to hold back. Jasper was going to die… because of me.
The thought was enough to make me sick.
“Fuck!” One of the men shouted when it got on his shoe. “You disgusting bitch.” Before I knew what was happening, he pistol-whipped me.
My world blurred for a moment as my brain collided with the side of my skull.
I groaned in pain.
“Clean up this mess.” Keith’s voice broke me from my daze. “I don’t want to stick around here any longer than we need to. The billionaire is bound to wake up at any moment.”
“Why’d you keep him alive?” One of the men asked.
I held my breath. Jasper was alive. I could barely believe it.
“Because it makes things a lot more interesting. Trust me. We’re going to have one hell of a time.” He laughed his cruel laugh before jumping into the driver’s seat.
His two men fastened my chair in place before joining him in the front.
I did everything I could to keep from getting sick again but with the jostling of the van, it was extremely difficult.
Please, be okay. I thought, closing my eyes and picturing Jasper. Don’t come after me. Just get yourself to safety. I prayed that he would just let me go but deep down, I knew he wouldn’t.
He felt what I felt.
An attraction so strong that we were both willing to sacrifice ourselves for the well being of the other.
We were in love.
the ways things were playing out, I didn’t know if we were ever going to act on that love or if this would be my last day on Earth.
***
To my surprise, Keith brought me back to Jasper’s cabinet.
What was going on? What was he planning?
He jumped into the back of the van and smiled down at me. “Welcome home.” He mocked, cutting away my bindings. “Now, you be a good girl, or I won’t hesitate to shoot every part of your body until you beg me for mercy.” Already, he had a gun pressed to my lips.
I gulped.
“Kiss it.”
I tried to plead with him using my eyes, but he just continued to look at me with that cold expression of his. This man was heartless and there was no way to change that.
Not willing to risk my chances, I kissed the tip of his gun.
He smiled. “We might just get along after all.” He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “See, I can be a nice, reasonable guy when I want to be – when people don’t piss me off.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, bottom lip quivering. I was trying my hardest to remains strong throughout this ordeal, but things were looking bleak. It was becoming difficult to remain optimistic when Keith seemed to have the upper hand.
“Because you know too much.”
“I don’t know anything. The investigation against your family has been going at a snail’s pace. They haven’t figured anything out yet.”
“Do you honestly think I believe that.” His ground his teeth, jaw flexing with anger. “I don’t like it when people lie to me, Mandy.”
“I’m not lying.”
He grabbed me by the throat. “I’m done listening to you. One more peep and I’ll cut out your tongue. Got it.”
Timidly, I nodded. He had become even more of a monster. When I broke up with him, he was just an asshole but now he was a downright maniac.
“Anyway, we’ve wasted enough time with chitchat. Let’s get going. Everyone is waiting for us.”
“Everyone?”
“Why the Hitchcocks, of course. You were so interested in our family business, I thought I would do you a favor and show you exactly what we like to do.” He grinned wildly. “I don’t think you’re going to like it.” He leaned down and nibbled my ear. “ I think you best behave or things are going to be a lot worse for you.”
With shaking legs, I managed to get on my feet. I couldn’t even imagine what waited for me inside. No doubt, every member of that family wanted to see me dead.
“Oh, and since I’m such a nice guy… here.” He shrugged off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders. “I wouldn’t want you to make the wrong impression, walking in with nothing but your underwear on.”
I blush in embarrassment. “Please. Don’t make me do this. I won’t bother you or anyone from your family ever again.”
“Oh, you already had your chance, Mandy. It’s too late now.”
“Please… Keith. You can’t do this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mandy. You’re the reason I am doing this.” He pointed to a fresh tattoo on his right bicep. “You see, I wasn’t always a part of the family business. I thought it was crooked and evil but after we broke up, my life fell to shit. I didn’t know what to do. My family helped pick up the pieces. My father was the one who gave me this tattoo. I’m now his formal heir. welcome to the family business, babe.”
Chapter 22 (Jasper)
“Wake up.”
I heard the muffled voice, but I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening. Everything around me was dark. The pounding in my head was practically unbearable like someone was constantly driving a sledgehammer every single time I breathed.
“Jasper, wake up.” This time, the voice accompanied the command with a rough shake.
Pain coursed through my head, causing me to groan, teeth clenched to hold back a scream.
“Jasper.” He shook me again. “Shit. This isn’t good.” Without warning, he slapped my cheek.
The hit managed to yank me out of the darkness. My eyes shot open.
Andy was standing right in front of me, a concerned look on his face. I tried to figure out what was going on. My mind was so hazy that it felt like cobwebs covered every inch of my brain.
“Come on. You have to get up.” He grabbed me by the elbows and hoisted me to my feet.
The world started to spin.
“Here.” He handed me a couple of pills. “I thought these would come in handy.”
“What are they?”
“Extra Strength Tylenol.”
I chuckled softly. When we had served as SEALS, we were both on the same squadrons – practically partners – and even though Andy was just a regular soldier just like everyone else, he always carried around Tylenol as if he was the backup medic. It had come in handy more than once.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, popping them into my mouth and taking a swig from the canteen he offered.
“Now, tell me what happened.”
I looked at him. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Everything is so muddled.”
“Well, here’s the note you sent me. Maybe it’ll help you.” He handed over a folded piece of paper.
“Mandy…” I whispered the name softly. It sent a warmth running through every inch of my body, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint where that warmth was coming from. Was she a good friend or someone else? What did she mean to me?
“Who is she?”
“I… I don’t know.”
Andy frowned. “It looks like you took a pretty hard hit to the head. Maybe we should get you back home.”
“No. This Mandy girl is in trouble. We have to find her.”
“Are you really willing to risk your life for a woman you can’t even remember. If she was really that important then you would remember her.”
“No.” I stepped forward. “She’s importan
t. I can’t remember exactly but I can feel it here.” I pressed my hand to my chest.
Andy shook his head. “Fine. Let’s go find her.”
***
To our surprise, the trail we followed led right to my cabin.
