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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

MADALYN

I am sick to my stomach.

Watching these men drink, take drugs, and smoke while cheering on strung-out girls dancing, barely wearing any clothing — it's a nightmare. They all look underage, dirty, and high on drugs. It breaks my heart that they are being put through this.

As I scan the room, my heart races. I need to find a way out, while praying that Target finds me. I know that once he finds out I have been taken, he will come looking and Crypt will be his first go to.

“Fuck, yes, you slut. Suck her clit.” I gag, seeing one of Crypt’s men push a girl’s face into another girl’s legs.

Tears fill my eyes as I take it all in. God knows what Crypt has in store for me; he has not said much other than I am his and he will never let me go again.

Sitting in a chair at the back of the room, I see everything that is happening and I think that was his intention. He wants me to see what they can do to women, me included.

My gaze lands on him and I see him smirking at me, a sickly dark look in his eyes, loving how much this is hurting me.

Seeing what is going on, it is a stark reminder of the darkness that can exist in the world, but also how easy a life can be turned around. I have no doubt most of these girls were from a nice home, and a loving family, only to be taken by these dogs and degraded.

It is sickening.

God, I hope Target and the brothers find me. A sob slips free, my hands going to my face as I cry. My body racks with sobs, wishing to be anywhere but here.

I’d rather be in Kohen’s warm arms, his lips on my skin, his fingers tracing over my body.

The memories of our time together flash through my mind, a stark contrast to the hell I'm currently enduring.

I remember the gentle way he would caress my hair, the warmth of his embrace that made me feel safe.

I miss him. Miss his touch and his love.

What he makes me feel is love, something I have always wanted.

A scream pulls me back into the room and I gasp, seeing one of Crypt’s men pulling one of the girls by the hair, kicking her as they reach a table. I know what he intends to do and I need to stop it.

“Crypt, stop this. God, when did you turn into a monster?”

Everyone looks back to me. Crypt gets to his feet, finishes off the whiskey he has in his glass, and throws it across the room. It flies past where the girls are dancing and they cry out as the glass shatters against the wall next to them, shards of broken glass covering their bare feet.

Shit.

The men laugh and shout at the girls to keep dancing. Fuck, now I have made it worse for them as they have to dance on broken glass.

Tears fall down my cheeks, which makes Crypt happy.

“Fuck, I love seeing that I upset you, seeing you cry because of me.” He brushes his thumb over my cheek, which is swollen from being slapped by the man in front of me.

His eyes glimmer with excitement seeing the pain and marks he has caused me. I flinch from his touch, making his wicked smile widen. In a flash he grips my hair, yanking my face closer to his.

The sounds of the room gets muted, as my blood rushes through my ears in fear.

This man intends to hurt me or worse before he is done with me.

Crypt is not a man to be left, he has made that clear. He took me six hours ago, and I have no idea how long it took Kohen to work out that I was taken. I also do not know the condition of the prospect Crypt bragged about stabbing, leaving him for dead.

“You know I looked for you when I got out, but I was told by some bitch you worked with that you bolted. Fucking ran from me. That did not make me happy,” he hisses.

“I needed a fresh start, and you were locked up, Crypt. You hurt me before you got sent away.”

“You were my girl, you were supposed to fucking wait for me. Instead, you packed up all of your shit, and left.” He lets my jaw go, and sits in the old wooden chair next to me.

“You don’t need me, Eddie. You can have any woman you want, strung-out or not.” I wave at the girls. “Most girls like being with a bad boy, because they live for that, but that is not me. I never was and never will.”

I appeal to his male ego, stroking it in the hopes that he will let me go. He is a good enough looking man, and yes, women used to fawn over him. It was hurtful to see at the time because I thought I was his one and only, but that turned out to be a lie.

“You are fucking a biker, are you not?” he states.

I sigh, twisting my fingers together, the rope around my wrists burning my skin when I try to get loose. Blood coats my skin and I hope that it does not scar or get infected.

“Target is different. He treats me with respect and love. He would never hit me. The Rugged Skulls MC is completely different from your club, that likes to hurt people for fun.” My voice raises as I finish speaking.

I do not have time to dodge the palm that connects with my face again. I bite my lip, tasting blood but trying to keep my cries of pain in so he does not relish in the pain.

Sitting forward, he rests his elbows on his knees glaring at me, his eyes filled with hate.

“The Rugged Skulls is a pussy club. They are weak, when they could be so fucking powerful.”

“Weak men hit women,” I belt out before I can stop myself, which gets me another slap. This time his ring must spin on his finger because I scream, feeling my skin split open.

He brings his face to mine, gripping my jaw in a painful hold. I wince but hold in any sound that is trying to break free.

“I am not weak. I got myself through my prison time, bitch. No fucker messed with me once I put down a fucker from a rival club.” The grin on his face makes me sick.

The pride in his once blank eyes shows that he was more than okay with hurting and killing people. This is not the Eddie I thought I loved.

“What happened to you?” I breathed.

He pushes me back then sinks into his seat, his legs spread wide.

“Life fucking happened. I went to prison for my club, left you on the outside waiting for me, but you fucking left. Bolted at the first sign of trouble.”

“The first sign? Crypt, there were many signs: the verbal abuse, the cheating, then the hits started. Did you know that when you went away, the club wanted me to be a club whore until you got back?”

He shrugs, just fucking shrugs, like he expected me to do what I was told.

“You really felt nothing for me? Then why all this? If I meant nothing to you, then why come for me, and hurt me? You could have just let me be and the Rugged Skulls would not come hunting, because believe me, they will.” My voice is soft but I can’t stop the tremor that vibrates through me.

Fear is front and center of this interaction.

His eyes take on a look that says whatever I just said angers him. My heart stutters in my chest when the corner of his lips arches up, baring teeth to me.

“You took something of mine.”

I lean back in my seat, tilting my head at him in confusion. My mind reels back to what I packed up from my little apartment that I shared with him when he was not at the club, and nothing I took belonged to him.

Most of the items I threw away, but I kept some items that made me smile. Even though he caused me pain, we did have some good times, and I wanted to hold onto those little happy memories.

“I only took my things. I left everything that belonged to you at the apartment, not that there was much because by the time everything happened, you were pretty much living at the clubhouse.”

His jaw ticks, his nostrils flare.

“I gave you a yellow cat toy.” I frown, trying to remember the last place I saw that stuffed animal.

“The one from the fair?”

“Do I look like I fucking remember where I got it from? Where is the fucking toy?” he growls.

Shaking my head, I tell him, “I honestly do not know. I can’t remember the last time I saw it, I swear.”

He doesn’t like my answer. His hands go to the armrest of my chair and he shakes the chair, his rage. My body shakes and I whimper in fear of him hurting me more than he already has.

I know I have been lucky so far but this new revelation seems to set off a whole new level of anger in him.

Images flash through my head of Kohen and me in bed. His fingers in my hair, his lips on my temple while we lie in bed after making love. Images of Emmi and Rex running around laughing and living their best lives.

Crypt may snap and hurt me, or worse, and I will never get to see Kohen again and tell him how I feel.

“WHERE IS IT?” Spit flies out of Crypt’s mouth, like he is a foaming rabid dog.

“I don’t know. On my life, I can’t remember what happened to it.”

“You are lying to me. I need it, bitch.” He squeezes my jaw again, making my cheek get caught between my teeth, and the coppery taste of my blood fills my mouth.

“I’m not, on my life,” I cry.

“Your life means nothing, but…” He stops then smiles and my stomach fills with lead as an idea fills his warped mind. “Yours means nothing, but maybe I can go see that sexy little sister of yours.”

“NO!” I scream. “Please no. Leave her out of this. I will find it.” My voice is pleading.

“Nah, I think she needs a visit from me. Maybe then you will see that I am not fucking around. I want that fucking toy.”

A sob rushes out of me, my chest caving in at the idea of him touching Aria. My body shakes violently in terror and panic.

Someone calls him from across the room, and they talk while I get lost in my head.

The idea of him touching Aria makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe I can get free and we can run. Take Grandpa with us and Darian. We could disappear.

As the thoughts and idea form in my head, Kohen’s face becomes clear in my panic and jumbled mind.

I can’t leave him, or the twins. We are fresh and new and if I get out of here, I am not going to waste any more time not spending as much time as possible with them and making something filled with love and happiness.

Crypt walks over to his men, still laughing, drinking, and snorting lines up their noses. It is a sight that causes nightmares.

One of the men is getting a blowjob from one of the young girls and I gag; she is like a ragdoll, the way he is holding her while he thrusts.

I close my eyes, turning away. There is nothing I can do to put a stop to this, I am outnumbered and outmuscled. Each and every man in this room would have no issues with hurting me, as long as I am left breathing.

Being naive has gotten me into this mess, although it has been years since I last saw him. I had always hoped that he would have forgotten about me, that our paths would never cross again.

The room is filled with the stench of sweat and smoke, a haze that makes me want to puke. I can hear the sounds of bottles clinking, and laughter that sends shivers down my spine.

I hope that Kohen and the club find me soon; I want to go home and be locked in his big arms.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” is bellowed as the house shakes, and glass shatters, and wood splinters.