36. Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Lucas
T he handcuffs rub against my skin as Bear pulls me along behind them like he’s leading a horse around a barn.
I’m fucking pissed off.
Dominic gave them weapons.
That explains the missing shipments at the dock.
This changes everything.
I knew he wanted us to fail, but this takes it to a whole new level.
If what they are saying is true, Dominic’s working with our enemy and supplying them with guns to kill his own people.
What a fucking dog.
We head north along the train tracks.
I’m so close to home, but if I run, they won’t hesitate to put a bullet in my back.
I have to play this smart.
I’m leverage until I’m not.
Until they get the rest of their supplies, apparently.
I couldn’t let them take Freya.
I knew if they did, she wouldn’t come back.
Kai wouldn’t let his friend back into our fold.
I have to save her, even if it’s the last thing I do.
Our hearts have been shattered into tiny broken pieces these past couple of months, but fuck, I’d still risk myself for her over and over.
Hazen must be losing his mind over this.
The hate I feel toward Dominic?
Hazen must feel it tenfold.
“Lost little puppy is now mine. Lost little puppyyyy,” Bear sings, skipping as he pulls me along.
My fists curl, straining against the metal burning into my skin.
Fuck, I hate him.
He’s got that look about him that screams batshit crazy .
I’ve seen nutty before, but Bear’s got to be mentally insane; he should be locked up in the Daring Asylum.
Hell, he probably has been.
He’s unpredictable, and that makes it hard to guess what his next move will be.
Or to guess what he’s thinking, because fucking hell, I’d hate to know.
One second, he’s singing, the next, he’s pulling out a knife, running the tip along his tongue and watching me with those fucking weird bright-green eyes.
We’ve been walking along the train tracks for ten minutes, and I fucking hope my brothers are getting answers.
If I haven’t heard from them in a couple of hours, I’ll be fighting my way out and back to the safety of Daringville.
Freya wanted one last attempt at peace, and I was all for it, but this news threw it all under the bus.
What else is Dominic hiding?
What else has he done?
Is this war against Daringhood all his doing?
Was he responsible for the town hall explosion?
I have no fucking idea, but it doesn’t sound promising.
We stop outside of an old, abandoned train station on their side of the tracks.
The windows are all smashed in, but the bars are still in place.
“This shall be perfect for my puppy dog.” Bear drags me around to the front entrance.
The door is already open, and we walk into a dark, open room.
Chairs line the walls, half ripped up and sitting sideways or completely broken.
The stench of dust and mold fills the air, and I wish I had a free hand to cover my nose.
Kai and Zion don’t follow, leaving me alone with Bear.
He brushes past me before shutting the door.
Darkness surrounds me.
He flicks on his phone light, aiming it at me.
“They only left one of you against me—you must be the expendable one,” I say, taunting him.
The corner of Bear’s mouth lifts, and he chuckles.
“No. I’m just that good.”
“Fair enough. You don’t need me tied up, then, do you?” I say, raising my wrists.
Bear pulls out his knife, running the blade over his bottom lip.
Blood drips down his chin, but he doesn’t move his gaze from mine.
“Tell me, Lucas, do you like the smell of burning flesh?” he asks, moving around me.
I don’t turn.
I keep looking straight ahead, my pulse quickening.
“Ehhh, not particularly,” I reply, trying to figure out where he’s going with this.
Who the fuck knows?
“I do. It smells divine—like burned leather mixed with sweat. And sometimes like burned steak on the grill. Fucking beautiful.” Bear jumps right in front of me, and I stumble backward, the cuffs around my hands keeping me off balance.
He grins, his bright-white teeth on full display.
I shiver, wanting to get the fuck outta Dodge.
I’ve smelled burning flesh before, and it’s fucking gross.
The fact that he likes it says a lot about him.
“Tick tock, tick tock. The clock is running out,” Bear sings and pulls me roughly forward by my cuffs.
I lose my balance and fall to my knees, the hard ground ripping my pants.
Asshole.
“Fuck you,” I spit through my teeth.
“I’d fuck you in the ass until you bled, but I don’t think we have time for that. Do you?” Bear grins, and a shiver runs down my spine.
Creepy fuck.
“Stop being a little bitch and untie me, or are you scared I’ll hurt you?” I ask, pushing out my bottom lip.
Bear’s eyes darken before he smirks.
“You can’t touch me, little Lucas. I mean, look at you,” he says, pointing down my body, then back at his.
“You’re weak. I’m strong. Maybe I will untie you so we can have a fair fight. What do you think?”
He peers past me at something in the corner of the room before he reaches into his pocket, pulling out the keys and unlocking the cuffs.
They land on the ground with a clank, and I roll my wrists but don’t otherwise move.
I stay perfectly still, staring at Bear.
He starts hopping from one foot to the other, bouncing around with a lopsided smile.
“Fight me, Lucas. You know you want to.”
I shake my head.
There’s no way I’m waiting around in here with this lunatic, and I’m not taking the first swing.
“Aww, didn’t our girl kill your mother? Ouch. That must have hurt.”
I see red.
Everything around us disappears until it’s just Bear right in front of me.
My fist flies straight for his nose, and he doesn’t do anything to stop it.
He takes the full hit, falling sideways.
Blood shoots from his nose, and he grins.
When blood runs down his lip onto his teeth, he licks them, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
Before I have a chance to move, he’s on me, tackling me to the floor.
My back smashes against the hard floor, and a heavy breath leaves me.
Pain shoots through me, and it takes me a second to move.
Bear punches my stomach over and over.
I kick and punch him back, grabbing a handful of his bleached-blond hair.
I pull hard and smash my fist into his nose.
It’s bent, probably broken, but the look in his eyes tells me he’s enjoying the pain.
In the next second, he leaps up, and I take a fistful of hair with me.
He pulls out his knife, jumping onto my stomach, then forcing me onto my back.
I kick and try to buck him off, but he’s too heavy.
He pins me down with his knees and brings the knife to my throat.
“Bye bye, little pup. I’ll miss watching you be a good little boy for me,” Bear says, and I spit, hitting his cheek.
He grins, and for the first time in my life, I think it’s over.
He’s got me, and fuck, I don’t want to leave this world yet.