What Doesn't Destroy Us (The Devil's Dust #1)(52)

Shadow only stayed the night a couple of times. When he didn’t, he was all I thought about. We even texted like teenagers to help the emptiness we felt when we were apart. I can feel the affection from Shadow growing deeper, but he hasn’t said I love you yet; not even close. He has, though, become even more possessive. He doesn't want me to talk to the other guys, and he's telling me what I can and can't wear. I know he cares even if he doesn't come right out and say it.

Shadow left my bed early this morning. He had to go take care of some club business; said he would only be gone for a couple of hours. I don't know what he's doing, but according to Babs, you never ask the guys what they are doing. I get up and follow my usual routine of getting a shower and brushing my teeth with Shadow's toothbrush.

I grab my last clean bra and panties set and a not-so-dirty pair of shorts. In the closet I find the last clean tee, too. I need to do laundry today, and that will help keep my mind off Shadow for a while.

I walk to the back of the kitchen to a little nook off to the side; it holds a little white washer and dryer. I throw my clothes in the washer and grab the laundry soap bottle. It's empty. There must be more around here somewhere. I search the cabinets in the small room but don't find any soap.

I walk through the kitchen, into the main area and find Babs cleaning as usual. “Hey, Babs, where can I find a new bottle of laundry soap?” I ask.

She waves me to follow her. In the kitchen, she pulls a door open that leads to a pantry. Shelves are filled with cleaning supplies, paper products, everything needed to run a clubhouse. “Shit, we’re completely out of soap. Have to go get some.” She says shaking her head.

“I can go. I need to get out of here anyway; getting cabin fever,” I offer.

“I can get Charlie to take you,” she says, leaving the pantry. When we get back into the main area, Babs yells for Charlie who comes running in from outside. As loud as Babs is, I'm not surprised he heard her.

“Hey, babe, go get some laundry soap and take Dani with you. Girl could use some sun,” Babs says, handing Charlie some cash. “Just go up to the Mom and Pop's store.” He nods his head in agreement.

I grab my new leather jacket and my phone before running out to the courtyard.

Charlie climbs onto a bike similar to Bobby’s. As soon as I'm settled on the back, I feel uneasy. I feel like I'm doing something wrong by climbing on the back of the bike with Charlie. I place my hands on the side of the seat and lightly on his hip, trying to make as little contact as possible. If Shadow saw this, he would be pissing fire, I’m sure. That’s why I feel so uneasy about this; as protective as Shadow has been, this would be sure to throw him in hostile territory.

Charlie starts the bike and takes off. His bike is fast but he doesn't go near as fast as Shadow. The sun feels great on my skin and the smell of the water is breathtaking. After about fifteen minutes, we pull up to a little white building that strongly resembles a gas station. A sign reads ‘MOM AND POP’S’ above the door frame.

“I’ll go get the soap. Be right back.” Charlie says to me and heads inside.

I take my helmet off while I wait; it is suffocating me. Suddenly, I hear a weird noise. I climb off the bike, helmet still in hand, and listen for where the sound is coming from. It sounds like there's a hurt animal behind the building. I look over at the doors Charlie had gone through to see if there is any sign of him coming out; there's none. I move closer to the side of the building and the noise gets louder. When I’m nearly behind the building, I see a black puppy with its leash caught on a bush.

“Aw, you poor thing,” I coo, trying not to frighten it. I grab the leash and pull fiercely, breaking limbs in the process. When it's free, the puppy looks up at me for a split second then cowers down, lets out a distressed howl and takes off like a bat out of hell, leash and all. What the hell? I take a step after it and I’m suddenly pulled back with force. I drop the helmet as a hand grabs me by my forehead and holds me against a strong body. While I try to pry the hand off my head, a white cloth is slammed over my mouth. I open my mouth to scream, causing me to inhale whatever is on the cloth. Everything becomes numb. Blackness swamps my vision.

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My head is throbbing; throbbing so bad that I can feel it in my neck. I need to get up and get some pain reliever. I must have slept wrong. I open my eyes and see an unfamiliar wall. I sit up on a stained, queen-sized mattress and in a flash everything comes back to me. The puppy. The cloth. The darkness. Ah, my head. I reach up and touch my head and feel something thick and moist. I bring my hand down and see blood on my fingertips; why in the hell am I bleeding? I look around the room; it’s just empty. I feel my heartbeat accelerating; my blood rushing like the Nile. I’m panicking. “Breathe, Dani, breathe,” I whisper, trying to calm myself. Panicking will get me nowhere.

Looking around the room, I see two rectangular windows near the ceiling. Wondering if I can reach one, I climb out of the bed and instantly feel an excruciating pain in my ankle. There's a metal clasp around it, attached to a chain. Forget panicking, I am on the verge of a heart attack. I run for the door but the chain stops me short, slamming me backwards to the floor.

“Help! Can anyone hear me?” I scream, frantically.

My voice trembles with fear; my spine stiffens. “Hello?” I yell and scream for help, but nobody answers. The voice making blood curdling pleas for help sounds like it is coming from someone else; someone scared that she might die. I have nearly lost my voice and my throat screams for something cool to ease the fire burning within.