Page 31

KIM

Shouts and conversation pulsated in the staff hallway, they were starting to give me a headache.

Dancers, guards, and staff raced back and forth, making sure the Showcase was running as smoothly as possible. Though, nothing ever went off without a hitch.

Parker showing up was proof of that.

Beasty wanted to get back to the office, but I couldn’t allow that. I loved her too much to let her around men who would snap her neck without a second thought. I’d heard plenty about the Bastard Brothers and they weren’t the kind of men I’d ever trust around Beasty.

Not that I trusted anyone outside of the guys.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

Atlas

Don’t bring Beasty. We’ll find you.

My chest squeezed, making it difficult to breathe. For Atlas to send this text meant their meeting was going south. That was exactly what I was afraid of.

I blew out a harsh breath as I shoved my phone back into my pocket. Beasty wasn’t going to be happy, but this was for the best.

We had an agreement for situations like this. If I got the signal, I was to take Beasty to a safe house and wait for them. Dread pooled in my stomach.

What were the chances tonight was that night?

Someone jostled me.

“Excu–” I didn’t get the word out as two things happened at once.

The lights went out, and a blunt weight slammed into my temple. My vision darkened around the edges and I submerged into the darkness.

Screams came from every direction as I groaned.

They were different than the shouts earlier and they set my teeth on edge.

I raised my hand–why was it so heavy?–and touched my temple. My fingers came away wet.

The restroom door opened and my stomach churned.

Why was that important?

Blinking, I registered the weird light in the hallway. The emergency lights were on and–

Beasty! Someone had hit me and now the bathroom door was opening.

I pushed myself up, bile flooding the back of my throat.

A dark figure stalked down the hallway in hurried steps. Beasty hung over his shoulder, her body bouncing lifelessly with each step.

“Beasty,” I tried to yell but it came out as a rasp.

Not her! Take anyone but her, I screamed inside my head as terror stole all my breath, suffocating me.

Shoving to my feet, I almost tripped over one of our guards face down on the floor.

She needed me.

I had to save her.

I wasn’t going to let Beasty get taken. Not when we were finally finding our way together.

Not ever .

I stumbled after them.

After a few steps, the fogginess clouding my brain lifted, but the throbbing migraine remained.

The door at the end of the hall slammed shut.

Quickening my pace, I pushed it open and slid into the stairwell.

Pounding footsteps echoed from below.

The parking garage was three floors down.

Grabbing the railing, I sprinted down the stairs as the bastard holding her started running.

He reached the garage door, pulling it open.

It hadn’t even been shut all the way. Something must have been wedged to keep it open.

“Beasty!” I shouted. They were still a flight beneath me.

Without pausing, I catapulted over the railing. Air rushed past me as I prepared for the landing. My knees jarred from impact with the unforgiving floor.

I didn’t stop. Groaning, I threw the door open.

I raced into the garage, then stopped.

Half the spots were filled with cars. I didn’t see the man or Beasty.

“Beasty!” I yelled again, my voice cracking.

I needed to find her.

This girl was my entire life. There was no purpose without her. For any of us.

I couldn’t lose her.

I couldn’t fail her.

The sound of a car unlocking came from my right. I took off, praying the entire way to a God I didn’t believe in that she was still here.

That I could save her.

I cleared a full row of cars, and–there she was.

The man holding her opened the trunk of a black sedan. My footsteps reverberated through the garage and the man swung around.

Beasty’s arms and legs flew as if she had no bones.

Something was so, so wrong with her.

I made a pained noise in the back of my throat as I pushed harder. She wouldn’t be leaving the garage. Not with him.

“Stop, or she dies.” That was…Storm. But the man holding her wasn’t Storm.

The driver’s side door opened and another man stepped out.

The first man bounced Beasty off of his shoulder, and she slid off like melted butter.

What did he do to her?

A black tide of fury rolled over me as I closed the distance.

She wasn’t leaving with them. They weren’t leaving.

I wouldn’t allow it.

A curse came from the man by the driver’s side. Gio?

The one holding Beasty raised his hand and fired.

A soft pop sounded, followed by a hiss, and a dart slammed into my chest.

I ran three more steps, I was almost to her.

My legs gave out and my back slammed against the concrete.

Distantly, my body screamed in pain, but I could only focus on Beasty.

“Shit, that’s potent. You’re sure it’s not going to kill them?” Storm.

A yell worked up my throat but I couldn’t release it. I couldn’t move my mouth.

I couldn’t move anything!

My heart slowly thumped in my chest, completely at odds with the horror of the situation dawning on me.

He held Beasty under her arms as the sagging, wrinkled face of a fifty-year-old man studied me.

It wasn’t Storm, yet I knew it was. He had to be wearing some kind of face molding or mask, distorting his facial structure.

I tried to scream at him, but nothing moved.

Beasty’s head lolled forward, and I looked at her face.

She stared at me, fear widening her eyes.

Oh, God.

We were both paralyzed.

The guys had no idea where we were, and by the time they found out we were missing, Beasty could be long gone.

I tried to send her comfort through my gaze, but I couldn’t. I was too fucking afraid.

“This is perfect.” A new man joined them. I didn’t recognize his voice, but he sounded familiar.

“Danny, this isn’t the meeting spot,” Gio growled.

Danny Pesci. And Gio.

Nothing made sense and I couldn’t even raise my head to see what was happening!

It’s okay, Beasty. I love you. The guys will find us.

I couldn’t tell if she understood what I was trying to relay with my gaze. She was frozen.

My throat clogged with helplessness.

Beasty was in someone else’s hands and I couldn’t fucking do anything about it. I couldn’t even rage for her.

This was my worst fear. My biggest nightmare.

“You know us, we’ve never done very well with orders.” Another voice. Donnie?

There was no change in Beasty. Nothing. Not even a blink. But her irises trembled like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to look at the men or not.

A deafening crack preceded a grunt as Storm was hit. Several more shots fired and I couldn’t do a goddamned thing.

My eyes teared up as I tried to maintain eye contact with Beasty.

If this was it, I wanted to stare into her eyes as we took our last breath.

I just wished I could have been what she needed. That was all I’d ever wanted.

Storm went down, the movement swinging Beasty around. They both crashed against the pavement and I couldn’t see her anymore.

Even that was taken from me.

One of the Pescis approached, his footfalls heavy. He checked his watch before bending down to pick up Beasty, hoisting her up by her hair.

I could see her face again.

Her eyes locked on mine.

“What do you think? Should we just kill her right here?”

He pulled a knife from his belt, and it snicked as he opened it.

“Might as well. Then we can be done with this.” I didn’t know enough about them to know who was who. I didn’t care.

I tried to move, but my body was still immobile.

I tried again.

And again.

He raised Beasty higher, and I couldn’t see her eyes!

“Damn, she’s heavy for such a slender bitch.” He laughed.

He fucking laughed .

“Hurry up. The systems are only going to be down for another two minutes.”

“Fine, fine.” He pressed the blade against her throat. A drop of blood rolled down her neck as he slid the knife.

I screamed in my head as a tear rolled to my ear.

They would pay for what they’ve done.

To be continued in Branded , the fourth and final installment in The Collection Series.