Chapter 39
They gathered at Keel’s kitchen table. Chase had called the other guys, so all seven of them were there, preparing to go to war against Forest.
He found out the jerk had been released from custody last week. They told him to stay away from Frankie, but Forest wasn’t going to listen to some cop in North Carolina. He figured Stone was close, too. That meant they would have to deal with both Stone and Forest.
Scott was typing furiously on his laptop. “I’m searching car rental places, seeing if I can find out if they rented a vehicle.”
“I’m looking at flights,” Stanley said.
Mick pumped his fist. “I’m in the credit card system looking for activity.”
Chase squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll find him, and then we’ll find Frankie.”
“God help me, if he harms one hair on her head, we’re going to need shovels.”
Stanley patted his back. “Brother, you didn’t even have to say anything. We’ve got you.”
It took them about twenty minutes of digging to figure out which company Forest had rented the car from and that he’d used a credit card to book a B&B at a cabin in the country about thirty minutes outside the city.
“Let’s go,” Chase said.
They loaded up into two cars and took off, heading to the location of the B&B. On the drive over, Keel had to force himself to be calm. He didn’t want to overthink anything, but he was sure Forest was doing something terrible to Frankie.
Anger and fear twisted through him. At least Frankie knew he loved her. Maybe that would help her hang on. She just had to survive until they got there. Then, he would make sure those guys never took her again.
Frankie tried to scoot away from their hands, but Forest and Stone had her out of the car. The bright lights were coming from Stone’s vehicle, which was parked behind the car she’d been dumped in.
If she got away from these assholes, it wasn’t like she could do anything other than just lie on the ground and wiggle. It wasn’t an effective escape plan, so she saved her strength and stopped fighting their hold.
“That’s it. Just relax. You aren’t getting away this time.” Forest’s laughter spilled out, flowing out into the darkness. She wondered if animals were as disturbed by his laughter as she was.
“I want a go at her,” Stone said.
A shiver shot straight through her. Forest had let Stone use her before, and she’d hated it. The man was rough, and he was nasty, asking her to do disgusting things.
She needed to escape. The moment she could get away, she would.
Even if it put her in danger. She had no idea where they were, but she could tell they were in the middle of nowhere based on the trees and lack of lights.
If she ran, she could end up dying out here, but it would be better than dying at their hands.
They carried her into the rough-hewn cabin, then tossed her onto a couch. Forest wiped his hands on his pants, like he was disgusted by touching her. She sneered, disgusted he’d touched her.
Why couldn’t he leave her alone? She had left, and he couldn’t just let her go. His need for control was disgusting. It didn’t show how strong he was. It detailed exactly how weak Forest was.
Pain spread through her, growing to an almost unimaginable level. What was going on? He’d hit her in the head. That’s why she didn’t remember being tied up or tossed in the trunk of his car. He’d punched her, knocking her out.
“You’re a pathetic excuse for a man.” Her words came out slurred, her speech patterns jagged.
“Shut up, bitch. Unless you want me to shut you up.”
She shook her head, and he laughed. But she wasn’t shaking her head to say no. She was shaking it in disgust. She was about to tell him to fuck off when Stone walked up and shoved her face against his body, forcing her to rub her cheek against his crotch. Revulsion rose, and she wanted to hurl.
Keel wouldn’t know what happened to her. He hadn’t arrived home, and maybe wouldn’t be home for days. He would have no idea how she’d disappeared.
Her only hope was the alarm she’d not turned off. Maybe that would send someone looking for her, but she doubted anyone would find her. She had no idea where she was, and she didn’t have her phone with her. No question, Forest and Stone would kill her.
She would end up just being another statistic in a long line of statistics no one really cared about.
Sure, people made noise about domestic violence and human trafficking, but the reality was she would be another woman killed by an ex she’d tried to leave.
There might be some crime junkie who covers her death as a cautionary tale, but police wouldn’t take young women telling tales of abuse more seriously than before.
She would be just another statistic in a world that didn’t care.
The money she planned to donate would sit in her bank until the government seized it.
No one would get help, and her death would be for nothing.
She wished she’d already designated who would get her money when she died.
Now, more than ever, she was determined to give the money to help battered women escape their abusive partners.
If only she could live long enough to get away from Forest and his brother, then she would donate a huge chunk and hopefully help many vulnerable women.
She was most sad about not being able to see where her relationship with Keel went. Keel was an amazing guy, and maybe things wouldn’t work out between them. She loved him, but sometimes love wasn’t enough.
She hoped he could move on. He’d said he hadn’t had a relationship in years, and that made her sad.
He was such a good person and deserved happiness.
Maybe he would find happiness with someone else, someone better than she was.
He deserved a wonderful life. She just wished that life had been with her.