AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The man outside drags me until I tumble out of the truck into the dirt, and when he points the AK in his hands at me, I can’t for the life of me see a way out of this.
“Get up,” he orders, his accent the same as the man who was behind me, and when I move fast to take him off his feet, I get hit hard on the back of my neck. Something rough and coarse gets forced over my head, turning everything black.
All I can hear are the sounds the woods make at night, and Shaniya’s sobs as we’re dragged blindly through the forest. I trip and stumble as I’m pushed forward by what feels like a gun poking in my back, and I try everything I can to locate myself. Keeping count of the steps I’m taking in my head, and trying not to let Shaniya’s scared noises distract me.
“It's gonna be okay, I promise,” I call out, trying my best to reassure her, and the cruel laughter I hear surrounding me surges me with a rage I can’t fuckin’ unleash.
Eventually, we stop, and after a few minutes my feet are forced to step up onto a surface that feels much more secure. All I can go on is sound, and the people around me have definitely grouped closer together. Shaniya is close to me, I can hear the fear in her breathing, and I feel out my hand for hers hoping to make contact.
“Storm, I’m scared,” her weak whisper holds so much fear, and I feel her fingertips on my forearm, trembling against me until our hands link together.
I want to tell her that I’m scared too, but it’s not what she needs to hear. And it’s definitely not what I want them to hear.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” I tell her again, just before the gun smashes hard into my back and I stumble forward, hitting the floor with a thump.
Whatever’s been covering my head gets ripped off, and my eyes adjust to the light as I quickly try to take in my surroundings.
We’re in what looks like a hunting lodge, and the four men surrounding me are no longer wearing their masks. I don’t recognize any of them but I know they’re Alteo’s men, their accents have already given them away.
The fact they’re allowing us to see their faces ain’t a good sign and when Shaniya’s body is thrown at me, I break her fall by catching her in my arms and holding her tight.
“Tie him,” a voice comes from behind the men who stand in front of us, and when the men move to clear the door, I see a fifth man step inside behind them. His ski mask remains in place, and I’ve already noticed he doesn’t have an accent like they do. He sounds much older, and the pinstripe suit he’s wearing is far more sophisticated than the black hoodies and jeans that the unmasked men wear.
He moves to sit in the chair beside the fire and my brain works hard to try to piece everything together. This can’t be Cooper, he’s at the fight, but this man is cool and collected, and he seems to command these men like he rules them.
I don’t have time to think on it anymore, not when I’m hauled back roughly, and Shaniya is pulled from my arms. My back gets slammed into a thick wooden pillar, and one of the assholes slams me in the jaw, while the other binds thick rope around my chest, tying me to the pillar and constricting my breath.
The man in the suit waits until I’ve given up struggling before he gets up from the chair and starts to pace the floor in front of me.
“What has the girl told you?” he asks calmly.
I look across the room to Shaniya, she’s still got the sack over her head, and I’m grateful for that because all I’m seeing is no way fucking out of this.
“What are you talking about?” I look up at him, confused as hell.
“The girl, what has she told the Souls about Deputy Foster?” he rephrases his question, pulling a gun from the back of his pants and pointing it right between my eyes. I feel the sweat from my forehead land on its barrel, and my mouth goes so dry I can barely answer the question.
“The girl ain’t said shit.” I look up and eyeball him. I won’t give this son of a bitch my fear.
“I think you lie.” The masked man kicks me in the guts, forcing all the air out of my body.
“I’m just a fuckin’ Prospect,” I cry out when he strikes again. “I don’t get told shit.”
“He tells the truth,” the man to my right speaks up, grabbing at the front of my cut, and I hate the way he scowls at me like he’s the cat and I’m the mouse.
“Then you’ll just have to be the message boy.” The masked man crouches down in front of me, and through his mask, I just make out the outline of two dark eyes.
“Your fighter had a choice,” he starts explaining, and Shaniya screams from behind him as she gets dragged up off the floor and brought in front of me. I’m not sure if he’s speaking to her or me now, but I’m fuckin’ listening.
“He could have thrown the fight, saved the reservation. He was offered enough money to take himself and his little bitch out of town.”
I know this already, I may not be accepted into church yet, but the brothers respect me enough to keep me in the loop. I’m not sure how much Shaniya knows about it though.
The guy in the mask slides his hand over Shaniya’s stomach, while two men hold her, and she whimpers when he cups his hand roughly between her legs.
“Your boy made the wrong choice,” he whispers into her ear when he stands back up. And I‘m grateful that the sack over her head shields me from the fear in her eyes.
“Don’t hurt her,” I beg. “You can send your message back through me. She ain't a part of this.”
