Free Sassy Ever After: Mate of Honor (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Renee George Page A

across her cheek and mouth. “Shut the fuck up. I won’t tell you again.”
    Once inside, the men in masks grabbed her by the arms and hauled through a dusty storage area. Cobwebs laced across empty racks, and mouse urine and droppings scented the air. The thugs hauled her through an open door and into a hallway with open ceiling tiles and exposed wiring. Peeling paint, graffiti marks, and holes decorated the walls.
    Bailey tried to concentrate on shifting, but the two men holding her sensed her intention and wrenched her shoulders back and up. She cried out, the pain making transformation impossible.
    “Try to turn here, little fox, and I’ll be wearing your tail as a souvenir.”
    At the end of the hall, they took her through double doors into a kitchen of some kind. Large, too big for a regular restaurant. Greasy smudges across the smooth, stainless steel work surfaces smelled like old blood. The sinks were filled with soiled rags and refuse. The sour scent of mold and rot made her gag. Was this some kind of torture chamber? A kill room?
    One of them let her go and opened a walk-in freezer door, while the other shoved her past some crates and tossed her in like a rag doll. She landed on someone sitting up against the back wall.
    “Oh God,” the guy said. “It’s you.”
    “You.” Bailey scrambled off him. His face was swollen. His left eye looked like someone had sewn a ripe plum over the top and his bottom lip was split wide. Blood had dried to his cheek, chin, and neck. But she recognized the pale blond hair. It was Dale Comfry. Not one of the kidnappers. Just another victim. “You look terrible. Are you okay?”
    “How did you…?”
    “Find you?” She shook her head and rubbed her arms to ward off the shivering cold of the small room. “I was kidnapped. I have no idea what going on.”
    Bailey couldn’t see any ropes or ties holding Dale in place, and she wondered why he was just sitting here and not trying to figure out a way to get out. “Is there some other exit to this freezer? It seems like it’s a safety hazard not to have some kind of backup in case someone is…”
    “Kidnapped and locked inside. I don’t think the manufacturers thought that would be a problem restaurant owners would come up against.”
    “Don’t be a smart-ass.”
    “Lady, I’ve been locked up in this place since last night. My balls are as cold as a polar bear’s nose. Don’t you think I’ve tried to find a fucking way out?”
    “Shit.”
    He widened his eyes and said, “Exactly.” Then followed with, “Christ, you stink of Forrest Blackthorn.”
    Bailey blushed. “Mind your own business.” She could still smell him as well. He’d marked her, Lara had said. She inhaled deeply. His earthy scent calmed her.
    “If I knew how to mind my own business, I wouldn’t be here.”
    “Why are we here? Do you know?”
    “I’m here because I had the stupid notion that it’s wrong to steal from the poor so that the rich can keep getting richer. Idealistic, I know. If you hadn’t stalked me to the Blackthorns last night none of this would be happening.”
    “Again, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was there for Lara Hout. I’m her maid of honor. I don’t have a clue as to who you are or why you think I’d want to hunt you down.”
    His expression blanked. “You’re serious?”
    “As serious as this kidnapping.”
    “I’m the whistleblower for your lawsuit against the state. I called you last week.”
    “And hung up. Why in the world would you think I’d know you from Adam?”
    Things were starting to make some sense for Bailey, but she still didn’t understand why they’d taken her and Dale. He hadn’t given her any information. She couldn’t hurt anyone at this point. So if they had the source of the leak, then why come for her?
    “I don’t have the drive, so why am I here?”
    Dale bit his lower lip. “I was buying time.”
    Bailey smacked him on the arm. “Asshole!”
    “I’m sorry.