“You know you could ask me, and not so much order me. Just because you’re my brother doesn’t mean I have to listen to you,” I enlighten him.
With a snort and short laugh, he gets into the SUV. Shaking my head, I follow him and get into the passenger’s seat.
“Be glad I let you sit up front with me. Little sisters normally sit in the back,” he jokes, “also don’t think I’ll be carrying all the bags. I brought you to help.”
God, this shopping trip is gonna be so much fun...
“Don’t they have pads anywhere in this godforsaken store?” I mumble to myself, walking down the aisle marked toilet paper. Tampons are a bathroom product, so what the hell?
As I search the shelves, my eyes finally land on a box of Kotex hidden behind a sign. Well, one box is better than none, I suppose.
Grabbing the box, I quickly turn around to find Jared, only to run into a firm chest.
“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sor—” My words cut off as my eyes run up a firm body before landing on two familiar green orbs. Eli.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he teases casually, but his eyes are anything but. He’s staring at me like he is about to grow fangs and take a bite out of my neck.
“Umm… yeah…” The trust he built between us last night evaporates into thin air. The uneasy feeling I’d come to know around him returning.
Something is off. He shouldn’t be here. This wasn’t the plan.
“We’ve run into some trouble, so I’m going to need you to leave the store quietly and come with me,” he says calmly, but his demeanor is anything but. His jaw is tight, his back stiff, and his eyes flicker nervously to take in his surroundings.
“What do you mean we’ve run into some trouble?” I’m stupid; the way he’s acting makes it clear he is about to kidnap me. My best bet now is to buy some time.
“I mean…” he says between clenched teeth gripping me by the arm firmly. “We need to leave now.”
Shrugging his hand off my arm, I shoot daggers at him. “Enzo didn’t tell me anything, and Jared is here somewhere.” I look around, desperate to spot him, but of course, he is nowhere to be found.
“Amara, we can do this one of two ways. One, you can come quietly. Two, I can take you against your will. The first way will result in little to no damage. The second, well… it might hurt a bit.” I look at his face, searching for any indication that he’s kidding. He isn’t.
“This wasn’t a part of the plan, Eli. I’m not coming with you until I’m ready.”
“Hard way it is.”
He pulls a white cloth from his pocket, and my flight instinct kicks in. I shove against his chest, trying to run down the aisle, but he grabs me and slams me against his chest.
In an instant, his hand is over my mouth and the white cloth cloaking my airways. My vision blurs almost immediately, my body goes slack, and I prepare to hit the ground. Instead of pain, I feel strong hands holding me up before I’m lifted in the air and carried away.
I should have known better. I shouldn’t have trusted Eli again. He is going to take me to Mack, and something tells me the hole in the ground is going to feel like a five-star hotel stay in comparison to what’s ahead of me.
Mack is going to hurt me. Hurt me in ways I won’t be able to recover from, no matter how strong I am.
18
Amara
Light blinds my eyes as soon as I blink them open. I tried to remember what happened, but it takes a moment for my mind to catch up with my surroundings.
A large overhead light is pointed down at me, making it hard to see. Wiggling my body, I groan in pain and realize quickly I’m chained to some kind of a pillar. What the fuck? The ground beneath me is cold and unforgiving. I look down and find gray concrete. I also take note of my clothes being on. At least I’m still dressed. No one defiled me while I was out.
“Welcome back, princess.” His voice spikes my fear. No, more than fear, this is a living, breathing nightmare. Mack comes into view, his large body blocking out some of the bright light.
“Leave me alone,” I growl, feeling cornered. My insides spiral out of control, trying to figure out why Eli has gone against the plan. Why am I here early? Was Eli never on our side? And most importantly, does Enzo know?
“Leave you alone?” He laughs loudly, his voice booming through the large empty space we are in.
“Yeah, as in fuck off,” I spit at him. I might be scared shitless, but I won’t let him see that.
Within a blink, he’s on me. His hand wraps tightly around my throat, cutting off my air supply. I fight against him, struggle to breathe when I feel his breath against my lips.
“Eli told me about the little show you gave him. I knew you’d like it rough. Sluts like you always do. So you might actually enjoy what I have planned for you.” He chuckles, squeezing my throat even tighter. My vision goes black, and his words seem to be getting further and further away.
“I bet you suck dick really well… I mean, your mouth has to be good for something other than fucking spewing shit that’ll get you killed.” His hold releases slightly, and I suck in a deep breath, both my lungs and brain thanking me for it.
Then I feel wetness against my skin. His tongue scratches as he licks my face like a fucking weirdo. The second I get the chance, I’ll cut it from his mouth.
“You behave, and you just might walk away from all of this.” That’s a lie. A big huge fucking lie.
“Don’t lie to me. If I’m going to die, at least be man enough to tell me,” I croak out, with his hand still wrapped around my throat. I know he’s going to kill me. Maybe not today, but he will eventually.
“You’re right, who the fuck am I kidding? You’re all going to die.” He laughs heinously as he shoves me back. My head bounces off the pillar behind me. The room spins, and I have to close my eyes for a moment to regain my bearings. Still struggling to bring oxygen back into my body, I take short and shallow breaths.
“If I’m going to die, so are you…” I know I shouldn’t say shit like this, but I’m at the point of not caring anymore. The monster needs to know if I die, he dies, too.
“No, sweetheart, you don’t understand what loving that fucker has done to you. It’s you who’s going to die. With my dick shoved up in your cunt, I’m going to slit your throat right in front of him, so he can watch the light leave your eyes. Then, when I think you have suffered enough, I’ll put a bullet in your head and turn you into pig feed.” His detailed description has my stomach rolling around in knots on the verge of spewing all of its contents.
“Nice to know.” He must not have heard me because he walks away without another word.
My body sags against my restraints. The room spins around me, making me think I hit my head harder than I thought. I probably need to stay awake, but my eyes are heavy, and I keep dozing off.
“You look like shit,” Eli says, his voice causing me to squeak and sit up straight. I didn’t hear him come in.
“Thanks to you. I can’t even tell you how fucking angry I am with you. You betrayed us, asshole.” My rage is overwhelming. My body feels like it’s on fire.