BLAKELY
I’M A LITTLEtipsy. Probably had more than I should have, but I needed the liquid courage to do what needs to be done tonight. It’s not the fact that I have to pretend to flirt with a man. It’s the fact that I know what my husband is going to do to him afterward. Why does this guy deserve to die? And why was he chosen for my initiation? Are these people picked at random?
I’m wearing another dress of Sarah’s, and Ryat literally growled when he saw me in it but didn’t say anything. I take another drink before setting it down. Taking a quick look around, I try to find Ryat in the crowd, but it’s too busy, and he’s not standing on the second-floor balcony tonight.
I can’t feel him like usual either. I wonder if it’s because I’m just nervous. The fuck fest we had last night in the basement did knock me on my ass, and I slept in until noon today. I woke up sore as fuck and needed another hot bath to help relax my tight muscles. It worked enough. But even now, these heels are killing my feet. Not to mention I’ve still got hearts on my tits and MINE written between my legs. Wonder how long Sharpie lasts on skin?
“Boo.”
I jump when I hear someone in my ear. Spinning around, I see Sarah standing before me. “What are you doing here?” I ask, wide-eyed, pulling her in for a hug.
“I brought you your car.”
“Really?” She nods, and I say, “Thank you.” I’ve missed her so much. I haven’t gotten to see her much since classes started this year. Between the Lords, my running away, and someone trying to kill me, we’ve been pulled apart. More so now than when I was dating Matt.
“Of course. I guess the Lords have a meeting back at the house …”
I frown. I didn’t know that.
“Ryat called Gunner this morning and gave him the address to the cabin and asked us to bring your car up here. So Gunner took me out there, and he said he’ll just catch a ride here with Ryat after they’re done at the house.”
He promised he’d be here. “When will they be done?” I ask her.
“Should be anytime now.” She looks down at her cell. “But I wanted to come help my girl.” She winks at me.
Does she know what I’m doing, though? Does she know what Gunner has done in order to become a Lord? I don’t even know what all Ryat has done at this point. And I probably never will.
My cell vibrates in my clutch, and I pull it out. Opening up the text, I take a deep breath, thinking it’s going to tell me the guy is here but it’s from Ryat.
Had a meeting at HoLs. On my way.
Okay. See you soon.
“While we’re waiting, I’m going to go out to my car really quick.” I’m going to grab a pair of flats in my trunk so I can put them on as soon as this is done. I’ve hated living out of the small suitcase we brought with us. If I had known we weren’t going to return after burying Cindy, I would have packed several bags.
“I’ll go with you.”
We’re laughing as she tells me something that Gunner did last week while walking out the back of Blackout to my car. It was nice of Sarah to drive it here for me. For some reason, it feels like a little bit of freedom has been returned to me. I haven’t had the chance to drive my car in almost a month.
I left it behind while I ran, and then we’ve been hiding here for four days. It’s got a big smile on my face.
Unlocking it, it beeps, and Sarah stops. “Dammit.”
“What?” I ask her.
“I think I left my cell on the bar.” She pats down her dress, knowing damn well it doesn’t have any pockets. She yanks her clutch open and starts looking around in it.
I fall into the driver’s seat. “Get in. I’ll swing you by the back door. That way you don’t have to walk.” Plus, the sooner she gets there, the better. I don’t want someone to take it.
Getting in, I drive through the parking lot since I was in the very back row—the club is packed tonight—and pull parallel to the door.
“I’ll be right here,” I tell her as she’s jumping out. She shuts my door, and I pick up my cell from the cupholder and start to call Ryat but stop. I don’t want to be that woman who can’t go a second without calling her man. I’m going to be seeing him soon anyway.
My car door opens, and I see her fall into my passenger seat. “That was fast …”
A hand grips my hair, and my face is slammed into the steering wheel. Pain explodes behind my eyes, and I instantly taste blood. Then my head is jerked back, and I don’t even get to scream before a hand slaps over my mouth, silencing me.
“You’ve been very busy, Blakely.” I hear a male voice growl in my ear.
My eyes are watery from the impact my face just took, so when I try to look at him, all I see is a blurry figure, but I know who it is. Shaking my head, I try to scream, but he just tightens his grip in my hair, needles pricking my scalp.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. Yet. This is just a warning.” He lets go of my mouth and slams my face into the steering wheel again. This time, my vision goes black, and more blood fills my mouth. I start choking on it, making it fly out of my mouth onto the dash and windshield.
His hand remains holding my hair and his other hand wraps around my throat and squeezes, taking away what little air I had. “You know …” He leans in, and the wetness from his tongue runs across my pounding cheek, licking up my tears. “I should have taken you up on that rape fantasy of yours.” My already racing heart skips a beat, and I try to reach for the door handle, my lungs burning from lack of oxygen while dots cover my already blurry vision.
He removes his hand just before my eyes fall closed, and I suck in a ragged breath before spitting blood out of my mouth once again. “Ryat’s going … to kill you.” I wheeze out.
He laughs, the sound filling the small car. “Tell your husband that I’ll be waiting for him.” Then he shoves my face into the steering wheel one last time.
When he lets go of me, my body slumps in the driver’s seat, and all I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears. It feels like my heart is pumping in my face, and I can’t swallow. Drool and blood run out of the corners of my mouth. I can’t see anything, but I’m not even sure my eyes are open.
“Blakely!” I hear my name being shouted. “Oh my God!”
I flinch at the sound. I just … I just want to go to sleep.
“Help me!” The voice screams again. “You’re going to be okay,” the girl cries.
What’s wrong? I’m not sure what she’s talking about.
“What the fuck?” someone else barks.
Hands grab my shoulders and roughly drag me out of the car. I can’t even fight if Matt changed his mind and decided to come back for me. I’m his at this point as long as he’ll let me sleep.
“Get in the car. Drive us,” the voice orders, picking me up. I feel that darkness closing in on me, finally allowing me some peace and quie
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
RYAT
I’M DRIVING DOWN the highway, my eyes constantly going to the clock on my dash. The meeting at the house took longer than necessary. Now I’m having to haul ass to Blackout, making sure I get there before Blake receives her text about her initiation.
The sound of my phone ringing blares through the speakers. I see that it’s Ty. “Hello?” I answer.
“Ryat,” he shouts my name, and it instantly has my heart racing. “I don’t know what happened. Man, it was just a second—”
“Let me speak to Blake,” I interrupt him.
“I can’t.” He sighs heavily. “Ryat, she …”
“What the fuck happened, Tyson?” I snap, and Gunner is already pulling his cell out of his pocket, probably to call Sarah.
“We’re at the hospital. Meet us here. I gotta go.” He hangs up.
“She’s not answering,” Gunner growls, yanking the phone from his ear.
“Hang on.” I slam on the brake to take the exit that I was almost already past in order to turn around and go the opposite way.
Less than twenty minutes later, I bring my SUV to a screeching halt in front of the emergency room doors. Gunner and I both jump out. Entering, I find the nurse’s desk. “Blakely Rae Archer.” I shout her name, my hand banging on the surface. “She’s my wife!”
“Ryat?” I hear my name being shouted from down the hall.
“Never mind,” I tell the useless nurse and take off.
“Sir, you can’t …”
I ignore her and run toward Tyson. He stands in the center of the hall. “What in the fuck is going on?” I snap, but my eyes drop to the blood on his shirt, and I blink, trying to comprehend what I’m seeing. That can’t belong to my wife. I’ve been around it all my life, but right now, I feel like I’m going to get sick. The thought of something happening to her when I should have been there with her.
He raises his hands. “I don’t know what happened. I walked outside, and Sarah … she was screaming for help. Blake … she was bleeding …”
“Where is she?” I demand, about to punch him in the fucking face since he’s having problems getting out a single sentence.
“There.” He points at the door we stand outside of. “Gavin’s on call and already seen her.”
I shove it open and rush inside the room to find my wife lying in a hospital bed with Sarah sitting in a chair next to her, holding Blake’s hand. Her face is swollen and bruised, and she’s got stitches in various places.
“Sarah,” I say her name softly. Her makeup is smeared, her face red and splotchy.
“Oh, Ryat.” Letting go of Blake’s hand, she rushes over to me and throws her arms around my neck, almost knocking me a step backward.
I numbly pat her back while I look over my wife’s unconscious body. So small and vulnerable lying there in the bed. They haven’t cleaned her, so dried blood is caked all over her face and down her neck. Some even splattered on her arms and hands.
The door behind me opens, and Sarah pulls away from me. “Gunner.” She runs to him, and I walk over to her now empty chair and fall down into it. I take Blake’s warm hand and clasp it in mine. “What happened?” I ask again, hoping someone will tell me something.
“She wanted to get something from her car … we walked outside. But I forgot my phone.” She starts, pulling away from Gunner. “She drove me to the back of the building.” She hugs herself. “I was only gone a few minutes. When I came back, she was sitting in the driver seat … like this. I was … screaming.” Sarah shakes her head. “For anyone to help. She was just sitting there, covered in blood.” Looking over at Blake, fresh tears run down her face. “That’s when that guy came up to us …”
“Who?” Gunner interrupts her.
She points at the door. “The guy in the hallway. I don’t even know who he is. He pulled her out of the car and ran over to another one. He told me to get in and had me drive while he sat with her in the back.” She goes back to sobbing, and Gunner pulls her into him, hugging her tightly.
The door opens again, and I expect it to be Ty, and I open my mouth to tell him to get the fuck out, but it’s a different Lord. “Ryat. Gunner.” He nods to both of us.
“Dr. Gavin,” I say, releasing her hand and setting it on the bed.
“I have some X-rays I’d like to go over with you, if you have a second.” He holds the film in his hands.
“Of course.” I nod numbly.
“We’ll be back,” Gunner tells us and then pulls a sobbing Sarah out of the room, excusing themselves.
BLAKELY
I CAN HEARvoices, but they sound far off. Like I’m standing at one end of the tunnel, and they’re at the other—echoing inside my head. Which is pounding as if someone is using it as a drum set.
“I told you this would happen …”
The voices start to come in clearer.
“I told you guys we should have tested her differently.” Another voice gets through the drumming behind my eyes.
“The initiation didn’t do this to her!” a familiar voice snaps.
“No! It was that piece of shit that you were going to allow her to marry!” another voice argues, and I recognize it. It’s Ryat’s.
“I was never going to allow that!” the second one shouts back. “Why do you think I made you choose her?” It’s my dad. “Huh? It sure as shit wasn’t for shits and giggles.”
“Well, it’s not like you ever gave me an answer when I asked.”
I open my heavy eyes, blinking a few times before the room comes into focus. I’m lying in a hospital bed. Ryat stands over to the right, leaning back against a windowsill dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans with a black baseball hat on backward and tennis shoes.
My father sits on a couch next to him, dressed in a charcoal suit with his cell in his hand. Looking to my left, I see my father-in-law pacing the large room, also dressed like he just came from a board meeting. “We’re not going to accomplish anything if we’re arguing,” he states, taking in a deep breath.
“Yeah,” I manage to croak and flinch. “You’re making … my headache worse.”
“Blake!” Ryat shoves off the windowsill and comes over to me. “How do you feel?” Before I can even try to answer him, he looks at his dad. “Get the nurse.” Who turns and rushes out of the room.
“Hey, princess,” my father says gently, coming to the other side of my bed.
“I …” my eyes close, the light hurting them.