Worshipped (Worshipped Series Book 1) (26 page)

I was going to get the boys to paint the walls white, and have a grey chevron pattern of over the white. The furniture is all dark brown. The babies bedding will match the chevron walls. Once we decide on the names, I will have their names above their cribs as well. I also want to hang up some shelves, so I can put up their little things. I want their room to be simple, but it is hard not to overdo it. Everything is coming together nicely.

After I paid for my order, I get off the computer and change into some workout clothes. I thought maybe some exercise would tire me out enough to take a good long nap.

Unfortunately, after an hour and a half of Brazilian butt lift, I am still wired. I really want to rest, but for some reason I can’t. I try my best to keep my mind busy. I cook tons of meals and freeze them for the following week, I read a book, and I even sift through my closet. I have a lot of shit that I don’t need. I’ll ask bodyguard number two if he would drop the clothes I don’t want any more off to the local thrift shop. Or maybe I will donate them.

Whichever is fine with me.

By late afternoon, I thought I would go insane. I literally had run out of things to do. I end up changing out of my pajamas into jeans and a shirt, and tell the bodyguards we were going out. Bless their hearts, they don’t say a word. They walk directly to the SUV, opening the door for me. I think maybe they were bored watching me all day.

I ask them to stop by the Chinese restaurant close by the bakery. I go inside, ordered my usual. Chop suey was always my favorite. Oh, and a spring roll. The small Chinese lady brings my food out, and I dig in like I had been starved for days. It doesn’t feel awkward with three bodyguards standing around watching everyone. One is outside the door while the other two are by my side. I guess having them around so much started to seem, well, normal I guess.

I am almost finished with my dinner when I see a young couple making out. Ugh. I am jealous of that. I could be making out with Isaac and Conner, if they were here. I missed them, and I hated them being away.

The making out was starting to piss me off. I decide it is time to go, before my pregnancy hormones take over and I do something stupid. Like going over to the couple to tell them how rude they were. Or my personal favorite, just throat punching them. Yeah, that wouldn’t be such a good idea. I don’t need to go to jail.

I tell the bodyguards I want to stop by the bakery. No one will be there this time of night, and I want to decorate something. Decorating for me is calming and soothing. I need to feel relaxed, so baking and decorating it is. I pull out my key to the bakery once we park. Number two follows me inside, while number one and three stand outside the door.

I walk straight to the back, gathering everything I need to make a chocolate cake. While the cake is baking I make a new batch of butter cream and chocolate mousse to be a filling for the cake. I start mixing the colors I want for the cake. I decide I will make a three tier cake for display for the window. It has been a long time since I made a new one.

I pick gold, ivory, forest green, and turquoise for my colors. Maybe I am a bit obsessed with green. It is, after all, my favorite color. Once the cake is finished baking, I put it in the freezer to help it cool off faster. But, not before I made myself and guard number two a plate. The other two could just suffer without.

They won’t know anyways.

I got a moan and a thank you from number two, and I smile knowing my cake was good. Okay that doesn’t sound right. Either I am thinking dirty thoughts because of my lack of sex or I am just being weird. Probably a little of both.

Finally the cake is cool enough to frost. I grab the biggest layer and put it on a cake board. I sit it on the turn table and then grab my small spatula. I use a spoon to put some butter cream on the top of the cake, and once I think I have enough, I start spreading it out. I’m what I call “the decorating zone”. My mind is clear, I’m relaxed. I’m not overthinking or worrying about anything. I finish frosting all three layers in less than twenty minutes.

Maybe I should’ve made my layers into squares instead of round. Icing a square cake takes a bit more time than the round one does. I put each layer of cake on top of each other, making the perfect three tiered cake. I am happy with the way it turned out, and I haven’t started the decorating part yet.

I fill up a piping bag and start decorating. This is the best part of being a decorator. Creating anything you can think of is surprisingly relaxing. I pipe on golden swirls, and add little accents of forest green and turquoise.

A few hours later, I am done with my little project. I step back to admire my work. I am very pleased with how it turned out. As I pick up my new display, I hear the front door ping. I just realized I hadn’t locked it. Figuring it was another one of the bodyguards, I ignore the sound, walking to the front of the store.

Body guard number two is right behind me. I rearrange the older displays in the window to make room for the new one. For whatever reason, I happen to look up. What I see will haunt me until the day I die.

At first all I see is blood. It’s everywhere. On the ground, the bakery windows, on the SUV, hell it was even on the other side of the road. I know where all that blood had to come from. Number two notices as well, and starts to go outside.

“Don’t go out there!” I yell at him. I know he will just be another dead body if he does. He puts his finger over his lips, telling me to be quiet.

I back away from the front window, working my way toward the back. I hear a loud grunt, and I see number two being thrown into that front window. I yell and start to go see if he is still alive.

He turns to me and says one word. “Run!”

Eyes wide with terror, I do as I’m told and run to the back. There is an emergency exit and if I could just get out of the bakery I would be safe. Right?

Unfortunately, I don’t make it to that damn door. A man bigger than Isaac and Conner grabs me by my arms. Maybe he used to be a body builder, I really don’t know, but he is huge. I struggle with everything my small body can muster. It obviously is not enough. The big guy yanks hard on my arms, and I swear he pulls my arm out of its socket. He drags me out of the bakery.

Number two lay dead in the middle of the bakery. His blood is thick, staining the floors. I let out a sob, trying to stay strong. I don’t even know his real name.

Big guy tugs on my arm again. He is in a hurry I guess. We pass by all the blood I saw before number two came crashing into the bakery. I have no idea where big guy is taking me. We pass by number one and three then. I have to stop so I could vomit my Chinese food. If big guy killed them he wanted to make sure they were good and dead. I wasn’t sure whose parts were whose. There was an arm, a hand maybe? I’m not sure. There is so much blood. Oh god, I’m sick two more times before I hear that sadistic voice.

“Hello, dear Riley.”

You have got to be fucking kidding me. Was I really being kidnapped right now? My brain is not functioning at all. Dominic steps out of the shadows and walks up to me.

“I told you we would get a chance to meet. Ah, what a wonderful night. Don’t you think?” Is he smiling? Oh god, he has blood all over his face. It covered him from his head to his feet. He is just how I remembered from my Google search after Isaac and Conner told me about him.

He is scary big, as if all he had done while in prison was workout. I notice a new tattoo on his neck. That one wasn’t there when I first Googled him. It’s really creeping me out to look at it. It’s a bloody hand, the fingers wrapping around the front of his neck. It’s his eyes that chill me to my bones. Eyes so dark they look black. Those eyes are soulless, and I know he is pure evil. Just one look in his eyes tells me I should be scared to death.

Dominic comes right up to me. He is so close to me I can smell the alcohol on his breath. He grabs my chin, making me look at him. I try shaking him off me; I can’t stand for him to touch me. I whimper when his fingers dig into my face, no doubt leaving a bruise.

“You are a pretty little thing, aren’t you? Hmm…Thomas and Grant chose well. Or should I call them Isaac and Conner? I could never keep track…”

Big guy chuckles. I have no idea what Dominic’s plan with me is. He finally lets go of my face and tells big guy to put me in the van. I start screaming at the top of my lungs, trying so hard to get away from these psychotic men. I manage to stomp big guy’s foot, and with a humph, he lets up on his hold enough for me to turn and kick him right in his balls.

I waste no time running away from them. I don’t get far. Dominic seems to come out of nowhere. One minute I’m looking behind me, making sure I’m not being followed. Then, as if in slow motion, I turn to see my worst nightmare right in front of me. I try to run around him, going in a different direction. Dominic grabs a fist full of hair, jerking me to him.

“Now why did you have to do something so stupid? This could’ve gone much easier on you, if you would just would cooperate.”

I yell again and again. Dominic lets out a sadistic laugh and says, “Scream all you want, my dear Riley. No one will hear you.” I feel the tears then, losing all hope. My heart races and I swear I swallowed a damn truck.

I’m dragged back to their van. The same black van that sat outside my home watching me. The same van that ran me off the road and put me in the hospital. And also the same fucking van at Jake’s bar the night it burnt to the ground. Big guy steps from around the van. He’s holding his groin. Serves that dick right. I quickly lose that glimmer of a thought. Big guy comes straight to me with death in his eyes. I struggle more in Dominic’s hold. He jerks me again. The last thing I remember is Big guy’s hand hitting me in the face. Then it was lights out.

I wake up probably hours later. I’m not sure how long I was out for. My whole face hurts from Big guy’s punch. I know it looks horrible as well. I guess all those years being with Robert and taking his punches toughened me up. As I finally come fully aware of my surroundings, I realize I’m tied to a chair with a rag in my mouth. I try moving, to see if I can somehow get loose. Whoever tied me did a damn good job. I exhale a long breath, wondering what I’m going to do.

I’m more worried and terrified Dominic will do something to hurt the babies. Surely there is some kind of humanity left in him. I can only pray and hope he doesn’t kill me.

I have no idea where I am. It looks like an abandoned warehouse of some sorts. There are crates everywhere and tables set up. A lot of white powder is on those tables. My guess is this is where Dominic set up his drug trade. I can hear voices, but I can’t make out what they are saying. Or who it is.

I hear footsteps behind me, and I cringe, thinking that someone is the Big guy again coming to take his anger out on me. But no, it was my worst nightmare. “Finally, you’re awake I see.”

I just stare at him. I don’t know if he expects me to respond or not. Not that I can say anything with this disgusting rag in my mouth. “I have so much to tell you, my dear Riley. I had to punish Mr. Carlos for hitting you so hard. I really thought you would enjoy your ride in the van. But since you were asleep, you sadly missed a good ride.”

Well, wasn’t that actually nice of Big guy or Carlos. I don’t think I could have made it staying sane knowing I was in a van with two sadistic bastards, not knowing what they had in store for me.

Dominic circles me, touching my hair as we walks behind me. I try shaking him off, but that only gets me another slap in the face. At least this one doesn’t knock me out.

“You know, you remind me of my daughter. Not so much in the looks, but the eyes and how you carry yourself. Ah yes, I’ve been watching you for a long time, my dear. My Caroline was just like you. Strong and independent. Only Caroline was a killer. Much like myself. It’s a shame she made me kill her.”

He shakes his head like he wants to shake away a bad memory. I can’t believe he is telling me this. What kind of monster would kill their own daughter? He circles me once more. He stops right in front of me this time and gets right in my face. His hands are on each side of me, resting on the arm rests of the chair I’m tied to.

He looks me right in the eyes and says, “I am going to kill Isaac and Conner for what they made me do. I already punished Caroline for it, and now, ah yes. It’s time for your lover boys to pay. Do you want to know what I plan to do to them?”

I shake my head, trying to stop the tears from falling. My hair is sticking to my tear stained face.

“I think you do want to know. All right, I will tell you. But I have a phone call to make. Do you mind if I make it here?” He doesn’t wait for a nod or anything from me. He takes his phone out of his pocket and dials a number. When it starts to ring, he puts the call on speaker.

I hear two rings before I hear Isaac’s voice.

I try calling out to him, to let him know, hell, I’m not sure. I just know he needs to know I’m here. I didn’t need to bother with that part. Dominic smiles his evil smile and slaps me again to shut me up. This is going to be the worst part. I don’t think I can sit here, helpless while Dominic tells Isaac and Conner he has me.

“Hello, my dear old friend.”

The line is silent for a bit. I’m sure Isaac went to get Conner so they both could hear what Dominic had to say. I know they are not going to like it.

“What the fuck do you want, Dominic?” Isaac asks. Dominic laughs again. This laugh sends chills down my spine and makes my stomach churn.

“Ah I have missed you too, Isaac. Tell me, how is the witness protection going for you? Would you prefer I call you Thomas?”

“Cut the shit. Tell me what the fuck you want.” Isaac is losing his patience.

“Tell you what, I will let you know a little secret of mine. I think you will be most pleased to know what I have. Someone dear to you and Conner I presume? Here let me show you what I have.”

He turns his phone around and takes a picture of me. I know he sends it to Isaac and Conner. “Now you know how this game works, don’t you, Isaac?”

I hear a string of cuss words from Conner. Isaac is the one who answers Dominic. “If you hurt her…I swear you will pay if you hurt her anymore. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!!”