by Heather Long
I had a reason to go downstairs.
The studio was down there.
The mental debate lasted all of a minute before I slid into his bathroom where my clothes were now folded neatly on the back of the toilet, but the blood-stained ones were gone. Yeah, don’t look too closely for those, Emersyn.
Because they hadn’t slowed my choice last night when I decided to scratch that itch or this morning, and if I were honest with myself, if Vaughn were here right now?
Yeah, I wouldn’t be thinking about them.
The water heated up fast, and I threw myself through a sketchy shower. My hair was a mess, but I pulled it up and tied it into a bit of a bun. I needed to wash off the sex and the feel of his hands, his lips, his fingers—fuck me, his piercing.
Not that I had a hope in hell of erasing those sensations. The soap reminded me of him, and I might have taken my time in washing down with it. After, I toweled off and pulled on my abandoned clothes. I left the television on and straightened the disheveled bedsheets. I had no idea why I even bothered. At the door, I paused, then backtracked to the little fridge.
Sure enough, there were protein shakes in there. I downed two in rapid succession. The pinching feeling in the hollow of my stomach vanished, and the water I washed down after it helped too. I debated taking some more, but once I got out of the warehouse, I needed to keep moving.
I left Vaughn’s room and headed to my own for shoes. I wanted to take a bag or something, but I didn’t dare. Instead, I went for running shoes, and if they asked about them, I could tell them I needed to run to warm up my muscles.
There was a slim chance some of them would buy it.
Besides, what was the worst they were going to do?
Lock me in my room again?
I paused only long enough to grab a hair tie. I pony-tailed my hair on my way down the steps. Every movement reminded me of the ache between my thighs. Fuck, I was gonna feel him for days. The quiet on the first floor was unnerving, but I swung into the kitchen anyway.
No one.
Licking my lips, I headed down the hall toward the studio. A rat poked his head out of the living room.
I really shouldn’t call them that, but that was what the guys called them. He stared at me, but didn’t say a word. Thankfully, he couldn’t see my pulse racing. Once I was in the studio, I leaned against the door. There was no lock.
The way they’d built it, the ceiling climbed all the way up to the warehouse roof. The walls were there, blocking me from the outside, but they’d worked the harness for the silks into the struts of the ceiling supports. The scrape of a shoe on the other side of the door had me stilling. I crossed over and pulled out one of the marked CDs.
I put Happy Shit on to play and Bruno Mars filled the room. I turned it all the way up until the beat thumped. Then I began stretching. I had my reasons.
Going out through the main warehouse would automatically earn me attention from anyone out there, and I really didn’t want to go past the room where they were holding Eric. I gave him all of point-three seconds of thought before I moved toward the silks.
Honestly, if they found Eric floating somewhere after this, I’d never point a finger at them.
Never.
The climb to the top didn’t take long. My body only protested when I had to roll, but even then, it was more the phantom feeling of Vaughn’s fingers on my body. The way he kissed me. I was almost to the top when doubt struck.
They hadn’t been cruel to me.
Not at all.
If anything, they’d been kind and thoughtful.
What the hell, Emersyn? They still kidnapped you.
I needed to get out of here. I needed to get away from all of it. The theatre company. The Vandals. My parents.
All of it.
I reached the first strut and gripped it, then pulled myself up before letting the silks uncoil and fall back to hang like they had before.
Head tipped back, I studied the ceiling and then had to bite back a real grin. The walls didn’t reach all the way up. So I worked my way over the wall and stuck to the struts. There were rats moving below.
Someone was hauling a body out of the room where Eric had been. I froze and stuffed a hand against my mouth. I didn’t recognize anyone down there, and thankfully, I couldn’t see the body. Hopefully it was Eric and not Freddie.
And if that meant I was going to hell, well then so fucking be it.
Still shivering, I forced myself to move, and I made it to the corner where a ladder ascended to a small portal to the roof.
In the shadows, I hung there, waiting. Sooner or later, they would… One of them started up a car, and the roar filled the space. I shoved the hatch open and trusted the vehicle to mask the sound. Twenty seconds later, I was outside and sucking in fresh air as the sun rose in the distance.
Chapter 26
Emersyn
I crouched in the sunshine for several long moments as I tried to get my bearings. While the warehouse might be in the more industrial part of town, we weren’t that far from the busier streets. I had to trust that knowledge earned from Rome taking me for a walk the other day. As it was, I moved to the edge to get my bearings.
Speak of the devil—and his brother—Rome and Liam were below talking to some of the rats, so I crept away from that edge. That wasn’t the way we’d gone out before, anyway. A twinge of guilt panged against my insides. Rome had gotten hurt to help me, and now I was sneaking away.
No sooner did that thought register than I shook it off. In the last few weeks, I’d started to care about my kidnappers way more than I should. Too much of what they’d done and said didn’t add up to what I thought kidnappers would be. What they’d done to Eric? Sure. But I was glad for that, and I’d never feel a moment’s regret for being happy he was gone from my life.
Enough.
I shook off the wimbling sensation. They weren’t my friends. They were a gang. Kestrel said it himself in the very beginning. I shouldn’t be here. I don’t know what their plan had been or why it changed beyond Eric coming after me that night. It wasn’t like it was even the first time Eric and I had gone round for round. Still…
It was time for me to go.
I really hadn’t escaped one trap to land in this one. As it was, there was some kind of search going on for me. If it had just been a matter of ransom, I could have paid it for myself. Too much longer, and those assets were going to disappear. Even Doc offering to help—I couldn’t afford to wait for him to get the time.
As it was, I’d already kissed Jasper or he’d kissed me, then I’d spent the night in Vaughn’s bed. A shiver went through me. The part of me that craved that contact didn’t want to leave, and that made it all the more important I get out of here before I was in so deep, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place.
The next edge was close to a building on the other side of a slender alley. I recognized the alley though, or at least I thought I did. I was pretty sure this was the route Rome and I took. I glanced across the distance, then behind me. If I had the speed, I might make that jump, but my muscles were still trembling from the climb.
I hadn’t been kidding about being out of shape.
Think…
When I spotted a drain spout, I crossed my mental fingers. It was narrow, and the chill in the air said it would be hard on my fingers, but I could live with bruises.
I’d lived with them for a long time. I scanned the area for watchful eyes. It was a risk…then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Swinging out over the edge sent my adrenaline spiking. The roughness of the roof bit into my fingers, but I made the jump on faith alone to catch the drain spout. I slid a good four feet before I had enough purchase to slow the descent.
The metal was rusted in some places and it tore at my fingers, but I ignored the sharpness as I began to monkey my way down. My quads and arms quivered with equal measure as I descended. Never look down. That advice resonated inside of me. Focus
on the first step, then the next, then one after that…and then I was standing on the pavement, heart thundering and mind buzzing.
A horn blared in the distance, and I jumped. One quick sweep told me I was still alone. I rubbed my arms against the chill. The hoodie I’d grabbed wasn’t enough to keep the cold all the way out, but it worked to pull up over my hair and I zipped it up for now. Damaged hands in my pockets, I hurried up the alley.
It took a bit of concentration to not run. Running garnered attention. People who walked like they knew where they were going were rarely noticed. I had to resist the urge to cheer when I reached the sidewalk that had been so busy the other day. The sun was still making a slow climb, and the streetlights were all still on. Most of the shops along this stretch were also closed, or at least the visible lobbies of the office buildings were darkened.
I turned north. I needed to put a few blocks of distance between me and the warehouse. Then I needed to figure out where I was. Cash or a credit card would be great right now. Hell, I didn’t even have change for a payphone if there even was one down here. I’d have to rely on the kindness of strangers.
So, distance first.
Then a diner or place to eat.
I was half fucking frozen by the time I reached the spot where Nikki’s coffee cart had been. Disappointment shuddered through me as I stared at the empty bit of pavement. I glanced across the street and then up the block like she would magically appear.
Beyond Doc, Nikki had been the only other person I’d met who wasn’t a Vandal.
And she wasn’t here.
I sighed.
The sun was up…well, sort of. The skies were rapidly turning a leaden gray as storm clouds moved in. The air had also grown colder and colder. Fine, no coffee cart.
Keep going. But not back to the park. I needed to switch directions. I needed to find people or a place I could at least make a phone call.
Then I needed to decide who to call.
I bit the inside of my lip. My list of allies had grown quite thin in the last couple of years. Even those I’d counted as my friends had moved on or focused on their careers or education. If they’d known, they would have helped me. But if I’d told them, I’d have been risking them too.
Four blocks later, my teeth were chattering and I was no closer to a destination than I’d been when I’d climbed out onto the roof. My sense of accomplishment and freedom were rapidly fading. A car swung up beside me, noticeable because while traffic had begun to increase, there wasn’t as much on this route as there’d been the other day.
Was it the weekend or something?
Fuck, that would be my luck.
I kept my gaze forward as the car paced me. Curling my fingers into my palms, I steadied my breath. Was there somewhere I could run if it was one of them? I tried to map out an escape route, but then…
“Little Bit,” Doc called, and I stumbled to a halt and jerked my head around to stare at him through the open window of the truck he drove. Truck, not car. There was an old camper cap on the back, but it was still a truck.
Doc.
Relief flooded me.
Concern filled his face, and he reached over and shoved the passenger door open. “I thought that was you,” he said. “Get in here.”
“I don’t want to go back,” I argued, even as I stared longingly inside what had to be the heated confines of his vehicle.
“I promised I’d help you,” he said. “Remember?”
Tears burned in my eyes, and I headed toward his vehicle almost blindly. “I—”
“I know,” he soothed as soon as I was in. The heat was on, but he cranked it all the way up and pulled my hands over toward the vent, then paused. “What the hell?”
“I had to get out,” I admitted. “I can’t really feel them right now.”
My nails were broken. Two were down all the way to the quick. The skin was ragged and raw in a few places. The heat felt so good.
“Seatbelt,” Doc ordered, then didn’t wait for me to do it. “Keep your hands there, I got it.” He snagged the seatbelt and drew it across me, then clicked it in, clucking his tongue the whole time. “Those assholes need to take better care of you.”
“No,” I argued. “They don’t. I need to get out of here.”
He let out a sigh. “Okay, have you eaten?”
I shook my head. “Well, I did. I had some protein shakes. But I’d kill for coffee.”
He plucked his cup from the holder on the other side of the steering wheel and held it out to me. I wrapped my icy fingers around it. It was only half-full, but it was hot. I took a long drink and nearly had a mini coffee-gasm. It was black as my soul and twice as strong.
“So good,” I murmured. The warmer it grew in the truck cab, the more I shuddered.
“I’m getting you more.” He pulled out into the light traffic, and at first, I thought he was turning around, but he just took the next left and we were going north again. “Where do you want to go, Little Bit? I can get you some cash.”
“Where am I?” Maybe that was a stupid question, but… “I should have paid attention, I know. I was staying at the Harbor North Hotel, that much I remember. But I don’t remember the city name. We’ve been on tour.”
“Braxton Harbor,” he told me and the name meant…nothing. I had no real memory of this place. Not that I’d seen much of it. I’d been at the hotel. Used the dance studio. Then been at the theatre. And for last couple of months, I’d been in their warehouse place with its absolute lack of windows and too many hot, attractive guys.
I finished his coffee almost too quickly, but we were pulling through a drive-thru for a popular chain, and I swore my mouth watered.
“What do you want?”
“A big black coffee, strongest brand they have, and then one of those raspberry lattes.”
He shot me a look.
“I know, I’m complicated.” One was bitter and harsh. The other sickeningly sweet.
I craved them both.
“Food?”
“I don’t care.”
That earned me a scowl, but I really didn’t want him to spend money on me. Then again, I could pay him back. He had a clinic, right? I could donate money to it. I just needed the name.
Ten minutes later, I had drained over half the latte and I was tearing into the hot croissant breakfast sandwich. The interior of the truck smelled like a coffee shop.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “Did you put anything in the safe at the hotel when you were there?”
I paused mid-bite, then shook my head. I always traveled light. While Kestrel had picked up all my things, the wallet, credit cards, and ID had all been conspicuously absent from the bag. Maybe I should have hunted for it in their rooms before I left.
“Okay, but would the hotel know you?” He gave me another careful look.
“I’m all over the news, Doc,” I said. “What do you think?”
He winced. “Yeah. I should have called and let them know…” The apology lingered in between the syllables.
“But the guys are your friends.”
“Not…exactly, but close. Little Bit, I wouldn’t have let them hurt you.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” I reminded him. He’d been there for me when I’d woken up scared, alone, and hurting. He’d stripped down to show me his scars so I wouldn’t be shy about showing mine. He’d stood up to the guys, and he’d treated me with kindness and respect.
Right now? Right now, he was helping, just like he promised.
“Take me to the hotel. I can call the authorities.” It would probably open a lot of questions I didn’t want to answer. “And don’t worry, I’m not turning them in.”
Maybe I should. But…
“You don’t owe them anything either,” he said after a silence that trickled on a little too long. More and more, as the coffee and food warmed me up on the inside and the heat thawed the outside, I relaxed.
“Maybe not, but they didn’t hurt me.” Rome had save
d me. Jasper had wanted to protect me from Eric. He’d hurt Eric for me. Vaughn had taken care of me. Kestrel, despite all his distance, he had too. And Freddie?
Another twinge of guilt hit me.
Freddie had been kind in his very Freddie way.
The only one I hadn’t really cared about nor would I miss was Liam. He was a bit of an abrasive ass, but maybe that was for the best too.
“Thank you, Emersyn,” Doc said quietly as he pulled over just up the block from the hotel. Not taking me all the way was a good plan. There were cameras there.
I smiled and glanced at him. “I should be thanking you.”
“Nah, I didn’t do much…”
That was a lie, but I didn’t want to argue with him. “What’s your name? Your real name?”
“Mickey—short for Michael—James.” He almost looked sheepish. He’d said Mickey before, but it was this kind of half-formed memory and very vague. “Doc works, though.”
“Thank you, Mickey,” I said, testing it out, and then I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He turned just as my lips brushed his skin, and then my mouth was just at the corner of his. I didn’t even try to pull away. Surprise flickered through his eyes as I kissed his lips. He didn’t move as I nuzzled the kiss as gently as I could, and only when I pulled back did his hand lock in my hair and pull me in for a real kiss.
My lips tingled and burned from the contact as he thrust his tongue against mine. I tasted the coffee and a hint of the blueberry muffin he’d had. All too soon, the kiss ended and he let me go. We stared at each other, and I was as far from cold as I could get.
If anything, I was too hot.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “And goodbye.”
Then I pushed out of the truck and onto the sidewalk before I changed my mind. Mind and body buzzing, I shoved my hands in my pockets and started walking.
Don’t look back.
Don’t look back.
The mantra kept me moving, and I was almost to the doors of the hotel itself when I caught sight of him coming out of the main doors. He had a cell phone at his ear, and his expression was all slick and smooth. There were people around him, but they vanished.
