Share
CHAPTER 321
Related chapters
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 322
Cori“You fucking let them get away. Duke said you would be there,” I shouted at Dax.I was losing my mind and needed someone to hurt. We were at Moon’s home which was his compound when it came to safety. Moon weathered a full-out attack here and it was probably the safest place in the state. None of that went through my head. All I could picture was Duke being tortured.Alex was pacing because he needed to murder someone. I was screaming at Dax, and he was trying to keep me from killing him. Sofia wouldn’t appreciate it and I didn’t have a gun on my skimpy fox outfit so thankfully he was safe.Dax didn’t argue with my assessment and I could read the guilt in his angry expression. He should have been there. Now, Cartwright and McDowell had Duke. He could already be dead for all we knew. It wasn’t like he would talk to them. They wouldn’t know that and it would be considered defiance. His silence would be his death sentence. Hell, even if he could talk, he wouldn’t. I was going crazy.
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 323
Cori“The women do not leave your sight,” Dax said to Skull for the fifth time.The poor man had no idea what he was walking into. Skull was somewhere in his forties with a beard full of white hair. His old lady was a hair stylist though Skull was bald like Duke and didn’t need her services. He’d stuck with Dax when Dax took over the club. I’d never mistaken the cuddly bear for anything other than what he was. Killers R Us would hire him.I was still half out of it and it played into our story about getting me out of there. I felt sorry for myself. I was in love with Duke and didn’t know it until he was taken from me. What a stupid cunt.We took two vehicles. Skull drove Melina in a truck and Celina drove me in an SUV courtesy of Moon’s bulletproof fleet. Gabriella packed enough food for a week and there were supplies on hand at the house that would last months if we needed them. This would be over before Gabriella’s food ran out. If not, I would go hunting for Cartwright alone and on
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 324
CoriI took her hand with my left one and she took Melina’s. I’d told them if they couldn’t swim with one arm to come back up and I would take them individually or use the rope as a guide. We’d try together first.“Don’t panic. There’s one ledge down there and everything else is wide open. Swim up or follow the air bubbles back here if you get turned around.”We took several deep breaths before going under. I had to do this quickly before they panicked. I used my right hand to feel along the wall. The flashlight gave about one foot of visibility from above. The rest of the way was pitch-black.The ledge jutted out a foot and was easy to find. If they panicked this would be the time. I gave a heavy jerk to Celina’s hand and pulled her low. I kicked off the rocks and slid completely under the ledge. When Celina was through, I dropped her hand. She came up and then Melina. We did it in one try.I had a flashlight wrapped in a plastic bag on my waist. I swam to the side, then felt around
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 325
CoriDuke never left my thoughts. If he was dead, so was I. My life changed that fast. We hadn’t known each other long and it didn’t matter. He was everything I wanted and most of all he was someone who loved me for who I was. I knew he loved me. He shared his silent world and refused to take advantage when he could have. From the time his arms wrapped around me in the car after my escape from Fernandez, we belonged together.My past didn’t matter to him because he lived in a world where endurance and hard work were part of life. Duke and the men like him respected survival.Moon brought more firepower than required and the guns we’d pulled from the cave weren’t exactly needed. I decided to stick with Duke’s weapons because he made sure I was familiar with them. A piece of him was with me.Our plan had been to ambush the vehicles a mile before the entrance to the property. Alex moved the attack to the house. I wasn’t worried about Cartwright’s men knowing the location. None would leav
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 326
CoriIt took us more than three hours to get back to the city and another hour through rush-hour traffic to get to Wild Fur. Moon sent his men in first and stayed with me in the SUV. Alex and Austin were with the other women at his compound. Moon didn’t want them here. He’d also left a vehicle behind with four men on Duke’s property to dispose of the bodies.The men cleared inside the Wild Fur quickly. There were two female employees cleaning and handling inventory. The place didn’t open until eight at night. They weren’t harmed and they were assured they could leave after we found Duke. The men hadn’t located him when they cleared the building. Moon and I entered and were shown the entrance to the basement.A light had been turned on. It looked no better than the club upstairs. I saw a rat scurry along the wall. Moon found the hidden door within a few minutes. He pried it open and we entered the dark room.The smell of excrement and death hit us.Death.I couldn’t breathe.In the sha
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 327
CoriThe air in the room was soft if that were even a thing. There were four rows of chairs. There was a podium at the front. No crucified Jesus hung from the wall, only a large framed needlepoint with writing.“Enter in peace and leave your sorrow.”I sat in the front row and bowed my head. My prayer was to Jesus.“I’ve never asked for anything.”Tears gathered in my eyes and turned to sobs. I couldn’t go on and fell apart. So many thoughts tumbled through my head. I was the whore of Babylon. If there were a man who would hear me, it would be Jesus.“Please,” was all I managed the next time I tried.The quiet settled over me and I inhaled in and out slowly. Within a few minutes, I wiped my tears. The room, like Duke with his silence, gave me peace. It also gave me strength.I went back to ICU and held his hand again. He wouldn’t die because I wouldn’t let him. I spoke to him quietly and assured him all would be okay. I spoke of silly things. I had to keep the connection so he knew I
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 328
DukeMy biggest problem was boredom. It almost went hand in hand with people poking and prodding constantly. I didn’t live at the clubhouse for a reason. If it weren’t for Cori, I would have found a way to escape Moon’s place the first day. Maybe. I was fooling myself. The ability to lift a spoon to my lips was pushing things.I remembered little about what happened at Wild Fur. Between blood loss and the damage to my stomach, I should have died in oblivion. Things were foggy since waking too. I remembered telling Cori I loved her. It just came out. I hadn’t practiced speaking in years. It was something I did when younger when no one was around. I never felt comfortable with the sound of my voice and eventually decided it wasn’t necessary. That was true until Cori. There were things she needed to hear. Cori hadn’t asked me to speak since it happened. I doubted she even understood what I’d said.My grandfather took me in when my dad went to prison for almost killing me. They were the b
Hotter Than Hell CHAPTER 329
Cori“How is Mr. Grumpy today?” Mak asked. She had her overprotective Pitbull at her side. I hadn’t seen Two-dogs since I arrived with Duke. I contained myself to the kitchen and Duke’s room. Two-dogs stayed out of Gabriella’s domain because the two of them stayed at war over what was permissible and what was not. I secretly thought Gabriella slipped the dog treats when no one watched but I had no way to prove it. I guess her new kindness made me think she was something other than Attila the Hun. I needed to watch those stupid fantasies.With assistance, Duke had made it downstairs for this morning’s physical therapy. He refused pain meds afterward and fell asleep exhausted. It gave me time to do something normal. I’d quietly left the room and gone to the outside patio to escape. The heat, even with the water misters, would make it too hot to stay for long but it was nice to be outside.I blinked at Mak who carried a towel. She took the lounge chair beside mine.“He’s sleeping. I’m es
Latest chapter
