When he tossed me into a trunk and slammed it shut, I blinked at the sudden darkness. This was happening. I’d been kidnapped. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. Oliver. My sweet Oliver. That man had said I wouldn’t see him again. What did he plan to do to me? What the hell was Ashes mixed up in? Tears burned my eyes but I refused to cry. I’d been a helpless woman before and watched Bane die. I wouldn’t be a lamb led to the slaughter again.
I twisted my hands, trying to loosen the tape binding me. I could feel my wrists getting slick as it cut into me, making me bleed. Despite the pain, I kept working toward freedom and when I finally pulled a hand from the tape, I knew that I at least had a chance. The dick who kidnapped me had taken me by surprise before, but not this time. I tried not to scream against the pain of the tape ripping off the skin on my lips, but I was finally able to gulp down huge lungfuls of air, and get the disgusting rag from my mouth. My rising panic made it feel like I still couldn’t breathe, even though he hadn’t covered my nose.
I dozed off a few times, then would jolt awake. My bladder felt like it was seconds away from bursting I needed to pee so bad. Something told me the man driving the car wouldn’t stop and give me a potty break. Asshole didn’t care if he hit every pothole between the grocery store and wherever we were going. He’d not care if I pissed myself, but I was trying really hard not to do that.
It felt like hours had passed, and I had no idea what time it was. How far were we going? I didn’t even know if we were still in Florida, or if we’d left the state. Being in the panhandle, it wouldn’t take long to reach either Georgia or Alabama. Is that where Ashes had gone? He’d said Reckless Kings, but I didn’t know anything about them. The not knowing was the worst part, and worrying about Oliver. By now, someone would have realized I was missing. Were they looking for me? Had they found my abandoned groceries and purse? Or had someone stolen all my shit instead of calling the police like a good citizen?
Every bump of the car jostled me, and I banged my head more than once. The sharp turns made me think the ass was doing it on purpose, knowing that I was rolling around like a damn bowling ball. My stomach lurched and I fought not to throw up. With my luck, it would end up in my hair and smeared all over my face. The car came to a halt, tires screeching as the car slid. After a moment, I heard the door open and felt the vibration as it slammed shut. There were voices, deep and probably male, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying, which meant they probably weren’t near the trunk. Were they just going to leave me in here to suffocate? My escape plan hinged on them opening the damn trunk.
The voices grew louder, and then I heard footsteps that sounded like they were right next to the back end of the car.
“You sure this is the bitch?” someone asked.
“Had his name on her back. Unless he’s got a side piece, but I don’t think they mark but one woman no matter how many holes they put their dick into. You know how those bikers are. Multiple whores a night.”
My hands clenched into fists and my teeth ground together. Ashes wasn’t like that! He was home every night with me and Oliver, when Cinder didn’t have him out on runs overnight. And I knew I could trust him. There was no way he was cheating on me. He loved me!
“Get the bitch out here. He’ll crack when he sees what we have planned for her. Not that it will matter,” the mystery man said.
Someone laughed.
“She’ll be a nice addition to the stable. Bet you have special clients just for her,” said the man who snatched me out of the parking lot.
Shit. They were going to make me a whore? No. Fucking. Way. Nope. I wasn’t the same woman who watched Bane die. I had Oliver to live for, and Ashes. If I was going down, I’d go down fighting this time. No more little pathetic Nikki who gets beat up and tied down.
Okay, so I’d ended up bound, gagged, and thrown into a trunk. Not the best way to start the road to the new badass Nikki. Baby steps.
I heard the lock on the trunk disengage and the lid lifted. Two men glared inside at me, and the one who’d snatched me hauled me out of the trunk.
“You didn’t even gag the little whore?” the other man asked.
“I did. She somehow got it loose, but it doesn’t matter. She can scream all she wants around here and no one will come looking for her.”
“Time to go see your man,” said the other guy.
I went with them, wanting them to take me to Ashes. I needed to know that he was all right. We seemed to be in some sort of warehouse district. I still couldn’t figure out where. This didn’t look like any part of Florida I’d seen before, and it didn’t smell the same either. Maybe that seemed weird, but to me, home had a certain scent. And this wasn’t it.
They shoved me through the doors, and my jaw nearly dropped. Ashes, two other Devil’s Boneyard members, and a handful of other bikers were stripped to their underwear and tied to chairs. The two idiots shoving me around didn’t seem tough enough to have taken down all these hard-ass men, so I didn’t think they were running things. No, someone else was helping. I wasn’t sure if I should make a move before I knew more or not. What if I did manage to set Ashes free, and somehow disable these two men? What then? We could either free everyone and get out of here, or there could be others waiting.
“Nikki.” Ashes’ voice sounded rusty, or maybe it was more like… I swallowed hard as I catalogued his injuries. They’d made him scream in pain. “You should be at home, where it’s safe.”
One of the assholes behind me laughed. “Safe. That’s a good one. Snatched her right out of the parking lot of the grocery. Easy as fucking pie.”
“Oliver is with Meg,” I said, wanting him to at least know our son was all right. “And I’m fine. A little banged-up, but otherwise I’m okay.”
Well, I still needed to pee something fierce, but adrenaline was coursing through my veins and finding a bathroom seemed like the least of my worries.
“Not for long,” said my kidnapper as he reached for me. I felt him grip the back of my shirt and with a loud rip the material gave way, leaving my upper body exposed except for my nursing bra.
Knowing that all these men could see me, and that Ashes was forced to watch them hurt me, it changed something inside me. I’d been ready to fight before, but telling myself I would do whatever it took to get home, and being faced with these men, it wasn’t the same. Not at all. It felt like a fire was licking its way inside me, and it was leaving blind fury in its path. I’d never been one to get truly angry, but right now, I wanted to hurt these men!
My hands clenched into fists and my jaw tightened. Before I could second-guess myself, I spun and slammed my fist into the temple of the bastard who had taken me. He cried out in shock and staggered back, but I wasn’t done. I was so damn angry, and scared, and… I’d just had enough. It never even crossed my mind he might be armed, or someone else could be lurking with a gun. The thought was there, but didn’t really connect in my brain. I just wanted to attack them, to hurt them.
“You. Fucking. Asshole!” I screamed each word, my fists hammering at him. The other guy was laughing as if he’d never seen anything so funny, until I turned on him next. I kicked, bit, and hit. A gun fell from somewhere inside his jacket and I kicked it toward the bikers before kneeing the guy in the nuts. Then I ran, straight for Ashes.