Page 91 of His to Have
Then a thick hand reached in and grabbed the lock, unlocking it.
When the backdoor flung open, he wasted no time reaching in and grabbing my ankle. I kicked... hard, and screamed louder.
“Get off me!”
I got another shot off, hitting the one guy in the leg. He cursed and dropped his weapon.
“Let go of me!” I yelled, struggling to pull my leg free, but there were too many.
I knew I was about to be taken and there wasn’t shit I could do about it.
Another man reached in, this one wearing all black, a ski mask covering everything but his eyes. I caught the glimpse of the brass knuckles on his hand just before he punched me in thestomach. When I cried out in pain, he landed another one flush against my face.
Pain exploded across my jaw, and my ears rang.
Voices came and went, muffled like they were underwater.
“He wants her alive.”
“Go go go!”
“Leave him—he’s gone!”
The next time I opened my eyes, everything was dark. My head was pounding and my jaw felt like it had been hit by a freight train. It was throbbing so bad I couldn’t tell if it was broken or just bruised. Every part of my body felt heavy. Moving my legs and arms would have made me cry. My mouth was so dry, it felt like I ate a pound of crackers. Blood crusted at the corner of my lips, and I know tears stained my face. My body screamed for me to move, to fight, to do something — but all I could manage was a groan before everything went black again.
I don’t know how much time passed before I came to again. This time the car was moving. Bumpy roads flung my aching body around and low murmurs filled the vehicle. I still couldn’t see a thing, but the voices were clear as day — two males and a female.
“Good job, fellas.” Her voice was smooth and smug. She was proud of what they pulled off. She sounded familiar. Maybe Isabella. I couldn’t be for sure since I’d only met her maybe two times. Whoever it was, her perfume was loud—a floral scent. Whatever it was, it clung to her skin and swirled the space making my stomach twist.
I tried to hold on. Tried to stay awake long enough to place the voice. But my body betrayed me again, slipping into the black.
Next time I woke up, I didn’t get the luxury of easing into consciousness. I was being yanked out of the car, roughly. The warm air greeted me as I was being dragged to some unknownlocation. My legs gave out beneath me, and I stumbled over my own feet, both dragging against gravel.
Things were still black, I was dizzy, and my hearing was warped by the pounding in my skull. But I wasn’t so messed up that my ears deceived me.
It couldn’t be.
“Stupid bitch thinks her family is so untouchable.” I heard him say and my heart dropped. I knew that voice anywhere.
Rage spiked, but my body was too weak to do anything about it.
“I’ll be glad when this is over.” He griped. “I’ve already lost so much over this bullshit. You and Orlando better end this shit fast. And none of this can link back to me. I have a whole career to protect.”
“Lost so much?” The woman scoffed. “Spare me the sob story. You happily agreed to this.”
“Revenge for my family. Not waste a year of my life. My mother didn’t—”
“Your mother’s dead. Focus on the job.” She cut him off effectively silencing him and all I could do was whisper it, broken and bloodied. “Corey.”
twenty-four
Teo
The trap house was secluded.
No windows. No traffic. And most of all no unwanted attention from outsiders. It was the perfect location for a strategy meeting with the two people who helped me keep things in check — Keem and Sophia.
While Sophia couldn’t be here in person, she could bring me up to speed the old-fashion way.
