My mind was fuzzy, but I was sure I knew who did this.
I think. I just had to remember.
Who would do this? I couldn’t remember his face. It was right on the edge of my brain.
My first thought was Carl, but I honestly didn’t think he had the balls.
I took a deep breath. No, it wasn’t Carl. The man was taller than Carl.
“You awake yet?” a deep voice sneered.
Shit.
Frederick.
I remembered now. Frederick had walked in and put a straw to his mouth, then I felt a sting on my neck, and everything went black.
I did my best not to move but I felt the bed dip before he squeezed my thigh, and it was too painful not to react.
“There you are,” he cooed, slapping me where he’d just squeezed.
I whimpered and Frederick laughed.
“Oh, did that hurt?” he asked. “There’s a fuck ton more where that came from, dearest. And I can’t wait to deliver it. You’re the reason Jane left me and you’re either going to make her take me back, or I’m going to return you to her in pieces. Maybe I’ll do both.”
I shivered.
God, I hated this asshole.
“Well, you just relax for a little while. I have some things to plan.”
He slapped my thigh again and I felt the mattress shake as he stood. I swallowed, trying to control my breathing as best as I could.
When I heard the click of what I assumed was a door, I scrubbed my head against the mattress, trying to get the blindfold to move. Enough to see and ease the panic that my claustrophobia was making worse.
I needed to think, and terror tended to make that impossible.
* * *
Shadow
I rammed my fist into Carl’s jaw… again, and he screamed in pain. “Where the fuck is she?”
“I don’t know!”
“Brother, let’s take a break,” Doc said, stepping between us.
“I need to find her.”
She hadn’t pressed her panic button, and the thought that she was incapacitated… or worse, made me crazy.
“I know. We will.”
Before I could focus back on my annihilation of Carl, Shutter pushed the door open and handed me his phone. “It’s Rabbit.”
Rabbit had been gone for about two weeks and it was the worst fuckin’ possible time for him to be out of sight.
I took the phone. “Did you find her?”
“No. But Carl didn’t take her.”
I frowned. “What?”
“I’ve been tracking him. He was nowhere near the studio. It wasn’t him.”
“He coulda hired someone.”
“He didn’t,” Rabbit said. “Swear to Christ, brother, it’s not him.”
“Fuck. Then who?”
“Workin’ on it.”
Posey had been gone for six hours.
“Goddammit! Work faster,” I growled.
* * *
Posey
I managed to slide my blindfold up enough to see out of the bottom. Not that it helped much, the room was pretty dark, but it helped me feel a little less claustrophobic.
I sat up and looked around. There was a little window above me, and a sliver of light peeked through, so I could tell I was in a basement. I just didn’t know where. It definitely wasn’t the home he’d shared with Jane, so I was at a total loss.
I twisted my hands, but pain shot through my wrists and I felt something warm tickle my skin.
“Shit,” I whispered, guessing the binds had cut me.
If I could just get loose enough to push the panic button on my necklace…
The sound of a lock sliding made my attempt at escape thwarted for the moment and I settled back down hoping to god my blindfold wasn’t too askew.
“I brought you something to eat,” Frederick said, and I heard a clank of dishes. “I’m going to help you sit up.”
His beefy hands squeezed my arms so hard I knew there’d be bruises tomorrow, but I refused to react as he lifted me to a seated position.
“I’m going to take the gag out of your mouth,” he said, tugging it down.
I took several deep breaths and licked my lips, rearing back when his hands went to my head.
“Fuck, Posey, I’m just taking off your blindfold. You don’t need to be scared.”
“I’m tied to a bed, Freddie, unable to move without your help. Your prisoner. Not to mention the fact, you’ve told me you’re going to deliver me back to my best friend in pieces. How else should I feel?”
“There’s that fighting spirit I hate so much,” he sneered.
He hated being called ‘Freddie,’ which was why I did it and did it often. What was incredibly ironic was that he’d actually lived in a house on Elm Street when he was a little boy.
I always thought it fit.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I want my wife back. And I want that fucking money. I know you had something to do with it disappearing out of my account.”
“It was her money,” I hissed. “But the question begs to be asked… how exactly would I have access to your account?”
“I’m trying to figure that out,” he admitted. “But Jane doesn’t think for herself. She’s actually rather stupid, so I know it was you.”
“Jane isn’t stupid,” I hissed.
“Well, you obviously don’t know her as well as you think you do.”
He unscrewed a bottled water and I tried not to stare desperately at it. He held it to my mouth and poured too much, making me choke as I drank greedily.
“Careful,” he warned, taking the water away.
“I have to pee,” I said.
“Hold it.”
“Exactly how long do you expect me to do that? Because you kidnapped me a while ago, right? I’m about to bust as it is.”
I didn’t really know how long I’d been there, and honestly, I had the bladder of a camel, but now that I’d said it out loud, I really did have to go.
He let out an irritated sigh. “Fine.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Shadow
THE SUN HAD been down for over an hour and I was losing my fuckin’ mind. No one knew where Posey was, not even Jane.
She had taken on the responsibility of shutting down the studio, calling all of Posey’s clients and letting them know there was an emergency, basically letting everyone know all classes and massages were canceled until further notice.
She was then forced to go home and pack a bag for herself and Posey, then we securely locked her down at the barn in case whoever had taken Posey might come for her as well. I could barely breathe with the worry, and it drove home just how much I loved her. All of this was a glaring reminder I hadn’t told her.
God, if I could just find her, I’d never let her forget.
To make matters worse, the media had gotten ahold of Posey’s disappearance because several of her students watched it happen in real time and called the cops. Jane had been forced to call Posey’s mom and that added a whole level of stress that made this all too fucking real.
My phone buzzed and I saw it was Rabbit calling. “Anything?”
“Not yet. She must be somewhere either steel or concrete fortified because I can’t do a reverse trace on the necklace.”
“Fuck!” I snapped.
“She wears a fitness tracker, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know what brand?” Rabbit asked. “If I can get into her account, I can try and see if I can track it.”
“Hold on,” I said. “I’ll ask Jane.”
* * *
Posey
I was currently arguing valiantly to get Frederick to release my hands so I could pee. I realized rather dejectedly he’d removed my Fit Buddy fitness tracker, obviously knowing that someone could maybe, possibly find me if I had it on.
He did not, however, know about my necklace and I was doing everything I could to just get free long enough to press the goddamn but
ton.
“Fred—ah, Frederick,” I said, slowly. Calmly. “If you want any chance of getting Jane back, you know she will lose her mind if she thinks you saw me naked, even if it’s to make sure I don’t escape while using the facilities.”
His expression suddenly looked hopeful. “Do you think I can get her back?”
No way in hell.
“I honestly don’t know. But I know you won’t have a shot if you don’t let me go to the bathroom alone.”
He swore but dragged me up off the bed and hauled me into the tiny powder room behind the stairs. The toilet was up against a brick wall and there was a pedestal sink opposite it.
“Be quick.”
I turned my back to him and waved my hands. “Can you take these off? Just for now? It’s not like I can go anywhere.”
“Jesus, you’re a whiny bitch.”
He pulled a huge hunting knife out of his jeans pocket and sliced off one side of the zip tie. The pain of the blood rushing back to my hands was excruciating, but I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out.
He pulled the door closed and I immediately pressed the button on the necklace before doing my thing and washing my hands, the water stinging the open wounds caused by the plastic.
“I’m coming in,” Frederick warned, pushing open the door.
* * *
Shadow
The alarm of Posey’s GPS sounded, and I immediately grabbed my phone. “She hit her panic button!” I bellowed. “Let’s roll.”
Shutter and I made a run for one of the trucks.
“I’ll drive,” I growled.
“You’ll navigate,” he corrected. “The last thing we need is you slamming the truck into a tree because you’re distracted.”
“You better fuckin’ speed.”
“Get in.”
We jumped into the cab, and I gave him directions as we drove to Posey. We had a dozen bikers following with Doc and Alamo bringing up the rear in another truck. Whoever this asshole was, he was gonna wish for death by the time we got done with him.
Posey’s signal led us to a quiet residential neighborhood full of older homes, perfectly manicured lawns, and a lot of American flags flying out the front of the houses. It looked like a place someone’s grandparents lived.
“We can’t pull in here like this, brother,” Shutter said, guiding the truck to the side of the road. “We’ll stick out like a whore in church.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I’m goin’ in on foot. You coordinate the others.”
“Shadow, you can’t go in there alone.”
“Then you better coordinate fast.”
I was out of the truck and following Posey’s signal within seconds, walking as calmly as I could, hoping no one would get squirrely about the biker strolling down their streets and call the cops.
I arrived at the place Posey was. Or at least, her necklace was, and I slid my gun out of my holster, knocking quietly on the door. It squeaked as it opened slightly, and I could smell death.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I shook my head. I couldn’t lose my focus now. I needed to get to Posey.
Staring straight ahead, my foot connected with something that nearly had me losing my balance. I glanced down to see the corpse of an elder woman, blood covering her face and neck, and a bloody knife beside her.
That was the death smell.
I tried to take comfort in the fact it wasn’t Posey, but I’d only seen a couple of dead bodies in my time and it was an open casket at someone’s funeral where the mortician had put makeup and shit on their face so they didn’t look so… well, dead.
This woman’s eyes were open, one was looking straight ahead, the other slightly to the side and her mouth was open in obvious shock. I shook off the chill of someone walking over my grave and continued on.
“Shadow,” Alamo hissed.
“Here,” I whispered.
I heard the feet of my brothers as they walked as quietly as one could in motorcycle boots.
“You find her?” Doc asked.
“Not yet.”
“Most of the houses in this area have basements,” Doom said. “Dad’s done a lot of work down here.”
We moved as quietly as we could through the house, clearing each room, and my heart was sinking with every step until I heard the distinct whistle by Doom. I made my way toward the sound and found the door at the back of the kitchen open. Doom nodded toward it and I took the lead, inching down the stairs, my gun at the ready, my brothers at my back.
“Posey?” I whispered.
I heard a squeak and mumbling and turned the corner to find Posey on an iron bed, blindfold, gagged, and ziptied to the rails. “Fuck!”
I holstered my gun and rushed to her, cutting her ties and helping her with the gag, which was so tightly wrapped, the corners of her mouth were cut.
She cried out, throwing her arms around me and I lifted her, carrying her up the stairs and out the door.
“Who did this, baby?” I demanded. “Do you know?”
“Freddie.”
“Jane’s ex?”
She nodded.
“I’m gonna fuckin’ kill him,” I growled. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “He was here when I hit the panic button. But then he tied me back to the bed and I haven’t heard him since.”
“You get Posey home,” Alamo said. “We’ll take it from here.”
“He’s mine,” I growled.
“If we can make that happen, we will, brother, but you take care of your woman, yeah?”
I nodded and settled Posey in the truck. She whimpered and my blood ran cold. “Hospital?”
“No. It’s okay. I just have some broken skin from the zip ties. A couple of bruises, but nothing that won’t heal in a few days.” She met my eyes. “I knew you’d come.”
“I’m sorry it took so long.” I grimaced. “I thought it was Carl.”
“Oh my god, did you kill Carl?”
“No, baby, but he lost a few teeth.”
“Freddie tied my hands behind my back. I couldn’t press the button until he let me go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, honey, I’m gonna get you home, then we’ll talk.”
She nodded, and I closed the door and jogged to the front of the truck. When I slid into the cab, Posey undid her seatbelt and scooted close to me. “Baby, you need to put your seatbelt on.”
“I need to be close to you.” She blinked up at me. “Okay?”
“No, baby, not okay. I need you safe, so you need to put your seatbelt on. As soon as we’re home, I won’t leave your side.”
She let out a deep sigh and nodded, sliding back to her seat, and pulling her seatbelt over her lap. I drove home as quickly as humanly possible, more than likely breaking several speed laws. Once in her driveway, I helped her out of the truck and carried her into the house where she immediately broke down.
I made my way directly to the sofa and sat down, keeping her in my lap. She buried her face in my neck and sobbed until I was afraid she’d pass out.
“Baby, breathe.”
“I can’t,” she rasped.
“Okay, honey, I’ve got you.”
“I love you,” she said on a sob. “I love you more than the world.”
“I love you, too, beautiful.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t wait for Dylan.”
“Baby, it’s done.”
“I was so stupid.”
“No, you weren’t, Posey.”
“I promise I’ll never take your orders to keep me safe for granted again,” she said.
I smiled gently. “Okay, baby, I can live with that.”
She snuggled closer, sliding her hand around my waist. “Don’t leave, okay?”
“I’m right here, honey.”
I don’t think she heard me as she’d fallen asleep.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I slid it out to see Jane calling. “Hey,” I whispered.
“Is she okay?”
<
br /> “Yeah, sweetheart, she’s good. We’re home. She’s currently asleep in my lap.”
“I’m coming over. I’ll call her mom.
Jane hung up and I grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the sofa and pulled it over Posey.
* * *
Posey
Quiet voices, definitely female, broke through my nightmare and I sat up with a gasp. Strong arms squeezed me, and I couldn’t stop a scream.
“Baby, it’s me,” Shadow said. “Open your eyes.”
I did and fell against him again.
“Posey?” Mom crooned, sitting beside us. Jane and Sharon moved to the other side.
“I’m okay, Mama,” I promised, sliding my face into Shadow’s neck. “Just forgot where I was.”
I felt Shadow shift and he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Hey, Doc.” He frowned. “What the fuck? I’ll call you back.” Keeping me in place, he leaned forward and grabbed the remote off the coffee table, turning on the television, then flipping to the news.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Your studio’s on fire,” Shadow said.
I tried to scramble off his lap, but he held firm, until his phone buzzed again.
“Yeah?” Shadow growled. “What? Jesus fuckin’ Christ, what more is this asshole gonna get away with? No. No fuckin’ cops.”
I slid off his lap and he stood and walked out the back slider, stalking next door, his phone still at his ear.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked.
“I don’t know.” I turned to Jane. “Any idea?”
“No. I just know they couldn’t find Frederick. Maybe that’s changed?”
“Honey, sit down,” Mom ordered. “Let me make you some tea.”
Before I could answer, Shadow walked back in, grabbing my hand and leading me to my bedroom. “Give us a minute.”
He closed my door, and I gripped his cut. “What’s wrong?”
“Frederick set your building on fire.”
“Oh my god? How do you know that?”
“Alamo stuck around at his place and took him down when he came back for you. His arms were singed, and he smelled like gasoline.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed out. “Did Alamo turn him over to the cops?”
“No fucking way,” Shadow said. “This fucker’s gonna get Dog justice.”
Fanning the Biker's Flame (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 8) Page 15
