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He pulls out the silver pistol and waves a reminder at my head.
I don’t move. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to die. A few moments of pain, and then it will all be over. But the slimmest hope of escaping this mess won’t allow me to give up. Damn my drive to survive.
Gripping the hem of my shirt, I close my eyes. I’ve taken off my clothes for countless men, but something about this situation makes me feel almost shy. Almost dirty. The choice and control have been taken from me, much as it was when I was in my dorm room. Tears gather behind my clenched lids, but I won’t let them fall. Tobin will be the last man to have seen me cry.
“Hurry up. We don’t want a striptease,” the taller man says. “We’re simply inspecting the merchandise.”
Both men laugh, and the sound makes my skin crawl. I strip off the rest of my clothes so they can walk around and examine me. And they do. They raise my arms, lift my breasts, and spend far too long discussing my ass. When they’ve finished, they motion for me to dress again. I can’t put my clothes on fast enough.
I’m led to a door in the kitchen and ushered down a narrow flight of stairs that drops into darkness. The door closes behind me, followed by the sound of a heavy chain locking me inside. A light clicks on above me seconds later.
I glance around the concrete-lined space. A stained mattress lies on the floor, and they haven’t even bothered to offer any sheets. I hope they aren’t expecting a five-star Yelp review from me.
I don’t let my gaze linger on the stains, choosing instead to focus on the narrow table against another wall. A sandwich wrapped in plastic film sits on top of it. I remove the plastic, fully expecting to find two slices of bread and a piece of cheese, but I’m partially wrong. They’ve included a glob of mayo and a few slices of what smells like salami. A plastic cup with lukewarm water stands beside it.
If they think I’m eating this shit, they’re delusional. I suppose I’m a little delusional as well, because I can only think of how much I miss the gas station food Kane keeps hidden around his truck.
I can only think of how much I miss them.
After tossing the sandwich onto the table, I sit on the floor and pull my knees to my chest. No one is here to see me cry, so I let the tears fall. How did I ever think I could get through to Kane? I was starting to see something in him that wasn’t even there. Jax and Tobin fooled me first, though. Being in a relationship with three men is all fun and games until all of them betray you and break your heart.
I will never forgive them for what they’ve done.
Chapter Thirty
Kane
It’s well after midnight as I pull my truck into a parking spot at a truck stop just outside of Houston. Pup sits on the seat beside me and whines. She hasn’t let up since Arkansas, and the constant sound only adds to my headache.
“What do you want from me? She’s gone,” I say as I stroke her fur and try to settle her.
What do any of them want from me? We couldn’t keep her. She has never been something we could keep. Tobin and Jax knew that from the beginning. We’ve always had two options, and those were killing her or selling her to The Nameless. The choice was made for me, and now we just have to accept it. That’s why I’m heading straight to pick up the load in Houston. I have to let things return to normal.
Well, I want them to return to my version of normal, and I can start by checking out my prospects in the parking lot.
Nothing cheers me up more than taking a life, so I eye the women floating between the trucks like bugs drawn to light. Ugly bugs, with pock-marked skin from drug-induced flesh picking and eyes as dull as their greasy, unkempt hair. A blonde looks over and smiles at me. The three or four teeth still clinging to her red gums have more tenacity than the tank man of Tiananmen Square.
I stand and go to the back of the cab before she has a chance to come any closer. I’m drawn to the cabinet where I hid Aurora’s backpack. After pulling it from its hiding place, I sit on the bed. I remember going through it and finding her old college ID. Her auburn hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she had such a sweet, genuine smile on her face (which also included a full set of healthy teeth).
That smile is probably very gone now.
I remember her telling me about why she quit school. I may not have seemed like I was listening, but every word came through in painful clarity. She didn’t deserve what happened to her then, and she doesn’t deserve what’s happening to her now.
Despite my half-assed attempts to lie to myself, the truth won’t be denied. I didn’t drive through the night to reach Houston because of the product I need to pick up. I came to save the girl.
I drop the backpack on the bed, rush to the driver’s seat, and start my truck. After spending my entire life only thinking about myself, I’m thinking of someone else now. Pup must sense my heroic shift, because she stops whining and finally settles on the seat.
Even if I die in the process—which is highly likely—I can’t let any more harm come to Aurora. Maybe I can talk to them. Maybe I can negotiate a higher interest rate in exchange for her life. Then I scoff because there’s no way they’ll talk to me about her. When I head into their territory, we’re all as good as dead.
I put my truck in drive and head toward the one place I never wanted to go back to: my old neighborhood.
The Nameless have a warehouse, but I doubt they’ve taken her there. They like to keep the product at their house on my old street. The soundproof basement is the perfect holding pen.
I shudder when I think of Aurora down there.
When I’ve gone as far as I can go in the truck, I pull into an overnight parking lot and grab my pistols from the lockbox. I stuff one down the back of my pants and cover it with my jacket and latch the other around my ankle. The cuff of my jeans conceals it. Strapped and ready to go, I give Pup what is likely a final scratch behind the ears and tell her to guard the truck.
The little dog looks up at me expectantly. She doesn’t realize this may be the last time she ever sees me.
