Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2016 Evernight Publishing

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-859-1

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Katelyn Uplinger

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DARK CAPTIVE ANTHOLOGY

  Everyone has a dark side…

  Take Me by Jenika Snow

  Sinful by Lily Harlem

  One Last Job by Alexa Sinclaire

  Captive Artist by N.J. Young

  The Shadow by Elena Kincaid

  Godsend by Jocelyn Dex

  TAKE ME

  Jenika Snow

  Copyright © 2016

  Chapter One

  The music was loud, the bodies crammed together, but Holly felt free, felt like nothing could touch her. With her life, and the restraints her father put on her, she couldn’t help but just let go, even if it was just for this one moment.

  “Let’s get you another drink.”

  Holly looked over at her friend, Rachel, and nodded. Yeah, another drink sounded good right about now, especially since her buzz was wearing off. Holly didn’t even want to think about having to go back to the house, not when she knew she’d get the third degree from her father for not being home at the time he set, and because she’d been drinking.

  I’m twenty-one years old. I shouldn’t have to be set with such high restrictions.

  Of course, she’d never say those words out loud, not when she knew things had been so tough around the house.

  Breathing out to clam and center herself, she watched Rachel move through the bodies crammed inside the club, and walk up to the bar. Rachel held up two fingers to the bartender, but Holly turned her back to her and scanned the dance floor. They’d been dancing together, a trick that usually kept the creepers away, but of course, tonight they were in full force as they ground their bodies against them.

  “Fresh from the bottle,” Rachel’s voice came from behind, and Holly turned, smiling.

  “That was quick.”

  Rachel winked and held out a glass filled with something pink.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s fun in a plastic cup, Holly.”

  Good enough answer for me.

  With Rachel being the DD, and Holly hardly getting to go out, she took the opportunity to enjoy tonight, and that meant finishing off the evening with a fresh drink. When the cup was empty, they both grinned.

  “That’ll put hair on your chest,” Rachel said.

  “My father will kill me when he knows I’m getting wasted.” A sympathetic look covered Rachel’s face.

  “You need to leave every once in a while. Your mom will understand.”

  Holly nodded and looked down at the ground. That’s easier said than done. “My mom needs me, Rachel.” She looked up at her friend and the sympathy on Rachel’s face evident.

  “I know, honey. I just hate that you have to live in that house with that asshole while your poor mom is sick.”

  Holly nodded. Her father was an asshole, that was true, but her mother was an angel. Her mother was sweet, sincere, and always thought about others before herself. But her mother was sick, and Holly knew it was only a matter of time before the illness claimed her.

  “I’m going to go to the bathroom,” Holly said, needing to escape for a second. If she didn’t, she’d start crying, and she didn’t want to ruin the night.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  They pushed through the throng of people, Rachel holding her hand and leading the way. They came to a stop in front of the hallway that led to the bathrooms. Holly turned her head, and saw a row of tables off to the side, one of them partially obscured by the poor lighting, but nonetheless she still saw the man sitting there, watching her. His focus was on her. He had one thick and muscular arm on the table, appearing relaxed, although he looked ready to move into action if need be. He wore a shirt that was rolled up his arm, with dark ink covering his flesh in a grisly display of dark lines and intricate detail. She could see it all as if she stood right before him, as if she were running her fingers over those tattoos right now. The longer she stood there the more she felt this tightness fill her, the more heat encompassed her. She couldn’t even describe it, couldn’t stop herself from breathing faster, trying to suck air into her lungs.

  And then he leaned forward, the act slow, calculated, and his focus still on her. His dark hair was short, his eyes the same color, seeming bleak, emotionless ... frightening.

  I know him.

  You don’t.

  He seems so familiar.

  He watched her like he was a predator about to pounce and he’d just found his prey—her—and that had her entire body lighting up.

  Fight or flight.

  Fear was strong in her and she couldn’t understand why she felt this emotion. It was a little unnerving and creepy the way he watched her, but the fear she felt still sent arousal moving through her.

  “Come on,” Rachel said, unaware of the exchange Holly had with this mystery man … this dangerous man.

  They went into the bathroom, and Holly found an empty stall. After using the facilities she stood there, the stall door still shut. She tried to catch her breath, the intensity from the man still so strong inside of her. She looked at her arms, the ones currently covered by the sleeves she wore. It wasn’t hot outside, but going to a club usually had people dressing in less clothing because of the heat and sweat. But here Holly was in a long sleeved t-shirt, hot and sweaty, but needing those sleeves to hide what her father did to her.

  Pushing the material up her arms, she looked at the black and blue bruising. They were in the shape of her father’s fingers, a result of his drunken outbursts that he seemed to reserve for her on the best of days. But she was glad he put his anger toward her and not her mother anymore. The only solace Holly found was the knowledge that when her mother passed her father wouldn’t be able to cause her pain anymore, that her mom would be in a better place and finally have the peace she deserved.

  The sound of her cell going off had her grabbing it from her purse and looking down at the screen.

  Darra: Your father is pretty upset, and I have to go to work soon, honey. I don’t want to leave your mom here alone when he’s been drinking.

  She was so thankful to have Darra in her life. Darra, an older woman who lived next door and watched over Holly’s mother when Holly couldn’t be there, was a saint and savior.

  I’m on my way now.

  She shoved her cell back in her purse, made sure her sleeves were completely down, and left the stall. Rachel was waiting for her by the door, and once they left and managed to move out from the hallway, Holly leaned in close to Rachel.

  “I have to go. Darra’s leaving, and I don’t want my dad there alone with my mom when he’s been drinking.”

  Rachel nodded. “Yeah, I understand. Come on.”

  Holly looked toward the tables once they were close enough, searching for that man, but he was gone. She didn’t know why she felt this slight disappointment over that fact.

  When they were only a few feet from the front door, someone grabbed her around the waist, spun her around, and pressed her back to the wall. A guy instantly started grinding on her, the scent of sweat and alcohol slamming into her like a slap to the face.

  “You smell good,” he said right beside her ear, his voice slurred, and his breath rancid. She felt him run his tongue along the shell and this sickening feeling filled her.

  “Get the hell off,” she said loud enough she knew he’d be able to hear, and pushed at him. He stumbled back, but was grinning. Thankfully he turned and moved back into the fray of bodies pressed shoulder-to-shoulder.

  She saw Rachel stuck between a group of people, but Holly was so over this scene that she shoved her way through. She grabbed Rachel’s hand, and together they left the club.

  Once outside, Holly took a deep breath, not realizing how claustrophobic it had been in there.

  “Shit,” Rachel said.

  “What?”

  Rachel pointed down the alleyway that was only lit by a flickering lamp.

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah,” Rachel said. “It was barely dark when we arrived, and it was the only parking spot at the time, that or we would have had to walk a hell of a long way. I’m regretting this paring spot now.” Rachel looked at Holy and grimaced. “It looks like a scene from a movie about girls about to get jumped.

  “God, please don’t say shit like that.”

  Rachel started riffling through her purse and retrieved her keys. She held them up. “Mace on my key ring, courtesy of my dad. And…” She dug into her bag again and pulled out this big square bag. “A Taser courtesy of Timothy.” She grinned after she said her boyfriend’s name. “Anyone fucks with us I’ll shock them in the nuts with this bad boy.” She held up the Taser. They made their way quickly toward the car, which was all the way at the end of the alley. Other vehicles lined b
oth sides of them, the feeling of being a sardine in a can strong.

  Of course.

  There was a set of dumpsters right before the car, and when they were about to reach it, the scent cigarettes and the sight of smoke coming from behind the dumpster had Holly stopping and grabbing onto Rachel’s arm. She shook her head and placed a finger to her mouth for her friend to be quiet.

  “Let’s go back, now,” Holly whispered, and they backed up a few steps. The Taser and pepper spray were all good, but having someone there, not knowing if there was more than one, or what would happen, had a lot of things changing, a lot of emotions filling Holly.

  Use the Taser, Rachel.

  But Holly was just as frozen, just as frightened as Rachel was. Just as they turned around they both slammed into something behind them. Holly turned and looked up at a big guy, the baseball cap on his head pulled down low, his expression hard.

  “Hey, pretty girls,” he said in a low voice.

  “Got something, Bobby?”

  Holly looked over her shoulder at a man stepping out from behind the dumpsters. He flicked his cigarette away, and although she heard them, it was muffled by the sound of her heart beating in her ears. Tightening her hand on Rachel’s, she wanted to run so badly, but she knew the big asshole blocking them would easily get them.

  The sound of gravel crunching behind them told her the other guy was moving toward them.

  “I want this one,” the one named Bobby said, titling his chin in her direction. His face was still hard and expressionless as he stared right into Holly’s eyes.

  “Listen, we don’t want any trouble,” Holly said, holding her hands out, feeling pretty damn scared right about now. A plethora of thoughts went through her mind, ones that questioned why she agreed to come out tonight, why they hadn’t been smarter when parking the car, and how in the hell she was going to get away from these assholes.

  “We don’t want any trouble either,” Bobby said, showing no expression as he focused on her. And then he reached out, gripped a chunk of her hair behind her head, and yanked her forward. She cried out as pain assaulted her. The sound of Rachel making the same sound, of her purse and the Taser dropping to the ground, had Holly’s fear rising, as if that were even possible. Bobby twisted her around and pushed her up against the dumpster, and as Holly looked at Rachel, she saw the other guy had her in the same position. Holly knew unless a miracle happened she wouldn’t get out of this unscathed.

  “Stop,” she cried out, and lifted her knee to kick him in the balls, but he was a lot bigger than her, and easily used his weight to make her submit. The tears were right there on the surface, but she didn’t want to cry, didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.

  “You smell so damn good,” Bobby said right beside her ear, and the sound of him inhaling made her stomach roil.

  Twisting, turning, and trying to get enough leverage to fight back was harder said than done, especially since Bobby used all of his weight to keep her pinned. But then there was the faintest sound in the darkened corner of the alley, and as she stared at the oblique spot, tried to see what was there, the feeling of being watched filled her. It was as if everything stood still as if this situation wasn’t happening. She couldn’t even describe it, not with how much it consumed her, but it was real, and it scared her.

  And then, coming out of the darkness looking massive in size, like a vision of what danger and violence personified resembled, was the man she’d seen sitting at that table in the club. He moved like a wild animal toward them, stealthy, intently, the expression on his face calm, but his gaze took in everything. Bobby and his friend didn’t even realize they weren’t alone, not until the mystery man reached out, grabbed Bobby’s head as if it were nothing but an apple in his grasp, and slammed it against the dumpster, right beside her. The sound and vibrations seemed loud as if reality finally crashed forward. Bobby loosened his hold on her and groaned, but he was big, and didn’t collapse to the ground right away.

  “Hey, motherfucker,” Bobby’s friend said, but the mystery man turned and cold-cocked him right in the side of the head, knocking the asshole out. He fell to the ground, groaning, and the sight of blood coming from his ear looking like spilled ink.

  The man turned and faced Bobby again, who was righting himself, but holding onto the front of his head, clearly in pain.

  “You, fucker,” Bobby gritted out.

  In the next few seconds, it was like everything happened in slow motion. Holly moved over to Rachel, and although they should have run off, gone to a populated area, it was as if they were both transfixed by what was happening. The man gripped Bobby around the neck with a hand, and lifted him easily off the ground before slamming him back against the dumpster. This whole time he hadn’t said anything, and his face had kept that calm demeanor. This man that had come out of the shadows like the very devil himself, was saving them for whatever reason. But even though he’d stopped them from getting raped, a tingling in the back of Holly’s neck told her he was far more dangerous than Bobby and his friend.

  He started punching Bobby in the face repeatedly, so much, and with so much force, that she gasped when blood covered every inch of her would-be attacker.

  “We need to go,” Rachel whispered, her voice strained, frightened. She bent down, her focus on the mystery man, and grabbed her purse. The pepper spray was far too close to the man’s feet, and no way in hell was either of them going to get it.

  The mystery man dropped an unconscious Bobby to the ground, and for a second just stared at where his body lay at his feet. He then lifted and turned his head in their direction; his focus trained on Holly.

  God, it feels like I know him. How do I know him?

  And then he reached down, picked up the Taser, and while staring at Holly for a long moment, turned to the asshole on the ground and gave him a shock that lasted several seconds. He still stayed emotionless, but she could see the sadistic pleasure in his eyes as he hurt the men.

  They took a step back, the intensity of that stare spearing right into Holly. Rachel tugged on Holly’s hand, moving backward, away from the man, and toward the car.

  “Thank you,” Holly whispered.

  “Thank you,” Rachel repeated.

  Holly looked into his bottomless, black eyes, and felt a tingle cover her flesh. She knew whatever was happening wasn’t the end. She had no clue how she knew that, but she felt it as clearly as she’d felt Bobby’s warm, disgusting breath on her face. This mystery man was looking at her like he wanted to take her for himself, and she should have been more frightened at that than she felt.

  Chapter Two

  Two weeks later

  There wasn’t anything holding her back anymore, nothing and no one making her stay at home, and Holly had no intentions of prolonging the inevitable of leaving her father behind, or trying to forget about the shitty moments spent under this roof. Her mother had passed two weeks ago, and Holly had finished finalizing everything. Her father, the drunken bastard that he was, hadn’t done shit. It had been all Holly that planned everything: the funeral, her mother’s property, everything. But truth be told she was glad she’d been able to do that, to be the one that took care of her mother during her last days, and after she passed.

  But she’d finished everything, and planned on leaving tonight. Her father had gotten worse with his anger and drinking since her mother’s passing. It was time for her to get out of here, to leave this shithole and the horrible memories she had, and leave with the sweet remembrance of her mother to keep her going.

  The sun was starting to set. Holly turned from the window to grab her bag. She had a few more things to stuff in there before she left all this behind. With her father gone for another couple of hours, she thought she should have felt bad that she’d be leaving without saying goodbye, but the note she wrote was what he deserved. He was a bastard, selfish, and hadn’t been a good father. Her poor mother had to go through it all, as well, and she wished she’d been here to be that rock. But things couldn’t be changed, her mother was free, and Holly was leaving.