“Then don’t spy on me.” She turns and storms past the guy dressed as a vampire who just stands there.
I run up behind her. “That tracker saved your life,” I spit out.
She stops abruptly and turns back to face me. Lifting her finger, she goes to cuss me out, but then pauses. Her face twists with mixed emotion, and then she lets out a huff. After a long second, she sighs. “I was fine.”
My eyes bug out at her words. The woman is so hardheaded. “You were not fine.”
“Cole …”
“You had a concussion.” Which we found out when I made her go to the hospital the following day.
“Football players get concussions all the time,” she argues, rolling her dark green eyes. She turns her face away from me, and the blue light hits the diamond stud in her nose.
“They don’t get kidnapped. That guy was going to rape you, Austin,” I snap.
“I had a plan,” she argues. “I had a knife in my nightstand. I just needed to get to it.”
“And if you hadn’t, then what?”
Her body stiffens.
I hate to bring this up. To make her think what if the sharks and I had not arrived at her father’s house when we did. If we had been two more minutes ... Things would have gone very differently that night. And it terrifies me.
She looks down at her tennis shoes and shuffles on her feet. I raise my hand to cup her cheek. Her beautiful green eyes come back to mine. “Yes, I had a tracker installed on your Range Rover, but I don’t regret that decision. I’ve almost lost you twice. Both times were my fault.” My other hand comes up to cup her other cheek as well, gently cradling her gorgeous face. Her plump lips are parted as she sucks in a deep breath. “I can’t imagine my life without you, sweetheart. And if you want, I’ll have one put on my car so you always know where I’m at.”
She releases a long breath. “You know I trust you, Cole. But this has nothing to do with that.”
“Then what does it have to do with?”
“I just … I wish you would have told me,” she answers.
I nod. “I apologize for keeping it from you.”
She pulls away from me to look around the tunnel and glances back at the vampire who still watches us like we’re the main attraction. “This tunnel sucks.” She sticks her bottom lip out, pouting. “I haven’t even gotten to use my glow stick.” She pulls it from the side pocket of her yoga pants.
I chuckle. “What if I make it better?”
She eyes me skeptically. “And how are you going to do that?”
“Come on.” I pull her back down the way we just came.
“Cole, the exit is the other way.”
“I know.”
She stays silent as we make our way back by Count Dracula. I nod to the man, and he waves like an idiot. She sighs heavily at his lack of commitment to his job requirements.
“Cole …?”
“We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?”
I don’t answer. We come back to where the guys stood on both sides of the tunnel dressed in cloaks. They’re now gone. Not much action here on a Monday night, especially since it’s not Halloween. That’s what happens when you’re open year-round.
I take a right and pull her into a room. A black trash bag lies in the corner. Duct tape wrapped around it in multiple places showcases the dimensions of a body inside.
“Was wondering when you were going to get here,” Deke says, turning to face us. He steps to the side, and we see the man chained to the far wall.
“What the hell?” Austin asks, noticing him.
I look at the guy who touched my wife. When we saw her Facebook post, we headed straight here. Shane has been fucking Brynn for a few months now, and they have this addiction to having sex in public places. One being here at her work. I’m not really on speaking terms with Shane right now, but Deke insisted we call him to help us out. Thankfully the fucker was useful and knew exactly where and how we could sneak into the tunnel. I knew Austin would be here since I didn’t bring her last time. The moment we entered the tunnel, and I heard him call her baby, I wanted to knock his head off. Then I heard her tell him to leave her alone—quit touching her—and that was it. He had sealed his fate in the worst way.
“Is this … part of the tour?” he asks, his brown eyes opening and closing as he tries to focus on something. His back is up against the wall. A chain wrapped around his wrists secures them together above his head and held in place with a hook on the ceiling.
Deke laughs and reaches into the guy’s front pocket, removing a flask. He unscrews it and tips it upside down. “It’s empty,” he announces when nothing comes out.
I step to the side and look over at my wife. “You’re up, sweetheart.”
She stands before us, just staring at him. I lean up against the opposite wall, and Deke crosses his arms over his chest. We both wait for her to make her move and decide his fate.
His glassy eyes look her up and down, and a drunken smile spreads across his face. He licks his lips. “Yeah, baby. What are you going to do with me?”
She tilts her head to the side.
His smile widens. He looks from her to me and then back at her. He thinks I’m gonna let her fuck him right here in front of me. I’m gonna fuck him up all right, but not in a way he’s gonna benefit.
“This should be the other way around, baby. You should be the one tied up …”
She steps up to him and lifts her knee, kneeing him right in the balls.
He doubles over the best he can with his hands chained above his head. His face turns red, and he sucks in a long breath.
Deke slaps his thigh, laughing. “I once watched her Taze a man in the nuts. I laughed for days.” He chuckles.
“What the fuck …?” the guy cries through fits of coughing. “Bitch …”
She punches him in the face, knocking his head back, and shouts, “That’s for touching me.”
Pushing off the wall, I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her shoulders. Her body shakes with anger against mine. My wife is tough, but she’s been through a lot for only being nineteen. Abuse—physical and mental. I hate that I once contributed to that, so now anytime I can give her a chance to dish it back, I do.
“You okay?” I spin her around. She cradles her hand to her chest. I pull it away and look down at it. She cut the skin open, and it’s bleeding.
“Fine.” She yanks it from my hold and backs away from me.
“What the fuck, man?” the guy cries. “Your bitch …”
I punch him right in his ribs. He throws his head back, hitting the concrete wall and bares his teeth. I hit him in the face this time, knocking his head to the side. Blood flies from his busted lip. Then I punch him in the stomach. His hands fist above his head as he fights the chain.
“Stop. Stop.” He spits out blood. “I’m sorry …”
Deke goes over to the corner of the room and rips off a piece of duct tape from the trash bag and slaps it over the guy’s mouth. Blood drips from his nose, along with a busted chin.
He begins to scream behind it as he fights his restraints.
I slap his face softly. “Have fun being an attraction tonight,” I say, throwing my arm over my wife, and she smiles up at me with pride.