Dirt

(Matt's POV)

He finally stopped hitting her. I wanted so bad to go over and kill that little mother fucker, but his friend had managed to tie up my hands and attach the rope to the wall. I was stuck, and all I could do was yell threats and watch. It was eating away at me. Every time his fist connected with her face or body, she would yell out in anger, and I would die a little on the inside. He slapped her one more time across the face and turned to me. "Apparently, this place isn't fit to keep the her here. Matt, if you will, please." He gestured for me to pick Ash up.

The friend untied my ropes and I ran over and scooped her up in my arms. She stirred and tried to fight me, but I whispered to her that I had her and she'd be alright. Even though I had no real way of knowing that. She settled back down and Harrison led the way out of the house and into a car. I sat in the back with Ash and stroked her hair. I knew exactly where we were and exactly where we were going. I hated myself for it, too.

We rode out of town and into the hills. We pulled up outside the old farmhouse and I shook my head. I didn't know what to do. I knew I needed to get her out of there, I just didn't know how I was going to do that without exposing myself at the same time. I carried her out of the car and into the barn. "Down there," Harrison's friend told me while motioning to a door in the floor.

"Did you know, that back in the fifties, when everyone thought an atomic bomb was going to be dropped on America, that many families built elaborate bomb shelters? They thought they were going to have to live underground for months or even years. People with the right amount of money built shelters that were akin to actual houses," Harrison told me in a conversational tone. It just made me want to hurt him. "This place has an amazing bomb shelter. There's several rooms, and plenty of tunnels that just keep going and going."

We travelled down a set of stairs and through the first room. We took a left into another room. They had me set Ash down in that room, then turned the gun on me and made me walk over to the wall so the friend, who still remained nameless, tied my hands behind my back again and managed to hook the rope through a loop on the wall. They both turned to leave us alone, and as soon as they were out of earshot, Ash stood up from her spot on the floor. "Okay, we're getting the hell out of here," she slurred through a fat lip. She moved over to me and started to try to untie my ropes. I couldn't help but stare at her face. This was all my fault. I wanted to tell her. I needed to tell her. She should know before this went any further. She caught me staring. "Don't look at me like that. I faked passing out. It may look bad, but I'll live. Now hold still, I've almost got it."

"I don't think that would be such a good idea." I barely recognize the voice, but Ash spun around the second she heard it.

"You!"

(Ash's POV)

I had to assess the damage. As I leaned against Matt in the car, I tried to shut out everything else and figure out what was most injured. After trying to move the different muscles in my face, I determined that I didn't have much time before my eye would swell shut. My lip was split, and it would swell, but other than that, there was minimal damage. A lot of blood, but minimal damage. Once they left the room they placed Matt and I in, I jumped up. Matt was surprised, but I didn't have time to explain. I just wanted to untie the ropes and get the fuck out of Dodge. He was staring at me with a pained expression on his face. I tried to make him feel better. "Don't look at me like that. I faked passing out. It may look bad, but I'll live. Now hold still, I've almost got it."

"I don't think that would be such a good idea."

I snapped my head around to look at our new visitor. "You!" He smiled at me. "Can you help us get out of here?" He shook his head no. "Mr. Black, David, your son has lost it. He hired some guys to abduct me, and now he's keeping Matt and I against our will. You have to help us."

"Oh, Ashlynn. You're smart, but you haven't figured it out yet. My son is an idiot." He chuckled at my shocked expression. "Come on, now. You've been saying it for years. Don't act surprised. He couldn't have come up with a plan like this on his own. He had help."

"But why?" I asked him. "You've always been a respected member of the community. No one's ever had any problems with you."

"That's what makes this perfect, doesn't it?" He grinned like he'd won a prize. "You see, I knew what Harrison has been doing. He's not as devious as he thinks he is. He thinks that if he takes you hostage, eliminates the...competition," he shot a look over at Matt, "and gets your father to step down, then he'll have all the power and the girl of his dreams. However, we all know that won't work."

"Then why are you helping him?" I asked.

"Simple. Revenge." I shook my head, not understanding. What the hell was he talking about? He undid Matt's ropes, and they shared a knowing look. "Ashlynn, do you know what kind of man your father is? He's a despicable person. He takes whatever he wants, without any care for anyone else. I was engaged once, before I met Harrison's mother. She was the most beautiful girl in California. I would have done anything for her. She was funny, and caring, and she loved me, too. She was about your height, with dark hair and the most beautiful hazel eyes you've ever seen. Do you want to know her name? It was Marie."

"You weren't engaged to my mother," I told him.

"How do you know? Because your parents told you? Come now, Ash, we both know they have a habit of keeping things from you. What's your brother's name, Zack? How long have you known him? Seven or eight months?" He chuckled because he knew I had no argument. "My son longs to take over your father's club. I long to take away everything he's ever loved. Starting with the one thing he loves most. You."

Matt had stayed silent standing against the wall. He hadn't moved a muscle. I couldn't figure out what he was thinking, but I didn't have time to wonder. I had to try to get us out of there. I took a deep breath. "This doesn't make any sense. Just let us go. I'm not gonna say anything to anyone. At least let Matt go. He hasn't done anything to you. He's a bystander in this whole situation."

"Is he? Have you asked him how he fits into this whole thing?" David's eyes shot over to Matt. "Go ahead, Ash. Ask Matt what his role is in all this."

I didn't like what he was implying. What was he implying? I looked over at Matt who looked like he was a two year old who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. My heart dropped. This couldn't be good. Matt opened his mouth to speak, only to close it back up. He did this several times before he was able to form a sentence. "Ash. I was just looking to make some extra money. I didn't know anything about Zack's father, or the fact that he had a daughter. I didn't know you." I asked him what he was getting at. "David hired me to get close to you. He wanted me to look for any major weaknesses in your father's club." Matt cast his eyes to the ground. He didn't have the balls to look me in the eyes. "But then I got to know you, and I refused to tell him anything. I love you, Ash. I've been in love with you for a while. How I met you doesn't change the way I feel about you."

David laughed long and hard. "Young love. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it Ashlynn? You know, it has to make you wonder, right? I mean, every person you've ever loved has lied to you. What is it about you that makes people do that to you? Seriously. At least Harrison never lied to you. You may not love him now, but he's always been honest with you, I'll give him that."

I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to feel. I couldn't hear what the two men in the room were saying. All I could hear was a droning buzz in my ears. I shut my eyes. He lied to me? He was sent to spy on me? I shook my head. What an idiot I was. Of course someone like Matt wouldn't fall in love with me. I started to feel sorry for myself before my brain decided to focus on the other part of that equation. He betrayed me. He lied to me. He betrayed me! I looked David square in the eyes and lifted my chin in defiance. "Let me go."

"No." He raised an eyebrow. "What, no love for Romeo now? Surprise, surprise Matt. Now the truth is out there." Matt started to say my name but David cut him off. "Enough! Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Before he could say anything else, Harrison and his friend came down the stairs and into the room we were in. He smiled at me. "Good, you're awake." He cut his eyes over to Matt. "Dad, why did you untie him? He'll try to save her!" Harrison ran over and grabbed me around my waist and lifted me over his shoulder. "I'll take my girl elsewhere."

I quickly scanned my surroundings again as he carried me down a long tunnel into another room. No one seemed to have any weapons on them, which was good for me. The problem was that I had exhausted a lot of energy earlier, and every man in the room was a lot bigger than me. Harrison set me down on my feet and gave me a strange smile. He told me he was sorry he had to do it, then covered my nose and mouth with a rag. I only remember slipping down to the floor after that and hoping that this would all be over soon.