Page 36 of Lies Beneath Secrets

My efforts to open up the door are halted when a hand wraps around my mouth and pulls me backward. The grip is harsh and sends a panic like no other through me. I do my best to fight off whoever has me in their hold but when they lunge the both of us forward, I crash into the door, my head making a hard cracking sound on the new glass. A strange thought goes through my head in that moment,they just replaced this glass. With foggy vision, I do my best to look up and inspect the damage. There’s a long, thin crack where my forehead connected, and the harder I focus, the more I can make out who’s behind me. Eyes that I’ve seen before peer at me from under a hood, and that smirk that always annoyed me pulls to one side the moment our gazes connect. “Say goodbye, sweetheart.” His free hand appears, holding a syringe that he plunges into my neck. A sudden burn follows the sharp sting that’s taken over by a wave of euphoria before everything goes completely dark.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

Con

I left Lauren alone for a little bit, figuring it would be a good idea considering how mad she was when we last spoke. Today though, after a week, I decided that I needed to break the silence. What better way to do that then catch her at work. A public place where she might be less apt to yell. Seems like a good idea.

Pulling open the diner door, I notice right away they’re completely slammed, and Piper is running around like a crazy person. I walk over to the ‘wait to be seated sign’ and look around. Each table is taken as well as the seats at the small bar-like area. The sound of a baby crying in the far corner of the dining area overpowers the hum of mixed conversations at each table. “You picked a great day to be here,” Piper huffs, out of breath.

“I thought Lauren worked today.” I snuck a peek at the schedule the last time I was here.

“She should be, but she hasn’t shown up, and she won’t answer my calls either.” She looks up at me, worry clear in her gaze. “Can you go check on her? I have a key to her apartment.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a few keys attached to a key chain in the shape of Wisconsin. “Here.” She slides a key off and hands it to me. “I’m kind of worried. She walked home last night.” I nod and take the key from her, my gut sinking slightly. Leaving the diner in a rush, I get into my truck and speed down the streets to get to the apartment building. I’m not even sure if I put the damn truck in park before jumping out and racing to the door. When I get to the second door, the pounding in my ears takes over. The glass door has a long crack, and what looks to be smudging from someone’s face pressed up against it. Then I look on the floor, and everything comes to a sharp halt. Lauren’s keys are laying there. A purple-beaded keychain that I’ve seen before lets me know that they don’t belong to anyone else. “Fuck.” I pick up the keys and put them into my pocket. Then I grab my phone and call Knox.

“Yeah?” he answers on the second ring.

“Lauren is gone.”

“What do you mean she’s gone?” he asks as I all but run back out to my truck.

“I mean someone fucking took her. I found her keys in the entryway at the apartment. The door is fucked up too, like someone had their face slammed into it.”

“Let me see what I can find out. You coming to the clubhouse?” I nod, then finally say, ‘yes’ aloud. “Good. I’ll meet you there.” I toss my phone into the cupholder extending from the dash and push my foot down on the gas a little harder.

King said the shit with her was done. Did he change his mind? Did whoever tried to drug her come back for her? Racing thoughts hit me all at once the faster I drive down the road to the clubhouse.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX

Lauren

My eyes attempt to open, but everything is still black. I think for a moment that I might have gone blind until the feeling of cloth-like material registers. I have a blindfold of some kind fastened around my head. My head is pounding with so much pain, I can hardly focus on the fact that I should be panicking right now. I was kidnapped, and now I’m… I try to move my arms. Yep, I’m tied to a chair. My fingers are numb and when I try to wiggle my toes, I notice they are too. I breathe in deep through my nose, and the stench of stale urine hits me, forcing a cough. The memory of Lance, a neighbor we once had, comes back to me. He was a heavy drug user and sometimes when he would go on binges, we would find him passed out in the hallway. He smelled similar to this room I’m in. One of those core memories I held onto from my childhood. This situation is so messed up, I can hardly find the strength to laugh off the memory and how it’s the smell that brings me back to that place.

I don’t need it though because the sound of a door opening pulls my attention to my left. Then footsteps follow, getting closer until they stop right next to me. “I know you’re awake. Let’s go, princess.” A voice I don’t recognize tells me before they cut whatever it was tying me to the chair. I stumble slightly, but the man holds me steady, shaking me a little with annoyance. “I’m not going to carry you. So, if you don’t want to get dragged across the ground, I’d figure out how to fucking walk again,” he sneers and jerks me along with him. I still stumble but manage to keep myself upright as I follow him to whatever fate that has been sealed for me.

Doors open and shut. I count two before we’re suddenly outside. I shiver at the cold gust of wind and nearly collapse when my foot catches on what I think could be a rock. He doesn’t say anything else, only continues to pull me with him, then I really do fall when we reach stairs. My knee connects with a step, and my hands smack onto the slightly splintered wood. It’s rough, and a sliver sticks into my hand as I try to right myself. The man laughs at me, then grips my hair. “Crawl,” he demands, pulling me upward. I wince and follow him up the few steps on my hands and knees until he yanks me to my feet. We go through another door, and the smell of cigarette smoke hits me as well as the warmth of the room. He hasn’t finished bringing me to his destination though. I stumble through two more doors before he releases me.

Then the nightmare really begins.

“Well now, our guest has arrived.” A cold chill rolls down my spine at the new voice. I’ve heard that voice before, one horrible night not too long ago. There’s a scuffle in the room, a scraping of a chair maybe? But then everything is quiet again. “Go ahead and take off the blindfold. We won’t be needing that anymore.” I’m guessing the man who brought me in here is the one who takes off the blindfold, but I can’t be sure. I’m too scared to open my eyes when it’s free of my face. “Go ahead, girl, open them up.” Sucking in a deep breath, I reluctantly do as he says. Things are slightly blurry without my glasses on, but I can easily make out the room and the large table that has several men gathered around. I don’t focus on any of them. Instead, I choose to stare down at the floor. “Bring her here.”

Without protest, I go with the man pushing me along, past everyone at the table until we’re at the end. That’s when he stands. The voice from my nightmares. The man who broke into my house. “Such a sweet little thing, aren’t you.” He reaches out and drags the back of his hand along my cheek. The feeling of it sickens me, and I jerk away, earning a laugh from him. “She’s got a fire. No tears even.” He almost sounds as if he’s impressed. “Look at me, girl,” he demands, putting his hand under my chin now to push my head back. Unlike that night in my apartment, I obey and raise my gaze up to meet his. His smile shines through his neatly trimmed gray beard and if I didn’t know any better, I would have found him attractive. “Have you kept our secret?” he leans in and whispers to me.

“Yes.” I do my very best to keep my voice from shaking, but even with the one word, it’s a challenge. He must detect it because his smile grows even wider.

“I don’t believe you.” My blood runs cold at his words. “I’m going to give you a chance to prove it though.” He steps back, then drops down into his chair. “Strip.” The word echoes around in my brain, making the hair on my arms stand on end. I shake my head. “Wasn’t a request.” He produces a knife from his belt, then reaches out and grips a handful of my tee shirt, tugging me close enough to where he can cut open the material. With one flick of the knife, he gets a good rip going, then takes both hands and finishes tearing apart the fabric. No matter how hard I try this time to hold back a whimper, it still escapes me when he takes that knife and slices open the front of my bra. “Pants are next if you don’t do it yourself,” he warns, and I decide I’d rather pull them off than have them cut off. I slide my jeans down, along with my underwear, then step out of them. He nods in approval, then moves his knife back and forth. “All the way off,” he demands. Letting out a breath, I let the now-ruined shirt and bra join my jeans on the floor.

I watch as his gaze drags up and down my now-naked body. “I can see the appeal.” He twirls the knife around in a circle. “Give us a spin, sweetheart. The boys are anxious to see that body of yours.” Closing my eyes, I do as he instructs, not wanting to see anyone who’s at the table, witnessing this humiliation. “Well.” He gets up from the chair again and puts the knife back into his belt. “Lean over the table.” My eyes grow wide at the demand, and I shake my head no, backing up a step

“No,” I find my voice.

“Again, not a request,” he hisses and reaches out, gripping my hair in his hand. I do my best to fight back, but it only makes him laugh. “Such a fiery one. Damn it, I like ‘em like this.” My bare chest smacks on the smooth top of the table, and he presses the side of my face harder into the wooden surface for good measure. I clench my eyes shut when tears spill out. More laughter fills the room, and I realize that the men at the table are laughing at the situation. Something sparks inside me then, and I try to push myself off the table with my free hands. A hard smack lands right on my ass, causing more laughter.

“That’s enough!” My eyes shoot open at the sound of his voice. Dark hazel eyes stare right back at me. The heat from the man behind me closes in, and I do my best to still fight him off.

“Look at that, sweetheart. Your guardian angel is back,” the man whispers into my ear. His hands dig into my scalp while his other grips right above my bare hip.

“Let her go, King,” Conner growls. “You’ve had your fun.”

“Fun? Not even close.” The hand gripping my side moves over my ass, then down my leg before slowly coming back up between my thighs.

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