Defiant Loyalty (Comanche Sons Motorcycle Club Book 2) (10 page)

“He won’t come.” Or at least, she hoped he wouldn’t. If he came here, his life was over. Chance had to know that. He wasn’t stupid. And yet, Riley had a feeling that he wouldn't care about anything. When he heard that she was in trouble, he would come running and not think about the cost to his own health and safety.

The man loved her.

He said it and she didn’t believe him. She didn’t want to. It complicated her life to accept his feelings and that’s why she ignored them. But still, in her heart, she was aware that he would do anything to save her. He would put his life on the line—even though she never once admitted her love for him. He would do it because he was that kind of man. The sad thing was that she wouldn’t get a chance to disclose her true emotions. She would die without telling him that she loved him just as much.

Tears sprang into her eyes, but she didn’t want to give this man the satisfaction of knowing that he brought her to the verge of a breakdown. She wouldn’t let him know that he scared her that much. If she was going to die here, she would do so with her head held high and with the knowledge that Chance was safe. Whatever he did, whatever he said, she wouldn’t ask Chance to come here to rescue her.

That mission would be suicide. It would be crazy, and in any case, Mathew didn’t have any intention of letting her go. He would hand her over to Wesley the moment Chance walked in. One thing was clear; her life was over. The only thing she could do in her last moments was to save the man whom she loved.

Riley was determined to do that. Whatever happened, she would make sure that Chance walked away from this mess without as much as a bruise. She wouldn’t let them hurt him. That was her last resolve, and she intended to see it through.

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Chapter One

If there was anything worse than being kidnapped, it was that she could be the cause of death for the person whom she loved the most in the world. Riley twisted against the ropes that held her. If there was any way she could escape, she would make sure that Chance stayed out of trouble—but, of course, the ropes didn’t even budge. She’d been brought here against her will, and now there was no hope for her. Once she outlived her usefulness to the Comanche Sons, they would hand her over to Wesley, her brother, who wouldn’t waste too much time before he killed her.

Her fate was sealed.

The only thing she could do was save Chance, but until now, she didn’t have a prayer of doing so.

The door opened, and in came Mathew. He was carrying a phone in his hand. “I hope some sense has prevailed by now. Are you ready to contact Chance?”

“No,” she barked out. It was the same answer that she had been giving for the past many hours. “In any case, you’re not going to let me go free so what’s the point of doing anything to appease you.”

“Good point.” Mathew sat on the chair. “I do believe that you’re right. The thing is…there is a way we can both help each other.”

She simply couldn’t place her faith in this man. He hired her brother to kill Simon and in exchange promised him that he could have an opportunity to kill her. How could she trust anything he said? “How?”

“You call Chance here, and I’ll let you go.”

“And what about the deal you made with Wesley?”

“I will renege on it.” He laughed. “We’ve already paid him for Simon’s murder, so as far as I am concerned, I don’t owe him anything.”

What was to stop him from reneging on this new deal with her? It was obvious that the man was a consummate liar. He didn’t keep his word to anyone, and his only allegiance was to himself and to this club whom he was nurturing. The Comanche Sons was fast becoming more than a biker’s club; it was now a notorious organization that had its hands in various illegal pies and now even murder.

“If I call him, what will you do to Chance?”

“We’ll ask him to take back his statement from the police and stop cooperating with them regarding Simon’s murder.”

As much as she knew Chance, she knew that he wouldn’t ever do that. By killing Simon, they pushed him away. He would never allow them to get away with it. Chance was a man of good principles. He’d liked and respected Simon, and now there wasn’t anything they could do to stop him from helping the police get to the bottom of this mystery. Also, she didn’t believe for a second that all Mathew wanted was an opportunity to talk. He would kill Chance, just as he murdered Simon. This man was dangerous, and this place was too, and she didn’t have any intention of luring Chance here, even if that was her only hope of saving her own life. 

“I am not calling him.”

He frowned. Clearly, he wasn’t used to getting so much resistance from someone he considered to be vulnerable. She thought he was stupid. Did he really think she would sacrifice Chance to save her life? She loved Chance. Sure, she never said those words to him and never even admitted them to herself before she got into this mess, but she realized the true depth of her feelings now. There was no way would she ever do anything to hurt Chance.

“I don’t think you realize the gravity of your situation. You’re our prisoner, and your bother isn’t far away. One word from me and he would rush here to put an end to your story. Is that what you want?”

“I have been running away from Wesley for a long, long time.” She stared him right in the eyes. “If you think you’re going to scare me by mentioning it to me, trust me I became immune to that particular threat a long time ago. He will kill me one day. I have accepted that fact. It’s just a part of who I am and the way I live. I won’t call Chance and drag him into this mess.”

He glared at her. She saw his grip tighten on the phone. She had the distinct feeling that this man was similar to a keg of explosives, and if there was a slightest jolt, he might explode. She accepted that risk. “You’re making a big mistake,” he said.

“It’s mine to make,” Riley responded.

A vein pulsated on his forehead. His face flushed. He bit his bottom lip. “How about I make another deal with you? If you call Chance, we will take care of Wesley for you. He won’t bother you anymore.”

“What will you do to him?”

“That would be our secret, darling. Now, come on, make that call and get out of here. Surely, a pretty girl like you doesn’t want to spend too much time in these not so comfortable surroundings.”

Riley glanced at the phone. Oh! She so wanted to pick it up and call Chance. His warm voice would assure her that there was hope. She might be able to get in a word and warn him of the danger, but she knew that the instant he knew where she was, he would rush to be by her side. His safety remained with his lack of knowledge about her whereabouts. The man would lay down his life to save her—and she couldn’t allow that to happen at any cost.

Resolutely, she shook her head. “It’s not going to happen.”

Mathew’s eyes widened in surprise at her constant refusal. Walking over, he slapped her hard on the face. Her lip split open, and she tasted blood in her mouth. The pain of it was acute, but no more than knowing that she had no one to blame for this mess but herself. If only she had paid attention to Chance’s warning. She shouldn’t have gone out of her apartment. Wesley lured her outside the bar so that they could kidnap her. She played right into their hands. Riley glared at Mathew. “You can hit me all you want, but I won’t do what you want.”

His hand clenched into a fist. She readied herself for the next blow, but much to her surprise, he relaxed his hold. Instead, he swiped open his phone and then began filming her. She tried to turn away so that he couldn’t get a good shot, but he grabbed her face and forced her to look into the camera. After a minute, he let her go. He did something on the phone and then smiled at her.

“I didn’t really need your cooperation, but it would have been nice had you done as I said. If you were nice to me, I would have asked Wesley to make it quick, but now I believe I am going to let him take his time.” He ran a hand down her cheek. “And I think I am going to enjoy listening to your screams as he exacts his revenge from you. The man is dying to get his hands on you. He believes you ruined his life.”

She didn’t say anything. There wasn’t much she could do or say to change this situation. Tears pricked at the back of her mind, as she realized that she’d lost all hope of saving Chance. As she watched Mathew, he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Chance. Buddy. How are you doing?” She couldn’t hear the answer but from the grin that spread over Mathew’s face, she could tell that Chance replied in a less than friendly manner. “Such language, dude. I thought you were an educated man. Now listen here, I am assuming from your reaction that you have already seen the video I sent you. Yes, we have your pretty little bird.” He frowned. “Ok.” Mathew put the phone to her ear. “Talk to him.”

“Riley, are you ok? Did they hurt you? Oh God! I can’t believe they kidnapped you. Riley,” his voice indicated his level of distress.

She didn’t want to talk, but Riley already knew that he was aware of where she was. “Don’t come here. They are going to kill you.”

That statement earned her another slap on her face. A scream burst out of her mouth. Mathew put the phone to his ear. “You heard your lady, didn’t you, Chance? Now get your butt here, talk to me, and take her back. Anything happens that doesn’t make sense to me and I will make sure you never see her again.” He shoved the phone in his pocket and bent down to stare at her. “You don’t have much time. I suggest you use whatever little you have to pray.”

As he walked forward towards the door, it burst open and in came Wesley. There was an unholy gleam in his eyes, and it looked as if he had been drinking for some time. “Dude, I need to get out. Give me the girl and I will be on my way.”

“What’s the hurry, my man?”

“The news of that murder is all over the channels. They will come after me. I need to disappear, get a new identity, and start all over again. But before that, I need to finish this work.”

Mathew glanced back at her. “Her boyfriend is coming. As soon as he is here, you can have her.”

“Shit! I can’t wait, dude.”

“You will have to. It won’t take long. He should be here within an hour. The man was agitated enough on the phone when he heard her voice. He will rush to her side as soon as he can.” He put an arm around Wesley and made him turn around. “Be patient. She is all yours. Just give it a little time.”

They walked out of the room and closed the door. Riley’s heart thundered in her chest. Would Chance come here without thinking about the repercussions of such a move? Would he endanger his life in the hope of saving hers? She was scared that answer to those questions might be a resounding,
Yes
. And if Chance came here, he wouldn’t leave this place alive. Neither would she. But then her life was forfeit anyway. And she didn’t want him to risk his.

Damn the man!

Did he have to fall in love with the wrong woman?

Until her last dying breath, she would know that she was responsible for his death. He would die because of her, and as tears poured down her cheeks, she wished there was something she could do to change that.
 

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