I pulled Tyson from my back, laying him on the bed as I took in all the signs of a struggle, the destruction that had taken place during their hunt and the utter lack of my beautiful survivor anywhere. They had her again. Every promise I’d made her had been a lie. A fucking useless lie told by a man whose word meant less than shit now.
But I wasn’t going to leave it at that.
I’m coming for you, baby doll.
I whirled around, crossing the room in three long strides and ripped open the drawer at the base of the coffee table where I kept all of my spare rounds for my rifle. I started grabbing them out, box by box, stuffing them into my pockets with a growl of rage leaving my lips.
A long time ago, I’d left the man I used to be at the bottom of this mountain, but I was about to reclaim him. I’d been a mindless, brutal, killer of the worst kind. And tonight I’d be him again.
I turned for the door and stilled as I spotted a note pinned to it using the very knife Winter had been holding the last time I’d seen her. Blood coated the silver blade and had dripped down onto the page, but it hadn’t done anything to hide the message scrawled there.
When we’re done with her, we’ll come for you.
“As if I’d wait that long,” I snarled, tearing the page from the door and throwing it into the fire.
I cast a glance at Tyson, but now that he was curled up on my bed he’d stopped howling and the wound had already stopped bleeding so I didn’t need to worry about him.
“I’m going for our girl,” I told him and he lifted his chin like he actually understood that before I yanked the broken door back over.
It didn’t shut right but I guessed that might be for the best. If I didn’t make it back then Tyson needed to be able to get out.
But I had no intention of dying today. My savage girl wasn’t going to be left in the care of those monsters. When I made it to their camp they were going to realise exactly how big of a mistake they’d made in underestimating me.
I didn’t come up the mountain because I was afraid to live. I came up here because I was afraid of who I was and what I was capable of. I’d meant to leave that man in my past, but they’d dragged him up here to join them. And now they’d pay the price for that mistake in blood.
I hung over Farley’s shoulder, pounding my fists into his back and fighting to break free, but if he noticed at all, he didn’t show it. The sound of men laughing reached me beyond the dark trees and terror consumed me as Farley stepped out into a clearing and threw me to the ground.
Pain splintered across my spine as I hit compacted snow and I looked over my shoulder, taking in the camp I’d been brought to. There were men everywhere, guns and knives at their hips. Some of them sat around a large fire while others roamed in out of the trailers parked up at the edge of the woods. Around them were dark mine shafts that led down into the mountain and floodlights stood beside them, spilling light over the area. The moon hung directly above it all, staring down at me from the clear sky. I could see the stars for once and my breath caught as I looked to them, wishing on every single one that this was a nightmare which I was about to wake up from.
“We’ve got a guest, boys!” Duke called, grabbing a fistful of my hair and dragging me toward the fire. “This little waif says she’s happy to suck every cock here, didn’t ya red? Just say the word no if not.” He leered down at me, tossing me before the fire where the snow had melted and the earth was dry. Several of the men cheered and a few even rolled down their zippers, getting to their feet. Duke chuckled as he smoothed down his moustache, taking out a cigarette and slipping it into the corner of his mouth as he lit it.
I snarled, pushing myself upright, trying not to shake as I stood and glared at the men who dared look at me that way. Half of them were drunk, sipping cheap