Hell, I couldn't remember the last time anyone had done anything with me without me having to initiate it first.
“Where is the clubhouse?” the man asked as he rolled his chair closer.
I sighed. “Everywhere and nowhere.”
He bent down to get into my face and his breath was damn near a weapon of destruction of its own. “You’ve got one more chance to tell me where the fuck it is before we put a bullet in your little fucktoy out there.”
I rolled my eyes. “You really overestimate what I know about that club. You want to know how long I’ve known that man out there? Two weeks. I’ve known about this club for two weeks. I don’t know where shit is, or what shit is. Hell, I’m not sure I could even tell you what their emblem looks like on their leather cuts. I don’t. Know. Shit. I was just stolen away and taken there without any regard for what I wanted with my own life. All you did was steal away someone who’s already been stolen.”
And that time, I braced for the impact of the man’s hand across my face.
“Pathetic little bitch,” he growled as he stood up. “You’re weak and pathetic. Nothing but a toy for others. I should’ve known you were useless.”
He snapped his fingers and someone wrapped their hand around my throat. I yelped out in pain before he closed off my ability to speak and my eyes widened. Jesus Christ, they were really going to kill me. This man was going to strangle me to death before tossing my body into a ditch somewhere.
I’m so sorry, West. I tried my best.
“Hey. You,” the accented man said, “go check on the asshole in there. See if he’s ready to talk,” someone commanded.
I gagged in pain as the man’s hand from around my neck released me. I heaved for air and leaned off to the side, trying not to throw up on myself as my nausea stirred. And as the man marched out of the room, the sound of a gunshot quickly followed.
Before I heard something hard drop to the ground.
“West! Nooooo!” I shrieked.
I knew he was dead. I just knew that man had shot and killed him. My sobs filled the room as tears streaked the open wounds against my cheekbones. I cried out for him. I begged him to still be alive. And as gunfire continued to rain down, thuds kept sounding against the concrete floor.
Before someone softly gripped my chin.
“Chloe, look at me.”
West’s voice hit my ears and my eyes snapped up to him. “You’re—you’re alive. West!”
He placed his finger to his lips. “I’m out of ammo. We have to get out of here. Now.”
I shook my head. “How did you get out of—”
“Bend forward and let me get you out of these first.”
I did as he asked, and soon my hands were free. I rubbed my wrists as he offered me his hand, but it took me a second before I knew I could get up. I slid my palm against his and he pulled me upright, holding me close as I teetered. The world tilted around me before I closed my eyes, and when I opened them I found myself gazing up into my savior’s face.
“West, you’re hurt,” I whimpered softly.
He ran his thumb just below a gash on my cheek. “I’m going to kill every single person that laid a hand on you. Everyone who’s ever hurt you. Who’s ever taken advantage of you. I’m so sorry that I got you into this.”
Tears dripped down my face. “Let’s just get out of here. I want to go back to the clubhouse.”
I studied his black, swollen eye and his busted nose. It was swollen, and cock-eyed. Most certainly broken. My hand slid down his torso and he flinched at my touch, which told me he had damage to his ribs just like I did. And as I watched blood drip from his lower lip, I sank against his body.
Before he kissed the top of my head.
“We need to go. Come with me,” he murmured.
He took my hand and started out of the room, and I did my best to keep up with him. They had battered my right thigh and it hurt to walk on it, but I also didn’t have a choice. If we were going to get out of this place alive, we had to move, and quickly. But, when we walked into the room where we had both been in the first place, I saw the ground littered with bodies.
A picture I knew I’d never get out of my head.
“West?” I asked.
