Chapter 18
Eighteen
IZZY
“ F uck you, bitch. I can’t kill you, but I will beat the shit out of you if you bite me again,” one of my kidnappers, the one who grabbed me back at the compound, threatens right before I feel a punch to the side of my face. I turn back and hold my head up, refusing to make a sound that shows how much that hurts. I won’t give these assholes the satisfaction of knowing they hurt me. They tied my hands behind my back before starting to laugh and joke about how easy it was to get me. I don’t move or make a sound.
“You have fucking spirit, don’t you? Maybe I’ll ask the club if I can keep you instead of killing you,” the guy says way too close to my ear. I want to throw up at the feel of his breath so close to me. In another life, he must have been related to a dragon. All I feel is his hot breath on my ear and neck. What’s worse is the smell; not only does he have body odor like he hasn’t taken a bath in a month, but his hot breath smells like decay and death. Hasn’t this guy ever thought of a toothbrush? If I vomit from the horrid stench, I’m making sure I aim right at him, force him to wash himself, at least.
I stay quiet. I know they probably lost Cason and his brothers in the car chase. I know they aren’t following us anymore because I’m no longer being thrown around in the space they have me in. The vehicle isn’t taking sharp turns and every other dangerous stunt they had to pull before in order to lose them. We’ve finally come to a stop.
I swear this situation is scary as hell, whether or not you have eyesight; I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Suddenly, I hear the side door slide open, and I’m being grabbed and lifted out of the van. They set me down and then start dragging me, laughing when I trip and almost fall. It feels like I’m back with Hector and his goons. Being laughed at and dragged around, no one caring if I get hurt or not.
“Alright, bitch, stay here until our Prez gets here. Keep your mouth shut, and we might let you live,” the first one says, tying my hands and feet to the chair they unceremoniously dumped me in. I do as he says, sitting in the chair, not speaking. I hear footsteps as they walk around. It sounds like they head up a set of metal stairs, and then it all goes quiet.
I don’t know how long I sit there, not able to hear anything over my own heaving, panicked breathing. There’s a slight noise behind me out of nowhere before a hand rests softly on my shoulder. Regardless, I jump at the contact.
“Shhhh… don’t worry, don’t make a sound, sweets. I’m here to help you and get you to a safe place,” a female voice says in a whisper.
“I want to go back to Cason. Can you get me back to him, please?” I ask quietly as she works on untying the ropes around my hands and feet.
“VP of the Reckless Omens MC?” she asks. I nod, and she lets out a big sigh. “That’s where you want to be? You think you’re safe there?” she asks me, and I’m already nodding before she finishes speaking.
“I love him. He loves me. He’s where I want to be. Cason is my home,” I tell her as she moves to one of my legs, untying the rope there.
“Not a very safe place if these assholes were able to get to you there. We can get you into a safe house. Witness protection. My men are close by; all it would take is one phone call and a one-word answer from you,” she tells me, and I’m shaking my head no this time.
“I want to go home. With Cason,” I tell her stubbornly.
“Alright, if that’s where you want to be, I’ll get you back to him. Just promise me you all won’t try taking over the territory your brother…” Before she finishes, I hear a thump, and then the echo of her body hitting the hard floor beside me. Oh no.
“I didn’t even hear this one come in. If I hadn’t been going to take a piss, she might have gotten you away,” the second one of my kidnappers growls before lifting me out of the chair. “I guess you’ll have to come sit in the office with us. Come on, bitch.”
He says, lifting me. She was able to get all the ropes untied, and he jerks me toward the stairs they walked up earlier.
“Take your fucking hands off my woman!” I hear Cason bellow from a distance away.
“Shit, how did they find us? Rick, grab the other bitch…. What? Where the fuck did she go? She was right there!” the guy holding me shouts as he tries to hurry me up the stairs. I pull back, resisting as much as possible. There is a gunshot, and I scream.
“CASON!!”
“I’m alright, Angel, just getting rid of the trash,” he calls, and I know he shot the Rick guy, but I’m too close to the other one for him to take that risk.
I know if this guy gets upstairs, he will find a way to hold me hostage again. I don't think he was prepared for Cason to find me so fast. Thank God they didn’t try to take my ring. He wasn’t prepared when he saw me being freed, which means no gun on his body. I bet there’s one in the room he’s leading me to, though. I don’t want to fall down the stairs, but I don't know how many more goons are hiding in this place. All I know is I need to stop moving and stay in one place. It’s the safest choice for Cason and me. I use my whole body trying to pull him back down. If I lean or resist any harder, I’ll go tumbling down the steps we’ve already climbed.
“Stop fighting, bitch. Get your ass moving,” he growls, yanking me again until he’s able to take a couple more steps. I hear Cason growling and getting closer to us, but I don’t know how close he is.
“I will throw her ass over this rail if you don’t back the fuck up,” the guy says with spit flying, jerking me again.
“I told you I’d find you. You better watch how you’re handling my woman; you leave even a bruise on her arm, and I’ll tear yours off with my bare hands,” Cason growls.
“He’s not lying. He really will tear it off,” I say, just to distract this guy from pulling me up farther onto the staircase.
I feel the stairs shake and then hear Cason’s voice again, closer this time. It’s working. He made it to the stairs, thank God.
“Let her go, fucker. Now!” he shouts with his voice full of rage. This guy is getting scared. He’s breathing hard and shaking. I’m jostled unsteadily until I’m all the way up the stairs. No matter how much I drag my feet, I don’t want to risk falling; I could hurt Cason. I suddenly feel the edge of a doorframe and know he’s pulling me into a room, probably with weapons. No, no way in hell.
“Fuck this. You can have her,” the guy says, letting go of my arm. Oh no, he isn’t getting away that easily. I know that if he gets too much further into the room, he could grab a gun and then shoot me, or worse, Cason. Instead, without thinking, I grab onto his arm and pull him back toward me with all my might. He wasn’t expecting that because he stumbles before hitting my body and pushing us further out the door. My back hits the railing behind me, and I cry out in pain.
“Get your hands off me, you bitch,” the asshole says before I feel his hands push me as hard as he can on my chest.
“ISABELLA!!” I hear Cason close but, unfortunately, not close enough.
Shocked, I feel myself tip over the side, weightless, and then I fall. I know it only takes seconds, but that fall feels like it takes hours. I think about everything I’ll be leaving behind because there’s no way I’ll survive this fall. I close my eyes, letting one tear slip down my face before I feel a significant impact on the back of my head and throughout my body. Instantly, before the pain even registers, the darkness comes to take me from the life I’ve built with the one person who made me happier than I ever thought possible.