All the load-bearing walls are still standing, however my father wants to double down on the stability of the clubhouse, so there is an entire crew out here to work on it. He pulled them off another job, delaying the other project a week. Unfortunately, it will upset the client, but we don’t give two fucks.

  My father comes out of the central security area with his lead foreman and asks me, “Where is Miles?”

  “At the hospital with his father.”

  “Do you think he’s going to find whoever hacked our system and poisoned his father?” Beast asks.

  “Have you met the crazy bastard?” I ask. My phone rings, and it’s Melanie. Fuck. We’ve been so busy dealing with this that I didn’t have time to call and inform her about what’s going on.

  “Shit, it’s Melanie. What am I going to tell her?”

  “Tell her there was a gas leak at the clubhouse. That’s the story we’re going to roll with. Our women don’t need to know the problems. As much as you want to be honest with all this stuff, some of these problems don’t need to rest on their tiny shoulders.”

  I nod, walking away from him, and call her back. “Sorry, baby. It’s been pretty crazy here. There was a gas leak at the clubhouse, and it caused a decent-sized explosion in the kitchen area. My father and I are working with our team to deal with the clean-up and repair.”

  “Oh God. Please tell me no one was hurt.”

  “No, baby. Of course not. No one was here at the time, but I will see you later, okay? I’m sorry, but this may take all day and I’m going to be working hard to get this repaired so my men can get back to their other worksites.”

  “I understand. I have school on Monday anyway, so it’s not like I’m not busy anyway.”

  “That’s why I love you, beautiful.”

  “Because I have school?” she asks with an air of sass in the sexy voice of hers. I swear if I could get home and spank her, I would. My dick hardens in a second, and I don’t have anywhere to hide it, so I walk over to the back of my work truck and adjust myself.

  “No, smartass. Because you’re reasonable and wonderful,” I grunt into the phone.

  “I’m only reasonable because you gave me a fabulous orgasm this morning.” She’s a damn seductress, but I love it.

  “Then I’ll make sure to keep you coming.”

  “That you better do,” she giggles before hanging up the phone.

  I get back to work and hope that Miles finds an answer for me soon so I can go back to my bride-to-be with a clear conscience and stiff dick.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Melanie

  It’s been a wonderful four months together, and school has kicked off to an interesting start, but I’m feeling a bit tired this morning. Maybe it’s a shift in the weather. It’s a little cooler today with the fall air, so I wrap my light sweater around my chest as the sun peeks through the trees.

  Will slides his arm around my waist and brushes his lips against my temple. “You look so damn fine this morning. I’m going to miss you.”

  “Me too,” I sigh. Our relationship hasn’t grown stagnant in the least, so the time apart always feels like an eternity. A workday and school day for us drags on.

  “As much as I’d love to stay with you longer, I have to leave,” he grumbles against my ear. Things have been weird lately. Since the explosion at the clubhouse last week, we haven’t gone out once. He’s been so busy or tired. I know he’s working overtime to make up for the repairs and getting his men back on their other projects, but something feels off.

  For a brief moment, Beth’s old taunts swim in my head that he’s having an affair, but I quickly brush them off. It’s silly. I’ve spoken to my mother and father about the explosion and the constant work at the clubhouse, so we all know Will’s pulling long hours. I’m not just some naïve girl wanting to believe whatever her man says.

  “I know. Have a good day,” I insist, smiling at him. As much as I hate that he has to leave, I understand.

  His mouth lands on mine for a deep, penetrating kiss. The moan that comes from me is so intense that he spanks my ass. “That is not fair, woman. It’s going to be hard to drive like this.” Will adjusts his cock and shakes his head before shuffling down the steps in a hurry to his truck. “Have a great day at school, and I’ll meet you for dinner,” Will says before hopping in his work truck. I’m so glad he’s taking an earlier day for me.

  God, he looks sexy as hell in his fitted, plain white tee and blue jeans. My body burns with need for him. I have another hour before I need to hit the road, so we’re taking two different vehicles into Dallas today. Besides, he’s going to be there all day, whereas I’ll only be in the city until two.

  I wave him off and then turn around and go inside with my cup of coffee. Goodness, we already feel like a married couple, and we’re not even close yet. My mother and I have lots of planning to do over the next two weeks before the big day, and with every second that passes, I get more and more giddy.

  My phone rings, and I swipe it from my back pocket. “Hey, Mom.”

  “We have another fitting tomorrow. Are you available to meet Crystal and me for lunch afterward?”

  “Yes. I’d love it. I don’t have any classes tomorrow, so that should be perfect.”

  “Yay! I’m so excited, sweetie.” My mother’s gushing only adds to my excitement. I jump about the kitchen, nearly sending my coffee splashing all over the counter.

  I set it down and then add, “I can’t wait either, Mom.”

  “Good. I can’t wait. We’ll drive together, then.”

  “Works for me. I’ve got to get to class, but I’ll talk to you later.” I hurry to class and get through two hours of lectures. It’s time for one more class, but I decide to make a detour and head to the coffee shop. On the way, I give my bestie a call. “Hey, girl, how’s it going? It’s been a while.”

  “That’s because you’ve been too busy with that player to talk to me anymore.”

  “Will’s not a player. Why would you say that?”

  “Come on. You moped about him for almost a full year, and you believe his lies so easily. I just don’t see why you fell for it.”

  “Don’t be like that. Will has been amazing and completely faithful.”

  “Just because he said so? That’s so damn naïve,” she says. Now I know why we stopped talking. She started ghosting me after being rude about my relationship with Will. She’s really under the impression that Will cheated on me.

  “Well, I’m off to the coffee shop on campus. Call me whenever. I miss you.”

  “Yeah.”

  I end the call, feeling a bit saddened, and want Will to tell me everything is going to be fine. One more class, and then I can head home and get ready for dinner, I mentally tell myself.

  I’m halfway to get my coffee when I feel someone behind me, which isn’t unusual given the campus is busy, but then a hand comes over my mouth and then I feel a prick in my neck. Slowly, I turn my head and recognize the eyes staring back at me. Shit. I brush my fingers over my father’s bracelet, knowing it’s his personal tracker on me, hoping it’s still doing its job.

  I cry out and try to fight, but my attacker isn’t alone and before I can get my words out, the world darkens.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Will

  Melanie was supposed to be home around two-thirty or three, given the traffic. I called her around that time because she never called me. My tracker shows her in Dallas, but nowhere near her car’s tracker. My heart pounds out of control.

  I call her security detail, Dusty. “Where’s Melanie?”

  He sighs and then says, “I lost her.”

  “What do you mean, you lost tabs on my Raven?” I bark into my phone. After everything that happened, I’ve been trying to remain calm. The hacker wasn’t Damon because he wasn’t sophisticated enough, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have help.

  Miles had gotten a lead on the hacker, but then his issue was finding out who poisoned his father. The hacker intentionally bombed the clubhouse to delay the hacking notice.

  “We can’t find her,” Dusty says.

  “Don’t fucking say that again. Give me an answer I want to hear, or you’ll find out I’m crazier than my father.”

  “I was doing as you said, but I ran into her best friend, and we were talking when she spoke to Melanie, so I lost track of her for a bit. I assumed she had gone home when her car wasn’t in the spot it had been in. I drove home, and it was gone.”

  “What friend?”

  “The Beth friend. I ran into her at the campus, and she was just ending the call with Melanie.” Beth goes to school there as well, but I didn’t know they were still talking to each other. Melanie told me that Beth had been blowing her off lately.

  I have my future father-in-law on the line before I waste another moment.

  “What’s going on?” he asks, breathing heavily.

  “She’s missing.”

  “What the fuck do you mean, she’s missing?”

  “Melanie’s been taken. She’s not answering her phone, and the tracker on her necklace isn’t anywhere near her car.”

  “Fuck. She could be shopping,” Beast says, trying to calm me down. I’m flying down the road as fast as possible to get what I need for war.

  He’s not going to like the next part. “It’s thirty miles away, but still in Dallas. I need an arsenal and a plan. I’m going to find my woman and whoever took her.”

  I hear him scrambling in the background. “I’m running her bracelet now.” I knew the one she wore. It says Daddy’s Princess on it.

  “It’s on campus.”

  “Where?”

  “In the parking lot for the library sciences.”

  “Fuck, where her car is.”

  “So they took her.”

  “I need Cyber on the cameras for the college now, and I need all the Riders. I’m getting my future wife.” They cleared him from the hospital and he’s recovering, but I don’t know if he can help us.

  “They could have removed the necklace.”

  “No, they couldn’t. Trust me—they can’t. It’s probably the only reason she’s still wearing it.” I drive over to my father’s private cache of weapons and fill up my work truck, tucking them in the secret spots just as my father and brothers pull up beside me. “Someone’s taken her.”

  “Who?”

  “I have no idea, but I will find out. I can’t fucking believe it.” I slam my fist into the side of my truck, wanting it to be someone’s face.

  His phone rings. “It’s Cyber.” He answers, “Go ahead.”

  “Her phone is dead,” Cyber says, his voice hoarse from the illness. “It’s not responding. Signal lost on campus.” He’s typing in the background. “I’ve hacked that lot’s visual, and you’re going to be pissed. You should have killed him when you had a chance.”

  “Damon,” I snarl. One dumb mistake, and this asshole could take away the love of my life. My entire body vibrates with rage. I don’t care what happens to me as long as I get my hands on that son of bitch. Seeing the life leave his eyes is the only thing I can think about. Closing my eyes, I send up a silent prayer that my love is holding strong and that she’s waiting for me to come get her.

  “Yeah, and he had help,” Cyber adds. “I couldn’t make out the other people, but he had at least four others, and one was female by the build.”

  “How did they get away with it on campus?” my dad asks.

  “It was an empty spot, and rain had started coming down just in time to create an isolating space. She was completely alone.” Completely alone? I should kick my own ass. Guards should have been breathing down her back. I knew the danger over the past week, but I didn’t want to scare her, so I tried to play it off. This is what I get. Fuck.

  “They’re all dead,” I say, teeth grinding.

  “It looks like they drugged her. I couldn’t see what they did, but they tossed something before throwing her into an SUV. I have the tags and am running the plates. Miles is on his way to meet you. You’ll need him and his men.”

  “Thanks. I’ll appreciate their assistance.”

  “I’m out,” I snarl, rushing to my truck.

  “We’re coming with you.”

  “We can’t all go.”

  “Beast,” my father says, and I turn just as I see him speed up behind me, slamming on his brakes and jumping out of his vehicle with his son.

  “Tell me you have some fucking clue.”

  “It was that piece of shit you all didn’t let me kill.” I want to punch him in the face, but he loves her as much as I do.

  “Well, he’s a dead man now, and whoever has their hands in this will bleed out. Mary’s a wreck.” Shit.

  “How does she know?” my father asks.

  “We were busy when you called.” He clamps his mouth shut, and at once I understand what the heavy breathing was about. They were fucking.

  “Oh.”

  “Miles and his men will meet us at the location. We’re going to ambush these fucks, but remember, we need to get Melanie out safe.”

  “Of course. Nothing happens to my baby girl. Will, I wish I’d let you kill that fucker. My gut knew it then, but I’ve grown soft.”

  “Let’s hope we make it through this, and we can deal with it later. I need to find my fiancée.”

  We break out into different vehicles and drive off together, making our way toward the site. Miles has a plan, and I agree because he’s crazy, and sending his men in first leaves our people safe. Besides, he wants to avenge his father. As long as he saves that piece of shit for me, everything else doesn’t matter.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Melanie

  My eyes feel so heavy, and my head is fuzzy. I can’t seem to think straight. Where am I?

  “Somewhere no one can find you.” Shit, I said that out loud. My head’s swimming, and I can’t see anything but blurred shadows.

  The voice vibrates in my head as the footsteps grow louder. “I’m going to have so much fun with you,” I hear.

  “Oh, no,” I cry out, my voice hoarse and dry.

  “Fuck, how much did you give her? I’m not fucking a corpse. I want to stare into her eyes and watch her pain as I take her little ass.” Fear and fatigue mixed with whatever they gave me causes me to pass out again.

  The smell of seafood is making me sick. Where the hell am I? What did they drug me with? If I make it out of here, I’m never having fish again. Damn it, the pieces of shit ripped my father’s bracelet from my wrist and stole my engagement ring. I’m still wearing my necklace, though, because they couldn’t get it off my neck. The pieces of shit are pissed, and it shows on my throat. Tears well up in my eyes.

  It’s pointless to think my dad and Will can find me now. The ring has been taken and will probably be sold for a fortune, which it’s probably worth. God—Will is going to be raging, and my parents will be devastated when they find my lifeless body, although I’m not sure what Damon’s plan was in the first place. Hell, I wonder if he even knows.

  “Well, well, well. Look who finally woke up.” My eyes focus and my hearing is clear as hell, but I still can’t believe this bitch is involved.

  “Holy fuck, the doorknob’s in on this?” I question.

  “What the fuck did you call me?” Her voice hits a high, screeching echo like we’re in some warehouse.

  “Oops, did I say that out loud? Sorry, the brain’s a little scrambled with all the drugs you fuck-offs filled me with.” If her voice wasn’t brutal enough, now my head is pounding out of control.

  “You have such a smart mouth. I wonder how much your stupid pussy fiancé will pay to have it back in one piece.” Goodness, I hate this double-wide-hole cunt with everything in me.

  “Chrissy, do you think he’ll pay you to have me back?”

  “I’m counting on it. Although, after he sees what I did to you Damon’s not sure, but he doesn’t understand how pathetic Will is.” She laughs maniacally.

  I grasp my head and feel around, and that explains why my head hurts. My hair has been cut off. It’s short like a bob in some places and shorter in others, but when I see the longest strands I cry, but not from sadness. My rage builds inside me like a silent storm brewing in the night, ready to unleash violent havoc in its wake. My hair is an orangish-yellow color with hints of black and brown, spotted like a calico cat. This bitch bleached my hair.

  I’m in tears as she rambles on, chest heaving as I work up the strength to use my limbs again. I was so drugged up that they hadn’t bothered to tie me down. It was a foolish mistake on her part. “Damon thought you were just property to the boss’s son, but he doesn’t understand that a man who turns away free pussy to save himself for mediocre virgin cunt is so whipped he’d do anything for it.”

  “Then you know he’d kill for it too,” Will’s voice rips through the warehouse, and both relief and dread fill me. What is he going to think when he sees me? Will he still want me? None of that matters at the moment, because I have to fight and get this crazy whore.

  Within seconds, everything changes. Three men come out from the other side of the room. The knob slobberer screams, and the sound of gunfire tears through the building. I drop down and look for that bitch because no matter what happens, I want her head in the concrete until she stops breathing, and that’s something I never thought I’d say or feel.

  On the ground is a broken plastic chair with metal legs that must be from the fighting, so I snatch up one of the legs and stay hunched down, looking for my target. My eyes recognize Will’s stance, so I peer upward for a moment, and the expression on his face is shock. I duck my head as the pang of sadness and anger fills me.

  Now more determined than ever for revenge, I hunt through the haze and chaos around me until I spot her feet and direct my gaze upward. The cunt is trying to hide, but she messed with the wrong woman.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12