Bear. I couldn’t shake the image of him lying there helpless, bleeding from a gunshot wound, his blood still staining my arms and clothing. Tears slipped down my cheeks, knowing full well that these were the same bastards who likely killed my parents, and they may have just taken another innocent life, if Bear didn’t survive his injuries. But my hurt only fueled my rage as I lashed out at my captors, fighting them with all I had.
My fist connected with one of the guys, smashing his nose as I fought to break free, but his retaliation was swift and fierce. His massive fist landed in my gut, as I doubled over and tried not to vomit, my arms crossing over my belly as my mind went to my unborn child and tears slipped down my cheeks. I couldn’t lose this child.
I was yanked forward again and dragged deeper into the warehouse, ending up in a large room with at least a dozen armed men, their gaze all turning in my direction. The goons who had a hold of me shoved me forward as I stumbled toward a middle-aged man sitting in a large leather chair, and though I felt nauseous from the punch, my anger had yet to lessen. “What the hell do you want from me?”
“The name is Stubbs, Ms. Douglas… Seems as if you don’t recognize it when someone’s done you a favor. I’d been nice enough to spare you these last few years, but you just couldn’t leave well enough alone.” Stubbs tsk-tsked me as if I was a little child who had misbehaved.
“Spare me? You mean after you murdered my family? You sick fucking bastard. My sister was only fourteen years old.” Before I could lunge forward, the guy to my right grabbed my arm and jabbed a gun into my side, though I swore if it hadn’t been for the child I was carrying, I would have risked it all for the chance to strangle the life from the bastard’s body.
“I’ll admit, your mother and sister hadn’t been part of the plan, but unfortunately, they came home before they were supposed to, and my men acted hastily and without my authority.” He shrugged with a tilt of his head. “You have my apologies—and you’ll be glad to know that those responsible for their deaths paid for their mistake with their lives. But unless you want to join them, I suggest you behave yourself. I’m sure we won’t have too long to wait, now that Blackthorn knows we have you.”
My body shook with my rage as I tried to shrug free. “And when he gets here, he’s going to put a fucking bullet in your head for shooting his dog.”
“His dog?” Stubbs’s eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze between his men, his anger palpable as the men on either side of me let me go and took a step back. “Please fucking tell me you goddamned idiots didn’t shoot Blackthorn’s dog. Which one of you pulled the trigger?”
Clearly scared, the guy to my left didn’t hesitate a second to point the finger at the man who shot Bear, who was already backing away while trying to state his case, his voice filled with fear, despite his hulking size. “He lunged at us, Boss. He was huge. I swear, we had no choice.”
“No choice, huh?” There was a glint of silver as Stubbs pulled out a gun, and then the deafening crack of a gunshot whizzed right by me and hit the man to my right just feet away, spraying me with his blood and brains as I screamed and screamed, my eyes squeezed shut, as the guy dropped to the floor, the ground shaking as he hit.
I kept my eyes squeezed shut, my entire body shaking with shock as I tried to get a hold of myself, though I failed miserably. And for the first time in my life, since all this started, I was truly scared—because it was no longer just me. I needed to protect my baby.
“Here. Sit. I’m sorry you had to see that.” Stubbs motioned for me to come to him, though I could barely breathe, let alone walk over to that murderer. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to scrub from my memory such a horrific occurrence.
The guy to my right gently grabbed my hand and helped me over to the empty chair by Stubbs’s side, my legs shaking like jelly with each step, and my body still trying to recover from the punch I took. I was forced to sit down, though I was grateful not to have to look at the dead body that was still lying there, the man’s brains scattered all over the floor.
Stubbs handed me a silk handkerchief, so I could wipe the splattered blood from my face, my hand shaking as I took it, and I did my best to clean myself up. “I’m not going to hurt you, Emily—as long as you don’t try anything stupid.”
“So…what? I’m just a pawn in your sick game? This has all been so you can get Locke to do what you want?” I hated the thought of Locke being indebted to this monster because of me, though I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter at this point.
“Don’t threaten me, Emily. And no—Locke isn’t the one I’m interested in. I have all the muscle I need. But Dane Blackthorn…he’s special, you know.” He waved a dismissing hand through the air. “Though his brothers are smart, Dane is brilliant. Wouldn’t really know it to look at him, given that he’s got the Blackthorn good looks. But it’s his mind that sets him apart.”
I wanted to argue that someone’s looks didn’t play any factor in how smart they were, but I bit my tongue.
And then there was a commotion.
The doors were pushed open, and I swore, I’d never seen anything as impressive as Locke and his brothers walking into the room, armed and looking ready to kick ass, clearly a force to be reckoned with, though Stubbs’s men closed ranks behind them. Locke’s eyes immediately met mine, and that was all it took to have me running into his arms, despite the gun that was pointed at me.
Holding me in the safety of his arms, he kissed the top of my head, his words just a whisper between the two of us. “Fucking hell, Em…please tell me you’re okay. Did they hurt you?”
“I’m okay. Bear… Is he…?” My voice broke on a sob, stealing my words as tears stung my eyes and blurred my vision. “I’m so sorry, Locke.”
“He’s in surgery. But…he’ll pull through.” Except that it was clear that it was nothing more than wishful thinking on Locke’s part.
“You shouldn’t have come.” Once again, I was messing with his life. And yet, I’d never been happier to see anyone.
“I’ll always be here for you, Em. I fucking love you.”