"Your friends are far enough away. Now it's time for us. Fly back to the car," Morgan ordered.
When they landed, he grabbed Alex's arm and le her back to the car. His hand was warm and rough against her skin, and the smell of beer hung thickly around him. She tried to keep her face expressionless, but could feel her fear growing as they approached the featureless black sedan with Brockner inside.
Morgan leaned toward the driver. "My place first. I have important plans."
"Please do not elaborate on them now, I don't think I could stomach them," Brockner said sternly. "Remember, she must be alive when I come to pick her up tomorrow morning."
"She'll be alive," Morgan said with confidence.
Brockner frowned deeply. "Not just barely, either. There's a lot of money sunk in her."
"Not just barely, boss-man," Morgan said with a smirk as he leered at Alex. "It will be an evening of love, right sweetheart?" He squeezed Alex's arm tightly before finally releasing her and pushing her into the car.
The car stopped at a decrepit house that had seen better days. Thick vines had cornered the porch, and wooden boards nailed into the windows barred any view from the outside. The dirt and cobwebs on the panes of glass were evidence of years of neglect, but not a single pane was broken or cracked
Probably the source of many horror stories at Halloween.
"Our little love nest," Morgan said smugly as he grabbed her cuffed hands to help her out of the car. Alex snatched them away from him without a word.
I won't give him the satisfaction of any reaction. He feeds on my fear and pain. This time will be different. This time I won't disgrace myself with tears and pleas.
Morgan grasped her wrists firmly, each of them weighed down by a metal cuff. He pulled her up the creaky stairs and into the bedroom, the smell of mildew drifting in from other parts of the house. The bed was large and pristine, as if it were recently purchased and immediately set up.
"You're just like I remember you," he murmured. He clicked something on the cuffs and they separated, but each one still surrounded her wrists.
Why do men expect women to never age? The Alex in this timeline is supposed to be ten years older than me, sheesh.
"Oh, I've changed," she replied quietly.
"I've waited for this." He reached for her.
Alex sidestepped him, her movements swift and confident. In one graceful motion, she shrugged off her shirt, revealing the puckered skin of the burn.
Morgan's eyes widened in shock. "What? But this timeline's Morgan died a long time ago."
"You think you're the only one who can jump timelines?" Alex shot back.
Maybe I shouldn't have given him that information.
The door crashed open and they both jumped back and faced it.
Brockner standing in the doorway, two agents looming menacingly on either side, guns drawn.
"Morgan," he growled, "did you really think I would allow you to play with such expensive technology?" He glanced at Alex, brow furrowed, taking in her burn. "Alex, what happened to you? Did Morgan do this? Or is it some bizarre rite of passage of your friends?"
"Both," Alex said.
Good for him to fear them all.
"Brockner, are you double-crossing me?" Morgan growled, standing firmly rooted, his feet spread apart as he faced Brockner and his agents.
Alex had started to back away from him, but he reached for her arm with a sudden lunge. Her eyes widened in fear and she stumbled backwards, crashing to the ground. Morgan spun around, raising his arms in a peculiar circle. A low hum filled the air and an inky black portal with sickly yellow-green flames licking its edges materialized before them. Without warning, he lunged forward into the portal and Brockner and his men reacted immediately, shooting at the opening with their guns.
The portal flashed and roared with heat and flames as it closed, momentarily blinding everyone as they shielded their eyes. As soon as the flames dissipated, Brockner's men descended on Alex, grabbing her arms roughly and restraining her from moving. She offered no resistance and after a moment, Brockner stood upright.
Eyes dull with defeat, Alex said, "Okay, let's go. You or Morgan: there isn't much difference."
"You wound me." Brockner dramatically placed a hand over his heart.
"Moderate amount of difference," Alex countered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You're not going to paw me, are you?"
"Not at all, my friend. I like my women blond, busty, and willing," Brockner said with a sly wink.
***
A/N
Dedicated to fellow authors: please check out their books!
YOU ARE READING
Betrayal - Book 3 of Guardians Saga - EDITED
RomanceAlex survived fighting a war on an alien world. But can she survive her return trip to New Orleans? The brothers are fighting, throwing their new Guardian team into disarray. Now Alex must evade the agency that created her, itself divided into fact...
