Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Gerald

“It's been hours. Where the hell is the truck?” I demanded.

Landen sighed. It was dark now, and although I was even more alert, I was starting to get antsy.

“It will arrive soon. Just chill. Trust me.”

“What if they sold her to someone else, huh?” I asked, my voice as low as it could possibly get.

“Trust me. They did not.”

I nodded.

I felt like shit knowing all of this was mostly my fault.

Twenty minutes later, and there was still nothing.

I stood from where I crouched.

“Where are you going?”

Landen whispered.

“To find Liliana.” I growled and began to walk out of the woods.

Just as I came out, I heard the sound of a truck coming toward me.

I ran back to hide behind a tree.

My eyes met with Landen, who was still clearly hiding behind the bushes.

“They are here.” I mouthed to him.

He raised two fingers up in the air, signaling for the rest of my men to stand by until he gave the orders.

The sound of the truck became louder and louder, indicating it was getting closer.

I held my breath, trying to concentrate.

“Let it rip, Cane!” I yelled, and he jumped out of his hiding place and scattered spikes on the ground.

The truck was too fast to stop in time.

The tires popped off, and they slowed down.

“No!” I screamed, and we all rushed towards the huge truck.

I pulled the door open, and the blue-haired spikey shit stared at me. I caught the bullet between my hands and grabbed him out of the car, sending him flying towards Max.

I searched around the driver's seat for the keys to the back as Landen dragged two other men out of the truck.

“What do you want!” One of them asked.

“Your keys, where are they?” I demanded with a sneer, doing my all not to slit his gut right there and then.

The guy's face twisted up in real fear while I stood there towering above him. He seemed right on the edge of falling apart completely. That was pretty much the point of it all. I held back just enough from smashing his head right into the wall.

“Your keys,” I said sharply, my words slicing through the tension as sharp as anything.

He paused a bit longer than he should have. I caught hold of his collar and pushed him hard against the truck door. Where are they?, I said low and fierce, my eyes burning hot with rage.

He stammered out, “On, on the dashboard.” He finally got how bad it could turn if he kept quiet. He shook all over now, like something supernatural had crossed his path.

I pushed him out of the way, grabbed those keys quick, and ran toward the back. My heart pounded away so strong it nearly blocked out all the mess going on behind. “Liliana,” I said quietly to myself while forcing the key into the lock. My hands shook from the anger and perhaps a touch of worry too. What if they had done something to her?

The lock made a sharp click. I yanked the doors wide, nearly yanking my arm out of the socket in the process.

I stopped dead right there. My legs felt stuck to the dirt when I caught sight of the scene inside.

She lay there. But she was unconscious.

She sprawled across the chilly metal floor. Her hair stuck together in clumps from the blood. Her clothes hung in shreds, soaked through with red. Bruises marked her wrists. Her skin looked ghostly pale beneath the unsteady glow from the lights overhead.

“Liliana.” I yelled her name while scrambling inside the truck.

I sank down on my knees next to her. I cradled her head in my hands, careful not to jostle her too much. Her mouth hung slightly open.

Her breaths came faint and uneven. A knot formed in my chest as I swept the sticky hair away from her face.

Hey. Hey, it is me. My voice broke on the words. It is Gerald. You are safe at last. I have you now.

Her eyes twitched open just for a second. Then they closed again. She seemed too drained to keep them lifted.

Anger flared hot inside me. My breaths rasped out rough and fast.

My vision blurred a bit as I moved closer to her side.

I lifted her with all the care I could manage. Her form hung loose against me. I carried her straight out of that truck. Landen rushed over in a flash. His face changed from focused grit to outright shock.

Shit. She is hardly awake. He said it under his breath.

Get the car set to go. Right now. I snapped the order at him.

He took off running. I held her closer to my chest.

Blood was stained all over her outfit. It had dried in patches.

Hang on, Lily. Please just hold on. I begged her like that. I felt worthless inside. How many more times would I let her down, or even her dad, before this nightmare ended?

Nobody seeing the raw edge in my tone mattered to me. The guys lingering nearby, shaking in their spots, did not register either. Her pulse was all that counted. It beat faintly. But it kept going.

Tires screamed against the pavement. That meant Landen had brought the car up front. I eased her into the back seat. I folded my jacket under her head for some padding.

“Stay right here with me.” I murmured softly. My thumb grazed her cheek. You cannot slip away from me. Not in this manner.

As soon as I pulled away, I spun toward the crew from the truck.

Rage took over completely.

One guy started dragging himself off, gripping his injured arm. I seized a handful of his hair. I hauled him right back. “Who did this to her?”

“I do not know.” He stammered it out.

“That is. not the right response.”

I growled low. Then I drove my fist hard into his face. The snap of bone rang out clear in the dark.

He slumped down motionless. Another tried bolting for it. But Cane brought him down flat on the ground.

You figure it is fine to trade women off like livestock. I snarled while driving my boot into the third one. You believe it is okay to lay hands on her.

Every bit of that came paired with a strike. A punch landed. A kick followed. Blood smeared warm over my hands.

“Gerald, hold up. She requires you way more than these bastards ever will.” Landen yelled it from nearby.

Still, I kept going. They had to experience it fully. The fear that gripped you. The hurt that spread deep. The empty despair without end.

“Gerald.” Landen called louder. “Someone is coming!”

I halted in place. Engines growled closer through the black night. Bright beams cut sharp across the open space.

I slipped behind the truck for cover. My fingers closed around the grip of my pistol.

“Who is that out there?” Cane whispered it rough.

The car pulled up short. Its door swung wide.

Damon climbed out from it.

My gut twisted hard.

“Son of a—” Landen cursed low.

I signaled the others to keep low. His crew spilled out after him. They swept the spot with their lights.

If he spotted me here with Lilian, everything would be over.

He couldn't find out she was alive.

We had to go now.

I could not allow that to occur.

The two truck drivers remained barely conscious.

They moaned in pain. If Damon discovered them alive, he would connect the dots quickly.

I drew in a deep breath. I aimed and fired. Two quick shots rang out. The shots stayed silent. They felt clean.

Both men fell dead right away.

Landen looked my way. He stayed quiet. He understood the reason.

We need to move. I whispered those words.

We slid into the car. We stayed low until the trees hid us once more. I glanced back over my shoulder one last time. Damon walked toward the wrecked truck. His face looked unreadable in the headlights' glow.

We drove off fast.

The engine growled as we pushed through the woods. My heart pounded hard still. Each bump along the road made me check the backseat. Liliana lay there. Her chest rose and fell in faint breaths.

“How bad a shape is he in?” Landen asked that quietly.

“She's breathing, but I can feel something is wrong.” I said, not wanting to even think of what could have possibly happened to her.

He nodded his head. He pressed the gas pedal harder.

Silence filled the space between us. It lasted for many miles. Moonlight came through the windshield. It made everything seem tense.

We reached the pack's borders at last. The guards swung the gates open right away.

They saw the expression on my face. No one spoke a single word.

Landen pulled up in front of the packhouse. I got out before the car came to a full stop.

“Get the doctor here now. I shouted the command easily.

A couple of my men dashed inside the building. I pulled open the back door. I lifted Liliana into my arms again. She seemed lighter than before. Way too light for my comfort.

Her head rested on my chest. Her breath touched my skin in a faint way.

I carried her through the door. I heard Landen mutter behind me. “That was close.” Landen muttered, clearly referring to our almost encounter with Damnon.

“Too close.” I answered in a dark tone.

My gaze shifted to the horizon. The faint lights from Damon's convoy had vanished there.

I placed Liliana down gently on the doctor's table and stepped away, ignoring the tightness in my chest.

“I swear it.” I said those words slowly. Each one shook with anger. “I am going to kill Damon for what he did.”