Wolf (Evil Dead MC 4)

Wolf didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to last without breaking. And then, as if heaven sent, Taz’s cell phone went off. Wolf watched as he pulled it from his pocket, snickering, “Don’t go anywhere.” Then he put the phone to his ear. “Yeah?”

Wolf’s eyes lifted to Crystal’s, wishing he could hold her one last time. He didn’t want to give up, but fuck, he didn’t see a way out of this. Then miraculously, Taz stepped away, crossing the campsite to the other side and stepping around the side of the panel van that was parked twenty yards away.

Crystal was already as close as the stretched chain would allow. Wolf looked at her. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, reflected in the golden firelight.

“Wolf,” she whispered brokenly.

“Crystal.” Wolf grimaced against the pain and tried to smile for her. “We never got to finish that conversation, baby.”

“We don’t need to, Wolf.”

He nodded and tried to take the emotion out of his voice, knowing the only help he could give her now was to talk her through this and give her whatever strength he could that way. He continued in as calm a voice as he could muster, “You’ve got to talk him into taking that chain off you.”

“He won’t.” she shook her head.

“Baby, it’s your only shot at getting out of here. Come on to him.”

She looked toward the van.

“Look at me, Crystal.” When she turned her tear streaked face back to him, he continued, “You do whatever you have to do. Do you understand me?”

She nodded.

“And when you get free, you run.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“You have to. You run, and you don’t look back. Promise me, baby. Promise me,” he pleaded with her.

She shook her head. “I…I can’t. Don’t ask me to leave you. He’ll kill you.”

“He’ll kill us both. And it’s my fucking fault you got dragged into this MC bullshit. He’s gonna kill me. But don’t ask me to watch him kill you, too. That’s his plan—to make me watch him hurt you, and then kill you. He’s just playing with me now, baby. Making sure these cuts aren’t deep enough. He doesn’t want me to bleed out too quick. That’d ruin his fun.”

“Wolf, I love you. I can’t leave you.”

“I love you, too, baby. Always have. And I’m so sorry. Christ, there’s so much shit I’m sorry for. But you gotta listen to me now, Crystal. Promise me. You get free, you run. Promise me.”

She just started crying harder.

Wolf could see Taz coming back.

“Don’t let him see you cry, baby. He feeds off that shit. And that piece of shit is not worth the satisfaction.”

She looked up at him through her tears, and it broke his heart.

“Baby, you can do this. But you’ve got to stop crying. Pull yourself together, sweetheart. I need you to be strong for me. Can you do that?”

She sniffled and wiped her face. And then she took a deep calming breath, and Wolf watched her try to get herself under control. It was almost as if a mask came over her face, hardening her resolve, and Wolf saw her strength return.

Taz walked back over. He took another hit off his bottle of whiskey.

“Can I have some of that?” Crystal whispered, drawing his attention.

Taz moved to stand over her. “Maybe, you ask nicely.”

She was sitting on her knees, her feet tucked under her, looking up at him. Sliding her palm up his thigh, she asked, “Please.”

Wolf watched as Taz grinned down at her, then he took her chin in a hard grip and yanked it up. He brought the bottle to her mouth and tilted it, pouring some into her mouth. She gulped, trying to keep up with the stream he was pouring down her throat. Finally, he loosened his grip on her jaw, and she coughed and sputtered, pulling back.