Page 16 of Beauty & Corruption

Nothing could happen to her. She had to be okay. Otherwise, I would lose the tiniest shred of good that was left within me. Ifsomeone else broke my promise to her, I would gut them like a fecking swine. No one was entitled to steal her last breath from her lungs; that was a privilege, and it was mine. When I told her all of those things, I meant them.

Chapter 16

Reggy

Athin line of light was above me, and there was definitely a very distinct smell of motor oil all around me. My hand and leg throbbed, but the pain was nothing when compared to the constant throbbing in my skull. It felt like it was going to split into infinite pieces at any moment. I tried to move my hands to cradle my temple, but I couldn’t move them. Shit! I couldn’t move my feet either. They were bound together, but by what? I wiggled my body around until the dim light was on my hands and wrists. “Stupid assholes,” I murmured so quietly no one else would hear it.

Duct tape was around my wrists, and if I were a betting woman, which I had become recently, I would bet it was the reason I wasn’t able to move my ankles, too. I tested the waters, lifting my neck slightly, but I decided to lay it back down when my head started to spin. I lifted my knees a tad and was able to wiggle my ass. So, the only parts of my body I couldn’t move were my hands and feet. I was able to work with this. Who even used duct tape to restrain a person anymore? A fucking idiot, that was who. Chains or something a little harder to get out of was the way to go. Shit. That wasn’t normal information mostpeople had just freely roaming around in their brain like a little nugget tucked away for a rainy day. Then again, most people hadn’t spent as much time with Mordicus as I had. I had spent so much time with that damned man my thoughts were beginning to sound like him.

I stretched my back to its limit as I bent forward to reach my shoelaces, removing one from my boot slowly so as not to lose it. I saw something with a shoestring on social media a while back. The idea held little possibility of helping me out of wherever I was, but it was better than nothing.

This space is too small to be a warehouse. Maybe a box or a freezer. Definitely not a freezer. I was too hot to be one. My thoughts were jumbled, but I forced myself to concentrate. I didn’t have a choice otherwise. My attention focused on the thin line of light that blinded me each time it caught my eye as I contemplated the possibilities, running the clues over in my head once again.

Motor oil.

Small.

Very little light.

Was I in a trunk? Why in the world would I be in a trunk?

Maybe this was purgatory, but I doubted it.

Chapter 17

Stone

“If you don’t tell me where my girl is, I’ll fucking kill you. Better yet, I’ll let him kill you,” I threatened the first person within ten feet, grabbing the guy by the shirt collar and growling.

“Stone,” Mordy said my name, but I ignored him.

“What the fuck is your problem?” the guy asked, his eyes widening a little more with each passing second.

“Stone,” Mordy said my name again, and I didn’t answer him.

“You’re my problem,” I spat in the guy’s face.

“Graham, fecking let that arsehole go. He doesn’t know anything.”

“Huh? How do you know that? Any of these shits could be guilty.”

“Aye, but I just saw that guy get out of his car as we drove in.”

“So? That doesn’t mean anything.”

“While I agree, I would say the piss running down the leg of his trousers and onto your boot would confirm he’s too much of a pussy to handleÉan.” Mordy nodded toward the poor sap, and my gaze followed, finding exactly the picture he’d painted withhis words. Sure enough, the guy had a wet line down the front of his jeans, and piss was getting on my boot.

“Umm. Yeah. Go find a better purpose. Get a job,” I said the first thing that came to my mind.

“I have a job,” he nervously replied.

“What my brother here is trying to say is get the feck out of here, Mr. Pissy-Pants. Any man who pisses his trousers because he’s roughed up a little has no business going in a BDSM club.” Mordicus had a smug smile on his face, getting tickled at himself, but it faded quickly.

I followed Mordy’s lead into the club, and all eyes were on us immediately. I didn’t think we would stick out like a sore thumb in here while we were wearing our leather vests and boots, but we did. Perhaps it was the air around us. Honestly, I didn’t know why all eyes were on us and didn’t care. All I cared about was getting to Bird. I didn’t give a shit. They could gawk all night long as long as Bird was okay. She had to be. Otherwise, I wouldn’t survive this. Neither would Mordy.

Chapter 18

Stone

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