Rivals?

Chapter 40

Daniel's POV

I pull into Lane's driveway and of course, he's sitting on the porch, smoking a bud. I get out with Mikayla, and I walk slowly up his porch steps. 

I throw the money down on his side table by his rocking chair. "There." I smile.

"Finally. It took you long enough. It just seems like you'll never learn, will you, son?" He asks, standing up and looking over at Mikayla. "Brought your girlfriend again, I see." He grins and snaps his fingers.

I turn around to see Alex and Thomas. I let out an angered groan. Before I can do anything, Alex snatches Mikayla and walks towards his truck. 

"Crap! Daniel! Daniel, help dangit!" She yells, substituting her curse words. She kicks and swings her fists, hitting Alex hard in different spots of his body. However, Alex is stronger and just lets out small grunts before shoving her into his truck. 

I try charging, but Thomas hits me with a metal object and everything goes black. 

***

My eyes open slowly, focusing on the barely lit-up room. I cough up some blood and try getting up, but my hands are tied to a pole behind me. 

I hear chuckling behind me. I try screaming, but there is a bandana tied around my head, it is tight in my mouth. I bite on it in anger.

Lane walks over to me and kicks me in the side. I clench my teeth hard and my legs strain. 

"Oh, son. You never learn. You just don't get it. You can't leave me." He chuckles again and Thomas and Alex walk out of the dark with sharp objects. I wince and squirm around helplessly. 

"I bet you're wondering where your girlfriend is. Don't worry, she's here." He nods to the dark corner. 

My eyes focus on Mikayla's helpless, bloody body. I pray that she isn't dead. My eyes twitch in anger and my legs strain again, wanting out of the rope. 

"Stop that, Dan. She's not dead for crying out loud. I don't kill women or children. I don't want to kill you either. I can't believe you're making me do this," he sighs and gestures for the weapon Alex is holding. 

It's a crowbar. 

Please don't I think to myself.

He walks over to Mikayla. I shout but it's muffled with the bandana in my mouth. I whine and whimper when I hear the crowbar hit her non-concious body. 

Lane laughs manically and walks away from her slumped-over, bleeding body. I didn't realize it until Lane walked over and wiped my tears away, I was crying. 

"Don't cry, son. Not yet." He chuckles and grabs a long pole that was abandoned on the floor. 

I wince as he hits my bad leg. I shout and my eyes strain to stay open. My vision is blurred but I see Mikayla's head slowly rise and she winces hard. 

She must feel the pain now. 

She squirms around on the floor, her poor weak body in a pool of blood. 

Lane walks over to me and yanks my bandana off.

"Speak, son. Tell me what weapon you prefer," he says, pointing the Alex and Thomas who are holding multiple different weapons. 

Mikayla whimpers in the corner but she has something in her mouth too, her hands tied behind her back. I see her tears roll off her cheeks and my heart sinks. 

"Daniel!" Lane shouts and my gaze turns back on him. 

"Let her go," I say, sternly. 

He ticks his tongue and sways on his feet. "No can do, Dan." He smirks and grabs something else from Alex. 

A bat. With nails. 

Mikayla whimpers as he walks over to me. 

I think it's all over until the door is kicked down. 

"FBI. Keep your hands behind your head and get down." The leader in the front of the huge group of mean shouts and Lane drops the weapon but stays standing. "On the floor!" He yells again, gesturing with his gun. 

Thomas and Alex are lying down but Lane reaches for his gun and I wince and turn my head as Lane is shot. I hear his body fall to the floor and feel stone-cold hands on my arm. 

"Son, are you okay? Son!"  A dark and deep voice shouts at me but I'm dizzy and losing blood and I don't speak. Sweat trickles down my forehead and I glance at Mikayla, getting her hands untied, and then get carried away.

I'm soon untied and helped up, but my bad leg can't corporate and I have to get carried to the ambulance truck. I didn't realize how bad I was until I was on a stretcher, an oxygen mask on my face, and people stripping my pants off the examine my wound. 

My whole body aches, pangs, twitches, and throbs. My heart hurts badly for Mikayla and I try to stay awake as I am getting driven to the hospital.

***

My eyes open and focus on the hospital room. I look at my arms that have IVs and crap all in them. 

Damnit.

I sigh and wish for my pain to go away. The doctor then walks in and her eyes soften as she sees me awake. 

"You lost a lot of blood and had to have surgery. Your father was here and handled everything but he must've left." She sighs and walks over to me. "Your girlfriend, Mikayla, is okay too." 

"Not my-" I pause and smile. "Okay. Thank you for telling me. What's wrong with her?" 

"She had a past stab wound at her stomach and someone had punched or hit her in that exact spot, and it obviously... made it worse. She had a couple of bruises on her side and a couple of scratches on her face, otherwise, she is okay." She smiles. 

"When will she be out?" I ask, scanning her facial expressions. 

"In about three to four days," she sighs, "We have to make sure she is stable to leave again." 

"What about me?" 

"About the same time. You two went through some rough stuff." She huffs. 

"Yeah." I clear my throat. "Can you hand me my phone?" I cough and it hurts. She nods and walks to my blood-stained clothes and grabs my phone, handing it to me. 

"Nurses will be in here soon to check your vitals and stuff. They can also bring around some food." She sighs and I nod. She walks out.

I check the time and think about texting Dad, but I don't. Instead, I just throw my phone back into the chair where my doctor had grabbed it, and I sit in pain. 

My worry grows about Mikayla and I wish I never brought her into this.