Page 83 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

I ’m ripped from my sleep by a loud scream that fills the air around me, and as soon as I wake up, I struggle to breathe. My lungs burn as I try to pull in some much needed air, but the weight on my chest hurts too much.

The darkness around me does nothing to help my overwhelming fear as I thrash around, relieved I’m finally able to move. My whole body is trembling, my hair sticking to my forehead, thanks to the sweat that’s dripping from me.

As soon as I feel a hand on my shoulder, I scream frantically, thrashing even more as Gregg’s face pops into my head once again. He’s older than the last time I saw him, like he’s aged more than I would’ve expected. He’s grown a beard, and appears a lot more scruffy.

“Hey, Indie. Take some deep breaths, Gorgeous Girl. You’re safe. You’re here with us,” a soft, gentle voice says from beside me.

There’s a touch of recognition itching at the edge of my brain, but before I can think about it more, a body pressing against my back sends me into a spiral.

“No! No, please, don’t hurt me. Please, I can’t.” My sobs soon turn to screams as the hand on my shoulder tightens.

I hear muttered cursing, which seems to come from all around me, but I’m too lost in the darkness and the panic to form any rational thought.

Suddenly, the light in the room turns on and brightness floods in, making me slam my eyes closed to avoid the stinging that comes from too much light. I try to blink away the bright lights, helping my eyes adjust to the sudden difference.

When I open them again, I’m shocked to find a pair of bright-blue eyes staring at me, a myriad of emotions flickering in them. The more I blink, the quicker the haze in my head clears, and my brain makes logical connections.

Miles. He’s the person touching my shoulder, and I’m guessing Jacob is who I can feel holding me from behind.

It’s not Gregg. It was just a nightmare.

Despite telling myself that, the tears continue to fall and I struggle to claw back control of my breathing. Miles reaches out very slowly, deliberately showing me each of his movements, so I can stop him if I need to.

He takes hold of my hand from where I’m clawing at my chest, and with a touch that’s much gentler than I ever thought he was capable of, he pulls until my palm is resting over his heart. I can feel it thudding away beneath my touch, along with the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.

“Can you hear my heart beating? Can you feel me breathing?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. I nod, and he gives me a tight smile. “Good girl. Now, try to breathe at the same time I do. It will help to slow your heart rate down.”

I listen to his instructions, and focus on drawing in a breath whenever he does, holding it for a few seconds before letting go at the same time as him. I do this several more times, focusing on nothing except his breathing and his heart rate, as I try to get them in sync.

Eventually, my breathing returns to normal, and my sobs die down, though I can’t seem to get my body to stop trembling. I’m not sure if it’s from the fear or the aftermath of the adrenaline.

Miles reaches over and lays a hand on my cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that are finally coming to an end. I lean into the warm comfort of his touch, my anxiety finally settling.

I turn my head over my shoulder to see Jake holding me. I’m sitting on the bed between his legs, my back resting against his chest, but that’s the only contact between us.

Normally, he’d wrap his arm around my waist, nuzzling his nose into my neck, as he presses soft kisses along my collarbone. But he’s not doing any of that, and there’s a part of me that’s grateful.

Now that my brain is functioning normally, flashes from the last two days come flooding back. I remember being at Caged, getting ready to start my shift with Jake watching over me, and then there was a moment when I felt this ominous feeling, before the world went black.

I woke up tied to a chair in an old house that I didn’t recognise, with the face of the man who has haunted my dreams for almost a decade, staring back at me.

Gregg…the demon who features in my nightmares was in front of me. He found me, and he snatched me away right under Jake’s nose.

He had some pretty awful things to say to me, and he absolutely hated when I fought back. Even though each retaliation earned me another hit or kick, I couldn’t stop myself. I have a future now that I need to fight for, and that’s exactly what I did.

When he told me I belong to him, and that he’d never stop searching for me to bring me home, I took great pleasure in telling him I already am home, and that I’m in love with two men, who are better than he will ever be.

Never, not even for a second, did I doubt that Jacob and Miles wouldn’t find me. Even as the minutes dragged on, and I was there for longer than I thought I’d be, I never lost hope. I knew they wouldn’t leave a single stone unturned in their quest to bring me home, and I was right.

They came for me before Gregg could harm me too much.

I was lucky to escape with no major injuries; just cuts, bruises, the odd knife wound, a couple of cracked ribs, and a fractured pinky finger.

Honestly, it could have been so much worse, and I’ll forever be grateful to the guys for coming to save me in time.

Unfortunately, while the physical injuries are easy to treat, knowing they’ll heal in time, the psychological trauma of having to face my greatest fear is not something I’ll get over anytime soon.

Whenever I wake up like this, the guys just hold me and remind me I’m safe. They never force me to talk, but they let me know they’ll listen if I ever want to tell them about what happened. Mostly, they just show me how much they care, and that’s been enough…until now.

This has been the worst nightmare I’ve had in a very long time, and the fear of not knowing where I was, or who I was with, was debilitating. It makes me feel weak, and that’s the last thing I want.

With a ragged breath, I lift my gaze until I meet Miles’ bright-blue eyes, which are still watching me intently, and I draw on as much strength as I can find. “What happened to him? To Gregg?”

Miles’ eyes darken as his brows pull together, anger sweeping across his face at just the mention of his name. Despite the rage I can see bubbling under the surface, Miles doesn’t scare me…he never has. Instead, I feel safe knowing he’s using that emotion to protect me.

Without thinking, I reach back, looking over my shoulder as I do. I grab hold of Jake’s arms and pull them until he takes the hint and wraps them around my waist. As I sink back into him, Jake lets out a sigh.

He places a soft kiss on my neck, and I can’t stop myself from smiling just a little. Miles drops his hand from my cheek and laces our fingers together, each of his hands in one of mine, and now that I’m surrounded by my men, I feel secure enough for the conversation.

I give Miles a pointed stare, letting him know I expect him to answer my question. He lets out a huff as he drops his gaze down to where our hands are connected.

“We don’t need to have this conversation now. You were screaming and sobbing not ten minutes ago, Dee. You can take some time.”

I squeeze his hands, forcing him to look up at me.

“My nightmares are getting worse because my imagination is running rampant. I don’t know what happened after you saved me.

I don’t know if he’s alive, dead, locked up, or free.

I don’t know if The Count is looking for me, or if he already knows where I am.

My brain is conjuring several different scenarios, and I’m starting to think they’re probably worse than the truth. ”

Miles grimaces, but Jake agrees with me. “She has a right to know.”

Although Miles shoots him a glare, like he’s annoyed he didn’t side with him, his features soften when he turns back to me.

“After I shot him in the leg, and we bundled him into the boot, we took you home. You still had some drugs in your system, which he used to kidnap you, but they should be gone now.

“Jake stayed here with you, and one of his doctors came to check you over. The doctor gave you some pills to calm your nerves, which helped you sleep a lot over the last day or so.

“While Jake was taking care of you, Marcus and I took Gregg to the Doughtys’ warehouse. Their doctor patched him up just enough so he wouldn’t bleed out and die, but he was still in a great deal of pain, which was made even worse when Bree was allowed near him.

“She didn’t interrogate him, she just used her knife on him a bit as revenge for ever daring to harm another woman. Honestly, if I wasn’t scared of her before, I fucking am now. She’s terrifying.

“But, after taking advice from the doctor, they’re giving him a few days to heal before they begin interrogating. Not for any humane reason, we just don’t want him to die before we get what we need from him.

“Also, Liam thinks that psychologically messing with him, making him think he’s safe when he isn’t, will soften him up a little and make him more likely to talk when the time comes.”

I nod my head slowly, almost on auto-pilot, as I try to take in what Miles is telling me.

Jake leans in close to my ear, his breath fluttering across my cheek as he says, “But don’t worry, Baby, we will make sure his interrogation hurts.

He’ll fucking regret the day he ever met you when we’re done with him. ”

A chill shivers down my spine, and I’m not sure if it’s from the violence in his tone or his proximity and the way he always makes me feel. His possessive protectiveness is exactly what I need right now.

My breath catches in my throat, my voice cracking as I admit something that has caused me a lot of shame over the years. “I can’t wait for him to die. I know that’s probably an awful thing to say, but I don’t think I’ll ever be free while he lives.”