There are bottles littered everywhere, along with dirty needles and other drug paraphernalia. Clearly, it’s not just an abandoned warehouse then.
The Creek kids used to party in old buildings almost every weekend, or whenever they found a new location. I wonder if this is one of those places. Maybe that smell is some party-goer who took things a little too far and was left in the darkness.
A violent shudder runs through me as he brings me to a stop by a giant hook-like thing that’s in the ground.
“Welcome to your new home. I made it nice and comfortable for you.”
I stare at the thin sheet covering the cold concrete on the other side of the hook and any fight I had in me seems to vanish.
I’m not getting out of this. And if he’s right and Kyle doesn’t care then there’s a chance no one will find me, at least, not until it’s too late.
He tugs harshly on the rope hanging from my wrists and I stumble to the floor, the rough ground scraping my knees as I scramble forward to save being dragged.
I don’t need to look over my shoulder to know that he’s attaching me to the hook.
“Perfect,” he mutters, taking a step back to appreciate his handiwork.
He drops down on his haunches and stares me straight in the eyes. His are almost black with his anger and hatred.
“I’ve waited a long time for this, Princess.”
In a surprise move, he reaches out and rips the tape from my mouth. It stings like a motherfucker, almost like he’s just taken a few layers of skin with it and my teeth grind, stopping me from screaming out.
“Fuck you,” I spit.
“All in good time.”
“You’re a fucking monster. Kyle should have killed you when he had the chance.”
He laughs as if the idea of Kyle being able to is actually amusing to him.
His face turns serious once more before he pushes to stand and begins pacing back and forth in front of me.
“He’s really got you fucking brainwashed, hasn’t he? That cunt isn’t capable of anything. He couldn’t even keep my fucking gear safe.”
“So this is about money?” I ask, the pieces starting to fit together.
Everything Kyle had on him that night would have been seized. Gray wants payback. But why me?
“I can get you money if that’s what you want,” I offer, although it’s a total bluff. I’m not giving this fuck anything.
He laughs once more, a manic smile curling at his lips, splitting the cuts once more and allowing a trickle of blood to run down his chin.
“I don’t want fucking money, Hunter, but Kyle owes me and it’s time he learns that I’m serious.”
“He doesn’t care about me. You’ve already said so yourself that he’s not going to rescue me, so what’s the point in this?”
“Maybe I’m wrong. Or maybe I’m not and I just get to spend the next few days teaching you a lesson for my own amusement.”
“You’re sick. He’s going to find me and he’s going to fucking kill you.” I put as much conviction into my words as possible, but deep down, I fear he might be right.
Kyle wanted revenge. He might not be the one dishing it out right now, but was this always where it was meant to end?
He studies me for a few more seconds before he disappears into the shadows.
The sun might be starting to rise outside but in the middle of this massive space, it’s hardly noticeable from the cracks of light coming from the boarded-up windows around the edge of the building.
He crashes about a little before reappearing but the sight of him with a bottle of water in his hand makes my entire body tremble.
“No,” I cry, assuming what’s been dissolved into that liquid.
“I’m sorry, Princess, but I think you’ll find that you don’t get a say anymore.”
He drops down before me and grips my chin between his fingers. My skin is already tender from the last time he held me this way and he knows it, digging his fingers in even deeper.
“Drink.”
I press my lips together with as much pressure as I can muster and his eyes flash with anger.
I know I shouldn’t provoke him, but there’s no way in hell I’ll voluntarily drink anything he gives me.
“Stupid fucking bitch. I don’t even know why he wanted to fuck you that night. You’re nothing special.”
“You seemed up for it. I remember how hard your cock was as you rubbed it against my ass.”
I don’t see his arm move until it’s too late. The sound of skin on skin rings out in the silent space around us a moment before the sting burns my cheek.
“Now. Fucking. Drink.”
Still, I keep my lips closed when he tips the bottle to my mouth, sloshing the water down my chin and over my thin tank.
“You look like a cheap fucking whore.”
“Then it’s a good thing I don’t give a shit about what you think, isn’t it?”
He makes use of my open mouth and shoves his thumb inside allowing him to keep my lips parted so he can pour the water inside.
I push out as much as I can, but there’s too much not to swallow any. I just have to hope it’s not enough to affect me.
“Get some sleep, whore. The fun will commence in a few hours.” With those words, he spins on his heels and disappears into the shadows.
Once he’s gone, I succumb to the tears although I refuse to make a noise.
I sit there with tears cascading down my cheeks, my body trembling from the cold and praying that I’m not about to pass out, allowing him to do whatever sick and twisted shit I’m sure he’s thought up.
32
Kyle
“What the fuck was that?” I bellow at Kane when he crashes back into the house after taking Harley home. “I thought you were supposed to be on my fucking side.” My palms slam against his chest but he doesn’t so much as take a step back.
“I’m always on your fucking side, Ky,” he growls, his voice dangerously low.
“Then why did you take her? And fucking drunk.”
“Not that I have to answer to you, but I’m not fucking drunk. I’ve had two fucking beers because I knew the second that cunt showed his face that someone would need to be in-fucking-control.”
“Why didn’t you just throw him out to start with?” I seethe.
“Because he clearly had the balls to show up after—”
“After?” I prompt, desperate to know if something has gone down between the two of them since I went away.
“Nothing. He shouldn’t have fucking been here. But seeing as he thought it was a good idea, I wanted to see what his game was.”
“And how did that work out for you?”
“Meh,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.
“He had his hands on her, Kane. He shouldn’t be anywhere near her, let alone touching her. He’s already threaten—”
“He’s spoken to you?”
I swallow nervously. I hadn’t meant to admit that. I don’t want to drag Kane into this mess more than he already is. He’s done enough for me.
“Yeah. He threatened Harley.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me this?” he booms.
“What would you have done? You can’t risk killing him and ending up inside as well.”
His teeth grind as he thinks of all the ways he probably wants to end Gray for that stunt a year ago.
He lifts his hands to his hair and takes a few steps back from me, cooling off a little.
“You know, I told you to stay away from her for a reason,” he almost whispers.
“Yeah well, I couldn’t. Fucking sue me.”
“She’s it for you, huh?”
My lips part to agree but I catch the words at the last minute.
“She’s fun for right now.”
“Kyle,” he breathes. “Lie to yourself all you want, hell, lie to her. But me? Nah, bro. You never fucking lie to me, you got that?”
We stare at each other in a silent standoff.
“We can’t let him get to her. He wants me to pay and he wants to hit where it’ll hurt the most.”
“No fucking shit. It’s one of the reasons I told you to stay away. I fucking knew you’d fall for her all over again.”
“I never… I haven’t…” He pins me with a knowing look. “Those Hunter girls are like fucking kryptonite, right?” I say, spinning the tables on him.
“Don’t,” he snaps. “Don’t fucking bring me into this. It’s got nothing to do with me.”
“You moved us here. If you thought this was going to happen why not move us across the country.”
“Because… because I couldn’t.”
I narrow my eyes at his cryptic answer but I don’t try to dig for anymore. I know my brother and I know that I’m not getting any of his secrets out of him tonight.
“Why take her? Why take her if you know I need her?”
“Because,” he sighs, his shoulders dropping and the fight leaving him. “It was the right thing to do. She doesn’t need to witness you in this mood.”
“Trust me, it would be fucking better right now if she was here.”
“Why? Because you’d have used her to make you feel better? Don’t forget, lil’ bro, I saw you with Zoe on your lap earlier. You didn’t seem to care so much about Harley’s feelings while her lips were attached to your neck.”
“That was for his benefit,” I shout, throwing my hands up in despair. “I didn’t want him to see how much I wanted her.”
A smile twitches at his lips as I confess my feelings but he doesn’t say anything. “I thought if he saw me with someone else, he’d think I don’t give a shit about her and move on.”
“You’re a fucking idiot, Ky. The second you’ve slept off your hangover, you need to go over there and have this out with her. Tell her the fucking truth. Let her deal with all this alongside you, not keep her in the shadows. The Hunter girls, they’re not weak and you’ll only offend them if you treat them as such.”
“Said by an expert,” I quip.
His jaw pops with frustration and a little thrill goes through me that I’m not the only one who gets weak at the knees at just the mention of a Hunter girl.
“This isn’t about me.”
“Not right now, but we sure need to find the time to talk about you.”
“Nothing to talk about.”
“Sure.”
He takes a step toward me, but if he thinks I’m going to be threatened by his stance then he’s got another thing coming.
“Get your ass to bed and sleep tonight off. First thing, get your ass to the Hunter’s and talk to her.”
“So much for wanting me to stay away from her.”
“Sometimes you just have to embrace it instead of fighting.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“That what you’re doing?”
“Go to fucking bed. You can tidy up this mess after you’ve groveled your way out of the shit.”
Before I get to say anything else, he marches down the hallway and disappears into his bedroom.
The house is fucking trashed, but I’m too angry, drunk, high, and horny to care right now. Turning my back on it, I follow orders and fall headfirst into my bed.
Before I succumb to my exhaustion, I find her contact in my cell and call her number.
It rings and rings.
I shouldn’t be surprised, she’s probably either long asleep or ignoring me. Or maybe both.
I wake when my cell starts vibrating in my hand, apparently, I fell asleep still clutching it.
“Harley?” I ask, pressing it to my ear without looking at the screen. My entire face aches as I speak reminding me of the night before.
“Stella,” the voice says. “But speaking of, I’m assuming from your greeting that she’s not with you?”
I push so I’m sitting against the headboard, my head spinning from last night’s alcohol.
“N-no, she’s not here. Kane took her home after things got a bit—Why, what’s wrong?” I ask, realizing that she probably doesn’t care about all this right now.
“We had plans to meet for breakfast but she didn’t show up and her cell just keeps ringing.”
“Probably still sleeping or stabbing a little voodoo doll of me.”
“You fucked up last night,” she confirms, not that I needed to hear it. “I’ll head to hers then, if she’s not with you.”
“I’ll be there after I’ve showered. I’ve got some groveling to do.”
“Bring food, it might sweeten the apology.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Sure am. The way to a woman’s heart, big cock, plenty of O’s and good food.”
“Thanks for that,” I force out through the shock. “Message me when you find her.”
“Will do. Later.”
She hangs up before I get a chance to say goodbye. I laugh as I pull my cell from my ear. Whoever is lucky enough to snag her is in for a wild ride.
Tipping my face to the ceiling, I give myself two minutes before pushing from the bed and heading for the shower to wash last night off me.
One look in the mirror and I’m reminded of everything I’d rather forget from last night. I—we—might have won the showdown but I’m still sporting the evidence that it happened, I’m sure Zayn is too.
My eye is a pleasant shade of purple and barely opens and the split in my lip has opened up once again thanks to my conversation with Stella.
I reach up to wipe away a droplet of blood and wince.
Motherfucker.
He shouldn’t have even been here, let alone had his hands on my girl.
My girl.
Hell yeah. I think Kane might just be right and it’s time to lay all my cards on the table.
I shower, dress, grab an energy drink from the refrigerator and leave the chaos that is our house behind. As far as I know, Kane is still in his bedroom. Although knowing what he’s been like since I’ve been back, I wouldn’t put it past him to have snuck out already.
I’m at Harley’s in record time, the journey is a total blur, my focus solely on what I need to say to her. The truths I need to confess.
I push my car door open after pulling up on the driveway and as I step out, Stella comes running down the steps from the house, quickly followed by Zayn.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, the stricken looks on their faces making my stomach drop.
“She’s not here,” Stella says. Her voice is cool and calm but her eyes give away how she really feels.
“But she was. I heard her come home,” Zayn adds. “No one has seen her. She’s not with anyone we know.”
“Fuck,” I breathe, lifting my hand to my hair, irritated when I find my cap.
“H-he wouldn’t. Would he?” Zayn asks, mirroring my concerns.
“I really fucking hope not.”
My cell buzzes in my pocket and I reach to pull it out.
The unknown number that stares back at me makes my stomach drop into my feet.
“What is it?” Stella asks, obviously seeing my reaction.
“I-I don’t know.”
She comes to stand beside me and watches as I open the message.
“Holy fuck,” I bark as Stella gasps beside me. “Fucking cunt.”
“Wha—” Zayn grabs my cell from my hand, his eyes going wide as he stares down at the photo of his sister.
His sister, bound, gagged, barely clothed, and passed out.
“Kane,” I bellow, running through the house with Zayn hot on my heels. I don’t bother knocking, I crash straight through his bedroom door. Thankfully, he’s still passed out in bed, although he sits up fucking fast as we fly into his room. “He’s got her. Gray fucking has her.”
“W-what?” he asks, groggily sitting up and pushing hair from his eyes.
“Gray has Harley,” I say much more calmly than I feel. “You need to get up now.”
It takes two seconds for the words to register in his head before he barks ‘fuck,
’ throws the sheets back and stands.
“Where are they?”
“No idea, but he sent this.”
I pass my cell over and he studies it for long, silent seconds.
“I know where this is.”
“How?” I ask in utter disbelief. “How could you possibly know that?”
Okay so, I didn’t study every inch of the image, my eyes were mostly trained on Harley, but I didn’t see anything that would give her location away.
“I just do. Meet me at my car,” he demands, pulling a pair of sweats from the floor and tugging them on as we leave.
“But…”
“Do you really want to get into this right now?” He pins me with a look that brings me to my senses.
“No. Hurry,” I call over my shoulder as I rush from the house, pushing Zayn along in front of me.
I swipe Kane’s car keys from the side and we let ourselves in. Me in the front and Zayn in the back.
Every muscle in my body is pulled tight as I focus on that image that’s burned into my retinas.
She looks so weak, so broken, so vulnerable.
If that motherfucker touches her and tries to take—a violent shiver races down my entire body, a mix of anger and devastation that I let this happen.
“Fucking hurry up,” I mutter under my breath to no one.
“I hope you know that once we’ve got her out of this, I’m going to fucking kill you,” Zayn quietly seethes from the back.
My lips part to tell him to fuck off, but swallow the words, because he’s right.
“As you should.”
“You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, bro.”
“If you’ve treated her like a piece of shit, I swear to God I’ll—”
I twist around in my seat to look at him, my eyes narrowed in curiosity.
“Fucking asshole,” he mutters, the fight leaving his voice as Kane drops down into the driver’s seat and revs the engine.
“Ready to put this bitch down once and for all?”
“Less talking, bro.”
I don’t need to be looking at him to know he just rolled his eyes at me.
He flies down our street and turns toward Harrow Creek.
The entire journey to our hometown is silent and tense.
LEGEND: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rosewood High Book 7) Page 30
