CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CODIE
The warehouse looked completely different while empty and lit up with bright fluorescent overhead lights.
I sat in the middle of the room, tied to a wooden chair.
Everything had happened so fast. One minute I’d been waiting for my ride.
The next I’d been tossed into a vehicle against my will and brought here.
Noah and Colt were far too impressed with themselves. They were certain they could use me to lure Stray to the warehouse. I tried to tell them that he didn’t care about me. That there was nothing between us anymore. They weren’t buying it.
Once they went through my phone and found some messages between my friends and me about Stray, they became even more convinced I was their ticket to getting what they wanted. I’d made the mistake of texting about the dark fantasy game we’d been playing.
“So you like being tied up, do you?” Colt taunted, grabbing my chin in his hand. “You must be loving this. I’d be happy to fulfill some dark fantasies for you, Codie. Right after we get your boyfriend here. Maybe he would like to watch.”
Colt ran his rough thumb over my bottom lip, smearing my lipstick down my chin. His touch made me shudder, disgust burning hot in the glare I fired at him.
“Everything about you makes me sick,” I spat. “I would never touch you.”
He shrugged, unfazed by my ire. “Yeah, but that’s how you like it, right? You like to be forced.”
The malicious gleam in Colt’s blue eyes made bile rise in my throat. I knew plenty of girls who thought he was hot and would have done anything to get with him. Hell no. He was a sick son of a bitch who deserved everything the Graveyard Kings were going to do to him.
I jerked my chin from his grasp. “Don’t fucking touch me, you creep.”
“That’s right, baby,” he laughed. “Tell me what I want to hear. Put up a fight. It’s not going to stop me from doing whatever I want with you.”
“Settle down, Colt.” Noah stood across the room near the bar, pouring himself a drink. “Don’t get too carried away. Stray will be here soon.”
“No reason we can’t have some fun with her until then.” Producing the knife he’d held to my throat for the picture they sent to Stray, Colt pressed the tip to my face beneath my eye. “Since the Kings broke Damon’s arm, I’d say we owe them a broken body part or two. What do you think, Codie?”
Absolute terror gripped me. I refused to let Colt know how much he scared me. He was a fucking loser who got off on terrorizing me. This was nothing like what Stray and I had engaged in together. This was a pathetic attempt at power. Stray didn’t have to try so hard to be powerful and in control.
“I think that anything you do to me will only dig your graves that much faster.” I held Colt’s gaze, staring hard at him. The sharp point of the knife bit into my skin, making me hold my breath.
“Those are some pretty brave words. I thought you would be begging by now. I’ve got to say, I’m a little disappointed.” Colt affected a dramatic pout.
I wanted so badly to tell him to go fuck himself but feared the knife pressed to my face. Noah watched from where he stood with his drink. Slowly, he ambled toward us.
“It’s a real shame you had to get caught up in all of this, Codie,” Noah said. “You shouldn’t have come to us about Stray. All you did was tell us that you meant something to him. Now look where you are.”
He was right. I already knew that I’d fucked up. I’d had no idea that I was playing right into their hands, making myself a target. After the way Stray had treated me tonight, I didn’t expect him to show up for me.
“What are you going to do if Stray decides I’m not worth it?
I told you that he and I aren’t a thing anymore.
He doesn’t want anything to do with me.” I looked past Colt to Noah, hoping he was the more rational of the two.
Damon wasn’t here, most likely due to his recently broken arm.
I doubted that he’d have been any better than these two were.
“You say that. Maybe it’s true. Maybe it isn’t.
There’s only one way to find out.” As Noah drew closer, he touched the gun shoved into the waist of his jeans.
“We owe the Kings. A life for a life. It would be unfortunate if that was you. That will be up to Stray. If he doesn’t show, then we do whatever we have to. ”
The hatred I felt for these idiots burned all the way to the soles of my feet.
The chair was uncomfortable and hard, making my back ache.
They’d tied me with ropes around my torso, securing me to the back of the chair.
My ankles had also been tied to the chair legs. They’d gone to an awful lot of trouble.
“You’re absolutely desperate, aren’t you?” I asked. “You know that you can never win this war with the Kings. You’re making desperate moves now. Doing stupid shit that will only get you killed that much faster.”
I really should’ve kept my mouth shut. However, it wasn’t in my nature to allow bullies to have the upper hand. I’d always been quick to call someone out for their shitty behavior. I couldn’t stop now.
Noah chuckled. He sipped his drink, eyeing me with cold derision. “You’ve got quite the attitude. I can see why Stray likes you so much. Might want to bite your tongue, or I’ll have Colt cut it out.”
“Oh yeah? You can’t do the dirty work yourself?” Silently I dared Noah to make a move. Not because I wanted him to, but because I didn’t believe that he would.
My mistake.
He moved fast. Without spilling his drink, he snatched the knife from Colt’s hand and brutally dragged it along my cheek. I felt the skin split. The blood warm as it spilled down my face and dripped onto my lap. Afraid that the next slice would be across my throat, I kept my mouth shut.
“What’s wrong, Codie? Got nothing to say now? I guess I’m not as gutless as you thought. Have you forgotten what we do? I’ve killed people for less than what you’ve done.” Crouching down to stare right into my face, Noah shocked me further by licking my blood from the tip of the knife.
What the fuck was wrong with this guy? It was becoming increasingly clear to me that there were different levels and types of psychotic. Noah was definitely a psychopath.
My chest grew heavy. Adrenaline had my heart pounding in my ears. In my mind, I prayed that Stray would come. That he wouldn’t leave me here alone with them much longer.
Noah stabbed the knife into the chair right between my legs. “I hope you’re ready to stay quiet and stop pissing me off. If you think this is bad, just wait until Stray gets here. Tonight is going to be a blast.”
I didn’t dare speak. Not even when Colt buried his face in my hair and took a big sniff. The thought of him smelling the strawberry vanilla perfume I’d worn for Stray made me sick.
“You smell tasty,” he said, sounding like the creep he was. “Should I taste you? Where should I start?”
Colt dragged his tongue along the shell of my ear. My entire body quaked with revulsion. That only seemed to encourage him. He licked across my lips, trying to shove his tongue between them. I wanted to scream.
Noah had turned his attention to his phone where he watched the security cameras outside the warehouse for Stray’s arrival.
He didn’t seem to give a shit what Colt did to me now.
A whimper escaped me. This was too much.
I was forced to accept that not every dangerous situation was exciting. I got no rush from this.
I considered begging and pleading. Trying to bargain with them somehow. That was only my panic talking. I knew trying to bargain with them would be useless. They already had enough power over me. I wouldn’t give more away.
Colt forced his tongue into my mouth. I’d never wanted to throw up more. There was no fighting or getting away. He smelled like cigarettes and stale beer. A smell that would haunt me long after this night if I survived it.
“Stop pretending you don’t like it,” he admonished, pressing a finger against the gash on my cheek. “I know what kind of girl you are.”
In that moment, I was ready to watch the Kings kill him. No wonder Rebel had killed River. I’d never understood it before. Now I knew that it had to be done. Venom had to be stopped.
“That’s enough for now, Colt.” Noah glanced up from his phone with a smile. “Stray is here.”