18. Duel POV – My Blood Runs Cold
EIGHTEEN
DUEL POV – MY BLOOD RUNS COLD
Ivy
A tap on my window startles me, making my heart race. It’s the larger man who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car outside the bar. His gun is aimed directly at my head. I thought I’d left all this behind me. These men are dangerous, and I know they won’t hesitate to pull the trigger. My breath catches painfully as I glance around the desolate parking lot. There’s no one around, just a scattering of parked cars. I silently pray someone will leave the store and notice us soon.
The man motions for me to roll down my window. I steal a glance at Milly, and she gives a small, reluctant nod. With shaky hands, I obey.
His wild eyes send shivers down my spine as he presses the gun to my temple. “Get out,” he seethes. “Both of you. Now.”
“I...” My voice falters. “I thought this was over. I didn’t think you were after me anymore.” My eyes flutter shut for a brief moment, regret washing over me. Jett had wanted to come with me, but by being Little Miss Independent I’ve shot myself in the foot.
“Get out of the car! Now, bitch,” he growls, dragging the last word out menacingly.
Trembling, I reach for the door handle and slowly step out, my movements hesitant and deliberate. One foot at a time. My pulse pounds in my ears.
His gaze shifts to Milly. “You too.”
“She has nothing to do with this,” I blurt out, my words rushed and desperate. “Take me instead.”
“I said, both of you , out!” His voice turns into a feral yell, spit flying as he speaks.
My throat tightens as fear lodges in it. With the gun digging into my back, I feel the cold, unspoken promise of violence. He herds me to their car. I slide into the backseat, followed by Milly. The man shoves me to the middle and slides in next to me; the other man gets into the driver’s seat. Dread swallows me whole as the car begins to move, each passing second a silent torment.
“Are you okay?” I whisper to Milly.
Before she can respond, a sharp sting shoots through my scalp as the man yanks my hair. “No talking,” he growls, his rage clear. The threat is unmissable.
Milly’s hand finds mine. She squeezes it, a rare source of comfort in this waking nightmare. We’re in this together, whether we like it or not.
I try to steady my thoughts, forcing myself to think clearly. Think smart replays in my head. My eyes stay glued to the window as I memorize our route, hoping I’ll have a chance to alert someone or escape.
We pass through the familiar streets of Crown Village and into neighboring Opal Bay, a town I recall seeing on the map when I was deciding where to live. The suburbs give way to dilapidated houses with overgrown yards and boarded-up windows. The farther we drive, the more desolate it becomes.
My stomach churns as we turn onto a bumpy dirt road surrounded by nothing but wilderness. We bounce slightly from side to side. The road is rough, like it isn’t driven along often. I fight the rising urge to be sick. Out here, there’s no one to hear us. The thought hangs heavy in my mind.
The car finally stops outside a battered wooden cabin. The driver gets out and yanks open Milly’s door. The man beside me smirks. “Don’t run. Don’t do anything stupid. Or the other one will pay.” His tone is condescending and sharp like a blade.
Even though terror grips me, a flicker of anger sparks within. His smug, patronizing tone makes me want to lash out and kick him in the balls. But I know better. We both do. He knows our fear for each other’s safety will keep us in line.
We follow their commands, staying silent as we step out of the car and are ushered into the cabin. The air reeks of cigarette smoke and body odor, and the scratched floors and peeling walls only add to my unease. Two single beds sit in the middle of the room, and a closed door at the far end presumably leads to a bathroom. Milly and I take a seat on one of the beds, exchanging a wordless glance.
The larger man’s attention locks on me. “Here’s how this is going to work,” he begins, his voice calm and confident. “We’re going to the ATM. You’ll withdraw money. If it’s not enough, we’re heading to the bank to get more.”
I clasp and unclasp my hands, my palms clammy with sweat. “I already told my ex, and your leader knows this too”—I insist, forcing my voice to stay steady—“I don’t have the money. I’m not involved anymore. Come with me to the ATM, and you’ll see for yourself.”
He steps closer, and the slap comes without warning. Pain explodes across my cheek, and my head jerks to the side. Tears prick my eyes, but I clench my jaw, refusing to let him see me break. Asshole!
“Well,” he says, his voice dripping with malice, “your ex is lying in a hospital bed as we speak. And guess what? We aren’t leaving this town until we get what we came for. We’re not going back empty-handed.”
A flicker of relief crosses my mind at the knowledge that my ex is still alive, though it’s fleeting. Any concern for his well-being is drowned out by my own need to survive.
“I can’t just make the money appear out of thin air,” I blurt out, at once regretting my boldness. My heart races as I realize my defiance has likely signed me up for more pain. I have to survive for my daughter—I have to stay calm and focused.
His greedy gaze shifts to Milly, and my stomach churns as his lips curl into a disturbing grin. Without warning, he grabs her arm and yanks her to his side. She struggles, but he tightens his grip.
“Ah, ah,” he taunts, waving the gun around as if to remind us of who’s in charge. “While you think about how you’re going to get me that money, I think I’ll have some fun with your friend.”
My blood runs cold.
Milly’s face goes white, her body trembling. He drags her toward the closed bathroom door as she screams, “Wait! I’ll give you money! I have money!”
* * *
Demon
My blood pressure is through the roof. It’s been three long hours, and I’m feeling twitchy. While sitting on a stool at the bar, I drain the rest of my beer.
“Jett,” Sammy calls out and runs over to me. “When’s Mommy coming home?”
Ivy hasn’t been out of my sight this whole time, not until I knew she was safe. There’s an uneasy feeling flowing through me. I get off the stool and grab Sammy’s hand. “I’m sure she won’t be long. How about you go play with Conan for a bit and I’ll call your mom?”
She nods her head and skips toward the rear of the house, her brown locks bouncing as she goes.
I call Ivy. I need to hear her voice, but it rings and rings and then rings out. I couldn’t give a shit if I sound like a possessive psycho... I am one. I call again. No answer. My hand clenches around the phone. I immediately bring up Milly’s phone number and call her. The longer it rings, the more the ache in my chest increases. When it rings out, the shiver that racks my body has me striding out in search of Twitch. He’s in the living room. “Get up.”
His eyes widen and he stands. “What’s up?” he asks warily.
“I need you to find Milly’s car’s location.”
His eyes bulge, and without hesitation he rushes to the computer room and is in his seat. He’s typing crazily and using the mouse. “It’s sitting outside Crown Village shopping center, in the parking lot. Why?”
“Locate her phone.”
He turns back and a moment later he says, “It’s in the car. What’s going on?”
I pace and check my phone for the time. “I’ll give them fifteen minutes. If that car doesn’t move by then I’m going to check on them.”
He grabs my arm firmly. “I’m coming.”
I stop, surprised. He never gets involved in conflict unless he has to, though I guess it is Milly. “You stay here. You can monitor the car and phone.”
He stands to his full height. Shoulders back. His expression’s lethal, unlike anything I’d ever seen. He confronts me aggressively and shouts, “Don’t fucking tell me what to do. I’m coming. I can check everything on my phone.”
My lip quirks. “Okay, then.” I’ve never seen him so psyched up before. Good. With him by my side, sharing the same sentiment, we’ll go to war against these assholes.
We wait. Twitch’s eyes are glued to the computer screen. I’m checking my phone every two minutes. It seems like an eternity before the fifteen minutes are up. Once it’s finished, we tear ass through the house.
“Woah,” Bomber yells out. I hear his heavy footsteps rushing after us. “What’s going on?”
We stop. His eyes search ours. There’s tension in his body from whatever he sees.
I clench my teeth. “We’re wasting time, we’ve got to go.”
“The fuck you are. You look like you’re going to kill someone and you”—he looks at Twitch—“what’s wrong?”
“We’re worried about Milly and Ivy. We’re just going to check on them.”
I shake my head. Twitch and his big mouth.
Bomber opens his mouth to talk. “No,” I straight up say to him. “We don’t have time for a club meeting. Me and Twitch need to go now !”
“Okay, you two go. Do you want us to follow?” Bomber asks.
“We’ve got it,” I reply. “We’ll call if that changes.”
“Keep me updated. I’ll warn Reaper. We’ll be ready in case you need us.”
It reminds me why I’m proud to be a War Brothers MC member. We’d give our lives for each other and the people we care about.
“We will,” Twitch replies.
“Try not to kill anyone,” I hear Bomber yell out as we rush out the front door. He knows me better than that. I make no promises. We start up our bikes and race to Milly’s car.
With a heart pounding so hard that it’s getting bruised against my rib cage, I park next to Milly’s car, swing my leg over, and peer inside. They aren’t here. I pull the handle. The car’s unlocked. I hear Twitch pull up behind me. Peering inside the car, I see both Milly and Ivy’s bags.
Twitch dashes around the car. “Where are they?” he yells, and I feel his rage all the way down to my bones.
I open Ivy’s bag to see her phone and wallet, and I know they’ve been taken. Suddenly, it’s like there’s a dagger against my throat and I’m struggling to breathe. The angels will cry when I rip this world apart to find her, because there’s nothing I won’t do for Ivy.
“Give me the number of that fucking loan shark leader,” I order Twitch in a menacing voice.
Twitch goes through his phone, then puts it to his ear. “Abraham, it’s Twitch from the War Brothers MC. Where are they?” His temper and voice both rise.
Striding to Twitch, I grab the phone and hear the man say. “Watch your tone. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I take a breath to speak clearly, but my voice is strained. “Your men have taken Ivy and another woman that’s a part of our MC family. Where are they?”
There’s a pause. “It was no order from me.” His voice is defensive. “They did it on their own accord. I’ll call them. They disregarded my agreement with your club, so I’ll send you their address if I can get hold of them.”
“I am going to kill them.” Have no doubt about that. I touch the handle of my knife in its sheath on the waistband of my jeans. I want to fuck their faces with my knife until I see a river of blood, and I’ll do it all with no guilt on my conscience.
“Did he tell you?” Twitch is quick to ask.
I shake my head. “Not yet. He needs to get a hold of them. We can’t wait. We need to find Ivy and Milly now. Did you end up finding out if anything happened to Ivy’s ex?” Is he with them, dead, or still in town? If he is alive, he’d be severely beaten by now, hanging on to life or... “Maybe try the hospital to see if he’s there.” If we can find him, maybe he could help us.
“I never heard anything. I’ll call the hospital now.” He brings his phone to his face. “Yeah, hi, it’s Richard Jesmond’s brother. A relative told me he is in the Crown Village hospital. Can you check for me? I’d like to pay him a visit.”
There’s a pause. “What level and room was that?” He waits for a reply, then a hint of a smirk curls the corner of his lips. “Thanks for that. I’ll be seeing him soon.”
My chest loosens at his words.
We get on our bikes and race out of there. It isn’t long until we get to the hospital and we’re striding through the sliding doors and into the air conditioning, though it does little to ease the burning of my skin.
“What level?” I ask.
“Two.”
Twitch pokes the up button at the elevator multiple times as if that will make it go faster. The minute drags on as my mind tortures me. What if we’re too late and they’re already dead? The elevator pings and the doors open. Wide-eyed people walk around us as they get out and we step inside.
When we reach the right level, the doors open and we step outside. I follow Twitch as he walks with long, fast strides, looking up at the room numbers. He turns into one of the rooms, and I see the useless piece of shit covered in bruises and bandages, lying on the hospital bed. In three strides I’m at his bedside. He gasps loudly, and I pull my arm back and slam it into his jaw. I hold back just enough to make sure he feels the threat but isn’t left unconscious. He cups his jaw and scrambles back into the bed.
“Now that I’ve gotten your attention, you pathetic excuse of a human being”—I spit venom—“where were you staying in Crown Village when you were with the men from the loan sharking group?”
He swallows hard. “We didn’t stay in Crown Village.”
“Where did you stay then?” Twitch ask, his voice hostile.
“The suburb next to here...” his lip trembles. “It was out of town in a cabin.”
I peer at Twitch, who cocks his head. “Opal Bay?”
Ivy’s ex frantically nods. “That’s it.”
Twitch pulls up his phone, looking at maps. “There are a few cabins out that way.”
“It’s the first cabin when you reach the dirt road.”
“They’ve taken Ivy and a friend of ours. If they are hurt”—I put my hand on his and twists until he screeches—“I’ll come back and skin you alive.”
He lets out a sigh when I let go. His eyes are watery like he might cry. “They took Ivy?” he whispers.
Twitch chuckles. “Are you seriously that dumb? What did you think would happen to her when you implicated her and she doesn’t have the money to pay?” He puts his hand up “Don’t even answer that.” He looks at me. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t ever come around Ivy or Sammy again or you’ll be six feet under.” He failed Ivy and Sammy, but I won’t.