Wild Heart (The Wild Heart Series)

by Culbreth, Jennifer

  “Earned my trust back there, cop.” Knox came over next to him as Cash stood from the ground. “Now you listen and you listen good; Ani isn’t dead. I’d know if she was and she isn’t. So we go to this place and we bring the fuckin’ pain. I’m out for blood. I’ll kill every last fuckin’ one of ‘em if that’s what it takes. I’m getting’ her back.”

  “Ten-four.” Cash let out a deep breath, “Follow me.” He jumped into his Bronco and took off toward the address Carla had given him.

  ANI

  Ani’s eyes fluttered open as the smell of putrid smoke drifted into her nose. She looked up at her re-bound hands, “No, no, no!” She shouted as she pulled against them, jumping when she heard a throat clear from the corner of the room.

  “You didn’t listen to me,” Chief blew a puff of smoke in her direction, “Now look at you; beaten, bruised. I don’t like my women like that.”

  “I’m not your woman!” she screamed out toward him, snatching her hand and feeling the bind give. She tried to keep from looking up at her arm in an effort to not give it away.

  “You’re gonna be whatever the fuck I say you are!” He jumped from the chair and rushed over toward her. She could smell the sweet smell of whiskey and cigarettes on his breath causing her stomach to flip. He stumbled back, knocking into the dresser and making the top drawer slide open before falling forward onto the bed on top of her. She peered over and saw the flash of silver from the top drawer.

  Her brain was going a thousand miles an hour. She knew if she was going to make any attempt to get out this would be her chance. He was drunk and he wasn’t thinking straight. She fought against the vile feeling that flowed throughout her at the thought of what she was about to attempt and she prayed it would work.

  “Chief, please untie me.” She looked into his blood shot eyes, “Please, baby. Please I want to touch you.”

  He eyed up at her suspiciously, drunkenly his lips crashed into hers and she resisted the urge to fight him. Sucking his bottom lip into her mouth and biting down hard in an effort to please him. His eyes flashed wildly at her as he tugged at her first binding, loosening it just enough for her to slip her hand out. Again she resisted her urge to immediately untie her other hand and instead ran her loose hand down his stomach.

  “Gonna fuck you again, baby. Gonna be nice this time,” his words were slurred as he tugged at her other hand restraint.

  “Please,” she leaned up to him grabbing his neck and kissing him as she peered out of the corner of her eye at the open drawer. She maneuvered herself on top of him, slowly peeling off her shirt. She felt his hands at her hips and she leaned down to his neck, whispering into his ear. “Close your eyes, baby.”

  She watched as he did and slowly ground down onto his semi-hard erection. She reached slowly over to the drawer, slipping her hand in and grabbing the scissors. His eyes fluttered open and she playfully covered them with her other hand. She planted her lips against his as she pulled the scissors out and slid them under the pillow. Her heart was racing, she didn’t know what she was doing. She’d never hurt another human being, but she felt at this point that the innocent and loving creature Knox so often spoke of, had all but broken into pieces. It was her against the world, she had no one else to rely on other than herself and she had to be strong if she wanted to make it out of this alive. She would make sure that this man never laid his hands on another woman for the rest of his short, sad life.

  She propped herself up just above his face, a sinister smile spreading across her face as he looked up at her. She stared down, looking at him before raising her hands up and sending the end of the scissors straight down into his chest. He bowed his body under her as she jumped from the bed and grabbed her shirt. He grabbed for her as she stepped back outside of his reach. “You stupid bitch!” he gurgled out, gasping for breath. She’d hit him in the lung and now she’d leave him to drown in his own blood.

  She snatched the shirt on over her head and ran toward the door, flinging it open she ran smack into what felt like a wall on the other side. She looked up at the large man who’d subdued her earlier and took off running down the hallway. He followed behind her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back toward him. She let out a scream as she kicked and thrashed her arms, trying to tear away from his grasp. He brought his hand up to her mouth and she bit down until she could taste his blood and he dropped her down to the ground.

  She scrambled to get to her feet, kicking at him forcefully when he grabbed her ankle. She made it a few feet away from him when she tripped and fell down on top of the coffee table. He lumbered over to her, standing above her as his hand came down across her face. She brought her foot up, planting it hard in the center of his chest and knocking him back. She rolled from the table, but he was back too quickly, picking her up and wrapping his hands around her swollen neck. She felt the pressure closing off her airway as she gasped for breath.

  “Put her down!” She heard a familiar voice from behind her as the rest of her body fought to stay alert. She glanced over and saw Butcher standing in the doorway with his pistol drawn, “This wasn’t the plan! She wasn’t supposed to get hurt; you were just supposed to get their guns!”

  “Fuck you, King!” the large man yelled out as he dropped her feet back to the floor and turned her to face Butcher, his pistol pressed hard against her temple. “Put down your gun or she dies.”

  “Damn it!” She watched as he fumbled for something in his pocket. “A.T.F., asshole, now put her the fuck down and you won’t get the death penalty.” He held up a gold badge.

  Ani’s heart dropped; Butcher was a Federal Agent? He’d been around the club since before Ani had and he was at every club function. God only knew what incriminating information he had on them. Hope flashed in her stomach, maybe he’d be able to get her out of this whole situation. She looked into his eyes, pleading him to help her as he stepped closer to her attacker. She could see the angst in his eyes as he reached his hand out toward her, “Just give me the girl and you go free.” One more step closer and she could feel the large man’s body tighten behind her. “Ani, it’s gonna be…” His words were cut short as a loud bang came from behind her, sending a bullet straight into Butcher’s chest. She looked into his eyes as he slumped down onto the ground.

  “No!” she screamed out, “No!” She threw her elbow into the man’s stomach as hard as she could, stumbling away from him as he grunted and fell back behind her. She grabbed a wooden stool a foot away from her and turned. She lifted it above her head and slammed it down against the man’s head. She continued her assault over and over, relentlessly she purged the hatred out of her body until she could no longer lift the stool.

  The tears flowed down her face as she dropped the stool next to him and ran to Butcher’s side. His breath was shallow gasps, trying to get air in his lungs as she leaned him carefully against the wall. “Breathe. Come on, Butcher, breathe.”

  “Ani, you gotta make sure they don’t find out about her. They’ll kill her,” his voice was raspy as the words came out.

  “Who, Butcher? Who are they gonna find?” she begged him to tell her. She knew it wouldn’t be much longer and he’d be unconscious. “Butcher, look at me. Look at me!” His eyes were heavy as he blinked up at her. “Please don’t die. Please!” Her hands were shaking as she looked down at the blood that covered them. She tried to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but it was coming out too fast.

  The room blurred as her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t know him that well, but he’d just taken a bullet trying to save her and the horrible thoughts she’d had about him earlier made the guilt wash through her. She grabbed his face, looking into his eyes, “Thank you for trying to save me.” He lifted his hand to hers and gave it one last squeeze before it fell to his lap. She grabbed his hand, trying to keep him with her. But her effort was too late as he took one last gasp and his body stilled against the wall.

  So much death, so much destruction. She’d never imag
ined that she would be in such a terrible hell. She grabbed Butcher and pulled him toward her chest, hugging him as she rocked back and forth. She gently cried as his body slumped against her, all she wanted was for Knox to be here. For him to take her away from this God forsaken house. She heard a gun cock behind her and she turned slightly, taking in the bloody sight of Chief who was now standing in the middle of the room with his pistol pointed at her head. She no longer fought, she didn’t want to. She knew no other way to erase the memories and the violated feeling from her body, than to accept her impending doom. She turned back to Butcher, closing her eyes and waiting for the shot that would end it all. She took one last long breath as the blast echoed throughout the room. It was finally over.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CEARTAIS

  Knox’s heart was beating faster and faster with every mile they got closer to the address where Cash said Ani had been kept. They flew down the last dirt road, startling the herd of cows in the pasture as they passed and made the turn onto the long gravel drive. They had already decided they were going to come in guns blazing this time. Neither Hell, fire, nor brimstone would be able to keep him from getting Ani back. As they neared the dilapidated house, he could feel the electricity flowing through him. He could feel her.

  He parked his bike as the group made it to the front door without resistance. He looked over at the small garage where the Renegades’ bikes were parked and counted three. One however stood out from its familiarity. It wasn’t a Renegade’s bike it was Butcher’s. He slowly turned the handle of the door and he made his way in, followed by Rage, Charon, Jameson, and Cash. He passed through the kitchen and made his way down the narrow hallway until it opened up into a living room. He looked down, taking in the trail of blood that cross the floor. Looking to his left he saw Chief’s silhouette standing in the middle of the room, his gun trained on a mass of bodies in the corner. Knox couldn’t see her face, but he knew that it was Ani.

  He didn’t think, he reacted, as he pulled up his pistol and shot Chief in the back of his head. He collapsed when he looked down at Ani’s lifeless body, her face buried in Butcher’s chest. There was blood everywhere, so much blood that he didn’t know who it was coming from. Cash took off toward Ani’s body, kneeling down beside her as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “No! Don’t touch me! Stop it!” her screams pierced the silence of the room, causing Knox to look up in astonishment, watching as she thrashed her arm away from Cash.

  He stood and made his way to Cash’s side, not really sure what to do or what to say. He could see the bruises that covered her body and face and could only imagine what she’d been through over the past few days. He could feel her broken spirit, see it written across her face as she looked up at him in a dreamlike state; as though she didn’t really believe he was standing there. His heart broke, shattering into tiny pieces as she looked up at him in despair.

  He wanted to touch her, to hold her, but he didn’t. He looked down and saw the gunshot wound in Butcher’s chest and the petite hand that was wrapped around his. She’d been with him when he died and Knox knew that Butcher had taken that bullet trying to save her.

  “Ani,” his voice was low and cautious as he reached his hand out for her. “Baby, it’s ok. We’re here. It’s ok.” He went to touch her, but hesitated when her eyes glared toward his hand.

  “You left me. You didn’t want me!” Her eyes were alight with a fury of emotions as she looked at him. “He said you didn’t want me!” His heart ripped further as she screamed at him.

  “Ani, that’s not true. That would never be true,” he said desperately in an attempt to get her to believe him.

  “You need to get her out of here. I’ll call in Carla and have her help me fix the crime scene,” Cash said, looking around the room and shuttering at the chaos that had gone on.

  “Ani, we have to go. Baby, we need to go.” Knox placed his hand down lightly on her arm, feeling relieved when she didn’t fight him. But when he tried to help her up away from Butcher she resisted. Pushing against him in an effort to sit back down by Butcher’s side. It ripped the remaining pieces of his soul apart, watching her struggle to get away from his touch. To get away from his love. He let her fight, kicking and screaming as he pulled her through the living room and into the hallway.

  She clawed at his face, tearing into his skin as she tried to get away until her body gave out. The flood of sadness creeping into his heart as the sobs shook throughout her body. All he could do was hold her, to let her know that no matter what, he’d spend the rest of his days putting the pieces of her heart back together. She stilled as they made their way out toward Knox’s bike. He took off his leather cut and wrapped it around her, trying to cover the blood that covered her body and clothes. She gripped tight to his chest as he mounted his bike. He held her in his lap the entire way to the cabin. Rage and Jameson had fallen off behind him as they turned onto the gravel drive and they now stood on guard outside the house.

  He rushed her up the stairs and toward their bathroom, she gently sobbed as he reached in and turned on the shower. He pulled his leather cut from her but left the rest of her clothes on. He stepped into the shower as the warm water cascaded down around them. He didn’t leave her side, letting her cry into his chest as he held her. The water running from her body was stained red from the blood that washed from her. He could feel her shaking and he wrapped his arms around her tighter, worrying at first that she’d resist until she grabbed for him, pulling him tighter to her.

  “I thought you’d left me,” she whimpered.

  “I would never leave you. I will never leave you. Didn’t know what to think when Doc said you’d been taken. Wasn’t sure if you were alive, dead, hurt. I didn’t know what they were willing to do to get to us. Christ, Ani, you are my soul. I can’t live without my soul. Your life is now my life; when you hurt, I hurt. When you’re happy, I’m happy. You’re hurting right now, baby, and I promise you that it’s tearing me up inside. I’ve never felt like this before.”

  She didn’t look up at him as she spoke, “He hurt me Knox. He did things to me…”

  She didn’t have to finish the sentence, he had an idea of what had happened and it sent a frost over him. He wanted revenge so bad he could taste it. He might have ended Chief’s life, but he’d erase every last one of them from the face of the Earth for hurting her. “Ani, I am so sorry. I am so sorry that I wasn’t there for you. I promise that for the rest of my life, I will do everything I can to make up for it if you’d let me. I will never let anything bad ever happen to you again.”

  “Please don’t ever leave me,” Ani gently shook as the tears continued to fall down her face.

  “I won’t.” He gently reached down and lifted her face to him, “Aiyana, I promise you that I will never leave you.” His heart ached for her as he took in the bruises and cuts on her swollen face. No matter how long it took, he’d make this right again.

  He sat on the floor of the shower with her as she softly cried, purging the fear and hurt from her body. He knew there wasn’t anything else he could do for her at that moment except be there, holding her as she cried. It was going to take time for her to feel comfortable again, around him or anyone. He gently stroked her hair as the steam of the shower engulfed them, silently promising to himself and to her that he’d serve his own justice for what they’d done to her. No matter what it might take.

  ANI

  Ani stood at the edge of the dresser, her body ached in a way she’d never experienced. Every move, every step she took reminded her of what had happened. She knew that even after the physical damage healed, the emotional damage would take a long time to recover from. She closed her eyes and took a deep steadying breath as she slipped into a clean pair of jeans. Knox had held her for what felt like hours on the bottom of the shower and though she knew he meant everything he’d said, she worried it was too little too late. Everything in her body had wanted him to touch her, to hold her, but every
time she’d closed her eyes she’d imagined it was Chief’s hands and not Knox’s. She buttoned her pants and made her way to the edge of the bed as the door opened.

  “Babe, you finished getting dressed?” Knox opened it slightly, giving her enough privacy to not make her feel uncomfortable.

  “Yeah.” She could feel the depression building inside of her. She’d never felt this way before; she didn’t want to be around anyone, didn’t want to speak to anyone.

  “Aye, talked to Cash and he said we need to get you down to the hospital to get checked out. Said he talked to the doctors and they’re aware of the situation.” He looked over at her from the door frame.

  “You told him?” her voice was stressed as she spoke. She didn’t want the entire world knowing what had happened to her. Especially not Cash.

  “No. But he saw the bruises. Wants to make sure you’re ok.” Knox took a few large steps and knelt in front of her, reaching up to grab her hands, but hesitating.

  She wanted to touch him, to feel him, but it was too much and she turned away from him. She could see the desperation and hurt in his eyes and it ate away at her, but she figured it was for the best. Maybe if she pushed him away hard enough he would find a girl who was worth his time. She was tainted now, stained with another human being’s blood on her hands. She’d taken a life and no matter how badly he had hurt her, it was not ok to hurt other people. She fought the battle raging inside of her as she stood from the bed and walked around him toward the door.

  She could hear his heavy footsteps behind her as she made her way out toward Repo’s truck. She didn’t look at anyone while she climbed in and shut the door. She peered over at Knox who stood at the edge of the porch. His face was long as he made his way to his motorcycle to follow him. In the back of her head, she prayed he was strong enough to fight for her, because she knew she was about to ignite a war between them.