Page 49 of Hell Bent

Terrified, Sway tried looking out the back windows, but she couldn’t see anything. Deciding it was up to her to fight forher life, she began listening to the conversation taking place between the attackers. Maybe she could figure out where they were taking her.

The van came to a stop as the sun came up, lighting the skyline in pink hues. She could see old warehouses. She knew the area—it was the older part of the textile area, and most of the buildings had long since been abandoned. Being in the abandoned area, she doubted if anyone would find her. Her only chance was to get herself free. After that, she’d have to find her way to safety without being caught a second time. Sway started planning to fight, until the van door opened and Jerome Michel stood smiling at her.

“Hello again, Sway.”

Sway spat in his face, furious that Jerome had helped kidnap her. His reaction was a slap to her face. Striking fast, she punched him in the face, connecting with his mouth.

He slapped her again until she stopped fighting. Her face hurt like hell, and she could feel the swelling starting to cause her eye to close. She needed to stay focused. “What do you want, Jerome?”

Her head was yanked back. She yelled as the searing pain shot along her scalp and her hair was twisted all the way down to the root. Tears welled up as Jerome slammed her head against the van. For a split second, she thought she’d pass out, and as she was dragged from the van, she sent up a silent prayer that someone would find her.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Lottie tried keeping up with Razor as they walked up the tree-lined path to a row of houseboats. When she told him her concerns over Sway missing their lunch date, she had no idea they’d end up at the home of Sway’s boyfriend.

She should have asked Dawson to help her find Sway. But he would have told her she was overreacting, except she wasn’t. Sway was reliable, and she hadn’t shown up for their lunch date. Her apartment was empty, and her truck was in the driveway. The shop hadn’t been opened, which had employees calling Lottie. It all added up to her being missing. The police said she was an adult and could have just walked off, wanting a new life.Bullshitis what Lottie thought.

She hoped Sway was with Vicious and had simply taken a much-needed day off, but Lottie needed someone to believe her, and that had led her to Razor. He was the one person she tried to avoid, even at work. Biting the bullet, she followed Razor, taking the last few steps to the front door.

She’d heard rumours about what went with men like Vicious. Any other time, she’d be intrigued, but for now, she stuffed that interest down.

A quick rap on the door had her stomach doing summersaults. Vicious, along with some of the other patch holders she’d met at the clinic, made her nervous. Not in the creepy way that some men did, but in the way she knew they could kill her without a second thought.

Lottie watched as the door opened, revealing a half-naked Vicious. His shaggy, dark-blonde hair hung haphazardly over impenetrating green eyes. He towered over her, making her feel small and delicate. Stepping back to the safety of Razor, her eyes darted over Vicious. If she was honest, the man wasn’t a bad sight to see. Lottie could understand Sway’s interest in the man.

“Vicious.”

“Razor?” Vicious looked past his club brother, spotting Sway’s best friend. He went on alert. “Lottie? What’s wrong?”

Lottie chanced a look past Vicious, praying silently Sway would appear. When she didn’t, Lottie looked back at Vicious. This was a hardened man, a man she wasn’t used to dealing with.

Vicious appeared to be a hardcore, badass, trigger-pulling, ask questions later kind of guy. This was a man who women thought they wanted. The kind that movies and books made them dream about. He was the real deal, a dangerous motherfucker.

Looking into his intoxicating eyes, her stomach knotted up.With a shaky voice, Lottie told him why they were there. “It’s Sway. She’s missing. I’m hoping she’s with you.”

“What do you mean she’s missing? She left this morning.” Turning around, he rushed back inside, grabbing his shirt from his laundry room. Pulling it on, he heard Lottie talking about Sway not showing up for lunch, nor had she opened the shop. That sent off alarm bells. Sway would never not show up at work. She felt too responsible for the well-being of her employees. His heart started beating in his chest so hard, he could feel it in his throat.

Scooping up his keys, he noticed the note Sway had left for him. Picking it up, he held it toward Lottie and Razor, who had come in behind him. “The note says she was heading home,” he said off-handedly.

“I’m telling you, something is wrong,” Lottie said frantically.

“She didn’t wake me when she left. I’ve been working graveyard shifts this week.”

“Sounds like Sway not wanting to bother you.” Lottie tried not to cry, but she was freaking the fuck out.

As he listened to Sway’s friend start to cry, Vicious looked at Razor, who was already on the phone. Pulling Lottie in for a hug, his mind tried to find a rational reason why Sway wouldn’t have opened the auto shop. The night before, she had decided to put Tesh’s death behind her. Maybe she went to the cemetery. Maybe she went to talk to him.

Glancing at Razor, he saw the hard stare the brother gave him and let go of Lottie. Vicious gave Razor a questionablelook, wondering if he was reading the signs correctly and the brother was hot for Sway’s friend.

Razor put the phone call on speaker. “Razor. How can I help you today? That hellcat giving you problems?” Sherlock chuckled at the thought of the pretty nurse giving Razor shit. Sherlock had witnessed Lottie’s fiery attitude toward his club brother firsthand, and it was comical to think about.

Cutting off Sherlock’s comments before he said too much in front of the current company, Razor let the brother know why he was calling. “Sherlock, Sway’s missing. She left Vicious’s house early this morning. Can you pull up any and all surveillance video from the general area?”

All joking went out the window when Razor said Sway was missing. “I’ll start digging into traffic cams. You should ask the neighbours if they have ring cameras or any type of cameras that might show Sway leaving.”

“Consider it done. We’ll meet you at the clubhouse within the hour.”

“Do you want me to call the brothers?”

---