Page 24 of Taming the Bad Boy

“Now, now, Ivy. Don’t be rude. Stick around for a while.”

He knows my name.

Adrenaline courses through me. I’m sweating. Saxon was right. Ishould nothave come here.

“I’m Viper.” He smiles sickly. “Leader of the Smoke and Skulls. How’s your day going?”

I try to dart around him and get to the door, but he grabs me easily by the arm. His fingers dig into my flesh like his hands are vises. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, there. Take it easy, girly.”

I cry out as he forces me deeper into the smoky room. I try to thrash against his grip, but it’s no use. He’s a giant compared to me.

“Look who made it, boys!” His triumphant call is met with cheers and claps, hoots and hollers. “May not have gotten the mom, but we got the daughter!”

My jaw drops. I feel like I’ve been speared in the stomach.

That’s what this is all about? It’s been nine years since my mom tried to sell me to pay for her debt. I thought my dad had settled it. I thought I was safe.

I thought wrong.

“What does Smoke and Skull get, boys!?” he calls out, and like a battle-cry, the entire house roars back–

“Whatever we want!”

I’m gasping for breath, my chest heaving, as Viper sweeps a table clean of its mess and pushes me down on top of it. I thrash and kick to no avail as two other Skulls rush over and grab my limbs, restraining me.

“Help!” I scream, drawing laughter from the crowd of men.

“Yeah, nobody’s gonna hear you, sweet thing.” Viper grins. “Had this place soundproofed years ago. Just so…well, you can imagine why.”

I’m gonna have a heart attack. I’m sure of it.

I never should have come here. I should have listened to Dad. I should have listened to Saxon. They both tried to warn me. I never should have gotten involved with Slate in the first place.

Butwhere isSlate?

Saxon said he was here.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he had nothing to do with this. Maybe he really is trying to fix things somehow, and Saxon just made the wrong assumption about him. Maybe–

But that’s when I see it. A head of shaggy, dirty blond hair, towering over the others. The world seems to go into slow-motion as Slate approaches, cutting through the crowd, and when his stormy blue eyes finally come into view, my heart shatters.

“No…” I whimper, my voice not even a breath. “It can’t be.”

“And cheers to this man!” Viper cries out, raising a fist in the air, his eyes locked on Slate as he strides toward me. “The one who made it all possible!”

I can’t breathe. My world is burning. The vile hands gripping my skin are like brands, flaying my flesh with their loathsome intent.

He really is here. He really did betray me.

Every last ounce of hope I had in my body disappears. My last bit of hope gives way, leaving me a hollow shell splayed out on the table, helpless, defenseless against whatever they plan to do with me next.

I try to meet his eyes with mine, to try and find one last flicker of humanity within him that might save me from feeling forsaken.

But he won’t look at me.

His eyes are fixed on Viper, narrow and blazing, like he’s proud of what he’s done.

“Never could have made this happen without you, Slate!” he continues. “The way you led us right to–”

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