Page 37 of Loss

“If you think that’s what is gonna happen, you’re fuckin’ dumber than I realized. Annabell isn’t someone you can make bend to your will. She’s feisty, lovin’, passionate, and deserves all the good in her life she can get. You’ll do nothin’ but drag her down and bring her pain on a daily basis. She’ll never let you in. Those people you want to drag her away from mean the world to her and will only make her hate you for makin’ her choose. You’ll never win her that way, Dominic. If you knew anythin’ about her, you’d have already realized that shit. Annabell isn’t yours and she never will be.

“I’ve loved her for years and know every detail about her life. I know her past, present, and what she wants for her future. Can you say the same thing? No, you can’t. It would mean you’ve taken a few minutes of your time to get to know every aspect of her. When she realizes that you’re the one behind her bein’ taken, she’s goin’ to lash out and you’ll pay for makin’ her feel scared and havin’ to have someone watch over her because of the pictures you sent and the note. You’re nothin’ more than a stalker and this is one game you won’t win. I can assure you of that,” I growl out, my voice even deadlier than it was a few minutes ago as I take in Dominic from head to toe again and clearly find him lacking.

However, it gets me the response I want. Dominic leaves the bed near my angel and makes his way over to me. I watch as he removes his rings, the first mistake he makes. Rolling up his sleeves the best he can without removing his jacket, Dominic balls his fist and hits me in the jaw. It feels like a fuckin gnat hit me with how weak his hit is. Annabell can hit harder than him and I know that for a fact because I’ve watched her train before everything happened. I laugh up at him and glare because Dominic is a bitch and this isn’t gonna go anywhere because he has no power. The man’s hands are softer than any of the ol’ ladies I’ve met over the years. His nails appear clean and like he gets regular manicures. I’ve seen men do some shit over the years, but a man who goes and gets manicures is something I know none of the men in my life would ever do. I’m sure he gets massages, pedicures, and rarely lifts a finger to do his own dirty work.

“I’m guessin’ you’re the one pushin’ the drugs in Pine View. This has your mark all over it,” I tell him, everything connecting in my mind as I realize I’m on the right track when Dominic hesitates and steps back from me. “You’re the reason people are overdosin’ and dyin’. All to make a dollar. When Annabell finds out, she’s gonna hate you for that alone. Add in the fact that your men don’t know how to keep their hands to themselves, and she’ll fuckin’ gut you herself. There’s no way in hell she’s gonna stay with a prick like you no matter how you try to force her to.”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Annabell will stay with me because she’ll have no other choice in the matter. She’ll turn against you and you’ll have nothing. I’m gonna take your club, your brother, and everything you hold close,” he states as Annabell starts to stir on the bed behind him and he has no clue.

“So you’ve had someone do some research for you. Good job,” I spit at him sarcastically as the words I just said to him penetrate his thick brain.

“My men wouldn’t touch her for any reason. They listen to me and are loyal to a fault,” Dominic states even as doubt fills his eyes.

“Really? I just watched them touch her without her permission. Sayin’ how they didn’t get any joy out of touchin’ her because they couldn’t see the fear in her eyes after she passed out. Then told me they were gonna be here once she woke back up so they could fuck her in front of me and make her bleed from every hole. Still wanna believe these men are loyal to you and wouldn’t touch her? You’re fuckin’ foolish. See, Annabell and me know the meanin’ of loyalty and we live our lives bein’ loyal to one another on a daily basis. I pushed my girl away and I know at any second I could’ve called her and told her I needed her and Annabell would’ve shown up without hesitation. That’s true fuckin’ loyalty. What you have is a bunch of pussies led by a bitch who only stick around because of the money and drugs you give them,” I inform him, my voice hard and cold as Annabell looks at me before closing her eyes once again so Dominic doesn’t know she’s awake.

Dominic doesn’t say another word as he turns to leave the room. Before he completely bypasses Annabell, he stops right next to her and runs a finger down her cheek in the gentlest manner he can. Her entire body goes tight at his touch and I know there’s no way in fuck she wants him touching her for any reason. With one last lingering look even though he’s not taking in any details of her to see that she’s awake, Dominic leaves the basement and slams the door at the top. I don’t hear the locks click in place as footsteps sound above us.

Annabell’s eyes open and she stares directly at me. Tears fill her eyes and I know she’s figured out who kidnapped us and is holding us hostage right now.

“I’m so sorry, Alex. This is all my fault. I should’ve seen who he truly was long before now. Even after seeing the note, Dominic wasn’t even a thought,” she says, a lone tear spilling over and rolling down her face.

“Not your fault, Angel. He chose this path in life and he’s gonna try to do everythin’ to ensure he gets you back. I don’t know how much you heard from him, but he’s gonna try to force you to stay with him, Bell. I’m not gonna let that shit happen. Ever. The guys will come for us. I already pressed the alert button on my belt and there’s one more thing I can do,” I tell her, remembering the tracker we’ve all got in our boots.

“How is there one more thing you can do, Alex? Didn’t they search you when they got us here?” she questions me, panic filling her voice as she looks around the room and starts moving her hands once again.

“Stop, Angel,” I tell her, noticing all the blood covering her wrists and hands. “You’re bleedin’ and makin’ it worse. Fox gave us all trackers to put in the bottom of our boots. I just have to slam my foot down and it will activate it. For some reason, it doesn’t activate when we walk or run. There’s some kind of reaction to us slammin’ our foot down that activates it or somethin’ like that. I don’t get all the words Fox says when he tells us this shit.”

Lifting my foot as high as I can get it with the chain around me, I slam it against the cement floor. Repeating this a few times, I want to ensure I manage to activate the tracker so the guys know exactly where we are. This will pinpoint our exact location. According to Fox, nothing will interfere with this tracker. Even if we’re underground or there’s some kind of signal jammer. I highly doubt Dominic will think to jam the signal of cell phones and shit here because he's not that smart. It doesn’t take a smart man to manufacture and sell drugs. He just needs to flood the city and let the money roll in. The way he’s doing business, he’s created a monopoly and we’ve heard that none of the other dealers are making a dime because they don’t have what the addicts want these days.

“Bell, are you okay?” I ask her, my voice soft and gentle as I try to ease the pain filling me.

“I’m as okay as I can be. I understand if you don’t want me after what just happened. Um, did they . . .,” she trails off, her voice broken as she lets the possibility of them raping her fill her mind.

“No, Angel. They stopped touchin’ you almost immediately after you passed out. I’m not gonna tell you what was said after that. You don’t need that shit playin’ on a loop in your mind, Angel. What I will say is that if I have my way, they won’t touch you again. I’ll die before I let them do anythin’ else, Annabell. Don’t ever doubt that shit for a second,” I promise her as more tears slide down her face.

“I don’t want you to die, Alex. I love you and we just got one another back. When I get free, I need you to let me break you free too. I’ve been taught how to pick a lock. Tank wanted to make sure I could escape from any possible situation I ever found myself in. Playboy might have had a hand in that lesson too. We’re both gonna get out of here. Then, I want you to take care of Dominic so no one else ever gets hurt by him,” she states, her voice full of determination as I watch her continue to work the ropes around her wrists as more blood flows from her body.

“The guys will be here before we know it, Annabell. If we get the chance to escape before they get here, we’ll have to find a place to hide dependin’ on where we are. If we’re still in the city, we can get somewhere safe and call for help. If we’re on the outskirts of town, we’ll have to hide until the club shows up. I’m sure Valor called your dad. If that’s the case, we’ll have him, Playboy, Tank, and a ton of others show up with them. You know your family isn’t gonna fuck around when it comes to you,” I state, knowing the guys are more than likely already in town despite not knowing how long we’ve been here.

“I’m sure they are. My dad, brother, and Tank will take out anyone who gets in their way of finding me. You know how they are when it comes to us. I wouldn’t put it past Shy to be with them so she can take out the assholes who took us. And you know Valor is gonna fuck some people up for taking you. He loves you and will do anything to get you back,” she tells me, her voice full of hope and determination as she continues to look at me with love in her eyes.

“I used to believe that. After pushin’ him away, there’s a rift between us and I know it’s gonna be up to me to start fixin’ it. Once we get through this shit, I plan on fixin’ things with him. I want to get back to where we were before we lost Dad. If that means I have to bare my soul and be completely vulnerable then that’s what I’ll do. I don’t give a fuck what it takes to fix all the damage I’ve done when I was at my lowest point. Includin’ fixin’ the shit between you and me. I’ll spend the rest of our days provin’ how much I love you and want you every second of the day.

“I tried to keep them from takin’ you, Annabell. If those other three men hadn’t jumped out of the van, we would be at the clubhouse right now. Well, you would. I’d be findin’ Dominic and takin’ his ass out by now. Gettin’ the answers without involvin’ you in this shit. Instead, I failed you and we both got taken,” I say, dropping my head as guilt fills me with the thought of them hurting her because I couldn’t take out the men that came for her.

“It’s not your fault, Alex. You couldn’t take on six men alone. No one can. Not even Tank, my dad, or brother could do something like that and they’ve been doing this shit for longer than you have. Your dad couldn’t take on six men alone and come out the victor. We all have our limits and yours is taking on more than three men alone. If you weren’t here with me and they followed through with everything they want to do to me, I know I wouldn’t survive that. I almost didn’t survive it when the men took me years ago. You saved me then and I know you’ll save me now,” she says, the truth of her words shining bright in her eyes as she lets her head drop back so her neck isn’t supporting her head any longer, but she doesn’t take her eyes off me.

“I love you, Angel. We’re gonna get out of here and things are gonna change,” I tell her as the pain starts to pull me under and I fight with every ounce of strength in my broken body.

“I love you too, Alex. I look forward to spending time with you and seeing what these changes are,” she returns, our eyes locked even as mine start to slide closed.

Annabell is talking to me, but I can’t hear her words. They’re distant and distorted. I’m surrounded by darkness and the pain slowly fades to nothing as I let it consume me. I want to stay awake for Annabell and be able to protect her. Passing out isn’t going to allow me to do that shit. However, my body is too beaten to avoid passing out and staying alert. Fuck! Annabell’s face is the last thing I see before everything goes completely dark on me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Annabell

VAULT’S BEEN PASSED out for a long time now. My eyes have been glued to his chest so I can make sure he’s still breathing. It rises and falls slow and steady and I can see the vein pulsing in his neck from the angle his head is at with his heartbeat. Loud voices sound from above us and I hear feet stomping across the floors. A while ago there was a loud crash and shouting, but the words were too muffled for me to understand what they were yelling at one another. There was definitely a fight taking place upstairs and I used that to continue working on the ropes so I could break free. The blood on my wrists is honestly helping because it makes my skin slick and I can use that to slide my wrists free from the ropes.

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