A moan startles me awake. I don’t move my body though, not much, just enough to lift my head. Glancing at Easton’s crib in the far-off corner shows me that he’s soundly sleeping as I scan his body through the slats. The moan repeats and I turn my head toward the doorway.

When I hear it a third time, I sit up and twist my head to the side. I have a view of Zachary’s bed and my eyes widen. There is a woman bent over, completely naked and he’s fucking her from behind. One of his hands is fisted in her long hair and tugging it back, forcing her spine to arch. The other hand is wrapped around her throat.

My eyes scan the woman and I recognize her as one of the girls who brought us dinner from the kitchen a few hours ago. Except right now, she’s being choked. Her mouth is hanging open slightly and her face is turning a deep shade of pink.

I can’t look away from them. I pull the bedding up my chest and watch as he continues to choke her, his hips slamming against her ass over and over. He tugs her hair a bit more, arching her neck so far it looks like it’s about to break and only then does he release her throat.

Her body starts to shake as she coughs and attempts to catch her breath, which causes him to groan from behind her. His hands move to her hips and he pulls her back against him, slamming her body against his own.

I hear their skin slapping with each thrust and pull, but it sounds more like thuds, instead of slaps. It makes me cringe, as I think about the pain it probably causes her.

“Yes,” she hisses, and my eyes widen even more.

I watch as she slips her hands between her legs and begins to play with herself. Maybe she actually likes sex this rough. Zachary moans again, his head tipped back, and his eyes closed as he enjoys fucking her.

“I’m so close, my master, my ruler, my owner,” she moans.

He grunts a few more times and then I hear her reach her peak as she lets out a long squealing sobbing sound. I can’t look away from them. As soon as she’s come, she pulls away from him and scrambles off of the bed to sink to her knees on the floor. I watch as he jacks his cock in front of her now open and waiting mouth.

Zachary reaches down and cups the side of her face. “My beauty.”

“My owner,” she sighs.

It’s actually a beautiful moment, if he wasn’t such a fucking freak show, and wasn’t keeping me here to be his queen while he’s fucking someone else. “You’re forever mine, Anastasia,” he rasps.

“Yes, master,” she whimpers.

He lifts his chin, and I watch her crawl back onto the bed, waiting for more instructions on her knees. She’s young, like me, pretty with her blonde hair hanging down her back. He reaches forward, and I watch as he tweaks her nipple, then the same hand dives between her thighs.

Laying back down in bed, I pull the covers over my head. I hear her whimpering, and him grunting off and on throughout the entire night and early into the morning. I don’t sleep, not a single wink. My mind is racing and I’m trying not to listen to them, but it’s so quiet that they sound as if their voices are magnified.

“Give me your seed, give me your baby,” she begs.

I expect him to answer immediately, but I hear a slap and I cringe. “Never. That is not who you are, Anastasia,” he breathes. “You are mine to fuck, and I take pleasure in your body whenever I feel the need. I could never give you my child. I would never want to ruin your perfect tight, slender body,” he explains.

My eyes pinch closed at his words. Every single thing I’ve felt self-conscious about since having Easton bubbles to the surface with his words.

“Oh yes,” she moans seemingly forgetting her conversation. “Use my body forever, my master. Keep me for your pleasure,” she whimpers.

My stomach twists at her words and I wrinkle my nose. She is exactly what I never want to be again. I’ve been her, more than once. Although I never begged for it the way she does, maybe I was never brainwashed quite as much as she is, maybe I’m stronger than her—thank God.

What feels like a few minutes later, I hear the door open and close in his room, then I hear the shower start. I let out a breath, turning over to my side, and look at Easton’s crib. I need to get out of here. The sooner, the better. No way in hell do I want this guy’s mentally imbalanced ass raising my baby.

The cabin feels like it’s closing in on me. I need Hayden and Easton back, and I need them back right fucking now. If it weren’t for my brothers surrounding me, keeping me somewhat sane, I would go to that compound, guns blazing.

“We get any new surveillance updates?” I ask, turning toward Snake.

He shakes his head, running his hand through his hair. “We didn’t, however, our guy thinks he can disable their shit. He’s going to check into it. We should know more tonight. Tomorrow we may be able to get in there,” he explains.

“Fuck, I hope so,” I mutter.

“We’ll still have to worry about the sniper towers, but I think we can handle them,” Sniper grins. “We’re setting up deer stands in the surrounding woods tonight. Should be able to pick them off one by one, at least on one side. Then, Torch can blow his shit up and we can invade. Those sick fuckers won’t know what hit them by the time we’re done,” he chuckles.

“I want all of them dead,” I demand.

Sniper wraps his hand around my shoulder and squeezes. “We all do, brother. They won’t survive to see another day. Tomorrow is their last day on earth, and this is their last night. We’re ending this shit right here and right now,” he growls.

We’re fifty strong and spread out over five cabins, but we’ve all been grilling our meals and eating together. Each group has a mission and our missions have all been given to us as of this afternoon. We’re ready, at least as ready as we can be.

The Canadian chapter’s mission is to find both Hayden and the man who has been keeping her. According to the surveillance, she hasn’t been seen anywhere near Jack since that other man took her away. I don’t know what that means, or where she’s being held, and I can only hope that she’s safe and still breathing.

Idaho is taking care of the sniper towers. California is in charge of getting the men on the ground. North Dakota is in charge of the women and children. Washington state is in charge of backing everybody up. It’s a solid plan, a good fucking plan, and I hope that it works. Goddamn, I pray that it works.

“Just got confirmation, tomorrow six in the morning, surveillance will be disabled,” Snake announces.

The men all lift their chins and head out to their places, I assume to gather up their shit and prepare for tomorrow morning. We’ll all head to bed early tonight I’m sure, to rest up for what will assuredly be a long fucking day.

Standing, I start to head toward my own cabin when Snake’s hand catches my shoulder. “Got surveillance of the private residence behind those fucking trees,” he rasps.

“And?”

He shakes his head. “She’s there. Our guy did some digging. It’s the leader’s place. She’s staying in a room adjoined to his with Easton. She’s alive, from what he could gather, she appears unharmed. The place is on its own surveillance system, and it also has its own alarm system. He found a whole gaggle of kids there as well.”

“Ten of us gonna be enough to take care of him?”

A slow smile appears on Snake’s lips. “It’s him and six women. He feels safe there, he doesn’t have any men surrounding him for protection,” he explains. “Probably because those six women are all really young.”

“How young?” I growl.

He shakes his head. “All around Hayden’s age. Early-twenties and I know for sure he’s fucking at least one of them since he fucked her all goddamn night long while Hayden slept in the room next to his.”

“Shit,” I say, running my hand through my hair.

Snake squeezes my shoulder with his hand. “We’ll get her out before he touches her, Croon. You gotta believe that,” he swears.

“I want to… fuck, she’s been through so much,” I growl.

Snake’s hand falls from my shoulder. “I know, brother, we all know. Hayden is like our little sister. We’re going in there and we ain’t coming out without her and East. That leader is going to eat lead, and we’re ending this hate mongering group of people once and for all.”

Lifting my chin, my lips twitch. “Fuck yeah.”

“Let’s get packed up, then relax, tomorrow is going to be fucking stressful,” he says.

I nod, walking toward the cabin. My hands shake with anticipation. It’s happening, I’m going to go get Hayden, first thing tomorrow morning. I cannot wait.

I miss her smile, her smell, and the way her big green eyes would look at me, studying me and seeing all of me. She is my match, and although I pushed her away, she still stayed firm and knew what she wanted, and what she wanted was me.

The second I have her back in my arms, shit is changing. For starters, I’m apologizing for everything I’ve put her through. Secondly, I’m putting a ring on her finger and she’s going to take my last name. Hayden is mine, all mine, and swear to fuck I’m going to treat her like the goddamn queen she is.

Everything I have in the back of my head, all the fucked up shit my father said and taught me, I’m tamping down. None of it matters anymore, and I’m a grown ass man now. I know what is right, and what isn’t. It’s time for me to turn over as much of a new leaf as I possibly can. I don’t know how new that is, but goddamn I’m going to try, for her—for Easton.