Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
jenna
“Wakey, wakey, love.” A man’s voice pulls me from the comfortable darkness.
A dull throb is all I can focus on, my pulse pounding against my skull.
I peel my tongue from the roof of my mouth while struggling to open my eyes.
Through small slits, I take in the room around me.
Everything is blurry at first, just bits and pieces of light and walls coming into focus. What happened?
The garage, the traitor, Axel.
Remembering the events from earlier, I close my eyes and try to wake up from this horrendous nightmare. But I still smell the putrid scent of god-knows-what and know deep down that this is real, and I am in danger.
I think about Axel, the last time I saw him he was face down on the cement with blood trickling from his head.
God, this is all so awful! The guys have to have found him by now, but will they find me?
I try to move my arms but feel a sharp, immediate sting across my forearms. Slowly, I move my head so that I can look down at my arms. I’m tied to a chair with what looks like razor wire.
The same material wraps around my ankles, ensuring I can’t escape.
A slap comes out of nowhere, forcing my head to the side.
Realization sets in that I’m not alone. I roll my eyes up, taking in the large form in front of me.
I can’t control my breathing anymore as my body begins to tremble.
Death, the same man from that night so long ago.
He flashes his yellow teeth at me with a disturbing smile.
“Glad to see you’re awake, princess. I must say, after the night I saw you in that parking lot, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.
” Death grabs my chin and holds my head in place as he leans down and whispers in my ear, “I can’t wait to play with you.
But sad for us, I’m not allowed to touch you yet. ”
The moment he loosens his grip, I rip my head from his hold and try to bite down on his hand, now in front of my face.
I try to think of my self-defense classes and any move that I could possibly use to get out of this, but I can’t think of one.
Cal has been also training me here and there, he fights underground and I had mentioned to him I was trying to learn how to protect myself.
Sadly, none of that is helpful at the moment.
“Fuck you,” I say, and he chuckles.
I’m not sure where this newfound rebellion is coming from, but this man lives on fear, and I won’t give him mine.
I glare at him, trying not to wince as the throbbing in my head becomes overwhelming and my vision blurs again.
All of this movement is messing with my ability to focus, but I need to push through.
He leaves me with one last smirk, “You’ll learn to love me, princess.
” He says over his shoulder as he walks out of the room and closing the dingy door closed.
The room I’m in is disgusting. The space is littered with trash and dirty clothing.
The only furniture, other than the chair I’m sitting on, is a discolored, cigarette-burned mattress and a tiny nightstand missing its drawer.
I feel anxiety settle under my skin as I get a glimpse of what looks like blood splattered across the brown carpet.
Tears burn my eyes and start to spill over onto my cheeks.
My breaths come in short and choppy as I finally allow myself to break down.
I take in large gulps of air, trying to calm myself. Death’s words repeat over and over again in my head: I’m not allowed to touch you yet. That means they need me for something, and I need to use that to my advantage. I have to hope Marley got my text and that they find Axel.
The thundering pain in my head takes over my ability to think. My head falls forward, my chin resting on my chest. I finally let sleep take over, hoping that when I wake up, this will all have been a dream.
I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but I wake to warm breath brushing over the side of my face and a hand wrapped around the back of my neck, supporting my head as I’m lowered down.
The overwhelming scent of masculine cologne fills my nostrils, making my eyes fly open.
That scent is one that has haunted me for the past year and is permanently seared into my brain. Jack.
Warm orange light filters in through the window, and I gather it is the sunset. I’ve been here for more than half the day.
“Hey, baby,” he coos as he buries his face in my hair, taking a deep breath.
Jack finally pulls back and leans against the wall, lighting a cigarette.
His blonde hair is greasy and messy, and his usual bright blue eyes are bloodshot and unfocused.
He’s high or having a mental breakdown—or both.
I let my gaze travel from his face to his torso and suck in a sharp breath as my eyes catch on his leather vest.
“You’re a Reaper?” I say, almost in a whisper.
Flabbergasted that my prick of a businessman ex-boyfriend is now part of a motorcycle club, I wait for his response, but he just tips his head back against the wall and lets out a bone-chilling laugh.
“Oh, you have no idea who the hell I am now, Jenna,” he says as his eyes rake over my body. I follow his gaze, watching as blood drips from the wire digging into the soft flesh of my arms and legs. He retied the wire around me after taking me out of the chair. Lovely.
“When you left…” He stares off into space for a moment before shaking his head and continuing. “I couldn’t handle it. You were my life. My everything.”
“I meant nothing to you,” I spit at him, my voice coming out as a hiss. As quickly as the words leave my mouth, a knife presses under my chin, digging into my throat.
“Shut the fuck up. You have no idea what hell you caused, and now you are going to be a good girl and make everything right again.” Spittle flies in my face as Jack spews his words.
I may need to approach this differently.
He clearly isn’t of sound mind, and antagonizing him is only going to make this worse.
I muster all the courage I have left and try again.
“I’m sorry, explain to me, please,” I whisper, letting my body tremble in his hold.
Fear that he will see through this tactic settles in my gut, but he relaxes a bit.
This clearly pleases him as the knife leaves my neck and he starts trailing kisses along my jaw.
I feel a bead of sweat slowly move down my neck, continuing between my breasts.
A metallic scent fills my nostrils, and I realize he cut me.
I take deep breaths through my nose, trying not to gag as I watch him lick the blood from my chest before licking his lips and smiling up at me.
“Mm, this is going to be so sweet, baby. You and I… we’re so good together.
I’m glad you finally came back to me.” He groans as he backs away.
Jack returns to his leaning position against the wall when the door opens.
The man who betrayed Axel and his club stands before us with a smug expression on his face.
“Glad to see the reunion is going so well,” he taunts as he nods to Jack. “Prez wants to see you. He wants you to bring Teach.”
I snap my head toward him at the sound of my nickname—the name my friends use, not this slimy man. He doesn’t so much as look at me again, but turns and closes the door, leaving me here with my psychotic ex. Jack lets out a heavy sigh and circles around me with his switchblade twirling in his hand.
“I guess we will have to finish our conversation later,” he says, slowly sliding the sharp blade down my upper arm. I watch as it leaves a deep red line that starts to seep blood. I wince at the sight, trying to keep my breathing even. Play his game, Jenna. You have to make it out of here alive.
“Can’t wait,” I reply, flashing a grin that promises revenge.
This must take Jack by surprise because his brow furrows only for a moment before he recovers.
The corners of his mouth curl as a smile spreads across his oily face.
He grabs small wire cutters from atop the nightstand and slowly clips each ring of wire that restricts my legs.
Another man walks into the room. How many of them are there?
He isn’t someone I’ve seen before, but he refrains from looking at me.
As Jack fully removes the wire from my ankles, I visualize bringing my knee up into his face, but without my arms free, I’ll just be a sitting duck.
I wait as he frees the sliced skin along my forearms. Almost immediately, the man who entered the room grabs them and pulls me into a standing position.
Without thought, I scream at the sting from his grip, making my knees buckle under me.
He still doesn’t look at me, his face unmoving, almost as if it is made from stone.
Pulling my wrists together, he secures handcuffs to me.
Jack stands off to the side, watching us.
As soon as his buddy finishes putting on my handcuffs, he leans forward, placing his hand on my lower back.
The room quickly goes dark as something is secured over my eyes.
“Time for you to meet the big boss, baby,” Jack grunts in my ear.