Invincible (A Kingpin Love Affair Book 3) (21 page)

Scrape, scrape.

The noise sounded like a branch from a tree rubbing against the cabin wall from the force of the wind, but that couldn’t be possible. There weren’t any trees that close to the cabin and that alone sent a chill down my spine.

I slipped from the bed and down the steps of the loft so I could check the cabin. That was the moment I made the biggest mistake. The second my feet hit the floor at the bottom of the loft steps, the door was kicked in. Two men entered with their guns already drawn, aimed at my head. A third man entered through the window, which was now partially opened.

“You didn’t think we would come? You were wrong,” one of them stated rather than asking. His face was concealed behind a black mask, protecting his identity. Like hiding his coward ass face would stop me from killing him.

Fear surged through me as realization dawned on me. I hadn’t grabbed my gun before I got out of the bed. How could I take out all of these men and save Tegan?

“Drop to your knees and put your hands out. Slowly,” the one who talked first ordered.

I sank to my knees on the floor but not before looking at the wooden chair next to me. He hesitated as he came up to me, looking me up and down. He turned his head briefly, holding his hand out to the man who he had come through the cabin door with. I watched as he handed him a pair of cuffs to secure me. My mind went into FBI mode as I plotted every scenario in my head. It was then I saw an opportunity and I took it.

Slowly, I moved my hand down to the chair. The moment my fingers felt the smoothness of the wood underneath it, I grabbed it, wrapping my hand tightly around the leg of the chair. He turned around as I picked the chair up and as fast as I could, I hit him with it. The impact caused the wood to snap into pieces as I brought it down on him. The force of my hit dropped him like the pussy he was.

I watched as he rolled over and one of the other men headed toward me. His gun was still drawn, and I noticed how limp his hold was on it.
Another opportunity.
I snaked my hand out to disarm him, and when I had my hand on the gun, struggling for a tighter grip, it was then that two more men came through the door.

Blood rushed to my head, and I swore I felt my gash reopen as Tegan’s voice rang out around me.

“DEVON!” There was pain laced in her voice, and as I turned to see what the fuck was going on, I realized the guy who came in through the window had slithered right past me and up into the loft. He had her by her hair, pulling her down the steps. Fire ran hot through me as I took in her face. It was a mask of terror, and if that didn’t cause anger to sear through me, then the knife pressed firmly to her throat would. One swipe of her throat, my life would end and my world would stop spinning.
That’s all it would take.

“Give up or I slit her throat right fucking here,” the man holding her yelled. His words were deafening to my ears.
I had to obey.
I had to drop to my knees and allow them to handcuff us. There was no other option.

“Okay, okay…” I stopped fighting for the gun and dropped to my knees, putting my hands out once again. A pair of hands came up behind me, holding me in place so I couldn’t move while they placed the cuffs on.

“Don’t—”

“Don’t what?” one of them asked. His voice had a familiar tone to it, but I couldn’t recognize it with all the pounding going on in my head. The throbbing had returned and as I breathed deeply, I fought the hazy feeling.

“Hurt her?” another asked as he walked over to her. She struggled in the other man’s hold, and I watched him grip her hair tighter pulling her head back so he could whisper in her ear.

I revolted trying to stand up, only to be kicked back down. My knees hit the ground hard causing my teeth to clank together.

“Just don’t hurt her,” I pleaded. I never pleaded for anything, and definitely not for anyone, but with her life on the line, I would fucking plead.

“What a fine piece of ass you have here,” one of them said. With everything going on, I was losing track of how many of them were in here. I needed to get my shit together and fast.

He gripped the edge of the shirt Tegan wore, and I saw red. I didn’t think about my wellbeing or the unconsciousness that threatened to take me under. Matter of fact, I didn’t think at all. I acted.

I threw my head back hitting the asshole holding me in place right in the fucking nose. Blood squirted everywhere as my head pounded louder. Before I could make another move, they rushed me, kicking and hitting me until I couldn’t get off the ground. I forced myself to take the pain, to endure it all and stay awake.

“Take him out to the fucking car. I want the girl to myself.” He smiled at me as bile rose in my throat.

“No… no… do… don’t hurt her. Please, please don’t fucking hurt her! I will do whatever you want me to do. Just name it. Just—just don’t hurt her!” I screamed, the vibrations from my voice sending a sharp pain through my head as they pulled me up to my feet and toward the door.

He laughed, his voice filling the room. “As long as she listens, no bad will come to her.” That’s all he said, and then they shoved me through the door and out to the three black SUV’s that awaited us. With a click of the key fob, the back of the SUV opened and I was thrown in.

As I looked up at the motherfuckers who were taking us, I realized how much I had failed in every aspect of my one-man mission.

I should’ve brought Zerro in on this.

I should’ve grabbed my gun before I got out of the bed.

I should’ve protected her better, even if it cost me my job because, once again, I had been selfish.

“Night, night.” One of them laughed as a black bag was placed over my head. What the fuck did he mean? I didn’t get to finish my thought because a hit to the side of my head had the world fading black.

* * *

“PLEA…PLEASE, LET ME go. Please, just let me go,” Tegan cried out. Her voice was desperate and hoarse, pulling me from my cloudy slumber. My head felt as if it had been snapped in two, but her voice was drawing me in, forcing me to sit up in an attempt to get to her.

“No can do, little lady,” someone to the left of me said while pushing down firmly on my shoulder to keep me in place. I pulled on my hands, no longer feeling the cool metal. Instead of being cuffed, my hands were now bound and tied together.

“At least let him go. Please, just let him go. He had nothing to do with this. Nothing.” She was begging for my life as she sacrificed hers. Little did she know there was no chance of them letting me go. If anything, they wanted me more than her.

“I don’t think the boss man will let that happen either, nice thinking though, Princess.” I didn’t like the way he talked to her, or the way he called her Princess. My jaw ticked involuntarily at my thoughts as I forced myself to stay calm.
I needed to stay calm for her.
Me losing my shit right now wouldn’t be good at all.

Pushing my thoughts away, I focused on everything I could hear. I still had the black bag over my head, and the fact that I couldn’t see what the fuck was going on only pissed me off more. Not being able to see her, to make sure they hadn’t harmed her in any way, was driving me insane. I couldn’t see a thing—just complete darkness.

Worse than that was the fact there was no negotiating with these people. I wanted to say something to him. Anything. Even If I knew, it wouldn’t make things better. In a way, they were far worse than Alzerro had ever been. At least he let you speak before he snuffed the light out of you.

“Your parents sold you out to us, Devon. Funny how you failed to mention you were a fucking FBI agent, huh?” I felt the asshole’s hand at the back of my neck as he gripped me to the point of pain.

“Wouldn’t expect any less from them.” I forced the words out, acting as if the betrayal of my parents didn’t hurt me. I couldn’t break right now. I couldn’t let them see they were getting to me.

“Devon…” Tegan said my name in a hushed sigh as if she was beyond grateful to hear my voice.

“It’s a shame. You could’ve ended up working with the rest of us had you just stuck around after high school. You could’ve had the money and the girl.” The man mocked me.

Hate was rolling off me in waves, and I gripped at the ropes that bound my hands behind my back.

“Didn’t really care much for joining the business, dude. Had better things to do with my life than get drunk and high. Oh, and gamble. I mean, you do know there are better things to do than illegal shit, right?” I shot back at him. A fist came out of nowhere, knocking me upside my head.

What a fucking prick.

“Don’t! Please stop!” Tegan cried out. I heard rustling followed by a pair of footsteps and what sounded like the ripping of a piece of duct tape.

“Put that over Princess’s lips. I don’t want to listen to her bellowing for the next thirty minutes,” the mystery man said gruffly.

 I sat there, a warm trickle of blood sliding down the side of my face. My previous head wound was now broken open. What was it with these fuckers and headshots?

“Now back to you, Devon.” Asshole laughed.

“Stop beating around the bush. If you’re going to kill us, just fucking do it already.”

“Well, that wouldn’t be much fun, now would it?” Actually, it would be. I knew they weren’t going to just kill us outright. No, they were going to wait for whoever it was who wanted to see us. That’s how this worked, how these guys worked. Then they would separate me from Tegan, only to try to play us against each other before taking us both out or killing just me.

“You must’ve gotten some Intel somewhere about the shit we were doing down here. You even had some cops scoping out the diner. You think my boss is stupid or something, you thought he wouldn’t sniff you out? You’re a pig. We can smell your shit a mile away.” He didn’t ask. He stated… Then he did something that set fire to my veins. He oinked at me.

Taunting me.

He didn’t know shit. He was baiting me. He wanted to see if I would snitch on myself. That alone told me he knew nothing about who I really was because, if he did, he would know snitching wasn’t on my resume.

My head was spinning trying to figure out what the fuck he was talking about. I didn’t have anyone scoping out the diner… No one knew I was here.

“Answer me, fuckwad.” He shoved at my chest causing me to clench my jaw together so I wouldn’t say something that would get us killed. I felt trapped, like a bull in a china shop.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.

“Of course, you don’t. I mean, that explains why you’re bound and tied like the fucking pig you are. Right? Aye, boys, we should’ve hogtied his ass.” He faked a laugh before punching me in my stomach, which knocked the wind out of me, triggering me to collapse sideways onto the marble flooring. Muffled screams filled the air as Tegan tried to scream over the tape that was being used to keep her quiet.

“Shut. Her. Up. Or I’ll make the little bitch sorry she opened her pretty little mouth.” Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to keep my mouth shut. They could, would, and already were using her against me. Hurting me meant hurting her and if they had to, they would do so.

Get it together, Devon.

“You’re a liar, a fucking little miss piggy. A pathetic piece of shit FBI agent who can’t even get out of these restraints, who didn’t even get his ‘
protection’
when he decided to go check things out. Like you didn’t expect us to discover your ‘hideout.’ What do you think we do all day? Sit with our thumbs up our asses?”

He didn’t want me to answer that. Hell, I didn’t want to answer that. My body couldn’t handle another blow.

I could feel him get into my personal space. My body vibrated with energy as he grew closer. “You’re distracted, fucked up, and it’s showing in your actions. You call yourself the good guy.” He laughed, and every time the noise hit my ears, I felt the need to rip his vocal cords right from his throat. I wanted this fucker to shut up, but more so, I wanted to be the one to shut him the fuck up.

“You want to take the big guys down a notch, huh? Why? All because you think you’re better than us while the scum who is your parents runs through your blood? You may have left this town, but it doesn’t change who you really are.”

“I don’t think I’m better than anyone…” I paused. “I just know I’m better.”

Silence filled the air, but I knew better than to assume he would let that statement fly. And I was right—not a moment later did his booted foot hit my stomach causing the air to leave my body. Once again, pain exploded through my abdomen causing me to grunt. I inhaled another breath just as another harsh kick landed in the same spot
.

Breathe through it. Focus on Tegan. Focus on anything but the pain.

“
You’re not better than us.” I could feel his breath hot against the fabric on my face. “You’re a weak piece of shit that should’ve been aborted at birth. You’re nothing to this town.” Hate was spat at me while his boot continued to assault me. I forced myself into the fetal position, trying to protect the most vital parts of my body. How long could I hold onto the light? How long?

Every blow caused a piece of me to break. My bones were strong, my body could handle the torment, but everything he was saying was hitting me right where it hurt the most.
My heart.

I closed the door to my past a long fucking time ago. I knew coming back here would force me to face everything. Everything I ran.

I needed to block out the pain to block out Tegan’s hurtful screams. The fact that Tegan needed me, and I needed to do whatever I could to protect her hit me next. I needed to save her, that’s what all of this was for. If I pretended to be okay, then maybe she would calm down and they wouldn’t feel the need to harm her. Maybe, just maybe, if I played my cards right, I could get us both out of here alive.

“Pick this bitch up and carry him into the boss’s office. Bring that bitch, too,” he said out of breath from the kicks he had repeatedly delivered to me. I listened as his footfalls sounded off in the distance. He was walking away.