Jack doesn’t speak to me for hours. I’m afraid to say a word to him, afraid that he’s going to fly off of the handle at me. He seems extremely agitated as he chews on his thumbnail and drives at least fifteen miles per hour over the posted speed limit. I don’t want to piss him off by asking him a question, so I stay quiet.

He continues driving, farther and farther away from everything we know. I’m terrified that what he said earlier was true, that I’ll never leave the place he’s taking us, at least not alive. We drive through a little town, and I glance around, taking in how cute it is and wondering if this is where we’re going to stay. I start trying to catalogue the places that might let me use a phone.

There’s a cute little diner, and then a pharmacy right next door, I spy a travel agency, and then a women’s boutique. All places that I could try and use either their business phone or an employee’s cell phone. If I can break out of wherever he’s taking me to, maybe I can get to one of these shops before he catches us.

Jack turns down a desolate dirt road and my heart starts to beat against my ribs, hammering inside of my chest. His words about never leaving the place he’s taking us, ring a whole new meaning as the large chain link fence and razor wire top appears.

I gasp when I see the lookout towers every few feet, then when we pull up to a gate that puts the Notorious Devils clubhouse entrance gate to shame, my entire body deflates. There is no way I’ll make it out of this prison alive, especially not with Easton in tow.

Pulling up to the gate, Jack rolls down his window. A man with a shaved bald head walks toward us, a machine gun of some kind strapped across his chest.

“ID,” he barks, his eyes finding mine and staying glued to me.

Jack lifts his hips and tugs his wallet out of his pants, except he doesn’t pull out his driver’s license. He takes out a smaller, square laminate card. I try to get a good look at it, but the bald man is staring at me too intently for me to look away from him.

“She’s all marked up,” he announces to Jack.

Jack snorts. “Those biker fucks sure do like to show the world their property. Too bad she was mine first,” he chuckles.

“Teaching her a lesson?” he asks, his eyes shifting up and down my body, causing my stomach to turn.

Jack lifts his hand and rubs his chin with it as though he’s thinking really hard about the question. “That woman getting her lesson tonight, still?” he asks.

Baldie chuckles. “Fuck yeah she is.” He grabs his dick and squeezes and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out or whimpering.

“I’ll show Hayden what happens when you’re punished. I’m not going to punish her this time around, though,” he says, gentling his voice as he reaches out and wraps his hand around the back of my neck. “She came along so nicely, and look, she brought my son.”

“Your kid? Fuck, didn’t know. A little soldier for the cause, c’mon in Jack, your place is the fourth house to the right. Boss got it all ready for you guys last night when he got the word,” he explains.

I swallow my sob at his mention of my son being a soldier. I don’t want these men to even look at Easton, let alone try and brainwash him into thinking, acting, or being like them.

My baby is going to be a good man when he grows up, he will not bathe in the hate these fuckers spew.

Jack lifts his chin as the man takes a step back. Then we drive forward. The houses are like little log cabins, the kind you sometimes see for sale on the side of the road. They look almost like storage sheds or fancy children’s playhouses. They’re all lined up one right after the other and side by side on this small dirt path, just wide enough for one car to drive down.

We pull in, on the side of the fourth house on the right and Jack kills the engine. Jack doesn’t move immediately, and I’m too afraid to attempt to at this point. He reaches for my knee and gives it a squeeze, it’s almost affectionate. Then he speaks and makes my anxiety ratchet up tenfold.

“This is your new home. You do not leave the cabin without my permission. I don’t trust you yet, Hayden. Easton will be taken to the children’s quarters in two hours. He’s no longer your child, but instead a soldier for the cause. He is a child of the cause, as are all the children.”

I watch as he slides out of the truck. I shove open my own door, afraid to dally, afraid he’ll hurt me if I don’t stay right behind him. Once we walk into the little log cabin. I suck in a breath, blinking slowly.

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“It means that he’s no longer our child. Granted he carries our DNA, but he’s not ours to call our own. We will not raise him, in fact, I think it would be best if you didn’t even see him for a while. You’ve coddled the child,” he explains.

Holding Easton a bit closer to my chest, I shake my head. “He’s only a baby, Jack,” I try to reason.

Jack pins me with a glare and I snap my lips closed. I watch as he digs his phone out of his pocket and types something quickly, then he looks back at me. “Obviously you cannot handle two more hours with him, Hayden. I didn’t realize you were such a helicopter mother.”

He shakes his head and reaches for Easton. Faux disappointment laced in his features as he pries my baby out of my arms. My eyes fill with tears and I try as hard as I can to keep Easton in my grasp. It doesn’t work, not only is Jack stronger than me, I don’t want to hurt Easton.

The front door flies open and there’s a man standing there. His eyes shift from Easton and Jack to me and I watch as they spark. He doesn’t say anything to me, verbally, but there is definitely something working behind his eyes, I just can’t tell what it is.

Jack hands him Easton and he dips his chin to me before he backs out of the cabin and closes the door behind him. I hear Easton cry as soon as he loses sight of me and my heart shatters. It completely breaks into a million different pieces.

I want to launch myself at Jack, kill him, then run after Easton but I know without a doubt that I wouldn’t survive. I have to survive, and I have to use my head to try and figure out a way to escape. Jack tilts his head to the side and studies me, his eyes roaming over my face.

“You took that better than expected,” he muses, his lips tipping into a cold smile. “You’re going to learn all about your new life here today. I think you’re going to really enjoy it on the compound, Hayden.”

I don’t tell him to go fuck himself or to eat shit like I want to. I don’t tell him anything. I decide my highest chance of survival is to keep my mouth shut and observe.

If I’m constantly observing the people around me, the habits, and the different personalities, then I can maybe find an ally or a weakness that will get both me and Easton a way out.

“First things first. Clean up. We have a little lesson teaching moment tonight, and I don’t want you to miss even a second of it.” He winks as he stands to his feet.

I follow suit and grab ahold of my bag, looking down to see Easton’s sitting on the floor. He doesn’t have his special blanket or stuffed animal. My heart races and tears fill my eyes. I could attempt to plead with Jack to at least take him those two items, but the way he said I coddled him, the way he said I was a helicopter parent, I know that he won’t allow it.

Walking through the cabin, I’m relieved to find that there’s a bathroom with a shower. I had imagined that I would have to go to some kind of outhouse or communal showers, so this is a pleasant surprise. What there isn’t, is a window. There won’t be any escaping from the bathroom—damn.

Locking the door, I strip out of my clothes and take a quick shower before redressing in a pair of holey jeans and an oversized shirt. I do not want to show off any part of my body to Jack, in fact, the less appealing I look, the better.

Walking out of the bathroom, I’m surprised to see Jack sitting on the bed. I braid my wet hair, standing in the doorway of the bathroom and just look at him. His eyes stay glued to mine as well, then he clears his throat.

“Could that biker fuck have gotten you pregnant?” he asks.

My eyes widen, and I inhale a ragged breath. I don’t take my eyes off of him, deciding to speak the truth. “Yes, it’s a possibility, but I won’t know for weeks,” I admit.

He nods, and I expect him to reach out and backhand me, but he doesn’t. His eyes lift to mine and silently he stands, closing the distance between us. His hand reaches out and I flinch, but he doesn’t hurt me, he cups my cheek and runs his thumb along my bottom lip.

“I’m sorry they hurt you. You were given to me, and I didn’t protect you,” he rasps.

He almost, almost seems sincere, but I know him, and I know that he isn’t. However, I decide to play along. Having Jack trust me is vital to not only my survival but also my escape.

“I’m okay.”

He nods, leaning forward he brushes his lips across my own, and I try as hard as I can not to gag and throw up on him. He presses his forehead against mine and closes his eyes.

“Once you can be tested, we’ll get you tested at our clinic. Then we can make arrangements if need be for termination.”

My stomach twists at his words—termination. Jack is talking about killing a baby that me and Ward made together, and it makes me sick. Closing my eyes, I nod, trying not to cry or show any other emotion.

Jack takes a step back and my eyes reopen to look at him. He frowns. “Unfortunately, that means that we can’t be together until you know for sure. Then, we have to decide what we’re going to do about that atrocity on your chest. I can’t have his marking on you, staring me in the face every day. When we know about your spawn one way or the other, then we’ll go about covering that shit up.”

Biting the inside of my cheek, to the point where the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth, I nod. The only consolation in all of this is that I won’t be forced to have sex with Jack yet. Hopefully, by the time I’ll need a pregnancy test, I’ll be long fucking gone from here.

He reaches out, wrapping his hand around my own and gives me a squeeze. “Okay, now we’re going to go watch a lesson being delivered to a woman,” he grins.

My feet feel like they’re buried in concrete as I follow behind his lead. I remember from my past time with him, that I wasn’t allowed to walk next to, or in front of him. Always behind. I expect to head toward his truck, but instead, we continue farther down the dirt road, opposite from the way we came in.

I search my surroundings, hoping for a clue on how to break out of this place, except my eyes keep catching men with their hands wrapped around a woman’s. It looks like we’re sheep, being herded and brought in. The women all look sad, but some look vacant. That scares me, it’s what I don’t want to end up like.

Once we pass the last cabin on the narrow makeshift street, there’s a large open green clearing and then a huge building. “This is where we always meet as a group. It’s where we’ll share our meals, any type of celebration, or any kind of punishment,” he explains.

The building is cement brick, gray and cold looking. I watch as a giant garage type door rolls up as the first of the group of people arrive at the entrance. They pass through and we follow behind.

Inside it’s just as cold looking as the outside. There are no decorations, the walls aren’t painted and it’s physically chilly, sending a shiver up my spine.

I glance around and notice that there are a bunch of round tables shoved against the walls, and there are chairs lined up in rows facing a lifted stage area. Men and women file toward the chairs and sit down, all staring straight toward the stage. All looking like zombies or robots.

Jack guides me over to the front row, and I’m surprised we’re allowed to sit here. I would assume it would be saved for important people.

Once we’re seated, a man walks up the small staircase to the center of the stage. There is a sturdy table behind him, and I expect him to have a pulpit or microphone in front of him, but he doesn’t. His eyes scan the crowd and then land on me. I recognize him as the man who came in and took Easton from my arms without speaking a word.

“He’s the leader, the man in charge of our entire group,” Jack explains.

“He took Samuel Jones’ place,” I state.

Jack clears his throat, shifting in his seat. “He did. His name is Zachary Brooks.”

Zachary’s eyes stay focused on mine, unmoving as he gazes down at me. He looks deep in thought, and I wish I knew what he was thinking, or maybe I don’t. He shakes his head once before turning toward the center of the room.

“We’re going to begin now,” Zachary’s even tone calls out. Everybody stills in their seats and face him. “Brother Mark came to me with a problem yesterday. His woman had been lying to him. Now usually the lesson for lying is different than the lesson she is going to receive today. However, the circumstances of her lie is what caused me to exact this particular punishment on her. She has been taking precautions to stop herself from conceiving their child.”

All of the men let out low rumbles, obviously disapproving of her actions. “This is a lesson every woman here should witness. Do not try to control the reproduction of the group. We are here for one purpose and one purpose only, to build this group into a strong organization, and the only way to do that is with large numbers and elite training. The only way to obtain the perfect members is to raise them up ourselves in the perfect environment. Brother Mark, bring her up here,” he says, lifting his hand motioning for them to walk onto the stage.

I watch as a thin woman wearing a loose-fitting sundress follows behind a man wearing blue-jeans and a white t-shirt. Her head is down, her black hair hanging limply around her shoulders. Everything about her screams sadness, brokenness, and defeat. My heart races wondering what she has in store for her.

Zachary turns around and murmurs something to them when they arrive on the stage. Mark nods, reaching down and wrapping his fingers around the hem of her dress. I watch in horror as he lifts the dress from her body and she stands completely naked in front of this entire room full of people—all of which I’m sure she knows fairly well.

Her hand is trembling as she reaches for something on her opposite wrist. I watch as she uses what looks like a hair band to place her hair in a ponytail on the top of her head. Then she turns toward the table and silently climbs up on top. Her back is to the audience, and she positions her knees on the edge, her ass on display as she slowly bends over, showing us her entire center.

“Men,” Zachary calls out.

Jack stands, but I can’t take my eyes off of her being on complete display in front of this room of people. The movement to the side of the stage catches my eyes and I gasp. Every single man that is in the room is in a straight line. My eyes scan the audience and I discover that only women remain seated.

Realization dawns on me and I have to bite the inside of my cheek again to keep from screaming or puking. I wrap my hands around the sides of my chair in an attempt to keep my ass planted in the seat. Every fiber of my being is telling me, no, urging me to run.

I watch, unable to look away, unable to do anything but sit there as man after man violates this poor woman. Her name hasn’t been mentioned this entire time, as if it is of no consequence. She is nothing other than a vessel to reproduce for their cause.

When the last man finishes inside of her, he zips up his pants and walks down to sit at his woman’s side, the leader, Zachary, smiles as he looks out at the crowd.

“Now she’ll assuredly carry a baby of the Aryans’. Let this show as a lesson to all of the women today, if you attempt to stall the procreation of this group, this will be you up here.”

He turns from the audience and walks away, leaving us all alone. I notice that he didn’t violate the woman himself, maybe he thinks he’s too good for that. Who the hell knows, all of these men are completely brainwashed, and I have a feeling more than one woman is as well.

Jack wraps his hand around mine and tugs me up from my seat. Like sheep, the entire group of people turn away from the naked woman on the stage and walk back toward their cabins like fucking zombies.

I have to get out of here. No way can I stay and have what was done to that woman happen to me, or worse. Then there’s Easton, I can’t have him raised by these fucking freaks.

I knew they were sick in the head, but I didn’t realize they were this fucking sick. I need out of here, I need Crooner.