I could barely breathe through the gag in my mouth, and when Cutter pulled me out of the back of the van when we finally came to a stop in front of the looming Manhattan skyscraper that was our destination, I almost reeled from the sight of the buildings overhead. I'd never been to the city before, I was totally disoriented when I looked up and saw I was in an environment that was completely alien to me.
"Get a fuckin' move on," said Cutter, giving me a sharp poke to the small of my back as we walked toward the building.
Three goons that'd been at the bar flanked us, and as I looked them over, I tried to figure out if I could take them all. Maybe if my strength came back, maybe if I was finally able to make the full shift into the bear form that I knew was inside me somewhere. But now, as just a scared girl, I couldn't do a damn thing.
A quick elevator ride later, we arrived in the penthouse of the building, which was a vast, modern apartment with a sweeping nighttime view of the city. I thought we might've been in the wrong place –the apartment didn't exactly scream "biker gang"–but as we moved further into the apartment and I spotted the three men from the video conference that I'd witnesses at Cutter's place all sitting at a long, black table, I knew that we were exactly where he intended for us to be.
"There's that little piece of ass we've been waitin' for!" called out one of the men, the man with the square jaw who looked like he moonlighted as a drill sergeant.
"'Bout fuckin' time!" called out another, the bald man whose face was covered with scares that I could make out from dozens of feet away.
The third man, the guy with a neck that was so thin and long it looked like a plant stalk that his head sprouted from, his eyes beady and black, stood up and looked me up and down in a way that was so pervy I shuddered out of instinct.
"'Been waitin' for a new fuck-toy," he said.
Cutter approached the three men, each giving him a full hug complete with a loud slap on the back.
Then the scar-faced man turned his attention to me. I felt like throwing up as soon as his eyes fell on my body.
"Bring that little thing closer."
Cutter sneered and jabbed me in the small of my back, instructing me to get closer to the three men.
"Yeah, real nice," said the scar-faced man. "You did good, Cutter."
"She just fell into my fucking lap," said Cutter, a broad smile on his face; he was clearly pleased to have been about to make his bosses happy. "Fresh meat from the bears."
"Even better," said the thin-necked man. "Nothing like plundering your enemy and stealing his women, you know? Makes me feel like a fuckin' Viking."
I wished, more than anything, that I could change right now, that I could gather whatever power I had and rush across the room, carving these fuckers to pieces. Unlike before, at Cutter's mansion, I didn't feel fear, I felt rage. I imagined my hands shifting into paws, I imagined my body covering with fur, and I imagined swiping my claws over these asshole's faces, wiping those pervy little smirks off for good.
"Then that's it?" said Cutter "I'm ready to move on these bears if you give the word."
"War with the bears," said the military man, sitting back in his chair and thinking the matter over. "That's a hell of a risk."
"Nah, the genius is, which I found out from her," he jabbed me in the back again, "that they got a skeleton crew up in that compound right now. The Swift clan is spread across the country. We can move in, kill whoever's there, and take the place as ours. By the time they get back, we'll have that place fortified. Then we can wipe them out for good."
"Then Bear Mountain's ours," said the thin-necked man.
"Hell, with the bears gone, the whole state'll be ours," said the scar-faced man.
The smile stayed on Cutter's face; I could tell just how pleased he was that the plan was being so well-received.
"What about that fuckin' traitor?" asked the military man. "You take that piece of shit out?"
"Done," said Cutter. "Got one of my boys on it."
My heart sank upon hearing this. I hadn't seen Lucas die, but things weren't looking good for him when Cutter dragged me out of there.
"Enough planning for now," said the military man. "I'm ready for a little fun. How about you get this little piece all dolled-up and looking nice for us; I'm ready to give her a test drive."
"You got it," said Cutter.
With that, Cutter grabbed me by the arm and dragged me down one of the many hallways of the penthouse. He walked without hesitation, and I could see that this wasn't the first time he'd brought a girl here for this reason.
"You're not gonna get away with this," I said, anger in my voice.
"I already did," he said, stopping at a nearby door and pulling it open. "You're here, aren't you? And I don't gotta worry about your fuckin' boyfriend either."
My stomach sank as I realized he could very well be right. He pulled me into the room, which was a sleazily-decorated bedroom clearly used for sex.
"There's a walk-in there," said Cutter. "Pick something out to wear, and make it sexy. And save your energy; I'm gonna get a crack at you once the bosses have had their fun."
"Gotta wait your turn, huh?" I said.
Cutter sneered at me with narrow eyes. Then, without saying a word, he reached behind me and grabbed onto my ass. Hard. He stared at me close as he squeezed me, his expression making it clear he was proving a point along with copping a feel.
"Keep it hot for me," he said, letting go of my ass and stepping out of the room, the door shutting and locking behind him.
Then, I was alone.