“Thanks, man.”
I look around, my eyes starting to focus better. My body is regaining feeling, and I realize that my arms are underneath me. And it feels like some kind of tape is wrapped around my wrists. My breathing picks up, causing my chest to hurt, and that’s when I feel something in my mouth.
I immediately close my eyes, pretending to be asleep while taking inventory of my body. To what all I can use. What I can feel.
“What the fuck?” I hear the second man bark, and I realize it’s Mike’s voice. “What in the fuck are you doing, Nate?”
Fuck? Why am I with Nate?
Mike goes on. “What is Raylee doing in my fucking house?”
“Calm down.” He chuckles. I lie still, trying to come up with a plan, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. The more I know, the better my odds are of getting the fuck out of here. “No one knows she’s here.”
My stomach knots at that. I had run out of Colt’s house. Then I hit the truck. It was a setup. Nate must have been watching me. My cell was dead in my car. I have no means to reach the outside world.
“What the fuck, man?” Mike hisses. “She has to go. She can’t be here.”
“No one will think to look for her here.”
“I know she’s here,” Mike argues.
“They humiliated me, Mike.” Nate growls. “Colt, Alex, Finn, and Jenks. They fucking tied me up, then held me down and jerked off all over me last night.”
“Some people pay good money for that kind of shit.”
“Mike!” he snaps. “This is not a joke.”
“What are you going to do, fuck her?” Mike snorts.
“You did. You took her virginity.”
“I had no clue she was a virgin. Once I realized that she was, I was out. Colt beat my ass the next time he saw me at practice for that shit. Coach had to bribe the principal from suspending us both.”
“So you’re saying you’re afraid of him?” Nate scoffs.
“No, I’m saying she’s not worth it. She’s his fucking whore, Nate. She always has been and always will be. He’s ruined every relationship she’s ever had. Or will have in the future. Let her go.”
A hand grabs hold of my hair and yanks me off the couch to my knees. I bite into the gag to keep from making a sound. Nate yanks my head back and forces me to look up at them while he kneels behind me. I look around aimlessly, pretending to be in and out of consciousness.
“This is your chance, Mike.” He reaches around and touches my breasts, and that’s when I realize I’m topless.
I feel vomit rise, and I try to shake him off, but he wraps an arm around my throat from behind and takes away my air.
“You can have a piece. And when we’re done with her, we’ll cut her up and dump her body in the woods. Animals will eat her. She’ll never be found because nothing will be left of her.”
Tears blur my vision, and my chest heaves, trying to suck in a breath while he holds me in place. He’s got it all planned out.
“Look.” Mike glances down at his watch, unbothered that I’ve been kidnapped and gagged. “I have to be somewhere in fifteen minutes. If I don’t show up, they’ll come here. And since you’re using my place as a stash house, we don’t want that. I’ve got to go. Stay here with her, and I’ll be back in an hour.”
Nate lets go of me and shoves me forward, my body hitting the floor. I open my mouth as wide as it’ll go to try to suck in a breath around the gag while I hack up my lungs, making my already sore chest hurt even more.
“Take your time.” Nate waves him off.
“Don’t touch her until I get back,” Mike warns.
“So you want a piece?”
“They work for the Lords,” he barks out as if that’s supposed to mean something.
“The Lords are a myth. Some made-up shit,” Nate argues.
“Whether you believe in them or not, Colt, Jenks, Alex, and Finn kill people. That’s a fact,” Mike growls.
“And you’re afraid they’ll come after you.”
“No, Jesus Christ, Nate. I don’t want you doing anything that can’t be covered up. I don’t need cops at my house because they found a dead body. And a blood trail that leads them back here. So sit your ass down, have a drink, and keep your hands to yourself. When I return, we’ll figure out a plan. Together.” Mike turns and runs out the door, slamming it behind him.
“Guess it’s just you and me.” A boot kicks my shoulder, shoving me onto my back, and I close my eyes, trying to calm my breathing. Maybe if he thinks I passed out, he’ll leave me alone.
I feel his boot against my neck. He presses down on it, taking away my air again, and I can’t fake it. Panic sinks in as the pressure gets heavier and heavier, crushing me. My eyes spring open, and I look up at him glaring down at me while I kick my legs, trying to fight for a breath.