“By the time I realized what they really were, there was no getting away from them,” he admitted. “Even if I could, they knew who you were. Who Teddy was. They threatened to kill you both.”
“How did Teddy get away from them?” I asked.
“He figured out what these assholes were a lot quicker than me. He tried to warn me. I didn’t want to listen.” He met my gaze, then looked away. “Just like I wouldn’t listen to you.” His shoulders slumped. “Sorry I didn’t listen to you.”
“It’s okay,” I told him. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, fat lot of good it’s doing us.”
“Oh,” I said, remembering, “that’s right. My friends are all former military.”
He looked over at me. “I sure as hell hope they were some kind of special forces, or some shit.”
“Some were,” I told him. I wasn’t sure what all of them had done in the military, but I had every confidence in them. “Don’t worry. They won’t leave us here.”
Those that aren’t special forces are genuinely nuts. That counts for something.
“How the hell are they even going to find out we’re here?”
“Carrick will make sure they know,” I replied. “And if he doesn’t, the guys we left behind at the clubhouse will tell them.”
“Since when do you hang with bikers?” he asked.
“Since I was looking for you, little ungrateful punk,” I answered with a grin.
He returned it.
We were sitting there, tied up, surrounded, and grinning at each other like lunatics.
My smile faded. “I’m also sort of dating one of them.”
His brows shot up. “Sort of?”
“We’re dating,” I said again, more confident this time.
“Do I need to kick the shit out of him?”
I choked on a laugh. “Why would you?”
“For touching my sister,” he said as though it was obvious.
I pursed my lips together. “I wouldn’t recommend it. OD is…” I wasn’t sure how to explain Overdrive to him.
“Head’s up,” he muttered.
The man who was approaching us had a mean face. One of those guys who wore an expression that would make you cross the street rather than go past him on the sidewalk. Poor Norman had been stuck with this asshole for who knew how long. I was glad I’d taken the dog. My dog.
Carrick looked down at us, a smug expression flitting across his place. “If those pieces of shit manage to get away from the packing plant, then they’re going to come straight here. If not… Well, it won’t matter.”
“‘Cause you’ll let us go?” Ryan asked in a neutral tone.
Carrick laughed. It was a laugh straight out of a villain’s story in a movie. “And let you try to go to the cops?” he asked. “Not happening.”
“What if we promised not to go to them?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t trust anyone to keep their word,” he replied. “And if I let you go, you’re no use to me. If I keep you here and alive, same thing. You’ll spend the whole fucking time trying to escape.” He raked a hand through his blond hair. “So you see? My only choice is to kill you.”
Ryan fell silent, not bothering to argue with him again. Carrick got bored with us not speaking and walked away to go do whatever bad guys did.
