Rebel #2
Glancing all around to make sure the bikers sent with them wasn’t lurking nearby, Jana gripped her pineapple turmeric drink and dashed to the pathway that Tabitha told her to follow.
Tabitha promised not to keep her too long.
Jana didn’t want to anger Diesel or Rebel, but the money was too tempting to ignore. As much as she tried and wanted to.
Diesel gave her the money because Rebel would be with her. The moment it touched her hand though, she felt as if she’d jump out of her skin. And when she convinced him to let her wear her diamond tennis bracelet, her mouth dried and it took everything in her to keep still.
Tabitha was always willing to score drugs for her, so Jana texted her a photo of the bracelet right before she got in Diesel’s Mercedes.
To cover her tracks, she went to the gourmet grocery store that fronted the mall parking lot and made a small purchase. Tabitha wanted all the money Diesel had given Jana, so she couldn’t buy too much anyway. The bracelet was just a bonus.
When Turn Creek Bridge loomed in front of her, Jana remembered the night she and Diesel had danced underneath the stars. He’d been so romantic.
She paused before she started her ascent to get to the other side. Diesel was going to be so angry with her. She should turn around and—
Her eyelid ticked and she wrapped her arms around her stomach to quell her sudden nausea.
She could barely remember the sound of his voice or even what she was supposed to be doing, she wanted coke so badly.
It was in her reach. Tabitha promised to bring Jana a zip.
She’d have enough coke to last her. Maybe she’d even share some with Diesel as he had with her at his birthday party.
Or she could have a coke party and tell Diesel to invite Torrin and Narci, so they could fuck her into oblivion again.
Anticipation seized Jana and nothing else mattered except scoring the drugs and then spending the night with Diesel and making him proud by pleasing his friends. She ran as fast as she could.
“Tabitha,” she called a few minutes later, wondering where her friend was. Wondering, too, if Kaia would do a line with her. He’d stopped texting her or answering the texts she sent. “Tabitha!” Nothing. “I don’t have a lot of time.”
Her worst nightmare stepped out of the old picnic shelter. Alex, the guy Narci resembled.
“Hello, Jana,” Alex said, flanked by his two minions, Chuck and Ron. Together, they always made Jana suffer for her drugs. “Tabitha called. Said you needed to see us.”
Frozen to her spot, Jana wasn’t sure what to say or do. The last time she’d seen them, she hadn’t cooperated as much as usual and they promised to make her suffer the next time she was in their company.
“I have money to pay, Alex,” she said, tears already forming in her eyes. Usually, she was broke and at their mercy. “Enough for a zip.”
Chuck walked to her and clamped an arm around her neck, while Ron searched her pockets, easily finding the money and handing it to Alex.
He pocketed the money and beckoned her. Chuck shoved her away.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Alex said, smiling. He ran a finger down her cheek. “Let’s do a line.”
Jana wasn’t in the food court and Rebel didn’t have time to think about other shops Jana might visit.
Remembering Jana mentioned cooking a meal for Diesel, Rebel left the mall and went to the specialty food shop that stood across the parking lot.
Jana didn’t answer any of Rebel’s many calls or the three additional texts.
Knowing she would be held responsible if something had happened and scared something had happened after all the trauma of the last few weeks, she ran to the store, searching the aisles and finally running to the counter.
“I’m looking for a blonde girl with gray eyes,” she said breathlessly. “She’s taller than me and—”
“She was here about twenty minutes ago,” the guy said. “Bought a kombucha for herself to take to Turn Creek.”
Not wasting time, Rebel turned and ran, closer to Turn Creek than she was when she cut her classes and headed there. As she crested the bridge and saw no sign of Jana, panic began to set in.
She should never have separated from Jana.
A scream tore through the quietness. “Help!”
Jana.
Running down the slope that led to the overgrowth and abandoned buildings, Rebel halted at the bottom to get her bearings.
“Help!”
A man was dragging Jana toward the creek, ignoring her desperate struggles.
“Stop!” Rebel yelled, propelling herself in their direction, ignoring the thorns and brambles scratching her. Her jacket protected her arms, but her shorts exposed her legs. “Stop, stop, stop!”
Her intrusion halted the man. She ran up to him, balled her fist and punched him as hard as possible, then kicked his dick.
As he released Jana, he fell back into the creek, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the water with her.
Panic momentarily blocked the brief training Phillip gave to her a couple of weeks ago.
The cold water rose over her head. Below her seemed like an endless void and she realized she didn’t know the depth of the creek.
It was deep enough where they could dive off the bridge and not end up paralyzed or dead.
Holding her breath and tucking her chin to protect her neck, she grabbed his upper arm, hoping she squeezed the right pressure point.
She did because she was able to jerk his arms up and away, dive down and then away, before breaking the surface of the water.
He was still so close to her, so she kicked his arm, wishing it had been his nose and thankful for Momma.
Not only had she taught Rebel to swim, she’d insisted on Phillip showing Rebel defensive techniques.
Climbing out of the water and not caring that Jana was sobbing and bloody, Rebel grabbed Jana’s hand, barely able to breathe. They weren’t out of danger yet.
“Come on, Jana,” Rebel puffed, turned, and ran right into two more overgrown men.
The nearest one punched her in the belly and knocked the wind out of her. Behind her, water splashed. She gasped for breath and writhed in pain but couldn’t dwell too long because he dragged her to her feet and tried to punch her again.
She blocked the hit and tried to strike him. Someone kicked her and sent her sprawling face first only to drag her to her feet by her hair and punch her in her stomach again.
Rebel vomited.
“Drown her in place of Jana,” one of them said, and kicked Rebel’s back. “She wanted a fucking hit? We’ll take her and use her to see how many it takes to overdose her.”
“After we fuck her,” one of them laughed.
“Alex, why don’t you chase Jana down?” A face loomed in front of Rebel as he bent and yanked her to her feet. He bent and pressed his lips to hers, forcing his tongue between her lips.
Instinct made her bite as hard as she could. The taste of blood filled her mouth as he screamed and jerked her away. Hands grabbed her but she wasn’t going down without a fight.
She swung, sobbing, praying for help, or an opening.
Anything. But what everyone had long preached to her was becoming reality in the worst possible way.
She couldn’t win every fight and her past opponents, especially at the club, always had the specters of Outlaw, Diesel, and CJ looming over them, giving her the advantage.
No matter how hard she fought and how she tried to escape, she wouldn’t win this battle. They were tall, muscular men—three of them—and only one of her. The more she fought, the more violent they became, focused on hits to her midsection, and kicks to her legs and back.
Until the one she’d fought in the water grabbed her throat and began to squeeze.
A growl reached her, an inhumane sound that only madmen and demons emitted. She didn’t think bears and wolves roamed the area, then it didn’t matter. Because, suddenly, she was free and she stumbled back, falling to her knees.
Gunfire blazed around her and wet stickiness flew onto her face.
She was too exhausted to care.