Hell Breaks Loose (Devil's Rock #2)(3)

“Hi there,” he said, utterly normal.

“H-Hey,” she stammered, not feeling similarly normal. Grappling for composure, she stepped to the side to move around him, but he matched her move, stepping to the right and blocking her again.

His mouth kicked up at the corner. He was toying with her and enjoying himself in the process.

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice harder. It was her father’s no-nonsense-my-army-is-bigger-than-yours voice.

He cocked his head as if considering her request. “Where you going?”

A sound behind her had her looking over her shoulder. The two guys from earlier had stopped directly behind her, crowding her, looking down at her and reminding her of her diminutive height. She felt every inch of her five feet two inches.

She shifted uneasily. She had never been in a situation like this before. Never felt threatened. Even before she was the president’s daughter, no one had ever paid her special notice. She was the type of girl who went unnoticed. Most of the time she was simply invisible. Most of the time she wanted it that way.

She wanted it that way now.

Squaring her shoulders, she adopted that air of perpetual arrogance her father wore with such ease. She had certainly stood witness to it enough. “Let me pass.”

The guy in front of her tossed back his head and laughed. “‘Let me pass,’” he mocked, greasy strands of hair brushing his shoulders. “She sounds like someone used to getting her way.”

Grace stifled a flinch. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gotten her way in anything. Quite possibly never.

Greasy Hair glanced over her shoulder at the two men behind her. “Don’t you think so, boys?”

Her stomach bottomed out. He knew them. He was with them. They were together. All these thoughts clicked one after another in her mind. There was no denying it.

She was in trouble.

She lunged forward and tried to step around Greasy Hair. He grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her so tightly she couldn’t catch her breath. His face was so close she could see the tiny flecks of gold in his hazel eyes. “What’s the matter? You too good for us?”

She shook her head hard, her heart fierce and savage, threatening to break free from her chest. “Let me go.”

“Such a disappointment.” He tsked his tongue. “I thought the president’s daughter would have better manners than this.”

Oh, God. With those words, her fate was sealed. Her last scrap of hope that they didn’t know who she was died a swift death. Grace’s heart twisted, an aching mass in her chest. Longing to go back, to retrace her steps and order room service with Holly, surged within her. She could be in her pajamas eating a mediocre burger and lukewarm fries watching TV. Maybe a Modern Family rerun.

Greasy Hair stopped smiling. His lips flattened into a thin line that peeked out of the patchy beard on his face. He looked utterly, frighteningly serious as he stared down at her. He reached out a hand and she flinched, trying to back away, but the two men behind her prevented her from retreating. She stopped. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. He fingered a lock of her hair as though testing its texture, marveling at its cleanness. Then he released it abruptly. Holding his hand midair, he snapped his fingers. “Take her.”

They grabbed her, hard hands bruising where they dug into her arms. She struggled and opened her mouth to scream. The sound never escaped her lips. Something gouged into her ribs. For one terrified instant she thought it was the barrel of a gun.

A jolt of pain punched her. She went rigid as fiery-hot waves rippled over her. They didn’t stop. Her teeth clamped tight. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. It was the strangest sensation. She was conscious of the men, their voices, their sweat-doused stink, a hard object digging into her side.

Tires squealed and a van peeled in front of her, filling her vision. A sliding door swished open, revealing a dark gaping hole. She was picked up and tossed into that shadowy maw.

The door slammed shut and the pain suddenly stopped. The men crowded into the small space with her, the smell of them bitter copper in her nose. Her body went limp. Her jaw relaxed. She gasped for breath, intelligible words tripping from her lips. Shaking, sprawled on the hard metal floor of the van, she tried to lift her head to look around. The van accelerated, rumbling all around her.

There were high fives and triumphant exclamations. She felt her lips moving and knew she was speaking, but nothing sounded right to her ears.

A guy looked down at her and laughed. “You Tased the shit out of her, Zane!”

“Yeah.” Greasy Hair laughed once. “Easier than I planned. Didn’t expect her to stroll outside all alone.”

Grace shook her head, fear like metal in her mouth. Her one and only act of rebellion and this had happened.

She reacted, her leg lashing out, managing to kick one of her assailants. Her efforts were rewarded with a slap to the face. Her head struck the steel floor of the van. Stars danced in her vision. Whimpering, she lay there, the scald of tears filling her eyes. The men around her laughed.

Did anyone even realize she was gone yet? Was Holly still talking to her boyfriend, oblivious to her absence? For once, Grace wished that she had just stayed put and accepted her fate. Marriage to Charles wouldn’t be so bad, she reasoned. She could do worse.

Because this fate? It was so much worse.