Page 28

CHAPTER 28

“ T ricks and treachery are the practice of fools that don’t have the brains enough to be honest.”

—Benjamin Franklin

Zach

No one had ever accused me of being a fool before. That’s because other than when I’d been a small kid with no understanding of the way things worked, I’d always relished the hard knocks of life.

Torture was painful, but the agony and scars had led to me discovering the ability to leave my body both mentally and spiritually. In doing so, my spirit hadn’t been completely broken. Granted, it had been altered.

Damaged beyond repair.

But with all broken pieces, you could glue them back together. You could even create a different form of art if you so wanted.

That’s what had occurred with me.

I’d gone down a kid with hopes for the future and risen from the darkness seeing only shades of black and white.

There was no such thing as morally gray.

Not in my world.

The moment I’d discovered Sara had been taken, the brutal training ground I’d put myself through kicked in. I’d headed to my saferoom, a haven where I kept weapons, ammunition, cash, a change of clothing, and other tactical gear. Usually, few items were necessary, but when I’d accepted Sara into my life, I’d acquired a weakness that had already been exploited.

That called for different measures to be taken.

I was loaded up in my four-wheel-drive truck, a vehicle I kept locked down in a separate garage. That had been one decent piece of advice the military prick who’d been my foster father for nine months had taught me. He’d also provided a wealth of information regarding weaponry and the use of explosives.

Who knew the dickhead who’d abused me had a penchant for blowing up buildings. He was the single asshole I hadn’t been forced to eliminate. He’d done so himself.

“What the fuck do you mean she was taken?” Xander was almost yelling into the phone.

That’s what I’d been doing. The fact Sara had been taken from my house not only indicated the person had balls, but also that he had a death wish. Even worse, the motherfucker had managed to bypass my entire security system. No one had ever done that, and I’d had a few try.

Whoever it was had an innate knowledge of systems, but not just the ordinary off the shelf security box.

The ones installed at our corporate offices and every Blackwell brother residence were in use by branches of the military. I’d known some experienced thieves in my time who could break almost any security code or squash any alarm, including those of the infrared variety, but they weren’t typical living breathing humans.

“From my fucking living room,” I snarled and squealed the tires after rounding a corner. I wasn’t certain what I was looking for except the asshole had made a single mistake, getting at least one of the tires from the vehicle he’d been driving into the single muddy location on my property.

“Do you have any idea who we’re talking about?”

“None.” My phone beeped and I pulled it away from my ear. “I need to call you back. Christopher is on the other line. What I do need from you is to notify Wilder. We will be hunting together. And find her brother Kyle at college. Make certain he’s protected. The information is on my computer at the office.”

“I’m on it. Just let me when and where.”

I ended his call and answered Christopher. “You better have something for me.”

“Yeah, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Spill it.”

“The license plate? You won’t believe who owns the vehicle.”

“Not reported stolen?”

He laughed. “No, because it wasn’t. You were right. Brant’s father and Jerry Offsinger were in hot water, the FBI preparing arrest warrants because their crimes crossed several state lines. But that’s not what’s important.”

“Then what the fuck is? I need to find her, Chris. Now. She’s being used and I can’t allow that to happen.”

“I don’t know how this shit started, but I do have damn good instincts on how I think this will end.”

“Talk.”

He did and after he filled in the blanks, I felt nothing inside. Nothing at all. There wasn’t a single emotion, not one.

But there were thoughts, plans, and they were methodical.

As I pulled over to the side, I continued listening to Christopher’s theory while I yanked the duffle closer. It was time to prepare for the hunt. Just like the ones from years before. Only they’d been different.

Bloody.

Violent.

And satisfying as fuck.

“Are you listening to me, Zach?” Chris hissed.

“Yes.”

“You do understand this guy works for Boris Karloff, the thug leading the St. Louis Russian mafia. Right?”

“Yes.” I slapped a magazine into my Glock, another into my Beretta. The MR-15 was next. Knives had already been loaded, strapped to various locations on my body.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Preparing.”

“For?” Christopher was exasperated.

“A hunt.”

“You can’t do this, Zach. I’m telling you. If my sources are correct, the asshole you’re hunting is an assassin. I don’t know why he’s playing with you, but he’s a killer. Plus, where there’s one, there’s usually more. You need help with this. You can’t do it alone.”

“I have help.”

“Who?” When I didn’t answer right away, Chris whistled. “Your brothers. It’s fucking true what I’ve heard. The three of you killed every fucking person who abused you in the system. Didn’t you?”

“Not every person.” I was finished and put the coordinates into my GPS.

“Talk to me. Let me help you with this. I have some friends in law enforcement who will provide backup at minimum.”

Sighing, I glanced into the rearview mirror to ensure I wasn’t being followed. “You can’t help me, Chris. You need to stay out of it.”

“Oh, come on. This isn’t the Wild West.”

“No, it’s my life. Time to rid the world of another piece of vermin. Talk to you soon.” I ended the call and lifted my gaze once again as I dialed Xander’s number.

What was one of the phrases I remembered and often reminded myself of?

Oh, yes. Once a killer, always a killer. It was time for another moment of proof.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Wild Kitty, but I’ll never be a good man.”

Sara

“Run, Wild Kitty. Run. But I will find you.”

The words and the sound of the man’s voice were so similar, almost identical. I didn’t want to die. I couldn’t die. I had so much to live for.

I kept running, tripping and falling, biting back a cry. My head was fuzzy and I could barely think. Gasping, air was barely filling my lungs. I tried to figure out the last thing I could remember.

His house. Yes, Zach’s beautiful house. And the dinner and wine.

Wait. Were we playing the game?

I looked around me. The area was dense with trees, the thick forest barely allowing any of the daylight. My hands felt as if they were on fire, my legs scratched from running.

Hearing a slight crack, I shifted behind a tree. He was following me. He… Wait. Who was it?

Think. Think!

I had no clue where I was and I wasn’t entirely certain if only one person was chasing me.

My seducer? My… lover? Nothing made any sense.

Hearing another noise, I took off running again.

“You will not die. You will not lose. You will not…” My words sounded slurred.

“I’m coming for you, Wild Kitty.”

I froze where I was, holding my breath. The man chasing me had masked his voice. It sounded as if straight out of a horror movie. When he laughed, a slice of fear slammed down my spine.

This was no game.

This couldn’t be.

Zach cared about me. He’d told me so.

When I didn’t hear anything again, I shifted to the right. Every muscle in my body ached as I slapped at the branches, twigs hitting me in the face.

My head throbbed with every rapid beat of my heart and there was a tremendous foggy haze wrapped around my memories. Nothing was making any sense.

It was as if I’d left Zach’s home and had been transported here. But where was here?

Another laugh echoed in the forest.

That was not Zach. The other man who’d been stalking me. It had to be.

I had to find a way out.

Why the hell couldn’t I remember anything? I raced through the trees, wincing when I stepped on some thorn. I almost twisted my ankle and was forced to stop to take a deep breath.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are. We can play.”

The voice was not Zach’s voice.

I was instantly paralyzed, a few images rushing into my brain.

Yes, I’d been in the living room of Zach’s house. Then there’d been a man. A masked man. And… Pain. My God. I’d been drugged again.

Just like Zach had done.

Only this time, I couldn’t swim up from the depths of the intense haze.

Play the game.

Okay. What should I do?

Barefoot, every step I’d taken was painful, but I was still wearing the beautiful dress Zach had given me. I ripped off a piece, trying to remain as quiet as possible. When I jammed it on a limb still attached to a tree, I had a moment of satisfaction. But it was short lived when I heard another sound.

He was following me. Hunting me.

I pushed off the tree, doing everything I could to remember my surroundings. There was nothing to recognize, nothing to keep track of. There were just trees and brush everywhere. I spun in a circle, praying I didn’t see the man who’d kidnapped me. I had to run.

Run. Run. Run.

Live.

I wanted to live.

What did the man want? Remember…

A trunk. I’d been tossed into a trunk. I managed to bite back a whimper when the memory became clear.

He’d whispered I was his greatest prize and that… That Zach would never find me.

Oh, God. Oh…

Another snapping twig and I was forced to slap my hand across my mouth, but not before making a single yelping sound.

His laugh was darker than before and entirely different than Zach’s.

I slunk around a tree, praying to God I could find an escape. I ripped off another piece of my dress, attaching it just like I’d done before. At least they were markers. Maybe Zach would find me.

I was tired, so damn tired. Something caught my attention and suddenly, a large figure appeared. I could easily tell it was a man by his build.

He was dressed in all black, wearing another Purge mask, but the LED lights were dim.

“It’s a shame it isn’t dark. It’s much more fun when it’s dark outside. Don’t you think?”

My God, the man was insane.

I tried to run again and tripped, colliding with a tree. Dizziness and nausea nearly forced me to collapse, but I couldn’t stop.

“The drug will wear off soon. I promise you.”

Play the game. Play the game.

Zach’s words filtered into my mind. He had the advantage because I was terrified. Breathe and think. A weapon. You need a weapon.

I slowly shifted to the other side of the tree, glancing around me. This wasn’t virtual reality. There’d be no sudden appearances of guns or knives, but there were other things equally dangerous in the woods.

A stick. I noticed a stick that might come in handy. There was a tapered end. Maybe it was sharp enough. Maybe. I crouched down, snagging it in my fingers.

Then I took off running again, weaving back and forth, trying to remember the few things Zach had told me.

Find a hiding spot. Turn from being the hunted to the hunter.

I could do that. I was strong. I was clever.

I was terrified.

Live. I had to live.

Remaining as quiet as possible, I found a hiding spot and dropped down, pulling my only weapon as close to my body as possible.

And I waited.

With another marker created, all I could do was wait. And maybe hunt.

It seemed like forever before I heard anything.

A single twig cracking.

Then his voice.

“Wild Kitty. Here, kitty, kitty.”

He was close, so close. I sucked in and held my breath, calculating how far away he was. He was coming closer.

Closer still.

Another round of silence hit me, but I knew he was right there.

A primal roar pounded through the forest. The fucker was right behind me. I jerked to my feet, spinning around and without thinking about it, I lunged toward him with the stick outstretched.

And I impaled him.