Finding Strength: A Club Dark Novel Read online

  It takes me a good five minutes to will my muscles to move after he walks out. My nerves are set on edge, expecting him to come back at any second.

  Discarding the remainders of my wet clothes on the floor, I throw the tattered shirt he gave me over my head. The thing falls to my knees, which I’m grateful for, seeing as that’s all he’s supplied me with.

  Not knowing what to do next, I sit back down on the lid of the toilet and shed the rest of the soaking wet articles still clinging to my body.

  I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around all of this. Aaron was such a solid influence in my life when I was having a hard time with my parents. Never in a million years would I have ever guessed that he had such an evil nature hidden within him. This thought alone has me terrified for my life, I have no idea what he is capable of.

  I do know one thing though; I have to rebuild and gather my bearings. I’d rather die than let him anywhere near me again. Finding something to protect myself with is going to be my best bet, but he’s completely stripped me of my ability to hide anything, so I’m going to have to get creative.

  Looking up at the mirror, a small smile lights my face as I see the shattered pieces just waiting for me. I may can get a shard of glass free.

  But how, and where am I going to hide it?

  Leaning over, I take a moment to make sure Aaron’s nowhere in sight, before I stand on shaky legs and quickly make the short distance to the mirror.

  There’s not much for me to work with here, all the pieces are so small. Considering I have nothing but my hands at the moment, I’ll take what I can get. Finding a gap between the edge and the biggest piece of glass I can find, I quickly work it out of the frame, careful not to cut myself.

  “What the fuck are you doing?!”

  Before I can completely turn around, his hands are wrapped firmly around my throat, and my body is being slammed up against the wall beside the sink.

  I don’t even think. Pure instinct kicks in as the hand holding the glass shard reaches up and slices down hard across his face.

  “You fuckin’ bitch! I’ll make you regret that!” He yells at me, but releases his hold on my throat. For a moment, I take satisfaction in my handy work as I watch the blood run down his face.

  My satisfaction is short lived however, when I reach up to strike him again only to find my wrist caught in his vice like grip.

  “I’ve tried to be easy with you,” he says as he squeezes my wrist even harder. The sting of tears burn my eyes as I feel the bones rubbing against each other. “But you insist on pushing me. Did you really think you could over power me?” He sneers at me and applies even more pressure, effectively causing me to lose my grip on the glass in my hand.

  I feel the instant the bones in my wrist snap. The most excruciating pain I’ve ever experienced shoots up my arm and down my hand.

  I don’t even recognize my voice as I let out a blood-curdling scream; the tears I’ve been holding at bay flood down my face in streams.

  His other hand slaps over my mouth, in a futile attempt to silence my cries.

  “I’m done taking it easy on you.” He brings his body in closer to mine, his hand still wrapped around my mouth. Keeping my focus on his words gets harder by the second. My arm feels like it’s on fire and my fingers are beginning to go numb. Completely oblivious, or he just simply doesn’t care, he continues, “You want to play rough, let’s play.”

  My heart slams into my throat as I find myself thrown over his shoulder and carried back into the main room. He tosses me down on the bed like a ragdoll. Basic instincts have me reaching my hands out to brace for the fall, completely forgetting my injured hand. My arm buckles beneath me as my cries of pain fall on deaf ears.

  I feel his hands wrap around my ankles before he gives a sharp jerk, dragging me to the edge of the bed and flipping me on my back. The t-shirt he gave me rides up as I slide across the mattress, exposing my naked body to him.

  I look in his eyes and realize, there’s nothing of the man I used to love left staring back at me. All that remains in the depths of his eyes is a pool of darkness.

  “What are you doing?” My words come out shaking but firm.

  Using the one arm I have to work with, I try to pull the shirt back down to cover myself up. Once again, he traps my hand in his. Without saying a word, he uses his knees to spread my legs further apart. Towering over me, he roughly pulls my injured arm up above my head to join the other one.

  With both my arms trapped in his grip, he takes his free hand and begins to unbutton his pants. Tears slowly stream down my face at the realization of what he’s about to do.

  “Please. You don’t want to do this.” I try to plead with him.

  Lowering himself down on me, his face comes within inches of mine. It’s in that very moment that I smell the liquor on him.

  “Oh, but I do, Lacey. I want to hear you scream. In pleasure or in pain, it really makes no difference to me.”

  And I do scream as he forcefully enters me, slamming all the way in, with no lubrication.

  The pain is instant. I feel as if I’m being ripped apart. Before I can catch my breath, he’s pulling out and slamming back in. His hand comes down over my mouth, his breath coming out in grunts at my ear.

  “Ahh, I’ve missed you,” he says in a husky whisper.

  I try to push him off me, arching my back and bucking my hips, but it’s no use. He’s much too strong for me and all my failed attempts are doing only spurring him on. I taste copper as I sink my teeth into the meaty part of the hand covering my mouth. Momentarily stunned, he jerks back, letting go of my wrists as he moves.

  My head snaps to the side and a sharp pain resonates through my jaw as his closed fist connects with my face.

  “That’s twice now that you’ve drawn blood.” His hand comes up around my throat and he applies just a little bit of pressure. “I think it’s about time I repay the kindness.” He slams back into me while his other arm comes into view, carrying the pocket knife he used to cut my clothes with.

  With a flick of his wrist, he exposes the blade, before bringing it up to the other side of my neck. He applies more pressure at my throat, making it harder to breathe. My uninjured hand flies up without my consent, digging my nails into his wrist trying desperately to loosen his grip and get some much-needed oxygen into my lungs.

  I feel a sharp pain, no doubt from his knife, at the base of my neck.

  “Careful now, each drop of my blood you spill, I’ll make you spill more.” With that, he applies more pressure with the tip of his knife and I scream as the liquid warmth trails down the side of my throat.

  His other hand continues to tighten around my neck, stealing my screams. I start to see stars dancing around my vision and my world begins to go black.

  “Oh no you don’t,” he begins as he releases his heavy grip on my neck, “no passing out on me.”

  “Fuck,” gulp, “you!” I say between long intakes of air, before dragging in one long breath and spitting right in his face on the exhale.

  His fist comes down hard on the side of my head, almost knocking me unconscious.

  My energy completely depleted, my body goes limp beneath him.

  He begins moving again, this time picking up his tempo. His grunts become faster, his thrusts harder, before he finally stills above me.

  After he finishes in me, he pulls out. Silent tears are slowly rolling down my cheeks as I try to forget what just took place.

  Standing to his full height, he towers above me again. I can’t bring myself to look at him. I feel broken, everything we may have shared in the past, shattered into a million pieces.

  I curl myself up in a ball, trying to make myself appear smaller.

  I hear him chuckle as he zips his pants back up.

  “Don’t worry, princess, there’s plenty more where that came from.” My stomach rolls at that thought. Little does Aaron know though, I refuse to be a victim any longer. This little game of his ends now. I
will fight him to my last breath if that’s what it takes. His fucking days are numbered, so he better enjoy them while they last.

  It’s been a few minutes since Aaron’s said anything, and I’m beginning to realize the room has gone quiet. There’s almost a stillness in the air, as if I’m the only one in here. Glancing around, I realize he’s nowhere to be seen, but there’s a light shining from the bathroom where he must have gone.

  He didn’t chain me up. The thought slams into my head at the realization that I’m alone, by the front door, and can make a break for it. One roll of my hips, and that idea is immediately squashed. The pain is immediate and so intense that I have to bite down hard on my lip to keep from screaming out loud. And besides that, where would I even go? Anyone residing in a motel like this one, is bound to be just as screwed up as Aaron. He’ll just find me anyway, I doubt I could get very far. Running is not an option.

  I hear the shower running and shake my head at his stupidity.

  A surge of adrenaline rushes through me, isn’t there a gun in here somewhere?

  With my heart pounding wildly in my chest, I manage to make it to my feet. I have my injured hand tucked in tight over my stomach to help ease the pain in my arm and abdomen. Now if I can just remember where I saw him stash it.

  Sifting through the bag still laying on the table, I come up empty. I remember he had a safe, but it’s doubtful he’ll have it in here right now. No, I’m almost certain it’s in the bathroom with him.

  With my mind made up, I straighten my spine and slowly make my way to the bathroom. Hearing the shower still going has me picking up my steps, fighting through the cramping pain that shoots straight to my stomach with each step.

  Just as I’m within reach of the bathroom, and can spot the gun sitting on the lid of the toilet, a blindingly sharp pain has me stopping in my tracks, doubled over and clutching my stomach. A groan escapes my lips as I feel the liquid warmth trail down my legs. One glance at the dark red starting to pool at my feet, and my resolve to kill this bastard becomes more solid.

  Breathing through the pain, I steady myself on the wall outside of the bathroom. With the shower still going, I peek around the corner and breathe a small sigh of relief to find him behind the shower curtain.

  I’m not much of a left-handed shooter, but I know I don’t have a choice seeing as my right is injured, I quickly take the few steps from the doorway to the gun and snatch it off the lid.

  My heart stills and my body briefly freezes up when I hear the metal scrape across the porcelain. My head jerks to the shower and my breaths still in my throat when I see him staring back at me.

  All thoughts escape me as I lift my shaky hand, my eyes locked with his.

  “You’re not woman enough to pull that trigger,” he sneers at me. But then his face goes deathly serious. “You better make sure you kill me.”

  Click. That’s all I hear as my finger squeezes hard on the trigger. That one little sound resonating throughout the bathroom.

  The cold metal of the gun registers in my hand as my arm starts to shake from the weight of holding it up.

  “Guess you should’ve checked the safety.” Is all he says before he leaps from the shower.

  I bring my bike to a stop at a small gas station outside of town; what was supposed to be a three-hour trip, took me less than two at the speed I was going.

  I find Alex leaning against the side of his truck, his arms locked tight across his chest. Alex is a big man, even standing beside such a monstrous truck as his jacked-up F-350, he still manages to be intimidating. It’s one of the reasons I brought him onto my security team.

  “Update me,” I say as soon as I get within a few feet of him, getting straight to the point.

  “Last I heard from Kevin, they’re still there.” He blows out a breath, but the look of worry stretched across his face has me scared to ask my next question. I’m not a pussy by any standards, but this whole situation has brought out emotions I’m not used to.

  “What is it Alex?” He takes another second, bringing both his hands up to rake through the hair he’s in desperate need of trimming.

  My patience starts to wear thin. Lucky for him, he finally speaks.

  “Kevin called about thirty minutes before you pulled up. Said he could hear screams that sounded like a female's. Without back-up, I told him to stand by. I figured you’d be driving in on your bike, which is why I waited for you to get here to tell you. We have a plan.”

  “Let’s hear it?” I’m trying to keep my cool. But every second we waste; Lacey’s life may be in danger. It feels like a clock is hanging over my head with her time quickly slipping away.

  He brings me up to speed and I’ll admit, I’m impressed. Although I hired Alex for security at the club, I’ve never been more thankful for his military background than I am at this very moment.

  I make my way back to my bike, kick the stand up, and steady the weight between my legs. Starting her up, I let the adrenaline run through me, the vibrations from the motor feeding the flames.

  According to Alex we are only a few miles away from the motel they are holed-up in. We are going to park at an abandoned building, half a mile away from them. They’ve already scouted the property, saying it’s close enough to keep an eye on the motel, but far enough away to keep that piece of shit from knowing we’re there.

  We pull into the little parking lot of what appears to be an old department store. Alex is right, it’s just big enough that we can park right in front and the building will completely conceal us to anything behind it. On the down side, if he decides to make a trip to town, there’s nothing that shields us from the main road. That thought alone makes me anxious. As far as we’re aware, we still hold the element of surprise. We’re going to have to act fast, so as not to tip our hand too soon. I won’t put Lacey’s life at risk any more than it already is.

  “Are you ready for this?” Alex asks as he approaches me.

  “Yea man, let’s do this.”

  His men start to gather around as he explains the plan. I pull my Smith & Wesson Shield from my waist band. I’m satisfied with my selection of handguns, with its size being small enough to conceal, yet the magazine still holds a good, solid, eight rounds. I have an extra clip strapped to the holster, just in case it’s needed. Checking to make sure I’ve got one in the chamber, I line my sights for accuracy, although I’m not too worried about that with this gun, my Shield has been the most accurate pistol I’ve owned to date.

  Re-holstering the gun, I step back up to the group that’s willing to put their lives at risk for me and my girl and feel nothing but deep gratitude for these men.

  “Thank you for having my back,” I begin, addressing every single one of them. “I don’t know what we are walking into here, so knowing you are risking your lives for me means more than you know. That being said, if there’s anyone here who does not want to be, please come forward, I assure you it will not be held against you in any way.” I wait a few moments, giving everyone the opportunity to back out. Although I am the one that signs their paychecks, what I am asking them to do is not a part of their duties. I find my heart giving a not so gentle squeeze when not even one of them comes forward. What have I ever done to deserve such loyalty?

  “Let’s get to it then.”

  There’s a thick patch of woods that runs along the side of the building and travels for miles in either direction. Alex notifies me that the area has been perfect cover for his men to hide out and keep an even closer watch on the motel. There’s also a trail with a direct path from the old building to the motel. This is where we meet up with Kevin, who’s running directly for us, panic and horror dominating his features.

  “Why the fuck aren’t you answering your phone?!” He slams to a stop in front of us and lays into Alex

  “Never mind that, what’s going on?” I stop any altercations that might take place between the two of them, there’s no time for all of that.

  “I hope you guys have a plan, an
d I hope we plan to utilize it quickly. If I wasn’t sure before, I’m positive now. Your girl is in trouble. Had you not given the orders to wait on you man, I would’ve just busted down that door. I’ve never heard such terrifying screams in my life and I’ve seen some rough shit.”

  Suddenly, the regret of my decisions wash over me. What if we are too late, all because I selfishly wanted to be the one to take this asshole down?

  Wasting no more time, I take off in the direction Kevin came in, not slowing down until the motel comes into view. I had my suspicions on why, if he’s able to hear screams from back here, no one had called the police, but now I know. From the looks of it, this place is likely used to shady shit, turning a blind eye to illegal activity or perhaps the screams of innocent women.

  It’s not a very big building, it only has two levels. About every other window has been boarded up, there’s even a missing door on the top level with yellow police tape going across. The roof is at an angle where you can clearly see chunks of shingles missing. Why in the hell has this place not been shut down?

  No, no one here is going to be worried about Lacey, which is likely why he chose this shit hole.

  Hearing the footsteps coming up behind me, I turn around as Alex finally catches up to me.

  “Bout time. Need a time out? Inhaler?” I laugh, trying to mask the turmoil going on inside of me.

  “Fuck you!” He smirks, before turning serious again, clearly seeing right through me. “We’re going to save her, man. Take a few deep breaths and let's go get your girl.” He clasps my shoulder in a firm grip, giving a gentle squeeze. This being his equivalent of a man-hug.

  Before I can even think to formulate a response, my heart stills as I hear the distinct sound of gunfire. Everything fades away as I take off for the run-down, dilapidated motel in front of me. My only thoughts are on the blonde-haired beauty who brought me back to life, there’s no way in hell I’m letting her down now. Not when I’m so close.