by Rebel Hart
I chuckled. “Cute.”
He released my hair. “Yeah, I thought so.”
He took a few steps away from me before I licked my lips.
“Tell me where Rupert is.”
He shrugged. “And if I don’t?”
“You die.”
He barked with laughter. “By what hand? Yours? The ones that are bound to that chair?”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of. Don’t think that because you’re smarter, you’re also stronger. Because you're not.”
“And yet, here we are.”
“Trust me, I’m positive you didn’t put me here.”
He snarled. “That so?”
I smiled. “That’s so, yes. Now, tell me. Where the fuck is Rupert?”
“Probably still face down in the gravel outside the pub. I mean, he put up a pretty good fight. Fruitless, though. A good one nonetheless. But, you know, energy expended for nothing, and all that.”
I tugged at my restraints. “If you’ve hurt him, I swear to God--”
“Oh, we definitely hurt him. That was the goal. But don’t worry. What we’re going to do to you will make his injuries look like child’s play.”
I strained at the bonds again. “What the fuck is this all about, anyway? Huh? Because I know you. And even I know this isn’t all stemming from the fact that I wouldn't let you become a Red Thorn. You’re more even-tempered than that.”
He sighed. “You really are an idiot, aren’t you?”
I watched as Benji began pacing. He kept sighing. Talking to himself. Almost as if he had gone crazy. I watched him while he moved. My eyes were finally focusing so I could see more of my surroundings. And it confirmed a lot of what I thought. I was in one of the middle rooms. One of my father’s sterile rooms. They had no windows. Only one door to get in and out. And everything was covered in plastic wrap. Everything. The red I saw on the wall was actually tape. The ends of the plastic wrap that covered every square inch of the room was bonded together with that red fucking tape my father used.
Oh, this isn’t good.
“You know, I’ve always wondered something.”
Benji’s voice caught my attention as I tried to work my wrists out of the bonds.
“And what is that, smartypants?”
He snickered. “Cute. I’ve always wondered why you picked Dani.”
I froze. “Don’t you dare say her name.”
He shrugged. “I mean, she’s got no curves. So it can’t be her body.”
“Don’t you talk about her!”
“She’s not brave, so it’s not her strength.”
“You don’t know a fucking thing about her.”
“She’s thrown her life away for you, so it can’t be her future. Or any money she might have. Which leaves me with only one option.”
I felt my heart rate skyrocketing as I felt the bonds finally loosening around my wrists.
“And what would that be?” I asked.
He grinned. “I guess college virgins really are worth the ride.”
I growled. “That’s it!”
From the shadows behind Benji emerged two men. Just as I got one of my hands out of the bonds, they rushed me, forcing my arms back behind the chair. I fought against them, feeling the bolts adhering the chair to the floor slowly giving way. I roared and screamed. I called out for Benji. For my father. I promised death to them all as the two men tied my wrists tighter this time. Almost to a point where I couldn't feel my damn hands.
“Benji, goddamn it! What the fuck are you doing!?”
And as the men dressed in black cracked their knuckles, my cousin smiled. Making my gut seize in something I hadn’t felt since I was a child.
Fear.
“Business, Max. That’s what this is about. It’s always just been business.”
33
Dani
I squealed into the driveway of Max’s home. The lights were off. It didn’t look like anyone was there. Which didn’t bode well for what was coming. I leapt out of my car, grabbing my keys and my phone. I locked everything up and rushed for the front door, banging on it with all of my might.
“Hello!? John, Max! Are you in there!?”
I kept banging and banging, but my efforts were fruitless. The door was locked. The side door was locked. And no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find a spare key.
“Fuck!” I exclaimed.
My phone started vibrating and I almost threw it across the lawn. Especially when I saw Hannah’s name pop up. I didn’t need her shit right now. What I needed was to find Max. I needed to get to him. He needed my help.
Something was very wrong, and the Red Thorns needed my help.
I ignored her phone call and headed back for my car. She called me again and I ignored it again, shooting her to voicemail. But I didn’t even get the car cranked up before she called through yet again. I growled to myself. I got the engine running and picked up the phone call through my car’s Bluetooth hook-up. I didn’t need this. Talking to her was the absolute last thing I wanted to do.
But, if she was going to call me incessantly, I needed to get her to stop.
“Dani?” she breathed.
“What?”
She paused. “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it? Make it quick.”
My mind was already back to Max. Where was he? Where had he been taken? What the hell was going on? More than an hour had passed since he was due to pick me up on campus. Something was definitely up in all the wrong ways. But all I could do was wait for someone to show up at the house. So, I hunkered down into my seat.
“Spit it out, Hannah. I don’t have all night.”
She spoke quickly. “I’m sorry but I called your father!”
I blinked. “You did what?”
She sighed. “I called your father, Dani. I was worried. I’m scared for you. I still am. And I know this might make you hate me but I had to do it because you’re my best friend. There’s only one way this thing with Max is going to end and--”
“Your gut reaction was to call my fucking father about it!? Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m your best friend, even if you don’t want to accept that right now. You're in trouble, and I know your father can help you.”
“Yeah, help me get away from Max, just like you want. Why the fuck can’t you just accept things? Why the hell do I always have to be like you? Why can’t you just shut your fucking face!?”
She sniffled. “I’m sorry. It’s the only thing I could think of.”
I stumbled over my words. “What? When? Why--how--how the hell do you even have his number?”
“He gave it to me at the beginning of our freshman year. Said that if you ever struggled or needed anything and you wouldn’t reach out, to call him. He said college was hard, and that you might--”
I leaned up. “I might what?”
She paused. “That you might not be truthful with them once you got out into the real world.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What did you do? Tell me exactly what you told him.”
“I told him about Max. I told him who he was. What he is. And I told him you were in over your head and I didn’t know how to help you.”
My head spun. I wanted to kill her. For the first time in my life, I understood why people killed other people. My hands gripped the steering wheel. I felt my anger spiraling out of control. How the hell did I get this girl out of my life? How the fuck did I cut her out for good?”
“You listen here, you meddling little bitch--”
“No, for once, you listen to me. I don’t want you to hate me over this. That’s the last thing I want. But what I want is my friend back. What I want is the real Dani back.”
“I am the real Dani!”
“No, you’re not! I think you feel that way, but I know this isn’t you. I know you.”
I growled. “You don’t know shit about me.”
“I know you feel like you’re floundering right
now. That you’re being pulled in all sorts of directions. But, I promise you, if this is what it takes to keep you safe, then I’m willing to destroy our friendship over it.”
I couldn’t even catch my breath to respond.
“He’s not a good guy, Dani. You don’t know him like you think you do. You just like the idea of him. Of the danger and the leather and the--”
A loud beep resounded in my car, cutting off Hannah’s train of thought. Which was the only thing that saved her from my urge to go back to campus and take a swing at her with a wine bottle in my hand. I didn’t recognize the number, and I switched over immediately. I didn’t even give my bullshit friend the courtesy of telling her I had another call coming in.
Not like she deserves it.
“Who is this?” I asked.
The man groaned. “Dani. Thank fuck.”
Goosebumps prickled my arms. “Rupert. Thank God. Where are you? Are you with Max?”
He groaned. “No.”
Something was wrong with his voice. He sounded tired. Or hurt.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He moaned. “No. The same fuckers who jumped Max at your school came back for him tonight. I tried to stop them, Dani. I did. But they caught us with our guard down.”
“Where is he?”
“They took him.”
I blinked. “Took him? Took him where. Was he hurt?”
He grunted. “They uh--they, they they--”
“Take a breath, Rupert. You need to talk to me. We need to find him.”
He sighed. “They knocked him out cold. Piled him into a dark SUV. I don’t know where they went. I’m on my way to John right now. He should be at the house. Max wants me to rally the boys. I need you to call me if you hear from him, okay?”
“Rupert, I’m at the house. No one’s here.”
He paused. “You’re where?”
“Look, it’s a lot to explain. Max was supposed to come--”
“I know, I know. He was on his way to get you. You’re at the house? You need to get somewhere else. Anywhere else. Somewhere no one would think to find you. Okay?”
“John isn’t here! That’s what I’m trying to tell you. No one’s at the house.”
“Fuck,” he hissed.
I threw my car in reverse. “I’m going to help you look for Max. Where are some places he might--”
“No, Dani. You do as I’m telling you and you leave this shit to us. This is what we do. We’ll find Max. We’ll handle this. But, the last thing we need is you getting involved and making things worse.”
His words stung, but I moved past it. “He needs me.”
“Damn it, Bambi. What Max needs right now is for you to keep yourself safe. I know how much he cares about you. And no matter where he is right now, I know he’s worried about you. Don’t give him something to worry about once we get him out of this predicament.”
I heard him groaning still as I backed into the road.
“I’m telling you, Bambi. I’ll find him. We’ll get him out. And I’ll let you know as soon as it’s done. Stay put. Keep whatever door you have locked. Text this number and tell me where you are once you get there. Save it in your phone, too. This is my number. And if you hear from Max, at all, you call me immediately. Got it? Good.”
Then, he hung up the phone.
“Dani! Damn it, if you don’t pick up this phone back right now--”
I groaned. “Will you shut up, Hannah?”
She paused. “Finally. You’re back. Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were switching over?”
“Because you're not important right now.”
“Wow. Ouch. But, okay. What’s going on?”
“Like I’d tell you. I gotta go.”
“Dani! Don’t hang up. We have to talk. Dan--!”
I cut the call and picked up my phone. I put a temporary block on Hannah’s number so I wouldn’t be bombarded with her stupid calls or text messages. I’d have to deal with my father later. Because some things were simply more important. I sat in the middle of the darkened road, gripping my steering wheel tightly. I looked into the darkness and felt it staring back at me. Taunting me, as Rupert’s words rushed around in my head.
The last thing we need is you getting involved and making things worse.
I stepped on the gas pedal and took off. I didn’t know how I was going to find Max, but I sure as hell wasn’t sitting around and doing nothing. I wasn't a damsel in distress. I didn’t need saving. I didn’t need protecting. What I needed was for Max to be alive, to come back safely. I wasn’t going to sit around in a driveway or in a dorm room or in a hotel somewhere waiting for my damn phone to ring.
“I’m not the weak girl I used to be,” I murmured.
I raced into the darkness. I felt it swallowing me whole as I peeled around the corner. My tattoo called to me. To my soul. To my heart, as it throbbed against my thigh. I was a Red Thorn. Or, close to it. I felt it run through my veins and fill my gut. And if there was one thing I’d learned about the Red Thorns, it was the fact that they fought for what was theirs.
And I sure as hell was going to fight for Max.
34
Max
“Max!”
“Dani?”
“Max! Over here!”
I turned around and saw her waving in the distance. A thin figure on the horizon, flagging me down with all her might. I smiled as her voice graced my ear. I whipped my leg over my bike and made the engine roar. I heard her giggling. Even from so far away. And as I grew closer, I saw her hand reaching out for me.
“Get on here, gorgeous.”
She laughed. “Take me away, big boy.”
She clung to me, and the wind whipped around us. We passed through beautiful wooded areas and tore through a field of wildflowers. Rivers rushed. Fish jumped out of ponds as I wrapped us around the incredible expanse of land in front of us. Her cheek pressed against my back and her hands gripped my shirt. Her legs pressed hard against mine as I picked up the pace.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
She giggled. “You’ll see.”
I felt her leading me. I felt every turn I had to take just before I took it. The earth spoke to me, guiding me all the way up to a cabin in the woods. There was a lake off in the distance. A beautiful mountain scene right off the front porch. I parked my bike and we slid off, her hand gripping mine as tightly as she could.
“Come on. You’re falling behind!”
Then her hand slipped out of my grasp.
“Fuck,” I choked out.
Benji’s laughter filled my ear instead of hers. And I wanted to gouge his eyes out.
“Hit him again.”
A sharp pain worked its way up my abs as my head fell back.
“One more time, just to make sure we drive the point home.”
I coughed up blood as a boot connected with my stomach. My head fell forward, my body practically dangling from the chair. I looked down at the floor and it wasn’t the lush wildflowers I had been lost in with Dani. It was the cold, hard, concrete floor of my father’s warehouse.
With Benji hovering over me like a tyrant.
“You really are something, you know that?”
I spat blood on his boots before he wrenched my head back.
“You really are a son of a bitch. Just like your father.”
I growled. “You’ll never be who you think you are. From the moment we’re born, we have a place in life. And you refuse to accept yours.”
He grinned. “Trust me, I learned from the best.”
Benji stood back as my head fell off to the side.
“Why don’t we try a little more foreplay this time?”
The man dressed in black crammed his steel toe boot into my groin and my eyes rolled back. The pain was unbearable. I could barely see out of my eyes. Blood dripped from places it never should. I couldn’t feel my hands. The skin from around my ankles had been ripped away because of how hard I’d struggled against those
bonds. And the more maniacal Benji became, the more I feared for my brother. For my boys.
For Dani.
I mean, if my cousin and my own fucking father were willing to come after me like this, what would they do to everyone else? It made me sick to think about. It made my head spin with anger. I gritted my teeth as another punch landed against my jawline. Hoping and praying the man didn’t break my fucking jaw in the process. And as my head jerked to the side, I watched blood and spit fly from the tip of my tongue.
“Stop,” Benji declared.
“Come on, Max. You’re such a slowpoke!”
I chuckled. “I’m going to get you, gorgeous.”
She squealed. “No! No tickling! That’s not fair!”
“It’s completely fair when you’re taunting me with your body like this.”
We fell to the bed as my hands danced over her body. Over her skin. Along the perfection that was her. I saw her tattoo aching to be kissed. I gripped her waist and let my lips fall against the beautiful colors. My Dani. My beautiful, strong, intelligent Dani. Delicate to the touch, but tough to her core.
“My Bambi,” I murmured.
“I wonder how Dani will take her punishment.”
Benji’s voice ripped me from my happy place and my blood ran cold.
“What the fuck did you say?” I asked.
He chuckled. “You know, she’s tougher than she was just a month ago. I’ll give her that. But she’s still just a weak, scared, confused little deer.”
“You won’t lay a finger on her. Do you hear me!?”
My head jolted to the side as one of the guys backhanded me across my cheek.
“How easy do you think it will be to make her crack, Max? I mean, really? Because I’m thinking neither of my guys will get a hit in before she starts singing louder than she does in bed with you.”
I lunged at him, straining against my bonds. I felt my wrists cracking open and my ankles bleeding. My ass almost got out of the chair as I growled at him. Benji grinned at me.
“Wow, what a show. You’re really good at it. But I think we’ll just have to look at her funny and she’ll break. Like a piece of glass. And then the real fun will begin.”
