Page 4 of Ghost
I try to kick, but that trick has already lost its magic.
“Enough of this,” Tattoo grumbles from behind, his voice tight with pain and anger.
Before I can scream again, he’s pulling a cloth out of his back pocket to gag me with. Gross.
Punching leads to nowhere when strong hands seize my wrists, binding them behind my back with a zip-tie that bites into my skin.
I’m lifted off my feet, kicking uselessly into the air. My struggles are frantic, muffled, and utterly futile. The lastcoherent thought I have is the terrifying unawareness of the unknown.
* * *
They carry me through the shadows of the gated community. Like they’re trying to stay hidden for obvious reasons, there’s no car parked nearby. Instead, they move quickly toward a side patch.
Tattoo’s shoulder is sharp, digging deeper into my stomach. The painful ache is far worse than the one I felt from hunger. Even worse, I’m starting to get slight motion sickness from all this movement.
Groaning into the fabric stuffed into my mouth, I silently promise that I’m going to get some kind of revenge.
On the other side of the gate, two motorcycles wait for us. I’m set down on unsteady footing, before a blade is brandished. Instead of using it on me, the zip ties are cut.
“You’re going to need a grip, so don’t make me regret this.” The calm one glances at my wrists, and I swear a soft apology leaves his lips at the angry red lines left behind.
These are evil men. They don’t apologize. My mind is just playing tricks on me.
Now that my hands are free, can I steal his knife? I’ve never hurt someone before. Do I have it in me?
“Get on.” Tattoo jerks his chin toward one of the bikes. “You’re riding with Kansas. Swerve him off the road by thinking you can survive it, youwon’t.”
I shiver at the threat in his voice. Without any choice, I’m forced to saddle a seat of a vehicle I’ve only ever seen through my window.
Kansas lowers my gag, trying to lure me into a false sense of mercy. “Yeah, I don’t think I can survive a crash, either. So lean when I do, alright?”
I don’t nod, refusing to make him feel better. I get a sigh in return.
This late in the night, I’m sure we’ve blended in with our surroundings. Once the roar of the bike comes to life, I have two options. I can hold onto the guy called Kansas, or I can risk falling off and dying on the road.
With no choice, I have to cling to the leather of his jacket. With no time to fear my first time on a motorcycle, I have to hug him tight as I’m stolen away through the night.
Where I’m taken is some random building in the middle of nowhere. While there might not be much happening surrounding the acre of land, from the number of motorcycles parked and the people surrounding the building, I can see that the life of the party is inside.
Is this a hideout? If they’re bikers, I can bet it’s a clubhouse.
“Stick close.” Tattoo gives the order and thrusts the strap of my backpack into my hands. Looking like he wants to tie my hands back together just in case, I’m relieved when he doesn’t.
I should be thankful that he grabbed my stuff. Then again, I’m pretty sure they only did it to make it look like I ran away. As many safe measures as they want to take, they know my house is littered with cameras, don’t they? Someone is going to notice. Hopefully soon.
We enter the building and the stench of cigarette smoke is the first thing to hit my nose.
With how many people are inside, I strangely feel a little better. More witnesses. My fears of dying or getting sold off for a ransom lessen slightly, but hardly enough to let me put my guard down.
No one bats an eye in my direction. Most are lost in their own world. Despite a look of horror on my face, I’m just another part of a Friday night to these guys.
Finally, my shoulder is caught by burly fingers and I’m forced to stop.
“Ghost.” A hand presses into the middle of my back, and I don’t know which of the brutes is nudging me forward.
Do all of these guys have nicknames? Is everyone’s true identity a secret? The more I think about it, the more worried I grow.
If my father hadn’t already put me in danger with Blaze, I would have found it on my own.
