Indebted: 'Til Death Do Us Part (Teal & Trent Book 3)

by Inger Iversen

  A shadow fell over her purse and her eyes lifted to the passenger side window. Another male, impossibly larger than the last, hovered over the passenger window. He leaned onto the truck, his massive weight shaking her SUV.

  Teal grabbed her chest and nearly screamed.

  “What the fuck is happening, Teal? Talk to me!” The panic in Logan’s voice pulled her from her fear induced haze.

  “Logan, I—” Teal’s words died on her lips as the voice of the massive man with the gun spoke.

  “Darlin’, hang up that phone for me.” The threat bled through his sweet southern charm and caused a shiver to race up her spine. “Now.”

  Teal found her fingers headed to the controls on the steering wheel to end the call. Logan’s voice called to her, yelled for her to tell him what she was seeing, but all Teal could see was the barrel of another gun aimed at her. She pressed the button and ended the call. The man winked at her, then pointed to the keys dangling from the ignition.

  “Take ‘em out.” He punctuated the order with another tap on the window.

  Teal reached for the keys and pulled them from the ignition, then eyed the man waiting for his next order.

  “Good girl.” A sly smile splayed his lips. “Now, hit that unlock button for me and let the big bad wolf in.”

  Again, Teal did as he instructed, and the man gripped the metal handle and pulled the door open wide. He stood close, blocking the view of the passing traffic. They’d lured her off the road and onto a semi-secluded dirt path.

  Teal looked up into the cold black eyes of the tatted man. Silver stubble surrounded his lips and spread to his chin. His lips parted to reveal clean white teeth and a crooked smile.

  “Hello, darlin’.” He eyed her, watching as her breaths blossomed into panicked pants.

  Her cell rang, blaring through the interior of the SUV. The ominous depths of his eyes revealed to her his intentions if she didn’t follow every instruction he gave her. She lifted her hands in the air, and chanced a peek at the man looming over her.

  “No ideas now.” Lifting his arms, he rested them on the truck and leaned in, his face a few inches away from hers. Dark eyes roved over her, then moved around, taking in the dark interior. Finally, they landed on her purse. With a jut of his chin, the man at the passenger side window opened the door and snatched up her only means to protect herself.

  The idea of grabbing her purse back had her hands wavering in the air, until a hard grip shocked her back into the moment, and Teal turned to watch as the keys were pulled from her hand.

  The large man stepped back and held out a hand to her. “Come on. We got someone waiting for us back at my place.”

  Teal’s brow furrowed as she glared at the outstretched hand. Not only was she not taking his feigned offer to help, she was not taking the bait and asking who they were to meet because she was sure she had a clue.

  He reached for her, gripping her arm. “Here, let me.” He all but pulled her from the vehicle. Teal struggled before she realized he wasn’t trying to hurt her, but leading her away from her SUV. She walked with him, her short legs struggling to keep up with his quick and steady gait. She turned her head at the sound of her SUV’s door slamming shut and the engine roaring to life. One of the men had started it and she watched as the lights faded from view.

  Teal cursed her luck. Turning back, she numbly walked alongside the man, her heart thundering in her chest. She wasn’t sure if the fact they allowed her to see their faces was good or bad. Of course, she recognized a couple, but what about the rest of the men?

  “Don’t worry, darlin’.” The sinister sounding voice met her ears in the dark. “No one here is going to hurt you.” His hand tightened on her arm, as if to get her attention. Reluctantly, Teal lifted her gaze up and up until they met his stare. “Scout’s honor.” He winked.

  Teal didn’t believe for a second they wouldn’t hurt her if they saw fit. And at that thought, she decided her best bet was to follow directions and follow them well. The idea to make a run for it flittered in her mind, but that evaporated as she stared at the darkness consuming the woods around her. While fear settled in her chest, constricting her ability to take in a deep calming breath, her head raced with images of Jake’s shotgun pointed at her husband’s chest and arm. Finally, her inability to breathe caught up with her and her feet stuttered under her body, causing her to trip.

  “Whoa there.” A near brutal grip around her arm stopped her from falling. “Come on up here.”

  Teal gathered herself. “I’m good, I just tripped.” She tried to wrench her arm away and to her surprise, he let her. Brushing herself off, she stood straight. “Where are you taking me?” The roar of motorcycles wailed around her, signaling the departure of a few of the men.

  When his eyes met hers, Teal watched as the man scrutinized her, like he was measuring her ability to take the news without trying to bolt. She gave back a glare as dark as his.

  With a grin he said, “To the clubhouse. You can sit and wait with the women for a bit.”

  She was already shaking her head. “No, I don’t want to—”

  “You riding with her on the back?” Came the voice of one of the few men left.

  Teal swung her head around to an auburn-haired man with a thick Irish accent. His sparkling green eyes held an odd glint of kindness. It was then, she surmised that the man who’d pulled her from the SUV was the leader of this merry band of bastards, as everyone looked to him for direction.

  “Yeah,” her captor said as he fished for something in his back pocket.

  Teal stepped away from the man, and subconsciously moved toward the Irish fellow, until she realized he was pulling keys from his leather pants. A soft hand settled on her lower back causing her to jump. She turned and stared into gentle green eyes.

  “Calm yourself. Orders are that you are to be well taken care of. No one here will lay a hand on you, I vow it.”

  She blinked up at the huge man. Her emotions ran high, and all Teal could think of was the life she and Trent had worked so hard to build, and the daughter who, luckily, was safe and sound with Violet.

  She felt tears welling in her eyes and her heart swelled in hatred for the weakness she was showing. She turned back to the man who’d tapped his gun on her window. He grinned when she moved away from him further.

  “Good choice, darlin’.” He gave her another wink and turned away from her.

  A heavy hand fell on her shoulder, and Teal yanked away and spun around.

  “Hop on.” The Irish man wasn’t even looking at her.

  Teal glanced around again.

  “Don’t run. I can’t guarantee your safety, if you run.” He lifted his chin to the men on their bikes, eyeing them.

  The man’s hardened tone set her right. If she ran, she’d have at least three extremely fit men running after her, and chances were, when they caught her, they’d be even more pissed than they looked now.

  He reached out a hand and motioned for her to take it. “Come on. You’re gonna need help.”

  Teal had ridden on a motorcycle before, and back then, she’d needed help mounting the damned thing—her short stature and even shorter legs were the problem. But she didn’t feel comfortable leaning on this man, so instead of taking his hand, Teal placed her leg on the lift and gripped the back of his shirt, then threw her left leg over. She made sure there was plenty of room between her and the giant before she adjusted herself into her final position on the back of the bike. Fisting his leather vest, she held on tight as he took off.

  Wind roared in her ears as her heart thundered a panicked rhythm in her chest. Her gun and cell phone were gone, taking away her only means to protect herself. All she had was the fact she’d kept up with the highway mile markers until they’d pulled off the highway. At that point, Teal knew she was in Blackwater. They’d been traveling for at least thirty minutes when their journey started up onto a dark dimly lit path.

  The men who’d followed not moments earlier, spli
t off on separate paths.

  Teal turned her head just as the last one made a sharp left. The rumbling sound of the engine faded from sight, until she and the stranger were the only two who remained. When he stopped, Teal looked up, noting that the building he’d taken her too looked like an old meat packing plant. Six other bikes were lined up at the entrance.

  She’d seen similar buildings like this in movies and in travel, but never dared to enter one. While the building seemed sturdy and clean, the dark woods surrounding it made her heart stutter in her chest. The words no one will hear you scream bounced around her head, as the man pulled her off the bike. His hands tightened on her upper arm and yanked her through the double doors.

  The scent of whiskey, sex, and other shit Teal wasn’t willing to syphon out, hit her nose. She recoiled, not wanting to enter, but with no other options, she paced beside the man.

  In a conversational tone, he said, “I told you nothing will happen to you, if you behave.” His tone implied her behavior wouldn’t be the only thing deciding her future.

  Teal knew the abduction was to keep Trent on track. He’d told her these were not the men you wanted to fuck with, and he’d been right. It wasn’t that she hadn’t believed him, it was that she thought there were other options. But this power play proved, once and for all, that Trent was going to be pulling a trigger tonight—whether Teal or Trent liked it.

  He marched her past doors with different sounds emanating from them, and into a room of their own. Teal wondered if they’d already called him. If they’d told Trent that her safety was on the line.

  “Sit down.”

  Teal blinked twice. She’d been in her head and she hadn’t paid attention. Four chairs, a bar, and a bed were contained within the small room. She made her way to a chair. Gripping the back of it, she pulled the thing to the far corner, pushed the back of the chair against the wall, and sat down.

  The man smiled at her actions. “Name’s Spooky.” He prowled over to the bar and opened the small fridge.

  She took note of his Irish accent. “Is that the name your momma gave you?” Teal glanced around the room. Clean, but dark. Bass pumped from the next room, causing the liquid in the bottles to ripple and wave. Her eye flitted to the bed and her breath quickened.

  “Nah.” His voice grew deeper as he spoke. “Never worry about that.” His dark eyes met hers, fierce and hard.

  She swallowed hard and blinked away the moisture pooling. Spooky was massive. An imposing, boulder of a man, standing in the way of her freedom and robbing her of her sense of security. She’d been threatened with rape before, and how was it that it was happening once again in her life time? Or was it?

  She held Spooky’s gaze, scrutinizing him, trying to glean his intentions; as if she could tell whether or not he planned to take her on that bed. His gaze lost the cool aloofness and warmed to a semi-trustworthy stare. Yet still, Teal was no fool.

  Crossing her arms over her chest she asked, “Never worry about what?” She needed to hear him say it. She needed to wipe the memories of Jake’s cruelty from her mind.

  Spooky placed the bottle down after pouring two shots. He downed one, then picked the other up and ambled over to her. Lifting the shot glass, he offered her the drink. She stared at his massive fingers as they held onto the little glass.

  Teal shook her head, refusing to put that shit in her system. She needed to be clearheaded.

  Turning, he took a seat, leaving a chair empty between them. “I’m not going to touch you. No one here is going to touch you. Not in that way, at least.” He sat back and his large thighs parted, his huge body settling into the chair. The leather vest he wore parted over the large expanse of his muscled chest, revealing intricate patterns of aged ink.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “You say that now, but if Trent doesn’t do what you are demanding of him, then what?” Her breathing had finally calmed and she was sending a memo to her heart to do the same.

  Of course, he would tell her not to worry about being raped, even if he were planning on hurting her. She hated where her mind went first, but Trent’s past had pulled demons from it, and Teal seemed to be their prime target.

  He chuckled and took the shot intended for her. “I can tell you with certainty that your man is going to kill the congressman. And after I tell you a little story, you’ll wish you could pull the trigger.”

  Chapter 21

  Spooky’s idea of telling Teal a story was to place her on the back of his bike, and ride forty miles west of Blackwater, to a small town called, Emeryville. Pulling up to the drive of an all-girls home called Lady of Mercy, Teal let Spooky help her off the back of his bike and followed him up the stone steps.

  Emeryville lay nestled between Louisville and Paris; a smaller, greener version of Paris. With more rolling hills, lush beautiful trees, and old stone buildings littering the scenery.

  For a brief moment, Teal allowed herself to calm down. Taking a few cautious steps toward the building, she felt Spooky’s brooding presence behind her. A hand gently landed on the base of her spine, ushering her forward at his pace.

  She glanced up at the darkened building. It was late, no doubt everyone inside was nice, safe, and tucked away for the night. But Spooky had phoned ahead, and from the sound of his side of the conversation, he’d been more than welcome to come—no matter how late it had been. Hell, Spooky hadn’t even needed to knock.

  A buzzer sounded as they arrived at the ornately carved wooden door, and after the noise ended, Spooky placed his hand on the door. When he didn’t move forward, Teal glanced at him. Somehow, in the short time she’d been with him, a tenuous thread of trust had formed. His promise of keeping her away from the other bikers had been kept, and she hadn’t been hurt. For now, her curiosity had gotten the best of her. What was he about to show her?

  Teal sensed heavy emotions wafting from Spooky. This place meant something to him, and whatever he was about to show her, held him in its emotional grip so tight that he was unable to shield his feelings from it.

  This vulnerability allowed Teal to view him in a new light, not just as the man who’d taken her, but as someone who understood pain and would possibly spare her from anything the MC had planned. More than that, Teal saw the raw pain in his eyes. Whatever was behind this door had the ability to break him, and he was about to share that with her.

  Placing a hand on his shoulder, she asked, “Are you okay?”

  At her question, his eyes hardened and he pushed the door open, ignoring her inquiry. He took her hand from his shoulder and held it in his as he entered the building, pulling her right along with him.

  Inside the corridor, Teal and Spooky were met by a nun wearing an all-white habit, and a beautiful copper crucifix hanging from her neck. Almost every inch of her body was covered by the clean, bright-white fabric, only revealing her face.

  She turned to them, with blushing cheeks and welcoming eyes. Of course, her eyes were riveted on Spooky, who’d went to her with open arms. He left Teal standing alone, in order to wrap his arms around the sputtering nun.

  “Sister Ellen.” His voice was softer than she’d ever heard it.

  The nun moved away from Spooky and spied around his large shoulders to take Teal in. “Have you brought us another?” Shrewd eyes looked her up and down, and Teal couldn’t help but to smooth her frizzy wind-blown hair and straighten out her damp wrinkled clothing.

  “Brought them another what, Spooky?” Teal asked, growing a bit concerned with where this was headed. She glanced around, realizing she was in something akin to a hospital. Why had she thought this was an all-girls home? The bars on the windows, security doors, and cameras labeled this place as something much more than just a school for girls.

  The nun smiled and reached a hand out to Teal. “Come, child.” She spoke in a low, subdued tone, no doubt meant to soothe Teal.

  Teal glanced over to Spooky, whose eyes were looking at something toward the ceiling. She followed his gaze to the top of
the double stone staircase, to a woman in a white flowing dress. Her hands gripped the banister tight, eyes glittering in the overhead light as she stared at Spooky.

  Soft fingers gripped Teal’s, shocking her out of her stare. “Come, child.”

  “No,” Came Spooky’s gruff voice. “She comes with us, sister.”

  With a baffled look on her face, the nun nodded and ushered them up the stairs toward the small, chocolate-skinned woman. Her delicate features made her look doll-like and fragile. Big round eyes followed Spooky’s every movement, her hands gripping the banister as if it were a life line.

  “Mia,” he said as soon as his foot hit the landing. She ran to him wrapping her arms around his large waist.

  Teal was utterly confused, the nun who been standing with the woman, Mia, had a disapproving look on her face, but the nun who’d greeted them, smiled a soft knowing smile all while leading the group to a small room with a table and chairs.

  “This is inappropriate.” The scowling nun admonished. “Gentleman callers in the middle of the night.” Her face wrinkled, showing her displeasure.

  Teal stayed in the corner, taking everything in. Spooky placed Mia’s hand in his and led her to a chair. Sitting her down, he took up residence beside her, so close their bodies seemed melded together.

  Sister Ellen moved back to the door, shooing away the disapproving nun and closing the door tight behind her. There was silence and Teal felt extremely uncomfortable, as the pair held hands and gazed at each other.

  Why had he brought her here to this place?

  “Teal.” Spooky’s tone sounded as if it hadn’t been the first time he tried to get her attention.

  Shaking herself from the nightmare, she glanced up into two pairs of eyes staring inquisitively at her. “Yes?” Here she was, with a biker named Spooky, a timid mouse named Mia, in a catholic hospital, at damned near midnight. What the fuck was going on?

  “Let me introduce you to Mia,” Spooky gestured to the woman at his side. “Mia, this is Teal.”