Fighting Dirty for His Girl (Wylde Bears) (11 page)

Chapter
Ten

They had arrived at the construction site an hour ago, and the time seemed to be dragging. It was most likely from the fact she couldn’t stop thinking about Bram taking her to dinner, to her first
real
date. Rook had never taken her outside of his home, not unless he was on the run, and he had always insisted that other males were eyeing what was his. Rook’s jealousy had taken over a lot of his life, and hers, and because of his dominating and controlling ways, she had been isolated and depressed, and never thinking she was good enough.

The sound of the men working outside had moved to the back of the building they were constructing. Kenzie couldn’t lie and
say she wasn’t a little bit pleased they had moved their foul language, crude humor, and ear-piercing construction equipment being used. Bram had come to check on her a few different times, but she had assured him she was fine with the three year old People magazine.

Kenzie could look in
to Bram’s eyes and see the worry that she would leave him. She had woken up a few times in the middle of the night to see him staring at the ceiling wide awake. When she questioned him he hadn’t lied or held anything back. He had been honest with her about his fears. Right here was where she was meant to be.

She heard t
he sound of the door opening behind her, and her smile grew. “I told you I’d be okay, Bram. You don’t have to keep checking on me, although if you want to keep me company—”

The chair she was in was spun around violently
, and she stared wide eyed at Rook. Marek and Tank were nowhere to be seen, and that brought a fresh wave fear inside of her. Was Bram okay? What about the other men?

“Well, well, well
.” Rook let his eyes travel down her body and lifted his eyes to hers again. “It looks like it only took less than two weeks for you to become a whore.”

She saw no wounds on him, verifying that he had been hiding out enough so he could heal. He was just waiting for the right moment to get her alone, and here she was, right out in the open yet closed off from others. She went to stand
, but Rook’s sharp voice stopped her.

“You’re going to sit right there and do exactly what I say. Do you understand,
whore
?” He placed his palms flat on the table and leaned in so his face was right in front of hers. “You’ve been a really bad girl, Kenzie, and caused me a lot of pain.” His eyes searched her face, and she was paralyzed under his stare. “You’ve become tainted by that fucking bear. His scent is all over you, his fucking mark is on your neck, and it makes me sick to know you betrayed me and spread your legs for another male.”

In a move so fast she didn’t even anticipate
it, Rook slapped her across the face. Blood instantly filled her mouth, and she cried out and cupped her cheek.

In a voice menacingly low, Rook said, “If I can’t have you no one can.” He reached behind her, grabbed a chunk of hair, and pulled her head back. A cry left her
, and she gripped his hand, hoping to ease some of the pain, but only finding more agony. “Get the fuck up.”

He yanked her up by her hair before she could do as he said. Eyes watering and heart plummeting that she was back in this situation, Kenzie was pulled roughly toward him. Rook brought her close to him
, and she instantly repelled against his touch. He smelled nothing like Bram’s addictive scent. Instead Rook smelled like death and decay, pain and degradation.

“Did you actually think I wouldn’t come for you?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer as he held her head back so she was forced to look at him. “No, you knew I’d come, and you knew I wouldn’t let you get away again.”

****

Bram yelled at Zac who was hauling a thick piece of lumbar over to the foundation. Luckily there had been an easy enough solution to fix the problem, but now it was just a matter of getting all the shit straight before they could resume with the construction of the Hampton building.

He watched a few more of the guys level things off before he turned to Charlie and Ford and said, “I’m gonna head out early since everything is good to go. I am taking Kenzie to that Italian restaurant right outside of town.”

Ford grinned
, and Charlie slapped him on the back.

“I am still stunned to shit that you found yourself a mate, brother.” Ford crossed his arms over his chest and looked pleased with his statement. Bram scowled at the middle brother
, which only made Charlie and Ford laugh harder.

He knew his brothers meant well. They had their mates, a little ocelot and
a red fox shifter, and Charlie’s mate was even expecting a baby.

He didn’t tell them about her past, because he knew even though he loved his brothers and didn’t keep anything from them
, Kenzie’s story wasn’t his to tell.

“Yeah, yeah. Just go to your mate.” Ford stretched his back and grinned. “I’m heading out, too. I’m taking Talia out of town, maybe to Colorado Springs or Steam Boat for the weekend. After the whole Mina fiasco I just want some alone time with her, yah feel me
?”

Charlie made an agreeing grunt.
“I’ll hang back and make sure this shit actually gets done. Ary’s been having a bad case of every hour sickness and finally was sleeping well when I left.”

“Every hour sickness?” Ford asked almost absently as he gathered up his things to leave.

“She has morning sickness all the time, not just in the morning. I don’t know what fuckwad decided to peg it as morning sickness, because it sure as hell comes and goes at all hours of the day. Hence the every hour sickness.”

Bram looked over at Ford
, who was still grinning.

“What in the hell is so funny about my mate being sick?” There was a bite to Charlie’s words.

“Chill the fuck out. I’m not smiling because Ary is sick, but because I can’t wait for Talia to get there.” Charlie snorted and leaned against a work table placed outside at the site.

“You say that now, but it’
s a whole different story when your mate is dry heaving because her stomach is empty, and you have to hold her hair back because there isn’t anything else you can do.”

Before he could listen to what would soon be a full-out argument between his older brothers, Bram waved goodbye and headed back to the trailer. It was right when it came into view that he knew something was wrong. It wasn’t because the door swung open, or the fact he sensed that Kenzie wasn’t inside. It was the fresh scent of her blood that filled the air, and the closer he got the stronger it
filled his nose. He rushed to the trailer and ripped the door from its hinges. Searching the interior wildly, he already knew she wasn’t in there. Throwing his head back and letting his bear come out full force, Bram roared out loud enough to shake the trailer. He rushed outside and inhaled deeply. The wind blew from the south, and because of that he hadn’t scented the metallic tang of her blood that tinged the air until it was too late. Seconds later Charlie and Ford were rushing over to him, their expression on alert as they scanned the area.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“What’s wrong?” His brothers asked him in unison, but Bram couldn’t speak, couldn’t think about anything aside from the fact he knew that motherfucker Rook had gotten his girl. He could smell the fucking panther stink up the air. He would have to tell his brothers what was going on, because he needed their help. He could track her down from the scent of her blood, but he would need the back up from two of the hardest bears in Sweet Water. No doubt Rook had been waiting for this moment that Kenzie was alone, and he had basically given his mate to the psychotic shifter.

“
Fuck
.” He ran a hand through his hair and scanned the area. His whole body shook, and he was having a hard time keeping his bear in control. He wanted nothing more than to let his animal free so his senses would be more attuned to finding Kenzie, but he needed to explain everything to his brothers so they knew what the fuck they were dealing with. “I have to find her.”

His whole body shook with so much force his teeth rattled together. His muscles tightened, expanded, and the promise of his bear coming forth was only seconds away. He needed to do something instead of standing there, but just as he took a step to head into the woods and let his animal fully out, Charlie gripped his forearm and brought his face close to his.

“You need to calm the fuck down, take a deep breath, and tell us what the fuck is going on so we can fix this and get your mate back.”

Charlie could read him so well, and even though he didn’t mention anything about Kenzie being taken, no doubt they could feel his emotions as if they were his own. Looking between Charlie and Ford, Bram felt his brothers’ bears starting to rise to the surface. They sensed the danger and tension that thickened the air.

“Tell us what the hell is going on, brother, and we can start to make it right.” Ford slapped him on the back, his expression tense and serious. “Just take a deep breath and tell us.”

He didn’t have time for this, so as quickly as he could, Bram told them about Rook and Kenzie, their history, and the fight at the bar. When he was finished his brothers were shaking as badly as he was.

“Lead the way, Bram. We got your back.” Bram took off toward the woods, toward the thick scent of her blood, and he didn’t stop his bear from emerging. His animal broke free and charged forward at full speed. Charlie and Ford were in their animal forms, too, and as the three of them charged forward, Bram knew one hell of a fight was about to occur, but that thought excited him and had his blood pumping faster and harder. It wasn’t lost on Bram that Rook was probably setting a trap, getting him alone so he could finish what they started at the bar, but that was exactly what he was hoping for, because by the end of the night, he was going to rip the fucker’s throat clean out and bathe in his blood.

****

Rook took his time dragging her through the forest, and when she started to trip over her feet he would just tighten his hand around her arm until blood flow was cut off and she was forced to keep up. He had hit her several more times before hauling her out of the trailer, and blood slowly trickled from her split lip. Her left eye was starting to close, and a horrendous headache filled her head. Marek and Tank were only a few steps behind her, and she knew that all of this was a set-up to get Bram to follow them. Rook was all about the revenge.

She stumbled again and fell to her knees. Surprisingly
Rook let go of her arm and took a step away from her.

“I can smell the foul stench of that fucking bear all over you, Kenzie.”

She curled her hands in the ground, felt dirt and dried leaves push under her nails, and tried to think of a way out of this. She could fight all she wanted, but it wouldn’t erase the fact Rook was far stronger than she was. Escape was out of the question, especially with the cougars stood behind her and Rook in front.

“I want him to watch me take your body, and then your life.” He got down on his haunches and forced her to look at him by gripping her chin with his index finger and thumb. He repeated himself, as if she didn’t know exactly his intent. “If I can’t have you no one will, especially some testosterone-filled bear that thinks you’re his mate.”

Gritting her teeth and feeling her anger rise as she stared into his heartless face Kenzie said, “He’ll come, and when he does he’ll make your death slow and painful.”

His face contorted into something out of a nightmare
, and he backhanded her hard enough that her head kicked to the side and her body followed suit. Something sharp dug into her side, and she moved her hand between her body and the ground, felt the large stick that was grinding into her ribs, and wrapped her hand around it. It was a substantial girth, and if Rook thought to take her down she was going to make sure he felt pain before he did it. For far too long she had unwillingly submitted her mind and body to him, but being with Bram had shown her she was a strong person. No longer would she let him control her or intimidate her. Death was most likely her outcome, but she would fight until the very end. She lifted her eyes and saw Marek and Tank watching her with stoic expressions on their faces. A hit to the face wasn’t really their style, not when they enjoyed breaking fingers one by one, and crushing knee caps with sledgehammers. It was twisted stuff one would see in a movie, but this wasn’t fiction, but her reality.

Rook gripped her forearm in another bruising
hold and pulled her up so her upper body was suspended in the air. His free hand went to the button and zipper of his pressed slacks, and he undid them with a sadistic grin on his face. Not wasting any more time because she honestly didn’t know how much she had left, she tightened her hold on the stick and brought it up with as much force as she could muster. It wasn’t the best weapon, but it was all she had. The edge of the stick was splintered and sharp, and when it made contact with Rook’s cheek it sliced the flesh open. He let go of her and howled in pain. He cupped his cheek and let out a string of profanities. Kenzie braced herself for his next action, because she knew it would be in the form of pain. He lifted his free hand to stare at his hand. Blood slipped from between Rook’s fingers from where he had been holding his face, and when he saw the product of her own violence, his face turned a nasty shade of red that could be seen even in the dusty haze of promised night.