Claiming His Prize (Killer of Kings 5)

“Okay, let’s do this.”

****

Lori woke up and showered. She didn’t expect Chains to be in her bed. And she needed to get used to him coming and going without constantly worrying about him. He was all she had now, and the way he made her feel … she couldn’t lose that.

After having a light breakfast, she noticed an SUV parked down the road, partly shrouded by brush. Had it always been there? Chains’s car wasn’t in the driveway.

He said they were at his cottage because it was too dangerous at his home right now. She was safe. The man who’d released her was supposed to be a madman, and the threat of him returning was enough to make Chains pack up and leave his house.

She glanced over at the kitchen table, looking for the cellphone Chains had left her. It wasn’t there. She wandered around the cottage, checking the counters and ledges, even inside drawers. Where had she put it? Great, if something happened she had no contact to the outside world. She took a deep breath, calming herself. He said he wouldn’t take too long, so she could wait. This was a little piece of paradise, so who was she to complain?

Lori put on her jacket and shoes, stepping out onto the wraparound porch. The view was spectacular, one side thick forest and the other looking down onto a valley. The air smelled of pine and black earth, a welcoming contrast to the stench of the city where she grew up.

She’d never been one to exercise, too busy working, then too tired to care. Maybe she’d take up hiking. Lori ventured down the steps, running her fingertips along the wild flowers. She felt so free, so happy. Chains had turned her entire world around. It may have started off a little unorthodox, but she couldn’t complain now.

Lori picked up a good-sized walking stick and used it as she entered the forest. It was a different world under the forest canopy. The birds sang, and squirrels scampered in the branches above her. She could hear the faint sound of a creek in the distance, so she kept going, hiking deeper and deeper into the forest.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed, too enamored by the beauty of the nature around her. Lori had never had time for fairy tales, but right now she felt like she was in the middle of one. She’d lived such a sheltered life, so much still to learn and explore. When she heard branches cracking far behind her, her nerves picked up. She looked back and saw nothing, but realized she’d hiked far enough that she’d have trouble finding the cottage again.

Should she be more afraid of wild animals or El Diablo? She crouched down behind some briars, peeking down the beaten path again. A swath of fabric made her breath catch. Was she seeing things?

Then she saw him. Lori would recognize that face anywhere. His dark hair was pushed mostly off his face, his black eyes focused. Chains was right, he’d come looking for her. This time she had a feeling he wouldn’t be so generous.

A sudden wave of dizziness left her head swimming. There was nowhere to go, and even her cellphone had vanished. When he kept coming closer, no longer trying to hide, she decided to take her chances. She got up and started running. The branches and twigs of the unbeaten paths scratched at her exposed skin, but she couldn’t slow down now.

“Hey, stop!”

Yeah, like that’s going to happen. Lori wanted to live. She needed to survive until Chains came home. Her mind was a mess. Where would they be safe? Would life with him always be like this?

When she stopped to take a breath, peering behind her, she noticed two men coming from another direction. What the hell? She’d never seen them before. Had Chains sent them to protect her? Were they hunters? She decided anyone was better than El Diablo. A stitch in her side slowed her up, but she moved in the direction of the strangers. She braced the trees as she roughed it through the overgrown paths.

“Lori, stop running!” El Diablo was catching up on her. Damn, she was out of shape.

The other men started to come into better view. They looked like they belonged in a night club, not the middle of the wilderness. That’s when she noticed they had handguns, and once they got a clear view of her, one of them aimed and fired. She screamed and ducked down, not knowing which way to run. So much for her carefree romp in the forest. The only thing she could do was venture deeper, away from all these murderers.

Another bullet whizzed by her head. She was too hyped up on adrenaline to cry or scream. Her focus was survival.

The next time she turned to gauge their distance, she saw the violent spray of blood come out the left side of the lead man’s head. He collapsed heavily to the forest floor. The other guy briefly looked down at him before continuing the pace, right toward her.

What’s happening?

Lori had been so transfixed on the nightmare in front of her that she hadn’t focused on El Diablo coming from her other side. He bent down and grabbed her, hoisting her effortlessly to her feet. She used all her strength to kick and punch him, struggling like a wild woman, but he wrapped a solid arm around her body, pinning her arms to her sides.

“Relax.”

“Let me go!”

The other man was getting closer. Were they together? Would they torture her? Kill her? When El Diablo’s chest rumbled in laughter, she thought he’d lost his mind.

Then she saw him.

Chains.

He came up behind the other man, wrapping an arm around his neck, and knocking the gun out of his hand. It disappeared in the leaf litter. “I thought we made ourselves clear, motherfucker. The city is Killer of Kings’ turf, and now you’ve just crossed the line.”

The man gurgled, his face turning red.

“You shot at my woman.” Chains let him go, shoving him to his knees. “Grab your gun. I fucking dare you.”