One foot in front of another, I concentrated on that and on keeping my breathing even. In the distance, there were lots of headlights, but I didn’t allow hope to rise. Until they were here, I wasn’t safe. Plus, would those driving be helpful and safe? They might try to take me themselves. ‘Don’t trust anyone’ was the mantra that ran through my head.
Thank God I’d been allowed to keep my sneakers. The road would have shredded my soles if I didn’t have them. Pad, pad, pad, my feet went, pad, pad, pad. Slow and steady wins the race.
Harlequin
Night had fallen, and my gut was twisting. We were racing towards Margrave’s address as fast as possible, but there was a sense of dread inside me; I couldn’t keep it down. We took the turnoff and headed up the mountain road. There were still ten minutes before we hit the cabin, and I prayed April was there. Just before we departed, I’d received another picture from Margrave. This one was of April lying on a bed, eyes closed, skin pale, and her face battered and bruised.
The roar that had left me contained pain and anger, and Chance had managed to contain me as I flipped the hell out. My beautiful girl had been assaulted. The text Margrave had sent riled me even more. ‘Fuck with me, and I’ll screw you.’ April was a message to me. We had to find her. She was strong, and she’d not sit by and be a quiet prisoner. Without a doubt, April would already be calculating an escape plan.
We took the second from last turnoff, and Chance wobbled and skidded as Bear split in the opposite direction. Bear almost laid his bike down as he tried to avoid the person in the road. Instinctively, I hit the brakes as I saw the figure ahead of us.
“Julie!” I called as I leapt off my Harley. Skeletal-looking and panting heavily, Julie Rogers stood in front of me.
“Stay back,” Julie cried as she shook herself, appearing as if she was coming out of a trance.
“Julie, I’m Harlequin, a PI, and we’ve been searching for you,” I replied slowly as Julie stared at me wild-eyed.
“That’s a lie! Angel said Stone was looking for me,” Julie exclaimed and started backing away to the trees.
“I’m Stone. My given name is Stone; my road name is Harlequin. Angel? Who is Angel? Do you mean April? Margrave took my woman and sent me pictures of her. Do you recognise her?” I showed Julie my phone, and her eyes widened.
“That’s Angel. She saved me, told me to run. I think she’s dead, Mr Margrave shot her,” Julie cried.
My gut twisted, and I nearly screamed at Julie that she’d left April, but I swallowed hard. Christ, Julie was an eighteen-year-old girl who’d been kidnapped and held captive for six months. Who knew what torments and torture she’d experienced?
“Julie, these are my brothers, and none of us will harm you. We need to get to April, especially if she’s hurt. Will you get in the car?” I motioned to the SUV that Sailor had been driving. No way would I leave Julie alone at the side of the road, but urgency was crawling down my throat.
“Hi, I’m Sailor. Miss, I served in the armed forces. Let me help you, please?” Sailor said gently. He reached into the SUV, pulled out a blanket and offered it to her. Julie collapsed against him with a sob, and Sailor nodded. “Go. I’ve got Julie.”
I didn’t hesitate, but headed for my bike. She’d be safe with Sailor. “Take Julie to the hospital,” I threw over my shoulder.
Julie began arguing, but I didn’t hang about; April needed me. Chance and Bear pulled out ahead of me as Jinx rode up by my side. Jinx was feeling guilty, but I couldn’t reassure him. April might be dead. That horrendous thought kept circling as the hogs ate up the road. We took the turnoff into a lane and rode up it. April’s car appeared as we rounded a bend, and then Chance moved in front of me. I frowned and tried to ride around him, but Chance blocked me again.
Chance and Bear exchanged a glance as they parked their bikes. I stopped, got off my bike, and raced past them before they could obstruct me. Finally, I saw what they had. Huddled into a small ball, lying in the mud, with blood covering her face and hands, was April.
Staggering over, I fell to my knees and took in April’s pallor, and a pained cry escaped me. Agonised howling left my lips as I gathered April up, noting the wound in her shoulder and gut.Jinx slammed down beside me, and I shoved him away as I wrapped April up tightly. Could I breathe life back into her?
Jinx was shouting, and strong arms grabbed me and tried dragging me backwards. I fought like a demon, but Tiny and Bear were hard to overcome.
“April’s breathing!” Jinx yelled in my face. The words didn’t sink in, and I continued fighting. April lay on the ground with Chance pressing on her stomach. My frantic gaze took in Chatter on the phone, Sailor keeping Julie back, and Rooster running forward with a first aid kit. Why did he need that?
“She’s alive! Harlequin, April’s breathing!” Jinx yelled again, and I stared uncomprehendingly.
“Huh?”
“April’s critical, Chatter’s calling for the air ambulance. We have to get her to the hospital quickly,” Jinx said, holding my face and capturing my eyes.
“April lives?”
“Yes. Pull yourself together, brother. April needs you. Calm down and talk to her. If you panic, she will, and she’ll bleed out quicker,” Jinx murmured.
I nodded, and Bear and Tiny released me. I scrambled across the mud and stroked her poor, battered face. April’s nose looked broken, and both her eyes were badly bruised. One seemed swollen shut. There was blood matting her hair, and I saw a nasty gash on the top of her head.
“April, baby, can you hear me? You’ve gotta hold on, okay. Help is coming. Just hang in there, babes,” I begged.
“Harlequin, the air ambulance is en route. We need to shift April’s vehicle so it can land,” Chatter said.
“Is that her car? I threw the keys away. Sorry, I thought it was Mr Margrave’s,” Julie said. Why was Julie here? I’d told Sailor to take her to the hospital.
