Page 73

Bram lets out a huff as he says, “Look, this giant turd will answer for his crimes—all of them—but there are rules that need to be followed. Put your emotions to the side and see this as an assignment. We will have our revenge, but until then, we have to follow the rules.”

I sag in his hold as his words echo around my head, and I can hardly believe I almost forgot this is an assignment. I was so lost in my anger over him taking Harper, and all I could think about was hurting him for touching what’s mine. That I almost blew the assignment shocks me, as I never let emotions get the better of me.

“Fuck that. He doesn’t deserve to walk away from this,” Wren spits, as she balls her hands into fists while practically bouncing with pent-up aggression.

Having felt all the anger seep out of my body, Bram lets me go and walks over to Wren. He takes her fists and pries her fingers open, smoothing out her palms until she’s a little more relaxed.

He then places one hand on her cheek, soothing his thumb over it as he says, “I promise, little fighter, he will pay for what he’s done. This will seem like a walk in the park, but we have to do it officially. If not, Lawson could get into a lot of trouble, and that’s the last thing we want. Harper will get justice.”

Wren still looks furious as she turns her attention to Kincaid, who has been standing back with a murderous expression on his face. “Why the fuck did none of your security stop this arsehole from carrying an unconscious girl out of your bloody club?”

Kincaid actually winces at the death glare Wren shoots his way as he shrugs. “Do you know how many Pledges carry drugged up girls out of our club? It’s almost an everyday occurrence, but it’s almost never non-consensual.”

“That’s not fucking good enough. He took Harper,” she yells, taking an angry step towards him before Bram grabs her again.

Their argument is enough to pull me out of my own head, and now that the fog has cleared, the very mention of Harper’s name makes my stomach sink, and I rush over to the car. I was so caught up in making Nigel pay that I completely forgot to check on Harper.

I throw open the back driver’s side door, and I let out a low, threatening growl at the way she’s lying across the backseat on her stomach, her body limp. Her arm is dangling off the seat, and her gorgeous strawberry-blonde hair is hanging there too, covering most of her face.

The hem of her dress has ridden up from how he threw her into the car, exposing the backs of her thighs and the round globes of her arse. I reach in and gently roll her onto her back, keeping my eyes fixed on her chest, making sure she’s still breathing.

I let out a sigh of relief when her chest lifts ever so slightly, but when several seconds pass before it does it again, panic sets in. I reach in and gently place my hand on her cheek, my thumb hovering over her mouth so I can feel her breath touching my skin, reminding me she’s still here.

She’s as white as a sheet, and her whole body is completely limp. So much so, she can’t even hold her own head up. I gently rub my fist against her sternum, hoping it will be enough to stimulate her into waking up, but when she doesn’t react, nausea ripples through me.

What the hell did he give her?

“Harper,” I say firmly, before getting louder and more insistent. “Harper! Sweetheart, open your eyes for me.”

Her eyelids flutter for a second, but my relief at her opening them quickly vanishes when her eyes roll into the back of her head before closing again. This time, as I call her name louder, I shake her more vigorously.

She lets out a barely audible whimper, but other than the odd flutter of her lashes, there’s no evidence she’s trying to wake up, and fear really sets in, flooding through my veins like ice.

I pull back out of the car and set my murderous gaze on Nigel, who is now sitting on the ground with his hands zip-tied in front of him, blood dripping from his face. “What the fuck did you give her?”

His eyes widen like saucers in fear, but no sound escapes his lips. I take a menacing step closer, a cruel delight coursing through me at the sound of his pathetic whimper, a small, broken sound. The air crackles with tension, then Bram’s solid form looms before me, blocking my path.

With his hand holding me at bay, he turns to face Nigel. “You better tell him, or I will let him torture the information out of you.”

He shakes his head, blood and snot flying everywhere, as he stutters, “N-no, p-please… I d-don’t… P-please…”

“What the fuck did you give her?” I scream, pushing against Bram’s hold on me.

“R-Rohypnol,” he cries, dropping his head as sobs wrack his battered and bruised body.

I pull on Bram’s arm, getting him to turn and face me as I frantically ask, “How do we get that out of her system? Do we need to get her to the doc?”

Although my friend tries to hide it, there’s panic in his eyes as he says the words I don’t want to hear. “I don’t think there is a way to get it out of her system. I can call the doc, if you want to get her checked out, but I think we need to get her home.”

I give him a slow nod as I consider all the very poor options. “Okay, you call him and see what he says while I get her into your car.”

Bram gives me a forced smile in agreement, before inclining his head towards the still sobbing Pledge. “What should we do with him?”

Nigel looks up at us then, his whole body trembling from fear as blood covers him. “Stick to the plan. You take him until it’s time.”

Bram nods, but this time there’s nothing forced about his smile. It’s more of a maniacal grin that tells me Nigel will not enjoy his time with Bram, and that makes me very fucking happy.

I drown out Nigel’s crying and whimpering as I focus my attention back on Harper. Reaching into the car, I lift her into my arms, cradling her against my body as best I can. She’s so limp, it’s hard to hold her, but there’s no way I’d ever let her fall.