But she’d also been especially sensitive lately and felt a little off. Again, she could chalk it up to the stress of all the things that had happened in the last few months, but she would rather be safe than sorry. She didn’t want to make the mistake of drinking or anything like that if she was pregnant. She ducked into the drug store and bought a test, just to make sure. She fully expected it to come up negative, which would be a relief.
But a part of her was also hopeful. Having a child…it was something she’d never thought about before, and now that she had a man she loved and a life that was starting to settle down, it was a nice idea. She wouldn’t get her hopes up, though. It wasn’t likely, and she didn’t think either of them was ready for a kid anyway.
She paid and hurried home, suddenly wanting to be snuggled on the couch under a blanket, marathoning one of her favorite sitcoms until she got a call from Diesel when they stopped for the night. They were headed to Lake Michigan, where they’d sneak a very large delivery across the lake to the intended client and bring back an equally large payment. It would take time to get there and more time to set up the secret exchange, so she would only talk to him a couple times a day at best.
The test was supposed to be used first thing in the morning, but Kim found herself distracted, unable to enjoy the shows with her popcorn and snacks. She kept glancing toward the bathroom, and then the clock, as if she could force the day to pass and the morning to come. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. If she was pregnant, she didn’t need to wait. The chemicals were there, and the test would read positive.
She reread the instructions to make sure she was doing it right and then forced herself to close the test as she set the timer, willing herself not to look until the timer went off. Two minutes seemed to stretch into two hours, the longest seconds of her life, and about fifteen seconds before the timer sounded, there was a knock at the door.
Kim considered ignoring it, not wanting to leave the room until she had the results, but it was insistent, and she rolled her eyes. If it was important, she would regret not going, so she clenched her jaw and angrily left the bathroom just as the ‘ding’ sounded. She actually growled out loud in irritation at the interruption and stormed toward the door, throwing it open and stopping cold.
She stared, blinking, at Spencer, who hadn’t bothered to call or text or anything for two months. He smiled and held out a bouquet of flowers. “Hey, Kim, I think I owe you an apology.”
She frowned as she took the flowers, not quite sure what was going on. “What are you sorry for?”
“I shouldn’t have gone away without telling you about it. Look, can I come in? I have some things to explain to you.”
Kim wasn’t keen on letting anyone into Diesel’s house when he wasn’t here. But he’d reminded her it was her house now, too, and she had a pregnancy test cooking in the bathroom. If she stood here and tried to make Spencer explain, he would just beg her and drag this out. Pushing the door open so he could pass, she said, “You have five minutes. I have things to do.”
He stepped inside enthusiastically and began talking before she had the door closed. “Kim, I didn’t just run away. I’ve been dealing with some club business up north. We’re trying to make some allies for trading purposes up there, and I was sent as a sort of ambassador. So I didn’t just abandoned things here, and when I heard about you and Diesel…you know, getting married, I couldn’t come back. But I support you fully. I want you to know that.”
Kim crossed her arms, a bit suspicious. She had expected the support of the club, and they’d turned their backs on the marriage. Spencer, on the other hand, had expressed his concern for her relationship with Diesel, and she didn’t believe for a second that he was suddenly their top ally. “What made you change your mind?” she asked.
“Do I have to spell it out for you?” he said, his tone changing and sounding a bit high strung. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. And I wish I was the guy who could do that for you. But I’m not, and I can see how happy you are with my brother, so I guess I have to accept the fact that he’s what you need. And if it makes you happy to be with him, then I guess I support that.”
It had to be hard for him to say, Kim supposed, and she nodded. She still wasn’t sure she believed he was sincere, but at least he was making an attempt to understand, however thin and shallow. Torn between trying to work things out and maintain the friendship she’d had with Spencer for so long versus rushing into the bathroom to check her test, Kim decided that it was more important to show loyalty to an old friend. The test would still be there when she was done. It wasn’t like a positive or negative mark would fade away, and it wasn’t like the damn thing was going to get up and walk off.
With a sigh, she asked, “Do you want a beer?”
He looked almost relieved. “Sure, that would be great.”
“Have a seat, I’ll grab a couple.” She motioned to the couch. She didn’t particularly want him following her to the kitchen, but he did anyway, and she felt a little claustrophobic all of a sudden. Still, she popped the top on the two bottles and set them on the kitchen table, hoping he’d sit down. He wasn’t as broad as Diesel and didn’t have quit as intimidating a stance, but something about the way he carried himself today made her uncomfortable. It was like he was nervous and out of place in his own skin.
But when he just grabbed one of the bottles and took a swing, still on his feet, Kim couldn’t stand it. She sat down, leading by example, and finally, he perched on the very edge of one of the kitchen chairs, as if poised to spring at any moment. “Spencer, is something wrong? I mean, you’re really high strung, and you’re acting like you’re waiting for some sort of ghost to jump out and scare you away.”
His laugh wasn’t normal, a very bad sign, and Kim tensed as he said, “I guess I’m just afraid you won’t accept my apology. I want to make amends, but I don’t know how to do that and make sure everything is right between us. I couldn’t stand to lose you because of everything that’s happened.”
Where was all this coming from? Sure, he’d gotten a little hotheaded with Diesel, but that was between the stepbrothers. And they’d had a bit of a spat, but there was no reason to be so overly anxious about apologizing. Had Kim ever given him any indication she was that hard or held that kind of grudge?
Maybe that all came from the beef between families. After all, her own people held a grudge against Spencer’s family that was practically ancient. “Spencer, I’m not my grandfather. Or anyone else in my family. I know how to let things go. I want all the bad blood left in the past. I’m tired of everyone fighting and being filled with hate.”
Chapter 5
Spencer scoffed. “You’re so worried about family and all that old crap you aren’t thinking about the real problems.” He shook his head. “You’re so blind, Kim. You really are.”
Kim’s hackles rose on the back of her neck. “Spencer, if you came into my home to berate me, you can just go. I invited you in to show you I accept your apology and want to make things work, but I won’t let you sit here and make accusations or rude comments in my home.”
“Your home. You really have settled in. This is Diesel’s house. He can tell you it’s yours all day long, but in the end, he’s a loner, and he’s always going to be a loner. The minute things get tough, he’s going to turn on you, and you’ll be on your own again.”
Rage gathered and multiplied inside Kim. “Watch yourself, Spencer. We’re not just a couple anymore. We’re married. You said you supported that, but you’re sitting here telling me that it’s not going to work out. Either you believe in me and my decisions, or you don’t, Spencer. Which is it?”
He didn’t answer right away, gulping down the rest of his beer. He set the empty bottle on the table and stared at it for a second before asking, “Can I get one more?”
Raising an eyebrow, Kim challenged, “Am I going to get some real answers.”
He sighed. “Yeah, you’ll get some real answers.”
/>
Against her better judgment, Kim reached stood and turned toward the fridge, opening the door and reaching inside. She heard Spencer stand but didn’t think anything of it until it was too late. In two loud boot steps, he was behind her, yanking her backward against him and covering her mouth with his hand. She was too busy gasping for air in her shock to scream, and his grip was too tight for her to fight against him.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Kim, so don’t do anything stupid. If you want your answers, you’ll have to come with me, and you’d better keep quiet.” Was he kidnapping her? Was this the club’s doing? Diesel was going to come home and shoot every last member involved, if that was the case. And if not, he was going to hunt Spencer down and tear him limb from limb.
“Calm down,” he screamed at her, and she stilled, no longer wriggling and trying to get free. “That’s better,” he spat. “Now, come on, we’re going.” He didn’t uncover her mouth, so she couldn’t ask where they were going. But she tried to stay in step with him as he walked with her in front of him toward the front door. It was just so awkward she tripped more than once, twisting her ankle and hurting her back with the way he had her bent and arched against him.
Before he opened the door, he told her, “I’m going to let go of your mouth to get you to the car, but if you say a word, I will make you pay for it.” He shoved her forward through the door frame, and she saw an unfamiliar car in the driveway rather than his bike. No wonder she hadn’t heard him coming. It was a Mercedes and probably purred so quietly you questioned if the engine was running as you drove down the road in it. Where had he gotten something like that?
She didn’t ask. She didn’t say anything as she slid into the passenger seat or as he took the driver’s seat. She was going to wait until they were on the road to ask questions. Maybe if she cooperated, and she was able to draw him out, she could find a way to stop this.
But as it turned out, she didn’t have to ask anything, and the more Spencer talked, the more she realized there would be no talking Spencer out of this. He was going through with it, come hell or high water.
“You are such a stupid bitch, Kim! I could have given you anything. If you had just chosen me, none of this would be happening. None of it! We could all be happy. I could be so much more for you.” She wanted to tell him to slow down, that he was driving too fast, but she couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “Now, because you are so fucking stupid, everything’s messed up. Now, I have to take you to DeLucci family house.”
Kim frowned. “DeLucci?”
“The mob, Kim. My asshole brother – your dumbass husband – shot the big boy’s son in that gunfight, and they’ve been on his ass for weeks, trying to hunt him down. Now, they know he’s out of town, and they decided the perfect way to get back at him is to bring you in. When he finds out they have you, he’ll come charging in with that cocky fucking demeanor of his, thinking he can just waltz in, kill the entire mob family, and take you home.”
None of that was okay. It didn’t so much matter to Kim if she was being held hostage for her own sake. She didn’t think they would be stupid enough to hurt her, since she was innocent in all this. And maybe she would be able to convince these guys that it wasn’t Diesel who had fired the gun. Then, everything could go back to normal.
The problem was, Spencer was right. Diesel would come in with his own personal arsenal and no backup, and he would go down in a blaze of glory trying to rescue her. He didn’t know she might be pregnant. In fact, she probably wasn’t. But if Diesel came storming in, he would be killing himself, as well as Kim and, with a remote possibility, their child.
“Spencer, there has to be another way,” she said quietly.
But he shook his head and laughed maniacally. “There could have been. You could have been smart, Kim. I’ve always wanted you, and you could have realized that and chosen wisely. Now, it’s too late to go back and change that. You don’t love me, I know, and now that you’ve connected yourself to Diesel like this, it wouldn’t matter if you ended up with me. These guys already know you care about him, and he’s in love with you. That makes you his biggest weakness. And that’s what they want. They want to get to you through your biggest weakness.”
And that was the terrifying part. “Oh, Spencer, how did you get mixed up with them? Why didn’t you go back to the club and take your place with the rest of the boys?” Kim didn’t want to see anything happen to Spencer, despite his apparent betrayal. After all, they were practically lifelong friends, and there was always salvation, no matter how badly someone hurt you. She had to hold out hope for Spencer.
“Seriously?” he asked in a high pitched voice. “Do you know the beef between me and Diesel? You really are stupid, or naïve. Diesel was ready to make my life miserable. He hates me, and I’m sick of him controlling everything. I couldn’t go back there. No one would have wanted me there.”
Kim stared at him, finding it hard to believe he could really think that. “Spencer, I know you have these issues with Diesel, but he’s actually a very forgiving guy. And it’s not like you’ve done anything wrong yet. It’s just a disagreement between brothers. You can fix that.” He didn’t answer, and she added, “If you go through with this and take me to the enemy to hold for ransom, though, that will change. He won’t be able to let that go.”
Spencer still didn’t answer. He just drove faster, his eyes intently focused on the road ahead of him. Kim didn’t recognize the neighborhoods they were passing through now, and she didn’t like it. She’d hoped for a chance to escape, but it wouldn’t do her much good to get out if she had no idea where she was going.
Finally, he turned off the main road into an old, rich community, and Kim’s nerves got the best of her. Despite her best efforts, she was shaking, almost in convulsions. “I hate these winding fucking roads,” Spencer mumbled as he was forced to slow down and read road signs. Eventually, they came to a stop, and he gazed up at the huge house with a nod. “This is it,” he mumbled as he turned into a circular driveway.
The house looked more like an ominous bed and breakfast hotel. The DeLucci family probably ate on paper plates made of hundred dollar bills, she thought. Not that it mattered. Brutes were brutes, and if these guys were half as evil as she’d heard all her life, the Skeletons could practically be classified as angels by comparison.
Chapter 6
If she’d been nervous with the way Spencer had been treating her, Kim should have reserved her judgment. As soon as they pulled up to what looked more like a compound than a clubhouse, two Skeletons dragged her out of the passenger’s seat of the car and hauled her by her elbows so her knees dragged the ground.
She wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of crying out, though it hurt like hell, even through the jeans she wore. Thankfully, there was threadbare carpet inside that kept the denim from finally ripping and letting the ground do the same to her skin. Kim wanted to fight, but she kept thinking about the pregnancy test she’d never checked. She couldn’t do anything that could harm a baby, and she didn’t want to prompt these guys to, either.
So, she stayed limp, knowing that any injuries would be mild if she didn’t tense up. They slammed her into a chair, bruising her back and tailbone, and she didn’t even try to move as they tied her tightly, her hands behind her back so her shoulders were stretched and twisted and her back at an odd angle. They strapped her ankles to the legs of the chair, and she couldn’t even lift her knees to adjust her position.
And when she looked up – with a gag in her mouth – she noticed that another man was training a video camera on her. That told Kim exactly what they planned, and her fear got the best of her. She could play the strong, obstinate female only so far. Then, she had to worry about more important things.
Tears began to fall from her eyes as she watched the guy make sure the camera was in focus and pointing directly at her and heard him curse at several other guys as they crossed the path between the lens and where she sat. Only then did she notice some
of the things these other men carried and that they were being laid out precariously on a shelf to her left.
Kim’s eyes grew wide as she took in the small razor blades that glistened even in the dim light, the matches and lighters, the cloths and the bucket of water, and what looked like a bowl of straight pins. There were even what appeared to be wood splinters, and knowing what she did from videos shown of war and torture performed on hostages, Kim’s fingers and nails already screamed in anguish.
It was a large man in a finely tailored suit who finally came to stand in front of her and took the gag out of her mouth. “If you scream, it will go worse for you,” he said in a calm, carefree voice. It didn’t spark a lot of faith or hope, and Kim felt her limbs begin to tremble with fear.
He scraped another chair across the floor, the sound grating hard and making Kim cringe. She suddenly wanted to laugh, feeling like she was in the Godfather, but the dire situation prevented her from truly achieving the humor she wished she could find in all this. She was just too worried about the possibilities and the unknown. Sitting in front of her and crossing his legs neatly, he told her, “You know why you’re here.”
Not wanting to anger him but not absolutely sure who he was or what he had in mind, she wasn’t going to agree to that statement. “I’m not even sure where ‘here’ is.”
“I suppose I should introduce myself,” he said politely, as if she was a regular guest who had been cordially invited to a prestigious dinner rather than a prisoner tied so tight she was likely to pull her shoulders out of socket. “I’m Corbin DeLucci, and my father is Robert, Sr. My brother was Robert, Jr., and he’s dead now.”
Kim narrowed her eyes at him. So, he was the brother of the man that the DeLucci family – and the police – were so certain Diesel had killed. He gave her a smile that, on the surface, seemed inviting but underneath, she could see the warning and the menace it held. “The appropriate response would be to introduce yourself in return.”
BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) Page 15
