I jerked my face away. “You’re making a mistake,” I insisted, proud of the strength of my tone. “You might as well let me go.” It took all that I had to keep eye contact with him.

  He snorted. “I think you underestimate your importance. But just in case, let’s test your theory.” He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

  “Who the fuck is this?”

  Butch had put his phone on speaker, and the sound of Wolfe’s voice made everything seem alright, if only for a minute.

  “You should know, since I took your woman,” Butch responded with a humorless laugh.

  I held my breath at the silence that followed. Maybe Wolfe didn’t know that I’d been kidnapped yet.

  “This the fucking president of the Maniacs?” Wolfe snarled. “Yeah, I heard your asshole brothers took a woman from the Animal’s Den, but what’s that got to do with me?”

  What?! I hadn’t expected that. Butch narrowed his eyes on me as I tried to process Wolfe’s cold, indifferent words.

  “So she’s not your woman?” I could hear the skepticism in his voice. He wasn’t ready to believe it.

  “What’s the bitch’s name?”

  The expectant scrutiny on Butch’s face revealed that he required me to answer that. “Ella, my name is Ella.”

  There was a responding sound of annoyance at Wolfe’s end that I didn’t like. “Yeah, she’s a neighbor, nothing more. The woman’s been a pain in my ass since she moved in.”

  Ohmygod, he hadn’t just said that! And why? Okay, maybe we were on the same page that denying our involvement was the way to go, but his words had hurt. Especially since they’d sounded so convincing. I schooled my features from giving anything away because Butch was staring hard at me, and I knew that he was searching for the truth.

  “Interesting,” Butch muttered, clearly not liking how this had played out. “So you don’t care what happens to her?”

  I held my breath. The silence that followed was telling in so many ways.

  Finally, Wolfe said, “She witnessed your fucking idiots shoot my prospect, and now the cops know. Her disappearance will just bring more attention to your club.” Another brief pause. “But do what you want with her.” He hung up.

  He. Hung. Up.

  “Fuck!” Butch swore, slipping his phone back into his back pocket. He shot an angry look over at his two men. It was clear that he didn’t know what to do. Did he believe Wolfe? If he did, what would that mean for me?

  I swallowed down the emotion threatening to consume me. “I told you.” My voice sounded weak, but it drew Butch’s attention back to me. “All you can do now is let me go.”

  Please, please, please let me go!

  He tugged at the hair on his chin. “Oh, there’s a lot more I can do to you, bitch. A whole fucking lot.” With that he pivoted, stormed up the stairs with his men following, and left the cellar, leaving me alone and in darkness once again.

  Chapter 48

  Ella

  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been down in the basement. Two, maybe three days now. At least I’d been moved over to the cot, which was a lot more comfortable than being chained to the wall in a standing position. I’d also been given food and water, and the chain that linked me to the bed reached the bucket they’d left for me to relieve myself in. That was the most humiliating part of it all, but at least they’d left on a small light so I could see my way around.

  I’d been left alone for the most part. No one spoke to me, and I didn’t push it. I figured since they hadn’t released me that I didn’t want to know what they had planned for me, so I’d spent my free time between crying spells feeling sorry for myself, sleeping, and being angry. Disappointment and fear were constant companions--fear about what was going to happen to me, and disappointment that it appeared that Wolfe had indeed abandoned me.

  How could I have been so wrong about him? And what did I really know about him and his club brothers anyway? I’d thought that they were decent men. Tears clouded my eyes, and I didn’t fight them. I had every right to feel hopeless and discarded. I’d played Wolfe’s part of the conversation with Butch over and over in my mind, and had just about convinced myself that Wolfe hadn’t meant those words, that they’d been said to throw Butch off the same way I’d been doing. But if that were true, where was he?

  I heard the door open from above and the main light flicked on. It wasn’t time for a meal, so apprehension filled me as I watched a man gradually come into view. My heart sank when I recognized the man who’d told me his name was Larry, but who I now knew was named Sal. The long gouges I’d carved on his face had scabbed over, and when he saw where my eyes landed he fingered the scratches.

  “You’re lucky, bitch. I was going to mess up your pretty face, but Prez has other plans for you.”

  “What plans?”

  He stepped closer to me, and I pushed back against the wall with nowhere else to go. “Stay away from me!” I hissed. Until now they’d left me alone, but something in Sal’s eyes frightened me. He looked like he was on something.

  His gruff laugh sent chills over me. His big callused hand gripped my chin and squeezed. “Let’s just say your pretty face is going to bring us a lot of money.” And then his glazed-over eyes traveled down my body and he licked his lips. “Let’s see if the rest of you will, too.”

  Before I could guess at his intentions, he reached forward for my shirt. His hand curled around the soft material and he gave a vicious pull, but I brought my arms up and hugged my body in an attempt to keep it from being taken from me. He laughed like a hyena and backhanded me. My head snapped to the side, and in the next instant he grabbed my wrists with one large hand and pinned me down to the cot.

  I screamed and fought him when his heavy body covered mine and he held my arms above my head. Then, taking both my wrists in one hand, his other hand went back to my shirt and he tore if off my body.

  “Not like they expect a fucking virgin,” he muttered, and looked down at my breasts. “Too bad the Soldiers’ prez didn’t want you.” He lowered his head and I turned mine away, suffering his mouth against the side of my neck.

  “No!” I screamed, trying to buck him off. “Get off me!” I heard someone at the top of the stairs.

  “Scream all you want, bitch. No one up there is gonna save you.”

  “Sal, goddammit!” Butch and one of his men appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “I told you not to go near her!” He hauled Sal off of me and tossed him onto the floor. “Go upstairs and take it out on one of the fucking bitches up there!”

  Sal sat there for a minute and panted, glaring up at Butch as if he wanted to challenge him but then thought better of it. With a huff of resentment, he clumsily got to his feet and stomped off. I used the interlude to reach for my ruined shirt and pull it in front of me. Butch didn’t look back at me until Sal had disappeared back up the stairs.

  I met Butch’s cold stare. “What did Sal mean by I was going to bring you a lot of money?” I didn’t care if my tone sounded demanding. At this point I had nothing to lose.

  He smirked, looking proud. “You’re going to be sold at auction.”

  I knew that he was referring to sex slavery. I was going to throw up, and I wanted to scratch his eyes out. This wasn’t happening to me! I had to find a way to escape, but the chains around my wrists that were attached to the wall were solid and secure.

  “Too bad you don’t mean more to Wolfe, huh, pretty lady?” His sneer didn’t disguise the cruelty in his eyes.

  I couldn’t very well change my story now, could I? He probably wouldn’t believe me even if I tried, and if he did, where would that leave me? He’d use me to get to Wolfe, and we could both end up dead. I prayed that Wolfe was going to rescue me, but as more time passed, and he didn’t show up…

  After a minute Butch turned to the other man standing behind him. “Make sure no one else comes down here.”

  With that he disappeared up the stairs. So did the other man, but I had a feeling he didn’t stray too far away from the door. Alone again, I examined my shirt. It was nothing but a torn piece of material now, but it was stretchy enough that I was able to wrap it around me and tie it so that it covered my breasts. I settled back on my cot with nothing else to do but wait.

  I must have dozed off for a minute because the next thing I knew I was startled awake by the unexpected sound of gunfire. The first thing I thought was that some fool was doing target practice until I heard several shots at one time, and then men yelling and footsteps stomping across the floor. My eyes widened as I sat up in a rush and stared up at the ceiling as I tried to comprehend what I was hearing.

  Wolfe! It had to be! The possibility caused my heart rate to pick up with excitement. The door opened from upstairs, but the man running down the steps turned out to be Sal. As soon as he saw me he fired off a wild shot.

  “Doesn’t matter anymore, bitch!”

  He was closer now, and there was no way he’d miss a second time. I was too frozen to move or cry out, my eyes glued to the gun in his hands. I closed my eyes, but the next sound I heard was a grunt, followed by someone hitting the floor. I opened my eyes again to see that Wolfe had tackled Sal and they were fighting, rolling around in the dirt that was the cellar floor.

  My hand flew to my throat as I watched, vaguely aware there was still shooting going on above us. There were men yelling and screaming, and the sound of furniture breaking. But I was riveted on the men in front of me, one of which I was falling in love with. They fought like wild beasts, grunting at the punches that were exchanged, spit and blood flying everywhere. Neither man held back, but Wolfe was a far superior fighter than Sal and quickly straddled him, reining blow after blow down onto his face.

  I saw Sal pull a knife from somewhere on his body. “Wolfe! He has a knife!” I cried out. I pulled at my chains, but I was too far away to help him. I watched in horror as Sal made an upwards move with his hand, but Wolfe moved just as quickly and grabbed his wrist, stopping the knife from entering his body. He twisted Sal’s arm and drove the weapon home into the side of his chest toward his heart.

  Sal groaned and went limp.

  I didn’t realize that I was crying until Wolfe turned his head sharply and our eyes met. His chest was heaving as he panted for air, his carved expression the mask of a fierce warrior who’d destroyed his opponent and was ready to reap the rewards. He took a minute to catch his breath. His eyes moved over me as if he were assessing the damage, and then he jumped to his feet and made his way over to me.

  “Thank God you came!” I wiped my tears away, but I couldn’t stop the trembling of my mouth.

  He grabbed me and pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me as if he’d never let me go. “You doubted it?”

  I could hear the gruff emotion in his hoarse voice. Was he shaking?

  “I’ll always come for you.”

  I was engulfed by his strength, by his familiar scent, and I closed my eyes, feeling at home. As we continued to hold each other, I became aware that the shooting had stopped.

  “Did they hurt you?”

  I knew what he was asking. “No. Other than pushing me around a little.”

  His body relaxed against mine, and I knew it was because he had expected to hear the worst.

  “Gotta get the fuck out of here, Prez!” someone--I believed it was Mac--shouted from the top of the stairs.

  Wolfe pulled back and kissed my forehead tenderly. “Let’s get you out of these fucking chains, babe, and get you home.”

  Yes, I thought to myself. I was more than ready to go home.

  Chapter 49

  Wolfe

  My eyes bolted open. For a few seconds I was paralyzed in fear until my sleepy, dull mind cleared enough of the fog away to register that the soft, warm body snuggled against me was Ella. She was home, and safe in my bed. I relaxed, content to just listen to her breathe, to feel the gentle rise and fall of her body beneath my arm. Three fucking days and nights of pure hell until I’d gotten her back in my arms. It had taken that long to find the Maniacs’ kill house.

  During all that fucking time, I’d almost lost my mind at the thought of what they might be doing to her.

  I might never let her out of my sight again.

  I buried my nose in the soft hair at the back of her neck and inhaled deeply. As soon as I’d gotten her home last night, I’d filled a hot bath for her and made her sit in it until the water had cooled. She’d finished up in the shower because she’d wanted to wash her hair, then rubbed her body down with the scented lotion Delta had left behind. I’d fed her and then put her to bed, curling myself around her, needing to feel her against me.

  As I relived the last few days, her subtle scent kept me calm and at peace. Once my brothers and I had viewed the footage taken of the back of the bar and we’d known for sure that it was the Maniacs, we’d hit the ground running. We’d learned more about the outlaw MC in the two-and-a-half days that we’d searched for Ella than I gave a shit about. Before this, our dealings with them had been limited. New York was their home, but once we’d started digging, we found out they had fucking places all over. But it wasn’t until we happened upon a biker who used to ride with them that we got a lead on their kill house.

  There’d been no love lost between Brew and his ex-club, and once he’d found out that they’d kidnapped my woman, he’d been glad to show us the way to the dump in the woods. Apparently the outlaw MC was a little too criminal for his tastes, and he hadn’t left the military only to end up in prison or dead. We’d parted ways with the thought that the Soldiers might be a good fit for him and he would get back to me.

  After we’d taken the four Maniacs out that were at the kill house, we’d torched the wood structure and rode out of there with the heat against our backs. Christ. It was clear that we were at war now. I expected that it wouldn’t take Butch long to retaliate in some way. We’d have to be ready for them. Make some changes.

  I was positive that purchasing the salvage yard would meet all of our needs more than ever now.

  Ella began to stir.

  “Wolfe!”

  I responded to the alarm in her voice by tightening my arm around her. “I’m right here, babe,” I murmured against her ear. “Everything is okay. You’re home now.” She relaxed immediately, a soft sigh escaping her. “Bad dream?”

  “No. When I opened my eyes and didn’t recognize the room, I thought for a second that I was back there, and that…” She didn’t finish her sentence.

  “I brought you to my house, remember?” She nodded, and I kissed her shoulder. “How do you feel?”

  Ella wiggled around until she was on her back and looking up at me. “A few aches and pains, but not bad.” She reached up with her hand, bringing my attention to the raw skin surrounding her wrist. I took her hand and brought her wrist to my mouth and kissed it. “Fucking bastards,” I muttered low, my jaw tightening with anger.

  I was surprised to see a small smile on Ella’s face. “I agree. They were going to auction me off, Wolfe!” she said in amazement. “Is that how people are sold into sex slavery?”

  Hearing that caused everything in me to boil to the surface. If we hadn’t rescued Ella when we had, I could have lost her forever. I wanted to go back and finish off the Maniacs, every last one of the fuckers. Butch hadn’t been there last night, but I would find him.

  Her hand on my cheek made me realize that she was waiting for an answer. “Among other things,” I admitted reluctantly. “There’s a lot of evil shit happening out there in the world, babe, and unfortunately some of my world crosses over into it.”

  “Is that why you and your club disappeared?”

  I nodded, not about to discuss club business with her. She grew quiet, and it dawned on me that she was probably imagining all kinds of things. I needed to set her mind at ease. “Do you trust me, Ella?”

  “You saved my life—”

  “Babe, not what I’m asking.”

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I trust you. I know you and your brothers are good men.” Her hand cupped my cheek. “You’re a good man, Wolfe.”

  I saw the truth in her eyes, and the longer we stared at each other, the more aware of our intimacy I became. I was tired of talking, we could do that later. Right now, I wanted my woman. It seemed like it had been forever since I’d fucked Ella, and the warmth of our naked bodies reminded me of that fact. That, and the fact that my dick was harder than a brick. When the look in her eyes changed and became smokey with arousal, I groaned and pulled her into a kiss that was going to show her exactly what I needed.

  Her immediate response and eagerness revealed that we were on the same page. She was just as hungry. She moaned beneath my mouth when I curled an arm around her and pulled her on top of me. I sank back within the covers and pillow and got ready to have my fill of her. My dick slid over her mound and right between her thighs as she settled herself into my kiss, smashing her pillowy tits into my chest.

 

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