Page 40 of His Sassy Little

She took a moment to glance around at what looked like an empty warehouse. The space was huge, made of brick, and completely empty except for a folding table with some chairs around it, and the chair she was currently tied to.

James dropped the dress in her lap and moved to undo her bindings. “If you make one single move out of line, you will absolutely live long enough to regret it. You understand me?” She wasn’t sure she could force words past the bile in her throat, so she simply nodded. “Put the dress on, then sit back down.”

God, she really didn’t want to put on the dress; she hadn’t touched a single pink item of clothing since she’d run from James. She didn’t know why he loved the color so much but she fucking hated it. Still, she could hear her Daddy in her head,

Cooperate, Little Hurricane. Stay safe, I’m coming.

So she picked up the dress and opened her mouth to ask where she could change. Before she had the chance, James was in her face, “What are you waiting for?” Surely, he didn’t mean for her to change in front of him and the three other men present. When James made a go-ahead gesture, it became clear that was exactly what he expected.

Arabella tried to gulp in a desperate attempt to keep the contents of her stomach where they belonged. She couldn’t do this. There was nothing under this shirt to protect her from the gazes of the men around her. She shuffled on her feet momentarily before finally finding enough voice to ask, “Do you think your guys could turn around?”

“No, now change into the goddamn dress, Rose.”

Do as he says, Little Hurricane. I’m coming.

With her Daddy’s voice echoing in her mind, giving her strength, she quickly changed into the dress.

Chapter Thirty-Three

His head was pounding, his arms were empty and the house was much too quiet. The kind of quiet that lets a person know they are completely alone. Where was Arabella? Sitting up slowly, Tanner reached for his pounding head. He frowned when he felt the wetness. He reached over, turning on the side lamp so he could see in the dark room. The first thing he noticed was the gleam of blood on his fingers.

Tanner’s heart hit his stomach, he jumped to his feet, ignoring the wave of dizziness and rushed to the bathroom. Flinging the door open, he called Arabella’s name, but the bathroom was empty. Trying not to panic, he did a search of the whole house, screaming her name, but she wasn’t there. He’d known. The second he’d woken, he’d known, but he’d needed to be sure.

Tanner wasted no time in calling Stone. God only knew how much time had already been wasted while he was passed out..

“She’s gone,” was all he could croak out.

He hung up the phone, knowing his friend would get here quickly. He gave himself a moment, hitting his knees and grabbing his hair with both hands, he pulled. He let out a bellow that likely woke his neighbors, but he didn’t care. He’d failed her and now she was gone. She was fucking gone! What was worse, Tanner didn’t have the slightest clue as to where to start looking.

“What do we know?” Stone was all business and Tanner was more thankful for that than he wanted to admit. He wasn’t sure he could be the clear thinker right now, his thoughts were fractured. Hell, his heart was fractured, and all he could focus on was the fact that he’d let his Little Hurricane down. God, she had to be alright. If she wasn’t…no, he wouldn’t think that. She’d be strong and keep herself safe so he could get to her. He’d made sure she knew he was coming for her.

“They have to be nearby still.” Pup was typing as he spoke again. Tanner knew it was a good thing, he was working to find his girl. “They haven’t flown from any airports since Spike last saw Arabella.”

“But do we know where they’re at?” Stone kept checking to make sure Sapphire wasn’t within hearing range. He’d refused to leave her alone, since he still had issues with letting her out of his sight. Tanner couldn’t blame him, he now completely understood. Hell, Arabella had been taken with him present, right from their bedroom. He wasn’t sure he’d sleep again when they got her back.

“No, the tracker signal stopped about half a mile away. Its signal died about eighteen hours ago. If they’re still in town, though, it won’t take long to find them. There aren’t a lot of options for places to stay here. We have guys combing the town.”

“What if they aren’t in town?” Tanner didn’t want to think that was the case but he needed to know their chances of getting his girl back if that was the case.

“Best case?” Pup finally looked up and straight into Tanner’s eyes. “His leave of absence ends soon and I don’t think he’s going to give up his job. We wait, most likely they’ll head where we know to look.”

“And worst case?” Tanner’s voice almost refused to form the words, but he really had to know.

“They go in the wind. There’s a big world out there. They could end up going anywhere.”

Fuck.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Stone’s harsh demand didn’t slow Tanner down a bit. He grabbed his coat and the keys to his bike, barely taking a second to respond before charging out the door.

“To find her.”

Stone was hot on his heels arguing but Tanner was done listening. He mounted up and had the keys in the ignition when Stone covered them with his hands.

“I know how you feel, man, really, I do.”

“Like fuck!” The expression on Stone’s face reminded Tanner that not that long ago, he’d been in a similar situation with Sapphire. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

“No need for that, Spike. Truth is, if anyone knows, it’s me. You’re right, though, even I don’t fully know. I do know that helpless feeling when all you can do is wait, though. I know the urge to go out and do something is strong. I know how it is to feel useless and helpless when your woman is in danger. I also know that sometimes, the best thing you can do for your girl is wait.”

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