Chapter 4

An hour later, she began to come around.

At first, when she began moving, Breed got to his feet and sat down beside the bed. He waited patiently for her eyes to open.

She turned from one side to the other and groaned as pain made her wince. Then her hand brushed against her cheek and she groaned again. Then she lay very still and her eyes slowly opened.

Breed could see the warm brilliant blue of her orbs when she slowly turned her head to his.

To see him sitting there so close to her she startled back a bit and had to groan in pain and her hand went to her belly. Pressing gently, she looked at him again. She opened her mouth to speak but her mouth was so dry, no sound came out.

Breed grabbed a bottle of water from the table next to the bed and opened it. “Just sip this or you’ll get sick and that won’t help your belly.”

She nodded and took a few sips at first, just enough to wet her mouth. When that stayed down, she took a longer drink to satisfy her thirst. Then she handed the bottle back to him. “Thank you,” she mumbled hoarsely.

“So, who are you and why did you come here?” Breed sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his broad chest.

“Well, let’s see…” she began. “I’d rather not tell you my name— and I have no idea where here even is…” Her voice sounded croaky as she attempted to speak again, “T-the last thing I knew I was just outside of Decatur, Alabama.” She wet her lips and asked, “Who the hell are you and where am I exactly?”

“Do you know what day is?” Breed interrupted with a question of his own.

She stared at him with a question in her eyes. “P-please tell me, it—it’s Tuesday?”

Breed just stared at her for a moment then slowly shook his head.

She took a deep breath. “Well, it was Monday the last I knew.”

“It’s Friday. And we’re about ten miles outside of Chattooga, Tennessee.”

She flopped back down in her bed and looked shocked. “How the hell did I get here and where did the last three days go?” she whispered.

“Do you remember how you got in the dingy and on the river?” Breed wanted to know.

She looked shocked as she frowned at him. “I was in a dingy, on the river?” she whispered incredibly.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Breed frowned.

She thought about that for a moment then told him, “I remember getting off work Monday afternoon. I got off early because my grandfather was having a dinner party that night and I went out to my car in the parking lot. When I went to unlock my car, someone hit me from behind. When I woke up, I was in a van with three men. My hands were tied behind my back and my head hurt….” She let out a sigh as her eyes drooped closed and she seemed to be out of it again.

Breed took her hand and felt surprised as the warmth from it made heat rise all along his skin. “Hey…Hey!”

Blinking and looking a bit lost, her eyes opened again. She stared at him. “Who are you?”

Breed shook his head. “You were telling me about how you got hit in the head.”

She fell quiet for another moment, as she seemed to have to think about what he was saying. “Well… they drove a long way and the one man kept asking me questions about my grandfather. He seemed to know him rather well. He kept telling me that grandfather would pay to get me back. I tried to tell him he wouldn’t. My grandfather couldn’t be bothered. While he has the money, he doesn’t particularly care for me or my cousin Joey. He didn’t much care for our parents either and they were his own children. But this one guy said he’d better care. Joey owed them big money and he said my grandfather would pay.” She turned her blue eyes at Breed again. “He wasn’t happy about the fact Joey lied to him about grandfather. He told me his name was Blade and that I should remember that name.”

Breed looked puzzled. “And did he say why you would remember it?”

She nodded. “His name would be the last name I would ever say when he shoved a knife into my heart if my grandfather didn’t pay.” She stared at the cut he wore. “He wore one of those too, only his says Hade’s Messengers.”

“The fucker,” he muttered low as he gazed down at his vest then up at her. He then watched her eyes closely as he asked her, “When did he stomp on your abdomen?”

“When I called him a fool to think Joey was honest enough to con him into thinking he would get money for me. That’s when he started hitting me. The last thing I remember is his foot coming down on the belly. I have no idea what happened after that.” She kept her gaze locked on his. “My grandfather is a lot of things but a caring man isn’t one of them.”

“Just who is your grandfather?” Breed asked while feeling confused.

“He’s a man I love to hate and hate to love.” She hung her head. “His name doesn’t matter right now, does it?”

“Well, I think it does as we have to let him know you’re not with the Hade’s MC anymore,” Breed pointed out.

She shrugged. “He wouldn’t have paid anyway.” She turned her head away. “His name is Brian Williams. He works out of Huntsville but is moving his offices to Birmingham.”

“And you are?”

“Kizzy Williams.”