"Wakey-wakey," came a rough voice outside the bedroom door.
Shaking my head, I sat up in bed. A glance out the window let me know it was early in the morning; the sun was just now starting to come up. At my side was Isabella, still sleeping soundly.
Then, someone knocked at the door. The knock was hard and impatient.
"What the fuck you all doing in there?" asked the voice. "Lucas, you got one more fuckin' minute before we bust this door down.”
I jumped out of bed and pulled my pants on. Giving Isabella a push, she woke up suddenly.
"Get up," I said. "Get up and get dressed."
"Why?" she asked, her voice groggy.
"Just do it."
The voice had to be Jonesy. He didn't talk much, but when he did, he had a voice that sounded like an engine moving gunky oil through it. Why he was here, I had no fucking idea, but I knew he wasn't screwing around about kicking that door down.
Isabella struggled out of bed and put on her clothes.
"What's going on?" she asked.
I said nothing. The truth was, I had no idea. My job was to get information out of this girl, and I did. Why Jonesy and whoever else was here, I couldn't say.
Another series of bangs sounded at the door.
"Last chance, Lukey."
"Comin', comin'," I said.
I grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, revealing Jonesy and a pair of rough-looking assholes who I didn't recognize.
"What do you want?" I asked.
Jonesy said nothing, instead looking over my shoulder at Isabella.
"That her, or that some other random skank you picked up at the party?"
Instantly, my blood began to boil. I had no idea why I felt this strongly, but hearing Jonesy call Isabella a "skank" made the anger burn inside me. I wanted to clock him right then and there.
"That's her," I said instead.
"Good. You do the job?"
"Yeah, it's done."
"What's he talking about?" asked Isabella, now coming into the waking world and realizing we were talking about her.
I ignored Isabella's question, instead turning my attention to Jonesy in hopes of getting him out of here as fast as possible.
"Job's done; why the hell you here?"
"New plans," he said. "New orders from Cutter."
"What new plans?"
Jonesy took another look at Isabella, this time, a pervy little glint to his eyes. It didn't take a mind-reader to know what was going on just past those beady little peepers of his.
"What orders?" I demanded. "Tell me what's going on!"
Instead of answering, however, he and the two bruisers with him stormed into the room, blowing past me and making a beeline right for Isabella and grabbing her off the bed. She let out a shriek as soon as they put their hands on her, and she squirmed against their grasp.
"What the hell is going on?" she screamed. "Lucas, what's happening?"
"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled, my voice booming in the small room.
"Like I said," said Jonesy. "Change of plans. Cutter doesn't want to wait for information to trickle out of her; he wants it now. And besides, if we're gonna be baiting along a little hottie like this for a while, we might as well have some fun with her in the process."
Against my better judgment, a protective rage came over me.
"No."
Jonesy turned to me, a surprised expression on his face.
"No?" he asked, as though genuinely curious he'd heard me right.
"That's right," I said. "No need for this shit. I'll do what needs to be done."
Isabella still struggled, but seemed too scared to say even a word.
"You're not getting it, Lukey," he said. "This isn't just about getting information, this is about war. We take her, we have an advantage against the bears. Not to mention, ah, the other kind of shit we can get up to with her."
"I didn't sign on for this shit," I said. "My job was to get information."
"Well, now your job's changed. Now, your job was to bring her to us. And you did well; Cutter'll make sure you get rewarded. And maybe he'll let you take a crack at this little number if you play nice."
Then Jonesy looked around and the room, his eyes settling on the bed.
"Looks like you beat us to that little incentive, though."
The thugs he was with laughed.
"Jonesy, you're not gonna take her," I said, standing firm. "This is a bad fuckin' idea. We need to let her go now."
Jonesy raised his thin eyebrows. "Really? What're you gonna do if we just, well, take her anyway?"
He walked over to me with long, slow steps, getting right in my face, so close I could smell the cheap booze and cigarettes on his breath.
"You gonna stop us?"
Then, as though my body were taken over by someone else, I pulled back and swung my fist right at Jonesy's face. My blow connected, but instead of sending him flying backward, it only made him turn his head to the side. He turned his head back, looking down at me with glowering eyes.
"That was a fuckin' mistake, Lukey," he said.
Then he turned to the thugs he was with, snapped his fingers, and pointed to me. Before I could react, the thugs flew toward me, each driving a fist right into my stomach, both blows connecting at the same time. I sputtered and gasped, dropping to my knees as Isabella let out a scream.
I looked up at the thugs, who were staring down at me with gleefully murderous expressions. I could tell they wanted to finish the job, and to take their sweet time about it. But Jonesy raised his hand to stop them.
"Cutter's always had a little soft spot for you, little Lukey. Not sure why. Me, I think you're a piece of shit. If I were the boss, I'd use this stupid, stupid little thing you just did as the perfect excuse to take you out. But I'm not the boss. Yet, at least. So, you get to live another day."
He snapped his fingers and pointed to the door, the two thugs scooped Isabella back up and dragged her out of here, screams sounding from her the whole way out. Her yells for my help the last thing I remembered before the pain of the beating overcame me and put me right back into the black oblivion I was in before these fuckers showed up.