Chapter Nine
A few hours later, Jayden felt exhausted. She gazed around and saw her extra hard work had paid off. The place looked spotless. She had a good feeling about passing the inspection with no problems.
The entire night she’d kept Thorn with her, so she didn’t feel like she was alone. It kept the despair and depression at bay. Just knowing he was there made it special.
She checked the lock on the front door. She looked outside and saw several motorcycles in front of the Shamrock Bar across the street. A Lycan owned establishment their MC used for a place to have fun.
Other clubs had moved into the central and eastern sides. She wasn’t really sure how all the MC stuff worked, but it was a way for the Vampires and Lycan to hide from the human eye to not be discovered. They could take care of business, and no one questioned their motives.
She knew Thorn and Lucien with their men kept Shades Run free of riffraff. Too many gang members had heard of the lucrative business going on, so they wanted to take that from them.
After she had pulled the back door shut and locked it, Jayden rushed to where she’d parked her car earlier. Now it seemed like a bad idea to have it in the alley.
Just as she got into her car, someone grabbed her from behind. They held their hand over her mouth. Jayden knew to fight would be worthless; this person was taller and stronger than she was. He pulled her backward toward the door of her shop then grabbed her keys. She heard the door unlock then he pulled her inside and threw her to the floor. When she looked up, the person had a facemask on so she couldn’t see his face.
His skin appeared to be white and blonde hair stuck out of the mask. What did he want with her? When he turned to lock the door, she saw the patch on the back of his leather jacket but couldn’t make out the cut. Jayden trembled and tried to scoot away from him until he opened the back door again, and let two more men inside.
“Well, look at what we have here.” One of them grabbed her hair and pulled her off the floor onto her feet.
Jayden tried to talk to them, “Hey, you know I can walk. If it’s cash you want, the cash drawer is all I have. I’m not even open for business yet.” The smell of his body made her gag. The aroma of sweat, leather, and a musky cologne caused bile to rise in the back of her throat. She hoped whoever this was would let her go and not kill her.
They’d totally caught her off guard, her mind had been elsewhere, and now, it pissed her off. Thorn wasn’t in her mind, she tried to find him, but everything was happening way too fast for her. She tried to open her mind to hunt for him, but something struck the side of her head. Total darkness took hold, and she couldn’t control it.
Jayden tried to fight the darkness, she tried to move but couldn’t. Music loud and obnoxious was playing in her head, and she couldn’t think. Her hands and legs were attached to something, a chair perhaps.
The memories of the men taking her came crashing back. She opened her eyes, Jayden could see them talking, but she couldn’t hear them because of the loud rock music. ‘Thorn, you must help me, please.’
When he didn’t answer, she pulled on the ropes attached her to a chair. She freaked out, yelling in her mind, ‘Lucien, help!’
She still had a few hours before the sun rose high in the sky and would basically cripple the vampires.
‘Child, you must be quiet, we’ve heard you, and we are sending help,’ her mother spoke sharply in her mind.
She closed her eyes and pretended she was asleep. She wondered who the men were. She opened her eyes a slit to see what was going on around her. A much larger man with brown hair walked in and right to her. When his hand reached out she flinched, he pushed her hair away from her face and pulled the earbuds out of her ears. “Well, well, well, look what we have here.”
Jayden looked down at what she originally thought were ropes was actually duct tape wrapped around her hands and legs. There were several other men in the shop as well, wearing leather jackets with the same patch on the backs. A snake wrapped around a sword. “What do you all want?” she asked.
“Shut up.” The man slapped her hard.
She could taste the blood inside her mouth where her tooth cut her lip.
Another man who wore a bandana around his head walked over. This guy didn’t have a mask over his face. She didn’t recognize him, but now she knew they intended to kill her. There was no way anyone would let her see their face if they were going to let her go. Jayden wasn’t sure what they needed from her. A place to hide perhaps. They would think nobody would know they had her until at least until the morning.
“Go tell Daryl and Rick, she’s secured.”
Daryl and Rick? She felt confused more now than before. What did he mean ‘she’s secured?’
“Okay.”
Behind her Jayden heard footsteps heading toward the back door of her shop. “What is it you want?” She tried to be polite.
“I’m not at liberty to say. Just shut up until the boss gets here. Daryl will talk to you.”
“Why?”
“Hey, those were my orders. Now, shut the fuck up, bitch!” he yelled at her.
Jayden was smart enough to close her mouth and not say a word. These men weren’t nice at all.
When he turned around though, she saw the back of his jacket had a flaming skull on it different than the others. This man was from the notorious MC the Ghost Riders. They were dangerous and extremely large in the California area and had moved into Shades Run only days ago.
Jayden heard more footsteps approach from the kitchen. When she peered over her shoulder, she watched as a large but clean, good looking white man walk toward her.
“Go on, I don’t need you guys. This beautiful lady here won’t cause me any problems.”
Tall with dark hair and muscular, he wore black leather. The title on his cut said, President. Then underneath another patch was his name, Daryl Redman. When he turned away from her, she saw the patch on the back, a skull with flames all around it with the name Ghost Rider MC.
Fear escalated for Jayden, these were the men the Vampires and Lycan were going after. Jayden had heard her dad talking to her mom yesterday about them. They’d apparently started bringing guns and drugs to Shades Run. She’d also heard about the kidnapping and human trafficking to Mexico they’d already done.
“Told you, she’s a beauty.” Another man walked up to them.
Jayden couldn’t stop her body from shivering. Her hands clasped the end of the chair. Biting her lip, she didn’t want to say anything to piss off this man in front of her. She needed to give Lucien time to get to her.
When three of the men sat down at a table with the president, Jayden faced them. She tried to maintain her composure and not show fear. With this type of men, they fed on others being afraid. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
Daryl stood up and walked around the table and up to her. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”
“Go fuck yourself!” Jayden spat the words at him. Her anger took control of her emotions.
‘Easy, love.’
‘And you! Where the hell you been?’ Jayden instantly regretted snapping at him, ‘I’m sorry. Oh, God. I’m so scared…’ She closed her eyes then took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She could feel Thorn’s warmth flooding her mind. She opened her eyes and stared at Daryl.
“What are you looking at, bitch?”
She glared at him.
He smacked her hard across the face with the gun in his hand. Her already swelled and broken lip took the brunt of it. She licked the blood from her lip, smiled and spit it back at him. “Do it again, and I’m going to kill you.”
The red splatter covered his white t-shirt and jacket. He hit her again, harder. “You whore!”
She smiled through the pain and spat out, “You don’t scare me, asshole.”
Daryl grabbed her hair, through clenched teeth, he asked, “What’s your name?”
She’d been trained since birth not to betray her people. She used every last ounce of her knowledge not to show her fear. They could beat, rape or kill her, but she wasn’t going to tell them anything. “Why does it matter to you what my name is?”
Daryl pulled her long hair and yanked her head backward over the chair, straining her neck muscles until it felt as if he was going to behead her. Jayden would die before she said a thing to this man. Tears burned the back of her eyes, and she refused to let them fall. She bit her bottom lip, already swollen and painful, to prevent her from saying anything or crying out.
“Cut this shit off her. I’ll make her sing like a bird. Give her some big dick, and she’ll scream like a baby.” Daryl flung her head forward ordering his men around.
He wasn’t handsome now. This man meant business. What could she do to get out of this mess?
Jayden started to scream at the top of her lungs, “Help!”
Daryl turned around and slapped her hard with the back of his hand. “Shut the fuck up. Do you want to bring the town in here?”
“Yep. Helpppppp!” she screamed again.
‘Jayden, stop. Enough!’ Thorn demanded.
‘Where are you?’ she begged. Closing her eyes, she tried to find him and see where he was. When she felt tape cover her mouth, Jayden tried to use her tongue and lick the backside of it to release the tightness. She panicked and felt as if she couldn’t breathe, then realized she had her nose and inhaled. Something metal touched the skin on her arms until she realized it was a knife cutting the tape on her hands and legs. Someone grabbed her hair pulling her up from the chair.
‘How many, Jayden?’
Thorn’s deep voice and warm love flowing into her soothed her fear enough for her to open her eyes and look around as the person dragged her by the hair over to a table.
She felt the calmness of a very dangerous man in her mind. Thorn was going to kill each and every one of these men, she knew the certainty of it as he assured her he would always take care of her.
‘Jayden, I need you to look around and count.’
She opened her eyes and looked in front and behind her. Daryl still had a hold of her by the hair. Before she could see how many men, he slammed her face first onto the table. ‘I’m sorry, Thorn, oh God.’
‘Baby, calm down, you have to talk to me,’ Thorn growled.
She sensed he was losing his control as well. ‘I’m scared; I think they’re going to rape me.’ She thrashed about trying to free herself from the hand holding her long hair and the fist in her back pushing her down on the table.
“Stop moving, bitch!” A hand held her head down, and a leg kicked her legs apart.
Jayden couldn’t handle what they were about to do to her. She tried to move, he held her down, she kicked up with her feet but couldn’t lift them more than a few inches off the floor. She threw herself to the side, twisting her waist and tried to lunge off the table. Instead, she kicked over a chair and pushed her body slightly away from the man. She prayed Thorn would reach her in time.
A hand grabbed the back of her jeans and lifted her enough to reach under her and rip her jeans. The button popped off and her zipper released. Panicking, Jayden pushed, pulled, and flopped around. She strained enough to try to turn over to kick out. Her foot connected with a human. She heard a grunt.
“Jesus, Daryl, that fucking hurt. If you can’t handle this tiger, let me. I’ll teach her a lesson.”
“Stay still.” Daryl slapped her hard on the back then punched the back of her head, and she saw stars. Dizzy and nauseated, Jayden swallowed down the bile that rose in the back of her throat. Gathering enough strength to combat the dizziness, she yelled out, “Fuck you!”
Jayden was lifted up and slammed down on her back on top of the table. Daryl had a long knife, and he used it to cut away her shirt and bra, leaving her breasts exposed to the other men.
She looked up to the scowling face of Daryl.
He grinned. “Yummy, just like I like them. Wild, you are a beauty, and I’m going to enjoy you before I sell you. After I’m done, you’ll never be the same for another man.”
“My name is Jayden,” she whispered.
“Oh, honey, I don’t want your name now. I want your pussy.” He pushed her further up onto the table. He used his knife to slice her jeans open. She fought him again by kicking out and connecting with his body. She didn’t care at this point what he could do to her.
He howled in pain, “Fuck!”
She felt his hand punch her in the face, it was as if her mind disconnected from her body. He hit her over and over again. There was no pain this time, Jayden welcomed the dark abysses she’d slipped into.
Suddenly, she realized if she gave in now, she would be raped and have nothing to give Thorn. Lying on this table, she wanted to care, she craved to be alive, but this man was stronger than her, and he was beating the life right out of her. Trying to move, fight her way out, she kicked out and connected with bare skin.
She heard a groan, “Goddammit! I’m going to kill you.”
A hard object hit her hard across the head. A gun perhaps sent everything careening out of control in her mind. The numbness Jayden felt pushed her over into nothingness. She tried hard to struggle awake, this couldn’t be happening to her. She tried hard not to disappoint her mate, Thorn. In front of her, she could see the man opening his zipper to let out his cock.
This registered in her badly beaten mind, she had to fight for something. There was no way Thorn would want her after this man took her virginity. Jayden’s eyes widened, and the fear inside her brain screamed out, ‘THOOOORRRRNNN! Help me!’
She moaned as she felt the man’s skin touch her very private area only her mate was allowed near. Jayden kicked out, hitting his hard penis.
He howled in pain. “You fucking slut, you just about neutered me!”
Jayden quickly sat up. “Good, I hope you die!”
These were words she shouldn’t have spoken, he cocked the gun and fired. Jayden felt the burn as the bullet entered into her abdomen. She held her hand over the hole, blood poured from her. Looking down, she knew she’d just sustained a mortal wound.
A fist came out of nowhere and hit her face. Her nose shattering into her brain, or had it? Before she allowed the darkness to take her, she saw a man coming in, full speed toward her. Was that Thorn?
‘I’m coming in. Close your eyes, honey.’
Her mind screamed, ‘NOOOOO!’
Or, was it her mouth? Jayden wasn’t sure who was making all the noise to her ears. She tried to look around, all she could see was the underneath of a table. Had she fallen on the floor? Her body felt light and airy. She seemed to be floating above the restaurant. She kept looking around. Where was Thorn? She’d seen him, didn’t she?
She fell into a dark recess in her mind. She didn’t want to remember anything that was happening to her. What if Thorn needed her? Jayden fought and struggled to stay with him.
Thorn couldn’t control what he was doing. Not shifting, he used the strength of the Lycan to punch the man who’d been holding onto Jayden. His mate, now lying on the floor broken and dead.
He didn’t know what was happening to him, it was too much for him to handle. As an Alpha, he needed to draw from his strength and calm his stupid ass down. He hit the man who’d fired the gun first. This man had been laughing and holding his mate down on the table so she couldn’t kick out.
He reached out and grabbed the man holding the still smoking gun and instantly snapped his neck. He dropped the gun wielding MC member into a heap on the floor.
Turning all his attention on the man who had tried to rape his mate. This one he would take his time to kill. He stalked him as a predator would his prey.
The man’s eyes steadied on him. “You think you can get away with killing my men?”
When the man lunged toward him, Thorn was ready. His fist connected with the other’s face. The bones in his nose shattered, as he’d done to Jayden.
Another guy came at him. “Hey, you’re going to die, that’s our president!”
Thorn reached out, grabbed the man by the throat and squeezed hard. His windpipe crushed, the man died in his hand. He turned to grab the other, but he’d already moved away and was now being stopped by Aiden. “He’s mine,” Thorn ground out the order.
Thorn turned his rage and sorrow on the guy. He grabbed his leather jacket and pulled the man’s face near his own, “You will die soon. Pray to your God, because I want your head. You harmed my woman!”
Someone grabbed his jacket and tugged on it. “Thorn, let him go. You can’t kill him.”
“Fuck, let me go!” Thorn fought the hands holding him.
When he was released, he used his fist to smash the face in front of him. Harder, again and again. When the head lulled to the side, he didn’t stop, he couldn’t care, he hit him again.
He heard Lucien whisper, “He’s out cold, brother, let him go. You don’t want to do this.”
“I want him dead. They hurt—no they killed her,” Thorn growled the words through clenched teeth. He would become a rogue; he didn’t care anymore. Everyone was going to die tonight. He’d just found her, now Jayden was dead.
Lucien pulled his jacket.
Thorn looked him in the eyes. “Lucien, let me go.”
Lucien shook his head. “Thorn, you need to go to your mate, she needs you more.”
“She’s dead!” he roared out the final words.
“No, she’s not! Thorn, get your shit together.”
Aiden’s words registered in his brain. He’d joined Lucien to try to stop him from turning into the monster they’d all fought so hard to try to end. No Lycan should turn rogue. They were honorable men who fought the fight every day of darkness and evil.
Shaking his head, he knew they lied. Jayden had been shot right in front of him. The men had beaten her even after they’d put a bullet in her stomach.
It seemed he moved in slow motion as he turned around and looked in the direction the men were taking him. He could see Jayden where she ended up on the floor. Aiden and Lucien were dragging him toward her.
She lay there on the floor next to the overturned tables. Kaden, Lucien’s VP, was crouched over her, Thorn growled and lunged forward, “Get off her!”
Lucien turned on him. “Thorn, get your fucking shit together. This woman needs you now!”
He knelt down, Jayden’s skin looked gray, she appeared dead. He touched her chest, and he felt the faint beating of her heart. Nothing was left of her torn shirt. He quickly tried to cover her, but the material was damaged beyond repair. Her jeans were cut and splayed open for the world to see her pink underwear. “Get me something to cover her up.”
Kaden handed Thorn his sweatshirt. “Use this.”
Lucien stared at him. “Thorn, you need to convert her now!”
“I can’t, dammit. She wouldn’t want this; I need to get to know her first!”
“Damn you, Thorn. I’ll do it then.” Lucien tried to push him aside. “You know if I do this, you two can never be together. She can’t be a vampire; she must be a Lycan. She won’t convert unless you claim her, now!”
What was Lucien spouting to him? Thorn didn’t want to force this upon Jayden.
Aiden yelled out from behind him, “Don’t you even try!”
Thorn’s mind was everywhere. When he glanced toward Aiden, the man who’d been about to rape Jayden had lunged toward the front door. Thorn turned to Kaden. “Go! Help Aiden, I want that man left alive. I need to kill him for what he’s done to Jayden.”
“Thorn, don’t worry about that right now. You need to help your mate.” Lucien’s hand gripped his arm.
His best friend was trying to tell him something about Jayden? Why wasn’t anything sinking in? He couldn’t think through his decisions, everything seemed all jumbled all up. “Lucien, I can’t. She’d never forgive me. Not if I converted her now before she agreed to be my mate. What the fuck? She might not even survive the conversion. I can’t do this and risk killing her. She’s human, dammit!”
“Thorn, focus, now!” Lucien shouted at him. “She is going to die if you do not do this.”
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled until he felt his wolf surface, and this time, he let the beast out. Thorn shook his head, his wolf rose up and took charge to help his mate. With his wolf steady and calm, he went to his mate who was dying. He sniffed her, the smell of death sunk into his brain. “Get everyone out of here, now!”
Thorn ignored everyone, letting his wolf take over what had been bred into him from the very start of time. He ordered the beast to take his mate and claim her. It didn’t happen, he shook his head, he needed to wait until Jayden gave her permission to do this. He leaned over her, tears dripped onto her gray skin. He whispered, “Love, please, just tell me what to do
Jayden laid sprawled out in front of him, Aiden’s sweatshirt covering most of her skin. The bullet wound a gaping hole in her abdomen. Without a conversion, she would die. Thorn took a deep breath, turned and shouted, “Aiden! Call in Taraji, now!”
“Yes, sir!” Aiden was beside him.
He closed his eyes and a moment later, opened them.
“She’s on her way, Thorn. You have to convert her, now!”
Aiden was right, what would he do if she died as a human? The wounds were too great; Jayden couldn’t possibly live through this. “I’m not sure about this, Aiden. What would she want?”
“She’d want to live, Thorn.” Aiden turned away. “I need to go help the others. We need to clear out the place. You have to shift.”
Aiden was right. He looked over at Lucien.
He nodded. “She’ll be okay. You must do this, brother.”
“Yes, go help them!” Thorn grabbed ahold of her body and held onto her, cradling her in his arms. “Please, forgive me, love.” He leaned down and bit her shoulder hard.