Road Tripped (Satan's Devils MC Utah #1) - Manda Mellett Page 0,98

captive for more than a day, and it’s the first time they’ve bothered to empty it. Me? Well, I’ve gotten used to the smell now, and it would take far more than that for me to be squeamish.

Gingerly, he carries the bucket out the door. Then the man with the gun stands aside, and a third hitherto unseen man comes through the door. He’s a bloody giant of a man, enormous, twice my size and looks like he’s been hitting the steroids. Brawn, not muscle, I tell myself, confidently. I can take him with one hand chained. I couldn’t beat the bullet firing from the gun though.

They wouldn’t go to the bother of kidnapping me, only to shoot me.

Why’s this man here? To rape me? I’m not naïve. Christ, I’ve seen enough on the dark web, I know there’s a market for snuff movies, let alone forced intercourse. But there’s no camera equipment, and none that I could see planted in the room.

I could seriously injure him before he touches me. At least, render him incapable.

But I’ll still be chained and unable to get free, so where would that leave me?

Another new man enters, he also looks strong. What the hell is going on? Despite my confidence I can do serious damage, I start to fear they might really rape me.

The man with the gun moves closer to me, his gun pointing not at my head, but at my knee. He’s making it plain he can shoot and injure me. I’ve seen a shattered kneecap before, and it’s not pretty. Incapacitating, with a long recovery and that’s if I’m given medical treatment quickly.

I will my muscles to relax. Whatever they intend to do, they mean to do it. It’s probably worth more for me to maintain my weak female persona than show my hidden strengths. There’s more chance then of them releasing me if they think I’m no threat, and with them being totally unsuspecting of what I’m capable of. Whatever plan he has, I’ll endure it. For now.

“What’s going on?” I ask, but he doesn’t bother to reply.

Then, strong man two pulls me around, sits on my legs and the giant gets behind me. His arms encircle my body, my arms pressed tight against my sides. I haven’t the angle to break free, even if I tried. I’m in a position no one wants to be in. Trapped.

The man who’d gone out with the bucket returns, this time carrying something which he hands to the man with the gun. That weapon is passed over.

The leader grabs my right hand and pulls it upward, my upper arm still trapped by the giant behind me.

My eyes widen in horror as I see he holds pruning shears in his hand.

“No.” I flinch back, trying to pull my hand away, but I’ve got no leverage. A soldier might stay silent, a woman picked up off the street would not. “No!” I say again. “No, please! No, please no, no. No!” I don’t try to hold back my screams.

But he could be as deaf as I am as he ignores my pleas. Instead, he holds my hand tightly, and seconds, and a sharp pain later, my little finger is in his hand and no longer attached to mine.

He signals to the other men and I’m released, cradling my bloody hand to me, saying, “No, why? What have you done?” I don’t have to force the sob, I just don’t suppress it.

Next, he throws a roll of bandage and a Band-Aid to me.

Then, they’re gone.

Knowing I don’t want to bleed to death, I wrap my throbbing hand, using the Band-Aid to fasten the bandage securely. The white becomes red almost immediately.

I think I must be in shock, I hadn’t expected that to happen.

A few minutes ago I had ten fingers, now I have nine.

Fuck, my hand’s throbbing. I rock to-and-fro. But why did they do that? I still as I force myself to think through this new development rationally. If I was taken to be sold, they’d want me undamaged and whole. The reason why kidnappers take pieces of their victim is to show they mean business, and it usually accompanies a ransom demand.

But who? Who would pay a ransom to get me back?

Or, it’s to prove they can hurt someone’s loved one, and who cares about me enough they’d worry about keeping me alive? My parents? But they’ve got no money. While I’m worth the world to them, it would be impossible for them