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“The men do like it when they fight.”

All of the air rushes out of my lungs and my eyes widen as the implications of his statement slam into me.

The men?

What men?

Oh, holy fuck.

What the hell is this?

My mind spins as I think about all the doors in the hallway. Is there a girl just like me in each room? And if there is, what the hell are they doing to them?

Distracted by the bombardment of questions, I don’t fight the guards as they pin me down to the bed and lift my shirt up to reveal my stomach. Dominic pulls a lighter out of his pocket and something else that I can’t make out and I stare up at him as the lighter clicks and the flame appears. He holds it over the other object and my heart jumps into my throat when I see the metal crown he’s heating up.

Oh my God, no.

Is he going to brand me?

My strength returns full force and I jerk against the guards’ grip on me but no matter how hard I fight, they are stronger. They shove my face into the mattress as one of them pulls my shirt up higher, over my bra.

“No!”

Dominic tsks. “This will be worse if you flail, Isabelle.”

“Don’t do this, please,” I beg, peeking up at him as he walks over to me and sighs but he doesn’t give me an answer. He simply gives the guards another unspoken command and they press more of their body weight into me, pinning me to the bed and I can’t even struggle anymore. A sob bubbles out of me and I shake my head, pleading with him to not do this to me. If he hears me, he makes no indication. His hand presses against my side, just under my ribs, and then pain blooms through my body as he presses the metal to my skin. The scent of my own flesh burning stings my nose and I scream, trying to free myself but between the three of them, I’m completely trapped. The searing pain tears through my side and I can’t stop crying out as tears fall into the mattress below me. It goes on forever, the pain, the pressure of their bodies, the sizzle of my skin as it burns, and then finally, I’m free. As soon as their hands are off me, I fall to the floor, sobbing and gasping for breath as the pain pulses through me, so intense that my vision blurs.

“I’ll have someone come in and bandage that up soon,” he tells me, a frown on his face. “I was unaware that you delivered your son via C-section so you’ll have to stay here until that heals. Don’t worry though. We have a doctor on staff for all the girls and once you get the all-clear, we’ll move you to the club.”

He turns and leaves the room without another word, his guards hot on his heels and once I’m alone, I throw my head back on the bed and let the tears fall freely. I don’t want to examine his statement or try to figure out what it means right now so I don’t, pushing away all thoughts as I let myself fall into a pit of despair that I know I’ll never get out of.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Diego

Ringing jerks me from sleep and I groan as I reach over to the bedside table and swipe my phone off the top before pressing it to my ear.

“Yeah?” I say as I reach out for Izzy but the other side of the bed is empty and I sigh, running a hand over my face. She must have gotten up to feed the little man a while ago because the sheets are cold beneath my fingers but as soon as I deal with whatever this is, I’ll go relieve her.

“Hey, Smoke,” Joe, the club’s newest prospect, says on the other end of the line. “Listen… I wasn’t sure if I should call you… I mean, it’s not like she’s a prisoner here but…”

“Just spit it out, Joe,” I growl, sitting up in bed as his words slowly sink in. She isn’t a prisoner? What the hell does he mean by that? Throwing the blanket off my legs, I move to the edge of the bed.

“Well, your ole lady just left the compound in your truck about ten minutes ago… like I said, I didn’t know if I should call and then I thought, better safe than sorry, you know?”

My mind spins. “She left?”

“Yeah,” he answers, his voice tentative. “I thought maybe she was going to get diapers or something but figured I should check in. I don’t know…”

“Thanks, Joe,” I snap, hanging up on him before he can answer. I’m sure he’s used to it, though - it’s all part of being a prospect and you have to earn your place with the club. He’s only been with us for about a year so he hasn’t gotten there yet which means he doesn’t get the same respect as fully patched members.

Standing, I dial Izzy’s number and pace back and forth across the bedroom as I wait for her to answer. If we needed something for the baby, why wouldn’t she just wake me up and ask me to go get it? She knows Dominic is still after her and it’s not fucking safe for her to be out on her own but she’s so goddamn stubborn. I swear, I’m gonna spank her ass raw when I find her. The call goes to her voice mail and I clench my fist as I pull the phone away from my ear. A tingling sensation races over my skin and I turn toward the bedroom door, yanking it open. DJ’s swing is gently swaying in the corner of the living room and he is fast asleep but Izzy is nowhere to be found.

I scan the room and my gaze lands on a piece of paper sitting on the kitchen island. Next to it is Izzy’s phone. My heart drops and I charge across the space, ripping the paper off the counter and staring down at the two simple sentences that rip my heart out of my chest.

Diego,

I’m so sorry.