AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They needed to tread lightly, not scare her, and just enjoy the fact that they were alive and weren’t alone. They headed out of the store and back the way they had first come. Although Mason didn’t see anyone, he felt eyes on them. How had he missed that initially?
Because you were too focused on the girl.
Yeah, and that was dangerous, because his concentration was elsewhere. He needed to get his head in the game if they had any chance of getting her back safely.
Chapter Eight
They watched her like they were fucking starving for her. It made her feel greasy and dirty, and all she wanted to do was kick every single one of the leering bastards right in the balls. There was a total of nine she could see, and she knew there were some scattered throughout the woods, watching the perimeter. A fire was in the center of their little campground, and the men sat around it, drinking and passing a joint around.
The smell of marijuana was strong. She was tied to a tree a few feet from the fire, and the rope dug into her skin. It only made matters worse that she was trying in vain to wiggle her hands free. The warmth of her blood sliding down her wrists and dripping onto her palms had her renewing her efforts, because surely the pain to come was a hell of a lot worse.
The men were passing around bottles of liquor and joints, and with each passing hour, they were getting drunker, lewder in their comments toward her, and she could tell they were getting more excited as they kept looking over at her. The fire crackled, and through the flickering and swaying flames, she saw one man eyeing her very intently. There was lust in his eyes, but he wasn’t watching her in the same disgusting and violent manner as the others. His dark hair was cut close to his head, and when he stood and flicked his cigarette to the side, her heart started pounding.
He was a big guy, and the closer he came toward her, the more she pressed her back against the bark. There was something different about him, something that had her skin tightening and her hands shaking. He just seemed far more dangerous than the other men, but she couldn’t understand why she felt that way.
Where the others were loud and celebrating, this man watched her with silent curiosity and deadly calmness. When he was only a foot from her, he eyed her up and down. The smell of cloves filled her nose when he leaned in and lowered his head so they were eye level.
“You do know what they’re going to do to you tonight, don’t you.” He didn’t phrase it like a question.
Sparrow swallowed past the lump in her throat but didn’t respond. Was he trying to torment her, to make her more frightened? It was certainly working. She just continued to stare into his eyes. This man was running around with this fucked-up crew, and that made him no better than they were.
He continued to hold her stare for several long moments before the corner of his mouth curled. “I think you do, but I don’t think you know the severity of it.”
“I’m sure I have a pretty good guess.” Sparrow’s heart was beating a mile a minute. There was a part of him that reminded her of Mason. He was so calm, so detached, yet the air around him was charged, and the clear danger that came from him was like a thick, suffocating cloak. “Get the fuck away from me.”
For several long seconds, he just stayed right where he was, and when his smile grew, she felt the knot in her belly grow too.
“You see those men behind me?” he asked. She didn’t need to look around to know they were tossing back the bottles, slapping each other on the back, and gorging themselves on meat they cooked over the fire. And what kind of meat they were eating was not something she wanted to explore. “Those men are vile fuckers, and they plan on tearing you up to the point that you pray for death.” He said it so chillingly soft that a bead of sweat dripped from her hairline because of how frightened he made her. “I can help you, though.” He placed his hands on the tree right beside her head.
“I’m sure you can, for a price.” She pushed her fear away, needing to appear strong even if she felt anything but. “And that’s not a price I’m going to pay.”
He cocked one light eyebrow. “I don’t think you’re really in any position to not accept my terms, princess.” He took a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “The men behind me want to defile your body for the sole purpose of getting off. They won’t kill you but drag it on, use you like you are their own personal toy.” He slowly lifted his eyes and held hers with his own. “I can help you avoid all that.”
“And then what? I’ll be your own personal little toy?” She seethed out the words, not bothering to hide the disgust and hatred in her voice.
He pushed away from her and crossed his arms over his chest. “I want a companion for the road. It’s been a lonely five months since the infection spread.”
“I’m not going to escape these assholes just to be strapped with another one.”
He chuckled and slid his eyes up and down her body once more. She was filthy, but he looked at her like she was a damn T-bone steak and he was a starving carnivore.
He grinned, and it made her feel even dirtier. “I can protect you just as well as those two assholes you were traveling with.” He was silent for a suspended moment, and the sound of the men talking loudly and bragging about the nauseous things they planned on doing to her had the threat of vomit rising up. “You really don’t have any other options here, princess. You can either take me up on my offer or these bastards behind me are going to fuck you every which way, and I guarantee it won’t be pleasurable.” She looked over his shoulder. Did she actually think Mason and Asher would come for her? They had only known her for a handful of days, and Mason didn’t even want her on the road with them. He was probably glad she was gone. Asher had been kind to her, but the two men had been together for far longer, had a bond, and she was just the third wheel, a woman tagging along.
But they saved you from the infected, asked you to tag along, and even seemed concerned when these barbarians took you.
She exhaled loudly. All of that was true, but then again, why would they risk their lives for someone they hardly knew? Rescuing her now was far different from thrusting a knife in one of the sick. These men were alive and packing some serious firepower. Sparrow wasn’t a naïve fool in thinking this man wasn’t just as deranged as the rest, but what other choice did she have? She had to believe in herself, had to trust that when this was all said and done, she would be able to leave and be on her own. She would try; that was for sure.
“Okay, since I don’t really have a choice, at least not one I want.” He didn’t smile, didn’t gloat, and instead nodded once and leaned in close. She held her breath when their mouths were only an inch apart. “What are you doing?” she hissed. He pressed his body fully against hers, and she closed her eyes and stayed still. This man was attractive, hard and strong and clearly sure of himself, but she didn’t want any part of his sick plans for “company.”
There wasn’t any fire inside her like she felt when she was with Mason and Asher. It was ludicrous to have such feelings for one man she met, let alone two, but none of that mattered anymore, because they were long gone for sure, and Sparrow needed to think about her future. She was tired, but not tired enough to give up on life.
“I have to make it look convincing.” He moved his hands around the trunk until he was gripping her wrists. “I have to make them think I’m on board with what they have planned.” A shiver of fear worked through her. She could feel his erection, but he didn’t press it against her or rub himself on her body like some kind of motherfucker. Instead, he started working with the rope that bound her wrists together. “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t rape women. It might have been a long fucking time since I’ve felt anything as soft as you, and even though I consider myself a monster, I won’t hurt a woman.”
“Damn, look at Collin getting all into the bitch. We gotta draw straws, man.” There was a chorus of laughter, and he lifted his head and looked over his shoulder. His profile showed his wide smile.
“I’m just sampling. Nothing wrong with that, boys.” There was a murmuring of agreement, and then the assholes went back to talking about all the nasty things they planned on doing to her and slugging back even more alcohol. When he turned back and looked at her, his smile fell instantly. He eyed the side of her face, the area that still throbbed after that fat fuck back at the shop punched her, and she clenched her teeth together. He didn’t say anything, just continued to work at the knot of the rope. When she felt it loosen and finally slacken, he stopped and leaned back once more.
He moved one of his hands between their bodies, and her eyes widened when he lifted the front of his shirt. But he wasn’t going for the button of his jeans and instead showed her the small handgun that had been tucked into the waistband of his pants. The way his body was positioned made it so everything else was blocked from her view, but then again, he was a big guy with wide shoulders.
