Page 33

Nikki

I came slowly, unsure how long I’d been out after I took so many lashes to my body. I stopped counting and fell unconscious somewhere around fifty lashes, my body cold and my dreams filled with thoughts and images of Livvy and Logan. I didn’t want to die at all, but I definitely didn’t want to die without letting my little girl know how much I loved her, and how much being her mom meant to me. I wanted to tell Logan that I loved him and wanted to be with him. That I was sorry for running out on him, that I knew he was trying his best...

I still hadn’t filled him in on all of Livvy’s quirks, her likes and dislikes, but they already loved each other so I knew they would figure it out.

Without me.

I blinked rapidly but the hood was back over my head and all I saw was darkness, not one shred of light seeped through the fabric this time. The darkness only enhanced the shot of cold that ripped through me. Still bound to the bed, I assumed, my teeth chattered since there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to create any warmth. I might die of cold before they manage to kill me. I’d always heard that hypothermia was a peaceful way to go, for some reason that gave me comfort—especially compared to what might happen when the men returned.

I had no idea what time it was or if it was even the same day. It was odd, being so disoriented that I didn’t know if it was up or down. I knew none of this, whatever it was, would end well for me, but other than a vague sense of fear, I wasn’t terrified. Not yet.

Panic began to set in the longer I was awake with my head covered and I had to work hard to regulate my breathing. It would do no good to pass out again, this time from a panic attack. Who knew what the hell these people would do to me if I stayed out for too long.

Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about that because after a few minutes, a door opened and then closed, followed by the sound of footsteps. Seconds later the hood was yanked off my head and Thrash’s face was inches from mine. “Hope my men weren’t too rough on ya.” His smile was mischievous and all I wanted was to spit in his face.

“Whatever.”

He laughed and rolled his eyes, taking a few steps back, forcing me to strain my neck to look at him. “Who did you tell about that photo you took?”

“It was a video, and I didn’t tell anyone. I posted and that was it.” The fact that he didn’t know, meant he was doing the councilman’s bidding.

“You had no fuckin’ right!” Spit flew from his mouth, his face was red with anger.

“I don’t give a damn what you do, but I care that Cameron is involved, and so does everyone else. You know that means he’ll throw you under the bus to save himself, right?” I laughed even though nothing about this was funny. “He’ll say you forced him into it.”

Thrash’s face turned an angry shade of red and he pulled back his arm, unleashing a fist right into my gut. “You talk too fuckin’ much.” His body vibrated with unspent anger, so he hit me again. “Free this bitch,” he ordered the men who stood at different corners of the room.

Two men stepped forward and pulled out switchblades to slice through the plastic binds at my wrists and ankles. My body instinctively curled into itself, but they yanked me off the bed, ignoring my grunts of pain when I fell to my knees. I tried to stand but they pushed my shoulders to keep me on the floor.

Thrash got in my face. “I think I’ll put you where we keep the crackheads who can’t pay, we turn them into crack whores to pay off their debt. You can make up some of the money you’re trying to steal from my pockets.”

I suppressed the shiver that went through me at that not-so-subtle threat. I refused to let my mind go to that place where I was shackled in some one-room shithole, being forced to take as many cocks as could pay in a day until I overdosed or killed myself. No, I can’t.

“Nothing to say?”

I lifted my head and jutted my chin out defiantly. “What do you want me to say? You want me to beg you for my life?”

“That would be a good start.”

“Yeah well, if I thought there was a chance you’d let me go, I might.”

Disappointment flashed in his eyes, and I knew I was right.

“You’re not a man of your word, Thrash. You are despicable.”

“Maybe,” he groaned and hit me with a backhand across the face. “But I also have the upper hand.”

“Yeah well, you have me at a disadvantage.” I glanced down at my naked body covered in red welts.

He stared me down and with every second that passed, fear pumped into my veins and my eyes welled with tears. I couldn’t fight it any longer, the sense that my death was imminent. He smiled when one tear slipped down my cheek and took a step back. “Good enough.”

He wanted to see my fear. That’s what got him off. “Yeah, I see who you are, Thrash.”

He backhanded me again and I bit back the groan, determined not to give this asshole any satisfaction. “Strong. That’s good, it’ll take a long time before you break. You’ll earn me a lot of fuckin’ money.”

When I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, I closed my eyes and let out a low, shaky breath.

Suddenly, three gunshots sounded in rapid succession somewhere in the distance, startling a gasp out of me. My eyes opened wide, and I looked around the room. Thrash looked worried and I scooted away, as close to the wall as I could get.

Logan.

I had to believe that even though I’d run out on him, he’d managed to find me.

“Don’t just stand there, go see what’s going on!” Yeah, Thrash was in a panic. I hoped with everything in me that it was Logan and the Steel Demons coming to rescue me, and not some other biker club they were quarreling with.

It was just me, Thrash, and his two men. I slid back until my back hit the wall.

“I don’t think so.” Thrash reached down and grabbed me by the hair, lifting me to my feet. “You stay right here.” He pushed me in front of him and hooked his right arm around my neck, pretty much using me as a human shield. “Eyes open. Guns up,” he instructed.

More shots sounded, but every round was louder as the scuffle drew closer. My entire body shook and vibrated with fear, my mind flashed with images of me being riddled with bullets before I fell to the ground, a literal dead heap.

One of Thrash’s men opened the door, and three shots hit his body, sending him stumbling back just like on television, except the sound of the shots was deafening.

I watched, frozen in place as Thrash’s grip tightened around my neck. “Don’t. Fuckin’. Move.”

Gio stepped through the doorway first and scanned the room, killing the last man before he fixed his gaze on Thrash. “Using a woman to keep you safe? Good fuckin’ luck. Clear,” he called out.

Logan stepped inside followed by Maverick and Rocky. His gaze met mine first and then tracked down my naked body, anger reddened his face and clenched his jaw when he saw the marks all over me. “Hand her over, Thrash.”

“Fuck that. So you can pump me full of bullets?”

Logan laughed. “That’s going to happen either way.”

“Then I’ll make this really simple for you.” He cocked his weapon and pressed the barrel against my temple. “Me and the bitch leave here and when I’m free and clear, I’ll let her go.”

Tears streamed down my face, but I managed to swallow down the sob. Naked in front of all these people was bad enough, adding in the tears just made me feel more vulnerable. “Just shoot him,” I told Logan. “Shoot him and take care of Livvy, yeah?” I closed my eyes and ducked my head, hoping against hope that the bullets would bypass me. My body shook with fear as reality crashed around me. I was going to die. There was no way around it. Best case scenario was that Thrash put one in my head, and I died quickly but I doubted I’d be so lucky.

“Nikki,” Logan called me. “Look at me Nikki.”

My eyelids fluttered open, and my gaze locked on him.

He smiled. “I’m sorry. Sorry for being angry when I had no right to be. Hell, I’m sorry about everything, honestly.” He shook his head, anguish darkened his beautiful eyes even as he kept his gun trained on Thrash. “I love you Nikki and I trust you. Always.”

What? Had I heard right? Logan loved me? Or was he just saying those words to make what happened next easier? Did it even matter? No. This was my last chance to tell him the truth—if I was going to die, I wanted him to know. “I love you too,” I blurted out. “This was never about not trusting you, it was always about protecting Livvy.”

“I know.”

“I trust you,” I told him on a shaky whisper.

“Good, because I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

It wasn’t a promise he could keep but I nodded all the same. “Okay.”

“What a nice fuckin’ moment,” Thrash sneered and held me tighter, getting his arm right under my chin. “Now make room for us and I won’t splatter her brains all over these walls.”

God, he was such an asshole. He tugged me forward until I was unsteady on my toes.

“Move,” he shouted, but none of the Steel Demons budged. Thrash adjusted his grip on the gun and applied more pressure to my temple.

His grip loosened around my neck, and I bent over, sinking my teeth into the flesh of his forearm with as much force as I could. The metal taste of blood touched my tongue before I released him.

“Bitch!” He released me completely and raised his hand to smack me, but before he could Logan shot him four times and I watched as he stumbled back several steps and collapsed onto the bed. The red dots on his shirt grew so fast I couldn’t look away. It was the only movement, the red darkening the white t-shirt.

His eyes were lifeless. His body still.

Hands touched me and I screamed. “No!”

“It’s just me, Nikki.” Logan’s soft whispers soothed me almost instantly. “It’s me. You’re all right, babe. You’re safe.” His soothing words warmed me. “Shit,” he growled and took off his t-shirt, sliding it over my head to cover me. “Nikki.”

“I-I-I’m okay,” I assured him, my voice was shaky. My whole body shook, and I wasn’t sure if it was shock or relief or something else altogether. “Logan.” I stepped into him and buried my face in his chest.

“I’m here, babe. Right here.” He held me while I cried but only for a second. “Let’s get you out of here and back home.”

Home. I had no clue where that was anymore, but I nodded and let Logan lead me out of the prison I’d been held in and into a waiting van where Hawk sat behind the wheel.

“Welcome back.” Hawk offered up a friendly smile before he put the van in drive and carried me away from that hell.