Vidal! (Snakes Henchmen MC 6)

I haven't even found the courage to tell Draven the truth about them yet. I didn't know how he'd take it, and all of this was so new, and we had so much to get through.

You can't think about anything else but getting out of this right now, Marnie!

I hoped that my bodyguard would have noticed something was wrong, that he'd hear me yelling for Peter to get out and come and save me.

Funny the things you think about when you're scared.

I don't make it. Peter grabs hold of my hair, pulling me back. My hands shoot to his, trying to make him let go. He's screaming at me, telling me he's going to kick my unborn baby out of me, and how Paul will take me back, all I have to do is say sorry.

Peter needs me to go back to Paul because my mother and brothers are about to lose the farm. I won't go back! I can't go back, not now. I scream it at him... Then everything goes... black.

* * *

I've been sat beside my bed, my back against it, my legs flat in front of me, for the past hour, crying without making a sound. Tears streaming down my face. I'm a little in shock at what happened here, shocked that my brother did what he did, shocked that he obviously ran when I thought he would have carried me out of here. I don't remember what happened as such; everything is so fuzzy in my brain. I'm shocked that Tom still hasn't been in to check on me though, it's his job after all.

I guess he's not out there, or if he is, he thinks I'm fine and is just checking the parameter of the house and grounds to make sure everything is as it should be. What if Peter hurt Tom on the way inside, and Tom is out there in as much pain as I am not able to call for help? Nothing else makes sense as to how in the world Peter manage to get to me.

An hour I've been here in a world of my own, not able to do anything because I have no strength at all.

What the hell actually happened here?

I remember the knock at the door. I remember opening it to Peter. I remember him trying to force me to go back to Paul. Oh God, Peter wanted to kill my child and make go back to my white husband.

I refused.

He got angry.

I remember.

Then it went dark for a couple of seconds, my vision blurred, my head hurt. I heard voices in the background from where I was lying on the floor.

I'm not sure when my brother left, and I'm not sure just when my senses came back to me, or even if they have fully, but I'm shaking horribly. I'm feeling a little cold right now, even though it's so very hot outside. I think all of my bones are banging together.

Yeah, I think I'm in shock.

My cell is ringing, and I'm aware, I think, that Draven will be home soon. I hope it's soon because I'm scared of what's happening to my head, it hurts so badly. I lift my shaking hand to my forehead and press down, wincing at the sting from the open wound just above my eye. I must have hit my head hard.

I look at the blood on my fingertips. I can't focus enough to see anything other than shadows, colored shadows. I swallow and press my hands into the thick carpet beneath them, trying to push myself up. But what's the point when I can't even feel my arms?

Maybe if I just rest my head back against the bed and close my eyes for a second, I'll be okay.

Yeah, that's what I'll do.

Chapter Fourteen

Draven

I press the call button for the fifty-seventh time. Yes, literally. Again it rings off.

Where the fuck is she?

I tap my phone against my lips in frustration. This isn't like Marnie; she always answers my calls. Always! She knows the rules: Answer my calls by the third ring. If you can't answer on the third ring, text as soon as possible so that I know you're okay!

I may sound like a paranoid asshole right now, but I have every reason to be. It doesn't matter how much time has passed since the elders too Marnie, there's still the chance others could try and do the same thing. Then there's Paul Simpson and the fact he's still out there, thinking he's smart to send threats through the grapevine about what he'll do to Marnie once he catches her. Whether they're true or not remains to be seen, either way, I'll kill him.

Simpson should never have had the opportunity to escape. I should have ended the little cunt right then and there in that alleyway. I should have locked Marnie in the car, and shot Paul Simpson between the eyes! The idiots who work for me gave him the chance to outsmart them, allowing him to get away. Hence why I made a fucking example out them.

No one makes those kinds of mistakes and lives to tell the tale!

Paul may think he's playing clever, hiding from me, but no one can hide from me for long. Once I catch him, which I will, I'll kill him in the worst way, but not before I've ended ever member of his fucked up racist family in front of his fucking face. All the stress Marnie has been under because of him has made her ill!

Something must be wrong. Why else wouldn't Marnie answer the phone after so many times of trying? She swore to me that she'd never worry me like this. Marnie knows how important it is to me to know she's safe.

Wait, maybe I'm worrying over nothing. It's possible that she's shopping still with her sister. I did give her the credit card to use for anything she needed, and she does like to shop for the baby, and that I don't mind in the slightest. I thought she'd be home by now, but maybe they got carried away. She could even be over at Brooke’s, and she's just forgotten the time. It's possible her phone in her bag, and she hasn't heard it ring.

Yeah, that'll be what's happened.

Regardless, I'll call Brooke and tell her to let Marnie know I'll pick her up. It's getting late, and I want her home where she's safe. I have too many enemies out there right now, cunts who would snatch my woman and use her up before killing her just to see the look on my face when they sent me the recording of it.

I know Tom will be with her, waiting outside Brooke's, at least, but I want to collect her myself. It took me a while to persuade Marnie to let Tom driver her around. Usually, she'd have both driver and bodyguard, but it's not easy when she's finding it hard to trust anyone.

“Is Marnie with you?” I snap before Brooke can even say hello.

Pretty shitty of me to snap at a pregnant woman, but I'm, for the first time in my life, really fucking worried about the woman I love. I'm afraid that I won't be able to protect her when the time comes. I'm scared that I'm about to lose her and the baby, and there's Jack shit I can do about it right now, but it'll never stop me trying.

However, my fuckin' stomach is falling out of my ass on this one. I have the most uneasy feeling, and I can't for the life of me shake it.

I went through all of this with Maria when my father kidnapped her. He killed one of her bodyguards, shot and injured the other. I could have a hundred men trailing Marnie, but that doesn't mean something can't happen to her if they blink. It only takes a second.

“No, she left me a couple hours ago. We went shopping for things for the baby, and I dropped her home right after.” Brooke is happy, giggling as she talks excitedly at a mile a minute.

“You haven't seen Marnie since you dropped her home?”

“No. Draven, is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Fine. Marnie just isn't answering my calls.”

Brooke rattles off the usual, ‘You shouldn't stalk her the way you do. You don't give her any breathing space.’ Bullshit!

I give her the usual, ‘Yeah, yeah,’ before hanging up. I'm not interested in the fucking lecture!