10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

L ayla sat in the back of the car exactly an hour later, feeling like Jackson King had bulldozed her. Everything had happened too quickly.

Jackson had come back into the room with a gigantic man dressed in all black, who he'd introduced as the head of Brit's security. Who was Jackson to pull something like this that fast? Why did he have bodyguards on call? His earlier statement about needing to keep her safe went around in her head until it dawned on her that she'd dropped herself into some deeper shit than merely Costas Markopoulos.

When she imagined someone in the Mafia or other criminal organisations, they looked just like Jackson. An air of authority around them and expensive suits that were a world beyond Costas' cheesy suit, hairstyle, and gold chains. Though Costas had turned their lives upside down, it felt like he was nothing compared to Jackson King. She'd screwed herself over by agreeing to this. She could feel it in her bones.

Fear seeped through her whole body as she remembered Britney's teary face when they were leaving. She'd left her precious baby sister with strangers. What the hell had she done? Was it too late to head back? She had no proof that Jackson could give her anything he promised. The money he had already transferred to her account wouldn't really break anyone's bank if they could afford to stay in the penthouse suite of the Royal Hotel, but anyone could write a cheque that couldn't be cashed. She may have fallen for a con.

She turned her head and watched the city lights disappearing through the back window. Where were they even going? She should have asked all these questions before agreeing to go with them. The two men in the front seats hadn't spoken to her, but she could feel Jackson's lover's irritation as if he was hitting her head with it.

But wasn't she doing them a favour? Didn't he want a child? Or was that just a con, too?

Maybe Jackson was forcing this on him, too. Jackson seemed like a bully, like someone people couldn't say no to. If he wanted a child and his boyfriend didn't, that minor issue wouldn't stop him.

They had been driving for about half an hour—though it seemed like forever because her anxiousness had shot her nerves to pieces—when the car turned into an obscure dirt road. They had turned into the forest! Into the forest that no one ever went into!

She gasped, and her hand automatically went to the door handle. Her heart pounded uncontrollably in her chest as the forest canopy loomed closer. It was already late, but even with the moonlight, the forest was so inky dark through the trees that she couldn't see far, even with the car headlights.

She didn't stop to think. As the car slowed to navigate the bumpy dirt trail, she instinctively knew this was her only chance. The moment she pushed the door open, she jumped out and rolled, ignoring the pain in her back and all over her body as she protected her head. She rolled further than she thought and slammed against a thick tree trunk with her back.

She would bleed again, and the tree trunk would leave a bruise, but there was no time to check on her injuries. It took a moment to steady herself when she got to her feet, but she started running back to the main road the second she did.

Crazy people. Wild animals were not something to be trifled with, and the wolves in Wolfdale were as territorial as fuck. Had they not seen the wolves attacking Costas and his people? This was a suicide mission, even if they remained in the car. There had been enough stories about that when she was growing up. Search parties that had discovered mutilated bodies and abandoned vehicles. The wolves had defeated Costas with all his gun power and cars—they didn't stand a chance. She hadn't agreed to be a surrogate just to die and leave Brit alone.

She was almost out of the forest when something grabbed her from behind, lifted her off her feet, and slammed her against the tree trunk. It knocked the wind out of her lungs and aggravated her wound as fear clawed its way up her throat. She had assumed it was some sort of animal tackling her, but when she realised it was Jackson who pressed himself against her, imprisoning her, her fear increased.

He had a snarl on his face that made him seem inhuman, and for a moment, she saw a flash of red in his eyes in the moonlight. Maybe it was the fear playing tricks on her mind or the thought of being in wolf territory making her see things because when Jackson brought his face an inch from hers, there was nothing but anger in his eyes.

She could feel that anger burning her as her body started to tremble.

"Do not run from me, Layla," Jackson growled.

He brought his head down to the crook of her neck and... inhaled? Was he sniffing her? The warmth of his breath shot electricity down her body despite how terrified she was, but she was still hyper-aware of the danger.

Only now, she wasn't sure if the danger was in the forest or standing right in front of her.

"This is a dangerous forest," she whispered. "I can't... I have to get my sister; I can't do this."

Jackson pressed himself even closer, and she forgot her fear. His body was hard and muscular like he'd been sculpted out of granite. And he felt so hot she could feel him through her t-shirt. Her hormones chose that moment to act up again, making her completely forget the danger they were in. Heat spread through her body as she pushed her chest against him. It was like her body had a mind of its own when her hands came up to his chest, and her fingers bunched up his shirt.

She only realised that she'd also wrapped a leg around his waist and pressed her groin against him when she let out a loud, embarrassing moan that made Jackson release her like she was diseased. She sucked in a breath as mortification hit her. He was still angry when he met her gaze. The light from the moon shone on part of his face so she could see the disgust in his eyes.

What the hell had she been thinking? She felt the heat of embarrassment on her face as she looked away from his stony face and prayed he couldn't quite see her face in the dark. Even though she'd just tried to dry hump a gay man and had seen his reaction, her body didn't get the memo to stop reacting to him. She clenched her thighs together and kept her gaze down.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"We made a deal, Layla, and I don't take kindly to those who try to break their word," Jackson growled. "You're coming with me. Or have you forgotten that my men are with your sister?"

Bastard! Was he really using a seventeen-year-old to blackmail her?

"You don't understand... Something doesn't feel right, and this forest is full of wolves," she muttered, pushing herself away from the tree trunk. "I know we agreed, but I can't knowingly put myself in danger—"

"You will do everything I tell you to, Layla. Do not test me. Now get back to the fucking car, or run and let me show you just how dangerous this forest is. Your choice."

He didn't wait to see if she followed him, and once again, he left her with an unpleasant taste in her mouth at how he expected her just to roll over and do what he said. But he was right; he had Brit. All it would take was a phone call from him for something to happen to her sister. She'd trapped herself, and all she could do now was play along until she could assess the whole situation.

Slowly, she walked back to the bumpy trail where the car was idling. The back door was still open, and Jackson was back in the front as if nothing had happened. How had he even got to her so quickly?

They drove for another half an hour before the trail evened out and came onto a road in the middle of the forest. She'd lived in Wolfdale her whole life and had never heard of any roads in the woods. Moments later, it wasn't the road that had her attention but the looming high gates and walls she saw in front of them. It was too dark to make out the full details, but her eyes weren't playing tricks on her this time. The high gates with some intricate designs opened when the car got nearer.

They drove through some woods and an open field before she saw houses. Rows of houses and... shops? Streetlights were on as they passed, and it looked like a little self-sufficient town. Her jaw dropped as she tried to take in everything, but the car moved too fast.

And before long, they came up to another gate that opened as they approached it. How could something like this exist in the forest, and no one had heard about it? Was this some sort of secret organisation? Had she been right to assume Jackson was involved with a criminal gang?

Then a vast building appeared at the end of the winding driveway. A mansion or hotel, she couldn't be sure, but when the car stopped in front of it, she felt her apprehension grow. Even the weight of the knife in her pocket didn't do anything to calm her down.

When Jackson wrenched the door open, she scrambled to the opposite side.

"Get out of the car. You're bleeding all over my seats," he snarled.

And then he turned and walked into the building with his boyfriend, leaving her in the back seat. She slid out of the car and looked back at where they had come from. The place was so huge; could she ever escape?

But something flashed in the distance that looked like a set of eyes. A wolf?

Without another thought, she followed Jackson inside and slammed the door behind her. What was this place?