Chapter 34
Katarina
My eyes fluttered open as my body jostled. My head was pounding where something, or someone, had struck me, just behind my ear. Looking around, I gasped when I saw Mama Hen next me. At least they’d removed the sack from over my head.
My body leaned and my arms tried to reach out, but I quickly learned I was bound and buckled in. They’d zip tied my wrists from the feel of it, but made sure to lock my seatbelt in place.
“Mama Hen,” I said, not bothering to whisper since we were in an SUV. She didn’t move. “If something happens to us–”
“Oh, I know,” Jeannie said from the passenger seat. “Don’t worry. She’s just napping, like you were. She’ll come to soon enough. I can’t believe she can sleep through this.”
The SUV slowly climbed a winding dirt path, riddled with rocks and exposed roots.
It rocked back and forth, everyone inside swaying along with it.
The path was lined with tall pines, and the SUV was practically kissing the trees on either side.
It wasn’t much wider than a golf cart path, or maybe an ATV path, considering a golf cart would never make it up the incline or terrain.
“Where is this place?” I asked, starting to feel queasy from the jostling and not having control of my hands.
“A holding area of sorts. But don’t worry. You’ll be comfortable.”
“He’ll come for us,” I deadpanned.
Jeannie turned to look at me. “Oh, I’m counting on it.” The grin she plastered on was chilling.
A clearing ahead revealed a cabin and a storage building.
The building was similar to our garages with metal walls, no windows, but a large rolling door.
The cabin was cherry log with a long porch that held matching rocking chairs and potted ferns by the top steps.
It was very cute and rustic-chic. It would be a perfect mountain getaway with beautiful foliage and completely hidden from the road or any other people.
Except it didn’t bode well for me and Mama Hen that it was completely hidden from the road or other people.
I had no idea how long I’d been out, either, so I wasn’t sure how far from the clubhouse we were.
I was new to Georgia, and even knowing we were at a mountain didn’t mean much.
There were mountains not far from the clubhouse, but there was also a stretch of them across North Georgia.
We really could be anywhere. What if we weren’t even in Georgia?
The large man wearing a decent suit parked the vehicle, got out, and opened my door. When he leaned in, I gasped. “I know you.” He was part of the Martinelli family. But I wasn’t sure of his name. Just that I’d seen him before.
He unbuckled my seatbelt, then tugged on my arm. My feet landed awkwardly on the gravel, but I looked into the SUV at Mama Hen. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something black. Turning my head, there was another SUV and more men piled out.
My mouth fell open. It was Leo Mancini. He was one of Martinelli’s top men. I’d seen him plenty of times, and knew who he was.
“Hello, princess,” he said with a heavy Bronx accent as he approached. His dark hair was cropped short but still combed neatly. He was closer to Papa’s age. Even though he was more fit than Papa, he looked much older with hanging jowls and deep frown lines. “Never thought I’d see you here.”
“I could say the same. Does your boss know you’re in league with this woman?
” I asked, feigning overconfidence but asking questions to keep them talking as much as I could.
Surely Hawk would discover I was gone soon enough, so I just had to buy some time.
Plus, I genuinely wanted to know what was happening and why.
Leo grinned, motioning for someone to get Mama Hen out of the SUV before shoving his hands in his pockets. “Curious one. Didn’t your father teach you any manners?”
“Hey, enough chatting,” Jeannie said. “Get them inside.”
“Hey doll, I know you’re used to calling the shots, but look where that got you. Watch your mouth,” he told her.
Jeannie squared her shoulders and glared at him a few beats, then walked inside.
The man who got me out of the SUV tugged on my arm, leading me toward the door. Once up the stairs, I looked back. Someone was carrying Mama Hen toward us.
“Be careful with her!” I yelled down.
“You broads all got some big balls,” my escort said as he pushed me through the door.
“Bigger than yours,” I replied.
He shoved me again, and laughed when I almost lost my footing. He pushed me down to the sofa and I shimmied to right myself. The inside was well furnished and well maintained.
An old woodburning stove was tucked into the corner with a basket of logs next to it.
A TV hung on the wall along with framed pictures of various wildlife.
The coffee table and end tables were well crafted mahogany, a buffalo plaid wingback sat opposite an navy oversized chair, and I had been pushed onto a matching sofa.
There was a second floor across one wall but the ceiling in the living area was vaulted with wooden beams that were likely just for show.
As I looked around, Mama Hen was finally carried inside and plopped next to me.
“Fix her now,” I demanded as she lay awkwardly on the couch.
The man huffed, but Jeannie walked over behind the sofa and pulled her until she was upright, her head rolling to the back of the sofa. She pressed a hand to her neck and shrugged. “She’s alive. They must have really rang her bell.”
A small sense of relief washed over me with that confirmation, but it was short lived. “Why even help her?” I asked.
Jeannie walked around and sat in the wingback. “Nostalgia, maybe?” She shrugged as she settled in. “Honestly, I sort of got used to her.”
“We’re going to prep the next group. We’ll leave some guards behind,” Leo said. “But have your shit ready, and don’t take your sweet time when one of them tells you it’s time to go.”
Jeannie’s jaw clenched again. But she didn’t argue, just glared at the man.
The man that brought me inside was lingering around and everyone else filed outside. Engines turned over before numerous doors closed and gravel crunched as they pulled away.
She sighed and pulled out her phone.
I glanced around, wondering if it was only the one man and her in here with us. It would be helpful to know how many were outside, too. Leo just said some. That could be ten or three. Three I could handle. Ten was questionable. Maybe if Mama Hen was awake, but as such, she seemed knocked out.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Jeannie said, not looking up from her phone.
“Would you like to chat?” I asked.
“I just assumed you’d be full of questions.” She finally put her phone down.
“You know what they say about assuming. And if anyone is full of anything, it’s you.”
She grinned. “Yeah, I’ve been full of Hawk several times.”
Rolling my eyes, I said sarcastically, “Oh no. My biker husband fucked women before he met me. Whatever shall I do?”
“Are you sure it was only before?”
“Jeannie, Gianna, whatever, obviously you need to talk. So fine. I’ll bite. Why? Why are we here?”
“He has a great cock,” she said with a smirk.
“Yes, he does. What is the point of trying to make me jealous? If I’m right, you plan to kill me soon, anyway. Which leads me back to why are we here? And I’ll go ahead and add a follow up of why haven’t you killed us yet?”
“You were a small, unexpected problem. But I was told to keep you alive. Apparently, my family still has a place for you.”
I blinked slowly as I stared at her. “I’m already married. And very well used at this point.”
Jeannie’s head cocked. “I wasn’t happy about it. And if I’m put in a position to save my own life, well, I’d rather ask for forgiveness than permission.”
“No marriage would be legal. And I’d die before I let you take me.”
“Oh, don’t worry. You won’t be married much longer. Well, do they consider widows still married?” She tapped her index finger to her lips. “I think on paper not married, but maybe in your heart.”
“You’ll never kill Hawk,” I said, jutting my chin out.
“Nobody thought Raven could be killed, either. Not even him.”
My heart sped up. “It was you, then. You killed Raven?”
“Did I pull the trigger?” Her voice was almost playful. “No. I wasn’t in the car.”
“But you made sure it was done? Why? What does Destiny’s Enforcers have to do with the Martinellis?”
Jeannie’s eyes squinted as her smirk turned sinister. “This wasn’t about that family. It was about mine.”
My brows pinched. “But Leo? The others?”
Jeannie let out a heavy sigh. “They’re just helpers.”
I couldn’t help but cackle. “Right. Look, I’m a woman directly related to the head of the family. Even I don’t get helpers. You’re in trouble. They’re not here to help you. They’re here to clean up your mess. So what happened?”
“Fuck you, princess. You don’t know shit,” Jeannie said as she stood up. Her palm connected to my cheek. It was weak but stung all the same.
“Hey,” the man behind me called over. “Leo said don’t touch her.”
“Fuck you, too, Mike.”
They bickered back and forth, and I knew I was right. Leo was calling the shots now. And it was pissing her off.
Jeannie paced on the other side of the coffee table.
I needed them to keep fighting. I started working to tighten the zip ties as much as I could manage when she seemed distracted.
The tighter they were, the easier to bust them.
I could only hope I didn’t injure my wrists badly if I got the chance to do it.
Wanting to egg them on once I got them as tight as I could, I joked, “Must be frustrating that they’re taking over your little operation.”
Jeannie kept pacing, seemingly unbothered.
“I don’t understand, though. If I’m just a thorn in your side, what was the next move? You killed Raven, but wanted his son? For what, I wonder,” I said more than asked with a curious tone.
She continued going back and forth but her strides were getting shorter and her chest rose and fell more quickly.
“Surely you didn’t just have the desire to be an Old Lady. With your family, you’d have been easily married to one of Martinelli’s men and lived a fairly soft life. So why the MC?”
There was a huff from behind me, so I glanced over my shoulder. The man was smirking, staring at Jeannie. Looking back at her, she glared at him briefly but then continued walking back and forth.
“Hmm.” I paused, replaying my last statement. “Nobody wanted you. But why? You’re beautiful, and at one point, were young.”
The man was stifling a laugh but doing a poor job at it.
Jeannie’s fists balled and she stopped. Redness bloomed over her face.
“Hey, with the work you’ve had done, you could easily pass for my age, and it’s not like you’re that old.” Jeannie’s glare moved from the man to me, so I poked the bear again. “Although, they wouldn’t be as keen on someone who’s been ridden through by a bunch of bikers.”
“Katya–” she started, disdain dripping from her words, but I interrupted.
“Katarina.”
“Excuse me Princess Katarina, but I was never looking to be married off like cattle, being sold to the highest bidder.”
“It’s very seldom a monetary transaction, Gianna,” I shot back. “It’s loyalty, tying families together, it’s…” A Cheshire grin spread over my face. “You’re not really part of the family.”
The man sniffed behind me.
Jeannie’s jaw worked side to side for a few seconds, but she kept her mouth shut.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh my God, your mother got knocked up, didn’t she? You’re a bastardess.”
“Don’t speak about my mother,” she gritted. “You don’t know anything, princess.”
“Not judging. But you and I both know the families frown upon such things. It is a shame that you’re blamed for the sins of your mother.”
Jeannie rushed over, the back of her hand whipping across my face. That time, she got me good, and my head jerked with her follow through.
But the man from behind me made quick work of grabbing her. She struggled as he bear-hugged her, dragging her away from me.
Assessing him, he had an automatic assault rifle strapped on and a handgun on his side.
There was something in his pocket that I’d guess was a decent sized pocket knife, maybe even a switchblade.
It wasn’t a wallet for sure, and was more narrow than a clip, but he clearly had one of those in the other pocket.
I had gone to the shooting range several times over the years, but that was with a .
380 since it wasn’t too large for my grip, but still carried a little weight and plenty of power.
His appeared to be at least a .45, but I’d be able to fire it if given the chance.
I’d seen some rifles, but didn’t shoot many, and certainly couldn’t tell what kind it was.
If needed, I could probably figure out the safety if it was loaded.
But if I messed up my wrists breaking the bonds, I may not be able to steady it very well.
Same for the knife. I was very handy with a blade, but if my wrists were injured, it could make it difficult, but not impossible.
The man dragged Jeannie through the kitchen and out the back door. They were shouting outside when Mama Hen said, “Hey.”
I nearly fell off the sofa and yelped. Then pressure filled my face and I tried to swallow down the lump. “You’re okay,” I managed to get out as I adjusted myself.
“Shhh. Of course I am. That idiot got me good but didn’t knock me out.”
“Well, you could’ve fooled me. And I was knocked out.” I almost got in my feels about the way she said that, but then instead I asked, “Wait. If you’ve been aware this whole time, do you think you know where we are?”
She looked back. “Maybe an hour or so from the clubhouse. We need to keep her talking. Buy some time.”
Looking back, they were still bickering outside.
I made it to my feet, leaned forward, then slammed my bound hands over my back.
The first time didn’t do much but hurt. But after two more tries with as much force as I could muster, the zip ties busted.
Looking back, I told her, “Stand up.” She stood and I looked around. “Do you think you can–”
Pop. “Ain’t my first rodeo, hon. But we need her to keep talking. Grab those,” she said, looking at my zip ties as she picked up her own and sat down. “We gotta act like we’re still bound and get her to fess up.”
“Shit.” I grabbed my broken zip tie, then sat back down. “I was ready to go do what I should have last night. Are you going to pretend to sleep again?”
“No, if she asks, you used the opportunity when they walked outside to try to wake me. I can act groggy.”
Grinning, I said, “If I had to be kidnapped, there’s no one I’d rather be with than you.”
“Ha. We’ll see if ya feel that way later.”
“What if they try to move us? They’ll see we aren’t bound anymore.”
Mama Hen’s lips thinned. “Then we fight like hell and hope for the best. But someone should be here soon, even if it’s not Hawk.”