Chapter Twelve
Petal didn’t appreciate the rocking motion. She preferred it would stop because it was going to make her vomit.
“Stop,”
she said, groaning.
“Petal, you’re awake.”
She frowned. Kim. Kim’s voice. This was strange. She opened her eyes and came face to face with darkness, as well as the feeling of her hands being tied behind her back. Her memory was a little fuzzy, and nothing made quite as much sense as it used to.
Slowly, as she began to blink and her reality returned, she became aware of exactly what was going on. Shit. They were taken. She couldn’t make out Kim in the darkness. The rocking was because they were clearly in a truck or something to transport them.
“This is not good,”
Petal said.
Everything had moved so fast last night.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. They’ve tied me up.”
“Me too.”
Petal frowned and moved toward the sound of Kim’s voice in the darkness.
“Please tell me this is some kind of test. That we were actually taken by your husband and it’s going to end with you two going off to a cabin for some weird kinky sex,”
Petal said.
Kim laughed. “I wish that was the case, but they are not club.”
“They were wearing your patch,”
Petal said.
“I know. The Evil Fuckers MC, meddling, stealing, cheating, doing all the bad shit they are known for doing.”
“Shit,”
Petal said.
“Yeah, shit. It gets worse,” Kim said.
“It does.”
“Someone at the club sold us out.”
This made Petal freeze. Sitting was awkward with her hands tied behind her back.
“How do you know?”
“I don’t tell anyone where I’m going, just the club. The only way they know is if we’re being followed or if someone knows our secret.”
Petal sat next to Kim and asked, “Why are your hands tied in front?”
“I put up too much of a fight and they were not able to get my hands behind my back.”
Petal wrinkled her nose. Her heart was racing and she felt sick to her stomach. She didn’t like feeling this fear.
“Next time, I will be sure to go all crazy on their ass.”
Kim let out a little laugh. “At least we’re … I don’t know, together. I don’t know if that is comforting.”
Kim chuckled. “It’s okay. Warden will find us.”
“Does he even know we’ve been taken?”
Petal asked. She was also aware that while Warden would do everything in his power to get Kim, no one, apart from Rosalie, would come hunting for her.
“He knows. It’s Warden, he will know everything and he will be prepared. He always is.”
She had a feeling Kim was smiling. “Can I ask why you’re not panicking?”
“There’s no reason to. Warden will come and if he doesn’t, then … I only have a matter of hours to live.”
Petal shook her head. “I don’t know how you can be so calm.”
“I’ve been in this world a long time. It is not the first time I have been attacked or taken. So far, I have been quite lucky. Warden does not accept anyone taking me, and I know he will not accept it now. He will come for me. He always does.”
She listened to Kim. “That must be nice—being with a man you know is going to stop at nothing to get you back.”
“Warden is my true soulmate, and I know at times he is sad by everything that has happened. I accept it, but he has no reason to have any regrets or feel anything but happiness. I love my husband and even after everything we have been through, no matter what, I would still choose him.”
“Even after … your daughter?”
Petal asked.
“Yes, even after Hannah. I have Colt. I have Rosalie, my grandchild, and I have you, and if Tanya makes it out from Warden’s wrath, I may also get another daughter from the mix.”
Petal frowned. “Warden’s wrath?”
Kim sighed. “I have been here so long that I know before he gets answers, he will go to the new people who might have a reason for turning on the club.”
“But, Tanya has no reason to turn on the club.”
“She is the only outsider I asked to party with us. He will jump to the obvious conclusion.”
Petal knew it made sense. Tanya hadn’t come with them, and she had a valid argument. “You don’t think she did it?”
“No.”
Petal tried not to be sick but the swaying motion of the car was making her want to vomit.
“Do you know who did?”
Petal asked.
“Yes. It was Raine.”
This surprised her. “Raine? No, there is no way she would have done that.”
“It is. I didn’t want to invite Raine along, because she is still bitter about Colt and the fact he is in love with Rosalie. She’s a liability, and I know that makes her a problem. The men at the club love her. She has turned her back on us, and I bet she hopes for the Evil Fuckers MC to take the Satan’s Death Riders MC. She is looking to be in charge. That’s what she wants.”
“Wow,”
Petal said. “I guess the whole ‘woman scorned’ and all that.”
“Yep.”
Petal stared out into the darkness feeling the sway of the truck. “Do you know how long we’ve been driving?”
“Too long.”
“This is not comforting.”
Kim laughed. “It will all be fine. You’ll see.”
Betrayal and kidnapping.
“You know this is a lot of drama that I really don’t need.”
Again, another laugh. “I know you’re terrified, Petal, but don’t worry, we are going to get out of here.”
Petal wanted to ask her if she meant they were going to get out of there alive, or if they were going to get out of the vehicle only. She didn’t want to die.
The truck slowed down, and Petal felt the fear begin to build.
“Don’t panic,” Kim said.
Petal tried to get her shit together, but this was becoming an arduous task. She didn’t have her shit together. She didn’t have much of anything together. She was trying not to panic or make waves.
She heard car doors slamming, voices, and then the side door of the truck opened.
“Hello, Ladies,”
a man said.
He had long hair that was tied at his nape.
“Get them out for me,” he said.
Two guys jumped into the truck and Petal wanted to fight, but instead followed Kim’s lead and tried not to panic.
They were pulled from the truck, and Petal she lost her footing and fell onto the hard barren ground with a grunt. She did not want to show weakness. These men were looking for weakness. This is why Kim told her not to panic.
Petal was lifted by her arm, very aware she was wearing a dress. Kim, however, was in a sexy shirt and a pair of slim-fitting pants. Like always, she had her bangles on her wrist and looked like one classy lady. She didn’t feel quite so classy, but next time she went on a girls’ night, she was totally wearing jeans. She wanted to be ready for anything.
Petal didn’t recognize the man in front of her. He looked dirty. He hadn’t shaved, but it also didn’t look like an intentional mustache and beard. She was used to being around bikers, but not like this. Dragged to her feet, they stood in front of the man, and there was no denying he had a horrible look in his eye. One glance at her, and it was like she was nothing. Clearly, he didn’t want her here, but then he turned his gaze to Kim.
“Warden’s piece of ass, we meet at last.”
Kim stared at him and Petal watched as the older woman glanced up and then down at the man before them. There was no fear, at least none for Petal to see.
“And you’re the scum that ruined my night,” Kim said.
He chuckled. “I see, your reputation was not wrong. You are known for being a hard nut to crack.”
He reached out and stroked a finger down her cheek.
Petal jumped back as Kim attacked. Within seconds she had the man’s hand in her mouth and was biting down. He screamed and clearly wasn’t expecting her to bite. The truth was, even Petal wasn’t expecting it. Kim wasn’t being gentle either, and she was sure she saw blood.
Men attacked, pulling Kim off him, prying her jaw open, and she couldn’t help but wince as the now injured man slapped Kim hard across the face, sending her falling to the ground. There was no noise. Kim barely made a sound.
Petal’s heart was racing. She knew she was no easy target but what Kim did took balls, and in that moment, Petal knew she wanted to be just like her. Kim flicked her head back and with blood streaming out both sides of her mouth, she smiled.
“Now that you know who I am, how about you tell me who you are?”
Kim asked. She got to her feet, shoving away the men that tried to pick her up.
Petal didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know if help was coming and it didn’t seem logical to piss these men off, but that seemed to be what Kim wanted to do. There was no plan. They didn’t even have time to come up with a plan. She tried not to panic. Panicking never solved anything.
She and Kim were in a bad situation. Glancing around, she saw they were in the middle of nowhere. The house looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years. Where the fuck where they? Petal didn’t have a clue. She didn’t notice anything. There was no one to be found. She couldn’t even see anything of relevance. It looked like they had traveled down a privately owned road, to get to the shithole house where they were now.
This was not good.
There was a garden shed that had so many holes around it. It looked like it had been in a gunfight and freaking lost. They had nowhere to run, even if by some miracle they found a way to escape. This was hopeless. She had never been in this kind of situation before.
Then she remembered the day at the garage. Gabrielle had wanted the homecoming party for Rosalie to be perfect. Several of the guys had offered to drive or ride Gabrielle to the store. Petal had known how skittish she was around men and opted to do it herself.
Then the sound of the gunshots. The feeling as she felt two bullets hit her.
Pulling out of the memory, she looked at the men, knowing there was no out for them. She and Kim were going to die. She felt the tears fill her eyes. This was insane. She was terrified.
The man smiled and then bowed before her. “I’m Predator, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“So what’s the deal here? You’re just going to finish off what Daemon started, is that it?”
“You speak of him as if you don’t fear he might come back and haunt you?”
The smile on Predator’s face was mocking.
Petal glared at him. “Deamon was a piece of shit.”
His gaze turned back to her.
“Who is this little bitch?”
Predator asked.
“A pain in the ass, but she persisted in being a problem while we took the one you wanted, and seeing as she was with that party, we figured you’d want her.”
One of the other men spoke up, and Petal didn’t avert her gaze as she stared at Predator.
“A very happy pain in the ass in case you were wondering,”
Petal said.
The man smiled.
“Well, in that case, you’re in luck because you’re going to get to see me kill your little bitch leader.”
He had to come up with better insults, and she was just about to tell him that, when his words seemed to flood her brain and she realized exactly what he’d said and what he was about to do.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I have it on good authority that to make Warden a little more interesting, I’ve got to take something that means the world to him. I thought about taking his clubhouse, killing his son, but then I remembered he has a wife.”
Predator tutted. “And we all know no man in this life should have a wife.”
Kim was shoved to the ground and Predator pulled out a gun. He was going to shoot Kim in the head.
Petal didn’t want to see that. Her thoughts quickly went to her best friend. Rosalie had already lost one mother, and Kim was fast turning into Rosalie’s second mother. She thought about the baby, of Warden, of the men at the Satan’s Death Riders MC. None of them would be able to deal with Kim’s death. She didn’t know if it would ruin the club completely, but it was one of those moments she knew they were not going to survive. She could not allow that to happen.
She had to come up with a distraction. The men needed time. Warden would not be sitting on his ass while his wife’s life was on the line, of that she was sure.
She burst out laughing. The sound was completely fake, but she got into it, as it stopped Predator from firing the weapon.
“Stop it,” he said.
She had his attention so she began to laugh. If her hands were not tied behind her back, she’d have attempted to cover her mouth, or done something to help the charade along, but all she could do was laugh and move her body.
Predator didn’t seem to like this as he moved closer to her, and within seconds the gun was pointed to her head. The smile stayed on her lips.
“You’re not laughing now, are you, bitch?”
“You’re so fucking stupid,”
Petal said.
Something clicked at the side of her head, and she didn’t know if it was the safety coming off, him loading it, or what.
“I’m stupid. I’m not the one with the gun pointed at my head.”
She had to stall as long as possible. Long enough for Kim to get away or Warden and his men to come and save them.
“Tell me, where do you get your information?”
Petal asked.
Predator frowned.
She was either going to make an enemy of Kim, or a friend in this next moment.
“What does that have to do with it?”
“You think Warden will come looking for this … bitch?”
She had to change the wording because calling Kim an old crow did not sit well with her. It put the fear right into her. She was terrified.
Petal tilted her head to the side as she saw the briefest doubt enter Predator’s mind. The gun was pressed tighter to her temple.
“Do you think you can fool me?”
“I don’t know, I’ve been fooling Kim for some time now. I mean, come on, Warden and Kim have been married for, like, forever. He wanted some fresh meat, and well, let’s just say, he and I were the real deal.”
She was going to vomit. Staring at Predator, she waited, hoping it would sink in.
“Do you think I’m a fucking idiot?” he asked.
Was it bad that she wanted to tell him she hoped he was? He let her go and turned back to aim the gun at Kim.
“If you want to hurt Warden, you stupid fuck, then you’ve got to kill me. Warden is looking for ways to divorce her ass. He’s been fucking me. If you want to hurt him, I’m the one you need to kill.”
Predator looked at her, and she saw he doubted himself. This was good, better than good. It made her the target. Rosalie would be upset, but at least she wouldn’t be losing another mother. Kim was needed. Petal wasn’t.
“Petal, shut the fuck up,” Kim said.
“I’m the one Warden is fucking. I’m the one he’s spending his nights with. It’s me.”
Predator came toward her, gun pointed directly at her head. “Do you think I’m dumb? Why would you tell me that if you want to be the one to die?”
“Because then we both get what we want, don’t we? Warden will finally learn his lesson from waiting, and you get to take out the woman who’s fucking Warden, who he is really in love with.”
“I have no idea what you’re doing, but Petal, stop.”
Petal glared and looked around Predator. “I don’t have to take orders from you anymore.”
She tried to give Kim a, Shut up, I’m handling it, look, but she wasn’t quite sure it was working.
Fear rushed through her. Her heart raced, but whatever happened today, she was going to save Kim. Kim had to live for the club, for Rosalie, for her parents.
She was grabbed and dragged to kneel directly in front of Kim. They were eye to eye.
“Well, how about we kill you both?”
Predator asked. “That way, Warden can come and see both of the bodies.”
Petal was trying to make him kill her, to give Kim more time to survive. She took a deep breath as the other man got into position, and they were both about to face certain death. Petal didn’t cry. She didn’t know if it was fear or just plain stupidity, but she didn’t cry. Neither did Kim. Blood seeped from the other woman’s mouth from where she’d been slapped.
“Close your eyes,” Kim said.
Petal closed her eyes and she knew this was it, this was happening, and that was when she heard it. The sound of the bikes. There was no gunshot.
“Predator?”
one of the men asked.
“Shit,” he said.
“How the fuck did they find this place?”
“That bitch must have squealed.”
Petal didn’t know who was talking, but she knew this was bad. With the sound of the bikes heading their way, there was not much choice. They were going to be killed.
“Predator, let’s go,”
one of the men said.
Petal kept her eyes closed, but then someone grabbed her around the throat and she tried not to whimper.
“Until next time, Whore.”
Predator licked her cheek but without shooting his gun. He rushed out of the rundown house, and she heard them starting their car.
“What is happening?”
Petal asked.
“They’re running away like fucking cowards.”
Petal turned to watch the roaring engines as the Satan’s Death Riders MC came rushing down that dirt path toward them.
She didn’t care about seeing Warden or Myth, or Colt. There were several other men there, but the one that caught her eye was Dirty.
He’d come to get her.