Page 32 of Vampires & Bikers

But I didn’t know where she was.

Something was blocking my connection with her.

She was somewhere where I couldn’t reach her.

I doubled over in pain. I couldn’t think of anything else.

Chapter 15

Ruby

Something is wrong.

When I wake up, I can see only darkness and quickly realize my hands are tied. There is a hood over my head, something thick. The air is stuffy and smells musty.

Don’t think about that.

Whoever had taken me had thrown me in a car and driven off with me. I tried to pay attention to the road, keep track of time but it was impossible. I only know we drove for a long time. We stopped and I could hear talking outside but nobody talked to me.

Finally, the boot was opened.

“Come on!” Someone yelled at me but my legs were cramping from lying in the boot so long. I couldn’t move. I felt a punch in my side and doubled over with pain.

There was a burst of laughter.

“At least she’s still alive.”

They picked me up and hauled me somewhere dark and cold and threw me on the floor. I don’t know how long I was down there for. I must have fallen asleep. There were dreams, horrible nightmares in which men screamed at me, beat me and left me for dead. I couldn’t be entirely sure that they were dreams. I didn’t know when I’d eaten last. I was so thirsty. So thirsty. I thought of water, of apple juice, of a cold beer on my patio at the end of the day. I thought of ice cream, cool and creamy, melting in my mouth.

I think I cried.

Then I heard footsteps, I was picked up and put in a chair, my hood pulled off.

For the first time, I could see where I was. It was a chamber of some sort, basic, like in a basement. The air smelled of wet of soil and the floor was rough stone. A figure came towards me, small and thin, with gleaming wet eyes. He was repulsive.

He stood in front of me, licking his lips like he was looking forward to what he was about to do.

I closed my eyes and braced myself.

“Look at me!” he commanded. When I didn’t open my eyes quickly enough, he slapped me across the face. It stung and I could feel my cheek burning.

“When I talk to you, you look at me, you hear?”

I nodded and looked at him.

“You’re going to tell us everything about the vampire scum you’ve been fucking,” he said to me.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

The violence seemed to come out of nowhere. My head was yanked backby myhair as one punch after another connected with my body. The pain was overwhelming, I tried to distance myself from it but it was impossible. I buckled over and fell from the chair, there was a kick to my back which was excruciating. I heard screams in the room and realized they were mine.

“Had enough yet?” the small man with the rat eyes appeared in front of me. I could barely see him, blood was running into my eyes. I couldn’t wipe my face because of my tied arms. I was crying, ugly sobs, begging them to stop hurting me.

He motioned to another man to put me back into the chair. This must have been the one assaulting me. He was huge and silent but there was an aggressive air around him.

I huddled into the chair feeling my body ache and burn. There was a sharp pain in my ribs and it hurt to breathe.

“Ready to talk yet? The vampire, tell us everything about him.”

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