Emerald

by Rebekah Thompson

  “Sapphire, thank you for helping Wolf. If you ever need anything, call,” I tell her, digging in my pocket and pulling out a club card. She takes the card from me, and Wolf takes it from her. He grabs a pen off her counter and writes on the back of the card.

  “Call me,” he says and gives her the card back.

  She smiles and puts the card in her pocket. “I will, thanks,” she tells Wolf. As she tucks the card away, she tries to hide the blush that covers her cheeks. It’s not a secret that she likes Wolf.

  “Wolf, we’re heading out, and we need you to be there when we get there,” I tell him, and his face falls. I can tell he wants to stay with her. From what he’s been through, I don’t blame him for being unsure. Stay with the woman who helped him, who he’s bonded with, or come with his brothers, his club?

  After whispering and talking with Sapphire, Wolf looks to me and nods. “Okay, but I need to let Sapphire check my stitches first,” he tells me. I nod, my feet shuffling as I walk to the door. If there’s anything she can do, so he doesn’t hurt himself more, I will not fight it. He’s my brother, in more than just friendship. He’s not blood, but he’s close.

  “I’ll go call a prospect to start on the wall,” I tell them, leaving them to talk. Walking out of the house, I clench my jaw. I’ll kill Snake. I’m going to rip his balls off and kill him slowly for what he did to Emerald.

  “Prez, we heading out?” Drax calls out, grabbing my attention. Nodding, I cross over to my bike and sit on it. I need to make some calls while we wait, so I pull my phone out.

  “We’re giving Wolf a minute, then heading out,” I tell everyone. Several grumble responses. I dial Kayden’s number, and it rings twice before he picks up.

  “Hey, did you find him?” He asks when he answers.

  “Yeah, Wolf is safe. He’s going to continue riding with us, but I need you to send a Prospect to the address his phone pinged and get him to patch up the woman’s wall. Her name is Harley. I punched a hole in it,” I explain, and Kayden yells out to one of the Prospects that’s still at the club. He stays quiet for a minute before I hear him telling the prospect to come to this address and fix the wall.

  I stare up the driveway as I wait. My mind wanders to Emerald and what will happen next. Honestly, I don’t know besides kill Snake. He has to pay for what he’s done.

  After a minute, Kayden gets back on with me. “Okay, Daniel is coming. He should be there tomorrow morning.”

  Humming in return, I take a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll let them know. Thanks, Kayden,” I tell him, hanging up. I put my phone back in my pocket and balance on my bike.

  Sniper makes his way over and looks at me. His eyes narrow, and he tilts his head to the side a bit. “What’s wrong?” He asks, crossing his arms over his chest. He always knows when there’s something wrong. I don’t know if it’s because he has Ruby, and she’s helped him with his observation skills, or if it’s because we grew up together.

  “While I was talking to Wolf, he told me that Snake killed- he killed Emerald,” I force the words out. Sniper’s eyes widen at the new information, and he grabs my shoulder, squeezing it. The support feels good. I know the others must have heard what I said because everyone goes silent.

  “Is he sure?”

  Nodding, I lower my head and blink back tears. Whoever originally said men don’t cry, or men don’t need to cry, is dead wrong. I’d rather cry than bottle this up, and if that makes me sound like a girl, then to hell with what they think.

  “He couldn’t find a pulse,” I answer, not being able to say anything else.

  Sniper curses and looks at me. “I’m sorry, man, but we’ll get him. If they dumped Wolf here, that means Snake is at the north compound, so we only have a day ride until we can get to Snake,” he tells me. I nod and look at the ground. It doesn’t make any of this easier. Nothing will make this easier. Now that she’s gone, everything’s been turned upside down.

  Sniper goes back over to his bike, and we sit, waiting for Wolf to come out. My mind roams to the many ways I can torture Snake when I get my hands on him. Torch him. Cut him up. Break all his bones. Skin him alive. Beat him within an inch of his life, let him heal and repeat the beatings.

  My beautiful Emerald didn’t deserve to die because of me… because of anything or anyone. This is the last thing I wanted. I never wanted her to get hurt and now she’s dead because of me.

  “Hawk, you ready to go?” Wolf’s voice asks, bringing me out of my thoughts. I nod and he climbs on Drax’s bike. For now, they can double ride.

  Revving my engine, I yell, “Let’s ride!” and speed off. My brothers all follow me, continuing our previous path.

  I will avenge Emerald.

  Chapter 19

  With a gasp, air enters my lungs. I sit up, sending pain through my entire body and making me groan. My mind whirls as I try to turn my head, but my head won’t move.

  “Look who’s awake,” his voice muses from somewhere to my left. I search the room, my eyes falling on Viper. It takes a second for my mind to clear and it’s then that I remember he’s not Viper. He watches me as I struggle to move, my limbs not responding to my inner commands.

  “Wh-what did you do to me?” I ask, attempting to move my legs. Nothing. I try to move my arms, but they barely twitch. I wiggle my fingers, and they move. A minor victory.

  “Oh, that,” Snake chuckles. “I put some puffer fish poison in your system to slow your heart and gives the appearance of death.” His smirk only grows when I struggle more. If I could move, I’d kick his tail. My movements don’t bother Snake because he sits next to me on the bed, running his hand up my leg.

  “Your friend, the VP, was upset to see you dead. I’m sure when he sees your lover he’ll pass on my message,” Snake waves his hand in the air then drops it to my ankle and grabs it in a bruising hold.

  If Snake let Wolf go, and Wolf thinks I’m dead, he’ll tell Dominic as soon as he can. My heart aches for Wolf. I don’t even want to think about how he must have felt seeing me supposedly dead.

  I jerk away as best as I can, but I only move an inch. “I’ll kill you, you rat,” I spit. If only I could move, dang it.

  Snake grins, wiping my spit from his cheek. “I’m sure Hawks gonna come for me…” he pauses, “If your VP doesn’t bleed out first.” My breath catches in my chest as my eyes blur. Bleed out? Wolf is somewhere, alone and hurt, with no way to get home and no reason to come back to get me, since he thinks I’m dead.

  “Now you’re all mine,” he says, standing up. I feel relieved when his hand isn’t on my leg anymore, but my heart sinks. I’m alone, more scared than I’ve ever been, and worried.

  Snake ignores my glare as he continues. “I left several outfits in the closet for you. I have some excellent news for you. Change and come to my room for dinner,” he orders me, exiting the room with a thud of the door.

  Nothing he said would, or could, be ‘excellent news.’ I wouldn’t listen to him, even if whatever he told me would save my life. I don’t trust him, and I never will. Anything and everything that spews from his mouth is poisonous, like whatever it was he used on me.

  Sniffling, I reach up and wipe away. Surprise fills me as I lift my left arm, then my right arm. I wiggle my fingers, toes, nose. I kick my legs, lift them, and stretch. Thank god I can move.

  I study the room for an escape. There isn’t a window but there are three doors, one door is the door that Snake left out of. Slowly, I get to my feet, stretching my aching muscles. Pain sparks through my body, scraping along my nerves like fingernails over a chalkboard.

  The two doors, as I open them, turn out to be a bathroom and a closet. Snake said to get dressed and come to him. For a second, I wonder what would happen if I didn’t leave the room. Then my commonsense pipes up. He’ll torture you, hurt you, kill you.

  Sighing, I walk over to the closet and pull it open. Automatically, my eyes fall on the meager pieces of clothing. None of them cover enough to be more than a bra and panti
es, except for one.

  I pull out the half-dress and examine it. It’s the only thing in the closet that would cover anything on my body. The ‘dress’ consists of black leather and has a tiny skirt and a bra-like top. The top and the bottom of the ‘dress’ connect by leather straps on the ribs and a strap down the stomach. It looks like something a stripper would wear, but it’s all I have.

  Reluctantly, I squeeze into the dress- and I mean squeeze. It’s tighter than a bikini on an elephant. The leather clings to my skin and pushes my boobs up. The skirt barely covers the bottom of my butt, and when I try to pull it down to cover, it reveals the top of my butt. I groan. This won’t work, and Snake knew it.

  With a huff, I straighten out the skirt and grab the most comfortable looking, shortest stilettos out of my options. Again, as I slip on the shoes, I think of a stripper. I push through the clothes in the closet, searching for some kind of covering, but again, I find nothing.

  With one last look in the mirror, and a string of cuss words floating through my mind, I exit the room. I almost run into Snake in the hallway, grimacing when his eyes roll over my body. I shiver.

  “Mmmmm,” he growls, leaning in. I pull away, stepping back, and his top lip pulls back in a snarl. He reaches out and grabs my arm, dragging me along after him. I stumble because of the heels and the pain travelling up my legs and through my body. As he drags me through the building, we pass men drinking, fighting, and hooking up with scantily clad women.

  Someone whistles and others hoot as we pass, making Snake snap back and snarl in their direction. “She’s mine!” He grabs at my body to prove his point, but I push him away.

  “I’m Hawk’s!” I yell, “Not yours!” I yell, pushing him away and making a run for it. Snake doesn’t have leverage anymore. He got rid of the only thing keeping me from fighting him- Wolf.

  I trip, cursing the heels I’m wearing with a groan.

  A swift kick lands in my side, making me roll, cough, and groan.

  “I was going to wait until after dinner, but we can do this now,” Snake says. “You don’t deserve dinner.” I roll onto my back just as Snake grasps my neck, yanking me to my feet. I yelp in protest, but no words come out. I kick and claw at his arm, but it does nothing. He doesn’t even flinch.

  Snake, pulling me close, buries his nose in my hair and sniffs. What a creep. I push away only for him to tighten his grip and bring his mouth to my ear. “We are getting married tomorrow,” he whispers, making my eyes widen. I try to push away from him, but his free arm wraps around my waist, anchoring me to him. “You will become my wife, and you will serve me, and me only.”

  “Never!” I scream, thrashing, kicking, hitting. I do everything I can to get free, then one well-placed elbow jab frees me. I fall to the floor, gasping for air, but before I can stand, Snake’s fists rain down. He hits me everywhere. Chest. Stomach. Legs. Chest. Stomach. Legs. I cry out in pain as he pummels me.

  I can only imagine this is what it would feel like to have rocks thrown at you. I kick out, hitting his knee, but he keeps going.

  “Stop!” I scream, trying to crawl away. He lets up at my pleas and straddles my legs.

  “Say you will willingly marry me,” he orders. Shaking my head, I let the tears fall. I would never. Dominic, where are you? Snake repeats himself twice and when he realizes I won’t give in, he glares.

  With a growl, Snake stands up and pulls me by my arm, making me whimper in pain. He tightens his grip on my arm so tight that I know there will be a handprint bruise there soon. “You will have no dinner and you’ll marry me tomorrow night whether you want it or not,” he hisses, throwing me back into the cell-like room I was in with Wolf.

  My body hits the ground with a thud, making me cry out in pain. With one last kick that sends me skidding across the concrete floor, the ground scraping my skin, pulling it off. My blood mixes with the blood already on the floor as I crawl into the farthest corner away from Snake.

  “Enjoy your last night by yourself, my pet,” Snake laughs and leaves the room. I hear the click of the lock then silence descends, leaving me in pain and alone.

  My body shakes as I try to hold in the sobs, the pain, and the resentment threatening to spill over. What did I do to deserve this? Why is this happening to me? I close my eyes and pull my legs to my chest, curling into a ball as my sobs break through. I’m trapped in this room, cold, hurt, and alone. The people I love think I’m dead.

  No one is coming.

  At the thought of never being rescued, my mind drifts to nothing. I need to get out of here, but if Snake forces me to marry tomorrow, he’ll never leave my side. I’ll be trapped here forever. I’ll never get back to my kids. I won’t see them grow up. I won’t see them again.

  Snake will have control of me if I can’t get out.

  If I don’t get out of here, I’ll die here, probably sooner than later. I know he’ll kill me when he gets tired of me. He will marry me, use me, and kill me. I shudder at the thought of being married to him. The only person I want to marry is Dominic.

  I wipe away the tears, thinking about a life with Dominic. It would be full of love, maybe more kids, and family. I could picture little versions of Dominic running around with their black hair, big brown eyes, and friendly smiles. They’d play with Reece and Rosaleigh, and Reece would be fiercely protective, like he is with Rosaleigh, and Rosaleigh would play with them all day.

  As I imagine our life, my eyelids grow heavy from the weary day. Wiping at my tears, I lay my head on my knees and dream of the life I’ll never be able to have with Dominic because of Snake.

  “Em! Emerald, did you make the cake?” Dominic calls, making me look up from my project. He shuffles into the kitchen, carrying colorful bags and boxes. He sets them on the table, comes over, and presses a soft kiss to my lips.

  “I’m just finishing now,” I murmur. “Where are the kids?” I ask, looking for any trace of the little people that fill our house.

  Dominic laughs and jerks his thumb at the other room. “They’re playing with Wolf and Zeke in the playroom,” he informs me, stepping toward the cake. Before I can do anything, he scoops his finger through the icing, and I watch in horror as he pops it into his mouth.

  Reaching forward, I smack his arm.

  “Ow. What?” He asks innocently, his eyes growing big and a smirk playing at his lips. I roll my eyes. He really is adorable sometimes, and he knows it too. If I didn’t know better, those puppy eyes would let him get away with anything.

  While he’s distracted, I scoop up some icing and then smear it across his nose. He gasps, pulls back, and then narrows his eyes, “Oh, you’re asking for it now, love.” He dips his hand into my icing bowl with a smirk.

  Squealing, I dash out of the room. I hear him running after me, so I run around the couch. “I’m going to get you for that!” Dominic says as he wipes the icing off his nose and licks his fingers. I stand at the front end of the couch, and he stands behind it.

  When he lurches to the left, I jump right, making it to where we’re standing opposite of each other. He smirks and lurches right, making me lurch left, but before I can run, he cuts me off. He faked it!

  Dominic’s arms wrap around me, pulling my back to his chest as he lifts his hand to smear icing on my cheeks. “Ha! Got you!” He yells triumphantly.

  I giggle at his playful banter and turn to look up at him. He spins me around fully and stares down at me, tucking some fallen hair behind my ear. “Beautiful,” he whispers, brushing his fingers across my icing covered cheeks and down my neck.

  “I can’t wait to live our lives together,” he whispers, leaning closer. His nose brushes mine, our foreheads touching. My breath leaves me.

  “Me too,” I murmur, lifting to my toes to kiss him. Dominic’s hand slowly slides into my hair as his other hand grips my waist. My eyes flutter closed. He holds on as if I’ll disappear and I admit, I love it. Having someone who loves you so much that you can physically feel it is amazing.

  Pul
ling back, I gasp and smile.

  Dominic smiles, brushes his nose to mine, and whispers, “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Dominic. I always will,” I mumble against his lips, pulling him in again. I grip the back of his neck and deepen the kiss, needing him more than I need air… more than I need anything.

  With a gasp, I look around. The room is no longer a cozy living room with kid’s party decorations. There’s no laughter. No cake. No icing.

  No Dominic.

  I eye the dismal room, yearning for the life I had. Longing for the life from the dream. It was just a dream. My eyes water at the reminder of the situation I’m in. No life. No freedom.

  Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I stretch. Pain flies through my body, skating up and down my nerves. I push it away, hoping there might be something, anything I can do to get out of here.

  The room is dimly lit, except for the sunlight streaming through the window at the top of the wall. If I had to guess, I’m in a basement or lower level of the building. Walking over, I reach up to the window, my fingers brushing the wall below the sill.

  Too high.

  I glance around the room, spotting the chair from earlier, so I grab it and drag it over. Before I climb on, I make sure it doesn’t move because one thing I don’t need right now is another injury from falling off a chair.

  As I climb on, my mind flits back to when Dominic caught me as I fell off the chair at Wolf’s bar. I shake the thought out of my head. My thoughts need to be clear if I want to focus. Focus. Focus. Focus.

  Carefully, I lean into the wall, grabbing the windowsill. This would be so much easier if I didn’t have a fractured wrist. I try to pull myself up on my uninjured wrist as much as I can, and when I get to the window, I see the bars.

  “No,” I cry, grabbing onto the bars and pushing them. They don’t budge.

  A grinding, clicking sound alerts me to Snakes arrival. I drop from the window, ignoring the pain shooting up my legs and kick the chair away before dropping to the dirty mattress.