Duncan (9 page)

Three different tones of growls filled her ears as Duncan moved her carefully to the side. With one well-placed kick, the door flew open, bouncing off the wall.

“Who needs a key when you have one of us with you?” Duncan winked at her, but didn’t walk in, he waited for her to make the first move.

Taking a deep breath, Pam moved one foot in front of the other, feeling Duncan right behind her. Stopping just inside the door, her body froze. Kenny had liked to hide from her after locking the door. He would hide behind the door, and as soon as she walked in, he would either push her into the room or smack her in the back of the head. Her eyes shifted to the door Duncan had just kicked open feeling an unsettling fear that he might be there, ready to pounce.

“No one is here, sweetheart,” Duncan said behind her. “You’re safe. Nothing and no one will hurt you.”

Pam jumped at his voice then slowly looked at him over her shoulder and saw the truth in his eyes. She was safe. Kenny had no power over her anymore. With a slight nod, she stepped the rest of the way into the room and felt a small sizzle of power edge its way back into her mind. She walked into the apartment without Kenny being there. Yeah, she’d take whatever she could; even something as little as that gave her a surge of power. Her eyes searched the small apartment, purposely avoiding the dining table. He had liked to use that table for his sick games. She knew she would have to confront it, but for right now, it was enough that she was inside without breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Where do we need to look?” Sid asked, keeping his voice low, knowing her nerves were on edge and ready to break.

For a second, she didn’t say anything. She had to figure out how to keep them out of the bedroom. She knew what was in there waiting for her, but she didn’t want them to know. If they had been through it already while she was missing, she didn’t know it, and she didn’t want to face it with them watching her every move. She could smell the old blood and knew they could too.

“Why don’t you start out here?” Pam pointed to the living room area, her voice shaky praying they didn’t question her motives. “He liked to hide papers in books. You might find something there. Also under and behind the couch as well as inside the cushion covers.”

“Done.” Sid nodded glancing at Jared and Duncan with a knowing look. Each Warrior looked toward the closed door at the end of a short hallway where the scent of blood came from.

“Can you look in the kitchen?” she asked Duncan when Jared and Sid started going through their area. “He hides stuff in the freezer at lot. Also, pots and pans.” It wasn’t like she was lying. Kenny did do all of the things she just said, but she knew where the most important things were hidden, and she had to take care of that…alone.

Duncan stood staring at her, searching her face, but finally nodded. “I’ll be right there if you need me.”

Feeling her throat close with tears, she could only nod back. He turned first, his gaze landing back on the door at the end of the hall before disappearing into the kitchen. Pam gave a sideways glance at Sid and Jared to find them still searching, but eyeing her. With a deep breath, she focused on her destination, and once again, put one foot in front of the other.

She found herself standing in front of another closed door, this one even scarier than the last. Reaching out, she touched the knob with shaky fingers. Slamming her eyes closed, she gave a twist, swinging the door open with force. When nothing happened, her eyes opened, and just like that, she was taken back, back to the past where every foul word said to her and every foul deed done to her smacked her in the face shocking her with the pain that pierced her chest.

Without warning, she bent to the side, throwing up the toast she had for breakfast.

*****

Duncan stood in the kitchen trying to calm down. His body was buzzing with too many emotions; he felt like he was going to explode. His focus wasn’t really on what was in the kitchen because he knew this was a decoy. Pam knew exactly what she was doing and where she needed to look, but she wanted to do it alone. It took everything he had to abide by that because he smelled the blood; though old, he smelled it and knew it was Pam’s. That alone sent his protective instincts into overdrive making him shake with rage. Hearing her small footsteps moving down the hall, Duncan stepped out of the kitchen and leaned against the wall where Pam wouldn’t see him. He glanced at Jared and Sid, and saw they too had stopped their search, their focus on Pam. They had also seen her ploy and were ready to aid her if needed. It touched him that his fellow Warriors cared for his woman and would protect her if he couldn’t.

Pam was one hell of a woman. The more he found out what had happened to her, the more his respect grew for the woman who had stolen his heart, a heart that had felt nothing for hundreds of years. And the more he found out, the more he wanted to find the bastard and send him to hell. Looking around the tiny apartment, he could see her touches here and there, but there was a heaviness…a sadness hanging in the air. The faster he got her out of here, the better. A bitter sound reached his ears. With a quickness, he was down the hall holding her head while she dry heaved, the toast she had this morning already spewed on the floor.

While holding her head, talking softly in her ear, his eyes searched for what had upset her; his rage reached new limits. Chains hung from the headboard posts, the white sheets were spotted with dried darkened blood. His eyes slammed shut, a curse so foul on his lips that he fought to hold back. Turning his focus back on Pam, he picked her up carrying her away from the horror of her past.

“I got you, babe,” he whispered gently in her hair, but his eyes were anything but gentle. They were black as midnight, with a hate and rage so deep, Sid and Jared stepped back. He sent them both a silent message which they got loud and clear.

Duncan walked out of the apartment and headed for his bike. Her shaking was scaring him, but her quiet heavy breathing worried him most. Standing next to his bike, he held her, his senses searching out to make sure they were alone.

“Babe, you have got to calm down.” Duncan rubbed her back. “Please.” He had never said please in his life, but her unresponsiveness was terrifying to him.

She pulled away from his chest, but her hands still fisted his shirt. “I hate him!” she wheezed out, her eyes unfocused. “I hate myself for letting him do…those things.”

“You did nothing, Pam.” Duncan gripped her chin forcing her eyes to meet his. “Do you understand me? None of this is your fault, and you know it.”

For a second, she just stared at him, disgust filling her face. She started to scramble out of his hold. “Let me go!”

It took everything he had not to drop her, her fierceness to get away from him strong. “Stop!” He gripped her as gently as he could to keep her from falling. “You’re going to hurt yourself. Think of the baby.”

Those words stopped her cold. Disgust left her face in a flash as pure fear and horror replaced it. Her hands flew to her stomach, defeat slumped her shoulders as her head fell forward in shame.

“What am I going to do?” She shook her head. “I was a fool to think I could handle this and be a mother. I’m so screwed up. I can’t take care of a baby when I can’t even take care of myself.”

For the first time in his long life, Duncan was at a loss. He didn’t know what to do, what to say. To tell her she was fine would be a lie, and he would never lie to her. Because anyone with eyes could tell she wasn’t fine. One thing he did know for a fact was he would be by her side through it all, no matter what.

“I’m not going to stand here and tell you that everything is going to be fine, but I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to help you make it fine.” Duncan knelt down slightly so he could be on her level. “I do know that you are one hell of a woman, who will be a wonderful, protective mother. Never doubt that. You have time to work things out, and you have good people behind you ready to help, wanting to help.”

Pam sniffed and nodded. “I know that.” Her chin crumbled. “I really do. I hate being like this. This is not who I am. I hate him!”

“Then don’t let him win,” Duncan said, wondering where that Oprah moment came from, but from the look on her face, he knew he’d hit a homerun. “You know I’m right.”

Her trembling hand reached up to cup his jaw. “Thank you.” A single tear slid down her pale cheek. “For everything.”

“Honey, I’m not done yet.” Duncan grinned, winking at her. “We
will
get through this. Just take it one step at a time, one battle at a time and you’ll be fine. When you’re not fine, I’ll be here, no matter what.”

“I don’t deserve you.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“If I hear you say that again, I’ll take you over my knee and blister that sweet ass,” Duncan replied without thinking, the horror of what he said hit him hard. “Jesus…I didn’t mean…”

She placed one finger across his lips to silence him. “It’s my past that scares me, not you. I know you would never hurt me, Duncan Roark.”

Duncan leaned in, placing a light kiss on her lips. “Not one hair on that beautiful head.” He winked at her before leaning in for one more kiss.

*****

Jared and Sid quietly worked jerking the chains from the bed and ripping the soiled sheet away, disposing of it all. Standing there they both stared at the stripped bed, a sadness in their gaze.

“I know Duncan has dibs on the son of a bitch, but I swear as I stand here, I will kill the bastard a second time,” Sid growled, his eyes still black from what they had just had to do.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Jared said, regret evident in his voice.

“I don’t care,” Sid growled. “The motherfucker deserves ten times the pain he inflicted on Pam, and if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure he is sent to hell where it will feel like a fucking vacation compared to what I put him through.”

“As much as your lips flap bullshit, that made perfect sense, and I’m ready to see it happen.” Jared nodded, then cleared his throat when Pam and Duncan walked back in the room.

Pam purposely ignored the bed area, but glanced at Sid and Jared. “Thank you.” She whispered, embarrassed that they knew what had happened to her and wondered if they would look at her differently.

Neither man spoke, just gave a short nod and took a step back to let her pass.

Walking to the side of the bed, she stopped and looked up. “Can you get me a chair please?”

Sid walked out of the room to get one, but Duncan walked up behind her. “Let me.”

Thinking about it for a second, she finally nodded. Deep down she was afraid of what was up there, but if Duncan cared for her as he said, it wouldn’t matter what he found. Pam swallowed her pride and fear, and let him take control, which actually felt good. She pointed toward the corner of the ceiling. “It’s that tile. Just push up.”

Duncan took the chair from Sid. Placing it under the tile, he was tall enough to push it up and over. Fitting his head in, he looked, but stepped down immediately. “There’s nothing there.”

Disappointment lit her face. “Are you sure? There aren’t vials up there? Nothing?”

“No, babe.” Duncan hated her disappointment. “Is there anywhere else he might have put them?”

Her eyes flittered back to the ceiling as she shook her head. “No, he wasn’t careless. If it’s here, that’s where it would have been.” With a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders. “I guess that’s it. Can we get out of here?”

“Do you want to take any of your personal belongings?” Jared asked.

Pam looked around, her eyes landing on Duncan. “No,” she replied, grabbing Duncan’s hand. “I want nothing from this place.”

Jared followed them out, noticing pictures on the small dining table. Stopping, he picked them up, rage choking him. Flipping through the pictures, he stopped at one of Tessa with a red dot on her temple. There were pictures of them all with a red dot from a rifle laser scope on different parts of their heads. Rolling the pictures, he stuck them in his back pocket. If he found out these were legit pictures, Kenny Lawrence wouldn’t be able to run far enough from his rage. No one put a target on his mate.

Chapter 10

Jill walked out of the warehouse with her drawing pad in hand. She grinned, thinking about her and Adam’s part in getting Pam away from the compound earlier today. That had been a blast. They had pulled it off perfectly. When they had left to come for training, she had dressed as herself without the baby pillow, and no one paid them much attention.

“Hey sissy girl,” Steve called out. “We need another player. Come on.”

Wrinkling her nose at him, she walked to the other side of the parking lot so she could lean against one of the trees. She wanted to finish her drawing of Pam. Flipping quickly to the page, she stared at it with pride. It was her best work yet, and almost done. Just a bit of shading and it would be perfect. Someone kicked her foot ruining her focus. “What?”

“Come on.” Steve kicked dust on her shoes. “We’re short one player.”

Jill looked at everyone looking at her. “I hate football.”

“It’s just tag football.” Steve rolled his eyes. “We’ll take it easy on ya. Come on…stop being such a girl.”

“I am a girl,” Jill mumbled under her breath, hearing the rest of them calling for her to come on. Standing up, she kicked dust back on his shoes, then shoulder checked him as she ran past, almost knocking him down.

The guys stood around while Adam explained, in quick fashion, the game to Jill who looked bored out of her mind. “You got it?” Adam frowned when she blew a bubble, popping it loudly.

“Run after the guy with the ball and touch him, or catch the ball and run like hell.” Jill cocked an eyebrow chomping away on her gum.

Adam nodded looking around at everyone. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

Walking over, she followed what the other guys on her team were doing, bending over across from someone on the other team putting both hands on her knees. She guessed she was supposed to run in the direction she was facing and catch the football if Adam threw it at her. Seeing everyone else move, she started forward, but found herself on her ass looking up at one of the other half-breeds who bent over, smirking at her.