Page 50 of Snake (Road Rebels MC 3)
“Come on,” I said. “Just one little kick for momma.”
“Shut the fuck up!” the man roared.
I bit down on my bottom lip as my hands roamed over my stomach.
I felt the van roar to life, moving as I braced myself against the wall. I tried to remember the turns the van took to calm my nerves as blood continued to trickle from the gash in my leg. Focusing on the movement calmed my nerves and settled my mind, and I hoped that the decrease in my heartbeat would somehow signal my child to start moving. I wasn’t sure how all of that worked, and I was kicking myself for not paying more attention to my fucking doctor’s appointments.
“Come on,” I whispered with tears in my eyes. “Just once.”
Then, I felt it. The smallest kick right into my bladder. I could feel urine trying to break free as my little boy continued to kick, but I didn’t care. He was still alive, and it swelled my chest with hope.
My baby boy was still alive.
Even though my hands were in front of me, they were ziptied. My ankles were bound with something I couldn’t figure out, but my hands were definitely ziptied. And tight as well. I was losing feeling in my pinky fingers, and if I weren’t careful, I’d lose all blood circulation in my hand. I twisted them around to see if I could break free, but the harder I tugged the more the plastic cut into my skin. I could feel the blood rising to the surface on my wrists, so I dropped my hands back onto my stomach.
“That was a good decision,” the man said.
I jumped at his voice, and he chuckled.
“It’s good that you’re scared. Your father should be, too. I’ve got no issues slitting your throat in front of him if he doesn’t come with his money.”
“Not if Cade kills you first,” I said.
“Cade. Huh. You called that name out in your room. He your special someone?” the man asked. “Perhaps the father of your child?”
I kept my mouth shut and continued to work on the zip ties, hoping I could break myself free. But before I could make any progress, the can came to a halt, and I heard a gun cock.
“That gash in your thigh will be the least of your worries if you don’t stop,” he said.
I drew in a shuddering breath and ceased my movements. But instead of the van continuing to move, he got out of the car. I held my breath, listening to him walk around to the back, and I tried with all my might to break free.
I bent over as far as my stomach would let me go, but I couldn’t reach my legs. I twisted and turned at my restraints, trying to wear the plastic down. The pain ricocheting up my arms was fiery, robbing me of my breath as I panted in the back of the van. My little boy was kicking and tumbling now like he was trying to break free himself.
I know how you feel, my boy. I know how you feel.
I was sweating before I had to stop. The zip ties were too tight, and I could feel blood coating my wrists. I leaned back into the wall of the van as tears burned the back of my eyes. How the hell was I going to get out of this? How was I going to get back to Cade? Was he coming for me? Was he trying to find me?
Did my father even care that I was gone?
All of these questions were running through my mind. The night was silent, and the man hadn’t come back to the van yet. Had he left me to die? Was I going to starve to death out here? I had to find a way to get out. I had to find a way to get home.
If no one was coming for me, then I was going to have to do this myself.
I scooted on my ass, trying to ignore the pain coursing through my body. My hands felt along the wall as I rolled onto my knees. I got myself upright and smiled as my hands continued to run along the wall, but then I heard the opening of the back door and froze.
“I figured you’d try to be a little shit.”
He clamped his hand over my mouth as I tried to struggle against him. I felt the cool blade of that fucking knife press against my throat. I stopped in an instant as it hovered over my vein, and I knew he was about to kill me. This was the end for me. I had failed in protecting my child.
My body started to shake with fear as tears poured down my cheeks.
Without another sound, the blade was removed from my neck. I heard something shifting and zipping, then I was pulled upright. I was pulled onto my stomach as I screamed out, shouting that my child was going to get hurt if he didn’t stop.
But all the man did was laugh as he manipulated my hands.
Once the man was done, he closed the doors on me again. I scrambled to my knees, crying as I tried to move my hands to my stomach. But instead of moving where I needed them to go, they stayed right up against the door.
That fucking asshole had zip-tied me to the damn door, and all hope I had of escape drained from my body.
Just like the blood that trickled between my thighs.
Chapter 22
Cade
We all arrived at the park at three in the morning. Ryan and Patrice were sitting in their car waiting for our signal while the rest of us staked out the place. The gang and I walked all around the park, clocking all the entrances and exits before posting a couple of people in the shadows next to them. The entire gang was in all this. All one hundred of us. If this man was coming into the park, he sure as hell wasn’t getting away. When someone fucked with one of us, they fucked with all of us.
And with Harper carrying my child, this man had officially fucked with one of us.
The park was dark and had a surprising amount of entrances and exits. Those who weren’t stationed at an exit took off their leather cuts and sat on benches, acting like homeless people or stumbling around like drunks. They peppered the entire park as Ryan and Patrice sat off to the side, right near the meeting place this asshole suggested.
But with every passing minute, I was getting more and more nervous.
“Hey, Cade. You okay?” Ink asked.
“Yep.”
“You look nervous,” he said.
“Then why the fuck did you ask if I was okay?”
“Because I wanted to see if you would admit it.”
“Asshole.”
“You know we’re gonna get her, right?”
“Blade sort of destroyed my faith in that avenue,” I said.
“You can’t blame him for what happened. You know he’s not perfect. None of us are perfect. He did the best he could. Popped off rounds. But in the dead of night without his scope, he’s practically useless.”
“Wish I would’ve thought about that sooner,” I said.
“Stop worrying. We’re gonna get her out alive.”
“If we don’t, I’m slaughtering that man limb by limb in the middle of this fucking park.”
“I don’t doubt it for a second. Just leave the bloodbath for when it’s necessary,” he said.
Time passed by, inching along as we kept watch. Four in the morning came and went, and I could see Ryan and Patrice nodding off. Of course, they’d fucking be nodding off while their daughter was being held captive. The fuck was wrong with these people? I stayed in the shadows with Ink and Blade, my gun at the ready just in case this asshole showed up early.
And just as I thought, he did.
I watched as a van pulled up with its high beams blaring. It was a black van with dirty ass trim, and I started seeing red. The mother of my child was in there somewhere. Cooped up, pregnant, and scared while she inhaled all that disgusting dust. A man got out and came around to the back, sitting in the van as he waited.
I aimed down the sights of my gun and readied myself for a shot.
But just before we gave Ryan and Patrice the signal, something happened. The van began to rock on its chassis. Holy fuck, Harper was in there. She was alive, and I jumped at the ready to go get her.
“Keep a lid on it,” Ink said. “Not yet.”
“She’s fucking in there. He’s about to open that damn-”
The van door opened and I whipped my head around. I listened as Harper screamed, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. Something about the baby?
Or being hurt? I couldn't tell, but I was shaking. Seething and dripping with fury as I watched him zip tie the mother of my fucking child to the damn van door.
“We gotta get this right,” Ink said. “We’ve only got one shot.”
“I’ve got a bullet with his name on it,” I said.
I looked over at the car and saw Harper’s parents panicking. They had watched the scene unfold as well, and they were ready to go. Doc was holding them off, watching the clock tick down to five before he released them. Ryan slowly pulled his car out of the shadows and up to the van, which gave Ink and I time to wrap around to the front of the van.
Everyone had their guns trained on this man. He was none the wiser that everyone in the park was one of us. He had no fucking idea what was about to creep up on him. Ink and I got to the front of the car just as Ryan got out to approach the man, and we stopped in our tracks to listen to what they were talking about.
“You got the money?”
“It’s right here. All of it,” Ryan said. “Now where’s my daughter?”
“Where she deserves to be.”
“Give me my daughter, and I’ll give you this bag,” Ryan said.
“Not how it works,” the man said.
“I don’t even know if my daughter’s alive,” Ryan said.
Way to play it, Ryan. The first smart thing you’ve fucking done since I’ve known you.
I watched as the man raised his gun to Ryan’s head and I saw people in the shadows draw their guns. This man had a gun trained on Harper’s father, but there were eight guns trained on him. Even if Ryan went down tonight, he was not fucking getting away.
Harper was safe, even if Ryan wasn’t.
“If you stop with this fucking election, I’ll give you your daughter first,” the man said.
