She had me literally walking in circles from that first day and it is unequivocally, deep in my bones, plain to me now that I will walk in whatever circles I have to if it keeps her safe with me. Whatever she needs or wants, it’ll be done.
Since everything is hibernating for the winter, the trees, grass and even the old, weathered wood on the side of the house is gray, the whole landscape looks like a portrait of shades of gray in this first hint of daybreak.
“On my signal.” Just as Callum finishes his directive, headlights break through the trees down the long driveway, and we all freeze. “Halt. Alpha 4 report.”
“Alpha 4, incoming van, no windows, one driver and one passenger visible through front windshield. Over.”
We all watch as an old, beat up, white van bounces down the old gravel driveway, the sound of the tires on gravel cutting through the silence of the morning. It pulls around and starts to back into the yard behind the house.
It comes to a stop about halfway between the house and the cellar and the two guys get out of the front seats. They look like the type of guys that would do anything to get money for whatever drug habit they have and it’s obvious by the dirtyclothes they are wearing that they don’t have a regular laundry day.
The back doors of the van swing open and another guy jumps out, he immediately turns and pulls a girl out, pushing her toward one of the other fuckers standing there. Two more girls are pushed out and he takes longer to get the next girl.
A familiar shoe comes into view, and I squint my eyes as Sloane is pulled out and he holds his arm around her waist to keep her standing. She’s hurt, she’s keeping all of her weight on one leg and her face is swollen and bruised enough that one eye is pushed shut.
The way he’s jerking her around almost makes her look like a rag doll as he turns to shut the van doors.
The voice in my comm is muffled and far away behind the rage that is pulsing through me, “Alpha 2 stand down. Stand DOWN!” I break my cover and step through the tree line as I raise my gun and take down one of the derelict pieces of shit closest to me.
“Fuck! Engage.” Callum orders, but I barely hear him as I keep walking toward them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SLOANE
WHEN THEguy tossed me into the back of the van, I did my best to hide in the corner behind the passenger seat to make myself as small as possible. My leg is hurting too bad to move around much, I don’t think it’s broken but even moving my foot sends sharp pains up my leg. My eye is swollen shut so I can’t see well enough in the dark van to inspect my surroundings.
After that asshole jerked me up off the ground, the wad of spit that hit the side of my head started to run down through my hair and I had to clench my teeth and hold my breath to keep from crying. All I can think is that I must have been a horrible person in a previous life to deserve the level of evil that is my payback now.
Three other girls in the van with me all look like they haven’t seen a shower or clean clothes in a few days. No onewill look at the other and the brief eye contact I made with one of them was cut short when she quickly lowered her head and looked at her knees.
The fear in the van is palpable and could be cut with a knife. If only I had a knife. The guy who tossed me in the back of the van gets in and closes the doors before he sits against one side.
He smirks as he looks me over, “You must be the girly who fucked up his neck, you’re lucky he didn’t kill ya. The boss told him no-can-do; he wants to make his money back for ya.” Then he cocks his brow, “I guess it’d probably been better if he’d killed ya, huh?”
Not wanting to look at him, or even listen to him anymore, I mirror the girl who didn’t want to look at me before and keep my gaze down.
Looking around close to me for any type of weapon, I’m disappointed to see that it has been cleaned out. There is nothing, not even remnants of the floor liner that has been ripped out to leave a crappy metal floor.
The sway of the van as we move starts to make me nauseous and I take deep breaths to try to keep from heaving in my lap. I noticed the other day that my breasts were sore, but I dismissed it as PMS, after the run-in with my brother, I was so distracted by fear and worry that I didn’t notice I hadn’t started my period.
My already fast-beating heart starts to beat so hard against my chest that it feels like it is trying to break through. What have I done? I never should have walked out of that house; I should have gone to Mason as soon as I saw that note.
I wonder if he would have thought that I was trying to trap him. Would he have questioned if the baby was even his? Would he have rejected both of us?
Maybe he would have accepted us.
If there is a life growing inside of me, have I sentenced it todeath?
I thought I could handle this myself, the last thing I wanted was to be responsible for anything happening to Lainey Rai, but I’ve messed up by thinking I could do this on my own, I’ve stepped into a trap I can’t get out of.
Oh no, what have I done?
Letting my forehead touch my knees that I’ve pulled up to my chest, I close my eye and remember how it felt to be wrapped in Mason’s arms last night. His sweetness when he pulls me to him after we have sex is a memory that brings tears to my eyes.
He likes to rub his beard against my ear and throat as his arms squeeze me to him. He may be some kind of hotshot military guy, but he’s always soft and gentle with me.
The longer we drive, the bigger the ball of panic swirling in my stomach grows. We’ve been driving for a while and the shakes that started in my stomach have moved to my arms and legs, I glance at the other girls and they have taken a similar position as mine, folding as tight into themselves as possible.
