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  “Well, I want you to understand I’m here for you, man. I owe you and the others my life, as well as Deena Rae’s. Even if I didn’t, though, I’d still be here for you.” Slade’s hand clapped again on Zack’s shoulder, and Zack pulled the man into a hug. A bro one, with all the back clapping and shit, but it was a hug nonetheless, and Zack’s eyes prickled again.

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Anytime.”

  Slade left Zack alone to his thoughts, which swam around and around in his head. An amalgamation of blurry shapes, light and dark. Zero clarity. No details.

  Story of his fucking life.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Bonnie surprised herself by sleeping most of the next day. It must have been her body’s way of protecting her mind because during her waking her hours, all she could do was plot and scheme ways to get out of here, wherever here was. Of course, all her plans were contingent on figuring out a way to get loose from this chain that was shackled to her leg, and so far, Tattooed Guy hadn’t left the key.

  When she wasn’t plotting and scheming, her brain couldn’t stop imagining what Jonas’s plans for her were when he got here on Saturday. If his notes and stuff in Waco were any indication, he wanted to kill her for some unknown reason.

  His notes, Die Pretty Girl, and I will kill you Pretty Girl, and I want to feel your Pretty Girl blood all over my skin, pretty much made it clear what his intentions were.

  So, instead of reliving the horror that was her experience at Baylor University, Bonnie chose to sleep.

  Waking only to eat when Tattooed Guy came in with her sandwiches, soup, or eggs, the day passed quickly.

  Too quickly.

  Not having a clue how much time was left for her, she decided to stay awake the next day, even if she made herself crazy with thoughts of Jonas and what he would do to her. When her door opened and red skin came through with her breakfast, she pasted on a cheery smile, determined to get some information, whether she liked it or not.

  “Hi! Can I call you something besides Tattooed Guy? What’s your name?”

  He moved as if he were used to sticking to the shadows, stealthy yet graceful. He was an athlete of sorts. She couldn’t imagine him actually doing anything like swimming or baseball—not with horns and stuff— but she could see him in a gym, lifting weights, or in a ring like Quinten.

  After delivering the tray to the rolling table and moving it within reach of her, he sat back on the chair with what sounded like a sigh. But he never really expressed that much emotion. Why the sigh?

  “I’m called V.”

  Well, that was more information than she thought she’d get, honestly. She pursed her lips as she chewed her eggs and mulled over the name.

  “That’s a nice name. I figured you’d be called something like Demon, or Dragos, or something like that.”

  A rough bark sounded from him, and as her eyes snapped to his face, she realized he was smiling. Had she just made him laugh?

  “You look like you could be a fighter, like professionally, you know? Like that McGregor guy? You’re built like him, anyway. But I bet you’re meaner.”

  V smiled, and it was a little off-putting, since his teeth were filed into sharp points. Bonnie wondered if that hurt but didn’t ask, since he seemed to be listening to her and reacting favorably. So she continued to try to connect with him. If she could engage him, maybe he would help her.

  “My brother, Quinten, used to fight. He was the Haymaker, but then he got married and retired.” V’s smile faded and he shifted in his seat. “Do you know him?” She prattled on when he didn’t answer. “Anyway, him and Simon, my other brother, run this firm, Pierce Securities, with a bunch of other badasses, and they’re really protective of me. They’re probably going to kill Jonas when they catch up to him.” After Jonas kills me and bathes in my blood. “But you’ve been sort of nice to me, so if you can, get away. I probably won’t be able to do much to help. If Jonas has his way, I’ll be long dead by the time my brothers get here, if they don’t come before Jonas does.”

  She kept her tone light, conversational, as if she were talking about a really bad thunderstorm she’d hid under her blankets from. But her heart pounded with every word she spoke because they were so true. Simon and Quinten would kill anybody they could get their hands on who had anything to do with her kidnapping. And if they didn’t make it before Jonas fulfilled his gory promises? Her brothers would make sure they suffered.

  V let her gab while she finished her eggs and toast, then silently took the tray, his shoulders slumped, as if he hated every minute of being in the room with her. Deciding she wasn’t going to sleep anymore, Bonnie got up and started moving around as much as she could.

  She did pushups and planks, then some basic Pilates moves. The chain kept her from doing anything cardio, but she was stretching her muscles and imagined herself growing stronger, even as she managed to break a sweat and get out of breath.

  By the time lunch rolled around, she was a bit sore, but energized, so she continued her one-sided conversation. She regaled V with the prior stalking incident, making sure he knew exactly what Jonas had planned for her, just in case he was under the mistaken impression Jonas had kidnapped her as a domestic servant or something. She ate her cheese sandwich as she described the notes, dead flowers, and break-ins, waving her meal around as if she were describing the pattern of the quilt on her bed.

  She kept her tone light, which totally contradicted the words coming out of her mouth, and V’s eyes widened as he listened. She watched him swallow a couple of times. It was almost funny, this tough guy playing right into her hands. Except the stakes were entirely too serious for laughter.

  That afternoon was much the same. She worked out as much as she could but was mostly stretching and jumping in place, the chain rattling. When V brought her soup for the evening meal, he actually left her alone to eat. If she weren’t mistaken, she didn’t hear the lock click when he closed the door.

  Bonnie shrugged to herself, finding it odd she was actually going to miss trying to mess with the silent guy. But as she scooped her spoon into the cloudy liquid filled with slimy noodles and tiny chunks of processed meat of some sort, she heard a metallic scraping sound on the bottom of the bowl that wasn’t the spoon.

  Then she heard a car engine start up outside, followed by the crunching of leaves and sticks as it drove away.

  Dipping her hand into the soup, she fished around until she found a key.

  Triumph lit her insides, even as a new fear crept in. She’d won. She’d gotten him to let her go. Bonnie still had no idea how much time she had before Jonas got here, so time was of the essence.

  And of course, she had no clue where she was.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Okay, scary tattooed guy is Kian Hinkins, goes by Vengeance, and has a rap sheet as long as this table. He got out of prison four years ago and started getting work done to change his appearance. I don’t know when he got on board with Jonas, but we can only assume that if Manicotti Man, as Zack so eloquently calls him, is on the senator’s team, Kian is on Jonas’s. The senator has a hard-on for all things Pierce, and Jonas clearly has something for Bonnie, so this is our lead. Kian’s car is a 2015 Nissan that he bought used. What he’s too stupid to do, however, and this is our big break here, is the vehicle tracking system is still engaged, and he hasn’t been at Jonas’s office all week. So we got her.”

  Simon’s voice was smiling as he announced the news to the room. Everyone around the office erupted in a chorus of cheers, and Zack felt ten tons lighter. Simon continued.

  “He’s been at a location out in the woods between here and Ryan’s for most of the week, but he just left yesterday evening. We’ll get a team ready to go within the hour. Let’s go get my baby sister.”

  Zack stood, watching shadows rise around him. Evan, Ryan, Jordan, and Quinten all stood while everyone else started shuffling papers into piles.

  “You five, meet in my office,” Simon barked,
his good cheer giving way to business mode.

  Zack, thrilled at the prospect of being included, wondered what the hell he could do. But he wasn’t going to question anything. He was all in, no matter what, and a bit relieved to not have to fight the others on this one.

  “Quinten and Evan, go to the current location of Hinkins’ car. Find the fucker and check back in. The rest of us are going to the location west of Hays to get her, take zero prisoners. We go in hot, kill the bastards in the way, and get Bonnie out of there. I don’t care about anything but getting her out alive.” Simon’s voice was low and controlled, but everyone in the room had to hear the fear in it. Zack certainly could. “Get suited up. Armor, tactical, and audio. This guy was in prison for aggravated assault, armed robbery, and attempted homicide. If he’s there, he’s going to shoot to kill, so you guys kill him first. And if Jonas happens to be there, too, kill the bastard.”

  Quinten stood straighter. “I want to go where Bonnie is.”

  Hollerman clapped him on the back. “I can go with Evan.”

  “Fine,” Simon barked.

  Simon was clearly on the “I don’t give a fuck” wagon, which Zack would happily drive all the way there. If he could see.

  “Sir? What’s my role in all this?

  “You still got the shotgun?” Zack nodded at the question. “Then you’ll be covering us. As soon as we get into position with grenades and flashbangs, you’ll do some distracting with the shotgun. Bring Shania. She might have some skills we can use, too.”

  A sense of pride welled in him, although he wished he could do more. But at this point, Zack would be a liability if his blindness managed to get him or others in trouble. He would take any role in this he could get.

  “Any questions? We can come up with specifics on the way. We’re taking the Explorer.”

  “Hoo-ah,” Jordan replied, which to the best of Zack’s knowledge meant “No questions, sir, we got this.”

  “Let’s gear up. Leaving in fifteen.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Bonnie was lost in the woods. Yesterday evening, when V let her go, she’d run for all she was worth, desperately putting distance between herself and the cabin. She could tell she hadn’t left Central Texas, but beyond that, she had no clue where she was.

  At some point in the night, exhaustion had claimed her, and she’d curled up in a brushy clump of bushes at the base of a pin oak tree to rest for a couple of hours. If she had known she would have to walk through miles of woods, she wouldn’t have worked her body so hard yesterday while chained to the bed.

  Bonnie awoke sometime later to the stinging of ant bites. She was thirsty and suddenly felt every discomfort from being in the woods wearing office clothes had to offer. Searching for her shoes, she tried to remember what had happened to them. She couldn’t fathom how she had gotten this far without them, but then again, judging by the condition of her feet, the adrenaline had been numbing. They were swollen and bloody, with scratches all around her ankles and calves—evidence she hadn’t had her shoes at all.

  She shivered in the cool night air. Finding some sort of solace in the fact it wasn’t July and sweltering, she swallowed down her parched throat and looked up at the stars. She was far enough from the city she could see them clearly, which was disheartening.

  Bonnie had no clue where she was. She could find the North star but had no idea which direction to go from there. Monday, she’d been wearing a pencil skirt, camisole, and linen blouse. Nothing had been removed during her abduction, and since the room she was being held in was air conditioned, she still had all her clothes. Bonnie removed her linen blouse and ripped it into strips to bind her feet for protection. She still needed to put distance between herself and Jonas’s cabin. She was tired and thirsty, and now a bit chilly in just her skirt and cami, but a frenetic energy bubbled inside her, keeping her from being still. She’d come this far—however far this was—and had to keep moving.

  The sun would come up soon, and while it wouldn’t be too hot, she was well aware of the dangers of Central Texas sunshine. It was awesome in a backyard, where she could escape inside. But right now, this was her escape. She needed to do it right.

  If Jonas caught up to her …

  She refused to think about what would happen. Bonnie needed to find a road, or water, or something to give her a hint at civilization. As it was, she had no clue which direction she’d gone when she left the house. She had to go in some direction, though, or she’d just be circling around. Maybe she already was. It took a conscious effort to quell that thought.

  Deciding on the brightest star she could see, Bonnie sent some juju into the universal ether that it was the right direction and started walking. She focused her thoughts on Zack and seeing him again. Not having a clue if V and the other guy had killed him during the abduction, she chose to focus on the positive. There were already so many dark places her mind could go, she refused to get mired there—afraid she would find herself irrevocably stuck.

  Zack’s eager, puppy-dog grin, Zack’s rough hands on her body, Zack’s attentiveness, his frustrations and determination to overcome his perceived shortcomings. She made a vow to him—right here, in the wild, dark void of forest—that she would do whatever it took to be whatever he needed to make him a whole man.

  The sun rose and Bonnie still had no idea how long she had been walking, but by her best guess, she was headed North. With each passing step and no sign of civilization, her thoughts got more maudlin.

  She didn’t even know if Zack was alive. Why would he be? It seemed logical they would just as soon put a bullet in his head than have him track them with his ninja skills.

  Bonnie comforted herself with memories of Zack—following him and Quinten around in the wooded park behind the neighborhood they’d lived in. Before Zack’s family had downsized and Bonnie’s had moved up. Something had changed between her and Zack. Around the time her family had moved, she’d turned fifteen, and that’s when it happened. Zack’s attentions had shifted.

  Zack caught her crying. She sniffed and wiped her face but couldn’t stop the tears. She’d thought she was alone, but he’d heard her. He was visiting Quinten, but on his way to her brother’s room, Zack stopped near the cracked media room door. The creak of him opening the heavy oak door that matched every other door in the over-the-top house sounded in the quiet room.

  “Bon-Bon? What happened?” His concern only made it worse. As he jogged down the steps to the front of the room, where she hunched, the question in his eyes faded as they snapped to the front of her uniform shirt where the buttons popped out because of her giant boobs. She pulled her sweater closed over the monstrosities and curled herself into a ball on the seat. Zack stretched his arm over the back, not touching her, but it was a comforting gesture nonetheless.

  “Nothing,” she sniffed. “You can go away. I’m alright.” If only he would. His being here was making everything worse. No wonder he never looked at her the way she wished he would. He smelled so good, and she tried to ignore the flutter in her belly at his nearness.

  In fact, this was the first time he’d ever been this close to her without stupid Quinten around.

  Zack tucked a stray curl behind her ear, stroking the smooth surface of her cheek as he did so. His blue eyes were soft on her, nothing but concern shining out of them. But there might have been something else there, if she were in the mood to entertain fantasies. Unfortunately, his next words squashed that. “What happened? Did somebody hurt you?”

  She could see he was ready to kick some ass. As if she needed another protective big brother.

  “No.” Bonnie wiped her nose on the sleeve of her sweater. “I’m just so tired of not fitting in with all the blonde skinny girls. I mean, I can’t do anything about it, but I just want to be like them. For once, I want to know what it’s like to be perfect like they are.”

  At fifteen years old, Bonnie’s private school was filled with politician’s daughters and oil princesses. She wasn’t anything
special to them, and her wild, dark curls and abundant curves made her stand out in a sea of highlighted plastic surgeries. The other girls at her school were downright cruel.

  “Bonnie, look at me.” She did, nearly losing her breath at the seriousness in his face. His lips were plump and red, his face ruddy with youth and whatever he’d been doing before he came inside her house. His eyelashes were long and blond, and they fluttered on his face as his eyes looked at her lips, then her eyes, then back to her lips. “You’re fucking gorgeous.”

  Zack looked like he regretted saying that after her gasp echoed in the room, and to cover the sudden discomfort, she rambled. “My hair’s too curly, too dark. Daddy won’t let me dye it.” Surely he hadn’t meant it.

  “Your hair is insane, in a good way.” He took a wayward curl and twirled it around his finger. Bonnie held her breath. “Your body is totally banging with all those curves coming on. And you’re one of the most amazing girls I know. Anybody would be lucky to be your friend.” He looked at his lap, and Bonnie wondered if this was real or a cruel joke someone had put him up to. “Or boyfriend.”

  Bonnie was silent, only an occasional sniffle marring the sudden quiet of the room. Zack still stared at his lap, not making a move, and Bonnie was too scared to react to his words. She watched his fists clench and unclench as the tension in the massive room built.

  Finally, he spoke, but he never looked at her.

  “There’s a bro-code on this. I know because me and Q actually wrote it down when we were thirteen. But you’re like an extension of Q, and he’s my best friend, right?” Bonnie didn’t know what to say. She was struck dumb at the admission she thought Zack was making. But he wasn’t saying the words, and she couldn’t presume. She couldn’t get this wrong. If he wasn’t saying what she thought he was saying, she would make an even bigger fool of herself.