Protected (Divided Loyalties) Read online

  Nick didn’t say a word, but she knew he was sitting on her longer than he needed to, and her skirt had gotten pushed up beneath him. As much as she didn’t want to feel it, she was a little aroused by the position he was in. It made her feel horrible for liking it. It seemed as if she had some kind of animal attraction to him, and it didn’t matter if her mind told her to hate him, her body wanted to experience him.

  In the next moment Nick stood up. He grabbed her by her arm and pulled her up from the ground. She noticed the respectful way he smoothed down her skirt before Paulie could see.

  Paulie was angry that she had hurt him. He stalked towards her and she could hear him cursing as he got closer.

  “I’m going to teach that pig a lesson,” he hissed and drew back his hand as if he might punch her.

  “No,” Nick said firmly and she heard the sound of skin against skin as he stopped Paulie from hitting her. “No marks. She’s already banged up enough. Randy won’t want her if she’s bleeding.”

  “So what?” Paulie snapped. “You know he’s just going to screw her and then feed her to the dogs.”

  Alexa took a sharp breath at that idea. She wasn’t sure which she dreaded more. Randy was not the least bit attractive, with a mean streak that made her certain he was more interested in torture than sex.

  Behind them she heard the sound of the motorcycles approaching.

  Soon Lou was beside her. “Give her to me,” he demanded as he jerked Alexa out of Nick’s grasp. She actually felt a little more fearful being away from him, as if somehow she expected he would try to help her.

  She felt Lou run his fingers through her hair in a strangely paternal way. Then he reached up and tore her blouse so that her breasts were revealed. She had no idea how many pairs of eyes might be looking at her as she stood there with only her bra to cover her but she did hear some whistling and a few grunts. She wondered if Nick was one of them.

  Lou led her into the warehouse, and the door banged shut behind them. She could tell that it was darker inside. She could smell dogs. She could hear them growling and barking not far off. Pit bulls, maybe Rottweilers, or even Mastiffs, they could be as deadly as any weapon.

  “You’re late!” a voice bellowed from a few feet ahead of her.

  “I brought you something,” Lou said proudly.

  “It better be cash,” the voice, who she now was sure was Randy, replied.

  “No, it’s not cash,” Lou said, and then gave Alexa a hard enough shove to force her to her knees. “But she’s sure pretty.”

  Randy grunted and looked her over. She could feel her skin crawl as his gaze hung on her heaving breasts. She didn’t have to see him to know what he was looking at.

  “So, she’s just another girl,” he shrugged as he glanced at Lou. “That’s no excuse for being late.”

  “She’s not just some girl, Randy,” Lou argued in a respectful tone. “She’s a cop.”

  Alexa heard something clatter against the floor and she guessed it was her badge.

  “Is she now?” Randy’s laugh was loud and obnoxious. “Come on over here, girl,” he called, and slapped his knee as if she was a dog.

  Alexa didn’t move.

  “Go, Alexa,” Lou kicked her lightly in her side. Alexa still didn’t move.

  “You deaf, girl?” Randy asked. “Or do you just want to die?”

  Alexa kept her mouth closed tightly. She was not prepared for what would happen next. She was struggling not to cry. In all her years of law enforcement she had never been in such a vulnerable situation. When she was growing up she had been protected and cared for by her family. Things like this happened to other people, not to her. Maybe that was why she had such a reckless attitude. Maybe that was why she didn’t realize how dangerous Nick was when they met eyes in the bar.

  “Bring her,” Randy barked.

  Lou grabbed her by the hair, pulling it hard so that she could feel some tearing from her scalp. When she still refused to move, he clamped one hand around the back of her neck and shoved her across the floor, half pulling her by the hair, and half pushing her by her neck.

  “Oh, a tough one,” Randy cooed. “I do like to break them,” she felt his hot breath on her skin. Then something moist and warm coasted across her breasts, back and forth, sampling each one.

  Alexa tried not to whimper. She struggled to back away, but Lou had his legs pressed against her back, and her hands were still tied by Nick’s belt.

  “Oh, she’s tasty too,” Randy said, and she knew he was right in front of her. She felt his hands slide down into her bra and roughly grasp her nipples. He tugged so hard that she couldn’t hold back a groan of pain.

  “There’s that sweet voice,” he muttered, his voice husky with desire. “Oh, I’m going to have you screaming, Alexa. I’m going to have you regretting every pair of handcuffs you ever snapped shut,” he laughed right beside her ear as he continued to twist and tug at her nipples. “And you know what, I think you like it,” he kissed her cheek gently.

  “No,” Alexa said firmly. “No I don’t like your nasty grimy hands on me,” she spat in his face. She would rather he pulled out a gun and shot her right then, than touch her like that.

  When the spit struck him in the face, Randy and Lou both reacted at the same time. Randy lunged backward, only to propel his fist forward directly into Alexa’s cheek, while Lou held her firmly by the shoulders, grinding her knees into the glass and stone that littered the warehouse floor so that she could not dodge the punch.

  Alexa grunted with pain as the strike landed, but at least his hands were off her breasts. She felt so exposed, and she could not see a damn thing thanks to Nick’s t-shirt wrapped so tightly around her eyes.

  “You know what we’re going to do with this one,” Randy said quietly as he wiped the spit off of his face. “We’re going to let her be a gift all right, but from me, to the whole gang,” he chuckled as if he was the most generous person. “Let her be an example to all of the guys, that cops ain’t nothing without their guns or their backup,” he paused. Alexa could barely draw a full breath, her chest was so tight with anxiety. She could still feel his sticky saliva on her skin.

  “String her up,” he barked. “Then, when the guys are done with her, we’ll let the dogs have her.”

  “Yes boss,” Lou said with a little too much admiration in his voice. Was he going to be the first?

  Alexa was trembling when he jerked her up from the floor. He began to systematically shed all of her clothes. He tore off what remained of her blouse. She was left in her bra, with her hands still tied behind her back by Nick’s belt. When the humid air of the warehouse struck her bare skin Alexa tried not to cry. She was trying so hard to be brave, but she was starting to believe there was no reason to be.

  She would be fed to the dogs before anyone even realized she was gone. No one was coming to save her. No one even knew she had been at the bar, now that Mary was dead. There was no point in fighting. She was out gunned and out manned. She could hear the guys from the gang filling up the warehouse. She tried at first to listen to the footsteps to see how many different men there might be, but she lost track after ten. When she felt Lou jerking down her skirt, she closed her eyes behind the blindfold tightly. A few tears snaked past. She couldn’t stop them. He ran his hand along the crotch of her panties.

  “Randy says we all get a turn,” he called out to the members of the gang. “But I’m going first,” he leaned forward and kissed her hard on the lips.

  Alexa tried to jerk her head back but he grasped it tightly with his hand, forcing her mouth to his. When his tongue invaded her mouth she bit down hard on it. She felt blood flow from it.

  “Ah! Shit!” he cursed and jerked backwards. Alexa spat the blood out of her mouth, not intending it to land on Lou but it struck him anyway.

  She felt hands on her before she could get away, and the next thing she knew, she was being jerked to her feet.

  “String her up,” Lou roared with Randy laughin
g in the background and cheers from the men who had entered the warehouse.

  “Don’t!” she cried out when she felt the rope wrapping around her waist and beneath her arms. It was pulled so snug that the rope bit into her bare skin. The next thing she knew, she was being dragged from the ground and up about two feet into the air. She felt a few punches land to her stomach and side, which were delivered by the thick hands of Lou she was sure. Her cries of pain were mingled with the lewd shouts of the men who were watching with increasing anticipation. That was when the tears started to flow. They flowed hot and fast as she screamed out in horror of what was happening to her.

  In the middle of all of the noise, one voice spoke up.

  “You guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves,” Nick’s voice roared over the rest.

  Alexa felt some sense of relief, hoping that maybe he was going to talk some sense into the men. In her mind she heard him speak of the value of women, and how no one should be treated so harshly, but what he actually said was a bit different.

  “This is a cop,” he hissed. “She needs to suffer a little first, don’t you think?” he demanded. A few of the men agreed with him, but most of them began to complain, they were so eager.

  “No, Nick is right,” Randy said sternly. “She’s not here just for pleasure. We need to teach her why it’s wrong to meddle in the affairs of our brothers.”

  “Yeah!” A few of the other men cheered.

  Alexa still could not see what was happening, and her heart was pounding so loudly it was hard for her to hear.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Nick volunteered. “I want to be the one. She conned me, I should be the one that gets to punish her.”

  Randy and Lou spoke quietly for a few moments as Alexa dangled in mid-air.

  “Okay,” Randy finally said. “We’ll allow you this one chance, Nick, but I swear to God, if I don’t hear her screaming every second you’re alone with her, I will come in here and torture you both.”

  “Yes, sir,” Nick said firmly, his voice seething with the desire to have his chance to hurt Alexa.

  Alexa bit into her bottom lip, trying to slow down the tears that had been falling furiously.

  She listened to the sound of the footsteps leaving the warehouse, and braced herself. What was Nick going to do now that they were all alone?

  Chapter 6

  She felt his hand on her chest, just above the slope of her breasts. She felt his fingers creep up along the base of her throat, and hold there. Then she heard his voice, just beside her neck.

  “Scream,” he growled.

  “No,” she replied sternly.

  “Don’t make me, make you,” he hissed. “Because if I have to, I will,” he promised. “Just do what I tell you. Scream,” his hand tightened slightly on her throat, not enough to hurt her, but enough to get his point across.

  She screamed, loud and long as if he was hurting her and in that moment, she felt the tug of the rope being cut. Her body fell easily into his, which was still bare-chested because his t-shirt was tied snugly around her eyes.

  He reached up and tugged the blindfold down. When she met his eyes, her own filled with tears, he narrowed his lashes.

  “Scream,” he whispered, his hand still holding to the base of her throat.

  She screamed again, but did not shift her eyes from his. As her scream trailed off she whispered.

  “Just let me go, just undo the belt,” she pleaded, wriggling her hands in it.

  “No,” he smirked a little, just a touch of amusement bleeding through his hardened exterior. “I’ve seen what you can do with those hands.”

  “Just let me go,” she pleaded again and he gave her neck a gentle squeeze to remind her to scream. She obeyed the command, and the room was filled with a horrified scream.

  He paused a moment and laid a cigarette between his lips. He lit the cigarette and stared at her where she stood. Her legs were shaking so badly that she could barely stand. She was wearing nothing but her panties and bra and despite the heat in the warehouse, she was shivering.

  He snatched her skirt up from the floor and held it out for her, using one hand to help steady her. She stepped into it quickly. Then he unwound the t-shirt that had been her blindfold.

  “Are you going to let me go?” she whispered.

  “Are you going to scream?” he asked with a little bit of annoyance.

  She screamed, and while she did, he took a long drag of his cigarette. Only one drag. And then he stamped it out on the cement floor.

  “You’ve put me in a very awkward position, Alexa,” he murmured as he tugged the t-shirt on over her head. He smoothed it down until it served to restrain her more, but at least she was covered.

  “I did?” she gasped as she glared at him. “I’m not the one…”

  “Scream,” he reminded her as he held up one finger.

  She frowned, but managed to scream as he instructed.

  “Listen, there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he told her quietly.

  “Obviously,” she agreed. She was glad he wasn’t actually hurting her, but she wasn’t sure if she should trust him or not.

  “I’m going to get you out of here,” he said reluctantly. “Because I can’t let them do what they will to you,” he added with a pained expression. “But you need to understand, if they catch us, they’re going to kill us both.”

  “Why would you do that for me?” she asked with surprise.

  “I’m not who you think I am,” he said firmly, and held her eyes for a long moment. “I hope you don’t think I meant all of the things I’ve said, what I’ve had to do.”

  “As if someone has a gun at your head?” Alexa countered. “Is that what I’m supposed to believe.”

  He was silent for a long moment as he studied her, before finally speaking. “You can believe what you want, but I’m going to get you out of here. First, you have to scream.”

  She screamed again, long and hard, until he trailed his hand across his neck to signal her to stop.

  Then he grabbed her by the shoulder and steered her toward a side entrance of the warehouse. Once he opened the door and checked to see if anyone was out there, he looked back at her.

  “This is all going to happen fast, so you need to do what I tell you, no mistakes, got me?” he demanded.

  She nodded, her heart racing. She wanted the freedom he was offering her. He slid his hand under her shirt and loosened the belt.

  “I swear, if you try to run from me, or if you try to fight me, I will make sure that you end up back in Randy’s hands, understand?” the threat sounded harsh, but she didn’t really believe him.

  When her hands were free she slid them through the sleeves of the t-shirt she was now wearing.

  “We’re going to run for that bike over there and once we’re on it, you’re going to hold on to me very tightly, because I will not be stopping, even if you fall off,” he warned. He wanted to make sure she understood how serious this was.

  “Okay, okay,” she nodded quickly. He grabbed her hand and the gesture reminded her of the first time he had held it. Had it only been hours before? Had all of the events that had just occurred really unfolded in such a short period of time? She felt as if she had fought a war and she wasn’t sure yet if she was going to win.

  He started to run and she did her best to keep pace with him, but he was moving so fast he was practically dragging her. When they reached the motorcycle, they heard shouting from behind them. Someone had finally noticed that Alexa wasn’t screaming any more. Nick pulled her up onto the bike behind him, started the engine, and roared off down the dirt path, cursing the entire way. She could tell that he was as panicked as she was, and for the first time it struck her how much he really was risking just to protect her.

  Being a cop was one thing. Rescuing a cop was another.

  As the motorcycle roared down the road, other engines started gunning to life and she knew they wouldn’t be far behind them. She held tightly to his waist
and crushed her face against his back to shield her eyes from the flying rocks and sand that the tires were kicking up. He spun off to the side, down a path he knew well, and just in time for the other bikes to drive past them. He continued down what was more of a dirt path than an actual road, and each bump and dip made her think they would end up in a fiery crash.

  They rode for over an hour, getting as far from the Death Adder’s main hideout as possible. Then finally, he had to stop for gas. He pulled into a gas station and she climbed off the back of the bike.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled as he started to fill the tank. He glanced over at her, and saw the tension in her muscles.

  “What, are you going to run?” he asked with a shake of his head. “That wasn’t enough for you to trust me?”

  “Well, since you were the one who took me,” she pointed out.

  “I took you because I had to, Alexa. I could have let them kill you right there on the spot, I took you because I needed to buy you some time. If you were dead, there was no way I could protect you. But if you want to go, go, please,” he shrugged. “I’m not holding you captive.”

  She stared at him. “Why did you protect me?” she asked curiously.

  “Because, Alexa,” he smiled faintly. “You and I aren’t so different.”

  She found that incredibly hard to believe, considering that he was a criminal and she was a cop, but she didn’t point it out. Instead, she just gave him a slight nod and started to walk toward the nearest pay phone.

  Chapter 7

  She put in a call to her partner, Matthew, who had been frantically searching for her since the night before. He had found her ID in the alley where Lou had flung it, after responding to reports of shots fired at the bar, and knew that something bad had happened to her.

  “I need you to pick me up,” she said into the phone.

  “From where?” he asked.

  “I’m not really sure,” she said as she started to turn around to ask Nick. But the spot where Nick and his bike had been were now empty. She squinted at the sign for the gas station and told him the name of it.