Desolation

“Enough!” someone finally yells.

The man fighting with Tyke aims his gun and I gasp, crying out. “No, don’t, please.”

The man who I have already pegged as the leader of this group looks over to me. “Don’t tell me the cripple is of interest to you?”

I say nothing, but he must see it in my face.

He laughs.

“Well, well, this is getting better and better by the minute.”

“Do I shoot him, boss?” asks the man holding the gun towards Tyke.

“No, please, no,” I cry, my voice shaky.

Tyke’s eyes flick to me. “Pippa, don’t talk. Don’t give them anything.”

“Shut the fuck up!” the leader roars.

Tyke glares at him, spitting blood. He’s still on the ground, and I can see the pain flashing through his eyes.

The leader of the group looks over to me, then back to Tyke, and smiles. “No, leave him here. Let them know what kind of game we’re playing. I want him to suffer a bit longer knowing that we have his woman.”

I turn, without thinking, and run. I charge towards the trees, desperate to get away. I won’t be taken. I won’t let this happen again. Not again. I’m done being someone’s slave, or worse, their sex toy. No. No way. I hear Tyke’s bellow and then a hard set of arms go around my waist, hauling me back.

I fight. I kick and scream, twist and turn, thrash and arch until the man presses the gun to my head. “Stop, or I’ll kill you in front of him.”

I immediately stop, slumping down. I lift my head and look over to Tyke, who is still on the ground, kneeling, blood pouring from his mouth.

“Get her out of here.”

“No,” Tyke roars, lunging forward.

He gets to his feet, but his legs give way. They’ve finally had enough. He topples back down and the three men roar with laughter.

“A biker, yeah right.” The leader laughs. “He’s so pathetic I can’t even look at him.”

“Tyke,” I scream, squirming again.

He looks up at me and there’s something broken in his face. He can’t help me; his legs won’t allow him to help me. My bottom lip trembles as I hold his eyes, and something breaks inside him. I see it in his brown depths.

“Get her in the car.”

“No,” Tyke roars, pulling his body forward. “No, you won’t fuckin’ take her. Take me. Don’t take her.”

The leader laughs. “That wouldn’t be nearly as fun.”

They start dragging me away and I start to fight again. “Tyke,” I yell. “Tyke, please.”

“Pippa,” he bellows, pushing to his feet. He takes two steps before he collapses.

I watch in horror as he starts pulling himself along the floor, tearing up his skin. There’s a desperation in his face I’ve only ever seen once before. At the slave house. I cry out for him over and over, and he yells my name, attempting to get to his feet, but he’s too damaged and keeps toppling back down.

The men drag me to their bikes and I stare at the man I love lying on the floor, his fingers bleeding as he tries to get closer to me.

And I know, I just know.

This will break him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

NOW – Pippa

I don’t know where they take me. They just throw me on the back of the bike, cuffing my hands around the leader’s stomach, and then we’re speeding away from the two most important men in my life. I think about Rainer in that car, and tears burst forth. Is he alive? Will he survive if no one finds them?

Will Tyke survive?

The very thought sends agony straight through my heart, and I have to bite my lip to keep from sobbing. I can’t lose the two people that mean so much to me, all because of a stupid fight. If I didn’t storm off, this never would have happened. It’s all my fault, and if they die I’ll never forgive myself.

The bikes come to a stop about an hour down the road, where two massive SUVs are waiting. The leader uncuffs me and then jerks me off the bike, shoving me towards the car. I keep my mouth closed, I’ve learned a lot in my time as a slave and one of those things is that crying and groveling will do nothing.

If they have you, they have you.

The best thing you can do is sit and wait it out.

I pray that Maddox will find me, and that the boys will get to me. I hold onto that hope as I am cuffed and gagged in the back of the big black SUV. Tears prick my eyes but I force them back, not wanting to show any kind of weakness. I roll to my side and curl into a ball as the door is slammed.

Then we’re moving and I’m being taken farther and farther away from my family, and closer to whatever horrors lie waiting for me. I close my eyes the entire time the car moves, not making a sound. When it slows and then stops, I open my eyes and still see nothing but darkness.

Voices travel into the quiet space. The sound of men arguing. Are they arguing over me? Are they deciding what to do with me? What if they decide I’m not a good plan after all, and discard of me like I’m no more than day-old trash? My heart kicks up a notch as the back of the car is opened and a man I’ve never seen before stares down at me.

“This is all you fuckin’ got?”

The man who I’d thought was the leader looks away sheepishly. “She’s important to them. Really important.”

The man studying me reminds me of Artreau, and that scares me. His tall, lean frame might not frighten most people, but it terrifies me. I shrink into myself as he reaches in and pulls me out, forcing me to my feet. “She better be important to them.”