“You mean this friend?” Shark asked as his hand reached through the door and grabbed Mav’s upper arm. Shark yanked him through the door and out into the night. The clearing in front of the house was lit up like a fucking stadium, revealing a smattering of his brothers all with weapons pointed at him and Shark.
Damn, it was good to see them. Deep concern marked each of their expressions. Mav must look like an even bigger pile of shit than he’d thought. Shark shoved Maverick in front of him shield-style and held the same knife he’d used to cut him free against his throat.
“I’m thinking you wasted your time coming here, bikers. I’ve had a shitty week, and Maverick here has been great. He let me work all my frustrations out on him.” Shark laughed, a full body laugh that jerked Maverick around. “I’m not ready to give him up.”
His head felt too heavy for his body, and it flopped to the side as he sagged a bit in Shark’s hold. The knife bit into the skin of his neck, no doubt drawing blood. Shit. Much more of that and he’d be the reason his own throat was slit. He clenched the muscles in his thighs and locked his knees out so he wouldn’t fall.
“Enough bullshit,” Zach said as he walked forward. “You don’t fucking need him, and we aren’t leaving without him. Why not hand him over before we shoot you in the face and burn your palace to the ground, princess?”
Shark, being the crazy motherfucker he was, just laughed. “The interrupter. You know, I still didn’t get to finish what I was saying. Hey, Mav? You think I like being interrupted?”
He shook Maverick, and fuck if it didn’t feel like his insides were rattling around inside his body. What he wouldn’t fucking give to put a bullet in the overgrown fish’s brain. The knife pressed into his carotid again, way too close for comfort.
“Just get on with whatever the fuck it is you want to say so bad,” Zach yelled.
Even though he couldn’t see it, he could almost feel the spine-chilling grin curl Shark’s lips. “I couldn’t fathom how I lost the bet. How did a bunch of idiots find me out here off the grid? Then I got my answer. And I feel better knowing that you are all, in fact, a bunch of stupid fucks.”
“What’s the answer then?” Zach looked like a caged animal ready to strike the second his handler flicked the lock.
“It’s coming.”
Two seconds later, King walked out of the woods dragging Zach’s woman kicking and screaming with a gun to her head.
Maverick’s gaze cut immediately to Zach, who looked both devastated and enraged. He knew his friend well, and Zach was about three seconds from covering the clearing in Shark’s blood.
Words were exchanged between Zach, his woman, Toni, and Shark that let him know he’d missed quite a bit in the time he’d been a captive. Apparently, Toni and Shark had a past Maverick was in the dark about.
His arm hurt so bad, following the conversation became difficult. Remaining awake became difficult. He allowed himself to zone out and trusted his brothers to take care of the situation.
That is until Shark offered to trade him for Toni. That woke him up like a bucket of ice water to the face.
“I’ll do it!” Toni screamed after Shark threatened to have his guys shoot Maverick on the spot.
Zach lost his shit. He screamed, cursed Shark, and started to charge, consequences be damned. Thankfully, Rocket caught hold of him with a restraining arm across his chest.
King released Toni, and she started forward. When she reached Zach, he made a grab for her, but she darted away from his hold, her expression apologetic.
What the hell was with the women in his life today? Two for two on self-sacrificing. He must have been pretty kind to women in a previous life to have two in one day offer themselves to Shark in exchange for his safety. Clearly he’d missed something while he’d been a guest at Hotel Shit-show. There must have been some connection between Zach’s woman and Shark. Why the hell else would Shark be willing to trade Mav for her? Hopefully he’d live long enough to hear the tale.
It didn’t take more than a few seconds for Toni to reach them and stand behind Shark, as requested. Her eyes held a mix of fear and determination, and Maverick tried to shoot her his customary flirty smirk, but it came out as more of a grimace.
So much for reassuring her.
He shouldn’t have even tried.
With his arm hanging on by a thread and his breaths getting shallower by the second, he wouldn’t fool a toddler into thinking he was loving life.
“Here’s how this is going to go,” Shark said to the group of bikers. “Mav will walk toward you, and Antonia will come out from behind me and take his place. You shoot my guys on the roof, and I’ll slit her throat. We’ll stand here until you’re gone. If you don’t leave, she’s dead.”