Born to Ride (Hell's Tribe MC Series) [Book 4]

Chapter 29: Dead In The Water

One more after this!

Song for this chapter: Cry: by James Blunt

~Nora~

I sat there for hours, unable to move so much as a muscle. My hands were bound uncomfortably tight behind my back, and my feet were zip-tied together. I felt my limbs beginning to go numb hours ago, but without much ability to move or get the circulation flowing again, I was stuck dealing with the tingling sensation as I watched my captors plan my demise. I could barely hear what Erin and Ryan were talking about, but I knew it had something to do with how they would get me to the bank in Arizona. All they wanted was a payday, and I was just a pawn in their game—a chess piece they needed out of the way so they could go on with their fucked up Bonnie and Clyde thing. The only problem was, there wasn't actually any money in that safety deposit box. In fact, I was pretty sure money was one thing most banks didn't allow in safety deposit boxes, the reason being it probably meant the money was acquired illegally and you were trying to hide it from the IRS. Say for example your ex-husband got this money by stealing it from the outlaw motorcycle club he was a part of, stashing it in a safety deposit box was definitely not a smart idea. Thank God Ryan and Erin didn't seem to think of that.

Instead, all they seemed concerned about was the fact that my phone kept ringing and beeping with text messages. I wasn't sure what possessed Ryan to leave the cell-signal on, but he didn't seem the least bit concerned about anyone tracking my phone, so he must have had some kind of insurance policy as he continued to let it ring for hours on end.

I couldn't help but wonder who it was.

Was it Joanie, trying to get in contact with me because my boys knew something was wrong?

Was it Carter, wondering what in the hell was wrong with me for running off and dumping Cash?

Or was it Cash himself, hurt and confused beyond explanation?

I desperately wanted to avoid talking to Cash again. I knew some of the calls and texts had to be from him because both Ryan and Erin opted to ignore him and laugh at his attempts to reach me. It physically hurt me to know that I would probably never see him again, and talking to him would just feel like a torturous reminder that I didn't need. And yet, after he must have sent some kind of ominous message, Erin and Ryan both exchanged nods when he called again.

"Let her talk to him," Erin confirmed. "If it means he'll fuck off for at least the next couple of days, it will be worth it."

Ryan nodded in agreement and held the phone up to my ear on the second ring.

Hearing the desperation in Cash's voice as he begged me to explain what was really going on turned my stomach into knots. I wanted desperately to tell him what was really happening, but I couldn't. I thought he might have caught on from my hints earlier, but it didn't seem like he knew what they were supposed to mean.

I had all but given up hope that he would understand I was being held against my will when he said it.

"Have you been having bad dreams again?" he asked, catching me completely off guard.

Ryan and Erin both exchanged a confused expression, but they had no idea what dreams we were referring too. Part of me wasn't even sure that Cash was on the right track either, but it was worth a shot.

"Wh-what?" I stuttered. I needed him to repeat his question and make it very clear to me that he knew something was wrong.

"Are you having bad dreams?" he repeated. "Are your dreams why you want to end this? Are they why you're so scared to tell me what's really going on."