Page 47 of Wrecked for Love (Buffaloberry Hill #1)

CLAIRE

Everything led back to New York. Hard to believe it could end like this.

I always knew my path might cross with The Revenants again, but never in this way.

I thought I’d be ready, that I’d prevail, that the fight was mine alone to face.

But now, I had no idea what had happened to Elia, whether he was still alive or if Lucien had already…

No. I couldn’t let myself imagine the worst. Yet the mental torment burned, even as my body shivered with cold.

I wrapped my arms around my midriff, the gesture appearing to be nothing more than an attempt to warm myself—just what the men in the room would assume.

Still, my thoughts kept circling back to the father of my child.

Bless my man —I hadn’t taken a test, but I didn’t need one.

A mother knows. I was carrying his baby.

They kept me locked up in another house, and I was forced to endure the last few days in silence.

Lucien didn’t have to say a word. I was aware of his actions.

He was stalling, piecing his plan together, trying to get everything just right.

He thought dealing with New York’s underworld would elevate him, but I knew better.

Lucien was in way over his head. Still, the money was too tempting for him to back out.

“How much did they promise you?” I taunted.

“None of your business,” Lucien replied.

He watched me struggling with the cold. All I had was my thermal and shirt, but I didn’t regret giving my jacket to Elia after the fight.

As for what Lucien had done to him, I’d stopped asking.

Had he left him in the snow at The Cove?

Or maybe he’d taken Elia somewhere just to savor his reaction when he revealed I’d been handed back to The Revenants? My captor was capable of anything.

Lucien tossed me a jacket again—his, of course. It had to be the third time he’d tried.

I tossed it back. This time, though, he didn’t ask. His men forced it on me.

“We wouldn’t want our client to receive frozen goods now, would we?” Lucien sneered.

The oversized jacket nearly swallowed me whole as I was caught between the stifling scent of him and the unwelcome warmth.

“So that’s it? You’re just letting me go?” I asked, trying to make him second-guess handing me over to The Revenants. “Think I’ve been punished enough? No more fun?”

“Oh, Claire. I’ve dreamed of round two, where you’d return the favor with him watching.

” His eyes darkened, painting vivid images of what Elia would witness.

I clung to the faint hope that it meant Elia was still alive.

“But money…well, that’s always sweeter than any spectacle. Hate to burst your bubble.”

With that, he motioned to his guards. Their grip was rough as they dragged me toward the door. I knew what was next. We’d be on the move again soon.

“How much did they pay for me, Lucien?” I prodded. “Fifty? A hundred grand? That’s all it takes to buy you? To make you forget the past?”

His brow twitched, but he didn’t bite. He just pretended I wasn’t there.

“If you think you’ll see a dime of that, you’re delusional,” I said, throwing it right at him. “The Revenants will tear through you and toss the scraps.”

I let the words linger, watching his expression falter—just barely. “I cost them,” I continued. “Took a lot from them—time, men, money.”

Cody’s money. No matter how shady my brother’s deals with The Revenants had been, he earned it.

“They know most of what I stole is gone,” I added.

“I’ve lived off scraps for years. A girl’s gotta eat, right?

” I shrugged. It wasn’t like I hadn’t given most of it away—to charities, to folks down on their luck.

“Sure, I’ve got a few grand left, but that’s pocket change.

Why would they pay more? Take my advice, Lucien. ”

He paused, signaling for his men to stop.

My tone dropped. “Leave me here. Cut your losses while you still can. Then we can have round two.”

For a split second, I thought I’d planted doubt. But then he smirked, stepped closer, and cupped my chin in his hand. “I’ll miss you.”

With a flick of his wrist, he signaled his men to continue, and just like that, we were back on the road.

Lucien’s voice slithered through the confines of the car. “Looking forward to seeing your old pals?” He chuckled, savoring every ounce of my discomfort. “How long has it been, Claire? Three, four years?”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

“What’s the matter?” he sneered, leaning in too close for comfort. “Moving through the stages of grief now? From denial to…what, realization?” He paused, letting his words sink in. “You know, your boyfriend did put up a decent fight. Better than your brother, at least. Cody, right?”

How dare he mention my brother’s name!

But I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I just glared, keeping my mouth locked shut.

“He was an easy shot,” Lucien continued with a laugh, the sound grating and obnoxious. “I didn’t need the details. But I know The Revenants—they’ll have you begging before you even know what hit you.”

I bit down on my tongue, refusing to let him in. My heart was screaming for Elia, but I wasn’t feeding Lucien a damn thing.

He rattled on. “Oh, and by the way, Gideon Purcell? Still thinks the world of you. You might want to figure out how you’re going to impress him. Can’t be showing up with that pathetic, beaten look on your face, can you?”

After what felt like an eternity of him droning on while I stayed unresponsive, the vile man finally fell silent, no longer looking at me.

The drive dragged on. The car jolted through the dark, winding roads of Montana.

Each bump threatened to stir the nausea that churned inside me, but my resolve held firm.

No matter what happened, no one could know about my baby.

I’d fight with everything I had to protect this life growing inside me.

Elia’s legacy.

I forced my body to behave. The darkness and the chatter between the men gave me the cover I needed to hide it all. I even swallowed my own sick. I would give my captors no reason—nothing whatsoever—to seize the upper hand.

Hours had passed, and the world outside disappeared into the pitch-black. Eventually, the sky began to change. Dawn was creeping in, casting a gray light over the landscape. That’s when we arrived at a house tucked just around a bend off the main road.

They dragged me out of the car and marched me inside, and immediately, I knew. These men weren’t Lucien’s. Their postures, their demeanor—too familiar. The Revenants. I’d know them anywhere.

The house was a typical country place—neither run down nor grand, just plain. No one would suspect a thing. I wasn’t sure where I was, but it felt busier than the other towns we’d passed.

Inside, more men waited, their eyes cold and unreadable. My skin prickled as they lurked in the shadows, watching me with the same calculating intensity I remembered from New York.

And then, he stepped forward.

“Hello, Claire,” he said, his tone marred with eerie amusement. “Miss me?”