Chapter 18
Brynn
I stood behind a door as the sound of boot steps came down the hallway of the warehouse. I gripped the piece of wood as tightly as I could, turning it in the palms of my hands. I saw the man’s shadow. I heard his breathing. And I had to make sure I timed my assault right, because if he alerted his club to the fact that something was wrong, I’d be in trouble. Thankfully, the room was dark. So, once he stepped through the door he had to take a second to fish through his pants to try and find a flashlight or something.
Which gave me time to step out, cock my hips, and swing the wood straight for his chest.
The nails sank into his skin and I heard him draw in a deep breath. But when he went to scream, the only sound that came out was coughing. I pulled back and swung again, knocking him in the head. The nails didn’t sink in, but it did knock him out. Which gave me the time to pull him into a very dark corner to tie him up. I bound his ankles and his wrists, then took off a small jacket I had on and cleaned up the small blood trail on the ground. I kicked some dust and dirt over it to cover it up, then I grabbed the stick and slowly made my way into the hallway.
I heard loud voices laughing all the way at the end of the hall. And as I approached the open door, I ducked into a shadowy spot. I looked at the window, trying to catch a glimpse of a reflection to see who all was in that room. I recognized Rex’s voice, and I heard many others. But I didn’t know exactly how many men were in it.
However, once I got close enough to catch the reflection in the window, I counted six men, including Rex.
Shit. I was grossly outnumbered.
I had to find a way out of that place. Even if it took me into the woods and got me lost, it was better than staying here and waiting for someone to find out I’d hurt one of their own. I gripped the stick in my hand and backtracked down the other end of the hallway. I had to figure out how to get out of this place. At the very least, I needed another place to hide. Surely someone would go looking for that man in a few minutes, and I needed to make sure I was well hidden. I used the trick my father taught me when I was a little girl. How to creep silently, no matter how fast I had to move.
My footfalls became nothing but a distant memory as I moved without a sound, tracing my hand along the cold metal walls and traveling down the corridors. One hallway bled into another, and soon I couldn’t even remember how to get back to where I had started. The hallway I was walking down dead-ended into nothing. Just a heavy door that didn’t seem to be locked. I pressed my ear to the cold surface to see if I could hear voices behind it, but there was nothing but the sound of crickets chirping off in the distance. Not even the sounds of Rex and his men laughing could be heard any longer.
How big was this damn place?
I gripped the handle and opened the door, cringing at the loud sound it made. It creaked and groaned. It scraped across the floor. And nothing but darkness poured from its caverns. I looked behind me to see if someone was following me, then took a chance and stepped into the room.
And I stumbled onto a pair of stairs.
With my hand sliding along the wall, I took the rickety steps up. The warehouse had a second floor to it. Were there more men waiting for me up there? I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to take any chances. So, I gripped my nailed piece of wood and drew it over my head. Step by step, I walked up. Until I was met with yet another door. I held my breath and paused, listening for any sounds in front of me or behind me.
Then, I reached out and pushed that door open before stumbling into a hallway.
The place was covered in thick dust. So much so that it caused me to cough. But the fresh movement of the door pattern in the dirt on the floor told me no one had been up here. Relief coursed through my veins. There was nothing in the dust on the floor. No boot prints. No hand prints. Nothing to indicate that anyone had been up there recently at any point in time. I closed the door behind me and locked it, knowing that if someone forced their way through it I’d hear it from wherever I was on the second floor.
Then, I began to explore.
So many rooms shot off from the hallway, and by peering out the windows that lined the other side I saw the back of the warehouse. At least, I thought it was the back. I didn’t see any bikes or anything when I looked out. Only desert for miles and miles. The sky twinkled with stars and the moon hung heavy in the sky. It was almost picturesque, despite the reality I found myself in. I drew in a deep breath before coughing again, then I continued down the hallway. I pushed open every door to check and make sure no one was camped out there for any reason.
Then, I sat down in one of the rooms.
I drew my legs to my chest and buried my face into my knees. I couldn’t hear a single thing. Only the sounds of nature, the sound of wind whipping along the windows, and the sound of my sniffling. I didn’t want to cry. I needed to be strong. But for all I knew, no one was coming for me. I wasn’t sure if Diesel would be able to figure out where I was in enough time.
And with each passing moment, I started convincing myself that I was probably going to die.
All alone on the second floor of that warehouse, I started to cry. Tears slid down my cheeks as memories assaulted my mind. Diesel’s laughter. His kiss. His voice and the way he commanded my body. The beauty I felt whenever I was in his arms and the care he always took with me whenever I was around. I’d come back for him. I needed to admit that to myself. Sure, I wanted to see my father again. And yeah, I wanted to open my own restaurant. But the second my father mentioned his name over the phone, my entire purview switched.
I fought to come home for him in that moment. And now, I had lost him.
I laid myself down onto the floor of the warehouse and allowed my tears to fall. I didn’t sob. I didn’t wail. I didn’t cry out. They leaked down my skin and wet the dust beneath my cheek as my nose tried not to choke on the dusty world swirling around me. What little bit of sunlight might have been left in the sky had completely dissipated, leaving me and this warehouse in the middle of fucking nowhere cloaked for another night.
Eventually, they would come looking for me.
Eventually, Rex would find me.
And the only thing I knew to do was to fight my way out. Even if it killed me. Even if it killed them.