“Afterwards, we went to catch a cab. The valet motioned for one when we went outside, and we all climbed in without our bags, talking about what we had bought that day.
“A voice came over the radio almost as soon as we pulled out. ‘If anyone sees Rocky, tell him to call me then call me and tell me you gave him the message. He hasn’t responded for calls in twenty.’
“‘What happened? A driver went rogue?’ I joked and we laughed, but the driver didn’t respond.
“I felt a pinch on my arm and turned toward Simone and Avril. Both of their expressions were terrified. Simone reached out to touch the plastic card on the back of the seat. Rocky Rodriquez was on the nametag, and the man in the picture looked nothing like the man driving the cab.
“We all held each other’s hands and started crying and screaming when we passed our hotel. He pulled over in an alley, turned around, and shot Avril in the face. Just like that, she was gone. He told us whoever made a noise was next. Neither of us made a sound. Then he pulled into his house. I’ll never forget the sound of that garage door closing.
“He kept us for six weeks and when the police came, I was too afraid to answer when they called out. I sat there until they found Simone and me in the basement. Her hand was still warm. She never knew they had come for us.”
“God.” Ice pulled her close but she tried to pull away, not wanting physical comfort from him.
“Ice, do you think she knows she's not in that basement anymore?”
“Yes, baby, I do. I think she knows both of you are free.”
“But I’m not.”
Ice’s heart sank at her words. He hated Winston for kidnapping her, and then he had done the same thing. She wasn’t lying here next to him because she wanted to, but because he had taken that choice away from her.
“I’m going to get you out of here as soon as I can.” Easing his rigid control briefly, he wanted to reassure her. Usually he cared only about his own feelings; wanting Grace to feel a measure of safety was a first for him.
“Okay.”
“Trust me?”
“Yes.”
Ice was humbled by her trust. He had never experienced sweetness like hers his whole life. Women he had taken always wanted him and knew he had nothing to give other than his dick, but Grace pulled emotions out of him he never felt before. A woman like her didn’t belong in his life.
If he was honorable, he would walk away from her and never see her again when they got out of this mess; however, Ice knew he wasn’t. When a man found a priceless diamond, he didn’t throw it back. No, he held onto it and never let it go. That was what Ice had every intention of doing, too. Of course, he would break it and grind it down until it was exactly what he wanted.
* * *
“What’s the name of your bike club?” Grace asked before drinking the hot coffee Max handed her as soon as she had woken up.
Max winced. “It’s a motorcycle club. And it’s the Predators.”
“Oh, that’s the tattoo on Ice’s back. How come you didn’t get a nickname?”
“Max is a nickname.” His tone was insulted.
“It is? I thought it was short for Maxwell.”
“No. Didn’t you ever watch Mad Max? He was a son of a bitch who went crazy and killed everyone when his wife was killed.”
“And you were nicknamed after him?”
“Yes.”
“How did she die?”
Max suddenly stood up. “I’ve got to take a piss.”
She turned to look at Jackal. “Have you noticed he’s overly sensitive?”
“Why don’t you tell him that?”
“I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings. How did you get your nickname?”
“I stabbed my best friend in the back after he fucked my bitch.”
Jackal wasn’t sensitive; he was a jackass. She smiled to herself at her small jibe.
“What’s so fucking funny?”
“Nothing.” She didn’t think he would appreciate the joke. Unconsciously, she sought out Ice, finding him next to Fade at the steel door. She was about to look away when Fade jumped to his feet and opened the door. Both men rushed in.
Jackal saw what she was watching.
“Now they only have to get his cell door open. At least they can give him food and water until then,” Max said, sitting back down at the table.
Jackal gave Max a warning look, but Grace was watching Church and two other men draw closer to the table. She was about to warn them when suddenly one sprang forward, grabbing Jackal from behind. Church and the other one went for Max.
She screamed, standing up, her chair falling backwards, but someone grabbed her from behind, pulling her toward them. Her foot caught in the chair, but whoever had her didn’t stop pulling. Her foot finally wrenched free and this time, she gave a scream of pain.
“Ice.” Frantically, she looked to see if he was coming, but several prisoners were holding the door closed, not letting Ice and Fade out. Grace realized then it was going to turn dangerous. The men had plotted to attack Ice and his men.
As Church fell back against the table, Max knocked the other man to the floor then lunged at the others moving toward him, taking them all down.
Jackal pulled his weapon from his waistband and reached backward, stabbing the one holding him in the leg, slicing him open almost to his kneecap.
Two other men Grace had seen Ice talk to occasionally made for the ones holding the door closed. The one with dark-brown hair picked up a chair, slamming the group in their backs. They fell away and the metal door flew open. Ice and Fade came out, fury on their faces, and began fighting the ones who had tried to lock them inside.
While the whole room became engulfed in fighting, Grace was lifted to her feet. She was then dragged to the doorway and out into the hall toward the metal door the guards controlled with the lone working camera.
Ice grabbed the man and pushed Grace back toward the hallway. Fade caught her before she fell, lifting her up, and carrying her back inside the glass room.
He sat her down next to the wall, pinning her against it with his back. Anyone who tried to come close, he threatened with the tool he had used to open the steel door. They backed away, afraid they would end up on the floor with the ones Jackal was mercilessly ripping apart one at a time.
Ice finally managed to get control of the prisoners. The ones who had begun the attack lay littered around the room.
“You all right?” He pulled her from behind Fade, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to a table. She wasn’t aware of the broken whimpers passing her lips.
“Baby, quit crying. You’re breaking my heart.”
She stared at him in confusion. “I’m not crying.”
“Where are you hurt?”
“My ankle.”
When he lifted it in his gentle grasp, she bit down the cry that would have escaped and made herself breathe through her nose until she calmed down.
“Why didn’t you let me go? Another second and I would have been out of here.” Her accusing eyes never left him as his fingers searched her swollen ankle. She tried to jerk it from his grasp.
“Give me your shirt, Fade.” Ice’s gentle behavior disappeared.
Fade took off his shirt and handed it to him. Ice ripped it into strips then started winding them around her ankle without a word.
“A voice came over the radio almost as soon as we pulled out. ‘If anyone sees Rocky, tell him to call me then call me and tell me you gave him the message. He hasn’t responded for calls in twenty.’
“‘What happened? A driver went rogue?’ I joked and we laughed, but the driver didn’t respond.
“I felt a pinch on my arm and turned toward Simone and Avril. Both of their expressions were terrified. Simone reached out to touch the plastic card on the back of the seat. Rocky Rodriquez was on the nametag, and the man in the picture looked nothing like the man driving the cab.
“We all held each other’s hands and started crying and screaming when we passed our hotel. He pulled over in an alley, turned around, and shot Avril in the face. Just like that, she was gone. He told us whoever made a noise was next. Neither of us made a sound. Then he pulled into his house. I’ll never forget the sound of that garage door closing.
“He kept us for six weeks and when the police came, I was too afraid to answer when they called out. I sat there until they found Simone and me in the basement. Her hand was still warm. She never knew they had come for us.”
“God.” Ice pulled her close but she tried to pull away, not wanting physical comfort from him.
“Ice, do you think she knows she's not in that basement anymore?”
“Yes, baby, I do. I think she knows both of you are free.”
“But I’m not.”
Ice’s heart sank at her words. He hated Winston for kidnapping her, and then he had done the same thing. She wasn’t lying here next to him because she wanted to, but because he had taken that choice away from her.
“I’m going to get you out of here as soon as I can.” Easing his rigid control briefly, he wanted to reassure her. Usually he cared only about his own feelings; wanting Grace to feel a measure of safety was a first for him.
“Okay.”
“Trust me?”
“Yes.”
Ice was humbled by her trust. He had never experienced sweetness like hers his whole life. Women he had taken always wanted him and knew he had nothing to give other than his dick, but Grace pulled emotions out of him he never felt before. A woman like her didn’t belong in his life.
If he was honorable, he would walk away from her and never see her again when they got out of this mess; however, Ice knew he wasn’t. When a man found a priceless diamond, he didn’t throw it back. No, he held onto it and never let it go. That was what Ice had every intention of doing, too. Of course, he would break it and grind it down until it was exactly what he wanted.
* * *
“What’s the name of your bike club?” Grace asked before drinking the hot coffee Max handed her as soon as she had woken up.
Max winced. “It’s a motorcycle club. And it’s the Predators.”
“Oh, that’s the tattoo on Ice’s back. How come you didn’t get a nickname?”
“Max is a nickname.” His tone was insulted.
“It is? I thought it was short for Maxwell.”
“No. Didn’t you ever watch Mad Max? He was a son of a bitch who went crazy and killed everyone when his wife was killed.”
“And you were nicknamed after him?”
“Yes.”
“How did she die?”
Max suddenly stood up. “I’ve got to take a piss.”
She turned to look at Jackal. “Have you noticed he’s overly sensitive?”
“Why don’t you tell him that?”
“I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings. How did you get your nickname?”
“I stabbed my best friend in the back after he fucked my bitch.”
Jackal wasn’t sensitive; he was a jackass. She smiled to herself at her small jibe.
“What’s so fucking funny?”
“Nothing.” She didn’t think he would appreciate the joke. Unconsciously, she sought out Ice, finding him next to Fade at the steel door. She was about to look away when Fade jumped to his feet and opened the door. Both men rushed in.
Jackal saw what she was watching.
“Now they only have to get his cell door open. At least they can give him food and water until then,” Max said, sitting back down at the table.
Jackal gave Max a warning look, but Grace was watching Church and two other men draw closer to the table. She was about to warn them when suddenly one sprang forward, grabbing Jackal from behind. Church and the other one went for Max.
She screamed, standing up, her chair falling backwards, but someone grabbed her from behind, pulling her toward them. Her foot caught in the chair, but whoever had her didn’t stop pulling. Her foot finally wrenched free and this time, she gave a scream of pain.
“Ice.” Frantically, she looked to see if he was coming, but several prisoners were holding the door closed, not letting Ice and Fade out. Grace realized then it was going to turn dangerous. The men had plotted to attack Ice and his men.
As Church fell back against the table, Max knocked the other man to the floor then lunged at the others moving toward him, taking them all down.
Jackal pulled his weapon from his waistband and reached backward, stabbing the one holding him in the leg, slicing him open almost to his kneecap.
Two other men Grace had seen Ice talk to occasionally made for the ones holding the door closed. The one with dark-brown hair picked up a chair, slamming the group in their backs. They fell away and the metal door flew open. Ice and Fade came out, fury on their faces, and began fighting the ones who had tried to lock them inside.
While the whole room became engulfed in fighting, Grace was lifted to her feet. She was then dragged to the doorway and out into the hall toward the metal door the guards controlled with the lone working camera.
Ice grabbed the man and pushed Grace back toward the hallway. Fade caught her before she fell, lifting her up, and carrying her back inside the glass room.
He sat her down next to the wall, pinning her against it with his back. Anyone who tried to come close, he threatened with the tool he had used to open the steel door. They backed away, afraid they would end up on the floor with the ones Jackal was mercilessly ripping apart one at a time.
Ice finally managed to get control of the prisoners. The ones who had begun the attack lay littered around the room.
“You all right?” He pulled her from behind Fade, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to a table. She wasn’t aware of the broken whimpers passing her lips.
“Baby, quit crying. You’re breaking my heart.”
She stared at him in confusion. “I’m not crying.”
“Where are you hurt?”
“My ankle.”
When he lifted it in his gentle grasp, she bit down the cry that would have escaped and made herself breathe through her nose until she calmed down.
“Why didn’t you let me go? Another second and I would have been out of here.” Her accusing eyes never left him as his fingers searched her swollen ankle. She tried to jerk it from his grasp.
“Give me your shirt, Fade.” Ice’s gentle behavior disappeared.
Fade took off his shirt and handed it to him. Ice ripped it into strips then started winding them around her ankle without a word.
