Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Pandora swallowed. She sat on the edge of the mattress with her hands and feet tied together with her heart in her throat. Of all the places Sully could have taken her, it had to be this place.
The fire.
The rape.
It all came crashing down like a tidal wave.
Blaze had been tied up in a chair about five feet away. He shifted and twisted his body. “Do you know where we are?”
“Yes,” she managed to croak out.
“Where?” Blaze asked.
“Sully’s old house. Where the fire happened. Where I was raped,” she said so softly she wondered if Blaze had heard her.
“That’s good.”
Her eyes grew wide. “How is that good? Do you have any idea what it’s doing to me right now? How I’m feeling right about now? This is the last place I want to be.”
“People will look for us here,” Blaze said.
As if that would make her feel better.
“Why did we ever?—”
“Babe.” He shook his head, then jerked it toward the door. “Trust me. Our fight isn’t over yet.”
“He’s going to kill you.”
“I’m not going to give him the chance.” Blaze continued to shift and squirm.
“You’re fucking tied up. We both are. They are in control. We are not.” She slumped forward. She had wanted to believe Blaze. Wanted to believe that this would work. But how could it? Sully had the guns. Sully held the power.
“Listen to me,” Blaze said, locking gazes with her. “He’s going to come through that door. I’m going to get him talking. No matter what happens, please don’t say anything. Not even if he starts hitting me, because that might be what I want him to do.”
“Are you crazy? That death wish still active?”
Blaze chuckled.
“That’s not funny.”
“No. It’s not. And it’s not true. But seriously, I need you to trust me. I’ve been in this position before; you just need to let me deal with it. I’ve got the upper hand whether it looks like it or not.”
The door rattled.
“Promise me you’ll be quiet.”
“I’ll try,” she managed. But she wasn’t going to sit there and watch him die either.
Blaze needed just a few more minutes to work his hands free. Twice he almost told Pandora about the pocketknife, if only to ease her growing fear. But he couldn’t risk it. If his back had been to her, he would have shown her, but he couldn’t risk moving either.
The door swung open and in strolled Sully with a cocky-ass grin. He held a weapon at his side.
“I really didn’t want it to come to this,” Sully said. “I would have left Pandora alone. She’s a lousy fuck anyway.”
“How would you know? You have to rape women to get any action.” Blaze swallowed the bile that smacked the back of his throat. He twisted his wrists, slicing his skin as he missed the last thread of the rope. He gritted his teeth and tried again. “You lured her out to this house. Trapped her in a fire. Then dragged her out a window, into the woods, beat her, and raped her like the fucking coward that you are.” Blaze didn’t dare steal a glance in Pandora’s direction. He knew the words would slice right to her soul.
“I’m a coward? That’s rich. At least I didn’t let my own flesh and blood die.” Sully inched closer. “Axel. Was that his name?”
Blaze blinked. “Leave my fucking brother out of this.”
“I hit a nerve, didn’t I.” Sully raised his weapon and pressed it against Blaze’s chest. “Doesn’t matter. You’re going to get to see your brother again. Right after you watch me take the woman you’ve been pining for your entire life.” He grinned.
“You touch her and I’m going to kill you. I promise you that.”
“You’re not going to do shit.” Sully raised his weapon and slammed it across Blaze’s face.
It cracked against his cheek. The taste of metal filled his mouth. The blade in his hands dug into his skin. He groaned.
Sully turned on his heel, marching toward Pandora. “You’re going to watch me fuck her good. You’re going to hear her scream, cry, and beg for mercy. But there will be none.” He grabbed her by the hair and licked her face.
Tears rolled down her face. Her eyes were wide with fear.
God, he hated this.
“Get your fucking hands off her.” Blaze worked through the last bit of his restraints. His hands were free, but his feet were not.
“The last time, she begged and begged for me to stop. She cried like a little baby. The strong, independent Pandora is really just a weak, pathetic?—”
“Hey, asshole,” Blaze said. “Your brother knows shit about tying people up and I told you, if you touched her, I’d kill you.” He stood, waving his hands.
“There’s an easy way for me to deal with you.” Sully turned his gun on Blaze and charged.
Pandora screamed.
Blaze reached for the weapon, gripping it with his fingers, and used his body to absorb the impact of Sully’s attack. Both men dropped to the floor.
The chair splintered into pieces, releasing Blaze’s legs.
The wrong end of the weapon pressed against his chest. He threw a punch at Sully’s face. Took one of Sully’s fists to his head. He rolled to his right, trying to dislodge the gun from Sully’s grasp.
But failed.
Bang!
Blaze gasped. A wave of nausea filled his brain. His body went numb. He couldn’t suck in a breath.
Another bloodcurdling scream came from Pandora.
“That will teach you.” Sully stood, dropping the weapon. He strolled over to Pandora. “Where were we?” He tugged at Pandora’s hair.
“Leave me alone,” Pandora whispered. Or maybe she yelled.
Blaze couldn’t be sure anymore.
With all the strength he could muster, he patted the ground until he found the gun. He pushed himself up on one elbow and pointed. “I warned you, you mother fucking prick.” He blinked once and then pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Shooting a man in the back wasn’t his best day. But it wasn’t his worst.
Sully arched, then dropped to his knees, before crumpling to the ground.
Blaze fell backward, clutching his chest. He glanced at his fingers. So much blood. Too much blood.
“Pandora,” he managed as he tried to crawl across the floor, holding his pocket knife. “Can you reach this? We need to get you untied and find a phone. You need to call for help.” He stared at the ceiling. Every breath he took hurt. But didn’t. He tried to heave in a deep breath, but all that happened was one big fat gurgle.
Not good.
“Yes. I’ve got it,” he heard Pandora say.
He no longer had the energy to lift his head and look up to see what she was doing.
“Oh my God. Blaze. We need to stop this bleeding.”
“I know.” He pressed his hand over his chest, but even he knew that wasn’t going to cut it. “Let me see if I can help you out of those…” It hurt to talk.
The floor beneath him rattled.
“Brock! Ethan!” Pandora called. “Thank God you’re here.”
Blaze closed his eyes.
“Stay with me, buddy,” he heard someone say.
But all he wanted to do was sleep, so he went with that.