Page 46 of Bowser (Dragon Riders MC 2)
“Stop, stop, stop!” I shrieked.
Skeleton stuffed the bandana back into my mouth. “The more you move, the more it hurts. Got it?”
I glared at him. “I hope they slaughter you.”
He grinned. “And I hope they come for me. Because when they do, we’ll all be ready. And you’ll get to watch from my bedroom window as they all go down. One by one.”
Hot tears streaked my cheeks and I chastised myself for it. Skeleton smiled at me before he patted my cheek, then someone kicked me in my gut. I gasped for air, sucking the bandana further down the back of my throat. And after I choked on it, bile crept up the back of my throat.
“Oh, and if you puke on this van floor, you’ll be licking it up,” Skeleton said coolly.
Which forced me to swallow my vomit back down.
I felt helpless. I felt useless. And that was exactly what I had become. Nothing but a liability to everyone around me, including the man I loved. I felt stupid, idiotic. I wanted to die more than anything else. Maybe this world was better off without me. Maybe Bowser was better off without me.
He wouldn’t be in this situation without me.
Holy shit, this was all my fault.
I gave up fighting as I laid there, feeling the van pull out of the motel parking lot. I wondered what kind of a trap Ash was driving into. I wondered what kind of a trap they were all walking into because of me. Maybe I could bargain for them. Maybe I could bargain for their lives with my own.
“Skelly?”
I sniffled, trying to push back the tears as one of the guys looked down at me.
“Skelly? Can you hear me?”
“Boss?”
Skeleton grunted. “What?”
“She’s asking for you.”
He chuckled. “Breaking so soon, sweet cheeks? I thought better of you.”
I wanted to strangle him. “I wanna talk.”
He sat down. “If you scream once I pull this out, you’re dead. Understood?”
I nodded and it caused him to relieve my mouth of that nasty-ass fabric.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I want to offer a trade,” I said.
He chuckled. “A trade, huh? Let me guess: your life for the Dragon Riders. Right?”
I paused. “Right.”
He shoved the bandana back in my mouth. “You’re worth something, but not that much. Don’t overestimate yourself. It’s a terrible quality in a girl.”17Bowser“How long does it take them to fucking get gas?” Sly asked.
I shrugged as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “You heard from Ash yet?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“And how long has it been since you messaged him and told him to check in on Hope?”
“He’s a big boy. He’s fine.”
“How long, Sly?”
He looked down at the clock, pausing. “Thirty minutes.”
I looked over at him before I dialed Hope’s number. I put the call on speakerphone, hoping and praying she picked up. I had three missed phone calls and a dozen text messages from her. But when her phone shot me to voicemail, I took a look at the last text she sent me.
“How long ago was it?” Sly asked.
My back stiffened. “Thirty minutes ago.”
We slowly looked at one another before I dialed Hope’s phone again. It rang, rang, and rang some more. Until finally, it shot me to her voice messaging system. I hung up the phone and tossed my cell into the cup holder, cursing myself beneath my breath.
“Something’s off about this,” I murmured.
Sly grumbled. “They don’t need to be taking this long for gas.”
I licked my lips. “You call Ash. I’m going to radio Link. Something’s off about all of this.”
“On it.”
I picked up the radio. “Link, you there?”
The radio hissed. “Copy. What’s up?”
“We’re stopped at a gas station and we’ve been here for about twenty minutes.”
“So?”
“Hope’s been blowing up my phone all morning and now she’s not answering.”
The radio hissed again. “There a point to all of this?”
Sly tossed his cell to me. “Give me the radio. You call Ash. You’re not all here.”
I glared at him. “I’m fine. Put a cork in it.”
He held out his hand. “It’s okay to not be fine when someone you love is in trouble. Now, give me the damn radio.”
I held his stare. “Love?”
He snickered. “You’re an idiot if you’re still questioning it.”
Link’s voice caught my attention. “Will someone talk some sense to me, please?”
So, I handed the radio to Sly.
“Hey there, Link-o. Look, we got a bit of a situation. We’re at a gas station about half an hour away from the campground and they’ve been here way too fucking long. Also, something’s going on with Hope.”
I tried calling Ash, but he didn’t pick up his cell.
“What’s up?” Link asked.
Sly started talking quickly. “Hope was blowing us up, so I told Bowser I’d tell Ash to check in on the girl. You know, just to make sure. Kind of our job to keep her safe, right? Well, thirty minutes ago they both dropped off the radar. Hope’s last text was thirty minutes ago and now she’s not picking up after bothering Bowser all morning, and we can’t get Ash on the phone. At all.”
