“It was in the bracelet I gave her.” He sent Marcus a sly look. “The one you got so upset about.”
Marcus clenched his jaw, remembering his jealousy. “I thought you were coming on to her. Why did you stick a GPS into it?”
Cade shrugged. “I like her.”
“You track everyone you like?” Marcus asked.
“Believe it or not there aren’t that many people he does like.” Conner sat forward. “It’s a sign of affection for Cade. I have one in my watch.”
“Well, I’m grateful as hell that you’re a paranoid bastard.” Marcus let out a deep breath. “We’d have no idea where she is without that GPS chip.”
He looked back at the vehicle following him. Ryder and Rafe had developed identical scowls of displeasure as they’d realized Blair and Honey were insistent on coming with them. But there had been no time to argue it out and truthfully, Marcus was glad they were coming along.
Hanna might need them. He swallowed heavily at the thought. Please let her be all right. Please let me get to her before she comes to any harm.
They drove along in silence, the scenery blurring around him as he tried to keep his fear-filled fury under control. After a few hours on the road, Marcus’ phone buzzed against his thigh. Grabbing it out of his pocket, he glanced at the name on the front then quickly pulled over to the side of the road.
“What?” Josiah asked from the backseat.
“It’s Jesse.”
*
Hanna opened her eyes, wincing as light stabbed her eyeballs.
My head hurts.
She tried to raise her hands to rub at her throbbing temples but they were stuck.
Blinking, she attempted to clear the fog from her eyes. Swallowing heavily, she realized how dry her throat was.
Where am I?
A kernel of fear developed low in her stomach as she glanced around. She lay on her back on a hard, bare mattress. Her hands were tied above her, one to each corner of the bed, while her legs were split, her ankles tied to the other bedposts. She tugged at her bonds, her head aching with every movement. Drapes were pulled across the one window. The only light in the room came from a bright bulb set in the center of the ceiling.
Last thing she remembered was the barbecue. She’d been getting a plate of food together for Jesse. She’d taken it to their meeting place and… Oh god, someone had hit her on the head. They’d brought her here. But who? And where was here?
A door opened and more light filled the room. Hanna shifted her head and had to bite back a groan of pure agony as the movement caused shards of sharp pain to race through her body.
“Hello, precious, remember me?”
Oh fuck.
Reginald.
*
“Jesse?” Marcus answered the phone.
“Marcus, I don’t have much time, listen to me. I know where Hanna is.”
Marcus hadn’t heard from his packmate since they’d learned that his mate Samantha had betrayed them all. “Where are you? What do you mean you know where Hanna is? How do you even know Hanna?”
“Look,” Jesse said impatiently. “All that can wait. I know where she is. You need to get here now. There are only three of them, so I’m going to try to get to her, but you need to get here in case I fail.”
“Jesse, fuck, wait. Where are you, man?”
“Outside of Grand Junction, Colorado.” He quickly rattled off directions. “Get here quick. They’ve got her inside some rundown house.”
Marcus listened intently to the directions. “Okay, stay there. We’re tracking her location and we’ll be there in…fuck, three hours.” And that was if they pushed it. “What are they doing in Colorado? Her pack lives in New Mexico.”
“I don’t know. But I doubt we have three hours. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her for you.”
“Fuck, fuck. Don’t let anything happen to her okay?” Marcus hated relying on someone else, even a packmate, to care for his mate. But he had little choice.
“Don’t worry. I know what it’s like to lose your mate. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
*
Hanna pulled at her bonds uselessly. Fear threatened to send her into a blind panic. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
I’m going to be fine. I’m going to get out of here and I’m going to kick Reginald’s ass.
With that happy thought, she managed to get her breathing back to normal. Luckily someone had called Reginald out of the room before he’d been able to say more than hello, giving her some time to take stock of her situation.
How was she going to get free? She tugged at her bonds again. No give. Damn it. She peered up at the ropes that bound her wrists, digging into the tender skin. Was the right one a bit loose? She wasn’t sure.
She pulled harder, ignoring the pain of the rope abrading against her skin. No way was she giving up. Just when she’d found herself truly happy for the first time, with friends, a pack, a lover, Reginald turns up ruining it all.
Well, she simply wouldn’t let him. She’d get out of here. Get back to Marcus and the Silverton pack, even if she had to crawl there on her hands and knees.
Where the hell was she? Not in New Mexico, surely. But then she didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious and the thick drapes covering the windows made it difficult for her to tell if it was night or day.
Blood tickled her arm as she continued to tug at her bonds. Yeah, definitely some give in the right one. Trust Reggie’s friends to be too careless to do them up properly. Her raw wrists stung, bleeding. But the burning pain was nothing in comparison to her skull. Nausea roiled in her gut with the throbbing of her head.
“Well now, sweetie, did you miss me?” Reginald walked through the door, running his cold gray eyes over her. She shivered. Evil coated him like a bad stench. He was rotten; even the sight of him made her ill. “I’ve been searching for you for ages. You were a very disobedient girl to run away from me like that. I’m going to have to punish you for that, you know.”
Hanna swallowed hard at the large knife he held up.
Holy shit.
“Umm, Reggie, surely we can talk about this. I mean, I was young and stupid. You know I wasn’t really interested in Dan, right?” Fuck, what the hell was he going to do with that knife? Nausea bubbled and she pushed it back. She could be scared later. After she got out of here she could throw up and cry all she liked. Right now she had to concentrate on getting free.
Reginald was evil and far stronger than she was. But he wasn’t smarter. And he wouldn’t be expecting her to fight back.
He chuckled. A cold sound, without humor. “Of course not. Funny how quickly you start sniveling when I have the upper hand. You should be grateful that I showed any interest in you, you little bitch. I’ll teach you to run from me. I was slumming it agreeing to be with a nobody like you.”
“So really I did you a favor.”
Reggie slapped her face with brutal force. Agony nearly pushed her back into unconsciousness. Her stomach clenched, breath stolen from her lungs as pain engulfed her head.
She finally managed to breathe through the pain, opening her eyes again. Reginald tore at her clothing, slashing at her top and her jeans with the knife. Hanna clenched her lips together as the knife brushed against her thigh, slicing through her skin, the burning pain bringing a rush of tears to her eyes.
She took a deep breath, holding in her whimpers of pain through sheer force of will. She would not cower to him, she would not beg.
“There, you little bitch. That’s the way I expect you. Naked. At my mercy. Do you know how much humiliation I suffered when you took off? You should have gotten down on your knees and begged me to take you. Instead you took off. Now you’re going to suffer for it, you’re going to learn how it feels to be humiliated.”
He grinned and Hanna couldn’t hold back her whimper.
Show no fear. Show no fear.
But it was hard to be brave when she was tied naked to the bed, h
er legs spread wide, vulnerable.
“How did you find me?” she asked, trying to distract him. To find a way to buy some time. Think, Hanna. Think!
He grabbed her breasts roughly, squeezing them so hard that she bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. His touch was dirty, sickening.
“Some stupid bitch in that pack wanted to get rid of you. Guess you were worthless to them too, huh? Anyway, she got in touch with your father and he gave the information to me.”
If she’d had any feeling left for her father, it was now completely gone.
Reginald bit her nipple and she screamed, unable to stop herself.
He pulled back, grinning. Then he slapped his hand down on her pussy.
Hanna held back her scream this time. But she couldn’t take much of this. She had to get free somehow.
“Oh Reggie, do that again.” She looked up at him, hoping she looked coy rather than disgusted. She wasn’t much of an actress, but damn it she was going to give it her best shot.
He smacked her again. Harder. This was so different from the pleasurable pain Marcus gave her. This was wrong. Her insides curled, her legs trembling with the need to close, to protect herself.
She fought back the soreness and licked her lips in an attempt to look flirtatious. The metallic taste of blood nearly made her vomit. Her cheek throbbed in rhythm with her head and black spots danced before her eyes.
Stay awake.
“Oh yes, you don’t know what that does to me. You’re right, you know, I should never have run off. It was Dan, he filled my head with his lies about all the money he was going to make. But he was terrible in bed, really small. Not like you, I bet.”
She held her breath. God she was taking a risk. He was going to see right through her little act. He was stupid, but not that stupid.
“You’re right, I am.” He puffed his chest out.
Jesus, he really was that dumb.
“I’m still going to make you sorry you ever left me.” Grabbing her head, he yanked her up. Hanna’s eyes rolled back as she desperately clung to consciousness. He stabbed his tongue into her mouth, choking her. Bile rose and she choked it down, doing her best to breathe through his brutal attack on her mouth.
His fingernails dug into her face, his hold bruising her. When he drew away, she lay back, gasping.
“Like that, bitch?” he asked, pinching her nipples, turning them until she wondered if they would pop right off.
“What will you do to me?” she asked. “Please, before you punish me, why don’t you let me try to make it up to you?” She glanced suggestively at where his cock was pressing against his cotton pants.
He took a step back and looked at her suspiciously. “Yeah, right, like I’m really going to stick my dick in your mouth. You’d probably bite it off. I ain’t that stupid, bitch.”
Chapter Eleven
Tears streamed down Hanna’s temples as Reginald pinched her nipples.
“I oughta cut these off,” he whispered. “What do you think?” He swiped his tongue across her cheek.
Hanna cringed in disgust.
“Get myself a little souvenir to remember you by.” He ran the side of the blade over her nipples before flicking it beneath one, scraping across the delicate skin of her breast. Hanna whimpered, tendrils of fear snaking through her body, making her shiver.
He was going to do it. He would cut off her nipples.
“After I rape you, precious, then I’m going to have great fun carving you up. Remember how I promised to tie you up and cause you a great deal of pain? Well, I’m finally going to come through on that promise. Only now I don’t have to be careful to keep you alive. I can go as far as I want. I can cut up these beautiful breasts.”
He swiped the edge of the knife over her breasts. Hanna bit her lip as pain slashed through her and thin streams of blood welled.
“Then, after I take off these pretty little nipples, I’m going to slice you from your tits to your cunt.” He ran the knife down her body and she froze, so scared he’d press harder.
“Would you like me to fuck you with my knife, precious? Would you like me to push this in and out of that tight cunt while I take your ass? Because I do intend to take that ass.”
His eyes were wild. Crazy.
“I have to go to the bathroom.” It was a desperate attempt, but she had to do something. She had to get free.
“I don’t give a shit.”
“It was the barbecue. My stomach is churning. I don’t think I can hold on.” She squirmed for effect.
He snorted and drove two fingers deep into her dry passage. She heaved. No!
“Please, please, I can’t hold back. I’m going to get everything messy.”
“For fuck’s sake. Can’t have you shitting everywhere, you stupid bitch. Don’t bother trying anything. Like you could,” he said derisively. “Always were a weakling, weren’t you?”
He untied the binds at her ankles and then moved to her hands.
Big mistake.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins, lending her desperately needed energy. She stood, trying to find her balance. Reginald grabbed her arm harshly, swinging her around. Hanna used that momentum, drawing her free arm back, curling her hand into a fist like Rafe had taught her.
Smack! She rammed her fist straight into his throat, immediately robbing him of breath and the ability to yell out. As he bent over, she struck again, driving her knee into his balls. He let her go and she grabbed his head, bringing his face down onto her knee. Within seconds, Reginald was on the floor cupping his balls, his nose bleeding profusely.
Her balance faltered and she stumbled back, falling on her ass. Hanna scrambled back, looking at him in horror. Keep moving! Get out of here!
She used the chair beside her to pull herself up, keeping hold of the back to stay on her feet. Glancing around, she looked for something else to help her. She simply didn’t have the strength left to fight him.
Spying a lamp on the bedside table, she reached over to grab it, nearly screaming as Reginald grasped hold of her arm in a bruising grip, pulling at her. Hanna slipped, but as she fell, she reached up and seized hold of the base of the lamp, bringing it down with all her force onto his head.
Reginald’s eyes went wide, filled with fury, and Hanna sobbed, certain she was a dead woman. Then his eyes fluttered shut and he slumped, resting his full weight on top of her.
Hanna lay there for a moment, trying to get her breath back. Her skin crawled where he touched her and gradually she found the energy to push at him. Damn, he was heavy.
She shoved, groaning quietly, but eventually managed to roll him away from her. Lying on her back, her whole body quivered and shook. And she still had to get out of here. Who knew how long Reginald was out for? Then there were his friends. It was impossible.
No! I am not defeated. Keep moving. Keep going. I can do this.
Hanna sat up, looking over at Reginald. Had she killed him? No, his chest rose and fell. Should she tie him up? But that would involve touching him. Still, he would wake up eventually. All it would take is one yell and his friends would come rushing in.
The knife! Where’s the knife?
Hanna stood, exhaustion pulling at her. There wasn’t an inch of her body that didn’t ache. There it was! Reaching down, she snatched up the knife, spinning as the door crashed open.
“Oh shit, Jesse.”
Jesse stepped across the threshold, glancing around with cold, green eyes. Then he grinned. “Nice going, babe.”
Shivers racked her body as her adrenaline died. Jesse immediately pulled his t-shirt off, tugging it over her body.
“There are others with him.” She clenched her jaw, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, they’re gone.” He gave her a quick hug. “They won’t ever hurt you again. None of them will. Now why don’t you go wait in the hall while I take care of the trash.”
“Wh-what are you g-going to do?”
He lo
oked down at Reginald with a cold, calculating smile. “Something that should have been done long ago.”
*
A few hours later, Marcus pulled up in the middle of nowhere. Cade looked down at his tablet.
“She’s close by,” Cade said. “About five miles south.”
Marcus climbed out of the truck. The others got out, their faces grim. They’d been in cell phone contact during the drive here. Marcus and Rafe had broken the speed limit the whole way.
“Let’s split up,” he ordered. “Ryder and Rafe, circle around to the left. Cade, Connor, to the right.”
“What about us?” Blair asked, stepping forward.
Marcus turned to the two women, aware of how close his wolf was riding to the surface, pushing at his control.
“You two will sit your butts down in the truck and you will not move unless it is life and death, understand?”
“But—” Blair began.
“But nothing,” Marcus interrupted. “Defy me in this and you will not leave pack territory for the next ten years. You will both have kitchen duty for a year.”
“But we can help! You can’t expect us to just sit here,” Blair insisted.
Marcus stared at her until she dropped her gaze. Rafe stepped toward her, tipping her face up to him.
“He’s the Alpha, Blair. What he says goes. Besides, we’d spend all our time protecting the two of you when we need to concentrate on Hanna.”
Marcus could think of nothing but Hanna. He didn’t correct Rafe. He was their Alpha. It felt right.
“Let’s go,” he said abruptly. “I want to hold my mate.”
A vibrating in his pocket pulled Marcus up short and he drew out his phone. “Jesse. We’ve arrived.”
“I’ve got her. We’re about a mile left of the cabin.”
Marcus had to fight hard not to sink to his knees in relief. “Is she all right?”
“Bit shaken up, but she’ll be okay.”
Thank you, God. “Her kidnappers?”
“All taken care of,” Jesse reassured him.
Good. Although he’d have liked to have a go at them himself, the most important thing was that Hanna was safe.
“I’m on my way.”
*
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