Chapter Three
Bernie
Bernie wasn’t sure what to think or do. All the men around her had carefully concealed guns on their persons. She had no doubt that they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her if she stepped out of line. It was a terrifying thought.
And what was going to happen next? After arriving here, her abductors told her that if she was a good girl and behaved, then when the time her ‘buyer’ had purchased her for–three months, as a trial period–then they’d let her go home. Her father’s debt would be paid.
They wouldn’t tell her how much that actually was, though. They did, however, say that if she refused her buyer or distressed him in any way, causing him to demand a refund, they’d kill her and Xavier.
So, she would behave. She would be the most charming, seductive woman she could be. And then she would return to her baby and move halfway across the country.
Something similar had happened to Kayla when the dig first began. Fortunately for her, Shane had been there to destroy the people who were threatening her. He’d fought for months, getting injured to the point where his natural healing abilities had slowed to almost-human levels.
But me? I have no handsome dragon shifter who will run to my rescue.
Bernie’s hands trembled and her eyes started to burn. She squeezed them shut and shook her head. She had to be the best actress she could to get out of this. Tears would only make questions come up when her buyer came to collect her…
My dog died. That would be her cover story. I raised him from a puppy and he died… Is Xavier okay? Did Dad just leave him alone to go drinking or something? Is he changing his diapers? Is he feeding him?
And how was she supposed to explain to her ‘owner’ why her breasts were so heavy and sore with milk? How was she meant to get out of this alive?
“Smile, darling. Your new boyfriend has arrived.” One of the men poked her in the back.
She realized she was slouched and straightened. One thing was for certain. This douche who bought women online wasn’t going to see her cry. She set her jaw tight, then forced a smile on her face.
Inhale, exhale.
Soon a man in a fitted suit was leading in another man. In ragged jeans, leather jacket, hair ruffled.
Bernie’s eyes widened. Tyler.
Tyler?
“What the hell?” she burst out before she could stop herself. “What are you doing here?’
He swaggered over to her and latched an arm around her waist. “I bought you, sweetheart. And you weren’t cheap, either. Now you can’t say no to me, can you? You belong to me and you will forever.”
She was too floored to respond. What was he doing? Tyler had never been this way before. Was he mad at her for not calling him? After he just disappeared without a word? Her hands clenched into fists. A well of rage burst out of her and she lunged forward, fists flailing. He jumped back from her, a surprised look coming to his eyes. It disappeared soon enough and he laughed.
One of the men grabbed her arm. “Bernice, you do remember the terms of our agreement—”
Her stomach dropped out, but Tyler kept laughing. “She’s quite a spitfire, isn’t she? You can’t imagine how I felt when I found out that the slut was selling herself online these days. I—”
“Sir.” One of the men interrupted. “What was your pickup code again?”
Tyler turned to the man looking bored. “I already told you.”
“Yes… but can you tell me again? I want to make sure there haven’t been any mistakes.”
Tyler smiled at him. Then suddenly his fist lashed out. It caught the man in the temple and he crumpled. There was a brief moment where it felt like everything was frozen. Then Tyler smiled up at her and shrugged.
“Guess I’m busted.”
What? Bernie’s heart lifted, then plummeted as the guards whipped out their guns and pointed them at Tyler. Smoke curled from his nostrils and his eyes turned an orange-red color. Dark scales started to sprout over his skin and when he grinned, his teeth were all daggers.
“Guns, gentlemen? You have to know those won’t be very effective against me. Have you ever fought a dragon being a knight in shining armor before?”
Bernie knew there was one of two things coming. One, they were going to fight, guns would go off everywhere and she’d get hit by a stray bullet. Two, the men were going to turn their guns on her and use her as leverage to get Tyler to behave. So, in this instant when all their attention was on him, she dashed towards the table at the other side of the room. Heat seared through the room as she reached the table. She flipped it onto its side and hunkered down behind it.
She didn’t dare peek over the edge but as gunshots went off, punctuated by a wordless roar, she could guess enough that Tyler had shifted. Cries of pain filled the room. Suddenly the table was flipped onto its side. A huge clawed hand grabbed her and tucked her against a scaled belly. Tyler then let loose a blast of fire that took the roof off and he shot into the sky. Police sirens wailed. As Bernie glanced down at the building, she saw dozens of police cars surround it. So, Tyler hadn’t bought her. He’d set this all up to rescue her and then called the police in on them.
She could have laughed, except it left one very important detail out–Xavier.
“I need to get to my house,” she shouted. Tyler’s wings beat the air and she wasn’t certain that he could even hear her. “My son needs me.”
Tyler actually jumped mid-air. It could have been funny. Except that Bernie slipped several inches in his grasp and she still didn’t have any answers as to the wellbeing of her baby. She shouted her address to Tyler. After a moment he wheeled about and adjusted his grip on her so she was more secure. His wings beat harder. Her heart was in her throat the whole time and the wind blowing in her face made it difficult to catch a breath.
But it wasn’t too much later before he touched down on her street. As soon as he released her, she dashed for her house. The lights were on and the sound of a TV was coming from the inside. She kicked the door, surprised when it sprang open, great chunks of wood getting ripped out. Apparently, it wasn’t a sturdy door.
That didn’t matter.
Bernie rushed in. There was a shout from somewhere inside. When she got into the living room, she found dozens of beer bottles and pizza boxes scattered around. Her father struggled to get out of his chair. A rubber band was tied around his arm. She turned her back on him, listening hard. Xavier was crying in the bedroom.
“Bernice! What are you doing here?” Her father grabbed her arm. “You’re going to get us into—”
She whirled, slamming her fist into his nose. Her eyes met Tyler’s briefly but she wasn’t going to explain. “Call the cops to come pick up this waste of space. He’s the one who sold me to those men in the first place.”
She didn’t waste another moment. She quickly dashed into the bedroom and collected Xavier. His crying only got louder once she was holding him and her own tears came fast and hard. He was okay. It didn’t matter what else had happened or almost happened–her baby was okay.
***
“Well, here we are.”
Bernie tried not to gape at the large, beautiful mansion that they pulled up to. Behind the yellow taxi cab, Tyler hopped off his motorbike and wheeled it onto the grass. She had known that Shane was a billionaire but had never stopped to think how much of that wealth transferred to Tyler. The father of her child…
I’m not going to tell him just so that I can wring him for money.
“Thank you, my good man.” Tyler pressed a wad of bills into the taxi driver’s hand. He hefted the diaper bag over his shoulder and picked up her suitcase.
The rest of her things were being left at her home, which was currently being renovated to be more secure. This wasn’t a permanent situation, after all. Tyler was just offering a safe place to crash while the legalities of what was happening with her dad and the trafficking group were being sorted. Since she was a witness and there had been threats made to her previously, they were needing to keep her safe.
“Thank you for this,” Bernie said again as they went into the house. The community was gated and there was plenty of protection to keep her safe from revenge.
Tyler smiled vaguely in her direction. His gaze lingered briefly on Xavier before he turned away.
Bernie’s throat was dry as she followed him into the house. He took her upstairs, chatting about where things were, but she hardly listened. Xavier gurgled and grumbled in her arms. Since she had gotten him again, neither of them liked to be away from one another. But he seemed to have recovered quickly. Of course, he was so little that he wouldn’t have understood all the threats that had been thrown at them.
Her throat went dry again, though she tried to shove it aside.
“Bernie, this is Polly.”
Bernie blinked rapidly, pulling herself back to the present. A beautiful woman with kinky black curls and dark black-brown eyes came into view. Her full lips were smiling, but Bernie couldn’t stop a stab of jealousy from hitting her. This woman was a goddess. There were no two ways about it.
Tyler had never mentioned a Polly before, so she couldn’t be a half-sister. Was she the newest girl to come into his life? Her replacement? Or a replacement for her replacement? Just how fast did Tyler go through them?
“I’m so pleased to meet you. And look at that baby!” Polly clapped her hands and rushed forward. She grinned at Xavier and waved. “Oh, he’s so sweet. It’s going to be wonderful to have a baby around. I keep telling Shane and Kayla that they need to get on that and start going with babies but they don’t listen to me. And this one,” Polly jerked at Tyler, “he’s an idiot. He—”
“Polly.” Tyler gave her an exasperated eye-roll. “I’m sure Bernie wants some time to unpack and settle in.”
“Of course.” Polly straightened, still grinning. “If you need anything, just holler. I’m here for anything you need.”
Bernie nodded. She and Tyler both left her alone and she turned to her new room. It was comfortable, modern, and way too fancy for her to be comfortable in. Well, at least they had a crib for Xavier. With a sigh, she set him down on the bed to check his diaper.
“This is our new home right now. Everything’s going to be okay, baby. I promise.”