Page 12 of Reign (Kings of Chaos & Mayhem #8)

Jameson

Let's go hunting, shall we?

Walking over to the bar, I grab a water bottle and chug it down, emptying the cold liquid and throwing the plastic bottle into the garbage. My vision blurs for a second as I grab onto the bar top to steady myself.

“It’s been awhile.”

“Did you think you could quiet us?”

“Poor Little Boy Blue. He thought he got rid of us.”

I shake my head and work fast at getting the syringes from my bag and plunging them into my neck then chest.

“Jameson. You good, brother?” Dario asks as I take a deep breath.

“I am now, and I’ll be even better once I catch our little wifey.” I grin, and he shakes his head.

“And what? We’re supposed to clean up your mess?” Dario asks, and my grin gets wider.

“Yep!” is all I say as I head for the back door. Something crashes behind me, and I look over my shoulder as Dario comes my way.

“That’s bullshit! We aren’t your henchmen. Help us get rid of the body, then you can go play!” he orders, and I sigh.

“Already barking orders, I see,” I reply, and he rolls his eyes.

“Someone has to keep you in line. Clearly the others can’t,” he chides as Kane looks back and forth between us, waiting for something to happen.

“Same ol’ Dario, or is it Zayn?” I taunt making him growl.

“Alright, alright, lads,” Kane says, stepping in and pushing us apart with his hands. “No need to get our panties in a bunch. Just get a tarp and lay it out for us to roll him up in? Aye?” he says, nodding at me.

“Fine, I’ll go look in the shed,” I tell them, turning and stepping out into the night.

I didn’t realize the sun had set so quickly.

I just want to get to my girl already. I don’t like to keep her waiting.

Stepping inside, I pull the string and the light above me illuminates the room.

We really need to restock our weapons. We’re running low after yesterday's bullshit. I huff, bending down and grabbing a gray and blue tarp, along with some rope. Shutting off the light, I exit and start walking back, but a scream has me stopping in my tracks. Was that Jade? The hairs on the back of my neck slowly stand as if someone is watching me. Something isn’t right.

Rushing back into the Mill, I drop the tarps and grab the knives from the table.

“What the fuck are you going to do with those? We don’t have time to dissect him,” Dario states. His annoyance with me is dripping from his lips.

“Something is wrong. I heard a scream in the woods,” I tell them, and they immediately grab weapons and head out the doors.

“What’s the plan?” Kane asks, and me and Dario look at one another with a grin.

“We go hunting!” Dario says as I take off to the right and they go left. I’m guessing Kane’s never hunted in the woods before since he’s Dario’s new lapdog. Another scream echoes through the night, and the smell of fresh blood hits my nostrils.

As I run, I stay light on my toes and breathe through my nose, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I really hope this is part of her game and she’s not hurt out there. No one would be stupid enough to come here and try to take her. That’s just asking to die.

Slowing down, I listen for anything rustling, any fucking sound leading me to her, but it’s quiet.

Too fucking quiet. But I keep moving as another scream echoes so loudly I know I’m getting close.

She’s in pain. Someone or something has hurt my girl.

Taking out my knife, I spin it in my hand, ready to cause bloodshed.

Groaning hits my ears as Dario and Kane come into view with two masked men on their knees, both with guns pointed at their heads.

“Well, what do we have here?” I ask in a sinister tone.

“Dead men if they don’t answer my questions,” Dario spits. Walking up to them, I rip their masks off and throw them to the ground, then reach into my holster for my other knife, bringing the blades up right under their chins.

“Good evening, boys. I just have one question. If you answer correctly, my friends will let you live. I think that sounds like a splendid deal. Don’t ya think?” I ask, and one man sputters around, thrashing against Kane’s hold.

“P-please don’t kill us. We were paid to scare the girl,” he stammers as I press the blade harder into his skin, making him wince.

“Would you shut up? They aren’t going to let us free,” the other man states as if he knows we're lying.

“No, really, if you answer my question, we will let you walk out of here untouched. Scout's honor,” I say, removing my knife from his chin and pounding my fist against my chest. Is that how Boy Scouts do it? I’m not sure, nor do I care. I just need it to be believable.

“Yeah right. That’s not how it happens in the movies,” he says, and I laugh.

“Well, this isn’t the movies; this is real life. Just answer the question,” I say, and he quirks a brow.

“What is the question?” he asks, and I smile, bending down, bringing my face a mere inch from his.

“Who sent you?” I ask softly, licking my lips.

“Umm, it was—”

“Would you shut up? Do you have no loyalty?” the other man says to his friend.

“I don’t give a fuck—I just want to go home to my wife and kids,” the friend says with so much panic in his tone.

“See, he just wants to go home, and you both will if you tell me who paid you,” I ask again, growing impatient.

“Dalton Callaghan,” he says, and my eyes widen for a fraction of a second before I growl in his face, sending my blade right up through his chin, watching as the tip comes out through the tip of his nose.

His friend screams, thrashing against Kane, and I laugh.

Dario wastes no time dragging his knife across the remaining guy's neck, as another scream flies through the woods, sending chills up my spine.

We take off in the direction we think the scream came from, jumping over a log and slipping on some leaves.

“Blood, I smell fresh blood. It's so fucking pungent. It’s not hers though,” I say as Dario takes out his phone, turning on the flashlight, and sure enough, there’s a trail of fresh blood along the leaves on the forest floor.

“We’re close,” Dario whispers, and I grin, hoping I get my hands on whoever is out there.

It doesn’t surprise me that my father is behind this.

His obsession with Jade hasn't diminished after all this time. If anything, it has gotten worse. The more children she has, the more he wants her, and we need to put an end to him. Once and for all. But he’s like a fucking cockroach.

Always hiding in plain sight and too fast for us to catch.

It pisses me the fuck off. All the time I recently spent with him, I could've killed him, and we’d be at peace.

But no, he’s always one step ahead of us, and I’ve about had it.

We need to come up with a plan of execution sooner rather than later.

Between him and the rest of the assholes we need to kill, our body count is about to grow exponentially.

I guess when you gain this much power, it's bound to bite you in the ass.

“Jade, Jade?” Dario yells, taking me out of my thoughts.

I slide to my knees once I see her, looking her over, seeing all the blood, and her naked flesh all bruised.

I scream into the night wanting to unleash the beast within me.

I wish I had never killed The Carver. I need him now more than ever.

I need him to put my feelings aside and leave my wife with my brother so I can hunt this motherfucker.

But no, my love for this woman outweighs the rage within me, and all I want to do is make her better.

I want to lick every mark, every bruise, and make her feel better.

The urge to fuck her takes over, but my eyes collide with Dario’s and they widen, knowing the look he sees on my face.

But I know it won’t take her pain away, just mine—seeing her like this.

It will only send her into another spiral, and we’ve worked too hard to get where we are since then, So I nod to my brother letting him know without saying it that she needs to feel our love in this moment, but most of all, that we are here and we will never leave her alone.

“Come on, Kitten, wake up. Please wake up,” Dario begs, and I take out my phone, turning on the flashlight, and shining it on her to make sure there’s no stab wounds or anything of that nature, and that's when I see it. The empty syringe next to her.

“Fuck, she was drugged. We need to get her inside,” I say, picking up the needle, holding it in my hand as Dario lifts an unconscious Jade in his arms. “I need to figure out what he gave her. This motherfucker,” I yell, tripping over another body.

“Take her back to the Mill and lock everything down. I’ll be there in a few minutes.

Call Spade and have him check on the kids,” I order.

“Don't do anything stupid, Jameson. We need a plan,” he tells me.

“I know,” I reply as he and Kane walk away and head back the same way we came.

Once they are out of my sight, I turn the prick I nearly tripped over onto his back, and flash my light at him, I see that the tip of his dick is gone, which is what caused him to bleed out.

“So you tried to take advantage of my girl,” I growl, shaking my head.

“She’s so much smarter than you. Fucking idiot,” I spit.

Taking my knife, I stab into him—twisting and turning the handle as I revel in the sounds of his flesh shredding with every rip and every cut of his skin.

I bring my soaked fingers to my lips and lick the warm, fresh crimson, growling at the taste.

He doesn’t taste as good as I had hoped.

But I don’t care. Blood is blood, and I crave it.

Shoving my face into his wound, I bite into his muscle, ripping it from the torn skin.

I scream into the night like a madman as I lift my head, looking at the sky as I spit the meat from my mouth.

His blood drips down my face, and I use both daggers to continue stabbing him, slicing open his stomach, taking his intestines out and wrapping them around his neck, not like it's going to do anything, he’s already dead but I can’t help myself.

I stay on my knees, removing all of his organs like an animal who hasn’t eaten in weeks.

All you hear is the squishing sounds of my hands digging inside him, pulling at his tendons, veins, and skin.

I break open his chest cavity one rib at a time until I rip his heart out, throwing it as far as I can into the woods, screaming as I do it. But suddenly, his phone vibrates in his jeans, and I growl.

Digging into his pants, I retrieve it and see it's from an unknown number. Pressing the green button, I heave as I bring the phone to my ear.

“She’s nice and tight, just like her mother! No wonder you’re so obsessed. I’ve never came so hard until her, and I can’t wait to do it again.” He laughs, and I roar, squeezing the phone and throwing it as his laughs break off in the distance.

Getting up from my knees, I pull my leg up and stomp on the man's skull, over and over again until nothing but broken bones and brain matter litter the forest floor. This wasn’t enough. It will never be enough. My father needs to die, and I will stop at nothing to make that happen.