Buttons and Pain Read online

  The other two men came next when my first attacker stepped back and pressed his hand to his stomach to stop the bleeding. One grabbed me by the arm while the other approached me from the other side.

  “Drug her,” the first one commanded.

  Fuck. No. I twisted out of his grasp and thrust the knife into his gut.

  The man caught the blade with his hand and sliced his hand open. But he kept the pressure on and protecting himself from a deadly wound. He threw the knife on the tile where it clanked against the hard floor. “Fucking bitch. Put her under.” He wrapped one arm around my neck and kicked my knees from underneath me.

  “No!” I threw my body forward to roll away but the grip was too tight. He forced me to the ground and onto my knee, his arm still hooked around my neck painfully.

  The second attacker shoved the needle into my neck and inserted the serum directly into my blood stream. I could feel the vein thicken with the extra liquid. My heart was beating quick like a drum but it immediately slowed down once the drug took its effect. My eyes became heavy and my train of thought disappeared. Only one word, one name, came into my mind. “Crow…”

  ***

  Loud and constant, the powerful sound of the engines ripped me from sleep. My face was pressed to the black tile of the plane, and when I opened my eyes I saw the aisle of seats around me. The men were sitting in a pod of chairs facing each other. With black leather jackets and beady little eyes, they talked quietly among themselves.

  While I laid on the floor like a pile of garbage.

  I didn’t stir because I didn’t want unnecessary attention. When they realized I was awake they would either drug me again or use me for their own amusement. All I could do was focus on the shaking of the floor beneath me and the constant hum of the aircraft engines.

  They must be returning me to Italy. We were probably halfway over the Atlantic at the very moment. As I listened to the constant hum of the propellers I hoped geese would fly into them so we would crash in the middle of the ocean. That was a much better alternative to being returned to the psychopath, Bones.

  I shivered just thinking about it.

  Crow knew I would be kidnapped but there wasn’t much hope he would find me. Now I was a plane and eventually I would touch down to the ground. If they hadn’t already confiscated the small tracker in my ankle, Bones would definitely find it when I was back in captivity. I wanted to check my ankle with my fingertips but I didn’t dare move. The lack of pain or soreness told me it was still there, discreetly inserted beneath the skin and impossible to find without a detector.

  Hopefully, it was still working.

  If the signal was going strong, Crow would see it. And if he moved quickly enough he may be able to find me before I was under the protection of Bones and his private army. My heart believed Crow was capable of extracting me. Nothing would stop him from saving me. Maybe he didn’t love me, but he still cared about me more than he cared to admit. Even if it cost his life, he would get me out of there—safe and sound.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Crow

  “Come near me and I’ll cut your dick off.”

  I listened to Button’s distant voice as she squared off with her kidnappers. Listening to their accents told me exactly who they were. I didn’t know them by name, but their origin was unmistakable. They worked for my greatest nemesis.

  “Come on, Button.” I closed my eyes and concentrated on the muffled conversation. She must have dropped the phone on the ground because it was nearly impossible for me to make anything out—other than the fact she was fighting with her life. If anyone could get out of his situation, it was her. She wouldn’t give up no matter what.

  “No!” I heard Button’s voice cry out in defeat before she fell silent altogether. Bones would instruct his men not to hurt her and certainly not kill her. Her lack of words could only mean one thing.

  She’d been drugged.

  I hung up the phone then stood in the aisle of the plane. I was on a private flight back to Italy, and I was nearly halfway there when Button called me. Knowing I was stuck over the ocean and unable to help her nearly ripped me apart.

  I should have stayed.

  Or better yet, I should have taken her with me.

  Fuck, this was bad.

  I opened the tracker on my phone and prayed it still worked. She hadn’t removed it and hopefully the battery was still going strong. After a minute of waiting for the transmission her dot appeared on the screen. It was moving through the streets of Manhattan and headed toward the cost. She must be in a car on her way to the airport.

  Fuck.

  I called Cane.

  “Bout time you called me back—”

  “Shut up and listen to me. Bones just took Button. They snatched her from her apartment now they’re on the move. I’m on the goddamn plane and I’m already halfway to Tuscany.”

  Cane took a moment before he reacted, probably because it was a monumental piece of news. “Shit. What do we do?”

  “I’m turning this plane around.” If Bones thought he could take Button away from me, he was sadly mistaken. I’d die before I let him lay a single hand on her fair skin. He’d done the cruelest and most brutal things to her, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let that type of abuse continue. I didn’t save Vanessa and I regretted that every single day of my life. And I wasn’t going to let the same happen to Button.

  “Wait, don’t do that.”

  “And do what?” I snapped. “You think I’m just going to do nothing?” My arms were shaking and I couldn’t stand still. Despite the turbulence on the plane I walked forward and backward down the aisle, needing to move my feet to vent my frustration. Button was in trouble and I was powerful to her help her. The handicap and hopelessness drove me insane. She needed me and I wasn’t there for her. If something happened to her I would never forgive myself.

  Ever.

  “Calm down for a sec and think,” Cane ordered. “They’re obviously taking her to Italy. Last time I checked, that’s where Bones was. And by the time you turn around she’ll already be halfway to Europe. Just stay where you are.”

  That sounded impossible at the moment. How could I stand and wait? I hated this feeling. Whenever something needed to be done, I did it. I didn’t waste time by pacing back and forth. I was a man of action—always. “What if they take her somewhere else?”

  “You have that tracker on her still?”

  “Yes.” Thank fucking god.

  “Just keep an eye on it. I assure you, they’re taking her to Rome.”

  “What makes you so sure?” I’d been in America for the month and hadn’t devoted any thought to work. I’d been focused on making Button come home with me—which I failed to do.

  “I know shit went down yesterday. Some kind of arm’s race. We both know Bones would be involved in that.”

  Bones never passed up an opportunity for business and he didn’t have someone else conduct affairs for him. He was always a hands on kind of guy. Cane and I were exactly the same. We had serious trust issues and didn’t allow anyone else to handle important affairs. “True.”

  “I can guarantee you, he’s here. And he’s not going anywhere until she’s on the ground. He’s gonna want to—”

  “Enough.” I refused to let him finish because my mind was already ten steps ahead of him. Images of her naked and beaten flooded my mind like a swarm of wasps. It burned from the inside out. She was tied up and gagged, and he was bruising her until she was black and blue. The thought was excruciating enough that angry tears burned in the back of my eyes. I gripped the nearest chair until my knuckles turned white.

  Cane pushed through the tension. “Land and we’ll pick you up. I’ll have all the men ready to ambush Bones and his crew. We’ll get her back, man.”

  “We have to get her back, Cane. I mean it.” I wouldn’t go on if I failed her. My purpose was to protect her and keep her safe. She’d become such an essential part of who I was, and I understood better
than anyone what she went through. The images would never stop haunting me and I would eventually give into my own suicide.

  “I know. And we will. Just stay calm.”

  That was impossible. Right now, she was in the hands of evil men. Maybe they wouldn’t hurt her but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t do other things. The idea made me so sick I nearly hurled in the middle of the aisle.

  “Crow?”

  I sat in the nearest chair because I felt weak. “Hmm?”

  “I’ll stay on the phone with you.” He fell silent and didn’t say anything more. Men spoke in the background because he was at the rendezvous point. They were arming themselves with weapons and armor. He didn’t give me false words of hope or lie to make me feel better. He did the only thing he was capable of doing.

  Joining me in my misery.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Pearl

  The plane landed.

  I continued to lie absolutely still and enjoy my solitude just a little longer. Very shortly, I would return to the hands of the man who got off to torturing me. He would give me a welcoming celebration with whips and a dildo up the ass.

  I couldn’t do back there.

  I’d never relied on a man to take care of me, but I kept hoping Crow would come to the rescue. He was my only hope for getting out of here. But I knew the second Bones drove off with me it would be nearly impossible for Crow to get me back.

  I had to escape on my own.

  Fear stilled burned like a fire in my heart, and my hands possessed a light shake that couldn’t be stopped. My legs felt weak from not eating, and my body had more adrenaline than it could handle. But I needed to remain calm and focus on escape. There was no time for uncertainty or terror.

  I just had to do it.

  “Get up.” One of the men came to my area in the corner and gave me a light kick in the stomach. “We know you’re awake.”

  I kicked him back out of defiance. Instead of being smart and just doing what I was told, my body automatically reacted and strived to inflict as much pain as possible. I hit him right in the knee with my shin and made him howl in pain.

  “Bitch.” He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me across the floor. “You wanna be a cunt? I’ll treat you like a cunt.”

  The other kidnapper told him off Italian and gripped him by the arm.

  Immediately, he released me and argued back in the same language.

  My scalp felt ripped apart and the migraine was already starting. Some of my hair fell out and sprinkled the ground around me. I didn’t touch my head or give any indication I was in pain. I’d die before I let myself look weak.

  He stood over me, brooding like an angry psychopath. “Up. Now.” This time he didn’t touch me since he was just disciplined for it.

  Now that it was on my terms I rose to a stand and gripped the chair for balance. I was lightheaded and dizzy, a side effect of the medication and the lack of food. I hadn’t eaten since Crow left because I was too depressed. Now I wish I had some sustenance to give me strength.

  They marched me off the plane and into a black SUV with tinted windows. Thankfully, Bones wasn’t inside. It was just me and three men. The guard sitting on the opposite side of the car had his gun trained on me. “Bones warned me about you. Do anything foolish and I will kill you.”

  That was a meaningless threat since I didn’t care if I lived or died at the moment. Disappearing into the void sounded much more appetizing than becoming a slave to that madman. The only thing stopping me was Crow.

  He would never recover if I died.

  He barely accepted the fact Vanessa was gone. If I suffered the same fate he’d put a bullet inside his brain immediately.

  I had to escape.

  The SUV Drove forward and away from the tiny airport. Soon we were on the round and headed straight into Rome. Now I knew my surroundings better than before I left. I spent time studying the geography when I was back in America, not because I thought I would be kidnapped again, but because I missed the place I’d called home for a whole year.

  With a gaze full of dullness I looked out the window and pretended to be indifferent to everyone inside the vehicle. They made the mistake of not handcuffing me, and I would take advantage of their stupidity. They knew I was feisty but they obviously didn’t know I was brave and stupid. I would crash this car into oncoming traffic if I had to.

  The minutes trickled by and we approached Rome. Hardly any cars were on the streets because it was some odd hour in the morning. After being drugged and flying across the Atlantic, I had no understanding of time.

  My eyes glanced at the man sitting beside me. The gun was still pointed at me but it was slowly lowering as the gravity made his hand tired. Instead of looking at me like he should his eyes were glued out the front window. The radio wasn’t on and only silence kept us company.

  I was going for it.

  I leapt across the car and swatted the gun down to the floor. Just as I’d seen Crow do countless times, I pulled my right arm back and slugged him hard across the face. I hit him again until his nose broke then I slammed his head into the windowsill.

  The car swerved as the driver realized what was going on. He cursed in Italian and got control of the wheel. The man in the passenger seat grabbed me by the back of the neck and tried to pull me off but it was no use.

  I had this asshole in a death grip.

  I pulled the lever on the door and it flew open to the street below the tires. The man nearly fell but gripped the door and the chair to say steady. Blood streaked down his face and dripped from his chin. “You bitch—”

  I shoved my foot into his chest and kicked him out of the car. His back hit the pavement and he rolled in the road toward the sidewalk. I didn’t have time to watch and see if he survived. Now I had to jump out and get the hell out of there.

  “This cunt is crazy!” The man in the passenger seat dragged me back into the car and pinned me to the leather seats. He yanked my hands behind my back then quickly tied them together with a thick string of rope that chafed against my skin as he tightened the strings. I didn’t cry out in pain despite how much it hurt. He grabbed the gun from the floor and pointed it right at my temple. “Move and you’ll die.” The door was still open so he slammed it shut. Neither one of them mentioned their fallen comrade and clearly had no intention of retrieving him.

  That was cold, even to me.

  He cocked the gun and kept it pressed to my temple. “Now I understand his fascination with you. Always fighting. Always trying.” His hand slid around my arm and underneath my body. His longer fingers groped my breasts through my shirt and squeezed them hard. “Maybe I’ll tit-fuck you before we get there.”

  I thrust my hips as hard as I could to buck him off but he weighed more than a cow. My movement had no impact on him whatsoever. “I’m gonna shove that gun up your ass then pull the trigger.”

  “Dirty talked.” He chuckled. “I like it.” He found my nipple then squeezed it painfully, getting off to my misery as well as my curves.

  My mind immediately went into panic mode and I nearly had a break down right then and there. All the memories of my captivity swarmed back and I realized I was returning to a place far worse than hell. I would be beaten and raped on a daily basis, and I wouldn’t see the sunshine ever again. Like an animal, I would be kicked around and disciplined for any misbehavior. I would no longer have a name but be referred to as a slave. I wouldn’t have—”

  Everything moved in slow motion. The glass of window shattered and sprayed across my back. It was cold from its contact with the nighttime air, and it was sharp like the teeth of a monster. The SUV immediately served harshly to the right as it fell prey to the stampede that had just been unleashed. The man holding me down flew across the vehicle and slammed into the opposite door. My hands were still secured behind my back and I couldn’t hold onto anything. I flew through the air and slammed into the man’s chest, feeling the padding of his body rather than the hardness of the door fra
me. The world kept spinning until we came to an abrupt halt.

  If there was noise I didn’t hear it. If the engine was smoking I couldn’t smell it. Whatever chaos was going on around me was dulled by the ringing in my ears. I knew I was in a car accident but I still didn’t know what happened. A cut bled from my forehead and my entire body felt sore from the collision against one of my captors.

  What happened?

  The opposite door flew open and Cane’s hard expression met mine. With black hair darker than the night and mocha eyes just like his brother he stared at me like a target. “Pearl, you all right?”

  Was I imagining this? “What…?”

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the vehicle. He wasn’t delicate despite my injuries and he pulled me out of there as quickly as possible. “Get moving. We don’t have time for this shit.”

  It sounded like him. It looked like him. Or was I still imagining this? “Where’s Crow?”

  “Don’t worry about that right now. Come on.” He helped me to the ground “Can you walk?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” I tested my footing. Despite how weak I was I could stand. When I turned to look at my surroundings I finally saw him. With a grimace on his mouth and murder in his eyes he yanked the driver door open and yanked the man out from behind the wheel. His shoulders were tense like tightrope and his body screamed for bloodlust.

  Once the man was on the ground, he moaned and tried to get up.

  Crow spit on his face before he slammed his foot onto his noise, an audible crunch filling the nighttime air.

  I stared at him in shock.

  “We don’t have time for this, Pearl. Come on.” Cane yanked me away, pulling me like a dog on a leash.

  Crow kicked him a few more times than stomped on his chest, making the man hurl into his own mouth. “Don’t. Fuck. With. Me.” He finally aimed his gun between his eyes and shot him point blank.