Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Tracy Judd

" O ver here!" Angel panted. "Watch your step—go around. It's hella swampy because of the creek."

I jumped over the narrowest part, then ran half a circle around the wet grass and moss. She wasn't wrong. It was practically a swamp right here. Hopefully, it would slow down our Predators if they caught us here.

We'd parted ways from the other group some ten minutes ago, and I was so relieved my eyes had adjusted to the dark. Because this terrain was not easy! Moss-covered rocks, boulders, holes, streams, trees everywhere, ferns, and slippery logs made things…very interesting. The moon was thankfully helpful tonight. No clouds that we could see from down here.

"Okay, let's take a break," Abel said, out of breath. "This was the water we could drink, right?"

Angel nodded. "Oh yeah, it runs by our cabin. We use it all the time."

Perfect. I dropped to my knees on a flat rock by the water's edge and cupped my hands in the cold water. No need to haul out my li'l filtration system, then.

"I'm gonna do a perimeter check," Kit said. "If the others are anything like Colt, they'll try to sneak up on us."

I didn't know what Dadd—Griffin was like in this environment yet, but I wasn't worried for crap. No matter his approach, he'd find a way to excite the fuck out of me.

"And we're absolutely sure they can't ambush us from the north?" Justin pressed.

"Not yet," Angel replied. "They'll need more time if they wanna cover that angle."

"How fast are your Owners?" Abel asked. "Mad's stronger than he's fast, but he can definitely keep up."

Another thing I didn't know about Griffin—but what I did know might be enough to give us a good inkling. "Griffin's always on his feet. I know that much. Like, fishing and hiking, working around his cabin, all the manual labor, and our job's hectic too. But I wouldn't peg him for a sprinter."

"Colt's not a sprinter either," Kit said. "I mean, he never was. He was in the Air Force. But, so—" He grinned impishly when Angel and Abel cracked up. " But , that said," he chuckled, "he will push himself to the extremes."

"Yeah, that goes for my Daddy too," Angel said frankly. "He always says—" She faked a dark voice to mimic Ryan. "‘I earned my comfort. You know what they do to lazy Marines? No, you don't. But trust me, I earned this.'"

I grinned and took another gulp of water. It was admittedly delicious.

So, in other words, we had a bunch of forty-five-plus men who'd replaced rock-hard abs with comfort, but they also had enough stubbornness to make up for what they'd let go of.

I knew we were going down, though. The chase was probably our strongest ally; we could outrun our Owners, but these men were still in great shape for their ages. They were also Sadists who refused to go down.

This was obviously not a fight I wanted to win, but I still wanted to get some kicks and punches in before I surrendered.

I wanted to impress Griffin.

Kit and Justin jogged off to check our nearby surroundings, and I handed out handfuls of my homemade trail mix. We needed the energy!

"Oh my gosh, what is this? It's so tasty," Angel gushed.

I beamed. "Cinnamon-dusted almonds, freeze-dried apples, walnuts, pecans, and toffee-coated hazelnuts."

"Damn, dude." Abel was a fan too.

That made me happy.

When Kit and Justin came back, they wanted some too, and I emptied the bag into their hands. It wasn't like we'd be here forever, so I hadn't brought much.

"Goodness, this would be awesome on ice cream," Kit mumbled as he chewed. "Is that apple? I like it."

I was about to respond when we all heard a sound, like a twig snapping, and it made my pulse go through the roof. There were forest sounds, and there were clearly man-made sounds! We looked at one another quickly, and then we fucking bolted.

I couldn't see anything moving in the trees, but whoever it was couldn't be too far away.

I was suddenly glad we hadn't split up earlier, which had been my initial suggestion. Justin's too. But Kit and Angel had pointed out that our Owners were likely sticking together, because they only had one tablet, and we'd be stronger as a team for when they attacked.

"We need a good place to face them," Justin said, breathing heavily.

"With hiding spots," Angel panted. "A twenty-five-yard radius still gives us a chance to hide."

True.

"I know a place—fuck." Abel almost went face first into a fern, but he managed to steady himself against a tree. He immediately picked up the pace again, and he pointed. "The stream that separates your land from Gray and Darius's to the north—we picked blueberries there last month."

"Oh yeah! We'll go there." Angel changed course slightly, and we followed.

I jumped over a rock and landed with a burst of pain that shot through my ankle, and I gnashed my teeth and pushed through it. I couldn't stop now. They were somewhere nearby. I was not gonna slow us down.

The interrogation was already going to be my eventual downfall.

I was the guilty one.

Abel and Angel had expressed their hushed curiosity, and I'd denied any knowledge, just like Kit and Justin had. Which had gotten the message across. We weren't sharing any information about the stolen key.

We came upon the narrow stream, and Angel explained, while catching her breath, that it was the property line—but that her brother-in-law's property took over this side of the stream as well, closer to the homesteads, so we couldn't go farther. We were at the westernmost point of Ryan's family's land.

With plenty of options to hide in the waist-high bushes that dotted the area.

We snuck deeper in, and I exchanged a look with Justin.

"Who are our fighters?" I asked.

He glanced at Abel, who nodded. So those two? They were taller than the rest of us, that was for sure.

"Chances are they'll go for us first," Abel said, crouching low in the bushes. "What's our strategy?"

Kit spoke up. "I say we go all in on whoever tries to take us. If they kidnap us one by one, we do everything we can to fight them off."

"No man or cute baby girl left behind!" Angel fist-pumped the air.

She was cute, but I'd seen her in her Sadist mode. When she and Master Ryan tortured Greg, even I got scared. She might be more sadistic than Ryan himself, to be honest. He liked to watch her going to town on their maso.

To be fair, Greg was the type of masochist who wanted to suffer under, um, restrained circumstances. He wasn't primal. I got stronger from pain. It fueled me to give my absolute best. When I was restrained, I couldn't take as much pain. But evidently enough to be cleared for tonight's event.

I ducked low when Angel and Kit dropped, and we stayed within fifteen feet of one another. Far enough to bolt if necessary, close enough to defend a friend.

"Did y'all read Master Ryan's limits?" Kit asked.

"I hope we all did," Angel giggled.

"Right, but, like…" Kit chuckled. "I'm still amazed."

"Don't be fooled—he has limits," she assured. "He just doesn't think we have the ability to cross them, so he tries to fuck with our heads by writing have at it ."

Ryan was annoying and fun that way. The other Tops might as well have copied one another's answers because they were much the same. Watch the balls and no pain delivered to the head.

"It's not like we're gonna go for the head anyway," I reasoned.

"Exactly," Angel said. "But hey, feel free to aim for his balls."

I grinned.

"By the way," Abel said, "when we reach a point where we can't defend one another, we should have a signal. That's when we run."

"Good idea," Justin agreed. "How about ‘go north,' and we'll head east?"

Fuck, that was brilliant. "We'll do that. That's a great one."

"Even if it only confuses them for a second, I'll take it," Abel answered.

"Shh, I heard something," Angel whispered.

I went still and looked out between the bushes, not seeing anything.

I'd wanted the forest and the darkness to intimidate me, to at least make me nervous, but the company of the others prevented that from happening. I'd be much more tense if I'd been alone. Now…I guessed the fight would be the ultimate fear play.

I took a couple of deep breaths and welcomed the silence.

Head in the game.

This area would be great for the takedown. The bushes wouldn't cause too much harm if someone was pushed into them or on top of them.

I refastened the straps of my wrist guards and?—

I went rigid at the sound of eerie whistling slithering through the air. One, two, three… Three men whistling a slow tune that?—

"It's them," Abel whispered. "This is some Walking Dead bullshit. Mad and I just rewatched that show."

Too bad it was fucking working. The tiny hairs along my neck stood up, and my heart started pounding.

My head whipped sideways before I could even make a conscious decision, and I narrowed my eyes at a fourth whistling sound. But I couldn't see anyone.

I balled my hands into fists, and my breaths came out in short puffs that misted in the air.

"Oh, we've struck gold," someone drawled. Mister Colt, maybe. His Texas accent was unmistakable.

"Aye." That was Ryan. "Sure reeks of brats and baby sluts."

I clenched my jaw.

At long last, one man came into view when he emerged from the trees. Jameson.

"Who has the spiked gloves?" he asked.

Fuck! I hated vampire gloves. It better be a mind trick.

"I do." Oh God, Griffin's voice fucking shook me. Low and filled with danger.

I licked my lips nervously and repositioned my foot for a quick pounce. The underbrush was suddenly alive with too much rustling.

Two more men emerged—Colt and Ryan.

They were maybe twenty feet away.

Why weren't they panting and wiping sweat off their foreheads? I needed them exhausted. Like old people were supposed to be.

"Look what we have here."

I gasped; someone was way too close, fucking behind us, and then Angel screamed loudly. As shock tore through me, I still managed to jump into action, and I shot right up and spun around. Justin, Kit, and I ran for Angel right away. It was Madigan—then Griffin too! They grabbed at Angel, who didn't waste time thrashing like she was being electrocuted.

"Pick on someone your own size, you goddamn ogres!" she yelled.

"Get her away from them and run!" I shouted. A second later, I crashed into Madigan, and he toppled over with a grunt. Justin and Kit attacked Griffin, and I scrambled to my feet and kicked and smacked at Madigan as he tried to get ahold of me. "I don't fucking think so," I snarled. "Run!"

The others were getting closer, and we had to split right fucking now unless we wanted to get captured in the first attack. Justin yelled orders for us to go north, and Angel and Kit pushed at Griffin.

"Slippery little fucker," Madigan spat out.

I sucked in a quick breath and narrowly escaped his grasp, and then we were finally sprinting out of the bushes and into the darkness.

"Get them!" Ryan growled.

"Oh my God, oh my God," Angel chanted breathlessly.

"Faster!" Kit panted.

He and I took the lead, and we leaped over a fallen tree at the same time.

Holy shit, my blood was pumping through me now, with a generous dose of adrenaline. It was so fucking freeing. I couldn't describe it. It was like flying.

"Fuck!" That was Justin. Kit and I came to a screeching stop and turned back, and— "Let go of me," Justin growled. "Motherfucker!"

We watched as he delivered a swift punch to Ryan's gut, and I knew he'd need backup. Griffin, Colt, and Jameson were right behind them, so Kit and I took off. So did Angel and Abel.

"We want Abel or Justin right now," one of the Tops barked out.

"Fucking try!" Justin shouted.

We all kind of slammed into one another, and I hauled in a quick breath. There were hands everywhere, and they were way too fucking grabby. An arm snaked around my middle as I shoved at Madigan. Kit yelled at someone behind me, Madigan sent Abel to the ground by tripping him, and Angel launched herself at Ryan. Go for her feet. Get him! Let me go! Watch out for Kit's pinches—I fucking swear, boy! Pin him to the ground. I groaned in pain as someone delivered a punch to my side, and it made me goddamn livid. I thrashed at whoever was holding me; it wasn't Griffin, 'cause he was the fucker who'd punched me. I reached for him and pounded my fists against his chest, and he cursed and attempted to trap my arms against my sides.

"Help me!" Abel yelled.

"Ouch—you asshole!"

"We got him. Keep the others away!"

No!

"Shackle the little shit," Madigan snapped.

Just as I was about to wrench free, Griffin came up to me, grabbed me in a chokehold, and shot me a furious glare that punched all the air out of my lungs.

I froze and choked, utterly trapped in his deathly stare. He was so close too, our noses almost touching.

Oh my God, save me, fuck me, take me, help!

"You're next," he whispered in a rough voice.

With that said, he—or someone else—shoved me down on the ground, and I cried out. Motherfucking rock! I rolled over as my eyes welled up. That damn rock was gonna create a bruise along the back of my thigh. Holy fuck, it hurt. But even so, I didn't get scared. Just angrier. Fuck, it was Colt. He'd been the one holding me, and he'd made sure I'd gone down ass-first, not head or neck. And it should reassure me, comfort me, that they thought about safety even in the heat of the moment, but I wanted to get scared!

I'd felt an ounce of it when Griffin had choked me. I needed much more of it.

I looked around me as Griffin, Colt, and Jameson retreated, and I noticed we were all on the ground. Angel and Kit were panting and glaring at the Tops, and Justin was grimacing and nursing his arm against his chest.

They'd taken Abel. I heard him. His furious shouting pierced through a rushing sound in my ears—I hadn't even registered it at first.

Another glance at my friends—and an internal check—stated the obvious. We were in no position to fight for Abel's freedom. My heart was beating so fast that it might jump up my throat, and my leg hurt like a bitch.

"We're staying right here," Justin said, catching his breath. "They gotta run back to wherever they're gonna interrogate us—and then return. We're better off resting and getting our shit together."

I blew out a heavy breath and nodded.

Sorry, Abel.

You couldn't trust a word spoken by a Sadist, at least in the middle of an event, so we didn't know who they were going for next. Griffin had said it was me, at the same time as someone had said they wanted Abel and Justin first.

This time, we were ready for them.

Kit, Justin, Angel, and I stuck close together as Griffin, Colt, Jameson, and Ryan approached like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Matching expressions of determination, geared up for a fight, they walked closer and closer.

Kit and I crouched, and I flexed my fingers and made sure I had good footing.

Griffin smirked faintly in a condescending way.

I clenched my jaw. He was just fucking with me.

"This is gonna be easy," Colt chuckled.

Kit didn't miss a beat. "Kinda like you on any day that ends in Y."

I loved that dude!

Colt lifted his brows, and he cocked his head. "You just earned yourself a week of orgasm denial."

Oh wow, that was fucking harsh.

Kit glared and didn't say anything else.

"That's mild," Ryan noted. "Angel's cruisin' for at least a month at this rate."

Angel laughed behind me. "Are we fighting or slinging cheap threats, ladies?"

"Is lady supposed to be an insult?" Griffin asked. "Either way, I haven't seen any of you fight yet."

"Agreed," Colt said. "Don't get me wrong—y'all're cute as fuck when you get swingin' with your li'l penguin wings?—"

"Fuck you!" Kit charged. Buttons effectively pushed.

I suppressed a sigh and ran after—unless I wanted Kit to get snatched within a minute. And I didn't. We couldn't afford to lose another prey if we wanted to give the Sadists a run for their money.

Thankfully, we'd come up with a plan. We all charged at the same Top so we could inflict some damage. Kit pummeled into Colt, who stood his ground, but when Justin and I followed, the Texan wasn't gonna rise for a fucking while.

He went down with a vicious curse; Kit remained on top and did his best to hold one of Colt's arms strapped to the ground. Justin and I didn't waste a second. I kicked Colt's thighs while Justin went for his?—

"Not so fucking fast," Ryan growled. He grabbed ahold of Justin and pushed him away, and then Griffin grabbed at me.

"Stop! No!" Angel cried out.

Holy shit—just before Griffin hauled me off Colt, I witnessed what Kit did. He had the balls to bitch-slap Colt—and the look Colt sent Kit…? I'd be scared for my damn life.

Griffin pulled me up roughly, and I automatically jammed an elbow into his gut. Oomph. The fight was on from there.

"We're takin' this little whore," Colt said in a menacing voice.

"You're gonna have to catch me," Kit challenged.

I grunted and wrenched free from Griffin's hold, and I didn't think. I just ran. I darted in between the trees, to the sounds of Justin, Kit, and Angel fighting with their Tops.

I ran for all I was worth.

Do I circle back?

As if he'd heard me, Justin shouted for me. "Keep running, Tracy! Tire out the old motherfuckers!"

"Shouldn't be too hard!" I yelled back.

Griffin's out-of-breath chuckle confirmed my suspicion—he was following me.

I saw another stream up ahead, and I panicked for a hot second. It was too wide—at least this part—so I changed direction to run alongside it. But Griffin was too fast. Why was he so fast?! I pushed myself beyond what I'd thought I could handle, my lungs burning and my legs protesting, and I had to jump. I had to. Maybe I could jump farther than he could.

My breathing turned shallow and rapid, and I gnashed my teeth and made the leap, aiming for the patch of grass on the other side?—

"Goddammit!" I slipped right on the edge and slid down into the cold water. I gasped and grabbed a fistful of grass, scrambling to get up, and that was when Griffin landed in the shallow water with a loud splash. I looked over my shoulder, hoping he'd be on his ass, but he wasn't. Fuck. He stood there with a dark grin on his face, boots firmly planted on the rocky bottom. Water reached his calves. And he just strode toward me.

"What're your thoughts on waterboarding, boy?"

Oh my God.

I widened my eyes, then hurriedly climbed up on dry land, and I managed to escape before he could get a proper grip on my hoodie. It made him curse.

I ran as fast as I could, my sneakers making squishy sounds the whole fucking way. Damn, that water was cold.

All of a sudden, I saw someone else. Was that Cal? Oh shit, he was being chased by someone wearing a ski mask.

I changed direction again, and I ran and ran until I realized I couldn't hear any screams anymore. It'd been a while since I'd heard Justin and Kit.

Throwing a glance over my shoulder, I…didn't see anyone at all.

I was alone.

I swallowed against the dryness in my throat and slowed to a stop. Where was Griffin? He didn't have the tablet, so he couldn't be sure where I was. Had I outrun him?

Gasping for air, I leaned against a tree and blinked rapidly. Trees everywhere. No Griffin. Maybe over there, where I could spot thicker vegetation and cliffs. Was he hiding? Biding his time? Waiting to ambush me?

In a matter of seconds, nerves frazzled me and formed a knot in my stomach. I breathed too heavily and couldn't really calm down—or stand still. I looked around me, just waiting for him to appear.

Funny how the woods suddenly appeared darker and more ominous.

I heard an owl in the distance.

I wiped my hands off on my pants, and I peered down at my shoes. Soaking wet, the bottom of my pants too.

Deep breaths. Deep, slow breaths.

"I know you can see me!" I croaked out.

I didn't fucking know, though.

Feeling parched, I licked my lips and figured I couldn't stay here the whole night. Either I went on the prowl for Griffin, or I tried to find my way back to my friends—hopefully with time to be of use. And I could find water on the way.

I exhaled shakily and flexed my limbs, noticing how sore I was all over. Sometimes, it wasn't a hard blow or the crack of a whip that did one in. The never-ending discomforts of fighting and landing wrong added up. My ankle was still hurting a bit, and I had bruises forming all over my arms from the constant grabbing.

So, um…this way or that way?

Shit. I wasn't sure of the exact direction that would bring me back to where I'd left the others, but I started walking. Carefully. Quietly.

Being alone heightened my senses, especially my hearing, and the forest was full of tiny sounds that made me all jumpy. My breath hitched when I heard twigs snapping, only for me to realize I was the one causing the twigs to break.

Moron.

I stopped when someone screamed. It was so far away, and I had no idea who it was, but the sound was laden with pain.

You're next.

I swallowed hard and shuddered.

Maybe I was a little scared now.