Page 18 of Arrow: Riding Rebels MC

I was thrown into the back seat, and my head hit the door. Crying out in pain was futile because Gideon climbed in and told whoever was driving to go. Outside of my crying, the car was quiet. I was too afraid to move, so I remained balled up, half on the seat and half hanging off.

I wanted to be surprised that Helen had gone to Gideon, but I wasn’t.

“You’ll pay for this. You think you can leave me and that be the end of it? I own you until your last breath. I paid a pretty penny for you, and I plan to get my money’s worth. You better hope and pray that by the end of this, you still have a life to live.”

“Gide—”

“Shut up and drive us to where we’re going, Helen. You’ll get your money when you drop us off.”

Money… Of course it was about the money.

I closed my eyes and prayed that whatever waited for me at the end of this car ride wouldn’t be my death. Gideon threatened death often, but this was the first time I’d tried to leave him. I thought I had a friend in Helen, but I wouldn’t make that mistake again. I counted to sixty, forty-five times before the car finally stopped. My stomach flipped, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

I prayed, but it was interrupted by my feet being pulled on.

“Ah, Gideon. I’m sorry! Please…”

“Don’t beg now. You should have thought about that before you went behind my back, thinking shit was sweet.”

Gideon pulled me behind him, and I could feel my skin tearing against the concrete ground.

“What do you want me to do?” The bitch that had turned her back on me had the nerve to be crying.

Gideon ignored Helen and continued to drag me to an unknown place.

Just when I felt like I would pass out, he stopped moving. Gideon dropped me, and the sound of wood creaking filled the silence between the three of us. Helen whimpered as Gideon picked me up by my bundles and tossed me inside what looked like a one room shack.

The air was wet and smelled like laundry that had been left in the washing machine for days.

“Your money is over there. Take it and go on about your day. If you want to make sure your husband’s gambling debt is taken care of, you’ll pretend as if this day never happened. Do we have an understanding?”

“Uhm, yeah. Yeah, we do.” Helen looked over her shoulder. “Are you going to kill her?” she asked slightly above a whisper.

“Asking questions like that will getyoukilled. Worry about solving your husband’s problems and get the fuck out!”

Helen scrambled backward and tripped over her feet trying to get away.

If I wasn’t in so much pain, I would have laughed. Part of Gideon’s anger was because I’d solicited help. He had to show his true nature in front of someone who wasn’t in his inner circle. There were a lot of people who were aware of how my husband treated me, but because he owned everyone close to him, they knew better than to step in.

Gideon waited until he heard the bass of Helen’s engine before addressing me.

“When are you going to learn that you don’t have anyone in this world but me? Where did you think you were going? Huh? You will never be able to escape me. We are in this forever, baby. The only way you’ll ever get free from me is by way of a chalk outline. Now, these next few days depend on your willingness to cooperate.” Gideon kneeled in front of me and smoothed a piece of my hair behind my ear. “If you do right, this will only take a few days, but if you fight me, then this could be your final resting place. Do you understand me, baby?”

I sniffled and swallowed the lump in my throat.

“Yes, yes, I do.”

“Good. Now, I’m late for my meeting and need to get going. I’ll be back, and when I do, hopefully, you’re ready to apologize for all the trouble you’re putting me through.”

Gideon yanked my head back and smashed his lips against mine.

No matter how much I wanted to pull away, I knew I couldn’t. The time constraint he was on gave me a pass I wouldn’t get again. Gideon smiled at me when he moved back and stood up. He patted the top of my head and pinched my cheek. I watched him leave and broke down in heavy sobs when I was sure I was alone.

I learned long ago that crying in front of Gideon only made him feel more powerful over me, so I made sure to hold it in.

“Wake up.” Gideon slapped my cheek, and I turned away from him. “Cecilia, wake up, baby. I need you to go over this for me. Ihave to have an answer by the end of the day tomorrow. I need to know if this deal is good.”

“Okay.”

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