“Help me,” I beg, but my pleas evolve when he steps closer to the cage. “Don’t hurt me.”
A second man slowly makes his way down the stairs. With him blocking the light, it’s easier to see the first guy.
“I’m going to fucking kill him!” he roars before the familiarity of his leather vest sinks into my terrified brain.
“Wow,” the other guy mutters as he closes the distance between the bottom of the stairs and my imprisonment.
One of them reaches up and pulls on the light, and even though I try, I can’t keep my eyes from squinting. The two men stare down at me. One is lost in anger, but the other one smiles down at me like I’m a treat being offered to him. My eyes dart to his vest first, letting me know he’s Hornet, the road captain. The scowling guy is—
My eyes dart from his leather to his face. Green eyes stare back at me, and if TJ hadn’t mentioned Lynch was his brother, I never would’ve guessed they were related just by appearances. His complexion and hair are darker, nothing similar to TJ’s blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. Don’t get me wrong, he’s just as gorgeous—
I shake my head violently. I’ve been abducted. This guy’s looks are the last thing I need to concern myself with. Good looking doesn’t mean morally sound. Deo was incredibly handsome, but I’ve never met a more brutal man in my life.
“Please let me out.”
“Did you know anything about this?” Lynch ignores me, but points as he speaks with the other man.
Hornet chuckles and shakes his head. “Nope. I mean. I’m not surprised, but I didn’t have a clue.”
Not surprised? Does TJ do this often? Why does that thought make me jealous?
“I don’t want to be in here.” I look all over the cage for a door, and my disappointment grows when I see a huge lock through the latch.
“Do you know who she is?” This question comes from Hornet in a way that makes me think he does know who I am.
I’d fully expect Lynch to be the one informed on what TJ’s been doing. Not only is he the president, but he’s also his brother.
“Should I?” Lynch asks, his brow creasing.
“I think she’s the girl that got beat up in the garage last month.”
I don’t confirm or deny, because I don’t know which way would benefit me better.
Lynch could probably bite through steel with the tension forming in his jaw. In the next second, he tugs on the string to the light, and I’m once again encased in darkness.
“Please don’t go,” I beg, but they both turn and ascend the stairs without another word. The door slams shut, and silence surrounds me.
What have I gotten myself into?
Uncontrollable tremors rack my entire body. I can’t even hold onto the cage without my knuckles banging against the metal grid above. I don’t know how much time has passed, but I’m still in the same clothes I was wearing when I left the police station. It could be hours or days if TJ saw fit to keep drugging me. I have no way of knowing.
“He won’t hurt me,” I assure myself. If I was in danger, the guys who just left would’ve hurt me. They could’ve, if they wanted to.
We are the most violent fucking people you’ll ever meet.
TJ’s words from weeks ago force me to realize that I may not be as safe as I want to believe.
With this realization, I do exactly what I did the first time I was taken. I look around the cage for a way to escape, but once it’s obvious I’m stuck, I settle. Lying on my side so I can face the door, I take deep breaths and calm my heart rate. I made mistakes the first time, and I refuse to do the same again. I have to conserve my energy and stay sharp. An opportunity to escape won’t happen until they pull me from my confines, so there isn’t any point in getting agitated before then.
My eyes flutter closed as I try to imagine myself someplace else. Instinctively, I want to think of a warm beach and sand between my toes, but Deo ruined that for me years ago. My teeth grit when TJ comes to mind, his body over mine, his kiss-swollen lips turned up in a smile. Refocusing, I picture myself alone in a cabin surrounded by foot after foot of soft snow.
***
“A body like this will bring thousands.” The rough timbre of his accented voice makes my skin crawl.
Just when I think things can’t get worse, his finger trails down my cheek and over my arm. I’ve been here for days, but I’ve been mostly left alone. He hasn’t touched me since he shoved me in the back of that van.