Okay she wouldn’t go there either. She needed to escape. And fast.
She forced her eyelids open. For a split second, sheer terror slammed into her as she encountered complete darkness, but a slight turn of her head let in some cold air. They’d covered her head with the blankets.
She’d best not move. If the pain pounding in her temples was any indication she’d taken a bad hit.
Okay so escape wasn’t exactly an option at the moment. She needed to get out of these ropes first. Cripes! How come she kept getting into these situations?
“You sure you didn’t kill her when you bonked her on the head? She should have come to by now.” A gruff male voice with a slight southern accent shot through the air, too close for comfort. The guy was sitting right beside her.
Reena froze.
“Don’t worry. She’s just playing dead.” Another man chuckled.
She didn’t recognize either of the voices as the guy who’d knocked her out. That meant there were three of them. At least.
Her heart lurched in her chest. How could she escape three of them?
Shit.These men would be on edge. Desperate for female companionship. They’d most likely been without a woman for years. Once they got started with her, they would continue for days…
A burst of panic made her catch her breath. Her inhalation sounded like a bullet slicing through the air. She cried out in shock as the blankets were ripped off and cold air slammed into her bare hands and feet. The bastards had removed her socks and boots!
“You’re awake, pretty thing.”
He was the man who’d caught her. He leered down at her and the sight of him brought a roll of nausea to her gut. Grabbing her by the knotted rope around her wrists, he dragged her to her feet as easily as if she were a rag doll.
Her toes sank into the snow beside the blankets and the icy shock made her grimace.
“Hold her still, Bud, while I untie her ankles. Then we party!”
A round of hoots and hollers ripped through the air, making her tense. She wanted to run, to get away from their leers, but she forced herself to remain still. She wouldn’t be able to get far in bare feet. There were eight of them. All sizing her up as if she were a prized possession.
Another man stood and held the rope around her wrists. He seemed around forty-five or fifty. Pockmarked face. Rotten teeth. Bad breath.
“What’s your name, miss?” he asked as he stared at her. She recognized the hunger in his eyes. The need for release. It made her ill.
“None of your fucking business, asshole.”
She’d learned long ago being nice to these types of men got her nowhere. They should know right away she wouldn’t be pushed or taken easily. The man’s smile dropped into a cold hard glare.
“Didn’t anyone tell you it’s impolite for a lady to swear?” he growled and yanked on the rope, pulling her closer. Close enough for her breasts to touch his chest. She tried to wiggle away, but he held her fast.
“Didn’t anyone tell you it isn’t polite being rough with a lady?” Reena snapped back.
The other men who sat around the campfire hooted and hollered again. The rope around her ankles gave way and she held her ground as the man holding her wrists came in for a kiss. At the last minute, she turned her head and he kissed her hair.
“Fucking bitch!” he complained and grabbed for her chin. She wrenched her head away and he missed. Another violent curse followed. More laughter from the others.
Oh shit. Here we go.
She would go down fighting like a wild cat. She knew as the bite of panic began to burn through her.
She’d go down fighting.
* * * * *
A high-pitched female scream sliced through Cade Outlaw like a knife sinking into his gut. It was followed by silence. Thick. Oppressive. Horrible silence.
“At least she’s still alive.” Blade’s cool voice came from immediately in front of him.
