Page 16 of Vow to Protect
I stumble forward, hands waving to catch a fall that never happens. He manhandles me into the back of the vehicle. If I ever thought I knew hate before this moment, then now I understand the true meaning of wrath. The bottomless trench of sheer loathing. He’s a heinous man with a soul of dark, sickly tar.
Blaine releases his fingers and rears back. I watch him from the shadows of a leather upholstered interior as he smooths out his jacket and runs his fingers through his hair, reshaping a rebellious lock. He spies the whites of my eyes drilling into him, leans in one last time and winks. “I look forward to seeing you again.”
He could kill me.
He’d rather torture me.
My new abductor sinks down beside me and slams the door shut, thankfully removing Blaine from sight. A long-juddered breath leaves my lungs.
“Out of the frying pan and into the fire, sugartits.” The man chuckles darkly.
I try to hide my fearful shudder. Perhaps I was safer with the devil I’d grown to know, rather than the devil I’m about to meet.
“Where are we going?” I risk a quick question, studying the face blanketed under shadows as the car gathers speed through the city.
“Somewhere,” he replies simply.
“That’s helpful,” I mutter.
A faint smile alters his tone. “Keep your bitch mouth shut. Otherwise, the next few days will be a living fucking nightmare, and I’ll be there watching every guy fuck you.” His tone rasps like gravel pelting flesh, cruel and dangerous. My mouth dries. The quake in my hands magnifies to rampant when he laughs again. “No point studying the roads. You’ll never find your way back.”
“Who am I going to meet?” I risk another question. The strength within me wavers as my voice wobbles.
Bushy eyebrows shoot up. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Callused pads creep over the silky material at my knee. “If he doesn’t like you, he’ll sell you within seconds. No matter what prick Casey says.” A grunt flees my throat. “And I’m in the market for a new toy.”
Disgust surrounds my heart like cling wrap, a thin layer of plastic, invisible and suffocating. I stare out of the window, mentally stabbing him in the eye instead of telling him how the very thought of his touch is revolting.
A shrill beep catches his attention. The prying hand retreats, moving to his inside pocket. He pulls out a glowing mobile phone and holds it to his ear. “Hey, it’s Zac,” he answers. “Yeah. I’m not alone.” He listens. I strain to hear garbled words of the caller. “I know. We’ll be at the compound soon. I’ll drop her at the gate.”
I chew on my tongue, holding back all the questions I need to ask, unwilling to unleash all the wicked slurs of distaste.
Zac lowers the phone and slips it back into his jacket pocket. Turning his head to face the glass partition separating us from the driver. He sighs lightly, drumming his knee with an impatient rhythm.
The car slows. I squint, trying to identify shapes in the darkness beyond the window. There aren’t any welcoming lights, or landmarks, or busy streets. Only the bleak unknown awaits.
Zac flicks his gaze to mine. I barely see his face, but when he opens his mouth, all I see is a lower row of crowded teeth. “Wait here.” He exits the car, leaving me alone.
The passenger door swings open. “Out,” he barks. Peering up, I gaze at the clear sky scattered in twinkly lights, mapping a low concrete building. A six-foot wire fence is topped with barbed wire loops. Drizzle mists my face, refreshing and deceiving like I’m being anointed before sacrifice. “Hurry up.” My hackles instantly rise. He doesn’t care that I haven’t eaten since this morning or that my shoulders ache from a constant state of worry. “Move.” He prods my hip when I stand tall beside him. “Bag her.”
Another male appears from the dimness. He’s neither brawn nor lean. His tall frame hides under loose camo gear with cowardice masked under a balaclava. A red wooly sack flies through the air. Zac snatches it mid-flight. He shakes it out, and before I can object, it covers my head and steals my sight.
“I’ll leave her with you.” Zac’s voice muffles and a car door thuds.
Large hands grip my arms, guiding me forward while metal clanks, bolts grind, footsteps scuff and cold air licks around my uncovered skin. Weight bares down on my shoulders, directing me indoors. The pungent smell of oil permeates the knitted cocoon of my visual prison as though the fabric has been used to mop up a spillage or wipe working men’s hands.
Doors creak. Hushed voices murmur. We come to an abrupt standstill. I’m shunted backwards. The backs of my thighs land on plastic, and my spine straightens when I push back. All my senses are on high alert. I hear shallow breathing inciting a new level of terror, smell dampness depicting depravity and feel eyes scanning my skin like a pack of wolves. My own quick pants echo in my skull, and pinpricks of icy panic migrate over every inch of my skin.
“Is that her?” A gravelly timber suggests impatience. I tilt my chin, straining to listen. Tensing for pain. Every strand of hair lifts vertically and a pensive wave of death pours over me like hot tar. Footsteps clatter all around me. I sense the stranger approach like a new phase of the moon. “Stand up.” Firm fingers squeeze my wrist, hoisting me to a stand. When they let go, I wobble unaided in the stupid fancy heels Blaine made me wear. “Get that fucking thing off her head. Let me see her.”
In that second, air whips around my face and flyaway strands cling to my lashes. I inhale in a gasp, blinking rapidly. My gaze darts around the room, trying hard to make sense of my surroundings. There are shadows everywhere. A metallic stench of steel. One unlit light bulb hangs over my head like a waiting noose. I count three men.
One stuffing the bag into his pocket.
One lingering a meter away with arms folded and eyes on the man standing directly before me.
The closest man of all wears a shirt that drapes his tall form closely, stitched inch by inch to fit wide shoulders without falter. I can’t tell if he has short hair or if it's pulled back from his face. Inky bristles hide his jawline, masking his features. The only distinguishing characteristic are artic blue eyes.
