Chapter 30 Gavin
GAVIN
Stepping away from the bedroom door, Gavin wrapped his arms around himself as he listened to the chaos erupting on the other side of it.
Whoever was after them had finally broken in.
He could hear Marcus taunting them, egging them on, and daring them to step forward and show themselves.
The man had no fear. There was a reason he was their leader. Marcus was tough, smart, and had the biggest set of balls he had ever seen on a man.
Gavin startled as gunfire erupted. Somewhere, on the other side of the door, glass shattered, and objects exploded.
He hoped Marcus was okay.
How much longer until the rest of the guys arrive? Where were Caden and Blade? And Nikolai with that dirty-mouthed straight guy? The one who was married to the ex-stripper with big tits?
He hoped they were close.
But what if they weren’t? How were he and Marcus supposed to escape? It wasn’t like he knew shit about firing guns. The second he stepped out of the room, he would probably get his head blown off.
Why didn’t he ask Marcus to give him shooting lessons?
Puppy began whining at his feet, then began barking like crazy.
Animals were strange.
Gavin bent down and scooped up his little yappy protector. He hoped that having him close to his chest might calm the furry little dude down.
“Shh, it’s alright,” he murmured. “Daddy number two will be back for us soon. He’s just outside, killing all the bad men and making it safe for us to leave this room.”
“And who’s protecting you from the inside?”
Gavin spun around, his heart jumping at the sound of a deep voice behind him.
Standing next to the en suite bathroom was the monster he’d spent weeks trying to drive from his head.
The Valentine Killer.
Gavin stood there, tightening his grip on Puppy as the dog began to growl at the intruder standing before them.
“Ho-how’d you get in here?” Gavin asked, glancing around the room, hoping to find some sort of escape.
The man nodded toward the bathroom window.
“Too bad your hero didn’t think to check the bathroom,” the man said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. “Never know when a psycho might be hiding in the shower, just waiting for you to be left alone.”
Gavin spun around, reaching for the dresser he had pushed against the bedroom door.
He needed to escape.
“Not so fast,” the killer said, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Gavin.
Puppy yapped and snapped at him, trying to bite off a chunk of his finger.
“You’d better get control of that mutt before I shoot him between the eyes,” the man said.
Gavin’s mouth fell open as he heard the threat against his baby.
He immediately pulled Puppy in closer, trying to protect him with his body and calm the poor puppy as best he could.
More gunfire erupted behind the door.
“So, who are those guys?” Gavin asked, confused as the Valentine Killer pulled him toward the bedroom window.
“A distraction,” the man said with what felt like a smirk. “I tracked down one of your boyfriend’s rival crews and handed Marcus to them on a silver platter. The idiots didn’t even hesitate.”
“You’ll never get away with this,” Gavin argued, struggling against his kidnapper’s pull.
The man snatched Puppy from Gavin’s arms.
“How about this? You do exactly as I say, or I snap Puppy’s neck?”
Gavin lunged forward, trying to take back his precious little guy.
The man smiled, raising Puppy up above his head. “Oh, now I’ve got your attention.”
Gavin was fucked. There was no way he was going to let this man hurt a hair on Puppy’s head.
“We’re going out the window. There’s a ledge you can step onto, then a wooden trellis you can climb down outside. Honestly, I’m surprised your guy didn’t just install an elevator—this place is way too easy to break into.”
Gavin clenched his jaw and did as he was ordered. He stepped onto the ledge, then shimmied down the trellis.
He waited at the bottom for his abductor to join him on the ground with his puppy.
As soon as they hit the ground, the killer forced Puppy back into Gavin’s hands and shoved them both forward.
“Move.”
They headed toward the eastern forest, leaving behind the sounds of war and death.
Gavin glanced over his shoulder, wondering if this would be the last time he would ever see Marcus and the rest of the crew.
What were the odds of him surviving the Valentine Killer a second time? Nobody was that lucky.
“March!” the man shouted, shoving him hard as he led him through the trees and into the darkness.
Beneath him, the ground was cold and wet. He hadn’t been given a chance to grab his shoes or proper footwear, so his feet sank into the earth below. It wasn’t like the Valentine Killer was going to give him a second to quickly run downstairs to grab appropriate footwear.
No. Killers had no regard for comfort or human decency. They got off on pain and suffering, something Gavin was pretty sure he was about to discover.
As they walked deeper into the woods, Gavin held Puppy close to his chest. The poor thing was trembling—no doubt aware of the danger they were walking toward.
“So, did you have fun playing house with that ogre?”
Gavin looked over his shoulder at the man who was leading him toward his death.
“He was a lot more fun than hanging out with you.”
The Valentine Killer gave him a smirk. It wasn’t a cocky smirk, more of an amused kind of look.
“Oh, trust me. Had you stayed for the rest of our date, you and I would have had sooo much more fun.” The man paused. “Well, I would have had more fun. You would have been unconscious, totally unaware of the deplorable things that I was doing to you and that sweet little body of yours.”
The man licked his lower lip as a wicked smile spread across his face. He reminded Gavin of a snake, staring at its prey seconds before swallowing it whole.
Was this his end?
Had fate finally caught up to him?
Puppy whined in his arms.
“It’s okay, Puppy. I won’t let the bad man do anything to hurt you,” Gavin said as he stroked his fur.
Fifteen minutes later, they came to what could only be described as an abandoned shack.
The windows were broken, with glass scattered across the ledges and the ground. The door, which had no doubt once provided security to the structure, now hung battered and crooked, with the wood barely hanging on to the hinges.
“Inside,” the man barked, pushing Gavin forward once again.
This time, Gavin stumbled, falling hands-first into the dirt. Puppy slipped from his hands, landing on the ground with a confused look up at his daddy.
Hunched over on all fours, Gavin stared into the eyes of his beloved pet. He’d only had Puppy for a short while, but the dog had already brought so much joy into his life.
Love, comfort, laughs, and giggles.
Memories of the three of them playing together flashed through his mind.
Puppy climbing all over Marcus, licking his face and attacking his socks.
Memories of him cuddling Puppy, with Marcus’s big, strong arms curled around them both as they slept.
Those were good memories. Memories he would always cherish, even if his life was about to come to an end.
Gavin couldn’t help but smile.
Those were the memories he wanted at his end.
Puppy gave a whine in the dirt, then stepped forward and licked his nose.
“I know. I love you too. Now go,” Gavin whispered, nodding his head to the side, hoping that Puppy would get the hint and run off to save himself.
He had no idea what this psycho was planning on doing with Puppy once he finished having his way with him. But he didn’t want to wait and find out.
As if sensing his thoughts, Puppy whined softly and licked his nose one last time. Gavin swallowed hard, giving him a gentle pat before nodding. Puppy hesitated only for a second before turning and running back the way they had come.
“So much for puppy loyalty,” the Valentine Killer muttered, reaching down and pulling Gavin to his feet.
At least he knew Puppy would be safe.
Gavin struggled against the man as the Valentine Killer pushed him into the broken-down shack and closed the door behind them.
“There. Now we finally have some private alone time.” The man struck a match and lit two of the lanterns that were hanging in the structure.
The so-called shack was basically an oversized hunting shed, one used to store equipment and hunting gear. The room smelled like rotting meat and mildew and something else that Gavin couldn’t quite identify.
In the center of the room was a large table—no doubt used to skin animals after their hunt.
A chill ran down Gavin’s spine when he spotted the brown and black discoloration on the surface of the table. Years of skinning carcasses and not properly cleaning their surface, no doubt.
Was this the place where he was going to die?
Pain shot through the back of his head as stars danced in front of his eyes.
Gavin stumbled to one knee, caught off guard by whatever it was that had struck him in the back of his head.
Angry hands grabbed him from the floor and dragged his disoriented ass toward the blood-stained table.
Struggling to focus, Gavin was suddenly lifted and dropped on the table like he was nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
Rough grains cut across his wrists as his arms were quickly tied down with some sort of rope Gavin hadn’t seen before.
Realizing he was being tied down, Gavin tried to struggle, but his head felt all fuzzy and spacey.
“Shh, shhh, shhh. Don’t struggle. You don’t want to leave behind such a bruised and broken body, do you?
You’re so perfect.” The Valentine Killer gently caressed the side of Gavin’s cheek.
“I’ve been obsessed with you ever since I first spotted your picture online.
You were sipping a pina colada by a pool in San Diego.
That tiny red Speedo against that perfect tanned skin…
” His eyes rolled back in his head. “It was in that moment that I knew I had to have you.”
Rough hands dragged across Gavin’s skin. He forced himself to stay still, to keep the look of fear off his face, but deep inside, he was screaming, begging for someone to come. He didn’t want to die. Not like this. Not alone in a cold, dark shed.
Staring up into the Valentine Killer’s cold, dead eyes, he listened and tried to remain strong.
“So, I began to follow you online, learning your habits and becoming obsessed with your life. It wasn’t hard to figure out where you liked to go regularly, where you got your morning coffee, where you went to the gym, and even what type of men you found attractive.
That was when Robert Ashford was born.” The killer leaned forward so their faces were just inches apart.
“Out of all the guys I stalked and killed, you were the only one I took the time to get to know. You were my favorite.” He gently caressed Gavin’s cheek once more.
“I had so many plans for you that night after our date. I had a special room set up where I was going to enjoy your body for days and days. I was even going to let the Rohypnol wear off so I could stare into your gorgeous blue eyes as you became aware of me penetrating your body. It was going to be so beautiful.”
Gavin turned his head and closed his eyes. The thought of this man on top of him, forcing himself into his body and having his way with him, was more than he could bear.
“Now, thanks to that ogre of yours and his band of merry men, you’ll just have to settle for a quick one-time fuck.
I had this whole romantic weekend set up.
I had rented a cabin not far from here. It was perfect.
Secluded, right by the water—the perfect place for me to enjoy your body, then dump your remains once I was done with you.
But, once again, my masterful plans got spoiled.
I wasn’t planning on your caveman boyfriend bringing his entourage of friends, so unfortunately, I can’t get us to my escape van without one of them noticing.
Sorry, babe. That means that this is our palace of love…
and unfortunately, we don’t have all weekend to enjoy ourselves. ”
The man dragged his nose against Gavin’s cheek as he inhaled his scent. “You smell so delicious. I wish I had more time to make this evening last forever.”
“You’re a monster,” Gavin whispered, tears sliding down his cheek as he waited.
“Yes. I’m an alpha predator, and you're next on my list.”
The Valentine Killer leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Gavin’s cheek.