Chapter 135

Rachel POV

Dorney and Gus left as soon as the call with Richard Campbell was over.

Not only had my adopted father -the man who had raised me as his own child- been responsible for taking me by force from my home: my birth father had been involved too! Why were they betraying me? Was there something wrong with me to make my parents not care?

I'd cried for a few minutes before pushing my emotions down.

Tears wouldn't free me or help me.

I concentrated on sipping my ice water to make it last. Gus had said he would bring me crackers. I wasn't hungry or nauseated, but I really wanted to have the comfort of food available to me just in case.

If my fathers were behind my abduction, who knew what they were capable of doing?

They might think it was humane to let me die of starvation or dehydration. Being pregnant made it harder for me to go without food or water for long. I had no idea how long I would last if they did decide to cut me off or leave me for dead.

Tyler would want them to pay for taking me. He wouldn't care if they'd treated me well or not. They had to know they were dead if he found them.

Wolfen justice could be swift and was usually final. Humans had the death penalty for some crimes, true, but wolves didn't wait for a jury to decide the fate of a criminal. Our instincts drove us to execute the traitors to our packs as fast as possible.

"Showtime, songbird," Dorney chimed, holding a tablet up with the camera facing toward me.

I had no idea what to do in the moment. All I could think about was every possibility where they killed me after recording a 'proof of life' video for Tyler's benefit.

"You don't say any names. Not mine. Not his. Not anyone else's because you don't know shit, you got that? Now," Gus asked, grasping my upper arm and shaking me hard enough to scare me some more, "Who took you? Who has you? What do you know?"

"I don't know?" I tried and got shaken harder for my effort so I blurted out, "I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!"

Gus stopped shaking me after he got a nod from Dorney. I couldn't think fast enough to come up with a way to warn Tyler who had me, who was behind all this, who he should look out for out there at home.

"You try to say anything to him I don't like? I kill you right here, right now. No one will blame me for it either," Dorney stated flatly, holding my eyes with his own as he took a knife off his belt, flicked it open to show me, "You won't even see it coming, but I promise you'll feel it. Understand?"

"I understand."

I wasn't going to endanger my life or my daughter's without any real belief I could gain help before being murdered.

"Rachel? Rachel?" came Tyler's voice, surprising me so badly I stood straight up, swaying in place as I answered back, "Tyler?"

"I can't see her," came Tyler's voice and I realized it was only a video call from the tablet.

My mate wasn't here. I wasn't going to be rescued. There was no help coming for me. I had to force myself to breathe deeply as I sank back down onto the small sofa in the room.

Trying to compose myself, I sat up straight and said, "Tyler? It's me, Tyler. I'm safe. Is Lindy okay? Can I see him? I need to see him."

Dorney and Gus exchanged a look before Dorney sat down on the sofa beside me. The space was small enough the man's thigh pressed against my from hip to knee; I'd never been so aware of another person touching me.

I wanted him to go away with an intensity which was frightening.

Seeing Tyler's face instantly gave me a comfort I hadn't known I needed. I breathed a sigh of relief as I took in his worried expression on the tablet screen. I could see myself in a small window in the upper corner of the screen, but I didn't pay any attention to how I looked.

Tyler was more important to me.

"Lindy is fine. Mild concussion. The doctor says it will heal before the end of the day. She's more upset you're gone. Are you injured in any way? Did they touch you?" Tyler demanded, fury coloring his words as he practically spat his questions at me.

I had no doubt Tyler would have attacked Gus and Dorney both if he were here. He'd have lost control to his wolf as Wynd demanded he protect Rayne.

My wolf was nearly feral with rage though she couldn't do anything as my pregnancy prevented me from shifting.

"They brought me to this room. They've given me water. They're getting me food. I'm not injured," I said, trying to think of what I should say to reassure Tyler without upsetting my captors, "They haven't hurt me. When are you paying the ransom? They said the money is all they want."

Pleading with Tyler was enough to make me feel a little sick, but I was counting on Gus to bring me the crackers he had promised. I knew I could handle a sick stomach if it meant I talked my way out of this abduction without injury. Tyler would surely pay for me, wouldn't he?

Our mating had been miserable before---but we were doing so much better! We shared a passion for each other I'd never imagined; Tyler gave me attention he'd never offered before.

We had exchanged declarations of love and neither of us were the type to say things without meaning them.

"I want to come home, Tyler."

Tears fell from my eyes, tracking salty lines down my cheeks as I realized I wasn't putting on a show any longer. I was telling the truth.

All I wanted was to go home. I didn't care how much these men wanted from my mate. I didn't care about anything except getting back to my place on my sofa where I knew I would be kept safe until my baby was ready to be born.

"You're coming home," Tyler promised, "I will get you home as soon as I can. The money is being put together now. We have to wait on an exchange point. They haven't told us where to meet them. You have to be there though. Do you understand?"

I didn't. I didn't understand why I would need to be exchanged when the money was because it meant I'd have to be dragged around instead of kept safe and resting on a couch.

Shaking my head, I asked, "Why? I don't understand. I am supposed to be on bedrest."

"You'll be kept safe. She can ride in the car. You put her somewhere safe. I send someone to see her, make sure she's there, then I drop your money off. No one goes near her until you have the money in hand. Deal?" Tyler negotiated.

His tone was confident, but I could get a faint tingle of worry through our bond. The distance between us made it feel as if our matebond was underwater. I could barely feel anything which meant Tyler had to be much more worried than his tone or expression let on.

"We don't make the rules," Dorney said, "Whatever instructions you're given? Those are all you'll get. This is the only warning you'll receive too. You don't do exactly as you're told? We do exactly as we're told and she comes back to you in a body bag."

"I love you, Tyler!" I blurted out, suddenly desperate to tell him, let him hear me say it one more time.

I kept thinking about the knife they'd shown me earlier. I had to do whatever they told me or I would put myself and my baby in jeopardy. Tyler would do what he thought was best and I knew it even without him saying it or being able to sense his thoughts clearly through our bond.

Death might be a real possibility for me if things didn't go well with the exchange.

"I love you, too," Tyler murmured, his voice deep, low and rich the way I loved to hear it.

"Less than 24 hours and this is all over. Do what you're told, Alpha," Dorney snapped, closing the video chat and ending our call as quickly as it had begun.

"You stay comfy here. I'll send Gus back to you with some crackers and maybe a little treat. You're gonna be a good girl, aren't you?" Dorney asked.

Nodding, I agreed, "Yes. I won't do anything wrong. Please may I have some more water too?"

Gus took my glass and nodded, "I'll be back with your water and some food. Just relax. It'll all be over soon."

My captors left me and I wondered if they meant my imprisonment would be over soon---or my life.

Dorney exchanged a look with Gus before saying, "We're not gonna hurt you if we don't have to, okay? If you keep your head together, don't cause no problems, we'll make sure to take care of you. Deal?"

"Deal," I agreed.

I knew I'd have to fight my way free if I could or escape if the opportunity came around, but I could promise to behave in the meantime. These two were hard to figure out. I couldn't tell if they'd hurt me or not; I didn't want to find out.

Dorney got a call on his cell phone just then and he answered it on speaker, gesturing to me to be quiet, "Dorney."

The man on the other end of the line said, 'You will need to get her to do a live chat in two hours. Wright wants proof of life. If she says too much, gives any of us away, I want you to kill her.'

My blood went cold as I realized I recognized the voice on the phone and it didn't belong to Patrick. Oh no, this was a new evil.

"Understood," Dorney said.

'Good,' came the man from the phone, 'Wait for my call and keep her quiet in the meantime. Use any means necessary as long as she's still alive and capable of speaking when the feed goes live.'

"Will do," Dorney agreed again, holding the phone as if waiting for permission to drop the call.

I could feel tears slipping down my cheeks as the phone call disconnected to only the sound of a dial tone.

Richard Campbell was the other man involved in my abduction. Both my fathers were responsible for taking me from my home, endangering my baby, and threatening my life.

Did that mean Richard knew about my mother, too?