I lifted my shoulder with as much strength as I could muster to get him to take his heavy hand off me.
He eventually moved it.
I didn’t have the strength to talk. Or cry. I was fading like a wilted flower. One breath in. One out. One in. One out. That’s all I could do.
I calculated mentally in my head, it would take another couple of hours for the Rebel Saints to work things out at least. How far were we from the rides?
I stepped up to the plate and asked the question, “W-where are we?” I croaked, then coughed. If I didn’t get some water soon I was going to pass out.
The weasly one chuckled.
I heard his shoes crunch on the ground as he moved in closer.
“You, are in hell. That’s where you are. Don’t worry about where you are,” he replied with nastiness.
His stinky breath floated through the air to me and I closed my eyes to erase the pungent smell.
A low rumble of bikes filled my eardrums, and I didn’t know what to make of it. Was it Devil Riders? Or was it Rebel Saints? I strained to see as the bikes rode up closer to the warehouse door. I sobbed as my chest heaved. Please. Please. Please. Let it be them.
“Ah shit! They’re here. How the hell?” The weasly one cried out as he reached for what looked to be a gun from a holster on his hip. He didn’t stand and fight, he ran as did the mute one, right along with Doc.
Shots were fired. The ping of a bullet whizzed by my head, and my nose started to run as I jumped my chair forward. The hammering in my heart started up again like a motor, and I felt powerless to act because I was tied to the chair.
“Fucking Saints!” Doc yelled as he ran out of the door. He took one look back at me, torn as to whether to take me hostage or not, but the fear in his eyes had him run outside.
I tried to move my chair forward to make sure someone knew I was in the warehouse. I whimpered as dirt-stained tears streamed down my cheeks. I heard the other bikers outside firing shots.
Numbers was the first face I saw as he ran in and straight to me. “Hang on, Mia. Hang on, baby.” He kissed my forehead and untied the knots on my hands quickly. He pulled me up as I crumpled in his arms. “Mia! Stay with me.”
I barely heard his voice, he was fading in and out as I struggled to keep my eyes open. Fading. The world was fading. Drifting. A distant call. I closed my eyes. I wanted to rest. I just wanted to rest.
The other guys ran into the dusty warehouse.
“Anybody else?” Bones yelled as Bear, Hawk and Gunner were with him.
“No. Nobody else.”
I heard Numbers’ faraway voice. I gasped thinly. “Numbers. I-I. Sorry.” I grabbed every molecule of air I could to get the sentence out as I clung to him. My safe haven.
“I’m sorry too. I know why you did what you did,” he panted heavily as he put my hand on his chest.
I shifted my heavy head that felt like a watermelon up to him.
“Feel this?” he said as he placed my hand over his chest. His heart was beating fast and furiously. “This is how I feel about you, Mia.” Tears were welling in his eyes. He whispered close to my ear, “I should have listened to you.” He cradled my head in his hands as he wiped the tears from my face with his torn shirt.
His heartfelt plea threatened to rip me to pieces. “You came…” I pressed my hand into his firm chest as I sobbed. It’s all I could do. I loved him and he loved me. I knew now. I knew it.
“Instinct,” he breathed as his blue eyes looked at mine with torture. “I don’t wanna lose you.” He choked back the sobs. “You need water.” He dropped me quickly and ran back to the outside, coming back seconds later with a bottle. “Here, drink this now,” he commanded, his eyes wild and panicked.
I guzzled down the water and it soaked into my dry throat.
“I knew about this warehouse,” he panted out as his chest heaved. “I knew they would try to take you somewhere close. Doc is sloppy. He’s not that smart. He just has the money.” He took the bottle from me gently and kissed my temple.
My hands could barely hold it anyway. I felt numb as I pressed my head to his racing heart. That’s all I needed to hear right now. I wrapped my hands around him as if I was hugging a tree. “I thought I w-was going to—die,” I started to weep again.
He squeezed me tighter. “I’m not going to let anybody hurt you Mia, I’m in love with you. I can’t let somebody hurt the one I love.”
“I-I love you,” I faltered as my voice cracked up with emotion.