“It’s me, baby.” Fuck, he wanted to cry seeing her like that. He could see the pain in her eyes. He was going to make Andrew pay for what he had done to her, in a fucking big way.
“Aww, the two lovebirds in the same room. But not for much longer,” Andrew said.
The whip came up and down harder than the first, she screamed out as it sliced across her back. He thrashed in his chair. “Stop,” he yelled. Her body slumped forward, unmoving, and Andrew stepped out of his view. There were nine bright reds welts across one half of her back; the next nine lines on the other side had sliced into her skin. Every single one of them had a small trail of blood slowly oozing out of them, and running down her back.
“Get the fuck away from her, you sick fuck,” he growled.
“Why would I do that? I’m enjoying this way too much to ever stop.”
Andrew stepped towards her again. He was ready to yell once more, but stopped as Andrew undid the restraints at her ankles. Holding her with one arm around her waist, he removed the ones at her wrists. Her body fell forward in his arms. He watched as Andrew picked her up and carried her towards the bed.
“Chantal,” his own voice croaked.
She didn’t move, but she was breathing by the way her chest was rising and falling.
Andrew placed her on the bed, and lightly traced his fingers down the side of her. “You know how long they last after this, so no need in telling you. When she wakes, that is when you will finally see how your woman will surrender to me completely.”
“She will never do that. She belongs to me, and me only, asshole,” he growled.
“I have my ways to make a woman completely surrender to me, and the way I have planned tonight will work, I assure you, Dominic,” Andrew snarled back.
Chantal moaned on the bed, and started to move from side to side, mumbling ‘no’.
“Baby, wake up.”
Her body shot up into a sitting position, and she frantically looked around. When her eyes landed on Andrew, she sneered and moved so quickly off the bed that she nearly fell to the ground. She righted herself and ran towards Dom, but stopped when Andrew raised a gun to her head.
She paled right in front of him as the gun in Andrew’s hand moved from one side to the other. “Now that I have your full attention, you are going to submit to me, in front of Dominic.” He smiled.
She snorted. “You know that isn’t going to happen, on this earth or the next.”
“Are you positive? I can’t make you change your mind?”
“There is no way in hell I will ever submit to a wanker like you, I would rather jump in front of a truck, than do that.”
“As you wish.” The gun moved away from her, and he breathed a sigh of relief, but froze when the gun turned on him.
“If you don’t, I will shot your poor Dominic. Now, just to prove to you just how serious I am—”
“You won’t do it. You don’t actually have the balls,” she spat.
Andrew shot her a smile that made her stop breathing, and he cocked the gun and fired. Her hand flew to cover the scream from her mouth as he grunted from the pain of the shot.
Jesus, fucking Christ. That hurt like a bitch.
“Now, do you believe that I will? That was only in his leg, the next one goes straight into his chest.”
She looked over towards him. She grinned weakly and moved towards where Andrew was standing. Shaking his head, he started pulling at the binds behind his back. “Chantal, no.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she knelt down in front of Andrew.
“See, it wasn’t that hard, was it,” he said to her as he lifted her chin so her eyes met his.
Her hands were in her lap, just the way they had spoken about, her eyes were downcast from his, and her feet crossed over each other. Andrew dropped his arm with the gun to his side, as the other started undoing his pants.
He saw Chantal gulp and close her eyes, and she turned her head slightly away from him. “Baby, you don’t have to do this,” he whispered to her. He was trying to work his wrists out of the knot at his back. He just needed a little more time and he would be free.
Andrew still held the gun in one hand, the other pushed down his pants. “Take it out,” he ordered.
Dom growled where he was sitting. He could not watch if she did what he had asked, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she leaned forward and lifted her shaky hands up towards his pants. She slowly pushed her hands in and pulled out his cock, and Andrew groaned once her fingers had touched him.
“I want you to wrap your mouth around my cock.”
Her hands fell away from him and she slid back on her knees. “No,” she whispered.
He looked down at her. “Have it your way then.” His hand came up and pointed the gun yet again at him. Smiling towards him, he cocked it and fired.
“Noooo!” Chantal screamed.
Andrew grabbed her before she could get up of the floor. The bullet hit him straight in the chest, just like he said it would next time. He started coughing. Leaning forward, he spat blood onto the floor. Well shit, he knew that wasn’t good.
Chantal sobbed as she struggled in Andrew’s arms. “I told you. Now, what are you going to do? Your Dom is dying.”
The force of the bullet hitting him directly in his chest knocked the breath out of him. He was gasping for air and his eyesight was blurring, and his heart was pumping a million miles an hour.
“Dominic,” she whispered.
Jesus, he was getting tired. Opening his eyes, he looked straight at her. “Baby, I’m so sorry for everything. I didn’t mean to hurt you in any way,” he slurred.
“Dominic, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did to you. I love you,” she sobbed.
“And I love you, baby girl.” He coughed. More blood oozed as it dripped from the corner of his mouth.
“Let me go!” she yelled at Andrew.
He couldn’t keep his eyes open. He wanted to see her face for one last time.
He felt her hands on his legs. “Please don’t die, Dom. You can’t leave me. You promised, Dominic!” she screamed his name at the end.
“Baby, you are everything to me, and more. I have loved you from the first day I saw you broken down on the side of the road. I told myself I had finally found my angel.” He spat more blood onto the ground. “Don’t let anyone tell you any different, you are who you are, and you will always be mine, heart body and soul. We are one soul joined in perfect unison.”
His voice was getting weaker and weaker. He knew he didn’t have much time. His heart beat was slowing down, thump...thump.........thump.....thump...............thump....................thump......................thump.
“I love you for eternity, baby girl.” Those were the last words he got out. Chantal gripped his hands and screamed at him to wake up. He wanted to, but his body was going into its own world. His body floated, feeling light as a feather as the light in front of his eyes brightened. Her hand slipped away from his. He called for her but received no reply from her. He knew that their friends would find her and then look after her. She was in great hands, he had nothing to worry about, besides her not being with him where he was going. That was the only thing that he could never have again, her in his arms, loving him the way he loved her.
––––––––
N
ate cursed as he hung up the phone. Joey’s brother had found where Chantal had been for the last several days, and Dom as well. They had no idea that he had even been missing. They all thought he was out there just like they were, looking for her. He knew that he would want to be the one to actually find Skylar if it was her, so he really didn’t think that Dom had gone missing himself.
Running into his room, he pulled out his bag that he had in the back of the closet. He checked over his glock, made sure he had enough bullets and whatever else he needed, and moved quickly back out into the lounge room.
Picking his phone up, he called his brother.
“I’m heading to your place now. I have Jet in the truck with me as well as a couple other boys,” Greg said.
“Good. Joey will be here soon, and so will some more blokes, too. The more the better.”
“Speak to ya when I see ya, bro.”
He dropped his bag on the couch and walked out into the garage. Dom had hid a bag out the back near the tyres, for something like this, if it ever happened. Once he had found it, he heard his name being called. Turning around, he walked back out of the garage.
“Joey, glad you’re here,” he told him as he slapped him on the back.
“That is what family is for, Nate. You never mess with ours,” he stated.
“True that. Greg is on his way. He has Jet with him and several of his mates, too. Once everyone is here, we will plan out what we are going to do and head out. I don’t want Skylar to know, if she finds out now, she will want to come along and that isn’t going to fucking happen.”
“I think you really need to think about that one, Nate,” Joey said with a grin.
Shit!
He spun around, Skylar stood there, arms crossed over her chest and tapping her foot. “I’m not going where, Nate?”
“Baby, the boys and I have something that we need to do. We’ll be back in a couple of hours,” he said, walking up to her.
“Nate, remember what I said about the whole ‘no more lies’ thing? This is one,” she hissed.
“Damn it, Skylar. You can’t come with us, baby. It’s way too dangerous.”
“If this has anything to do with Chantal, and I have a strong feeling it does, I want to come, Nate. She will need me.”
“No fucking way. You’re staying here, where I know you’re safe.”
“You know I won’t get involved, I only want to be there for her, Nate, please. It will kill me sitting at home and waiting for you to ring. And knowing you’re out there doing God knows what. I don’t want to be too far away from the both of you,” she whispered.
“Skylar,” he groaned. He knew he was going to allow her to come. He didn’t want her to be sitting at home worrying about what was happening. Plus, if he did leave her here, which he would have had someone stay with her, she would have found a way to where they were going, and he didn’t want that. He had a plan. Well, he actually had it planned for when the baby was born, it was better to do it now, and if she wanted to come, she was going to say yes, now. He wasn’t going to take ‘no’ this time. He had his fingers crossed she would totally go for it, if she wanted to be there for him and Chantal.
He dropped to his knee in front of her. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “Nate,” she whispered.
“This is going to be short and sweet, ok, baby.”
She nodded, and he continued, “You know I love you, and want to spend the rest of my life with you, and you only. No one else does it for me. I don’t think of anyone else but you. I want to be with you every second of the day, not a minute less. You are mine, and I don’t care who knows about it either, Skylar. Will you marry me, Sky?”
Tears poured down her cheeks. Her hands shook near her mouth as she stood there. “Baby,” he whispered. He couldn’t handle if she said no, it would break him, but he would make it his damn best to win her back.
“Yes.” It was a small whisper, and he just barely heard her say it.
“Jesus, baby. I’m so glad you finally said it. You had me worried there for a second.” His mouth covered hers, not giving her a chance to say anything to him.
Her sweet mouth moved with his, tongues joining together, her hands were all over his body and his the same to hers. He had never felt anything more perfect in his life than right then. She was his world and so was the child she carried that was cushioned between them at the moment.
“Times up, guys. Sorry to break this up, you will have plenty of time later for it, but we need to go,” Joey called from behind them.
Skylar blushed at forgetting that Joey was there. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
Nate grabbed her hand in his. “Let’s go.”
She trailed behind him and they walked back into his house. As he pulled her into the lounge room, she took notice of the men standing there. Nate knew she was only familiar with a couple of the guys, but mainly Joey and him.
“Ok guys, we are all here for a reason, let’s get to business. I don’t want to be hanging around here too much longer. As you all know, Chantal went missing three days ago. Now, Dominic is missing, too. He was last seen at the club, leaving alone, late last night. No one has seen him since”
Skylar cried out at what he had just mentioned. He pulled her tighter against him, not letting go.
“Jet has tracked both their phones and they’re currently at Cove Lake.” He glanced around the room. “Joey, Jason, Gavin, Lee and Travis—you guys will be coming with me. The rest of you are heading out with Greg. We’ll meet up at the lake and move in then.”
He lifted Skylar’s chin. “You’re coming with me.”
“Let’s go boys, time’s a wasting.”
Everyone moved and ran outside. Nate helped Sky into his truck, as Joey and Travis jumped in the back. The rest of them jumped in several other trucks parked out the front of his place.
As they were driving down the street, with five other trucks behind them, he reached over and squeezed her hand, but never took his eyes off the road. “Baby, when we get there, someone will be staying with you, no arguments, please. I need to know that you are safe and not in harm’s way. I have no clue as to how dangerous it is going to be when we arrive, but I’m guessing it’s going to be bad.”
“I promise, I’ll stay in your truck Nate. Just bring back Chantal and Dom in one piece, please. And you, too. I won’t be able to handle it if I lose you.”
“I plan on getting us all out, baby, you can count on that.”
******
C
hantal ripped herself out of Andrew’s arms and ran towards Dominic’s still body. She fell to the floor at his feet. Her hands shook as she laid them over his legs. He was pale. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth. His eyes were black, with bruises covering most of his face, the left side of his body, his chest, and his stomach. Jesus, what did they do to him?
Kneeling up, she raised her hand and felt for a pulse, any kind of pulse. Nothing was there, not even the slightest beat. Her sobs echoed through the room. “Dom. Wake up, please,” she pleaded. Nothing. Not even a flinch of any sort. She tapped him lightly against his cheek, trying anything to get a reaction out of him, and still, nothing.