Page 18 of Up in a Blaze (Polished P & P #4)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

HENRI

I considered checking to see if the door we leaned against was unlocked since we were so close.

But if it was, the fall could kill us at the speed they were going.

So instead, I stayed still and silent, watching the men staring at us.

Even with the gaps in the masks at their eyes and mouth, I could tell two had indifferent, almost bored expressions, but the one who had slapped me scowled at Sawyer and me.

He may as well have a big red sign above his head that flashed homophobic. Unless he was one of those who pretended to despise us but really wanted to fuck us.

Either way, I could see the hate clear in his gaze. He wanted to hit me again.

Sawyer shifted against me. “What will they do?” he whispered.

Rubbing up and down his back, I told him softly, “I do not know, chéri.”

I wished I had answers I could share to help ease him, but I didn’t. Not when we weren’t allowed to ask questions.

“Do you see the car anywhere?” the driver asked.

The passenger replied, “No. I think we lost them.”

My heart sank along with my stomach. The only car that would follow would be Adrick or Gun or both.

“Henri,” Sawyer muttered, fear tightening his tone.

Louder, I told him, “It’s all right, chéri.” I wanted to see if they would give any information away, and one fell right into my trap.

Evil Eyes snorted. “No, it won’t be. Not where you two will be going.”

“Greg, shut up,” the driver clipped.

Greg reached through the gap and smacked the driver upside the head. “Don’t use names, fuckface.”

One of the others in the back laughed. “Not like they’ve got anyone to tell. We’ll dump them off like the last ones and won’t see them again.”

“Maybe we should have some fun with them first.” Greg’s suggestion had my skin crawling. Sawyer tucked in on himself next to me.

“We don’t touch,” the driver said.

“Come on. Not like they’re not used already. One’s a hooker, and I bet the French fucker has been taking shit up his ass for decades.”

“No,” the driver snarled.

“You’re not the boss of me,” Greg bit back.

“Both of you quit it,” the passenger barked. “Greg, you’ve never wanted to touch one before, so why now? The pretty boys getting the best of you? You wanna screw them in the ass like some fag?”

Greg dove for the passenger, but the other two pulled him back.

“Enough,” the driver roared. “If I crash this car from all this shit going on, and that kid doesn’t get on that fucking ship, his buyer will come after us. Any of you want that?”

“Let’s hope the kid’s buyer will pick up the other one too. Even though he’s a bit older and wasn’t on the website.”

So, the person wanting Sawyer had found him on the Polished website.

Wait….

Ship.

The guy said ship.

Oh my God. We really were headed in the direction of my beast.

No, wait, we could be taken to the other port in Mexico. Which way were we traveling? I couldn’t see anything. There were no windows except up the front, but that didn’t give me any clues.

No matter, Sawyer and I had people we trusted at both destinations.

My heart galloped with hope. We would be safe eventually.

“What the fuck are you smiling for?” Greg snapped at me.

I quickly wiped my grin off and shook my head.

When the asshole started talking with one of the others, I rested my cheek to Sawyer’s head to tell him with confidence, “Everything will be okay.”

He tipped his head back, and I nodded.

“Okay, Henri,” he whispered, leaning back into me.

In a way, it was probably best if we were headed to Mexico and away from Blaze because I knew from the sting to my cheek, I would be marked. If Blaze saw that, God help anyone who got in his way.

I wanted him safe like he wanted me. But I feared he would put himself in danger to retaliate against the man who marred my skin.

So yes, Mexico would be better.

Still, for now, we just had to keep still and quiet. I really didn’t trust the look in Greg’s eyes since it’d shifted from hate to hunger, which was now directed at Sawyer.

If Greg ignored the driver’s warning and tried anything, I would go full papa bear on that bastard to make sure Sawyer stayed protected.

“How long we got?” someone asked.

“Roughly three hours still.”

Three hours.

Three hours meant our destination would be the port in LA.

Where my beast was.

My pulse raced in worry and excitement.

Mon amour will know what to do.

Blaze would take care of everything. And I would take care of him.

Blowing out a quiet breath, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

Please let this end smoothly. Please watch over Sawyer and Blaze.

I needed my beast in my life and at our home, not locked up in jail.

Sawyer shifted against me. I wound my arms around him and held on tight. This poor boy. He already had enough done to him. My blood boiled that there were people who wished to capture him because of his looks. People wanted to use him, own him, and none of it was in a good way like my beast did me.

They wanted to ruin him.

He needed protection. He needed security in the form of people who cared for him and his well-being. He held the weight of the world on his eighteen-year-old shoulders, and it wasn’t fair.

No one at his age should be working the hours he did. Should be the sole carer for their brother. He shouldn’t have to be the adult and live a life where he wasn’t able to go out to have fun and enjoy his prime age.

“Henri,” he whispered.

“Oui, chéri?” I brushed over his hair with my hand.

“Our parents died when I turned eighteen. I have full custody of Arlo. They had debt up to their ears but also loan sharks wanting payments. I sold the house to pay off what I could and moved us into a terrible area, but we have a good neighbor. Miss Cora helps me with Arlo when I’m working.

Still, there’s people always wanting money.

It’s never-ending….” He swallowed thickly and sniffed.

“I-If I don’t get back to Arlo, they’ll take him.

They’ll hurt our neighbor. The only reason they’ve left us alone is because I give them most of my wages. But if I’m not there….”

“Shh, chéri, we will get you home to Arlo. By nightfall, you will be with him, I promise.”

I really did have that much faith in Blaze and the Diamond MC brothers.

Only what Sawyer didn’t know was that our help wouldn’t stop at this situation. Somehow Blaze and I were going to get him and Arlo out of this debt.

“How can you promise that?”

I ducked close to his ear and whispered, “Because I believe in my Blaze. He will save us, chéri.”

He gasped, lifted his head to look at me. “Really?”

“Oui.”

The music cut off as Sawyer cried out when he was suddenly yanked away and dragged by his ankle down toward Greg. “What the fuck are you two whispering about?”

Sawyer struggled, but Greg climbed over him, holding Sawyer to the filthy, cold floor.

I launched myself that way, pushing at his shoulders. “Get off, get off. Leave him alone. Stop touching him.” I punched and pushed at him.

Greg backhanded me hard enough I dropped to my side. Black spots danced in front of me. Ignoring the pain, I got up and pushed at Greg again. “Move.”

“Greg, get the fuck off him,” the driver yelled.

The other two in the back drew close. One said, “Come on, man. I don’t want to have to deal with his buyer.”

Greg shoved off Sawyer and moved toward the front while Sawyer scrambled my way. I pulled him to the back until we were pressed into the corner of the van.

Sawyer near buried himself inside me, and I held him tightly.

“It’s okay. You’re all right, chéri.”

He nodded against my chest as he shook against me.

“I have you, Sawyer. I have you.”

We would get through this.

“You got hit again,” he uttered.

“Shh, don’t worry about it. We will get out of this. We just have to be good and wait.”

I hated violence, but I understood it. I knew some people only responded to violence.

And then there were the people who deserved it. Greg was one of those people. He would get what was coming to him.

We only had to deal with him for a few more hours and then he would see what it was like to fear someone.

I doubted he had ever had to worry about another person in his life. He would have been the bully. But Blaze would make sure he feared him.

My beast was coming for him, and I could not have been happier to know this man would get what was deserved.

Maybe that made me a bad person. But seriously, some people needed to be punched. Like right now, he glared down at us—watching and waiting for us to act up so he could touch Sawyer again.

The man’s fists clenched and unclenched as he stared while ignoring the other men trying to talk to him about something.

I wanted to smile again. I wanted to crow in delight knowing Blaze would make him pay. And I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to stop my beast from going too far.

That look in Greg’s eyes, the sneer on his lips, had me thinking that if he was allowed to touch Sawyer, it would cause nothing but pain.

All of them in this van were bad people. After all, they kidnapped people for monsters who were willing to buy humans.

But at least this time they wouldn’t get away with it.