The men move to disarm and cuff Rex, too, prying him away from Trish as he tries to apply pressure to her wound.
“Please… don’t leave me…” Trish cries out weakly, holding a hand out to her sister.
The men hesitate, looking to Mary Beth. “Leave her,” she orders with a dismissive wave.
As they lead us down the dark corridor, I can hear Trish’s desperate, clawing breaths as she’s left to die alone. Her sister doesn’t even glance back. I look at Mary Beth with new eyes. There was a viper in our den, and I never noticed how venomous she was.
Perhaps Zeke isn’t the enemy we should be concerned about. Even if we kill Zeke and take down the Iron Vultures, I get the impression that nothing will stop Mary Beth from achieving her goal of riches and infamy.
They lead us through the tunnel into a stone hallway that connects with the basement of the house. Every step we take echoes with humiliation. Anger. And helplessness.
I glance at Rex, whose eyes are dark and stormy. “We walked into a goddamn trap,” I mutter, hating myself for trusting Trish.
He nods once, cold and silent. “I should’ve seen it.”
But there’s no time for guilt. No space for regret. Because we’re in enemy territory now, and the only way out is through.
We have to survive.
We have to fight.
And if we’re lucky, very lucky, maybe all of our family is still alive.
Chapter 26
Lena
Ipace Zeke’s office while I wait. The guard, Chuck, watches me like a hawk, his eyes never leaving me, but he remains silent. Trying to act casual, I stroll over to Zeke’s desk, trying to get a look at the plans I saw him studying earlier. To my surprise, Chuck doesn’t react. Feeling braver, I peer a little closer.
“Snooping won’t help you. It’s already done,” Chuck says smugly.
My head snaps up to look at him, and a hateful smirk paints his face. “What’s already done?” I ask, fearing the answer.
“We blew it up, the Soaring Eagle’s pathetic excuse for a clubhouse.”
My heart stops. He can’t be telling the truth. Can he? And yet I see no trace that he’s lying. I just have to hope that it was empty at the time. Surely the guys would have rallied everyone to come after Mia and me. I hope so, and not just for our sake now. “Was it… Was anyone hurt?”
Chuck looks at me as if I’m dim-witted. “I should think so, lady, it was a fucking bomb. But why should you care? These are the people who kidnapped you, right?” he says, testing me.
He knows. He knows that Zeke is wrong, that I was willingly with the Soaring Eagles. Which means he’s an enemy I need to watch closely. Chuck scrutinizes me, and I know without him needing to say a word what he’s telling me—I should watch my back, he’s got his eye on me. If he hasn’t told his suspicions to Zeke, that means he’s waiting for the right time to, or he wantssomething from me in return for his silence. For now, though, we’ll both keep up the charade and play the parts that Zeke has cast us in.
“I don’t care what happens to the men who took me,” I lie. “But I don’t want innocent people to get hurt either. There might have been women and children there,” I reply, narrowing my eyes at him judgmentally.
“None of the Soaring Eagles or the people who associate with them are innocent. They like to pretend they’re better than us, with their pretentious name and holier-than-thou attitudes, but they’re not. Besides, we didn’t start this war, they did. And it was all for you. So if anyone is hurt, on either side, their blood is on your hands, sweetheart,” he replies snidely, folding his arms across his barrel chest.
He’s right. This is all because of me. If I hadn’t run that day, none of this would be happening. I think of all the people who have been so kind and welcoming to me, who may be injured or worse because of me, and I feel as if I could fall into a well of sorrow and guilt. I desperately want to ask if Cole, Rex, Judge, and Doc were there. If any of them were hurt, but I can’t, not without confirming Chuck’s suspicions. I push down my emotions, there’s no use worrying about them, it won’t help me. Instead, I decide to see if I can get any information from Chuck, seeing as he’s being chatty.
“Was that what Spike wanted Zeke for, to tell him about the bomb? Or was Mary Beth in charge of that, since she knows the inside of the club?”
“Nah, Spike headed up that team. Zeke wouldn’t trust a broad with that. However, she has proven herself useful, her and her sister. If you ask me, Zeke’s a fool for picking you over her. Although I’m sure he’ll have his fun with both of you, probablyat the same time,” he says gleefully. “He might even give some of us a go as a reward for our hard work,” he threatens, his eyes darkening with lust.
The sound of Chuck’s phone ringing distracts him. I’m grateful that it cuts that particular line of conversation short. The last thing I want to imagine is a life in which I’m expected to have sex with Zeke and Mary Beth, and especially not with his men—the thought of Zeke letting them pass me around like a sex doll makes me feel sick.
“Yes, Prez, I understood,” Chuck says before ending the call. Chuck turns to me. “Come on. The boss says you’re to get ready for dinner.”
He roughly grabs me by the elbow, leading me back toward the room I came from. On the bed is a crimson dress, the ominous color of blood, along with a pair of high heels and a lace lingerie set in the same shade. “Boss says you’re to wear that tonight. But you gotta shower and shave everywhere first, he wants you nice and smooth,” Chuck says suggestively, with a leer.
“And if I refuse?”
