I nodded. “It’s in thecar.”
He held out his hand. “Keys.”
I threw them to him from my purse under the register. “Should I beworried?”
“No. I just want you to keep it with you while you’re working. That’sall.”
He went and grabbed my gun from the glove box, put it on the bar, and without another word he was back with the rest of them doing God-knows-what. Needless to say I was freaking out. I put my gun in my hip holster. It had been so long since I had even shot my gun, having it on me felt sowrong.
Another hour or so passed by with me trying to occupy my time with silly YouTube videos and scrolling through ideas for anothertattoo.
When the front door swung open, I almost jumped out of my skin. A biker wearing a cut that I didn’t recognize bellied up to the bar. He had a sweet smile and kind, light brown eyes. He sat down in front of me and sighed as he set his gun on thebar.
I was frozen. I put my hand on my hip, ready to rip my gun from its holster, but he shook his head. “That would be a stupid move, sweetheart.” His sweet smile turned into a stoic frown as he eyed me up and down. “You’re a pretty little thing aren’t you? What’s yourname?”
I faked a smile. “I’m Crickett. Haven’t seen you in here before. What’s yourname?”
He grabbed the gun and started eyeing it, playfully pointing it just past me. He was trying to freak me out and it was working, but I knew I couldn’t let him seethat.
“Are you going to ordersomething?”
I stood there with my hands on my hips, begging my knees to stop shaking as I sweetly smiled and glared into his hollow eyes. “Why don’t you grab me a MillerLite.”
I poured his draft and set his beer down on a coaster. “That’ll be threebucks.”
He handed me a five. “Keep the change.” He proceeded to chug the entire sixteenounces.
I was begging for Abel to come back, for any of the guys to walk through the back door, but they nevercame.
The stranger picked the gun up and pointed it straight at me. “Play time is over. You’re going to do everything I tell you or I will blow your brainsout.”
I nodded. I knew that there was no way I could pull my gun out, turn off the safety, pull the slide back, and shoot him before he shot me, so I had to play by his rules. I was just so thankful that Raine was safely inschool.
“First, put your gun on thecounter.”
I did as I was told and surprisingly he left it where I set itdown.
“Now you’re going to show me where they’re keepingReggie.”
At first I thought he was talking about weed, but it quickly sunk in that he thought I knew where one of his friends was being keptcaptive.
What that fuck is goingon?
My throat was dry and my hands were shaking. “I have no idea who you’re talkingabout.”
He jumped off the stool and came around to the inside of the bar. “Don’t play fucking dumb with me you little cunt. Now show me where theyare.”
I had to take him somewhere and I was hoping that he was completely wrong and no one was being held hostage in the back room of the bar. In my mind, I was about to lead him right to a big round table where Abel would pull a gun out and rescue me from this terrible person and his fucked upmisunderstanding.
Slowly I shuffled my quivering legs to the back door, gripping the handle. I felt him press the barrel of the gun into the middle of myback.
“What are you waiting for? Open the damn door.” His voice was low andlevel.
I turned the handle to reveal a scene that was so far from the picture I’d had in my mind. There was a large round table shoved off to the left to make room for the group of guys circling a gagged and tied up man who was badly beaten. His face was bloody andswollen.
Abel was standing behind him with a gun to his head, yelling at the guy. “Don’t think I won’t pull the damn trigger. Now tell me where itis.”
I choked out, “Abel!” as the stranger’s grip tightened around my body and the barrel pressed to mytemple.
