Page 37

CHAPTER 36

X ander

The winter air howled with bitterness, ominous shadows embracing me as I stared at the shadowed trees of the dense forest. Yet I wasn’t cold, thriving in the cooler temperatures. I stared up at the sky, the moonless night unforgiving for those not used to the rough terrain.

This was my playground. Hers too.

“Amy. Where are you?”

I moved through the trees, stumbling twice from the fallen limbs. I was certain she’d come this way. The woods were her safe place like they were mine. I stopped to catch my breath, listening for any sign of her. It wasn’t like her to be gone this long.

She’d told me just the night before she was so afraid, but wouldn’t tell me why. “Amy. Where are you?” I had to keep my voice down. He might hear and if he did, he’d hurt both of us. I pushed forward into the shadows, the air already frigid as night set in.

I should have brought a coat, but I hadn’t been thinking. I had to find her. That’s all that had been on my mind.

My feet were almost numb, but I forged on, pushing my way toward her favorite spot by the river. After going a few more steps, I pulled out the flashlight I’d stolen from his garage. He’d punish me for it, but I didn’t care. Amy was all I could think about.

I’d told her I’d always be her protector. I’d told her I would care for her when no one else would. I made a promise I had to keep.

The beam highlighted just how dense the forest, the recent storms blowing down trees in almost every direction. Even as limbs slashed against my face, I continued pushing forward. I was almost there.

The sweet taste of copper assaulted my mouth as a trickle of blood slipped past my lips. My exhales were fogged as the night air settled in. I swung the beam from one side to the other, thankful I was almost at the lake. She had to be freezing by now. I’d need to get her home quickly before anyone noticed we were missing.

I wouldn’t allow her to get another beating. I’d kill the bastard first. The sound of running water pushed me even harder. I moved through a club of thick foliage. “Amy. Are you here? We gotta go home. Ralph will be looking for us.”

Other than the water trickling over rocks, there was no other sound but the light breeze floating through the remaining leaves on the trees. I swung the light, walking closer to the water. When the beam caught sight of something, I jogged toward whatever it was.

“Amy?” I lowered the beam so that the light was concentrated on the ground. “Amy?” I dropped to my knees, struggling to breathe as I peered down at her. “Amy!”

Her little face was covered with dirt, her vacant eyes staring up at me. Her dress was torn, her panties ripped away. “Amy. Wake up. Please. I’ll get you out of here. I promise.”

Only my promises could never be fulfilled. As I pulled her head into my hands, I realized how much blood was everywhere. My sweet Amy, my best friend and the girl I’d promised to protect was dead.

“No! No!”

Push harder.

Move faster.

Remain invisible.

The basic mantras had kept me going during my childhood, the reminders typically keeping me from enduring brutal acts of punishment. Every challenge I’d faced I’d met head on, every brutal savagery done to my body providing inspiration to hone my skills.

I closed my eyes and lifted the weighted bar several times, hoping the exertion would drive the ugliness away. Usually, it did, but not tonight.

Why had I thought of Amy right now? It had been years. Fucking years.

She’d been so young, so beautiful, and so sweet.

“Fuck,” I hissed. The last two weeks had dredged up too much of the past. I wasn’t prepared to go down memory lane any longer than necessary.

I’d always known I’d been born with violence running through my veins, yet Amy’s murder had driven me into the world of retribution. I’d been unable to protect her or destroy the person responsible. That had changed me from a deeply disturbed young man to a monster. Maybe I needed the reminder.

As sweat rolled down both sides of my face, I took a deep breath, holding the air deep within my lungs as I pressed the bar of weights up to my full arm extension. I’d enduring almost a full hour of working out, but it wasn’t nearly enough to contain the heightened level of testosterone in my body.

I was agitated, still harboring certainty there were unseen forces out to destroy the company. Yet there was no evidence to that fact.

While Elizabeth was ceremoniously going through every employee to ascertain the person responsible for the leak, I still had my doubts the individual involved would ever be found. That didn’t bode well for my mood.

As I positioned the two-hundred-pound bar onto the stand, I thought about Jessica. She’d become my obsession. Was it healthy? Well, hell no, but I’d never worried about what was good or bad for me before. The sentiment simply didn’t exist in my world. What I continued to find interesting was that Jessica was the only person to truly understand why the darkness inspired me.

I hopped off the bench, immediately grabbing the towel I’d tossed on another apparatus. My body was covered in sweat, but at least my muscles were taut. I snatched the bottle of water, ripping off the cap and tossing it aside. As I chugged, my needs rushed to the surface.

Staying away from her wasn’t an option. I needed her and I would have her.

Again and again.

The thought always brought a smile to my face. I blotted perspiration from my face, ready to head to the showers when I heard my doorbell. No one just stopped by.

A sweep of anger rolled through me as I headed for the door. It was entirely possible one of my brothers had dropped by. I certainly wasn’t in the mood for company. When I opened the door, I was taken aback by the roughed-up man standing on my doorstep.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarled. Visions of blood and gore invaded the forefront of my mind. Sadly, some inner voice was reminding me I couldn’t touch him. Not yet anyway.

Dorn.

“Please. Please. You gotta help me.”

“Why the fuck should I help you?” I laughed in his face. He’d been used as a punching bag at some point, although the blood on his face had already dried.

“Just let me in. I can explain. Please.” He looked over his shoulder as if he’d been followed.

Reluctantly, I let him in. “What do you want, Dorn? As you might imagine, your company is not welcome.”

He took several deep breaths as he placed his hand over his heart. “Yeah, well, I’m the only man who can help you solve the riddle.”

“What riddle are you referring to?” I folded my arms and glared at him as he scanned the foyer, paying close attention to the various works of art on the walls.

“I was fucking arrested. Did you have anything to do with that?”

Nothing about this was funny yet I burst into laughter. My cunning Jessica had some mad skills. “Do you really expect me to be sorry about that after what I witnessed you doing?”

The man was antsy, shifting from one foot to the other, constantly looking over his shoulder. “I know what you think of me, but I didn’t want to hurt Ms. Waldrop. I wasn’t going to do anything else. It was just meant to scare her. Then you showed up.”

I took a deep breath, fisting my hand. “How much were you paid?”

“Ten thousand. Like I said, it seemed harmless.”

“Who fucking hired you?”

“The same asshole who paid me to write the fucking article. I had no idea what a shitstorm it would stir up.” I’ll be damned if the man wasn’t acting as if he had less of a conscience than I did. “Hey, man. Don’t you want to know who hired me to ruin you and your brothers?”

My pulse hitched a beat. “Go on.”

“Not until you pay me. I gotta get out of town before they find me. They did this after I did your bidding and retracted the article.” He stuck out his hand.

I snagged his wrist, bending to the point he howled in pain.

“My bidding?” I laughed in his face again. “You’re not getting a dime from me, Dorn. You’re a pinhead prick who extorts from anyone you believe you can. Give me the information and you’ll live.” I bent another few degrees until sweat broke out over his upper lip before shoving him away.

“Nah. I don’t think so. I just thought you might want to learn the girl you’re involved with is in danger.” He rubbed his arm and took two steps further away. Did he really think he could get away from me?

Perhaps the fool underestimated what I was capable of. Rage tore through me, Jessica and her safety all I could think about. I issued two savage punches, one to his gut and one to his jaw before wrapping my hand around his throat. As I lifted him off his feet, slamming his back against the wall, I dug my fingers into the fleshy part of his neck. I could easily snap bones or cut off his air supply with my hold.

He was gurgling, his arms flailing as if he believed he could get himself out of the mess he’d placed himself in. Tension rolled through me and I had to talk myself out of gouging out the fucker’s eyes.

“Pu… lease. Let me… down.”

“If I do, you’re going to tell me everything or so help me God, there won’t be enough of you left to find anywhere. You got it?”

He did his best to nod. I dropped him like a rock, brushing my hands together as if covered with dust.

He bent over, half choking, half coughing.

“Talk or you die.” It was as simple as that.

His body still shaking, Dorn finally lifted his head. “You don’t know what’s going on. I was given the information about you…” He coughed for almost a full minute. “About you and your family.”

“By whom?”

“Anonymous source, at least initially. They were none too pleased I backpedaled with the article. I didn’t realize how dangerous they were.”

“Fine. So what?”

“So two guys beat the shit out of me. They busted up my place. The fuckers were wearing masks. Sick fucking masks.”

At least that much I knew to be true since I’d been inside his place. His comments on them wearing masks were interesting. “I couldn’t care less what they did to you. You deserved that and much more for what you did to Ms. Waldrop. Now, where the fuck is she? That’s all I give a shit about.”

“I don’t know where she is. I swear to fucking God, but I know she’s in danger. They’ve been following her, making it look like you were trailing behind her.”

“How? Where? Whom?” Like me. So she’d be lured into something. I felt it in my blood. Trust. I’d told her to trust me and in doing so, she could be placing her life on the line.

“I don’t know what they have planned. I just overheard two of the bastards talking about it. I didn’t think this was going to get so far out of hand. I’ll tell you everything I know, but please, help me leave the city. They will kill me.”

I got in his face, smiling viciously before taking deep breaths to keep from going through with my earlier plans. “You talk without leaving out anything and I’ll see what I can do. I’m not making any promises. You remember. You owe me. And if any harm came to Jessica, you in addition to the fuckers involved will pay a hefty price.”

With their lives.

I reared back my arm, ready to punch the bastard again when he threw up his hands.

“I heard a name. Okay? I heard a name.”

I changed into all black, grabbing a duffle stuffed with weapons.

After the bout of rage where I’d smashed several glasses in my hope for some relief, I’d calmed down completely. Now I was basically emotionless, which was dangerous to anyone who came in contact with me.

Trust wasn’t a word in my vocabulary. But if what little Dorn had told me said anything, it was that someone I’d thought trustworthy was a snake instead. It happened all the time, yet betrayal wasn’t the kind of game anyone wanted to play with the Blackwell brothers. Maybe we should have provided our employees with several of our darker stories of how we handled our enemies. Perhaps that would prevent another traitor from being born.

As soon as I stepped over Dorn’s unconscious body, a car roared into my driveway. I immediately reached for my weapon. It looked like the fun was about to start.

Christopher wasted no time tumbling from the driver’s seat, racing toward me.

I lifted my weapon, pointing the barrel at his head. “I suggest you stop right there.”

“Jesus Christ, Xander. What the fuck are you doing?”

“What I should have done a long time ago. You sold us out. You were the one betraying us all along.”

He blinked several times, his mouth twisting in disbelief. “Oh, hell, no. That’s why I came here. I couldn’t get you on the phone.” He was exasperated. “Fuck, man. I’ve been working with you guys since almost the inception. There is nothing and no one that will coerce me into becoming a turncoat. Who the hell told you that shit?”

“Dorn mentioned your participation in bringing us down.”

He snorted. “You believe that fuck? You know he’d sell out for a few grand.”

That part was true. I’d left my phone on my desk before heading in to work out. “You have five seconds to convince me you aren’t a part of the attempt to destroy us.”

“Let me show you something. Okay? I found something.” As he reached into his jacket, I armed the handgun, prepared to shoot. “Please. Hold on. Okay?” He was breathless, his chest heaving.

“Three seconds.”

He fumbled with whatever he had in his pocket, pulling out what looked like a photograph. “Here. I found this after I noticed a name on an email that none of us were supposed to see.”

I snatched it from him, hissing as I quickly glanced down.

“This is bullshit.”

“No, it’s not. I think the photograph was being used as a reminder or maybe an incentive. But it’s pretty clear what’s going on here. You’re going to need to trust me, Xander. I’m not the one betraying the company.”

He was fairly convincing and I doubted the picture had been doctored. “Where’s Jessica?”

“Jessica?”

“Yes. You heard me. She’s disappeared.”

“Oh, God. He wants her gone. She had the article retracted. Didn’t she?”

“I think you already knew that.”

“She had no idea what she did. Let me help you find her, Xander. What do you have to lose?”

I weighed the possibility he was telling me the truth. If not, he’d face the same consequences as the other people involved. “Fine. You’re coming with me. However, one wrong move and your lovely wife will find herself a widow.”

“Fair enough.”

We headed to my Toronado, jumping inside.

I rolled through the streets, both of us remaining quiet. Trusting him was almost impossible, but the picture told no lies. We’d all been snowed by someone we would have never considered being a traitor. I’d almost laughed a half dozen times at the realization. What I couldn’t understand was why, but that was of no consequence.

Within fifteen minutes, I’d pulled up in front of Jessica’s house.

The emotionless state had disappeared, rage now fueling my actions, my mind churning from the various possibilities. It turned out Dorn hadn’t known as much as he’d claimed, yet he’d insisted that Jessica was in danger and I believed him.

But the little shit had taken the information he’d used in the article somewhat blindly. For his stupidity alone, I’d left him writhing in pain just outside my door. He was damn lucky I hadn’t put a bullet through his brain.

Jessica’s house was dark, her car missing from the driveway. I’d tried calling her, but her phone had been turned off. Everything about this smelled of the deceit Dorn had mentioned. My little lamb was either being used as a pawn or a lure. Either way, I didn’t give a shit.

“Check the other rooms,” I told him as we searched the house.

I moved through the living room, not bothering to turn on a light. I knew every inch of the place, every shadow and corner.

A few seconds later, he returned. “She’s not here. No sign of forced entry.”

I turned around in a circle.

Hissing, I headed into her kitchen, flicking on the light. Mail from at least a couple of days was on her kitchen table, but there was no sign of any disturbance. She’d taken her purse and her keys, so I knew at least she’d left here of her own accord.

Where would she go if not with her friends?

“No sign of a struggle either,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean shit.”

I noticed something was jammed inside her trash bin. The second I ripped it out, my blood turned to ice. The invitation appeared legit, as if sent from our company.

A fucking park in the middle of nowhere.

“She’s being offered a place in the Obsidian Society.”

“What? Didn’t we postpone the games?”

“That’s my point,” I said as I handed him the fake invitation.

“Well, shit,” he murmured.

“It looks like you get your chance, Christopher. Time to go hunting.”