Murphy, Waylon, Ricky, Brody, and Amelia were walking with their family and friends after the long evening. Waylon was exhausted, but laughing along with his brothers as Amelia, Regan, and Velma walked a few feet ahead of them.
“I can’t wait to go to bed. What an emotionally draining night,” Regan said and both Amelia and Velma agreed.
They walked between crowds of people, and as Amelia turned to look back at her men in admiration and desire to be with them tonight, she caught sight of Escala.
She stopped, looked at everyone, then heard Regan scream. Then both her and Velma fall backward away from her.
The large thick arm moved around her midsection and the knife pressed lightly against her neck.
Her men’s facial expressions turned to fear and anger.
“Let her go!” Murphy yelled.
“I told you that I would come for you, Amelia.”
Mano.
She struggled to get free. When she felt the knife cut her skin by her neck, she screamed.
“Don’t move or she’s dead. I’ll fucking slit her throat right here.”
In a flash there were police everywhere. Fear and dread filled her heart. She was going to die. After everything she had gone through, Mano was going to win out. She fought for the love of her men, for the new life she had, and to get away from her past, and now this asshole was going to end it all.
“Let me go, Mano. Put down the knife. There’s no need for this.”
“Shut up, Amelia. You’re mine.”
He backed her up against the wall and then into the elevator.
“No! Stop there. Put down the knife and this can end right here!” Waylon yelled.
“Fuck you. You’ll never have her again. Never.”
The doors closed and Mano shoved her against the wall. He looked her over.
“Fucking four men at once? You’re a whore. This dress, the makeup and hair, doesn’t hide the slut you are.” He struck her across the face and she screamed as she nearly fell to the floor. Gripping the metal hand bar she pressed her back against the mirror walls.
He gripped her face and head between his huge hands. Mano was almost as big as Waylon, but only a little over six feet tall. He was a mean son of a bitch. He was covered in badass tattoos and he had no rules. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. She could smell that hard alcohol on his breath, and then she saw his eyes. He was on something other than just alcohol.
She needed to calm him down.
He stared at her lips then moved his hand down and cupped her breast. She grabbed at his wrist and he licked her lips then plunged his tongue into her mouth.
She tried shaking her head side to side to get him to release his hold, but she couldn’t. He was so strong. Always so much stronger than her. Her life passed before her eyes. She wouldn’t make it out of here alive. Not unless Ma
no wanted her that way.
He pulled from her mouth then pressed his body against hers. Her spine hit the handrail. She gasped.
“I’m going to take you upstairs to my room and fuck you all night long.” She jerked when she heard the click of the large, sharp switchblade open against her ear.
He moved it down her neck to her breast, mere inches from her skin.
“I can leave my mark on you everywhere or anywhere I want. They’ll know that you belong to me. I won’t let them have you.”
The bell went off on the elevator, indicating that they had stopped. She saw the evilness in his eyes, and knew that look. Mano had finally lost his mind. All the drugs, the drinking, the past problems had weighed their toll on him and now he was going to take her with him.
He gripped her arm and pulled her out of the elevator. She struggled to get free.