King slowly arched an eyebrow. “Are my men alive?”
“One is taking a nap.”
King chuckled. “A nap, huh?” He leaned back in his chair, calm as any other time Rhett had seen him. “I’m surprised you got past them. They’re skilled men.”
“Today I was better,” Rhett said.
King’s eyes darkened. His mouth pressed into a firm line before he addressed Rhett again. “You’ve got one minute tops before my team storms in here. If you’re here to kill me, I’d do so now.”
“I can’t kill you,” Rhett retorted. “You have information I need.”
“What information is that?”
“The headquarters of the Wild Dogs here in town.”
King’s mouth twitched. “Now why would you think I’d have this information, when you and the police do not?”
Rhett knew men like King. He’d studied them for years. He’d hunted them. Men who held a territory didn’t like others in it. “Because they will become a threat to you. Maybe not now. But eventually. And I’m certain you’re already aware of that threat and keeping eyes on them. They have something that is mine. Something I will use hellfire to get back.”
The door suddenly burst open and Rhett sensed, more than saw, three men circle in behind him, weapons drawn.
King held up his hand, freezing the guards in place. “What if I do have what you need, how will it benefit me to assist you?”
“I’ll remove the threat,” Rhett promised. “We both know that no one will come out of there alive. The threat to your territory will be erased without you lifting a damn finger.”
King cocked his head, a smile crossing his face. “It’s a damn shame you won’t work for me, West. I could use a guy like you.”
“You could never trust me, King,” Rhett countered. “I’d kill you the first chance I got.”
King’s men inched their way closer to Rhett, as King grinned darkly and said, “Ah, but that’s what would make it so much fun.”
* * *
The van went over a bump and Kinsley banged her back against something hard, darkness engulfing her because of the blindfold tight against her face. A gun, she grimly realized. The men surrounding her talked to each other and laughed at each other’s jokes, like they hadn’t abducted her. She tuned out their voices and instead listened intently to the outside sounds, counting the minutes since they’d shoved her in the van to establish a time frame. They passed the train on the right. Later, the highway on the left, telling her they had driven past Whitby Falls. A half an hour must have gone by, and she listened for every little detail in case she got hold of a phone. Anything that could help Rhett and Boone narrow down her location. Because undoubtedly, they were ripping apart both towns trying to find her.
She tried to piece together everything that had gone wrong. Had she not gone into her bar, she would never have even been in this situation. From what she saw, Cameron had only been knocked out, and she hoped he got out before they set the blaze. She slid her hand over her belly, worry engulfing her. She had to keep the baby safe, no matter what. She had to be smarter than these men around her. Men who apparently weren’t happy with her just closing temporarily but wanted the bar shut down. Permanently. But the bigger question remained: Why was she still alive? They could have killed her right there in the bar.
Why didn’t they?
The van suddenly slowed, then it turned right, and soon after they’d stopped, her blindfold was torn away. The two guys in the front got out first and then the back door opened. She kept her head down, hoping they wouldn’t feel threatened, not wanting them to act. As long as she didn’t see them, she couldn’t identify them, and hopefully, they’d let her go. She was none too gently tossed onto a concrete floor. She scanned the area, discovering that they were inside a chop shop. She noted the Lamborghini across from her, being repainted, and ten more luxury cars, all being altered.
“Get in that corner,” her attacker ordered.
She scrambled into the corner, unable to look away from him as he used a piece of rope to tie her to a post. He was too rough ever to be handsome. Everything about his face was hard a
ngles and cruel lines, but his eyes were far scarier than anything else. They weren’t only dead; they were evil. Those eyes told her that he liked to hurt people. Got off on it. Once he was done, he warned harshly, “Move and you’re dead.”
She took the threat seriously and remained still. The men got beers and cheered each other on, obviously proud they’d destroyed every single thing she’d ever worked hard for. Her dreams. Her everything. But now she realized all of that was nothing compared to the baby she was desperate to keep safe. To keep far away from the evil creeping into this room.
Rhett…
He’d come. He had to find her.
Minutes turned into hours. And soon, she didn’t even know how much time had gone by. The men were waiting. That much she could tell. Waiting and restless, and all the while, she remained in the corner, sitting there like a target ready to die. She drew in a long, deep breath and shut her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. She was finally tasting happiness with Rhett, but maybe that’s all fate would give her. She could hear the men still talking, planning what to do with her. She opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings, looking for any way out.
With a sinking stomach, she realized there simply wasn’t one. They’d shoot her the second she stood up.
“What the fuck is this?”