Chapter 4
Chapter Four
L ondyn
Londyn’s heart beat like a wild thing.
She took a deep breath and expelled the air in a measured release. The key was to focus on not gulping in another panicked breath. That would only lead to an episode of hyperventilation. And that must be avoided if she had any chance of getting as far away from this place as possible. With a determination born of desperation, she went through the calming technique a second time, gratified when her persistence paid off.
Her heartrate leveled out, a sense of calmness seeping through her body. Now that her initial burst of frantic reaction was subsiding, she could think with a bit more clarity, although her brain still felt addled from the drugs they’d injected her with. She had enough of her wits to assess the situation. And, more importantly, figure out a way to escape. Convulsively, she swallowed as she touched the collar still around her neck. It was tight enough that she could not get a finger between it and the skin of her throat. It felt like she was choking, even though she knew she wasn’t.
I must get away from here…
But how? They have my driver’s license. I have no money, no transportation, no cell phone, and, for God’s sake, no shoes.
She glanced down at her feet. They were already scratched and bleeding, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Thank God she’d spent her childhood traipsing barefoot around the Georgia countryside. Hopefully, it had toughened her up enough to survive.
She’d taken refuge beneath a small ridge of stone not too far from the clearing where she’d been set loose earlier. If the men chasing her shared anything in common with the parade of Neanderthal boyfriends her mother had accumulated while she was alive, they would not expect her to circle back to the source of danger. It was a maneuver she and her sister employed many times in those dark years of escaping hard, grippy hands and cruel fingers. How many times had they both slept in the woods on the outskirts of the trailer park? Waiting in the darkness for the clumsy, unkempt animal chasing them to give up and head back so he could settle on her momma’s sagging couch, cold beer in hand.
Outwitting those monsters and staying just beyond their reach as she grew from child to young woman was an accomplishment. More than that, it was a testament to her resiliency and will to live. And to Paris, too. Without her older sister, Londyn knew she would not have made it out of her nightmare childhood in one piece and physically unscathed.
I will outsmart them all. I must… There’s no other option. I have to get back to Georgia somehow. For Paris’s sake…
Her best hope lay in finding a vehicle, which meant doubling back to the ranch house or one of the outlying buildings. At the very least, she could follow the ranch’s entrance road until it connected with a highway. Hitchhiking out of the area was not ideal, but it would be the only option available if she could not find a car with the keys left inside.
Taking another deep breath and slowly letting it out, Londyn listened to the silence of the night surrounding her. A pale half-moon provided her with very little light, but it was enough that she could make out the trail just below her hiding spot. If anyone ventured close, she’d see them first.
Her fingers found and closed around a rock small enough to fit within the palm of her hand. She squeezed it until the rough edges bit into her skin while considering her options. What kind of damage could such a meager weapon inflict? Was it enough to knock a man out? Enough to buy a few precious seconds to escape?
A gun would be better… like the one she used to kill her escort during the journey to this damned ranch.
A shudder raced through Londyn. The details of the incident were fuzzy, but she’d never forget the look of surprise on the man’s face when his hand clamped over the hole in his side. The blood that dripped from the wound onto her bare stomach began as a hot liquid, only to cool quickly into a sticky mess that left her chilled.
She hadn’t meant to murder him; it just… happened. He had attacked her with the finesse of an experienced rapist, and she reacted blindly. Protecting the only thing of value she owned was paramount. If she arrived at the ranch in a condition less than promised, it would have affected the amount of money she was supposed to receive.
She did what was necessary to keep it from being stolen, but the people in charge did not seem to care about any of that. In fact, this turn of events seemed to suit them just fine. They would double the anticipated amount and not have to pay her the previously agreed-upon price. They would keep it all , and she would eventually lose her life.
“Girl.”
A man’s voice boomed in the night, the single word bouncing off the trees and the boulders. Londyn stifled a gasp and crouched lower, squeezing herself into the crevice under the ledge. She could not see who called out, but he sounded very close.
Peering through the darkness, she focused on the part of the trail she could see from her elevated advantage point. It was still empty, with no sign of movement or sound. Even the wind had died down, leaving everything motionless, silent, and limp.
How she wanted to scream at him. Rage and cry and hurt him as she’d been hurt. Londyn! She ached to tell them all. My name is Londyn.
It took all her willpower to hold her breath, fighting to keep the terror inside her. Twigs crunched on the forest floor, and the rustle of bushes as someone pushed through them signaled the man was coming closer. The sounds echoed in the vast space, making it difficult to tell which direction he came from.
“Girl… if you can hear me, I want you to listen very closely to what I’m about to say,” the man explained.
His voice sounded calm. Smooth. Londyn wondered if he could hear her heart pounding. It was beating so hard that she was becoming dizzy. Was it a side effect of the drugs they’d pumped into her to make her more compliant during the auction? Was it from the injection they’d given her just before the hunt began? The guard chuckled when telling her she would be slower and clumsier.
“Of the two of us, I promise you’ll be better off if I am the one to catch you. I’ll treat you like a queen,” the man crooned. “Cater to your whims. Fuck you until you are certain you will die from the pleasure. My opponent, well—he is another story. Take my word on it. He’s a monster who enjoys hurting women. Loves making them cry and beg for mercy. I’m the better choice of the two. Come on out, honey. Let me take you back to the main house. We’ll get you cleaned up. Feed you. Get you some warm clothes…”
There was still no movement on the trail, but through the thick underbrush, there was a sweep of illumination that could only come from a flashlight. Whoever it was, they were nearer than she liked. Panic galloped through Londyn. She clutched her inadequate protection harder, taking comfort in the unforgiving hardness of the stone in the palm of her hand. She decided she would wait until he moved past before continuing toward the main house. Hopefully, both men out there, hunting her as if she were a prized game animal, would continue trekking deeper into the forest in their effort to find her. She crept out from under the safety of the ledge, her eyes trained on the distant illumination of the flashlight.
God, please don’t let them catch me. Please help me get away from this awful place and these awful men. These monsters.
There was silence. Thick. Encompassing. Scary. Then, the world came crashing down on Londyn. At least it felt like it, anyway.
“Caught ya.”
Londyn screamed in terror as the man gripped a handful of her hair, using it to drag her out of her hiding spot. Once she was on level ground, he dropped the flashlight and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing until she could not breathe. His laughter was cruel as she struggled to free herself. When she managed to knock the devil mask slightly askew, he grunted and wrangled her into a position where her arms were tightly pinned against her sides.
“What a hellcat you are!” His chuckle turned into a surprised yelp when Londyn kicked backward, her heel connecting with his knee. “Vicious, too.” He released her just long enough to spin her around so he could backhand her across the face. “We’ll have to do something about that.” His hand, scarred and ugly, gripped her chin. Holding her still, he glared down at her, his features hidden behind the mask’s grotesque visage. “Now, let’s get these zip ties on, get you back to the ranch, and make this official.”
With a strength she didn’t realize she possessed, Londyn swung the rock at the man’s head. Gripping it like it was her only salvation, it collided with his temple, knocking the mask completely off. Even in the diluted light of the moon, the surprise on his face was apparent. Blood trickled from a cut left behind by the weapon’s sharp edge.
“You little bitch,” he snarled. “You’re gonna pay for that.”
He struck Londyn again, knocking her to the ground. The rock fell from her hand, lost in the sooty darkness. Then he was on her, his hands ripping at the sports bra, pulling and tugging the jogging pants she’d been permitted to wear. Guttural, animal-like sounds came from deep in his throat as he tore at her clothes.
Londyn fought back even though she was becoming dizzy and disoriented from his blows.
“Fucking chasing you through these goddamn woods for almost an hour…” the man growled. He tore the jogging pants off her and used his body to pry her legs apart while trying to catch her mouth with his. Locking her hands in a tight grip, he wrenched them high above her head and pinned them in the dirt. When she tried bucking him off her body, he reared back with an ugly laugh. The moonlight caught on the gray streaks in his hair as he quickly unfastened his pants. Feeling the hot length of his cock searing the inside of her thigh, Londyn screamed again.
“That’s what I want to hear…” he laughed. “I like it. Do it ag?—”
Thud.
The man’s eyes widened in shock. Londyn stared up at him, uncomprehending when the attack abruptly stopped.
Thud.
Again, that sound.
The man slumped forward slowly andthen toppled sideways, trapping Londyn’s legs beneath his weight. She tried to scoot out from under him, but he was too heavy. She was trapped. Trapped and choking on hysterical sobs as a shadow loomed, growing larger and more ominous by the second.
No. Not a shadow but the Devil himself, with shoulders broad enough to block out the moonlight and clad in a midnight-black tuxedo. A tousled mess of dark-brown hair fell over the edge of his terrifying skull mask, and a jawline of chiseled perfection was evident when his attention turned to the fallen man. Gripped in one of his large hands was a heavy, tactical-type flashlight identical to the one Londyn’s attacker carried. In the faint glow of the moon, she saw tattoos on his fingers but could not make out what they were.
Using his boot, the man kicked the injured man aside. Startled by her sudden freedom, Londyn belatedly tried scrambling away as the man’s firm mouth curved into a cruelly amused smile. He watched her for a few seconds, apparently entertained by her reaction, before tucking the bloodied flashlight into his back pocket. Stooping, he silently grabbed her by the ankles, his fingers wrapping neatly around the delicate network of narrow bones and using his grip to jerk her closer.
Zip ties appeared in his hand. The hazy part of Londyn’s brain registered his actions. With quick, efficient movements, as though he’d done this thousands of times before, the man flipped her onto her stomach and securely tethered her hands behind her back.
“Let’s go, little killer.” His voice was low and melodic as he hauled her up onto her feet, pressing his body against her back. His cologne teased her nose. Sharp and clean. Like the winter air spiked with pine needles and cardamon. Stronger than iron, his grip was impossible to break.
Londyn screamed in frustration. When the man clamped a hand over her mouth to shut her up, she promptly bit him, her teeth sinking into his skin.
He allowed the assault for a few seconds then, with terrifying calm, yanked his hand free. Drawing her closer, his mouth skimmed her ear; his breath warm, his words chilling. Pressed against his body was like being held to an open flame. He was so hot. Londyn nearly melted into him, her icy skin delighting in the unexpected warmth of his embrace.
“Do that again and I’ll have the absolute pleasure of fucking you and killing you on this very spot. Do you understand?”
Londyn stomped her foot on top of his in response, hating that his amused chuckle frightened her more than any uttered threats.
“You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you? Guess I need to take you down a notch,” he murmured. “You still want to play this pointless game of cat and mouse? All right. I can do that. I’ll let you go. Give you a head start and hunt you again. But know this. When I catch you—and I will catch you—I’ll fuck you. Hard. Without mercy or kindness. Right here in the dirt.” He kicked the body of the fallen man, eliciting a pained groan from him. “With this fucker watching.”
“Let me go,” Londyn seethed.
“Want to get fucked that badly, do you?” Trailing his hand over her neck and the leather collar, he gripped it suddenly, pressing his thumb against the underside of her chin until her head was forced back. The night sky filled her vision. An endless, vast expanse of darkness punctuated with glittering stars and the watery light of a silver moon.
“I want you to go to Hell,” she snarled, throwing caution to the wind while an uncontrollable quiver somewhat ruined the ferocity of her words.
His laughter burned her ear, his lips tracing the curve of her neck as she strained away from him. “We’ll go together. It’ll be fun.”
She did not respond to that. Something in his tone told her this man was well acquainted with Hell.
“Ah, you going quiet on me now?” he chided.
“There’s little sense in talking when you have no intention of listening.” Londyn clenched her teeth as his hand drifted from her neck to her stomach. He kept her positioned with her back to his front, and although he still wore the skull mask, she stupidly wished she could see his face.
“He ripped your pants.”
Londyn frowned at the iciness of her captor’s statement. Honestly, she’d forgotten the state of her clothing until he mentioned it. Now, as if her body needed the reminder, she shivered uncontrollably. “Yes.”
“He broke the rules,” was his gruff response. His large hand splayed across the bare skin of her stomach, his fingers gently stroking her and familiarizing himself with her curves. Inexplicably, he abruptly stripped off his elegant formal jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
She didn’t want to, but Londyn huddled into its warmth. “You cheated, too,” she mumbled, the adrenaline of the chase and the innate desire for survival quickly wearing off. Suddenly, she was so very tired. Exhausted, cold, hungry, and thirsty.
“There are no rules against my actions, but he would have raped you before being declared the winner.” The injured man chose that moment to groan, and Londyn’s captor shifted to him. His amused laughter tickled her ear as he tugged her even closer. “Can’t say I’m terribly sorry about this turn of events, Barlow,” he said to the man who was now pushing himself up to a sitting position. “Better luck next time.”
“Fuck you, Oliver,” Barlow muttered, glaring up at them. Noting the jacket slung over Londyn’s shoulders, he smirked. “I should have known you were stalking us both.”
“Now, now. Don’t be such a sore loser. It’s poor sportsmanship.” The man gripped Londyn’s wrists, turning her away from Barlow’s stare and pushing her toward the narrow trail. “I hope you won’t forget I showed you mercy,” he called over his shoulder, his voice chipper as though he’d just won a game of bingo rather than ownership of an unwilling woman. “I just as easily could have bashed your head in, and no one would have blamed me.”