I snorted and shook my head. "You're barking up the wrong tree, pal. My dad doesn't give a shit about me. He's not going to put up my ransom."
Coyote grinned at me "Oh, we know that. We know that all too well. We went and saw your dear old dad. We only had to break three fingers before he told us where you were. How do you think we knew where to come looking?”
My heart sank into my stomach at the news, but I tried not to let it show. I looked away and swallowed thickly. “If you aren’t planning a ransom, how the hell do you think you’re going to get money from me?”
Coyote grinned wickedly and leaned in closer, watching me carefully, taking in the look of fear on my face. I knew there was no hiding it anymore. “Men all over the world would pay a pretty penny to fuck a gorgeous American girl like yourself. The way I see it, it’s the only fair trade I can possibly make. There's no other way to get our money back from your dad,” he said, licking his lips as he looked me up and down.
The look in his eyes made my skin crawl and I whimpered, backing away from him, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. He grabbed my collar and yanked me closer. I yelped as my shirt slid up and the rough concrete wall scratched my back, leaving angry, pulsating red marks behind.
“You’re worth more than you think gorgeous,” he purred. “We’re going to take you to som
e nice Russian men and they’re going to put you in a storage container with a bunch of other pretty, naked girls. Then they’re going to sail you across the ocean and sell you to someone who will put you to work in a brothel. You’ll work and work until you’re used up and then they’ll either put a bullet in your head or put you to work in a sweatshop.”
He was grinning at me now and I was doing my best to stay strong, but I knew I was shivering and I knew my bottom lip was shaking. I was scared and there was no way around it. I was fucking terrified.
“I figure they’ll be more than willing to pay about a quarter of a million for you. Maybe a little more,” he smirked and ran his fingers along my cheek. “You’re so young and supple.”
A sudden rage lit up inside of me. My fate was sealed no matter what I did and I knew Coyote wouldn’t kill me. I was worth too much alive. You couldn’t sell a corpse into sex slavery. As he caressed my cheek I turned my head and sunk my teeth into his hand. He yowled in pain and yanked his hand away, holding the bleeding appendage and staring at it in shock.
I spit out the blood that had coated my teeth and tongue when I bit into the soft flesh, glaring at him with a certain determination. “I’m not going to make this easy for you,” I whispered between gritted teeth.
“You little cunt!” he reached out and grabbed me, his meaty hands wrapping around my throat.
I gasped as I was lifted off the ground, my airway suddenly closed off completely in his strong grasp. My eyes rolled back and I whimpered as I felt my vision starting to fade. My sight was reduced to a narrow tunnel and blood rushed into my ears. I could hear my own heartbeat as I gasped uselessly for breath. There was no air getting to my lungs and they were starting to burn with a desperation I’d never felt before.
The world began to slip from my grasp, but even as I thought I was dying, there was only really one thought going through my head. Dying would be better than being sold into slavery. This seemed like a more tolerable end.
Chapter Twenty
I felt as if I’d slipped into a deep sleep. I was floating, warm and safe. I sighed softly and as I allowed my eyes to flutter open I looked around and saw that I was on a beach. How the hell was I on the beach? Had the whole ordeal just been a vivid nightmare?
As I turned my head I saw Dylan wading in the clear water, his arms outstretched for me. I stood, enjoying the feel of the warm sand between my toes as I ran towards him, wanting to feel his embrace. I wanted to feel the safety of his arms around me.
I stumbled into the water, nearly falling flat on my face as I threw myself into his arms. He held me close, pulling me to his chest and kissing the top of my head. Tears were streaming down my face and I looked up at him, reaching up to touch his tanned cheeks.
“Oh God, Dylan, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” I whispered, staring into his handsome face.
“I’m right here darling,” he said tenderly, pulling me close.
I could hear his heart beating and it made me sob with joy. “You’re here, you’re really here. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for before. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m sorry I walked away and went with them, but I was so scared! I couldn’t let you die!” my words were spilling out in a stream.
He stroked my hair and kissed me tenderly. “Shhh, it’s okay, Alex. I know why you did it. I don’t blame you,” he whispered, pushing me gently away.
I looked up at him, my lips trembling. There was so much I wanted to say to him, but I couldn’t get it out. He stroked my hair out of my face. “I need you to promise me one thing,” he said.
“What is it?”
“Promise me you won’t give up.”
I was confused by his words and gasped as he grabbed me and pushed me under the water. Darkness enveloped me and confusion clouded my mind. I drifted into the dark abyss, wondering if this was death.
Suddenly my eyes flew open and I was staring up at the bright morning sky. I was in the bed of a pickup truck, though I could hear motorcycles roaring on either side of me. My throat hurt and the pain brought back the memory of being lifted off the ground, an impossibly strong hand wrapped around my neck. I groaned and rolled over onto my side, looking around.
The land was green and the hills stretched out as far as I could see. I figured we were still in Tennessee, but I had no idea where. I forced myself to sit up, groaning at the effort it took. I managed to steady myself as the truck bounced on the road, looking around to see bikers surrounding the truck as if they were protecting it.
I frowned, starting to feel a surge of hopelessness all over again. I didn’t think I was going to get out of this one. As I started to lose myself in thought, the truck jolted forward and I gasped, grabbing the side to keep myself upright.
The truck rolled to a stop and so did the bikes. Coyote hopped out of the truck, cursing loudly and kicking the flat tire. He leaned down to inspect it and the moment he ducked down, bullets started flying. Within moments, most of the gang lie dead beside their bikes, perfectly placed shots between their eyes.