Promise of Eternity: (Promises Book 4)

Chapter 11

It had been a little less than forty-eight hours since we’d happily been at Rapture and gotten the call from Joey that interrupted all of my plans. I leaned my shoulder against the car door, glancing down at the small velvet black box in my hand. The guys had repeatedly tried to warn me I shouldn’t give it to Rayne. She was still sensitive about gifts. I couldn’t help it, though. I needed her to know how I felt.

“Not the ring again,” Hunter groaned from the front seat.

I flipped open the box, looking at the four interconnected rose gold bands inlaid with tiny diamonds. “I was going to give it to her the other night, but someone,” I glared at Brick, whose mouth had a rag shoved in it, “had to ruin my evening. Imagine us giving it to her after we finished our session at Rapture.”

I sighed to myself, envisioning Rayne lying against my chest, my hand on her stomach, waiting to feel the baby kick. Then, I would pull out the ring box from beneath the satin pillow. Her eyes would sparkle with happiness and–

Brick struggled against the ropes, and I slapped his shoulder, frowning at him. “Now, you managed to interrupt my daydream. Can you not stop? At least your friend didn’t bother trying to bargain with us.” I closed the box and placed it in my jacket pocket before gesturing at Dom. “You’ll never get out of those ropes unless he wants you to.”

Dominic glanced in the rearview mirror and nodded at our hostage. “It’s true. You might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.”

“God knows you won’t enjoy it once Rayne sees you,” I mumbled. Since my plans for Valentine’s had been interrupted, I was mulling over the best time to give Rayne my gift. It wasn’t precisely an engagement ring–not unless she wanted it to be–but it was a promise. My forever was hers. All of ours was.

Someone kicked the back of my seat, and I glared into the cargo area at Tank. He could attempt to struggle all he wanted to, but I knew what would happen to him as soon as he was at the warehouse. He would die at Rayne’s hand. Brick might still have a chance, but after our queen found out that Tank had raped Skye? Nothing would be able to stop her. Not even being pregnant.

Hunter turned the music up on the radio, drowning out the sounds from the two men tied up in the car. It was fine by me. We had been tense the past few days, trying to deal with the fallout of the fire, contractors, and people from the insurance company.

And then there was Oliver. He’d nearly insisted that Rayne take some time away for the baby’s sake. He also threatened to burn down the Sinners’ clubhouse–with everyone in it.

That was another thing that I had learned over the years. The retired crime lord had a soft spot for Rayne even after we had murdered his son.

The rest of the ride I spent dreaming, my fingers occasionally brushing against the small ring box hidden beneath my clothes.

Tank and Brick sat in wooden chairs, rope binding their bodies. Sweat covered my body, and I leaned against the concrete wall, grateful it was winter. With its metal walls, the warehouse was nearly unbearable in the summer. Even fans didn’t help to cool the space. The only thing they managed to do was push the hot, humid air around.

Brick attempted to communicate still despite the gag in his mouth, but all his words were muffled. Hunter’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it before unlocking the door.

“Let the fun begin,” Dominic stated with bravado. He was too happy when it came to things like this. I’d never know how he had ended up the most unhinged of the three of us with a perfectly normal upbringing. He’d already set up everything we needed on a rickety wooden table. A blow torch, hammer, and multiple knives of different sizes were scattered across its surface.

As Rayne walked through the wooden door, she scowled at Tank. “We need to hurry up and get this over with. I need to pee, and the gas station down the street said the restrooms were out of order.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek, noting how grumpy her tone was. If I were carrying a watermelon that kicked my bladder, I’d probably be irritable as well. I walked over to her and kissed her cheek. “The sooner we get this over, the sooner I can get you home. I’ll run you a bath and–”

She cut me off with a look. “I love you, but the only thing I care about is peeing,” she whispered.

Hunter snorted as I stepped closer, trying not to take her attitude personally. Watermelon kicking my bladder, I repeated in my head as he patted my back. “It’s okay. She’ll still take the bath and a massage. I’ll pick up a milkshake for her, and everything will be perfect again.”

She raised her eyebrows as a look of exasperation lined her face. “I can still hear you.”

Dominic handed her the hammer. “Enough. The guy on the left is Tank, your employee’s rapist, and the baby’s father. The guy on the right you’ll recognize as the bartender who torched Inferno.”

Rayne nodded and placed the hammer back on the table, choosing to pick up a knife instead. Unceremoniously, she stalked toward Tank, pressed the blade against his throat, and slashed. Even I was in shock. Typically, Rayne played with her kills first, choosing to extract the information she needed.

A full bladder obviously made her very impatient. As scarlet streamed down his skin and clothes, she turned to Brick, whose eyes were wide, and ripped the gag out of his mouth. “I haven’t decided if I want to kill you yet, so start talking. I’d prefer if you told me why they ordered my club be set on fire.”

The guy stuttered and stammered briefly before Rayne clicked her tongue. She jabbed the knife into his shoulder, far enough away from anything vital to kill him. She left the blade there and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m listening. You have until the count of five before I stab you again. One. Two. Three–”

“It was Prez. He wanted his daughter back. Claimed she was supposed to marry someone else and that he was going to sell the baby. He won’t stop until he has her back,” Brick wailed.

Rayne tilted her head before picking up a second knife. “And you thought it was a good idea?” He shook his head in the negative, but Rayne stabbed his other shoulder and glared. A scream erupted from his mouth, echoing off the concrete and metal. “Then why did you listen to him? You had to know I would kill you for betraying me.”

Snot and tears ran down his face. “He’ll kill me too.”

She scoffed at him. “The difference is that I wouldn’t have if you had come to me. Any last words or requests?”

She was giving him more than he deserved. More than she had given Tank. And like all men did, he wasted it with pleading. If I were ever able to tell someone my last words–to pass on a message–it would be filled with an entire soliloquy of things that I regretted—mistakes I had made. And I would want my captor to convey that I loved Rayne and my future children. I loved the men who had become my brothers. They were an integral part of my life; I couldn’t imagine life without them. They had made everything infinitely better. I was a better person because of them.

Instead, he simply croaked out a please. Rayne didn’t seem impressed either. The knife in her hand that flashed across his skin said as much. She wiped her hands on her black pants, and Dominic wrinkled his nose. “I’ll call Joey to clean up. Remind me to have a restroom and shower installed here. I should have thought of that sooner.”

Rayne gave him a quick peck on the cheek and rolled her eyes. “Well, none of us expected me being pregnant. Ever.”

I thought about Brick’s words as Rayne practically sprinted from the building. Skye’s father wouldn’t stop until she was back in his possession. Perhaps Oliver was right. We could just burn the Sinners’ clubhouse down until the only thing that was left was cinders.

Because I knew Rayne. She would stop at nothing to ensure Skye’s safety, especially after discovering why the young woman had run in the first place.