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When I'm finally pulled from the car, I'm dragged into an old barn. My eyes try to adjust after being blindfolded for so long.
The timber is old, rotting. The only windows are the ones high enough for me not to see out. The roof is slanted, caving in and there is a patch of it completely missing. The summer sun shines in, making me squint when it reaches me.
I hiss in pain when someone drags my arms behind my back, leading me to sit on a bunch of haystacks in the corner of the barn, opposite the door I've been led through moments ago.
"Why are you doing this?" I grind out. The last thing I want to do is sound weak in front of The Razors.
The man who had been sitting in the back of the car with me doesn't answer. When I try to look back at him, he only pushes my head forward, tightening his grip on my arms. He practically throws me into the hay. I catch myself before I fall face-first into the dirty ground.
I have no idea where the hell I am, but I can guess. I know the Haswell's live on a farm. I'm sure that if one owns a fucking farm, they probably own a barn full of hay, too.
A shiver runs through me, despite the humidity that this summer is already bringing. A bead of sweat runs down the side of my face, but I know it isn't from the weather. I curse under my breath for looking so god damn weak.
The man walks back over to the door, but he doesn't go outside. Instead, he closes it. The hinges rattle violently, and I'm surprised that it doesn't completely fall off.
"Why am I here, exactly?" I say, my voice remaining steady against all odds.
The man doesn't do anything but blink. He doesn't even look at me. He keeps his arm folded against his chest. He wears the black bikie jacket all of The Razors wear. It's like their second skin.
When I looked closer at him, I realise that he doesn't look scary at all. I can tell he's trying to unnerve me, but it's not working. "Um...are you going to say something? Anything? For god's sake, why am I even here?"
The man only clears his throat, but he finally makes eye contact with me. He glares and I just roll my eyes. I know I should be scared. I'm aware of what The Razors are capable of. But for some reason, even though they've kidnapped me, thrown me in a car blindfolded, and led me to some random barn in the middle of nowhere, I don't feel anything but delirious. Maybe it's the sun.
When the door burst open and the man stands to the side, my stomach plummets. This just proves my theory that I am currently sitting in Andy Haswell's barn.
I suddenly sit up straighter, drawing my eyes into slits. I've been trained to face people like him. I might as well pretend to be strong now.
"If something ever happens, don't show any fear, no matter how scared you are," my father had told me years ago. He always prepares us for the worst, but I never thought I'd actually have to use anything he ever told me.
A deep chuckle sounds through the whole barn, disappearing into the cracked roof above. I'd be lying if I say it doesn't affect me. The second bead of sweat rolls down my back, not from the heat either.
"Well," Andy says, stepping out from behind the man guarding the door. "If it isn't Ellie Cartwright. Well done on capturing this one, Marcos," Andy says, clapping the guy on the back.
Seconds later, the one and only, Hunter Haswell steps inside. My blood runs cold. Hunter has always made me quiver in my boots, and not from his good looks. He actually does frighten me, especially after the day he'd punched Noah in the face.
I had stepped in that day, just as Hunter was about to swing at Noah again. The look of utter shock that was cast over Hunter's face as he lowered his fist, making eye contact with me made me want to puke. Noah had dragged me away just as Hunter was about to say something. I swore he was going to apologise, but Hunter isn't the type of person to say that he's sorry. It just isn't who he is.
His blonde hair is cut just below his ears. I notice the patches that have been stitched into his leather jacket. One patch I notice is his official member patch. Noah has one that is almost identical. His blue eyes meet mine, and he frowns before returning his face back to a neutral expression. I frown myself, confused.
When Andy steps further into the decaying building, the anger only grows inside of me. How dare he take me away from my family, my brother.
"Why the fuck am I here?" I growl, standing up from the hay.
I clench my hands into fists, stopping the tears from falling down my face. For the first time, I look down at my own clothes and realise how dirty I am. My shorts don't even look like the washed-out denim that they had been before. My white tank is anything but white now. I can only imagine how my brown hair looked, how much my makeup has smeared.
Andy only laughs, again. "Oh, Elena, you—"
"Do not call me that," I snap.
My mother's name isn't one I want to hear. It isn't one I've heard for years. I never understood why my parents had named me Elena. Usually, you named someone after a parent because they were famous, or there was some kind of legacy you are passing down through the generations. But my mum is no one special, that is for sure. As soon as she left, I made everyone call me Ellie.
"Struck a cord, did I?" Andy snarls, moving closer to me.
I try not to waver. On instinct, I sit back down, against the hay. I don't want to see his smug expression, so I look down at my hands.
"Elena, do—"
"Please," I croak. "Don't call me that."
I hate that I sound so broken, so upset by one simple word. Maybe I'm just lying to myself. Maybe this whole time I have been scared. Andy knows how to play mind games, he knows how to break people, make them snap. That's why he's such a good leader.
I dig my nails into my palms, stopping the tears. I'm not going to cry in front of a middle-aged bully. At least I still have some dignity left.
"Elena—"
"Dad," Hunter snaps. I look up at him, his eyes focused on me before he looks back at his father. Andy doesn't look back at Hunter. He sighs dramatically, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Hunter walks forward, spinning his father around. They're close in height, but Hunter a view inches taller. There are hardly any similarities between them. Ridge looks more like his father. They both have brown hair and brown eyes, as opposed to Hunter's blonde locks.
The only likeness between the two is the sharp edge of their jaws, the hardness in their eyes as they stare at each other, testing one another. Hunter leans into his father, whispering in his ear. Even when I strain to listen, I can hardly hear anything except a few snippets of random, out of place words.
Andy grabs Hunter's arm which is enclosed around his bicep. "Step away, boy," I hear him whisper, growling.
Hunter seems like he wants to say more to him. I can tell by the way his jaw locks and his teeth grind. Instead, he steps back, close to the door. I can tell he wants to leave.
His eyes lock on me for less than a second, before he turns away, looking at the timber. I notice his hands in fists. I know that Hunter has anger that runs deep within him. I saw it when he was swinging at my brother with his fists. But I also saw the look of disappointment on his face when he almost hit me. Like he hated himself.
"So, Ellie, I'm sure you know why you are here," Andy says, brushing invisible fluff from his leather jacket. "You and your brother were found in our territory, working. I'm sure you are aware that that is against all the rules that we stand by."
This guy is evil. Pure evil. I don't think I have hated someone so much in my life before him.
Who kidnaps a seventeen-year-old girl because they have some stupid issue with their father? This has nothing to do with me.
"So, you'll be here until—"
I whip my head to look up at him. He's closer than I remember, crouched down in front of me now. "Until when?" I snap. "Until someone comes for me? Until I'm dead?"
Andy laughs again but stops abruptly. He grabs my chin, squeezing my face so hard that I'm forced to look at him. I hear Hunter move closer, but he doesn't do anything. He doesn't stop it.
"Don't be so dramatic, girl," his grip hardens. "You'll stay here until I get what I want."
"And what do you want exactly?" I whisper, glaring at him.
"It's simple, really," he says, tapping my jaw. He's threatening me, showing me that he can easily break my jaw without a second thought. "I just want The Skulls to leave my town alone. By keeping you here, they'll realise just how serious I am about that, too."
He stands up, letting go of my face roughly. My head whips to the right with force. I don't look back up at him.
"You'll be sleeping in here for...well, for as long as it takes," Andy says. "Hunter and Ridge will prepare everything for you."
Before he walks out, he turns, pointing a short stubby finger at me. "Oh, and if you so much as try and run, I'll know. I'll always know."
I don't doubt that he will. He'll probably have members on patrol all through the night. I don't doubt for a second that they will shoot me if I try to leave. I'd be stupid to try anything. For now, at least.
Andy leaves before I can even think of a comeback. I'm left with a long silence and an awkward glance from Hunter.
"What?" I snap at him. He almost has the audacity to smile but thinks better of it.
"Nothing," his deeps voice booms. He steps closer, raking a hand through his hair. "I just—nevermind."
"You should probably leave then," I remark. "Go chase after your daddy like a good, obedient son."
He sticks his hands in his pockets. "I'm—"
"Don't," I snap.
He looks at me, his blue eyes clouding with confusion. "You don't even know what I was about to say."
"Yeah, well, I can guess. I don't need to hear it," I look away from him, trying to find somewhere comfortable on the hay. "Why are you talking to me, anyway? You're my enemy."
He laughs, he actually laughs at me. "Yeah, sure, enemies. That just completely slipped my mind."
He is actually being sarcastic in a moment like this?
He doesn't get it. He isn't the one who is being held against his own will. He doesn't have to worry about anything.
"I get that this is just a joke to you, but for me, it isn't, alright? This is my life."
He goes quiet, his smile completely dropping off his face. He runs a hand over his face before speaking again. "That wasn't—"
"It doesn't matter, Hunter." I pull my legs up, tucking them under my chin. "Just...go."
I know that Hunter couldn't have stopped this even if he tried. Even if he cared enough to stop it. But I'm still angry at him, at everyone.
He seems like he wants to say more, but thinks better of it. He turns his back to me and I notice how tense his muscles are.
"Ridge will bring you some blankets." He doesn't say anymore before he swings the door open, banging it against the wall as it closes behind him.
I'm left with complete and utter silence. Not even the sun can warm me up now.