Mending the Rift (12 page)

“Someone wants you really badly, pretty one,” the scarred man told him. Luca shuddered.

“What about this one?” another man called, holding Nicholas’s unconscious form in his arms as if he weighed nothing.

“Dad!” Luca cried out. “What did you do to him? Do you even know who that is? My father is the Northern Confederacy’s vice president! Let me go!”

The grip on his arm tightened to an unbearable level, and just for a moment, everyone went silent. Maybe they had a chance, and these men would let them go, fearing the repercussions.

Luca’s heart stumbled a beat when he was dragged toward the van by the scarred guy. “No!”

Luca received another slap that left him disoriented. Someone pushed him onto a wooden bench and shackled his wrists and legs. The guy who’d held his dad climbed into the van too and sat down next to Luca, still keeping Nicholas secured to him. The doors shut, and the van sped off with squealing tires.

The black-clothed men were all seated on the benches, looking dangerous, but not overly interested in Luca. The guy holding Nicholas seemed captivated by his dad. He cradled him almost protectively against his chest and brushed strands of hair from his forehead. Luca winced at the sight of a large bruise forming on his dad’s temple. A tiny voice inside him breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t alone, that his dad was with him, though what Nicholas was going to do about their situation Luca didn’t know. After all, he was out for the count, and the guy’s interest in his dad crept Luca out.

“Hey, Miller, found a new friend?” someone asked. Several snickers and cheers followed. Luca swallowed against the rising bile in his throat.

Miller’s head snapped up. “This one is mine, understood?”

“You can make your claim when we’ve delivered them. We’ll see whether our client agrees or not,” the man with the growly voice said.

“He ordered us to get that one.” Miller pointed at Luca, and all gazes focused on him. “Hell knows why he wants one that’s already preggers, but this guy here is mine. He’s too old to be fertile anymore, but he sure is pretty. I’m going to have fun with him.”

Luca’s heart threatened to leap out of his throat or burst through his rib cage. Miller was insane; he had to get his dad away from him, no matter what. “My father—”

“Boy, shut the hell up, or we’ll have some fun with you before we deliver you,” the scarred man cut him off. “We don’t care who your father is. We did our job, and your safest choice is to keep quiet.”

A shiver crawled up his spine and settled in the pit of his stomach. Luca laid a hand on his belly, trying to draw in deep breaths. He’d been abducted before, and he’d been rescued within two hours, tops. He only had to keep it together for a short time. He could do it. And when he was home again, he’d nestle into Marcus’s arms and hide there for an eternity. Marcus would come to his rescue, and he’d kick everyone’s ass.

A low chuckle drew his attention. The scarred man studied him from intense green eyes. “You’re thinking you’re going to be rescued by your dashing knight in shining armor, aren’t you, boy? Just for your information, no one will ever see you again. You and your dad have officially vanished from Earth and will never be seen again. Better get used to the idea of becoming a lab rat and reproductive machine. You’ll be bearing babies for the rest of your life. Of course, you’ll never see them grow up or play parent. You’ll—”

“That’s enough,” the man with the growly voice interjected. For a moment the two men locked eyes and fought a silent battle. The scarred man relented first. He leaned back against the van’s wall and closed his eyes.

Luca expected the other man to talk to him, but that didn’t happen. A deep queasiness churned in his stomach as he watched Miller trace a finger along Nicholas’s chiseled features. It was all he could do to bite his lower lip and prevent himself from saying anything that might provoke the men.
Marcus, hurry and rescue us.

DESPITE LUCA’S
agitation, his eyelids grew heavy. The motor of the van droned on monotonously, and Luca had no idea of how long they drove. When they stopped, he jerked awake, startled at the abrupt halt.

As soon as the van’s doors opened, the men jumped out, their guns at the ready. Miller rose to his feet and carried a still unconscious Nicholas out. Why was his dad out like this? Shouldn’t he be awake? What if Miller had caused him serious injury?

The scarred man dropped to his knees in front of Luca and unlocked the shackles. Luca tensed his thigh muscles, intent on kicking the man, when he laid a large paw on Luca’s leg. Slowly, he shook his head. A grin that shriveled Luca’s testicles appeared on the man’s face. “Don’t even think about it, pretty boy.”

Luca stared, unsure whether he should deny anything or pretend to be taken off guard by the man’s words. In the end, he clamped his mouth shut and said nothing.

His abductor grabbed the back of his neck, gave it a painful squeeze, and then dragged him to his feet. “Good boy.”

Luca fought against the urge to snarl at the man and kept his gaze on the ground, which earned him a slap on his shoulder and barked laughter. “You’re spirited. I like that in my boys. Too bad I can’t have you.”

“If you’re done chitchatting, we have a job to do,” the man with the growly voice shouted.

Luca stumbled toward the door and out of the van. Large neon tubes sent glaring light into what was obviously a hangar. Luca froze and his breath stuttered in his chest. A hangar? That would mean planes or helicopters. He whirled around, uncaring of how scared he must look, and asked, “What are you going to do with me?”

The scarred man’s face seemed void of all emotions when he asked, “Afraid?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Luca retorted. Maybe sincerity would get him somewhere. What had he ever done to these people? His belly clenched at the thought. He rubbed a circle over it, hoping to soothe the little human being growing inside him.

His kidnapper gazed at him, a thoughtful expression flittering over his destroyed face. Luca held his breath. Maybe he was getting through. Maybe—

“Ah, there you are,” a new voice said from his left side.

Luca turned around, gaping. “Smith?”

“The one and only. Did you seriously think I’d let you get away?”

“But… what do you want with me? I’m of no use for you. I’m already pregnant and… and everyone knows I’ll be marrying Marcus. You won’t get away with this. My father—”

“Your father,” Smith interjected, “and your precious boyfriend will be following the false tracks we’ve laid out. They’ll never find you.”

“How suicidal are you? My father will kill you! Not only did you capture me but also his husband. You know how protective he is and what he’ll do if someone threatens his family,” Luca reasoned.

Heavy shivers wracked his body. A draft whistled through the hangar, and Luca couldn’t keep his eyes off Smith. What had happened to the man he was supposed to marry only weeks ago? He’d seemed like a decent fellow, but now… now his eyes were sunken deep in their sockets, his pallor was waxen, and he radiated an air of crazy energy.

Smith’s lips tightened into a thin line before he asked, “His husband? Your dad, Nicholas? What’s he got to do with all this? No one in their right mind would try to kidnap him.”

Luca snorted and pointed at Nicholas lying limply in Miller’s arms. “Which proves that you’ve lost your mind.”

Smith’s face drained of all color. He lifted a trembling hand. “Why the hell did you bring him? Are you all insane?”

The men, who were standing in a cluster around them, shuffled their feet and exchanged glances. Miller shifted Nicholas’s weight and all but spat, “This one is mine. Give me my money, and I’ll be out of here.”

Smith erupted into motion; spittle flew from his mouth when he grabbed Luca and stormed toward a waiting plane. “How stupid are you? Walker had a tracking device implanted in his husband many years ago after a kidnapping that almost cost him his life. You’re risking all our lives!”

A tracking device? Sort of like a dog tag? Luca’s mind reeled with this new tidbit of information as he tried to slip Smith’s grip.

Smith stopped midrun, slapped Luca across the face before he asked the scarred man, who was still at Luca’s other side. “You’re going to accompany us?”

“Sure as hell don’t want to be here when Walker’s army rushes in for the rescue,” the guy drawled.

Although Luca’s face stung and his ears rang from the blood pounding in them, he fought against Smith’s grip. If Smith’s reaction was any indicator, it couldn’t be that long till his father and Marcus would come. An anguished cry tore from his mouth when the scarred man took hold of him, shaking him like a ragdoll and causing his teeth to click together from the force. The man produced a small etui and threw it at Smith.

Smith’s gaze flickered from Luca to their surroundings and back again. He gave a curt nod and unzipped the etui. A syringe filled with a yellow fluid glistened in the harsh, blinding light.

Luca took a step back but was brought up short when he bumped into the scarred man. “Please, don’t.”

“It’ll be easier on you, trust me.”

Luca screamed and kicked, doing everything Marcus or Keith had ever taught him, but it was to no avail. He couldn’t get more than a few kicks in, which didn’t seem to bother the scarred man in the slightest. Smith gripped the syringe and stuck it into Luca’s arm, pumping the fluid into Luca with one firm push. Luca gasped at the sting and sudden pressure. Tears stung his eyes, and the urge to burst into a full-blown crying fit rose when the fluid traveled through his veins. His body burned, and his skin grew too tight.

“Hurts,” Luca whimpered. “The baby, what about the baby?”

“I don’t care about the little bastard you’re carrying. We’ll get rid of it once we’ve reached our destination. Now, come,” Smith said.

Luca’s hand vanished into Smith’s, and even though his mind screamed at him to fight, he couldn’t do anything else but follow him. Numbness settled into his bones, sapping all strength and desire to struggle. His teeth chattered audibly as he hurried after Smith. What was wrong with him?

They reached the plane’s gangway where Smith ushered him upstairs. No matter how much Luca tried to stop his feet from moving, his muscles didn’t cooperate.

“Luca!” Nicholas’s voice rang clearly through the hangar.

Luca’s head whipped around. He searched the hangar until he found his dad, struggling against Miller’s hold on him. At least Nicholas was alive and awake, and from the looks of it, no worse for wear. Miller yanked Nicholas’s head back, and a blade glinted in the neon light.

Fear coursed through Luca’s veins, momentarily clearing the haze from his mind. “Dad!”

Miller moved the blade to Nicholas’s throat, murmuring something in his ear. Nicholas’s chest heaved, and he dropped his hands to the side. Luca licked his lips, not wanting to see his dad’s defeat. His dad
never
gave up.

Smith laughed, a loud, biting sound next to Luca’s ear, startling him. “Oh, look, the legendary Nicholas Walker, buckling under the pressure of a knife.”

Luca forced his tongue and mouth into cooperation. “When my father catches you, he’ll do more than just break your nose, and Marcus will be happy to help him.”

Smith’s brows drew together while the scarred man slapped Luca’s back. Smith yanked Luca closer. “Your father won’t catch me, and your bodyguard…. Or no, wait, he was supposed to become your husband, your
real love
”—Smith made air quotes with his fingers—“Marcus Gray is nothing more than scum. No trace of valuable gene pool in that family.”

Smith gripped Luca’s hand tightly and led him inside the plane, leaving his dad behind with that disturbing Miller guy. Two men nodded at Smith before they closed the door and hurried into the plane’s cockpit. Smith pushed Luca into a seat when the engines gunned. Luca clutched the armrests, breathing heavily. Sweat beaded down his neck and back in a steady trickle. Bile rose in his throat as he fought against whatever it was flooding his veins and rendering him helpless.

Racking his brain for anything to say, he stumbled upon a small piece of information. “Marcus’s younger brother, Kyle, he worked for you. Marcus said that Kyle vouched for your integrity, that you’d be a good man. Guess he was wrong.”

“Boy, you’ve got no idea when to shut your mouth. If you were mine, I’d punish you,” the scarred guy said. He stretched out in a seat opposite Luca, his long legs crossed at the ankles.

“Good thing I’m
not
your boy, then.”

The scarred man barked a laugh as the plane rolled out of the hangar. Luca gritted his teeth and pushed his feet against the ground, intent on rising. When nothing happened, he slumped back against his seat and asked wearily, “What did you give me?”

“A new drug that’ll force compliance,” Smith replied.

“But that’s prohibited!”

“Only in the Northern Confederacy.” Smith’s lips curved upward derisively.

Luca lost all ability to talk for a moment. The plane reached the tarmac, and the engines’ noises increased. “You’re in with the Southern Union? Is that where you’re taking me?”

Smith nodded. “Maybe there’s more in that little brain of yours than playing the harp. Yes, I’m with the Southern Union, and their scientists will be happy to cut the embryo out of your womb and experiment with it.”

The takeoff pressed Luca into his seat, swallowing the sounds of his first sobs. He balled a hand into a fist and shoved it against his mouth. Maybe that’d prevent him from crying out loud in front of Smith. He stared out the window when the plane took off. On the ground, several large vans and other military cars shot across the tarmac. People ran, guns fired, but none of that would help him now. He caught sight of several people pulling Miller off his dad and forming a protective circle around Nicholas. Luca closed his eyes, finding relief in the knowledge that at least his dad would be safe.

“That was close,” the scarred man said.

“Too close, and all because Miller went nuts,” Smith replied. “Any idea why he took such an intense liking to Walker Senior?”