Page 49 of Eagle

“Hello, ladies!”

To say the four men who suddenly walked into view startled us would be putting it mildly. All of our faces revealed our surprise, and then worry, as the men moved closer, and we took in the guns in their hands. I didn’t know about the rest of the girls, but I didn’t recognize any of these guys. They were bikers, which was obvious from their attire. As they came to a stop, movement caused my eyes to shift to something behind them. Delta had been about to step back outside, but upon seeing what was going on she quietly stepped back in and closed the door.

“Nice of you to gather into a group for us. Makes it easier.”

“Who are you?” Ella asked in a calm and steady tone.

Val, next to her, looked terrified. One of the men moved close to her and couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her breasts. We were all exposed and vulnerable sitting there in nothing but our swimsuits. I glanced over to where I’d dropped my shorts earlier, wishing that I’d slipped them back on when I’d had the chance.

“You don’t have to worry about who we are,” said the man who seemed to be in charge. “We’re here to teach your men a lesson about sticking their fucking noses where they ain’t wanted.”

That didn’t sound good.

“We can get them here if you want—”

“We got what we want right here, bitch.” The man speaking was right behind me, and I felt a chill run down my spine at his proximity. The next thing I knew, his hand dropped to my shoulder and gave a squeeze.

Ella and I made eye contact. She was scared now, I could see it in her eyes. The only thing good going for us was that Delta was inside, hopefully calling the guys back. Demo and Daisy were barking and scratching at the door to get out, having also sensed that something was wrong.

“Aren’t you a cute little thing.” The man behind the voice stepped up to Lola, who was tiny compared to most, but with the curves of a grown woman. He picked up a strand of her hair and brought it up to his nose.

“What do you want with us?” Ella demanded, which didn’t go over well.

The man closest to her grabbed her by the hair and jerked her head back. She winced in pain. “You Wolfe’s woman?” I had the feeling that he already knew the answer to that.

“Yes!” It came out in barely a whisper.

Next the man turned to Val. “You Bear’s bitch?”

Val nodded. She was so frightened that she had tears in her eyes.

The man then looked at Lola. “Who do you belong to?”

“We’re the only old ladies here,” Ella was brave enough to say.

The man released her hair and exhaled loudly. “Don’t fuckin’ matter anyway. I’m sure they mean something to your men. Bring them,” he ordered his men.

Shit! I froze until the hand on my shoulder squeezed and nudged me to my feet. “Get up,” he ordered.

He missed the glare that I shot at him because his eyes dropped down to my breasts. I jerked my shoulder out from under his hand. “I can walk on my own,” I hissed. When we reached where I’d dropped my shorts I snatched them up. For the first time I had a chance to look at Jillian and Lola, who had paired up and were holding each other’s arms. They seemed calm, but I knew what they must be feeling was terror inside.

“Where are you taking us?” I heard Ella ask as we headed toward the front of the house.

I didn’t know where The Animal’s Den was located, but I hoped it wasn’t far.

“You ask a lot of fucking questions,” the man whose hand was wrapped tightly around her arm snarled. “You’ll see when we get there.”

We were heading to a white van that was parked on the street. The urge to drag my feet was strong, but I was barefoot, as all of us were. I didn’t want to get in that van.

“You don’t need to take all of us.”

The man lost his patience and stopped, and the rest of us halted. He glared down at Ella. “Okay, which ones?” He raised his gun threateningly. “Which bitches die? Either everyone goes, or they die.” When she remained silent, he pushed her roughly in front of him. “Didn’t think so. Now shut the fuck up.”

We’d no sooner reached the van when Demo and Daisy rounded the corner of the house and charged toward us like rabid animals, snarling and drooling at the mouths, making it clear that they were in full attack mode. They looked nothing like the sweet-natured, frolicking dogs I’d watched playing together earlier. They must have sensed that these men meant us harm.

As the growling dogs grew closer, the man next to me raised his gun. I threw myself at him. “No!” I grabbed his arm, causing him to miss when he fired.

“Bitch!”