Chapter 19 Rebel
“ D on’t fucking touch me,” I spat at Snake Eyes, Paul, err Hammerhead’s V.P. “I’ll fucking rip off your balls and stuff them down your throat.”
It didn’t matter that I’d been handcuffed, my arms wrapped around a giant metal pole in some warehouse basement. My wrists might be secured, but I could still fight.
Snake Eyes had taken delight in trying to torment me since my arrival. He kicked me, slapped my face, and pinched my breast. That was only the first hour after he handcuffed me. Now, he tried to reach for the waistband on my pants, and I kicked out, catching him in the crotch.
“You fucking bitch,” he roared, taking the lit cigarette from his mouth and pressing the cherry-red end into my arm.
A scream tore from my lips as he laughed.
Someone rushed down the stairs, and I looked up in time to see Paul as Snake Eyes pulled the cigarette from my skin. I tried to remain brave, trembling as the burn on my skin stole my focus. I’d never felt anything so painful in my life.
Scratch that. I’d come close many times, all at the hands of the sick motherfucker who stared me down, grinning as he enjoyed my suffering.
“It’s time for a chat, Rebecca.”
For over two days, I stayed in this basement, used a bucket as a toilet, and was given minimal food and water. I was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and beginning to lose hope that Heron would find me before Paul either passed me to his biker friends or killed me.
I didn’t know where they’d brought me or if we traveled outside Nevada. There was no clock and no windows. I didn’t know if it was day or night. The only way I knew how many days it had been since Paul had kidnapped me was because I overheard Snake Eyes talking to another biker in the club.
Paul approached and stopped in front of Snake Eyes. “What did I say?”
“Don’t hurt her, Pres.”
“And you didn’t follow my orders.”
Snake Eyes blinked. He seemed scared. “Pres, I lost my shit when she kicked me in the nuts. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re right. It won’t.”
Snake Eyes lifted his hands. “I’ll make this right.”
“You should have thought about that before you touched my property. I said not to fucking touch her ,” Paul growled.
I whimpered as the pain in my arm grew so intense I almost passed out.
Paul’s gaze traveled to me, and his jaw clenched. “Outside. Now, Snake Eyes. Stay by the pit.”
He bobbed his head and rushed up the stairs as Paul approached me. As he crouched, he looked at my arm. “I’ll tend to the wound once we’re upstairs.”
His calm words scared the shit out of me. When Paul got quiet, that was when he was most dangerous. Like a snake coiled to strike or a predator lingering in the trees and waiting to pounce on his prey.
“T-thank you,” I managed to whisper, holding back tears.
“Of course, Rebecca, my dear.”
Oh God. I had nightmares about the way he used to say that to me. The exact phrase before he forced me to undress and pleasure him until I was so sore it took days to recover.
I didn’t dare close my eyes as they stung, knowing how much he hated that. I couldn’t provoke him. Not when he held all the power.
Paul unlocked my handcuffs and pulled me to my feet. His intense gaze focused on me with a hint of aggression. “I trust you not to run. Don’t provoke me. We’re going outside to handle Snake Eyes and his disobedience, and then I’m taking you into the clubhouse to care for your wound.”
He would leave me in pain until then as a punishment for running away from him. I knew that. I’d hurt his pride and angered him. Tonight, he’d lock me in the room with him, and I’d have to endure whatever he planned.
“I’ll obey you,” I promised.
My mind slipped to Heron, focusing on the guy I planned to marry someday and the hope he was coming. I had to believe he was out there searching for me. If I saw the crows overhead, I knew he’d be close. I’d watch for any sign. Until then, I could play the docile captive.
Paul grasped my chin and held it in place as he forced me to stare into his eyes. “You’re mine. I’ll prove it to you until the memory of that Samoan fucker is bleached from your body and mind.” His mouth crashed to mine, nipping at my lips as he groaned. “Fuck. I missed this mouth.”
It took everything I had not to shudder with revulsion.
“Let’s go.”
Paul released me and headed toward the stairs, knowing I’d be right behind him. I didn’t understand why he didn’t come to me for the first two days I’d been here. With the travel time, it had to be about three days since I’d seen Heron. Of course, I could only guess at this point since I didn’t know where he’d taken me.
As bright sunlight greeted me and I blinked against the glare, I tried to run through everything that had happened since he threw me inside the dark van that he’d used to transport me, processing the hours and figuring somewhere around three and a half days total. That was a hell of a long time. Too long.
Why didn’t Heron find me yet?
We had to be outside of Nevada. Maybe a neighboring state. Paul didn’t have time to travel farther than that. Wait. I glanced around, noticing the familiar vegetation. I’d seen it multiple times because I’d run into this forest with the same weeping willow trees. And in the distance, not too far, I heard water trickling like a river.
No way. My luck had just turned.
Paul had driven to Lake Alpine, California. The same lands that Alpha Caden and his wolves patrolled. Wow.
He had no idea how badly he fucked up.
When they caught my scent, now that I was no longer underground, they’d come. Hopefully, they’ll contact Crow, Heron, and the rest of the Devil’s Murder MC. I didn’t have long to wait. I was sure of it.
I kept my expression neutral as I followed Paul to a massive pit in the ground. He must have found this place by chance. The old warehouse was overgrown with weeds, and ivy had climbed up the exterior walls. The glass was dirty, and many of the panes were cracked or broken. He didn’t come here often. I could tell.
But when he did? He put on a show. I could sense that, too.
Unafraid, I watched as Paul quieted the other Grave Robbers MC members. They waited in expectant silence, wary of Paul and whatever punishment he decided to inflict on Snake Eyes.
“Open the grates.”
Someone scrambled to do his bidding, and I heard snarling below, gasping when I glanced into the hole and saw dogs enter the pit. It wasn’t a far drop, maybe ten feet below the ground. Low enough to watch the dog fights Paul participated in but not enough to let the dogs jump out and attack the spectators. He’d always been into this shit. It wasn’t new.
The pit? That was new.
The dogs seemed agitated as they growled and patrolled the dirt floor. I bet they were purposely mistreated and starved, so they attacked anyone who entered the pit with them. Maybe this was how he eliminated any enemy who dared to stand up to him and his club.
The dogs grew restless, snapping their jaws. A couple tried to jump up the side of the pit, but they couldn’t get far before sliding back down. This was a cruelty I could hardly stomach. Paul was a monster.
“Snake Eyes has betrayed my trust and disobeyed an order from his president,” Paul announced. “There’s only one choice for his crimes. Vote now.”
Each member of the club raised their hand, flipped up their thumb, and then turned it down.
Guilty. Not a soul dared to go against the majority. I imagined anyone who did would meet the same fate.
Paul smiled. “Get in the pit, Snake Eyes.”
He seemed to accept his death without hesitation. Snake Eyes jumped down and landed on his feet, bending his legs to absorb some of the impact. His body rolled to the right as the first dog pounced, and he swung his fist.
I couldn’t watch and snapped my eyes shut. My hands covered my ears. I didn’t want to hear his death or the animals being hurt. They didn’t deserve what was happening to them. This was barbaric.
When it was over, I finally uncovered my ears and opened my eyes, refusing to look into the pit. I heard the metal grating slam shut, and I knew the dogs that had survived returned to their underground confinement. There must have been tunnels dug underneath that led to a holding cell. Somehow, I planned to help them escape and receive help.
Paul stared at me, a grin on his face that twisted into a cruel, hungry leer. I steeled myself against it, refusing to show fear or quake because he wanted to dominate me.
Above, circling our heads, a murder of crows flew in. Loud caws and rattles left their throats as they dove toward us, mobbing the Grave Robbers MC members. Well, everyone but Paul. He rushed toward me but didn’t get close because I heard a deep growl. I knew that sound.
Nothing human could ever sound so sinister and animalistic.
Wolves. As in, wolf shifters . And more than one.
The first, I recognized as Nightstalker, Brax’s wolf. The second, larger by not by much, belonged to Alpha Caden’s wolf. I never learned his name.
They prowled from the tree line, closing in as more joined them. I’d never seen anything quite so terrifying yet so welcome at the same time. I spun around, looking in every direction for a glimpse of Heron. He had to be here.
“Rebel!”
His voice cut through the chaos, snarls, screams, and gunfire as the wolves and crows attacked. My heart nearly stuttered as I found him, threatening to beat from my chest with relief and excitement. He found me.
I rushed in his direction, momentarily taking my focus off Paul. Stupid. A man like him never accepted defeat. Didn’t I learn that lesson years ago?
Before I could reach him, a shot fired from a nearby gun and struck with deadly accuracy. The bullet hit Heron in the chest, directly in his heart. I watched with horror as his body flung backward, hitting the base of a tree before he collapsed.
No! No, no, NO!
“Heron!” I screamed, rushing to his side as I sank to my knees. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not after all I’d been through. He was my lifeline. My anchor. The greatest love I’d ever known.
“My Spark,” he choked as I dropped to my knees. My hands pressed to his wound, trying to stop the steady flow of blood leaking from his chest.
“Don’t you dare leave me,” I shouted, choking on the words as tears streamed down my cheeks. “Don’t go away. I can’t live without you, Heron. I love you!”
“Love you more.” Blood bubbled at his lips and trickled from his mouth.
I swiped it away, refusing to believe that he could die. I wouldn’t allow it.
His eyes looked glassy and unfocused. “I can’t,” he paused, “see you, baby.”
“You’ve got to fight for me. Fight to stay here. Please! Heron!”
His body went limp, and I swear I felt his warmth begin to fade. His eyes clouded over, and the life leaked right out. The man I knew and loved was gone .
A cry left my throat full of such agony and suffering that I couldn’t contain it. It overflowed in a river of heartbreak that broke free of my chest as I wailed my sorrow, clutching him to me. My lifeblood, my heartbeat, had left me.
I’d never be the same.