Chapter 2 #2
The big meeting. The Patriots’ Gathering that was the whole reason I was undercover. Buyers from multiple organizations would be coming to bid on Oliver’s stockpile of weapons. He’d brought me in to verify and catalog his inventory—make sure he could deliver what he promised.
“There won’t be complications.” Because I sure as shit was going to make sure Mia was gone before I met Julian Oliver and took him down.
“Better not be.” Snake’s voice carried warning. “Oliver finds out we brought a civilian to the compound without clearing it first—”
“I’ll handle Oliver.”
The SUV hit a pothole, jostling everyone. Mia’s hand grabbed my thigh for balance, then jerked away like she’d been burned. But in that brief second of contact, I felt her trembling. The adrenaline crash was hitting her hard.
“Hey.” Tommy was peering around me again. “I think she’s about to—”
Mia lurched forward suddenly, hand clamped over her mouth.
“Pull over.”
“What? No fucking way—”
“Pull over now!” I roared it, and Diesel reacted on instinct, yanking the wheel hard right. The SUV skidded onto the shoulder in a spray of gravel. I had Mia’s door open before we’d fully stopped, half carrying her as she stumbled into the ditch.
She fell to her knees in the dried grass, retching violently. Her whole body shook with the force of it.
I stood between her and the others, blocking their view. “Get back in the fucking vehicle,” I snarled when I heard a door open.
“I was just—” Tommy started.
“Now.”
A car door slammed. When Mia finally stopped heaving, she stayed on her hands and knees, gasping. I knelt beside her, keeping my body angled to block the others’ view.
“Look at me,” I whispered urgently.
She lifted her head. Tears tracked through the dirt on her face.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed, the words barely audible. “Play along. It’s the only way. Please.”
Trust me. The words were almost out of my mouth, but why the hell would she trust me at all, given the circumstances.
Her eyes searched mine—hurt, betrayed, terrified—but underneath it all, I saw recognition. She knew I was trying to save her.
She nodded almost imperceptibly.
“Can you stand?”
Another nod. I helped her to her feet, steadying her when she swayed.
“Done?” I asked louder, injecting coldness back into my voice.
She nodded again.
“Good.” I grabbed her arm. “Don’t make a fucking mess in the vehicle, or you’ll regret it.”
“Weak stomach for such a pretty thing,” Diesel observed as we got back on the road.
“She’ll toughen up,” I said. “Or she won’t last long.”
The words tasted like ash. Conversation shifted to other topics—the barn’s potential, the upcoming shipment, Oliver’s plans.
I participated enough to seem normal, all while hyperaware of Mia pressed against my side.
And the fact that if they were talking details, they had no intention of letting her out of this alive.
Another hour crawled by. We stopped once for gas, and I kept Mia in the SUV, my hand visible on her shoulder through the window.
“Almost home,” Diesel announced as he took the turnoff onto a dirt road.
The compound materialized through the trees—a single large building that used to be a summer camp lodge, plus some storage sheds scattered around.
Oliver kept his operations compartmentalized—we were the advance team, checking sites, moving product.
The real crowd would come later, for the Gathering.
The SUV stopped in front of the lodge.
I grabbed Mia’s arm. “Remember what I said,” I told her, loud enough for the others to hear. “You belong to me now. That means you do what I say, when I say it. Clear?”
She nodded, not meeting my eyes.
“I asked if that was clear.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes, what?”
She looked up at me then, and the hatred in her eyes was real. Good. Hatred was safer than hope.
“Yes…sir.”
Tommy made a sound between a laugh and a choke. Diesel laughed outright. Even Snake’s mouth twitched.
“Fast learner,” Snake observed. “Maybe she’ll last longer than I thought.”
“Still think this is a bad idea,” Diesel said, lighting a cigarette. “Oliver’s not going to like surprises.”
“Then Oliver can take it up with me when he gets here,” I said. “Until then, she’s my problem.”
Diesel laughed. “Your funeral, Coop. Just remember, we all live here. These walls ain’t that thick. Better make sure she screams pretty—it’s been too quiet around here.”
I dragged Mia toward the lodge entrance, their crude laughter following us. Inside, a narrow hallway led to our rooms—four doors in a row, shared kitchen and living room at the front. No privacy. No escape. Everyone would hear everything.
I fumbled with the lock, aware of eyes still watching. Had to look eager. I shoved the door open harder than necessary, pulling Mia inside.
The room was sparse—a bed, small closet, tiny kitchenette, and a dresser. And I had my own bathroom, thank fuck. I’d kept everything militarily neat, nothing personal. Now it would be Mia’s prison.
I shut the door, turning the lock. The sound seemed to echo in the sudden silence.
She stood in the center of the room, arms wrapped around herself, looking lost.
“The bathroom’s there.” I pointed to the narrow door. “There’s a few snacks. Water in the tap’s clean. Don’t try to leave. They’ll kill you before you make it ten feet.”
“Ryan—”
“Don’t call me that.” The words came out harsh. “I’m Coop. Just Coop.”
“What’s happening? Why are you with these people?”
I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t explain about the mission, about Oliver, about the weapons. She was better off not knowing.
“It doesn’t matter.” I moved to the window, checking sight lines. “What matters is keeping you alive.”
“By making me your…” She couldn’t finish.
“By making them think you’re mine, yes.” I turned to face her. “And that means you need to sell it. Starting now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you need to scream.” I stepped closer. “They expect it. Me establishing dominance, having my fun. If you don’t, they’ll wonder why. And suspicious means dead here.”
“You want me to pretend you’re—”
“Yes.” I cut her off before she could say it. Yes, I wanted her to pretend like I was raping her. Brutalizing her. If I weren’t fucking careful, I’d be the one vomiting. “Scream like you’re scared. Like it hurts. Like you’re learning your place. Can you do that?”
She stared at me for a long moment, this woman I’d loved and left and was now destroying piece by piece. Then she nodded.
“Good,” I said, louder now, putting the cruel edge back in my voice. “Then let’s give them a show they won’t forget. Because your life depends on it, sweetheart. You need to scream.”