Scarred: A Mountain Man Romance

by J. R. Ryder

  Once my vision was restored, I discovered I was on the prow of a ship. The wind was whipping salty mist into my face. My lips, still hidden behind the duct tape were chapped, my mouth unbelievably dry.

  I wiggled around, trying to get free, but I was bound to one of those fishing chairs that were bolted to the deck. I moaned loudly, hoping someone – anyone – would hear me and come to my rescue.

  Just then, a large, muscular man appeared. He was wearing nothing but a pair of low-hanging jeans. His toned torso was covered in tattoos and scars. A set of dog tags were hanging from his neck.

  I stared at them a moment, thinking they were some kind of a clue, but my mind was still hazy.

  “Ah, you’re awake.” He said in a deep voice. “I thought I’d have to wake you up myself.” He chuckled, running his fingers through his slicked back hair.

  As he approached, he walked with a certain amount of swagger, like he thought he owned the world.

  “I bet you’re wondering why you’re here.” Standing before me, he reached out a finger, tracing the outline of my jaw.

  His touch disgusted me and I pulled away as much as my restraints allowed.

  “You know, you really shouldn’t do that.” His tone took a threatening edge as he grabbed my seat and spun it around and around and around. I felt like I was going to hurl. “Because if you throw up with that gag around your mouth, you might just choke on it.”

  My eyes widened at the realization and I did everything I could to keep down the bile.

  “Now, I suggest you be a good girl for me. Your knight in shining armor should be here soon.” His hand moved from my cheek down to my collarbone, his fingers dancing along my skin. “Only, this isn’t a fairytale. No. This is the real world. And in the real world, bad things happen. Very bad things.” He chuckled, pulling out a gun from the back of his pants.

  My eyes widened even more and I struggled like crazy.

  This man was going to kill Leo!

  I shook my head.

  “What’s the matter?” He asked, his voice mocking. “Don’t tell me you actually fell in love with that scumbag.” He brought another small chair and sat down beside me. Even he towered above me in his great height.

  I stared at the man, trying to figure out if I had seen him before.

  Why had he kidnapped me? Why did he keep talking about Leo?

  He suddenly chuckled, the sound raspy and repulsive, like nails on a chalkboard. “You know, Leonel was always the lady’s man. I was always competing with him for the prettiest girl and in the end, they always chose him, even though I had so much more to offer…” He trailed off as his hand ran up the side of my leg, getting closer and closer to the hem of my skirt. Already, a few of the buttons of my shirt had come undone and I was terrified that this man was going to do horrible, horrible things to me.

  His hand rested on my knee as he leaned forward, his acidic breath blasting into my face. I was so scared that I could barely move my body. All I could do was whimper pathetically through the gag.

  “But you know, the funny thing is that once we went to war together, I discovered that he was nothing more than a coward. He didn’t even know how to hold a gun properly. Practically crapped his pants whenever he heard a bomb go off. He was a mess…”

  I wondered why this man was telling me all of this. Was he trying to make Leo look bad? To what end?

  “And he was the reason our whole platoon was blown to bits.” His tone took an icy edge as his fingers tightened around my knee. I gasped, pain radiating through my leg. I mumbled through the gag, trying to get him to stop, but he just gripped me even tighter, like he was trying to crush my kneecap with his bare hand.

  “He was supposed to fly in a drone and stop the threat, but instead, his cowardice caused that drone to fly into the side of a mountain.” He moved even closer, his hand finally letting go of my knee, only to grab my chin with extraordinary force. “Tell me, is that the kind of man you want to be with? Someone who kills his comrades with his own incompetence and then comes back pretending he’s some kind of a war hero?” He spat the words, his lips getting dangerously close to where my mouth was hiding under all the tape.

  Suddenly, he harshly ripped that tape right off my face.

  I screamed.

  “I’ll make you a little deal –”

  “You can go to hell.” I spat, my anger getting the best of me. I couldn’t stand this man talking shit about Leo.

  He grinned ever so slightly, his lips twitching in amusement. “A feisty one. No wonder he’s kept you around. He always liked a girl with a bit of fire in her soul. Tell me, did he happen to mention the slew of girlfriends he has had in the past? All of them just like you. Girls he hires and then manipulates into sleeping with him. Pretty low if you ask me, don’t you think?”

  “Leo would never do that!” I shook my head.

  “ you’re telling me that Leo didn’t threaten to fire you if you didn’t go to the military ball with him?”

  “H-How did you know that?” I asked.

  “Oh…” He got up and circled around me like a predator about to pounce. Before I knew what was happening, I felt the cold edge of a knife against my shoulder, digging into my skin ever so slightly. He slid it under the fabric of my shirt before tearing through it like butter.

  “Stop! What are you doing? Don’t you dare touch me!” I screamed, my shirt being ripped off my body until I was wearing nothing but my bra and skirt. “Help! Help!” I started to scream at the top of my lungs, hoping someone would hear me.

  He smacked me across the face so hard that I saw stars before my eyes.

  “Scream all you want, bitch, but no one is going to save you. It only takes twenty minutes to get from your house to the docks. Leonel was at your house over an hour ago. Don’t you think that if he wanted to rescue you, he’d be here by now?” He pressed the knife under my chin, tilting my head upwards until I was forced to look him in the eye. “Face it, Leonel doesn’t give two shits about you. He only ever wanted you for the sex, to truss you up like a little sex doll for his own pleasure.” He laughed, tilting his head back like he had lost his mind. “Just like he did to all the other girls…”

  I shook my head. “It’s not like that,” I said firmly, trying to convince myself that there was more between Leo and me than just lust. When he had teased me in the car, when he had done all those things to my body, it was more than just pleasure. There was a need to be with him – to stay by his side.

  “Sure, sure. You keep telling yourself that. Wait until the next cute intern is hired and you’re nothing more than yesterday’s garbage.” He reached forward, grabbing my breast, fondling it through my bra. “But I could give you so much more.”

  “Don’t touch me.”

  “You really are in no position to give me orders, missy.” He grinned, his knife between my breasts. “All I have to do is cut this little string here and you’re as good as mine. No one will hear you scream and no one will come to your rescue.”

  As he got closer, I glanced at the dock, praying for a miracle, but we were all alone. Maybe Leo really wasn’t coming. Maybe I wasn’t worth the trouble…

  These thoughts haunted me, pulling my heart into a vice.

  Meanwhile, the psychopath who had kidnapped me came closer and closer…

  Chapter 10 (Leo)

  I hoped my little detour wouldn’t cost me Elaine’s life. I knew Anthony would play dirty – he always did. On the back seat of my car was an arsenal of guns as well as my old bulletproof vest. It felt like I was gearing up for war once more, only this time, I wasn’t fighting a group of terrorists, I was going after an old-time friend. A friend I once trusted with my life.

  On the highway, I was going almost double the speed limit, whizzing by cars and tractor trailers, hoping I didn’t run into any cops on the way.

  I tightened my grip on the wheel, thinking about Elaine.

  The mere thought of her with that man made my blood boil. If he had so much
as laid one finger on her, he was as good as dead. My anger rose to exponential levels and I had to take a deep breath to keep from exploding.

  She was okay. She had to be.

  Approaching the docks, I slowed down, parking my car up the street so he wouldn’t hear my approach.

  Anthony was clever. Taking her to my private dock so no one would find him. Using my own property against me. My own technology. The note he had left me was on the dashboard.

  How long had he been spying on me? How long had he been planning his revenge?

  I always knew Anthony was vindictive, but I never thought he would take it this far.

  In the distance, I heard what sounded like a scream. I nearly bolted in that direction, prepared to fight tooth and nail for Elaine’s sake, but I wasn’t about to charge in there unarmed. Such reckless actions would just get me killed and that wouldn’t help anyone.

  I put on the vest over my suit and grabbed my automatic. It felt strange holding a gun after all these years. Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever need one again.

  I then grabbed my other weapons, clipping them to my vest before I started down the private road, keeping to the shadows so Anthony wouldn’t be able to spot me.

  “Help! Help!” Elaine’s pitiful cries echoed, ripping a hole right through my heart.

  I stopped, trying to pinpoint the sound.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a bit of movement coming from the prow of my boat. Anthony’s tattooed back came into view and as I tiptoed closer, I saw that he was hovering over her, about to make a move.

  “Please! Someone!” Elaine continued to call out, her voice desperate.

  Knowing he would be distracted, I rushed forward, moving onto the dock and pressing myself against the side of the boat. I listened for footsteps, but it seemed he hadn’t noticed me.

  Good.

  Trying to be as silent as possible, I edged toward the back of the boat, climbing onto the deck. Through the captain’s cabin, I could see Anthony fondling one of her breasts. My rage grew out of control and I could no longer think rationally. I rushed forward, tackling him to the ground. The knife he held in his hand skidded to the edge of the deck.

  I was just about to pin him down when he slammed his fist into the side of my face. For a second, it felt like my jaw had dislocated, the taste of copper already overwhelming my taste buds. I staggered to my feet as Elaine screamed and squirmed in her bondage, trying to free herself.

  With my vision still blurry, I pulled out my sidearm, determined to end this right here and now. Before I could get my finger on the trigger, he kicked it out of my hand, causing it to fall overboard.

  “Fight me like a man.” He growled, throwing another punch in my direction. I ducked just in the nick of time, sweeping his feet until we were both on the ground. His legs wrapped around my waist, keeping me trapped.

  Before I could stop him, he managed to wrap his hands around my neck, squeezing harder and harder. The look in his eyes was one of pure hatred.

  I tried to grab his neck, but it was just barely out of reach. To my left, I noticed his knife and tried to grab it, but without success. I was starting to get lightheaded from the lack of air, but Elaine’s screams reminded me that I wasn’t just fighting for my own life – I was fighting for hers as well.

  I strained my arm span and grabbed the knife, jabbing it into Anthony’s forearm. It was so sharp and deadly that it pierced right through his flesh.

  He cursed loudly, letting go of me. I coughed, rubbing my neck as he pulled the knife out of his arm like a madman.

  Was this man made of steel?

  He lunged toward me, knife in hand, determined to kill me. I grabbed his arm and flung him into the captain’s cabin with a spin. The glass shattered and he fell onto the control panels. I pulled out my combat knife from its holster and rushed to Elaine’s side, hoping there was enough time to get her free before Anthony could get his bearings.

  I had almost finished cutting through the rope around her wrists when I heard Anthony clear his throat, getting my attention.

  When I looked up, he was pointing a gun right at my head. “One more move and you’re dead meat. And after that, I’m going to have some fun with this sweet piece of ass here.”

  I held up my hands, but not before subtly leaving the knife in Elaine’s hand, hoping she could free herself. “Okay Anthony, you win. Just tell me what you want and we can talk this through.”

  He laughed, guiding me toward the bow, turning his back on Elaine, almost as if he had forgotten about her. “You really think that I want to talk to a man like you?” He pressed the barrel against my forehead. “I’m done talking. It’s time I get the justice our comrades deserve. The comrades you killed.” He growled, cocking the gun. “For years, I was stranded in that wasteland, because everyone thought I was dead. Well, now I’m back and I’m going to make you pay for everything.”

  The barrel was pressed so hard against my skin that I was sure it was leaving an indent. My heart was beating fast, but I looked him straight in the eye. Yes, I had made a mistake. A big mistake. And I never forgot about it. But I also paid my debt. I had served five more years after that incident, never again cowering at the sound of a bomb. I came back to the states and started a company that developed high-end military drones that could navigate without a human pilot.

  I owed this man nothing.

  I was just about to attack him when I heard the sound of heels clicking against the boat’s deck. I was sure that Elaine was running to safety, but instead, she was running right toward us, knife in hand, jabbing it into Anthony’s side.

  “Son of a bitch!” He howled, backhanding her with the gun, throwing her to the side. He pointed the gun at her fallen figure, about to shoot when I charged at him. The gun went off, thankfully missing her.

  We grappled for it. Finally, I managed to grab it, so blinded by rage that I couldn’t even be bothered to shoot him. Instead, I kept hitting him with the butt of the gun, over and over and over again, until he was lying in a pool of his own blood.

  Eventually, Elaine pulled me off him, holding my arm gently. “You’re going to kill him…” She whispered. I looked down at the bastard and I had a feeling that he deserved to die, but maybe, he would be better off rotting in jail. That way, his suffering would last a lifetime.

  ***

  After spending a few hours at the hospital, we were discharged without any major injuries. It was a miracle, really.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked her, gently touching her bruised cheek. “I should’ve killed him for what he did to you.”

  She had my blazer around her shoulders, covering up her lack of shirt. She smiled slightly before placing her hand on mine. “You saved my life… there’s no telling what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up.” She stopped and pulled me closer before her lips pressed against mine.

  It was the sweetest kiss I had ever experienced. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her even closer. Deep down, I felt a stirring of emotions like nothing else before. Usually, when I kissed a woman, all I felt was lust and desire, but now, there was something more.

  Was this love?

  We pulled away and I looked into her eyes, feeling like I could search their depths forever. With my thumb, I caressed her cheek ever so slightly.

  “Come on, let’s go home.”

  She nodded, taking my hand in hers. Together, we walked out to the car. I opened the door for her and helped her inside in my usual manner.

  Once I got in the driver’s seat, I turned on the music and drove off toward my home. Elaine had never seen it before and I hoped she would like it.

  During the car ride, we were both relatively quiet, probably thinking over what had just happened.

  Elaine kept fidgeting in her usual nervous manner. I reached over and grabbed her hand, lacing her fingers with mine. “There’s nothing to worry about. Anthony is in custody and he can never hurt you again.”

  She look
ed over at me. “It’s… not that… I just can’t believe I stabbed someone. It’s like… I know my hands are clean, but they still feel like they have blood all over them.”

  “What you did was extraordinarily brave. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to do the same thing in your position.”

  She bit her lip. “Do you really think so?”

  “Of course, you risked your life.”

  “Only because I thought you were going to die…” She whispered.

  I squeezed her hand. Never before had a woman cared about me this deeply. I would be a damn fool to ever let her go.

  Elaine was starting to look tired, her eyelids drooping, probably an effect of the painkillers they gave her.