They wouldn’t tell me the plan. All that I knew was that I was going to be taken in by Damien’s gang somehow. I glanced over at Fang and sighed, shaking my head.
“Don’t you think it would be easier if I knew the plan?” I asked.
“No. It’ll take away the authenticity of it.”
The truck came to a stop in front of a fairly nice looking community. The houses were all situated around a large cul-de-sac and while there were no actual boundaries separating the houses from the road, the set up made it clear that it was a community.
“Get out,” Fang said, unceremoniously.
“What?”
“Get out of the damn truck.”
I frowned, but slid out of the truck and watched as Fang turned and drove away. The community, about a mile in front of me, was silent. No one was out and about and everything seemed still. I had zero idea of how I was to get myself into this group, so I just started walking toward the houses, trying to come up with a good excuse as to why I was there.
Suddenly the roar of an engine echoed from behind me and I turned to look over my shoulder and my heart jumped into my throat. A guy I recognized from our group named Gage was riding up the road, his motorcycle barreling toward me. I turned and started to run, wondering what the hell was going on.
He managed to close the space between us rather quickly and even though I ran as fast as I could, I knew he was going to catch up to me. The scream of pure terror that bubbled up from my throat was involuntary, but it wasn’t loud enough to be heard over the engine. As soon as I broke past the line of well-kept houses, a hand wound itself around my hair, dragging me along the road a few feet. If it weren’t for the leather jacket and jeans I was wearing, I would have ended up skinned and bloody.
Gage was one of the first men to hit on me when I joined the gang. The thirty-year age difference between us didn’t bother him, but it put me off. He was a crude man who’d never really got over my rejection. Since I was considered
Fang’s woman, he hadn’t been able to touch me. I had to wonder if this little act was his revenge.
I screamed as he dragged me to my feet by my hair. I struggled against him, but it was no use. The more I struggled, the tighter he managed to hold me.
“Where do you think you’re going, little lady?” he growled, yanking me closer.
My heart was nearly beating out of my chest and I tried to push him away, but I wasn’t strong enough. I was screaming, crying, and begging for help but no one was coming out. These so called vigilantes were letting me be attacked in the middle of their neighborhood.
“LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” I sobbed, collapsing on the ground, allowing my body to go limp as a defense mechanism.
Gage yanked me right back up and I started to scream again, but he silenced me with a hard slap to the face. It was hard enough to make my ears ring and bust my nose open. Blood spurted from my nostrils and ran down my lips and chin. The warm, thick liquid hit my tongue and I immediately spit it out, shocked by the sudden violence. I realized now that this was Gage’s role. He was supposed to beat me until the other gang came out and saved me. I also realized very quickly that he was using this as a way of getting back at me for rejecting him.
Another slap sent me to the ground and it was at about that time that I heard doors slam open. Gage looked up and cursed, delivering one swift kick to my ribs before taking off. The blow forced all the air from my chest, but luckily he didn’t break any of my ribs. He ran off, grabbing his bike and sped away, chased by bullets. None of them hit the man, but they sent their message. If he came back, he’d be dead.
A whole group of people came running from the community; most of them had guns pulled. Blood was dripping onto the asphalt as I pushed myself into a sitting position. The first person to break from the crowd and run towards me was a tall man with long, blonde hair and eyes the color of rich honey. His skin was tanned from what I assumed to be years of sun exposure, but somehow looked as smooth as a baby’s bottom. His hands and thick, muscular arms were decorated with intricate tattoos and as he scooped me up into his arms, I became lost in his kind eyes, barely hearing the words that came from his mouth.
“Are you alright?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but the sudden fear and blows to my face had been too much. I’d become over-excited, and as I tried to answer his question, I turned my head and threw up before passing out in the arms of this handsome stranger.
Great first impression.
Chapter Five
I’m not sure how long I was out for, but when I woke up there was someone pressing a cold compress to my cheek and lip. I didn’t open my eyes for a moment, sighing contentedly and secretly hoping it was the handsome Adonis who’s scooped me up off the ground. When I finally allowed my eyes to flutter open, I saw a lovely woman leaning over me, her long blonde hair pulled into a bun on top of her head.
“Well, well. Looks like Sleeping Beauty has finally awakened,” she said with a smile.
She had no malice in her voice and seemed genuinely concerned about me. I groaned and turned away from the compress as pain started to radiate through my entire face.
“Christ, I feel like I was hit with a Mac truck,” I moaned.
“You might as well have been,” the woman said as she dabbed my forehead with a wet cloth.
I stared at her intently for a long moment before sighing. “Who are you?”
“My name is Chloe. My husband is the leader of this club,” she said softly.