Page 41 of Coveted By Cupid

Nu-uh. No way can I get into that van. The likelihood that I will be found after being transported somewhere else, let alone survive, drastically reduces. I’ve listened to enough true crime podcasts to know the stats of surviving abduction after being moved are not in my favor.

Unwilling to be taken, I thrash in my captures arms. It temporarily throws him off balance, slowing him down.

Good. I need to do anything I can to prevent him reaching the van. There is no second chance—I have to fight.

Turning my face toward where my abductor’s ear is most likely located under his balaclava, I let out the most piercing scream I can manage. “HEEELP!”

His head jerks away from me, his eyes tight with discomfort. “Shut up, you little bitch, or I’ll give you something to scream about,” the man snaps, quickening his steps.

Ignoring his vile threat, I continue to scream, kick, and throw my body around in his grip. I’m as good as dead if I don’t keep fighting.

The man whose foot I injured hobbles after us. “Start the van!” he yells, shouting to whoever is behind the wheel.

With my life on the line and my body restrained, I resort to using the only weapon I have left.

Not caring about the effects my actions will have on me after the fact, I rear my head back only to throw it forward into my assailant’s face. The sickening crunch of his nose has him howling in pain, blood spurting through his balaclava. He stopped in the middle of the road, but he hangs on to me.

“FUCK YOU!” I roar, giving him another headbutt.

The first hit stunned him, but the second hit does the trick. He drops me like a bag of bricks on the asphalt, cupping his face and screaming in agony.

My vision goes fuzzy momentarily, and my ears ring. A wave of nausea rises inside me, but I fight it down, desperately trying to regain my bearings.

I need to get some place safe.

Blinking the stars out of my vision, I crawl toward my apartment building. My palms get scraped on the rough street, and I ignore the pain in my knees when my kneecaps grind along the occasional pebble. It hurts—everything hurts—but I keep crawling.

I’d walk if I could, but walking seems impossible with how disoriented I feel. My head is spinning, making everything around me move in and out of focus. If I attempt to stand, more than likely, I would fall over in the street and risk injuring myself more.

The sounds of chaos break out behind me. I can still hear the man bellowing in pain and another man yelling in a foreign language coming from the direction of the van.

“For fuck’s sake, get her in the van!”

Feet shuffle behind me, coming closer…

My fingers dig into the road, desperate for purchase as I creep forward.

Keep moving. I need to keep moving if I have any hope of surviving—of escaping.

The pounding in my head intensifies, dizziness taking over. Everything around me seems to slow down as my body collapses on the road. The cold asphalt of the street touches my cheek where I lie belly down, my face staring across the dark road like it’s some kind of murky premonition of my fate.

I stare down the street, seeing a single circular light growing larger the closer it comes—a headlight.

The road beneath me vibrates as the roar of a Harley comes barreling toward me, along with the one person I know will protect me.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CUPID

Club business kept me back in Loveland longer than I expected. With the Durango chapter smuggling the next load of guns and ammunition to us in four days, I needed to work out the logistics of the delivery with my crew, making sure everyone understood what their assignments were and where to be for Friday’s operation to run smoothly.

When things wrapped up, I quickly sent a text message to Vanessa, letting her know I was running behind, but I would see her soon. I didn’t want her upset and assuming I stood her up when I wasn’t there on time. I may not have a ton of experience with committed relationships, but I’m wise enough to understand that clear communication goes a long way in keeping a partner happy, and I sure want to keep Vanessa on cloud nine.

I ride my bike like a bat out of hell all the way to Fort Collins, eager to get my hands on my little baddie again. If I’m going to be late, I’d do my damndest not to be excessively behind time.

Cruising up the dark street, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me for a split second when I saw figures fighting in the middle of the road until I realized with utter horror the scene before me was no figment of my imagination.

A woman struggles to break free of a man attempting to shove her into a cargo van. Furious, I roll my throttle back, accelerating toward the van to stop the abductor from taking the woman. It’s not until the woman falls in the road with her honey-brown tendrils spilling around her face that I realize it’s Vanessa, and a man is hobbling toward her, ready to snatch her.