Ever since Adrik opened up to me three days ago, it feels like a weight has lifted. As if I can see the man I married for the first time and he doesn’t seem as bad as he did at first. I hug my cardigan tighter around myself as a gust of wind blows through the trees. It’s hard to believe that I’m seeing Adrik as anything more than a heartless monster, especially after everything he’s done to my family.
Birds tweet overhead, drawing my attention to them as they flutter in and out of the trees. I’m not used to feeling so alone in my home, but Mariana makes each day bearable. My only friend now that my siblings are gone and they have probably struck me out of medical school for missing so much class.
I sigh heavily and set a hand on my stomach. “At least we have each other, don’t we, little one?” The path leading down to the lake is a little muddy as I dodge puddles. It rained the night before, but it seems particularly boggy on the path. I’d assumed that once Adrik knew I was pregnant, he’d want to stop having sex. He’s worse than ever and can barely keep his hands off me for a second when we’re in the same room. I’m ashamed to say that I kind of enjoy every moment.
“Oh dear, I’m not sure we’ll make it down to the lake today.” I glance at the pumps I put on, knowing they aren’t suitable for these conditions. “I should have worn my boots.” I turn around and practically jump out of my skin as there’s a man behind me I don’t recognize. He’s covered in tattoos, with a shaved head on either side and longer hair on the top. If I had to take a guess, I’d say he was one of the bikers from the Devil’s Alpha MC from the look of him, and last I heard, they’re working with the Italians.
A mix of hope and uncertainty coil through my gut. Could this be Enzo’s and Thiago’s attempt to rescue me or something more sinister?
“Who are you talking to?” he asks, tilting his head slightly.
“Myself.” I wrap my arms around my waist protectively. “Sorry, do I know you?”
“No, but I know you, Eliza.” The way he says my name sends shivers down my spine as he steps closer. “And you are coming with me.”
I take a step back. “Who are you?”
He smirks. “That’s for you to wonder.” He steps forward, towering over me, and then grabs my shoulders. “Now, let’s not make this harder than it needs to be.”
I kick my leg forward to strike him in the crotch, but despite being well over six foot four, he’s shockingly fast. He grabs my leg mid-air and shakes his head, smirking at me with a row of perfect, pearly white teeth. “That’s not a very nice way to greet someone, is it?” He pushes my leg down and grabs my arm, forcing me so that my back is pressed against his chest. “No one told me how pretty you’d be.”
Panic rises through me at the tone of his voice.
“No need to get so tense. I’m not allowed to touch you like that.”
“Who sent you?” I ask.
He chuckles, the sound unfriendly. “I can’t tell you that yet, Eliza.”
I feel a sharp prick to the side of my neck and reach for it. “What the hell was that?”
“Just a sedative. I can’t have you screaming and alerting the guards, can I?” He lifts me off the floor as my vision blurs, shouldering me as if I weigh nothing. “Let’s see my boss. He’ll be thrilled I have you.”
I open my mouth to ask him who his boss is, even though it’s clear this asshole has no intention of telling me anything, but I can hardly move my jaw. It’s as if the drug is paralyzing me at an alarming rate. My heart pounds erratically in my chest as I try to claw at this guy’s shoulders to fight away, but I’m so weak.
Whatever sedative he gave me is strong and working quick. With each jolting step he takes down toward the lake, I feel my vision darken. I swallow hard, wondering if the drug might hurt the baby.
And would that be such a terrible thing?
After all, it’s the child of a man who took me by force. I’m already attached to the baby growing inside of me, and if anything were to happen to it, it might finally shatter what little joy I have left in this world.
“Please,” I murmur, but it comes out so quiet I doubt he’ll even hear me.
My vision gets so dark that I know I’m hardly clutching to any threads of consciousness as the drug pulls me into a dark abyss.
* * *
Ringingsounds like an alarm going off repeatedly as I wake, shaking my head when I realize it’s in my ears. When I open my eyes, I’m surrounded by darkness and realize that there’s a hood over my head.
I’m sitting on a hardwood chair with my hands bound behind me. And that’s when my memories return with a vengeance as the huge, tattooed man that stole me comes to the forefront of my mind. “Fuck,” I murmur.
“Fuck indeed,” someone says, making me jump.
“Who are you?” I ask.
Whoever it is laughs as they take soft footsteps closer to me. “I’m your saving grace, Eliza. At least, hopefully I am.” The hood over my head comes off and I’m staring into the dark eyes of a man with light brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Again, he looks like a biker, if I had to take a guess. As my eyes scan over his tattoos, which are up both of his arms, I get the confirmation I was seeking.
“You’re with the MC, aren’t you?”