Everything hurt. An excruciating, throbbing pain pulsed through my head, making it difficult to make a clear thought. I had no idea where I was, but my head was in such a deep fog that I couldn’t even make myself try. It was hard to breathe, my lungs burned with every single breath like someone was sitting on my chest. I just wanted to lie there, wait for the pain to go away, but something was gnawing at me. I needed to wake up. I had to wake up, but it was just too hard. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. I had no idea what was going on with me.
Breathe.
Slow… steady.
Damn. Why was it so hard to breathe? I inhaled through my nose, trying to keep my breaths short and shallow, so it wouldn’t hurt so much. It didn’t help. Nothing helped, and the darkness was pulling at me. I was about to just give into it, when it came to me. The one thing that could pull me out of my haze… Wyatt. My chest tightened with panic, making my lungs burn even more. When I tried to move, a pain shot to my side, reminding me of the time that Michael had broken my ribs during one of his meltdowns. I stilled myself and tried to call out to Wyatt, but only muffled cries echoed around me. When I tried to move, I realized that my arms were bound behind me. I called out again, but something was covering my mouth. Duct tape was sealed across my lips, another reason it was so hard to breathe. I could feel my heartbeat pound against my chest as panic washed over me. I was losing it. I needed to focus.
Breathe.
Slow… steady.
I couldn’t fall apart. Not now, not when Wyatt needed me. I twisted my wrists back and forth, trying to loosen the ties around my hands. Ignoring the pain, I rocked my body from side to side and quickly realized that I was confined in some kind of box or maybe the trunk of a car. Not only was I bound and gagged, I was locked away, all alone.
Alone.
I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I couldn’t stop the panic from setting in as the memories came rushing back. My heart started to beat rapidly in my chest as I thought back to the night Michael had locked me away in that damn closet. It was just once, but it made a lasting impression on me. I’d told him I was going to a movie with a friend. When I headed towards the door, he slapped me… hard. Before I had time to react, he pushed me into the closet and kicked me in the side with his boot when I tried to fight back. Seconds later the door slammed shut, and not only did he lock it, he propped a chair against the doorknob to ensure that I couldn’t get out. He had a thousand reasons why he’d gone to such an extreme, but that night I’d seen the light. There were no limits to Michael’s abuse, and the thought of my son being alone with him scared me to death. I had to get to Wyatt before Michael hurt him. Nothing else mattered. I fought against my restraints again, determined to get my hands free, but it only made it harder for me to breathe with that damn tape across my mouth.
Breathe.
Slow… steady.
I moved my wrists slowly, back and forth, until I felt my skin begin to tear against the rope. I stopped and rested for a few minutes before trying again… and again… and again. After what felt like forever, I finally started to feel the rope give around my wrists. Blood trickled down my hands as I twisted them back and forth, making them slippery. It was just enough for me to pull one hand through the rope, letting it fall free around my other hand. I quickly lifted my hand and removed the blindfold and the tape from my mouth. I laid back and took a long, deep breath, letting my eyes adjust to the dark surroundings. I was no better off without the blindfold; I still couldn’t see a thing.
I tried to lift myself up, but the stabbing pain in my head forced me back down. I reached up along the back of my neck, searching for the source of pain. I carefully ran my hand over the large knot on the back of my head, and blood covered my fingertips. I was bleeding, but it wasn’t bad enough to keep me down. I had to get the hell out. I had to get to Wyatt. I felt along the curved edges of the wall, and I quickly determined that I was indeed in the trunk of a car. Now, I just needed to find a way out.
Chapter 20
Stitch
As soon as we pulled into Clearwater, I pulled over and gave Gonzalez a call. “What’s the word?”
“I got ’em,” Gonzalez told me over the phone. “Got lucky when the prick stopped for gas. Added a little agua to his tank when he went in to buy a pack of cigarettes,” he laughed.
“Where is he now?” I asked.
“Guess they figured it was gonna take ’em a while to fix his car, so they gave him one of their rentals. Followed him to the hotel down on Lumbar Street. It’s gonna take ’em a few hours to fix his car, maybe longer if Dan isn’t working in the garage today. His son, Billy, don’t know shit about engines. It could take him forever to figure out it was just water in the tank,” Gonzalez laughed.
“Did you see who he had with him?” I asked.
“Yeah. Had a kid in the backseat.”
“You didn’t see a woman with them?” I asked.
“Nah, just the kid from what I could tell,” he answered.
“I’ll be there in five. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere,” I demanded.
“Sitting right outside his room, brother. This guy ain’t going nowhere. He’s been in there cussing and screaming for the past fifteen minutes. Just came out to the car and grabbed himself a fifth of bourbon, so it won’t be long ’till he’ll settles down,” he chuckled.
I didn’t like the sound of that, not one fucking bit. I knew very well what Michael was capable of, and I hated the thought of Wyatt and Wren in the room alone with him.
“If he starts in again, distract him,” I ordered.
“You got it,” he chuckled.
Wren should’ve been in that car and not knowing where she was gave me a sick feeling in my gut. When I couldn’t shake the feeling, I made a call to Cotton. As soon as he answered, I asked, “Need eyes on the warehouse. Gonzalez didn’t see Wren with Michael.”
“We’re here now,” Cotton confirmed.
“Have you seen any sign of her?” I asked anxiously.
“Not yet. Only one of the cameras is still working, and there has been no sign of anyone coming or going since last night. We’re securing the perimeters before we go in,” Cotton explained.
“Fuck,” I roared. “We need to get in there. See if she’s there!”
“We’ve gotta be careful with this Stitch. Don’t know how many guys they’ve got with them,” Cotton started.
“There’s no time to be careful. They might have Wren!” I let out a deep breath and said, “You just gotta see where I’m coming from here, Cotton.”
“I know damn well where you’re coming from, but you need to reign that shit in, brother. We’re playing this thing smart. Period,” he answered.
“I’m claiming her, Cotton,” I told him. “I can’t lose her.”
“And you won’t. If she’s there, we’ll get her,” he assured me. “First, we get eyes on them… see what we’re up against. Then, we’ll make our move.”
“Understood. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I told him before I hung up the phone.
With Maverick and Q’ following behind me, I pulled back on the highway and pushed the throttle forward. I couldn’t stop thinking about Wren, and the way that she looked at me when we were standing in her driveway. Until that moment, I hadn’t been sure how she truly felt about me, but seeing her standing there, pleading with me to come back to her… I knew. And knowing I felt the same way about her, I was even more determined to get to her. I sped through traffic, weaving through the cars that lined the street. Even though Gonzalez was there to keep an eye on things, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking the worst, and by the time we pulled into the hotel parking lot, I was on the brink of losing it. As soon as I parked my bike, I headed over to Gonzalez. He was standing under the stairway smoking a cigarette, and he hadn’t changed a bit since the last time I’d seen him. His hair was slicked back, and he was wearing his cut with his handgun noticeably tucked away at his side.
“Long time no see, brother,” he smirked. “Yo, Maverick, good to see you, man.”
I had no intention of wasting time with small talk, so I looked over at the door behind him and asked, “Is that the room?”
“Yeah, it’s been pretty quiet for the last few minutes,” Gonzalez told me. “This guy’s a real asshole, if you ask me.”
I nodded and made my way over to the door. I took a deep breath and knocked. When I heard a commotion inside, I covered the keyhole so he couldn’t see me standing there. After several seconds, Michael called out, “What do you want?”
“Room service. Got you some extra towels,” I answered. With one good shove, I could’ve knocked the door down, but I didn’t want to frighten Wyatt. I had to be patient. As soon as the door opened, I reached in and grabbed Michael by the throat, lifting him off the ground as I hauled him outside. He tried to fight against my hold, but then, I reared back and slammed my fist into his gut, completely knocking the breath out of him. He barreled over as I shoved him towards Maverick. “Hold on to him,” I ordered as I walked into the hotel room, quickly searching for Wren and Wyatt.