Loving Me, Trusting You(62)

I turn around and straddle my bike, squeezing it between my thighs and letting the heat of the metal warm me up from within. Right now, deep down, my core has turned to ice, and I know that if I find out anything's happen to Gaine, it'll stay frozen solid.

These motherf*ckers do not want to see this ice queen in action. If anything can make them retract their outdated thoughts on women, it would be getting their dicks shot off. Don't you think?





I have got to be the worst damn hero there ever was. What kind of man am I that I can't protect the woman I love? How pathetic must I be? These are the first thoughts that cross my mind when I wake up, lying on a cement floor in a darkened building. There's movement all around me, but I can't see shit. My eyes are blurry and my head is spinning, throbbing and sticky in the back. Not a good sign. Jesus Christ, I'm about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.

Did I take any of them down? And if so, did I grab one of my targets? I sure as shit hope so. My sacrifice better be worth it, or I'm going to go to the grave a fool and an idiot. I close my eyes and bring up the memory of Mireya's hot body in my arms, my cock in her sweet *. For a minute there, she was mine, and I know I can die happy if she gets away from all of this bullshit. Thing is, I know I haven't done enough damage to change anything.

Yet.

She's going to come after me now, I know it. I have to make this count before it's too late.

“Fuck,” I growl as I open my eyes again, struggling to keep the room from spinning as I focus on boots and bikes and low voices. As soon as they know I'm awake, they'll probably break my hands. Maybe smash my kneecaps in. The next few hours of my life are going to be torture. There are no ifs, ands or buts about that.

I just need to see how much damage I can do beforehand.

I push against the bindings on my wrists and ankles, testing them for strength. Whoever tied me up did a damn good job of it, and whoever knocked me out should win a f*ckin' award. I can barely see, and I'm nursing the worst headache I've ever had in my life. But I have to keep going. After all, what would Mireya think if she found out my rescue mission ended before it had ever gotten started? And the teasing I'd endure from Beck? Hah. He'd dance on my damn grave.

I move my gaze around the room, ignoring the ache in my skull, while I try to get a head count. At the same time, I touch my pockets and see if they've left anything in them. Unfortunately, the only item I feel is the rusted wedding ring. My heart skips a beat as boots approach my face. High-heeled boots. The f*ck? I think about closing my eyes, pretending I'm still out, but I don't know how much good that'll do me. Best I get this show on the road and see what sort of Indian Jones type magic I can muster up. You know the kind I'm talking about, like taking out ten armed men with a single whip. That's what I need right now. That or some duct tape and a Swiss army knife, so I could MacGyver my way out of this shit.

“Gaine?” the voice above me sounds surprised, but not apologetic. And familiar. Way too f*cking familiar. “I have to say, I'm a bit surprised to see you out here by yourself, but I can't say I'm going to be complaining much.” My heart skips a few beats and my skin breaks out into a sweat. Ah, shit. Anybody but her. Please Jesus. When Melissa Diamond bends down and throws me a sultry smile, I almost piss my damn pants.





I gun my engine and haul ass down that highway, but it still feels like I'm crawling, skipping along the pavement at a merry pace.

“Fuck! Can't we go any friggin' faster?” I snarl into the intercom, desperate to reach the spot on the GPS where Gaine's phone is still sitting. An hour later, and it hasn't moved. I'm starting to flip shit.

“Goin' as fast we can, sugar. Hold tight, alright?” I want to speed ahead of the group, but I know I'm going to need them. To get Gaine out, if he's where I think he is, we're going to need every last body. And we're going to end up back at the hotel with a few less. This is what I was trying to avoid and now, here it is. There's nothing I can do about it. Gaine, you f*cking idiot, I think. How on earth did you ever think this was going to work out? Are you blinded by love? Is it making you as crazy as it's making me?

I swerve violently and almost crash into the median.

“You alright there, lady cakes?” Beck asks as I regain control of my bike and move back into the group. I open my mouth to respond, but I can't speak. My tongue is twisted and I feel sick inside. I don't want to love him. But I do.

“Why is this just hitting me now?” I scream into the mic. I'm sure I'm scaring the shit out of the rest of the group, but I can't hold it back. Gaine. I'm in love with Gaine. I say it aloud. “I'm in love with Gaine.”

Cheers ring out across the group, whoops and hollers that surprise the ever living crap out of me.

“Thank God,” Beck whistles, popping a f*cking wheelie on his motorcycle like the stupid * he is. “You finally figured it out. Amen and praise Jesus. I've been watching you two sons o' bitches for years. This has been a long time comin'. Congratulations, darling.”

“Fuck you, Beck,” I snarl back at him, but inside, that bit of cold warms. Let's just hope I'm not too late to see it unthaw completely.





Melissa Diamond looks me in the face with a wicked expression, reaching out to brush my hair across my forehead. I don't know why she's here or what the f*ck is going on, but at least I know who the rat is. Like husband, like wife, I guess. It shouldn't surprise me, but it does. I saw her face when it all went down, saw her spirit spiraling down in the days after. This isn't something that was cooking up alongside Kent; this is something new. I don't know when or how this got started, but Melissa is most certainly the one feeding Bested information. Goddamn it.