Page 75 of Rebel

With that he headed back up the steps. Once the door closed, I didn’t hear anything else. No sound of the front door slamming, nor his van starting up. He clearly wasn’t joking about this room being cut off from the outside world when it came to sound, but I had to assume he’d gone out.

I glanced at the bottle of water. It was only a small one, so I hoped that meant he wouldn’t be long. Then again, maybe I’dbe better off dying of thirst here, than whatever dark shit he had planned for me when he got back.

***

I must have been sitting and contemplating my fate for around half an hour, when a noise from the window caught my attention. Suddenly it came apart from its cement housing around the edges and was tilted and pulled sideways through the hole it had formerly sat in. I saw a hand reach up and try to wrench it open. My heart raced as I realized that someone was going to rescue me. But then I had another thought—it couldn’t have been Rebel, as he wouldn’t have gotten here so soon. Was it a rescuer, or had I inadvertently ended up being caught in another break-in?

My questions were answered when a young man, maybe in his early twenties, suddenly poked his head and one shoulder through the opening. My mouth fell open when I saw that he was wearing a black leather vest, and he was clearly a biker.

He gave me a boyish grin and said, “I’m Corey, one of the Dark Slayer’s prospects, I heard you were in a spot of bother. Rebel said I was supposed to tell you that you will always be protected by the long reach of the Dark Slayers MC and he’s on his way to rescue you.”

My chest was pounding, “Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?”

He responded cheerfully, “I can see how you might think that, but I think he’s just a lovesick fool who thought his message would give you strength during your time of need.”

Despite my predicament, I found myself smiling at his delivery. Finally able to breathe again, I told him, “Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather get the hell out of here now rather than later. Can you bust me outta here?”

“Dusty doesn’t like it when I do illegal shit. I already disabled this crazy dude’s security alarm. Breaking in might be a bridge too far.”

“Thanks anyway, I suppose,” I said morosely.

“I’m joking. I’ve got another guy I know coming with some equipment, but he’s thirty minutes away,” Corey said as he tried jiggling the window again. It was partially open, but there was no way that he could squeeze himself in. I might have been able to get out, but I was currently handcuffed to a radiator.

“Edward said he’d only be an hour, he might be back by then,” I said.

“Maybe I could help you get out of here on your own?”

I lifted my leg to show him the handcuff that barely fit around my ankle.

He nodded, “Yeah, I saw that.”

“He took the key with him. I’ve tried pulling but the radiator won’t move.”

Corey slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Good thing I carry a master key. Might not fit the handcuffs that cops use, but for cheap shit that evil fuckers buy, it should do the trick.”

I jolted forward and held out my hands, “Toss it down.”

He carefully threw it, so it landed practically in my lap. I grabbed it and gleefully began unlocking the cuff from my ankle. When it clicked open, I glanced up at the young prospect and exclaimed, “I can’t believe it worked!” I stood up and stretched my legs. Then I headed across the room and jumped onto my tiptoes to hand it back to him. “Thanks for showing up here and helping me.”

“You’re welcome. I have my bike here, so we should be able to make a quick getaway.”

“Great. Do you think I could fit through that window?”

His eyes ran down my body, but not in a lecherous way. It was more like a doubtful scan for size. “Maybe, but it’s gonna be a tight squeeze.”

“I’ll take body compression and pain, over staying in this situation one minute longer than I have to,” I told him as I reached up and we clasped hands firmly. He started heaving me up and the minute I was within reach of the window, one hand came out to grasp the opening and I pulled myself forward. I was halfway through the window when something that felt like a bottle of water hit me on the butt.

“Ungrateful fucking whore!”

When had Edward gotten back? Had he actually gone out or had he been waiting upstairs? I had no time to consider this, because two big hands started tugging on my legs and I was getting pulled back into his basement.

It was around then that all hell broke loose. I heard the roar of motorcycles and voices I recognized shouting. Corey couldclearly see what was happening through the window and he was shouting to his club brothers to get inside quickly.

“Lacey, I’m here babe,” the voice I most wanted to hear in the world called out.

The angry hands were torn from my body, replaced by the gentle ones of the man I loved. When Rebel helped me to the ground, and I turned around, I saw that Edward was curled up in a ball while Storm and Celt kicked him mercilessly.

Celt was yelling at him, “Ye think it’s cute to abuse women? Bet ye didn’t ever think we’d track yer dumb ass back home, did ye? Ye thought ye could just do as ye liked with this poor, innocent lassie.”

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