She nodded. A gasp tore from her mouth when he lifted her like she weighed nothing. It scared her because if she had not been strong enough to fight Teddy, this man could kill her with one blow.
“What’s your name?” Ax asked.
“Ella.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
They walked out the back, the cold, wet night wrapped around her, and her teeth chattered within seconds.
“I know. We’ll get you taken care of soon. Just hang on a little longer,” Ax said.
He walked around an old dumpster to see two other men as big as the one that carried her sitting on two motorcycles.
“Fuck, those bastards did some work on her,” one of the men said.
“Baby, the one that just talked is Burn, and the other ugly one is Ghost.”
Her head lifted, and she whispered, “They’re not ugly.” Why in the world would she say that?
The men laughed.
“Let’s get you taken care of. This is going to be a bit rough. I’m going to have you on my lap for the ride. You’re not strong enough to hold onto me.”
“It’s not far, man,” Ghost said.
She nodded. She didn’t care. She just wanted to be away from the area as soon as she could. He held her in his arms as he mounted his bike in one smooth move.
“I know it’s going to be cold, but can you wrap your arms around my waist? I’ll pin you all I can to my chest, but I need both hands to ride.”
She nodded and tried not to flinch too much, one because he touched her, and two because she hurt. Her arms were bare because she had no blanket to cover them.
“Can you put your arms around me under my vest?”
She shifted a bit and then almost groaned at the heat coming from him. Her body jerked when the other men started the bikes, and she tightened her grip on him.
“You guys drive down the road in front of the houses. I don’t want them to think we had anything to do with her disappearance yet, and they can hear our bikes.”
“Sure. We’ll meet you at the motel, seven blocks away, but it has a nearby convenience store. We’re behind on the first floor. Number four.”
“Thanks, guys. We’ll meet you there,” Ax said, rolling his bike down the alleyway past several houses. When he got a few blocks away, he started it but didn’t rev it.
It seemed to take forever but in reality, probably only five minutes. He went slow because of the icy streets, she assumed. The other two men were there when they pulled up in the back. One of them reached for her, and she cried out and hid her face in Ax’s chest.
“I got her, Ghost.”
They stepped into a large room that had two king-size beds. It could have held a family of five or six easily. She could barely feel the warmth and couldn’t stop chattering. It felt like her core was frozen.
“We need to get you into a hot shower,” Ax said.
She tensed.
“Nothing’s going to hurt you, baby. I’ll be the only one that takes care of you.”
Ella nodded. She knew she’d need help, and the sooner, the better.
“Good girl.”
He walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and started the water in the bathtub.