Ethan's Sky (King's Of Fury MC Book 1)

41. Skyler

41

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My head is foggy, and my mouth feels like it’s full of cotton. The pounding in my head would rival my last hang over. I reach up to grab my head and discover my hands are bound.

Shit.

Okay. Don’t panic.

I start taking inventory of my body.

My hands are bound, but not excessively tight and only by a zip tie. My eyes are dry and burn, but I can see a little in the dim light of the room. I can stretch my legs, and my feet are not bound.

Okay, I can work with this.

I sit up and lean back against the wall taking deep breaths trying to stave away the sharp pain lancing through my skull. Once the pain settles down to a dull roar, I push up on the wall to a stand.

Taking in my surroundings, I find there’s a small window, too high and too small for a person to crawl through giving me the sense I’m in a basement or storm shelter somewhere. The room is dark except for the small amount of dim light of the moon coming from the dirty window.

How long was I out? It was still light out when I got into the van.

Thinking back to the van, I suddenly remember why I got into the van in the first place.

The girl.

Where’s the little girl?

Not wanting to disturb my captor, I whisper into the room, “Hello. Is anyone in here?”

A tiny whimper comes from across the room.

Using my hand as a guide, I press it to the wall and begin walking in the direction of the sound.

“Hello. Please say something. I’m trying to help you.”

Another soft sound, this one more like a sob, grips my heart as it fills the room.

“It’s okay, Sweetheart. I’m going to help you get out of here. But first, I need to find you.”

The wall seems to go on forever, but it could be the drugs in my system slowing my movements and making the room seem bigger. I take a few more steps, then my foot catches on something and I nearly fall on my ass.

“Shit.” I hiss.

Another whimper is released, only this time it sounds like it’s right next to me.

I reach my hands down and feel what I think is a leg pull away from my touch.

“Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” The legs move further away, and I hear what sounds like the shuffling of clothes. I feel around with my hands and discover the body has moved, but not far. I can hear breathing and sniffles, so I sit down and lean my back against the wall.

“Can you speak? Do you understand English?” I ask and quickly explain, “I’m not trying to be a presumptuous asshole, I want to know if you can understand what I’m saying? If we can talk.”

A tiny voice whispers back, “I-I c-can un-d-derstand you.

I turn my body to face the voice and continue to talk to the dark room.

“Are you the girl I saw in the back of the van? The little red-haired girl?”

“Mmhm.”

“What’s your name, Sweetheart? My name’s Skyler.”

“Lilah. Lilah Schwartz.”

“Where are you from Lilah? How old are you?”

“Where are you from? How old are you?” I hear the attitude in her voice, and it makes me smile. She’s still got some fire in her. She’s going to need it to get through this.

“All right. That’s fair. I guess I shouldn’t be the only one asking questions.” I tell her. “I’m from a town called Oak Ridge a few hours from here, assuming we’re still in. Devil’s Canyon.” Without knowing how long I was asleep, it’s damn near impossible for me to gage where we are. How many hours we were on the road. The thought turns my stomach.

“I’m twenty-four years old. Now, your turn.”

“Thirteen, and I was staying at a shelter in Crestview.”

Crestview is only two hours away from Oak Ridge. It’s a smaller town like Oak Ridge. Not so small you’ll miss it if you blink, but not big enough to be considered a city.

“Why were you in a shelter? Is your family there?” So many scenarios run through my mind.

Did her family lose their home and had to move into a shelter?

Was her father abusive and she left with her mother to find a better life?

Is she a runaway?

All are heartbreaking situations to consider. All make me want to wrap her in my arms and keep her safe.

“I don’t have family. My father died when I was a baby and my mother kicked me out three months ago.”

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

Sensing her tension, I decide to hold the conversation about her mother and being kicked out for a later time. There are more important things I need to know.

“Lilah, how did you get here? How did Spider and his goon snatch you from Crestview?” I hate to ask, but I need to know. The more information I have the more I can pass along to Gabe and Hawk. And the club will be able to put an end to all this.

“I was panhandling outside a grocery store. He said he wouldn’t give me money, but he would buy me a sandwich. I followed him into the store. He grabbed a basket and told me to pick out my sandwich in the deli department. He put his hand on my shoulder and guided me through the store telling me to pick out a few snacks and drinks, adding them all to the basket. Once he decided we had enough stuff, he guided me to the check stand. He paid for everything with cash, but when the cashier went to hand me the bags, he told her to put them in the basket, we would carry them.”

Jesus. He preyed on the fact she was hungry. She must have been starving to follow a stranger into a store to get food. I imagine her sitting in the cold, alone and hungry with no food for days and it makes me want to be sick.

“I was stupid, I know, but I was so hungry.”

I can hear the crack in her voice and the sniffle as she cries. I grab her hand and give it a little squeeze wanting to give her some kind of small comfort.

“When we got outside, his grip on my shoulder became tighter as he continued to guide me to his van. I knew something was wrong. I tried to tell him I didn’t need the food anymore. I was no longer hungry, but it was too late. He opened the back door of the van and another man jumped out. I tried to scream, but the man with the spider on his neck, covered my mouth and the other put a syringe of something in my neck. When I woke up, I was here. Until you called out, I thought I was alone.”

“Oh, Sweetheart. You’re not alone. I’m here and as soon as my man finds out I’ve been taken, the calvary will come and we’ll both getting the hell out of here.”

“You really think so?” Her small voice sounds so hopeful. I pray the Kings don’t let us down.

“I know so.” I tell her. “My uncle is part of a motorcycle club the same one my man is part of. They won’t stop until they find me. And since most of the men in the MC are a little crazy, I can promise the men who took us will suffer.”

We’re silent for a few minutes. Both trying to take everything in while also maintaining our sanity. The way Lilah is twisting her hands, I know she’s worried and I wouldn’t doubt if she’s struggling with herself, not wanting to hope for a rescue that might never come.

My thoughts drift back to Daddy and what he was doing the night he was killed. Ethan had mentioned Daddy was trying to help some people who were expected to be sold as sex slaves. It was the load he was delivering the night he died, only he didn’t deliver the load to the people he was supposed to. I don’t know if Ethan ever discovered who Daddy delivered the trailer to, but it wasn’t the intended sellers.

I wonder what Spider’s plans are for both of us. It’s obvious he plans to sell Lilah. I don’t know what his plans for me are. Is he going to sell me to the highest bidder and wash his hands of me, or will he use my body for his own twisted revenge?

“Skyler?” Lilah’s soft voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah.”

“How did you know that man’s name is Spider?” She shuffles her legs, and I drop my hand.

“He killed my father.” Her gasp echoes throughout the empty room.

The door flings open, and a light turns on, and in walks Goon number two. Lilah scoots closer to me, snuggling herself up to my side, whimpering with fear.

He’s not very big. His blonde hair is long and greasy looking. He eyes us both with a salacious grin. I tilt my head taking in the way he struggles to walk a little. Might have something to do with those bruised ribs he should be sporting after the sparring match we had outside the arena. I didn’t do enough to break anything, but flipping his ass over my shoulder onto the asphalt couldn’t have felt too good.

I smile internally at the thought.

“Look at you two, becoming friends.” He snarls. “Shame I need to take your little friend here upstairs for a few minutes, but don’t worry, I’ll be back for you shortly.”

He stalks forward, Lilah curls in on herself, and I move to shield her with my own body.

“Let’s go you little bitch!” He shouts, reaching for her arm. I kick out, hitting him in the knee, knocking him off balance.

“Fuck! You, fucking cunt!” He runs at me. I throw my arms up to block my face and a booted foot comes down on my ribs knocking the wind out of me. I turn my head, gasping to catch my breath and a fist comes at me. Then everything gets blurry, and nausea bubbles up inside me.

“Noooo!” Lilah is screaming out, her voice getting further away. I get to my feet, my head spinning, my eyes fuzzy. Goon two backhands me in the face, and the hit is enough to knock my already wobbly ass to the ground. Seconds later, the door closes, the lock clicks and a screaming Lilah is on the other side.

I did it again. I couldn’t protect her

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