Page 3 of Sugar Coated

“Hello! Is anybody out there?” I shouted the question. “I’ll start singingDisneysongs if someone doesn’t come in here—”

Funnily enough, the threat of catchy songs being belted out by me was enough to get someone to come in, and when he came in, the first thing I noticed was that his face was totally uncovered. The second thing I noticed was that the man wasn’t alone; a second man, much smaller in stature, had followed in behind him.

Neither man I recognized.

“Hi,” I said. “Can I just ask you a few questions? What—” I was going to ask what was going on, but the first man promptly backhanded me right across the face, hard enough to make me see stars for a few seconds afterward.

“We’re not supposed to,” the second man started, but he’s instantly hushed by the man who hit me.

“Oh, shut it. Like it really matters.” His dark, beady little eyes fell on me once more, and he bared his teeth as he leaned over me—letting me get a good whiff of his body odor in the process. Yuck—and added, “And you. Why don’t you shut the fuck up, hmm? This’ll go smoother for you if you keep quiet.”

My cheek still hurt, but that didn’t stop me from saying, “I’m just trying to understand—” But I didn’t get to finish that sentence, either, because again he hit me right across the face. I tried my restraints then, if only to remind myself that I couldn’t break free and dig my nails into this asshole’s eye sockets. The pain blossoming on my face would be negligible compared to the amount of pain I’d unleash on this dick.

I glared at the man who hit me while the phone of the second man buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen, and the look on his face immediately told me that something’s not going according to their plan.

“What is it?” the man who hit me hissed out.

“Boys out front spotted two cars. We may have company.” The second man glanced at me. “They might be here for the girl.”

“Impossible. No one knows we’re here. No one knows we fucking took her—” Though he tried to sound calm, he’s anything but, and I couldn’t help but grin as I watched the panic set in them both.

Was my Devil here, ready to unleash hell on these assholes for taking me?

But two cars… that would mean someone else was here too, so maybe it wasn’t my Devil after all.

“If you want to live, I suggest untying me and letting me go,” I said. “And if you want to die, just keep hitting me. When they see what you’ve done to me, they’ll make you choke on your own blood before filling you with bullets.”

The small guy actually looked like he was thinking about it, but the other man stopped him from reaching me. “Don’t even think about it. You stay here and watch her.” He reached into the smaller man’s waistband and pulled out his gun, shoving it down into his hands. “Be ready to shoot whoever comes in through that door if it isn’t me.”

As the smaller man took the safety off the pistol, the other man turned his glare to me. “We were paid to take you. My crew and I don’t appreciate anyone sniffing around, trying to fuck us over.” He stepped toward me and leaned over me once again, using his height to make me feel small, to try to intimidate me—I didn’t tell him it wasn’t working, though. “You better hope none of my crew gets so much as a scratch on them. If they do, the first thing I’ll do is come in here and wipe that fucking smile off your face.”

I took a page out of Kieran’s sarcasm and deadpan, “Ooh, that sounds kinky. Promise?”

He acted like he was going to hit me again, but beyond the door, somewhere out there, a shot rang out, followed by more shooting, and it stopped him from laying a hand on me again. He pulled his own gun out and raced out the door without so much as glancing back at me and the unimpressive man he left to guard me.

The man began to pace the length of the room, walking up and down it over and over. With every shot outside of this room, I could tell he grew more and more nervous.

“So,” I said, “now that the asshole’s not here, why don’t you let me go, and I’ll do my best to make sure no bullets go flying in your direction?” Personally, I thought it was a good bargain on his end, but he turned out to be more loyal than I thought.

With a shake of his head, he stopped pacing to stand beside me. “I don’t think so.” Though his hands shook, signaling his nerves, he still raised the gun and pointed it at the side of my face. If anyone else barged in through the door, the sight of him holding the gun against my right temple would be the first thing they see.

Hmm. Couldn’t say I didn’t try, then. I offered the guy a way out, where he could walk away from this, but he picked his side and he was sticking with it. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he chose poorly.

More gunfire out there, some shouting. Though the voices were muffled, they all sounded like men—numerous men who apparently got paid to kidnap me. One of my dad’s enemies, perhaps? Or did my dad want me to disappear again so his numbers could soar?

I did the only thing I could do: I waited. I waited for someone else to come walking through that door while I imagined taking the gun from the fool beside me and spinning it around, aiming it straight at his face and pulling the trigger.

I was a tad bit murderous. Go figure. That side of me had only grown as of late.

I hurt myself, so I was pretty sure I could hurt someone else. Inflict pain, maim, murder. My life, shit as it had been lately, pushed me to be this way. Mistrustful. Skeptical. So very angry at the world and at my dad.

But regardless of how pissed off I was, I could do nothing but wait. Seconds passed before the handle to the door began to twist, and I heard the man standing beside me suck in a quick breath as he pressed the barrel of the gun harder against the side of my head.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear but a blood-soaked man with nothing but a cold rage in his gray eyes, a man who flashed his silver fangs at me in a smirk the moment we locked stares.

Fang.

Wait. Fang? How did he get here?

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