I lift myself a little against my pile of favorite cushions. I feel too vulnerable lying down, not because I’m afraid of these guys, but… generally.
If I was traumatized from the first kidnapping attempt at the bar, imagine now.
Dammit.
Zach returns with a sharp steak knife and gets to work. I flinch when he grabs my still-tied arms and he growls. “Keep still, kitten. It will only take a second.”
He snaps the cable tie and my hands fall into my lap. My wrists are red and raw from struggling against the binds, and his face falls when he looks down at them.
“I’m gonna kill those sons of bitches,” he breathes and gets up. “I’m going down now to castrate them.”
Ryder grabs him. “Cub, no. Let the police deal with them.”
“Let go.” Zach shakes him off and stalks over to the window. “I’ve never wanted to kill someone until today.”
“There’s always a first time,” Ryder mutters.
“I’d help you castrate them,” Atticus growls, “but our top priority is our girl.”
“What…?” I frown down at myself. Atticus is sawing off the cable tie holding my ankles together. What did he just say?
“How did they get you?” Ryder turns to me. “Did they force the door open?”
“No. I opened the door,” I whisper. “I thought…”
“You thought what, girl?” Atticus is gently rubbing the red welts on my ankles. “Why would you open the door to them?”
“I thought it was flowers,” I say, barely audible. “From Zach.”
Zach groans. “Fucking hell. This is on me.” He runs a hand through his short blond hair. “My fault.”
They all glare. At me? At Zach? At the void? Hard to tell.
My eyes burn, but I can’t cry anymore. I won’t.
“I’ve called the police,” Atticus says, and only then do I realize he has his phone in his hand. “I’m going to go down, make sure those assholes haven’t escaped from your car, Ryder.”
“I’ll do it,” Ryder says. “Stay put.”
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
Ryder snarls and leaves.
How is this happening? How are these three alphas moving about my apartment as if they own the place? It feels so… natural having them here, all three of them.
Natural, and strange, heartwarming and alarming at once.
“I’ll make you some tea, if you like?” Zach asks and I nod automatically. “Ryder, get her a blanket from her room. I think she likes the pink one.”
“That’s because she’s a candy girl,” Ryder mutters and wanders off in the direction of my room.
Small noises from my kitchen indicate that Zach is indeed making me tea, and I listen to them moving inside my apartment, my heart glad.
Then Atticus opens the door and enters the apartment. After stomping his shoes, he comes to sit beside me. “All right? How are you feeling?”
Wait… Have I landed in an alternate reality? Did I fall down a rabbit hole like Alice?
I want this so much to be real, I’m breaking apart. It’s a mindfuck, having them here.
