Page 2 of Scorned
When he shut the van door, my screams swiftly turned into begging. “Please let me go. I need to save him. I have to save him. Please, Winnie.”
He said nothing when he kneeled down and pulled me into him, causing me to start thrashing again.
“Stop! I need to . . . I have to—”
“We’ll come up with a plan to get him back, I promise. But there’s nothing you can do right now. Nothing any of us can do, so please stop fighting me.”
In my mind, planning a rescue wasn’t an option. If we didn’t do something now, my father would have Luka killed and his death would solely fall on my shoulders.
Regretfulness filled my body, slowing it.
Time seemed to stand still as a shivering cold washed over me.
My emotions were now numb, paralyzed by the darkness.
With a deep breath, I squeezed my eyes shut and locked out the world.
Chapter 1
Sage
Five months after Luka was taken . . .
The night air was chilly, making the crisp wind that smacked against my skin almost unbearable. Not wearing my leather jacket and boots was my first mistake on this personal mission, but I would be lost without the prize.
Headlights appeared behind me on the once deserted back road, and when I looked in the mirror, barely seeing a black Venom van through the blinding lights, I knew someone found me.
The driver approached rapidly, blaring the horn, commanding me to stop.
Instead, I loosened my grip on the throttle, pulled the clutch in, and lifted the shift lever with the toe of my tennis shoe, popping the Harley into fourth gear.
I eased out the clutch and twisted the throttle, praying to whatever god listened that I didn’t die from my stupidity.
The pavement beneath my tires was wet from thunderstorms that had passed through earlier in the day. Because of that, and the fact it was my first time ever driving a motorcycle, when I swiftly approached the bend in the road, the bike began to wobble.
Shit! I should’ve watched more instructional videos on how to ride this damn thing.
With no idea what I was doing, I attempted to realign the bike I’d stolen by yanking the handlebars, but it refused to cooperate and I spun out of control.
The bike tipped, the ground approached rapidly, and I knew death stood over my shoulder like it had for months, ready to claim my foolish soul.
Winnie’s beautiful dark-blue Harley hit the pavement first, then I slammed into it. The impact propelled my body across the asphalt, the surface eating away at my skin until I skidded into an embankment on the side of the road.
My heart thundered in my chest and my head spun as I sank into the cold mud wearing Luka’s T-shirt and sweatpants. They were one of the few things I had left that still smelled like him, and my stomach knotted knowing I’d just ruined two of them.
That’s just fucking great.
The van squealed to a halt, and I kind of wished I hadn’t worn a helmet. I preferred dying from the road rather than being killed by any Venom member. Or worse, them taking me to my father.
The door flung open, and my breath caught in my throat as I instantly recognized the person on the other side.
Shit.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Winnie yelled, running to my side. He kneeled next to me and flipped open the shield on my helmet, his eyes boring into mine ready to scold me. “You could have fucking died, Sage!”
Marcus pointed a flashlight at my face, blinding me for a second. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
