Savage Beast (Savage People 2)

And then I passed the fuck out.

I giggled when I got into the back seat of the cab. I was so giddy that I even told the cabbie I was seeing a new guy, and that even though I was going to move to another state soon, I was beginning to suspect that there was really some potential to him.

My pussy still throbbed with the bite of the alcohol, but it also felt so completely numb from all the orgasms and…well, yes, the alcohol, too. I continued talking about Cole mindlessly, even though it was apparent that the older tan man behind the wheel didn’t give a damn about what I had to say, and I suspected he didn’t even know English at all.

“Hey, uhm, you missed my street,” I said when the man with the black moustache and tiny beady eyes just drove past my condo without even looking at the numbers plastered on the buildings. Then I knocked on the divider between him and the passenger’s seat and raised my voice. “Excuse me?” I said extra slowly, in case he didn’t hear very well or didn’t speak the language. “You missed my house.”

Still, no response.

Panic coursed through me when I realized that it was completely possible that it wasn’t that he didn’t hear me or didn’t understand me—maybe he just didn’t care.

I fished my phone out, dialing nine-one-one before I felt my phone tossed from my hand at the speed of light. It was the driver. He opened the divider between us, got rid of my phone, and now he was speaking.

“I would advise against it, Jade Sexton.”

How the hell did he know my name?

And what the fuck was going on?

I tried to open the door to my seat, but it was locked, of course. I rolled down the window and started shouting for help, but he shut it right back up and locked it for good measure. At this point, I had no choice but to try to fight him. I raised my body from my seat and tried to claw his eyes out of his head, praying that the impending car accident I was inevitably creating wouldn’t kill me, but he bit my wrist hard, producing blood, and I instinctively pulled away.

Ten minutes later, he stopped near a warehouse that looked deserted. I thought we were in the Bronx, but I couldn’t be sure. Three burly men in black casual clothes waited for him at the entrance to the warehouse, and the minute we stopped, they opened the door to my side and pulled me out roughly. I kicked and screamed, but it didn’t help. They carried me into the warehouse, and I felt like I was going to faint. The hysteria was just too much to take. How did they know my name? What the hell did they want from me? Was this about Stefano…?

“Hello, Jade,” I heard a familiar voice and twisted my head in horror. My mouth fell open, and I took him in. My ex-boyfriend, Stefano, was tall, but not as tall as Cole, and ripped as fuck. Again, nothing in comparison to Cole, and unlike Cole, he used his physical strength against women. I knew that for a fact.

“Aren’t you happy to see me? Don’t thank me yet.” He put one hand up. “I have another surprise for you.”

Lucky Luciano. I heard about him in the news and in the papers, but I’d never met him before, even when I dated Stefano. After that, I knew Stefano worked for his organization, but I failed to see why I’d be of any interest to any of them. I mean, it had been so many months since I’d threatened Stefano with the police, and obviously, I didn’t snitch. No. It couldn’t have been about me. The Italians had beef with one gang, and one gang only…

Oh, no.

“What the hell do you mean?” I barked at him, trying to pull away from the bruising grip of the two men who held my wrists to my back. Just when I thought I couldn’t be any more frightened and angry, he snapped his fingers twice, and from the blackness appeared an all too familiar person I was desperate not to see in this place.

Three people, to be exact.

Dahlia. Emerson. And Kathleen.

Dahlia looked like she’d put up a fight and had a little bit of a bloody lip and wild hair, but thank God, the babies were untouched. Kathleen slept in her mother’s arms while Emerson clung onto Dahl’s pink pajama pants, looking horrified.

“Baby.” I started crying hysterically, sniffing and still smiling to Emerson. “Sweetheart, don’t worry. Auntie Jade’s here. This is just a game, okay? A fun, surprise game we are playing in the middle of the night.”

Emerson nodded, still watching me intently, but she didn’t smile. Not even once.

Fuck, I wanted to scream. Everything was going to hell.

I tried to make a move toward them, but the goons wouldn’t budge.

“Dahl…Dahl, look at me. Are you okay?” Her eyes met mine, and they were filled with fear. So much fear. But also fire. Mama Bear wasn’t happy. She nodded slowly, hardening her features. I stared back at her, trying to convey with my eyes that we would be okay. We’d get out of this. Graham and Cole had to be coming. We just needed to be strong in the meantime.

“Out!” Stefano barked, snapping his fingers at the men holding me. “Take those three into another room. My sweet Jade and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“No!” I couldn’t let them separate us. I needed to know they were okay. I ran toward Dahlia and the girls, but I didn’t make it more than a couple feet when I was yanked back by my hair. Stefano gripped my hair in his fist without mercy and hauled my back into his chest. I changed my mind. I didn’t want the girls to see any of this. Emerson screamed, and Dahlia shielded her with her body so she couldn’t see me, whispering assurances that I was okay.

“Tsk tsk.” He clicked his tongue. “You know better than that. Be a good girl, and nobody gets hurt. Capisce?”

I gulped and nodded my head. “It’s okay.” I tried to reassure Dahlia and Em. Thank God Leena was too little to know what was going on. “They won’t hurt you. It’s going to be okay.” Dahl didn’t take her eyes off of me until they disappeared down the hallway. One arm holding the baby, and the other hand clasped to Emerson’s, keeping her as close as possible.

Stefano inhales deeply, burying his nose into my hair. “God, how I’ve missed you. I should fucking kill you, but you always were my weakness, weren’t you?” He still had my hair tangled up into a fist when his other hand came around to wrap around my throat.