Andria
The sound of the metal pipe impacting Cowl’s head echoed in her ears over and over again. She’d thrown up in Jake’s car, the wet thwack nauseating to even think about now, several hours later. Cowl had stiffened and then fallen to the pavement. The very last image she had of him was his head bouncing off the concrete, blood streaming down his temple, jaw misshapen from the blow.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked wearily. “You can’t seriously expect to get away with this, can you?”
Jake ignored her.
He and his men were sitting around the room in one warehouse or another that was owned by the Malkin family, licking their wounds. Not literally, but it wouldn’t have felt completely out of place either if they were. They sat on couches and chairs, examining their own injuries as well as those of others nearby.
The room wasn’t large, but it had enough room for two large couches, a single sofa-seat, and several other straight-backed chairs as well. In the middle of it all was Andria, tied to a wooden chair. Her arms were crossed behind her back, roped completely together and then to the chair itself. Her legs were tied tightly to the chair legs, and more rope wrapped around her upper thighs, keeping her secured to the base of the chair. She wasn’t going anywhere.
They’d left her mouth free, however, and she was determined to use it. Cowl would surely go and get the police, and they would track Jake down, which would lead them to her. It was going to lead to the exact situation his father was trying to avoid. A public spectacle involving the Malkin family. And Jake had just gone and caused it.
“Who the hell was that back there?” Jake asked suddenly, standing up and coming to face her.
His face was unharmed, but she’d seen the mass of bruises across his entire body from where the tire had slammed into him.
“How did the tire not knock you out or kill you?” she countered.
Jake moved forward so quickly she could barely follow it. His fingers snatched up her hair and pulled her head backward so hard she yelped in pain. “I ask the questions around here, bitch.”
She could smell his breath he was so close. It stank, and she started to gag on the smell.
“Weakling.” Jake gave one last tug on her hair before flinging it free. He stepped to the side just before she vomited, the smell of ripe body odor and uncleaned teeth too much for her stomach. “You are pathetic.”
Andria spit the last of the vomit clear, though unfortunately Jake dodged it all. “What is happening to you, Jake? You weren’t always like this. What are those drugs you’re taking? They’re killing you.”
He made a disparaging noise, but that was all the response she got.
“Tell me who that was with you.”
“It was Cowl.”
Jake wheeled on her. “YOU LIE!”
“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Did he give you some boo-boos?”
She had no idea where her courage was coming from, but seeing Jake and his friends knocked off their game and hurting was refreshing. She just hoped Cowl was okay. Someone must have heard her screaming and come to check on it. They would have found Cowl and called the hospital. He was a dragon; he would survive it.
Hopefully.
“What is Cowl?”
Jake’s voice was calmer now, devoid of the fanatical glee that had infected it earlier.
“What do you mean?” She tried to sound confused, as if she had no idea Cowl was a dragon, but something must have given her away.
“You know exactly what I mean,” he hissed. “What is Cowl?”
“You should let me go, Jake.”
He frowned at her sudden change of topic. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, when Cowl finds you, he will kill you, and this time I won’t stop him. Not after what you’ve done here.”
Jake laughed. “Cowl couldn’t even protect you. Why should I be scared of him?”
“Because he was holding back. When he gets here, trust me, he won’t be.”
“How do you know he’ll find you?”
She grinned. “Because he wanted to before you attacked us tonight. And he was going to kill you then. That was before you took me. Which was really, really stupid of you.” Andria laughed, surprising both of them. “Even if he didn’t, the authorities will track you down eventually, and then they’ll know you took me. Either way, this doesn’t work out well for you, Jake. Which is why I don’t understand why you did it.”
Jake opened his mouth to respond, but was distracted by a loud thump at the thick, extra-wide wooden door. He turned to face it as the others in the room got to their feet as well.
“Oh well,” Andria said. “Too late.”