Perceive by K E Osborn

 

 

KENZI

 

“Stop being a bitch, Mac,” Trevor hisses, holding my wrists as he swipes the keycard to my room.

I snort. “I’d rather be a bitch than Hendrix’s little bitch.”

He pushes the door open and shoves hard against my back. My knees hit the carpet, skimming the surface and burning the skin. For a second, I don’t move, not caring how vulnerable I am, simply sucking in deep breaths to try and ease the sting. Though, I can’t stop my eyes from watering.

Pain is pain.

Sometimes you can’t help the way your body reacts to it.

Licking the salty tears from where they’ve settled on my lips, I finally roll over. Falling onto my ass, I look up at the thug who had once been one of my personal bodyguards. “Fuck you.”

The smirk on his face grows wider as he edges closer, crouching down in front of me, dabbing at the split in the corner of my lip—Hendrix’s dirty work. “I’ve always wanted to fuck you,” he whispers, leaning in closer. His hand flies out, snatching a fistful of my hair. I clench my teeth, refusing to let out any noises of pain as he uses my hair to drag me to my feet, twisting it agonizingly around his hand and jerking my head back so I’m looking up at him. “Hendrix said after Saturday, you’re free rein.”

He tugs me a little closer, his hot breath reeking of cigarettes.

“You…” I lean in, enjoying the way his eyes light up just a little as I inch closer, “… disgust me,” I hiss, grabbing his body and drive my knee right up into his family jewels. He shoves me back. Hard. My ass hitting the floor with a thump just before he drops to his knees.

“You. Fucking. Whore,” he groans loudly, clutching at his private parts like I’ve either just ripped them off his body, or they’ve crawled back up inside him, embarrassed to be attached to such a fucking bastard.

Either would be acceptable.

“I swear to God!” He launches himself at me, only to be caught around the collar by Hendrix, yanking him back.

“Must you break my men like that, Mac?” He tsks as another couple of guys drag Trevor off down the hall. “Next time, I’ll let them have you.”

“You wouldn’t,” I counter, grabbing the bed behind me, using it to help me to my feet.

“I wouldn’t?” He chuckles, raising a brow.

“Yeah, because you know their dicks are bigger than yours, and I’d probably like it mor—”

His hand instantly connects with my cheek.

His palm open.

A surprise. Though not a welcome one.

The pain starts instantly, the deep, resounding thump radiating through my face to the base of my skull.

Not right now.

I haven’t had a migraine for so long.

But, of course, the second I get back in Hendrix’s presence, his bad energy and shitty juju swirls around him, contaminating the fucking air I’m breathing.

“That hurt?”

“Go to hell.”

His presence looms over me, his hand coming to rest on my back. It feels like fire burning through my clothing and skin. “Maybe I’ll meet you there when this is all done.” He laughs, like this is one gigantic joke. Like destroying people is a fun hobby to him.

His hand on my back shoves me harshly, and I fall to my knees again. They graze on the carpet, the friction one I’m fast becoming accustomed to being back in Hendrix’s presence. His foot comes up next, the harsh kick of his thick boot pressing me to the floor. I let out an “oomph.”

“You think I hurt you in the past, Kenzi? That’s nothing compared to what I’m about to do to you!”

My stomach flips, my mind whirring.

As his fist connects with my face, the pain sears through me, and I zone out.

 

Sitting on the bathroom floor, my face was swollen. Cuts and grazes lined every inch of my battered body as I shook violently with the realization I was living a hell I didn’t think I would ever be free from.

Hendrix had stolen me, and though his beatings were becoming a more regular occurrence, I was losing hope. Hope of ever seeing Axel and our family back at the Malice MC again.

I missed them.

I missed him.

I knew he would find me.

But honestly, I kinda hoped he didn’t. Because if he did, then he would have to face Hendrix, and if he lost, if he had to fight him, like I did every damn day, I didn’t know if Axel would win. And losing a part of myself was one thing, but losing Axel was a pain I couldn’t even fathom. He might not know where I am, but knowing he was out there safe and away from Hendrix was the only thing keeping me fighting every damn day.

“Mac!” Hendrix called from the other side of the bathroom door. “You better be finished cleaning yourself up in there. We have work to do!”

Yeah, I would keep fightin— for Axel.

 

As I slump onto the floor, Hendrix’s beating done with, I pant for breath. Not so much from his harsh fists but more so from the intoxicating memory I’ve just had. It might have come with a killer migraine, but I don’t even care about that right now. It might not be a memory of Axel himself, but it’s a memory that I knew Axel, and that’s enough for me.

A tear forms in my eye as I lay on the floor. My swollen and bleeding lip trembling as I try to hold my shit together. Not from the pain I’m feeling but the pure joy.

“Are you crying?” Hendrix grunts out, wiping sweat from his brow.

I sniffle, rocking my head to the side. “No, Hendrix.”

He scoffs. “Good. I don’t need you pissing out on me now, Mac. Know your place. Now clean yourself up! We have work to do.”

A slow smile creeps up my face. The words are similar to the ones he used from my memory, so I know I didn’t imagine it. I definitely fought to stay alive for Axel. It also means all this time I thought Hendrix was my hero, but he was the villain in disguise. I guess he’s just shown me his true colors right here and now, hasn’t he?

But this is all too much.

The pain all over my body suddenly seems too much to bear, my migraine hitting me full force as I slump to the floor, my eyes heavy. My head pounds as everything swirls around me.

I can’t keep focused on anything, then everything starts to haze and turns black.

 

 

My body jerks, but I can’t quite place why I’m moving. My eyes want to open, but I can’t for the life of me find the strength to do just that. I feel like I have been out of it for hours. Then a sudden shove to my shoulder makes my eyes fling open wide. Pain sears through my entire body as I let out a loud groan, trying to focus on whatever is in front of me. My muscles are aching, like I’ve been lying on the floor for hours. The blood all over my body feels like it’s dried and is now stiff and trying to crack with my movements.

“Jesus Christ,” I murmur as I try to lift my head.

“Try not to move, you’re hurt pretty bad, Kenzi,” a familiar voice soothes me.

I blink a few times while trying to focus as I glance up to see Lily wearing a maid’s uniform. I jerk my head back, sending a torrent of pain down my spine. “What the hell? Am I high? What on earth am I seeing right now?”

Lily places her hands on my shoulders to try and soothe me. “Shh… try to stay calm, Kenzi. I’m here undercover. The guys know you’re here. We have a plan. We just need you to know it too.”

Panic washes over me as I try to sit up, but every single muscle in my body aches more than I care to let on. As Lily helps me sit up, I grimace.

“You c-cant be h-here!” I stutter out my words out of pure fear for my friend.

Lily swallows hard like she’s suddenly nervous. “It’s okay. No one suspects the maids,” she tries to joke.

“Lily, please, you have to go. I don’t want Hendrix to hurt you.”

Lily raises her hands to try and placate me. “Okay, okay, look… I came to give you a message, now listen. Hendrix is going to try and make you drink the bio-chem in front of all the potential buyers tomorrow. To show what it will do—”

“What!”

“Kenzi, you need to drink from the cup he gives you!”

My eyes widen as I shake my head. “Lily, no! Are you crazy?”

“The boys will make sure it’s switched with something else. Then when it doesn’t work, those buyers will all turn their backs on Hendrix.”

That is the plan? Try to fool the buyers into thinking Hendrix is a fraud? It’s good in theory, but does that theory have to risk me ingesting poison?

“But what if they don’t switch it in time?”

She reaches out grabbing my hands in hers. “Axel has spent this long trying to find you. You need to trust the boys will do what they have to do to make sure you get out of here. They’ll switch it. You have to trust them.”

“I do, but how will they ever trust me after what happened?” My stomach flips as my eyes are overflooded with tears, they flow down my face, the saltwater stinging the cuts on my cheeks as I hunch over, trying to catch my breath. “Eli and Noah… oh, God… what happened to them is because of me. All this, it’s all my fault!”

Lily squeezes my hands almost painfully. “Look at me,” she hisses under her breath. I wipe my face, my bottom lip trembling as my eyes meet hers. “Nobody thinks this is your fault. Nobody blames you for anything.”

They should.

I’ve caused them so much pain.

So much loss.

“None of that matters right now anyway,” she declares, shaking her head like she’s trying to regain focus of why she is here. “I promise you, they have a plan, just trust them. You know Axel. If anything, trust him.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to make it easier to breathe. “How is Axel?”

Lily glances at her watch again. “I don’t have much time, Kenzi… Axel is doing his job. He wants you back. That’s always been his goal, and he will do it. You know he will.”

“I don’t know how to thank you, Lil. For coming in here, risking yourself for me.”

She moves forward taking me into a very lose hug. She doesn’t want to hurt me. “That’s what friends do. They fight for each other. Plus… after being on the run with Kace, and the adrenaline of that, I’ve wanted to get back into this SO7 swing of things. It’s kind of a buzz.”

I smirk, the movement hurting my lip, but I don’t care. “You’re so fucking brave, Lily.”

Her eyes meet mine. “So are you, Kenzi. You’re stronger than you know. You can do this. You will be fine tomorrow. The guys have your back.”

I nod as she leans in pressing her lips to my forehead, then she stands and heads for the door. “Hang in there, Kenz… just a little longer, okay?”

I bob my head as she rushes to the bathroom, grabs a couple of towels to make her look legit. I smile as she opens the door, looking each way, then slides out.

And just like that, I’m alone again.

My entire body shakes. There are so many things that can go wrong with this plan. If Axel doesn’t get to the bio-chem in time, I could die tomorrow.

But at least I will be fighting—fighting for Axel, just like I have been doing all this time. I may have spent four years not remembering that, but I think deep down I always knew there was that driving force pushing me, and I truly believe that has always been Axel.

Because I will always fight for him.

Until my very last breath.