“Glad to see you’re back with me. I was almost afraid I had kicked you too hard. I didn’t want you to miss out on the fun.”

“Fuck you,” I spat.

He rewarded my outburst by singeing my bare lower back until I couldn’t bite back my screams. I panted and heaved as I tried to stay upright. When I moved, it felt like the entire layer of skin on my back was peeling off as it blistered and bubbled.

“You know you deserve much worse for what you and your men did to my camp. Do you know the money you cost me?”

I didn’t answer him. I knew if I opened my mouth I would throw up from the searing pain biting my flesh. Instead, I focused my energy on staring him down.

Mendoza met my glare. “But the worst thing you did was taking my Roja from me.”

Gulping down the bile rising in my throat, I grunted through gritted teeth, “She isn’t yours. She never was.”

Burning agony engulfed my chest. Pinching my eyes shut, I tried riding out the pain. I bit down on my lip so hard that blood ran down my chin. When Mendoza finally let up, I couldn’t speak. I could barely think. All I could do was try to focus on my breathing. As long as I was breathing, I was still alive. I had to stay alive for Annabel.

“Did you enjoy fucking her?” Through my tormented agony, I opened my eyes. When he saw I was looking at him, a cruel smile curved on Mendoza’s lips. “She’s one of the finest pieces of ass I’ve ever had. And the way her pussy tasted when I stuck my tongue deep inside her.” He licked his lips. “I can’t wait to taste it one last time.”

I jerked against my bindings, desperate to get free so I could tear him apart. The thought of him reminiscing about the way he had tortured Annabel made me as rabid as a feral dog. As I focused on Mendoza’s throat, I envisioned ripping it out with my teeth.

Mendoza’s next words chilled me to the bone. “I’m about to call her to make a deal.” While I stared at him in disbelief, he said, “I’m going to lead her to believe I will trade you for her. What a beautiful little fool to be willing to risk her life for the man she loves. Some would think I would be stupid to trust her, but I know my Roja. She is honorable to a fault. Took the worst fucking beating of her life just to keep a ring one of the whores gave her.”

I hung my head and my chest tightened as I remembered that it had been Sarah who gave her the ring. Surely my brothers wouldn’t let Annabel come for me, even if it meant my death.

Mendoza jerked my hair so I had to look at him. With a sinister gleam in his eyes, he said, “When she gets here, I’m going to fuck her one last time in front of you. Then to truly devastate her, I’m going to kill you in front of her. For the big finish, I’ll slit her throat.”

Holding up my phone, he smiled. “Let’s get the party started.”

TWENTY-FIVE

ANNABEL

Regardless of the way I had left things with my parents, I believed they wouldn’t completely abandon me. Of course, it didn’t hurt that my life was in danger once again by the man who had enslaved me. Within minutes of our call, my father’s connections had us patched in with the Georgia branch of the ATF, and after just a half hour, they had two teams heading to our area. I also had my phone being tracked for my location as well as to trace incoming calls. If I had ever doubted the power my father possessed, I would no longer do so.

All that was left was to wait for Mendoza to reach out. I once again resorted to pacing around the main room of the roadhouse. Thankfully, Breakneck had stitched up Bishop’s bullet wound to the back. Luckily it had narrowly missed nicking one of his kidneys. Breakneck had gotten Deacon and Mac cleaned up as well.

The eerie silence in the roadhouse was interrupted by my phone ringing. I would have ignored it had it not been Rev’s ringtone. Snatching my phone to my ear, I said, “H-Hello? Rev?”

There was a pause on the line before I heard the voice from my darkest nightmares. “Roja¸ how lovely to speak to you. I’ve missed you. Haven’t you missed me?”

A chill ran over my body at the sound of his voice in my ear. I had been haunted by it for months. Flashes of his rapes instantly tormented my mind, but I fought with everything in my being to push them out. I had to be strong and focus on the here and now to get Rev back.

“Where is Rev?” I demanded.

“Ah, I would assume you’re speaking of the biker trash you spread your legs for.”

“Tell me where he is!”

“You have been away from me for far too long, Roja. You should know better than to speak to me that way,” he admonished.

Refusing to let him ever intimidate me again, I snapped, “Cut the bullshit and tell me what you want!”

“That should be clear. I want you.”

I closed my eyes as a wave of revulsion ran through me. “So you are willing to trade me for Rev?”

He chuckled. “You’re already trying to negotiate a deal. This man must mean a lot to you.”

Thinking of what Deacon had said, I replied, “You obviously took him for a reason instead of killing him. So tell me what to do so we can end this.”

“I don’t give you any directions until I know you’re away from the Raiders.”

“Fine. I’ll leave the compound now.”

“I’ll give you ten minutes. If you’re not alone then, I’ll start taking out chunks of your lover.”

My stomach churned at his words. “I’m on my way.”

Deacon and the others stared expectantly at me. “He won’t tell me where he has Rev until I’m away from the compound.” I then related to them what he had said about giving me ten minutes or he would hurt Rev.