Page 33 of Fall of Hellfire (Hellfire Society #3)

twenty-five

RIOT

T he amount of adrenaline pumping through my body at the moment could be enough to revive a dead man.

I know this is an unconventional present one would give to their wife, but I had a feeling Ali would appreciate it.

And from the way her face lit up when she realized what this was all for was the best reaction I could have asked for.

I’ll have to thank Arsen later for his quick thinking by grabbing the same masks we were forced to wear in the beginning.

Honestly I think I might keep mine for when I have other jobs to do, you know, to make a statement and all that.

I pull my muzzle over my mouth, grinning wide in anticipation as the others do the same.

Arsen leaves his gas mask on the top of his head, while Cash and Ali pull theirs on completely.

We have already agreed that Arsen would follow Ali, not that we think she needs the help but to keep an eye on her.

He already got his revenge on the man who made his life hell weeks ago, and now it was ours.

Next we all load up on weapons, Ali and Cash grabbing blades.

Cash adding a 9mm to his back as well. Arsen sets his bat over his shoulder, while I wrap the since cleaned chain around my chest before tucking a couple throwing knives away.

I prefer hand-to-hand, but I’ll bring the weapons just in case.

Though the thought of letting my father off easy is the furthest from my mind.

No, I plan to make him suffer just for shits and giggles.

Once we’re all loaded up, I turn to the group.

“Like our girl said, first one to complete their kill and return gets first dibs and Ali’s sweet, sweet pussy!

” Lunging forward, I slam my lips down on my wife’s plump ones before laughing maniacally and racing off into the dark forest. Curses echo into the night air between the sweet gentle giggle of Ali is heard.

All too soon, I’m tuning out everything around me as I focus in on my hunt.

This isn’t really about wanting to fuck my girl first, though I do plan to win this game.

It’s about finally showing my father the monster he created.

This is about the little boy he broke, twisted, molded into the perfect little soldier that would follow all his commands until he was no longer useful.

Sadly, Henry Parker lost the reins on his little pet years ago, and I’ve just been biding my time until I could repay the favor.

I move through the brush in the direction I saw Henry jolt off into, keeping my steps as quiet as possible with all the dead debris littering about.

I can hear distant rustling to my right; probably the others well on their way to their hunts.

Henry doesn’t realize it, but I added extra weapons along his side hoping he would find some and really give me a challenge.

Every so often I stop to listen for movement that isn’t my own.

The couple times I stop, I can hear scurrying in the distance but nothing quite big enough to be my father so I keep moving.

Staying low, and close to trees to hide my own presence.

I’ve lost track of time a while ago, when I come across one of the stashes I’ve left out in the open.

Peeking inside the small plastic box, I see a half drunk water bottle but no knives.

So, Henry does want to play with me. Before tonight I made sure not to injure my father too badly.

Did I leave him a bloody mess and covered in black and blue bruises?

Absolutely, but he’s a man. He can take a little pain, right?

That’s what he told me when I was stabbed by one of his men in a training situation.

“Man up, it’s a papercut.” That’s what he would tell me.

I just made sure to leave him a few extra “papercuts” to show him how tough he could be.

Knowing that my father is now armed and is willing to fight to survive, I decide it’s time to really play.

“Oh Henryyyyy..” I call. “Come out, come out wherever you are,” I add, standing to survey the area.

There is a small trail that’s parted between a pile of leaves leading away from the box.

Shrugging, I move in that direction willing to take the chance, until I see a footprint in the dirt.

It’s faint, with only the moon above peeking through the trees to see, but it’s enough to let me know I’ve headed in the right direction.

Needing to fill the silence and give Henry a small fraction of a chance to get one up on me I start talking aloud.

“You know Henry, I’ve waited for this day to come for a while now.

” I chuckle to myself. “Believe it or not, even before you tried to kill me in the trials.” A snap to my left has me pausing for half a millisecond before pretending I didn’t hear anything and moving forward.

“Yeah, I’ve waited to take you out for years now, but unlike you, I respect the society's rules.” Another snap of a branch.

“See, before you became the spineless, greedy, asshole that you are now, you ingrained loyalty into me. Loyalty to Hellfire and the families that uphold it. Isn’t that why the three of you had kids at the same time, so that we would grow up together, be stronger than brothers.

” Another chuckle slips past my lips. “It worked. Shit, Henry, I should really be thanking you too. If it weren’t for you, James, and William, we would have never found the perfect woman for the three of us.

” After my great, albeit anticlimactic, monologue is finished, I pause in the middle of a small space.

The trees here have grown feet apart and will make a great little fight ring once my father grows a pair and makes his move.

He might think he is the cat in this situation right now, but I know he has moved in position behind me thinking he can get the upper hand that way.

He’s wrong. I’ve been tracking his movement since he broke the first branch.

Honestly, I’m surprised he was able to stay as quiet as he has.

Nevertheless, I keep my back to him, pretending to look around before bending and pulling some dramatic movie move where I grab a pile of dirt in my hand.

I let the loose soil fall from my fingers, inspecting it, like it can whisper to me all the secrets of the earth, when really, it’s just dirt.

That gets him moving. I keep hunched over as he makes his approach until he is practically on top of my back, before I throw myself to the side, rolling until I pop back up and face Henry Parker eye-to-eye.

“Hello, Father,” I greet, resting my arms to my side to show I’m no threat to him. But I can tell he takes it as I don’t take him as a threat to me. Which is also true.

“I tried giving you the world, boy, but you were always a rotten apple from the start. I think your mother was drinking and doing drugs when she carried you. You’ve never been right in the head.

” He sneers at me, but his words don’t have much of an effect.

I’ve always known what my father thought of me, so him spewing it at me like it’s poison doesn’t do much now.

When he sees that his words don’t make me flinch, he snarls at me again, holding out a knife between us like it’s going to protect him.

I give him a solid once-over before letting out a sigh.

“It looks like you’ve seen better days, Dad.

Old age hasn’t done you any favors, but because you are my sperm donor, I’ll give you the first chance to strike.

Yeah?” I’m being honest too when I say he has seen better days.

Henry has always been a man who prided himself on his image.

Always need to be the one with the nicest clothes, most expensive cars, house, boat, you name it, and Henry Parker had something better than you.

I don’t remember a time growing up that he wasn’t in the nicest suits, or the name brand designer outfits but the Henry in front of me is in rough shape.

He is wearing the same clothes we picked him up in over a week ago.

Which was once a nice suit, but now is just a pair of slacks and torn-up dress shirt that’s covered in blood, dirt, and God knows what else since you aren’t really allowed bathroom breaks when being held captive.

Yeah, Henry Parker has seen better days.

Something I say, or maybe it’s the disgusted face I make when I get a whiff of him that sets him off, but he lunges for me, letting out a war cry that sounds more like a screaming child, as he shoves his blade towards my chest. He misses, because of course I’m stronger and faster and wasn’t planning on giving him an actual chance to hit me.

He stumbles forward, thrown off by me stepping out of the way too quickly and giving me the opportunity to grab my own blade to slice him across the back.

He screams out, falling to the forest floor in a painful cry.

Twirling the blade around my finger, I tuck it back in my pocket before shoving my hands in them as well.

“Good effort,” I say as he turns to glare at me.

The amount of hate and venom in his gaze could turn Medusa herself to stone.

“Let’s do this like the good old days. Mano y mano.

What do you say?” My tone stays uncaring, casual as fuck, because I know my calm demeanor is only getting under his skin more.

I can tell by the tightening of his jaw and the crinkle in his brow every time I open my mouth.

I even go as far as to hold out my hand to help him up, but he swipes at my hand with his blade, like some type of feral cat.

When he slowly climbs to his feet to face me, I let out an overly dramatic sigh.

“Look, I don’t have all day to go back and forth.

You had already tucked tail and run, but my wife, Ali.

You’ve met her. She told us the first one back gets dibs on her body, so I need us to move this along.

” I twirl my fingers in a forward motion, letting him know to hurry up, but a smirk appears on his face.

It’s at this moment I knew my father was not a smart man.

With a taunting lilt to his voice, he speaks, “And what if I kill you first and make it back. Will I then get dibs on that sweet little pussy of hers?” All the excitement I felt for the hunt vanishes in an instant as my grin drops, but my father seems to want to meet the Grim Reaper at least sooner.

“I’m a little disappointed I never got a turn with her.

We were planning a little orgy before you three showed up and crashed the party.

Do you think she will moan for me like she does for you?

” The fucker laughs at his own words like this is all just a joke, but I’ve already made a vow to Ali.

She was my wife, maybe not in the most conventional ways; but it worked for us, and she accepted it now.

What kind of husband would I be if I allowed this weasel of a man to speak about my wife like that?

I tsk at him, letting him know he just fucked up.

“Now Henry, I’m going to need to take that tongue of yours.

No one is allowed to speak about my wife like that.

” The moment the words leave my mouth I’m lunging for him, tackling him to the ground as I throw my body into him.

He wasn’t expecting the move, his grip on his blade loosening and sending the metal flying out of reach.

Throwing my fist into his face a couple of times, I reach for my little knife again.

With one hand I grip his chin, pinching his mouth open while he is still in a daze from my sudden assault, then shove my blade into his mouth and slice at the muscle there.

It takes a couple of slices to get the chunk off, but after a moment I’m holding Henry Parker’s tongue in my hand while he sputters and chokes on the blood filling his mouth.

He looks pathetic now, no longer the man I once knew.

“I wanted to play with you longer, but honestly you’re not worth the effort anymore.

” Standing, I unwrap the chain around my chest and rewrap it around Henry’s neck.

His panic skyrockets as he reaches for the chain, clawing at the metal with what little strength he has left.

All he can get out are gargled moans, as his skin becomes pale with blood loss.

His eyes, ones so much like mine, wide with fear of dying.

I wonder if he can feel the cold grasp of death nipping at his heels yet.

“Let’s go for one last walk,” I tell him before I yank the chain tight and begin my walk back to the SUV.

I’m still aiming on being the first one back.

I might even have time to put Henry’s tongue in a gift box for Ali to show her how devoted I am to her.

Henry is a drag, literally, as he tries to fight, kick, and tear at the metal now choking him, but he only struggles for a few minutes before his body finally goes limp.

I drag him for a little extra before I finally check to make sure he is expired.

Sure enough, his eyes are a blank mask of fear and pain as they stare sightlessly up at the sky.

At least I was nice enough to give him something pretty to look at before he died.

A strange sense of relief hits me like a freight train when I realize that Henry Parker, a man I once feared as a child, is now dead.

Unwinding the chain, because this is now a stable piece for me, I leave Henry where he lies and make my way back to the clearing.

Cash was already planning to send in a cleaning crew once we were done here, so they will take care of his body.

I thought I would be more disappointed if he didn’t put up more of a fight but I’m at ease with how things ended.

Now it was time to get home, rebuild our empire, and celebrate with my wife.