What I wouldn't give to be there now-safe in his arms, him rubbing my back as I protested about his bad taste in movies. How trivial it seemed now. I'd never complain again about his movie choices if I could have that all back again-both kids sleeping soundly in their beds as Cobra's hand drifted under my clothes and removed them slowly as he kissed me all over and then f.u.c.ked me on the couch.

I blinked a few times, forcing myself to forget the past and focus on what I was doing.

Be brave, Mia. You have to do this.

Hatred had fueled me into action. It was stronger than my fear. Yet it was love that kept me going when I wanted to give up.

I snuck to the back of the abandoned building and then jumped a few fences. Thank G.o.d I was fit and agile, because some fences where higher than others and I'd ripped my shirt twice in the process of climbing over. I landed on my feet as I jumped the last fence.

This has to be it.

Raucous laughter came from inside-as well as the sounds of men yelling and women screaming. I trembled as I crept along the side of the building to get to the house's back yard, needing to find the back entrance.

Leaning against the wall to steady my shaking legs, I listened for Daemon's voice. Too scared to take a peek, I stood still for about five minutes just listening and catching my breath, until my foot became numb from standing in the same position for too long. f.u.c.k it-I needed to steal a glimpse so I knew what I was dealing with.

Slowly I raised my head, just enough to see inside. My gaze fell on naked bodies, men and women intertwined, writhing and sweating as they f.u.c.ked every conceivable hole in a person's body.

And then I saw him. Daemon.

I'm at the right place.

Sandwiched between him and another man was a brunette with huge b.r.e.a.s.t.s, who had a third man's c.o.c.k in her mouth. I watched in awe as Daemon rode her from behind, slapping her a.s.s and grunting as he pulled back her hair, his naked body toned and slick. He leaned over a gla.s.s table with rows of white powder and snorted up one line and then another, then, with a grin, commenced pounding into the woman's a.s.s.

Pulling away from the window, I rested on my haunches for a moment. This was my chance to find my boy. Hopefully everyone in that room would stay in their s.e.x-and-drugs haze and give me a chance to get inside unnoticed.

Staying close to the wall, I crept slowly the rest of the way to the back entrance. Just as I'd hoped, the door stood wide open, insects buzzing around the light. So far, so good. I was only a few yards from it.

Lightning struck somewhere close and nearly made me jump out of my skin. The next minute the sky opened and poured rain down before I could reach for cover. f.u.c.k. Now I was soaked through. I shivered in the cold night air.

Ducking my head, I ran to the door. G.o.d, please don't let anyone see me. Just as I reached the entrance, the outdoor light buzzed loudly, blinked twice and then died. I couldn't believe my luck, yet the sudden darkness threw me for a moment until my eyes adjusted again.

I was wiping the water from my face when I heard the sound. My boy. He was crying, sobbing his little heart out. I heard it even above the pounding noise of the music and the people and the storm outside.

I'd hear that cry anywhere.

Jamie had always been afraid of thunder and lightning, and I could only imagine the terror he was feeling now. I was so d.a.m.n close, yet too far to comfort him.

n.o.body was stopping me now. I opened the door, the creak no doubt smothered by the sound of pouring rain, and stepped into a dark empty laundry. I followed the sound of the sobbing down the pa.s.sage. Just before I reached my destination I heard voices from the room before it.

"Jesus, is that kid gonna wail all night long?" a woman asked, her shrill, high pitched voice grating my nerves.

"Shhh, baby, I'm supposed to be watching the little c.u.n.t. I don't want the boss finding you here while I'm on duty, so don't make waves."

"Oh yeah? Well how am I supposed to come listening to that, huh? Maybe I should go in there and slap him around till he stops."

"That would be fun. Maybe we can make him watch you come. That will stun the little b.a.s.t.a.r.d into silence."

Holy s.h.i.t! What had these lowlifes put my child through? If they harmed one hair on his head, this mama was going to go crazy.

As I slid along the wall, just as I was in front of the doorway a bolt of lightning struck again, lighting up the room they were in. The woman was on her knees, sucking one of the biggest c.o.c.ks I'd ever seen. The man stood leaning back against the wall, his head rolled back, a gun in his one hand, the other on her head, forcing her to take him deeper.

My gag reflexes took over, nearly making me puke. I wiped the sweat from my brow with a wet sleeve. How could I be hot and cold at the same time? I reached for the door handle of the room I'd heard the crying come from and turned.

Please let my boy be okay.

Please let us get out of here fast . . . and alive.

Chapter 40 - Cobra.

This was the place. Savage had turned the engine off and now we waited. I knew enough about how the cops operated to know Savage wouldn't make a move till they'd staked out the place and Summers had arrived. Why the f.u.c.k he couldn't just take Ryder in and get my kid out was beyond me.

f.u.c.k them. I was going in to find my kid. If I'd known the location earlier, it would've all been over a long time ago. I wasn't waiting one f.u.c.king second more.

First I needed to hide my Harley. Since I was watching from a distance, I decided to find an empty driveway to leave my motorcycle at. I got off the beast and slowly pushed her fifty yards back, away from the SUV, to what seemed like an abandoned property across the road from where I'd been hiding between stinking dumpsters. I couldn't stand the stench a moment longer. My stomach was already roiling and I felt sick.

Met with surprise to find an old red car parked there, I placed my hand on the front hood to find the engine still warm. Alarm bells went off in my head. Where the f.u.c.k had I seen this car before?

Searching my memory, it came to me. This was Tanya's car. The busty redhead who lived down the road and always tried to seduce me when Mia wasn't looking. The reason I remembered the car so well was that she'd tried to get me to f.u.c.k her in it. In front of Mia she was her best friend, but behind her back, the woman came on to me hard-core.

It was easy to resist her. For one I hated f.u.c.king in cars. Way too cramped. I like f.u.c.king on my black beast, with freedom to move. Never would anyone catch me doing it in a closed vehicle that felt like a coffin.

But that wasn't the only reason. When a man had a woman like Mia, no other p.u.s.s.y would ever come close. I loved my woman fiercely. I just wasn't interested in any other p.u.s.s.y as long as I had Mia.

I sucked in a ragged breath. I'd bet that Mia was here. How the f.u.c.k did she know about this? f.u.c.k. I didn't have time to work out the details; I had to get to her before Daemon did. Because I knew what Mia was trying to do. She thought she could get Jamie out by herself, and that no blood would spill that way.

How wrong she is.

If Daemon found her there, he'd have double the power over me. I had no illusions what he'd do to Mia to torment me further. Christ, I'd rather die than let my wife go through that again. Daemon would f.u.c.k her to death. Literally. That way he'd kill me twice.

Lightning struck and rain came pouring in bucket-loads from the skies. I had to find Mia. It was even more urgent than finding Jamie.

f.u.c.k. The night had just gotten so much worse. If anything happened to Mia, I had no reason to keep wanting to breathe. She was my air.

I kicked the tire of the old car and cursed. This was men's business.

Why was Mia so f.u.c.king stubborn? She should be home with Isabella, taking care of our daughter. A pang speared my heart. I should be there too, holding her and telling her everything was going to be okay. Instead, here we both were, stubborn a.s.sholes trying to take matters into our own hands. How could I judge her for doing exactly what I'd planned to do?

Where was Mia? Had Savage and Ryder seen her? Maybe they'd stop her from doing something stupid. Like taking Daemon on by herself. f.u.c.k.

I removed my helmet and hung it on the handlebar. I checked for my knife and my gun, fear flooding my body. I hope I'm not too late.

Chapter 41 - Mia.

"Jamie?" I whispered in a hoa.r.s.e voice. What if I was mistaken and it was someone else? The room was dark and smelled dank and moldy. Water leaked through the ceiling and dripped onto my arm, causing me to shudder.

"Mama?" A tiny frightened voice came from the corner.

"Hush baby, Mama is here to take you home. Don't make a sound, okay?"

I followed along the wall in the pitch-blackness, the stone rough and damp beneath my palms as I moved toward the sound of quiet sobs. Lightning struck again, lighting up the room through a small high window. It lit Jamie's precious face for a flash.

Jamie stared at me as if I were a ghost. His brown eyes were larger than I'd ever seen them in his small sunken face. My child was virtually a skeleton, just skin and bones, making him look even smaller than he was where he sat huddled in the corner of the room.

My heart filled with rage. Daemon would pay for this. Nothing warranted treating a child this way. He was shivering, cold and dirty, and no doubt starving. I reached him in two long steps and folded him into my arms.

"Jamie, my baby." My voice broke as I pulled him against my chest, trying to get warmth into his frail little body, but I was wet and cold myself, and the damp air didn't help either. I kissed his face and hands and went back to his face, hugging him so tightly I was scared I'd break him.

We huddled together in the corner, with him in my lap as I rocked us both back and forth.

"Are you okay?" I breathed. I tried to smile at him to rea.s.sure him everything would be okay, but I failed as worry overtook me. "Can you walk?"

He shook his head, tears rolling down his face as a sob trembled through his little body. He looked so d.a.m.n fragile it nearly broke my heart. He was too weak to walk; I'd have to carry him out.

All thoughts of mercy toward Daemon died in my heart. He needed to pay for the suffering he'd brought my family. For the death of Ratbag. For the h.e.l.l and shame he'd put me through.

I felt for the small gun I'd stuck into my pants at my back. I'd told myself I wouldn't use it. Right now, I wanted to storm out there and plant a f.u.c.king bullet between the devil's eyes. See him crumble at my feet and die.

Leaning down, I spoke softly into Jamie's ear. "You've been such a good, brave boy. Mama will get you out of here, okay?" I wiped the long limp hair from his face and out of his eyes, my heart breaking at how neglected he looked. "But first, you have to be quiet a little bit longer. We're going to play hide and seek with these people, and we can't let anyone know where we are." I squeezed his cheek in my palm and smiled down at him. "If we win this game, we get to go home. That's good, yeah?"

Jamie nodded, his eyes shiny in the darkness. I blinked back the tears that burned in the back of my throat. I'd cried enough over this and everything else. I wanted to move on-it was time to put this behind us, take my child home and get my family back.

If I could get out carrying Jamie.

As I rose to my feet with Jamie in my arms, a bright light shone in my eyes. Lightning?

No. A flashlight. The man from the room next door stood there, naked with a half-mast c.o.c.k, shining the light on us as he pointed his gun to my head.

"What the f.u.c.k? Where have you come from?" he bellowed.

His c.o.c.k-sucking woman, also still naked, came up behind him. "I thought it was strange the kid went quiet after lightning struck again. See, baby? I knew something was wrong."

I wanted to slap her. Yes, something was very f.u.c.king wrong. My child had been kidnapped and starved, and she thought she was a f.u.c.king genius?

"You women and your instincts," the man sneered.

"Listen," I said as calmly as I could. "This is my son. I need to get him home. He's very weak and I need to get him to a doctor."

The man laughed. "You're kidding, right? Boss wanted the kid to die so he can send him to you in a box."

My stomach rolled and bile pushed up to my throat. G.o.d, would he really do something like that? Starve an innocent child to death?

Maybe if I appealed to the woman, she'd have more understanding. "Are you a mother?" I asked, swinging my gaze to her.

"Yeah, four brats, each a different father. f.u.c.king hard to feed them all."

"If you help me tonight, I'll make sure your kids are fed for the rest of their lives. I'll do everything I can to help you."

Bemused, she laughed. "That's sweet of you, sugar, but I don't need your charity. I've shipped the kids off to my sister. She wants the little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, so she can have them. She got her a rich husband, but she can't have babies. So I sold mine to her. Now I'm free to do as I please-"

A tall skinny man, smashed out of his mind, came stumbling into the room. "Oops. Not the bathroom. I need a p.i.s.s."

"The next door on the left," the guy with the gun said, waving the stoned guy away before turning to his woman. "Go get some clothes on, babe. Seems like we have a problem here."

"What's the f.u.c.king problem?"

Daemon. I'd know that voice anywhere. It creeped me out, hearing it again after so many years. If only I could do magic and fly away with Jamie in my arms. I needed a miracle. Maybe Cobra or Ryder would come to my rescue. But they didn't know I was here, stuck in h.e.l.l, with a naked man pointing a gun at me, and my worst nightmare approaching.

Daemon stopped in his tracks when he saw me, and sucked in a breath. Yeah, he sure as h.e.l.l wasn't expecting me. Dressed only in boxer shorts, he had the body of a Greek G.o.d, the face of an angel and the heart of the devil.

"Alessandra," he breathed.

"It's Mia now. Mia, meaning that I'm Cobra's wife. This is my son, Daemon. How could you take him from me? What kind of man are you?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, my sweet. But in case you forgot, I'm the man who takes what he wants." His gaze raked up and down my body, his pupils dilated so that his eyes were almost black.

"Jamie is an innocent child. He didn't ask for any of this. He doesn't need to be part of the revenge you're plotting against your brother. Leave him out of it. I'm taking him home, and you're not stopping me."

"Ahhh . . . still the feisty little b.i.t.c.h." He rubbed his chin. "You know what, babe? I've never met another woman like you." He took a few steps closer so that his warm breath rolled over my cold skin. "I want you, but for keeps this time."

He reached out and dragged a finger down my cheek. Jamie buried his face in my neck, trembling and afraid.

"Shhh, it's okay sweetheart. The man won't hurt us," I whispered, keeping my voice steady.

"The man?" Daemon lashed out and slapped me across my cheek, the same one he'd caressed just moments ago. "Wrong, babe. On both counts."

I stared at him with disgust, barely able to stop myself from lunging at him and scratching his eyes out. "You hurt women and innocent children. That makes you a real hero, doesn't it?" I taunted him, against my better judgment.

"Jamie," he said, gripping my son's chin and turning his face toward him. "Remember how I told you I was your daddy? Did I hurt you even once while you were here?"

What the h.e.l.l had he been telling Jamie? No wonder the child was so frightened. The boy shook his head slowly. I wasn't convinced.

He moved closer still until our bodies touched. I backed away until my shoulders. .h.i.t the corners of the walls. Daemon laughed, gripped my chin and licked my cheek with a flat tongue. "But I like hurting you more. In the bedroom while I f.u.c.k you. Pleasure and pain go hand in hand, beautiful. The more pain, the more pleasure." He kissed my mouth brutally and then let go, taking a step backward. "But most of all I like hurting big grown men, like my motherf.u.c.king brother and his buddies."