Page 69 of Rebel

I blinked rapidly but the hood was back over my head and all I saw was darkness, not one shred of light seeped through the fabric this time. The darkness only enhanced the shot of cold that ripped through me. Still bound to the bed, I assumed, my teeth chattered since there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to create any warmth. I might die of cold before they manage to kill me. I’d always heard that hypothermia was a peaceful way to go, for some reason that gave me comfort—especially compared to what might happen when the men returned.

I had no idea what time it was or if it was even the same day. It was odd, being so disoriented that I didn’t know if it was up or down. I knew none of this, whatever it was, would end wellfor me, but other than a vague sense of fear, I wasn’t terrified. Not yet.

Panic began to set in the longer I was awake with my head covered and I had to work hard to regulate my breathing. It would do no good to pass out again, this time from a panic attack. Who knew what the hell these people would do to me if I stayed out for too long.

Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about that because after a few minutes, a door opened and then closed, followed by the sound of footsteps. Seconds later the hood was yanked off my head and Thrash’s face was inches from mine. “Hope my men weren’t too rough on ya.” His smile was mischievous and all I wanted was to spit in his face.

“Whatever.”

He laughed and rolled his eyes, taking a few steps back, forcing me to strain my neck to look at him. “Who did you tell about that photo you took?”

“It was a video, and I didn’ttellanyone. I posted and that was it.” The fact that he didn’t know, meant he was doing the councilman’s bidding.

“You had no fuckin’ right!” Spit flew from his mouth, his face was red with anger.

“I don’t give a damn what you do, but I care that Cameron is involved, and so does everyone else. You know that means he’ll throw you under the bus to save himself, right?” I laughed even though nothing about this was funny. “He’ll say you forced him into it.”

Thrash’s face turned an angry shade of red and he pulled back his arm, unleashing a fist right into my gut. “You talk toofuckin’ much.” His body vibrated with unspent anger, so he hit me again. “Free this bitch,” he ordered the men who stood at different corners of the room.

Two men stepped forward and pulled out switchblades to slice through the plastic binds at my wrists and ankles. My body instinctively curled into itself, but they yanked me off the bed, ignoring my grunts of pain when I fell to my knees. I tried to stand but they pushed my shoulders to keep me on the floor.

Thrash got in my face. “I think I’ll put you where we keep the crackheads who can’t pay, we turn them into crack whores to pay off their debt. You can make up some of the money you’re trying to steal from my pockets.”

I suppressed the shiver that went through me at that not-so-subtle threat. I refused to let my mind go to that place where I was shackled in some one-room shithole, being forced to take as many cocks as could pay in a day until I overdosed or killed myself.No, I can’t.

“Nothing to say?”

I lifted my head and jutted my chin out defiantly. “What do you want me to say? You want me to beg you for my life?”

“That would be a good start.”

“Yeah well, if I thought there was a chance you’d let me go, I might.”

Disappointment flashed in his eyes, and I knew I was right.

“You’re not a man of your word, Thrash. You are despicable.”

“Maybe,” he groaned and hit me with a backhand across the face. “But I also have the upper hand.”

“Yeah well, you have me at a disadvantage.” I glanced down at my naked body covered in red welts.

He stared me down and with every second that passed, fear pumped into my veins and my eyes welled with tears. I couldn’t fight it any longer, the sense that my death was imminent. He smiled when one tear slipped down my cheek and took a step back. “Good enough.”

He wanted to see my fear. That’s what got him off. “Yeah, I see who you are, Thrash.”

He backhanded me again and I bit back the groan, determined not to give this asshole any satisfaction. “Strong. That’s good, it’ll take a long time before you break. You’ll earn me a lot of fuckin’ money.”

When I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, I closed my eyes and let out a low, shaky breath.

Suddenly, three gunshots sounded in rapid succession somewhere in the distance, startling a gasp out of me. My eyes opened wide, and I looked around the room. Thrash looked worried and I scooted away, as close to the wall as I could get.

Logan.

I had to believe that even though I’d run out on him, he’d managed to find me.

“Don’t just stand there, go see what’s going on!” Yeah, Thrash was in a panic. I hoped with everything in me that it was Logan and the Steel Demons coming to rescue me, and not some other biker club they were quarreling with.

It was just me, Thrash, and his two men. I slid back until my back hit the wall.

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