Page 34

CHAPTER 33

A few minutes earlier…

Wilder

A wave of sadness.

I’d suffered through it before, but on this dark night, the emotional pain was even worse.

Over the decades, I’d experienced physical agony rarely survived by normal men. Enduring such brutality was nothing in comparison to the heavy weight of this potential catastrophe.

However, as the three of us stood in a shadowed field of trees, the sense of turning into the martyr Cassandra had accused me of becoming remained just below the surface.

Only I was far too enraged to surrender to my father’s ridiculous games.

“The surveillance cameras on the property show nothing,” Zach stated. “No activity whatsoever.”

Xander stepped in front of both of us, surveying the area as he’d been doing since we parked our vehicles on the cracked concrete pad, which was the only indication the area had once housed two profitable businesses. We’d purchased the few acres, initially considering building a second production facility on the grounds.

That had been years ago, right at the beginning of the creation of the Obsidian Society. While we’d branched out in where we’d held our hunts, since the original dilapidated buildings had been torn down, we’d used the land less frequently.

But the acres were widely known as the beginning.

For the Scorekeeper to have found the information would have taken an inside source.

Something felt off to me. I pulled my phone into my hand, reading the text he’d sent for the fifth time.

Not only did a sense of dread sweep through me, but also a belated sense of knowing.

The fucker had toyed with us as he’d done with all his victims.

“That’s because he’d not fucking here,” I said calmly.

“What do you mean he’s not here. Isn’t that what his text suggested?”

“That’s not it.” I turned around in a full circle as a different sound emitted from my phone.

It was a basic alarm I’d installed on the vault behind the bookcase. As soon as it was activated, so was the camera hidden in the crown molding across the room. I shifted to the application, taking a deep breath as soon as I did.

The small frame couldn’t amplify the look of defiance in my butterfly’s eyes or the determined look on her face. Anger was right below the surface, but even with the understated fury, I couldn’t help but admire her spunk.

Yet the fact she’d escaped the safe room meant she’d placed herself directly in harm’s way.

Another sound.

Another camera activated.

Only this time from outside my fucking house.

It took all of three seconds to view and comprehend what I was seeing. “The bastard took her. He took the woman I’d die to protect.” The words were so fucking easy to say yet were detrimental to my way of life.

Just like the quiet rage that gripped every ounce of my being.

“The end is near, the hunt soon to begin. Only one winner can take the prize. Only one can assume the kingdom. Come to where it all began, the men of the Obsidian Society, the birthplace of true evil.” I spoke the text out loud.

The words written by our immortalized father sounded like a mantra meant for kings.

For the legacy of kings.

“Where?” Zach demanded. “Where the fuck are you talking about?”

A strange sense of knowing was followed by a single image of my Lady Butterfly. She was in danger.

As I heard a ping indicating a text, I didn’t need to look at the screen to know where the bastard was waiting.

The vision was in bright colors. While slightly out of focus and coming through the eyes and memories of a small child, I could see our old house. The beautiful sprawling two-story house where I’d spent three tragic years. Three years of abuse. Three years of fear.

Three years of hearing my mother’s cries late into the night.

There was a basement where we were never allowed to go, a white picket fence with flowers indicating we were the perfect family.

Yet a monster lived inside.

Correction.

Four monsters.

As the child’s memory pulled away like a camera panning from the scene, I clearly noted the address on the mailbox and remembered the street where I’d once lived.

The house where our mother had been murdered and where the legacy had been born.

And where it would end.

* * *

Stalker

The sheer darkness of a night devoid of the brightness of the moon could cause some to surrender to terror of the unknown. But the three of us were well aware of our surroundings even if memories had faded, the quaint house set off the road fading into the dense forest. While the house had obviously been abandoned long ago, a product of the public’s outcry and commercialism yet to find its way to the area, there were signs someone had been squatting here for some time.

Did that mean the house had remained in my father’s name, taxes paid for by some unknown source? Had the man’s attorney or perhaps the buddies he’d killed for kept the place hidden from the public eye as a promise he could once return to his former life?

The answers were as fucked up as the situation.

“He’s here,” Xander stated.

I felt his presence as well. There was no denying the stench of evil or the clamminess accosting my skin.

“Then we kill him,” Zach added.

“Born of evil and violence. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.” My words were simply another memory. As I walked forward, both my brothers flanked my side.

We were armed, although a handgun wasn’t what I was interested in using.

“I have no intention of dying today.”

I laughed hearing Xander’s determined statement.

“You might not have any choice, brother. Not if we want the cycle to end here.”

He took a deep breath, stopping me from walking any closer. As soon as his hand gripped my arm, I sensed what he’d been hesitant to tell me.

“I’m going to be a father, Wilder. I will live so I can spend time with my family. And the cycle will end here. We’re not monsters.”

I yanked the mask I’d brought with me, jerking it over my face. While there was no point in using one, tonight I was no longer the man Cassandra had attempted to convince me to believe in.

Wilder Blackwell was dead.

Stalker Demarco had been unearthed from the fiery reaches of hell.

There was no sense in soft selling our entrance. We weren’t playing a typical game where rules were set in place. This was a fucking free-for-all and only the most cunning beast would survive.

All I wanted was to recapture my Lady Butterfly, ensuring her safety. The other women I’d consider bonuses at this point. If that made me as bad a man as I’d already claimed to be, I couldn’t care less.

Besides, this charade wasn’t about our father’s need to exorcise his demons by disfiguring women, but to settle a score. Whether the men who’d promised him sanctuary hadn’t delivered or because his escape from the hellhole had brought up additional indecent memories, he was intent on one thing.

Forcing his sons to pick up where he left off; thereby reclaiming his legacy of darkness.

The thought should have been exciting for three men who’d gravitated toward the softer side of the same evil from which we’d been born into. But things had changed over the years.

We’d changed from fucked-up boys to men, mostly honorable citizens who’d managed to find solace in a cruel world.

I was being philosophical again, but Cassandra’s thoughts and words of passion and salvation fueled me.

Once we were close, a single warm glow coming from under a partially ripped-off wooden board covering a window was the only indication we were correct. Then again, we knew we were. All three of us had an uncanny ability to smell fear and weakness.

The place reeked of both.

I kicked open the door, the three of us spilling inside. We’d handled formations before. Whether our moves had been stylized into our games, or we’d learned a thing or two from the creator’s 3-D visionary tools would remain a mystery.

Once inside, I was struck by the quiet.

“Just like when we were children,” Zach said. “Always quiet.”

Perhaps one day the three of us would sit down over a bottle of scotch and reminisce about what few memories we could collectively put together.

Or maybe we’d spout one off every year over celebrating the man’s death. Either way, what little we were able to remember was another reason why we were here.

But the main one was all about the three women who’d managed to crawl, fight, claw, and hunt their way into our lives. They were truly the reason we were alive and thriving.

We separated, moving from one room to the other, but there was only one place that made logical sense for where he’d be holding the women.

The basement.

I could see my mother’s terrorized face when she’d caught me with my hand on the doorknob. I’d already figured out the lock even then. It had been the first and only time she’d been rough with me, her scolding including a quick slap on my butt.

That was something a child didn’t forget.

But the look of fear lingering in her eyes had remained long after the incident.

Maybe our minds had simply blanked out images of the house and any concept of normalcy for protection.

The crash and burn of those protections was something else that kept us going.

Even if we hadn’t discussed a single tactic to use. We were already a well-oiled machine.

The basement door was ajar, the way I’d found it that last time I remember seeing it. As I pulled it open, the repulsive stench of mold and blood mixed with a cleaning agent still permeated the walls. With the weapon in both hands, I carefully walked down the stairs.

I’d surmised there would be a handy group of tools waiting in the basement for whatever struck the mood I’d be in after this was finished.

As soon as I reached the landing, I felt both my brothers right behind me. Once on the main floor, I finally heard sounds. Whimpers. There was something cathartic about being here, enduring whatever ending our father had determined would be appropriate.

Or perhaps I should say beginning.

I rounded the corner where a tall, rusted metal pillar stood, noticing there were still boxes that had been here for decades. A house of terror and sin. A slight light permeated an opening and even before I walked all the way in, I was shocked how large the space truly was.

There were seven women all wearing matching black sweatpants with hoods shoved over their heads.

Seven. Not eight.

Hissing, I turned in a full circle, immediately heading to every part of the basement tossing boxes and crates, anger swelling to the point of sheer madness.

“Stop! He’s not here,” Zach exclaimed.

I continued tossing everything I could get my hands on, hoping to find Cassandra locked away. But our father was too clever, his sick game taking another turn.

When he’d managed to take what belonged to me away.

The moment she’d stepped foot outside the house, he’d altered the game.

Dear fucking God. I blamed myself.

“No! No!”

Xander jumped in front of me, his glowing red eyes pulling a hysterical laugh from my lips. “Don’t! We hunt until he’s found. We have innocent victims here.”

Since when the fuck had we cared about that? I bent my arms, pulling them toward my face. Goddamn the fucking game.

Play it to win.

Play it like he would.

Play dirty.

The stupid shit running through my mind brought spots dancing in front of my eyes.

“He’s not fucking here,” Zach repeated.

As the women started to whimper again, I took one more good look.

There wasn’t a single sign of the monster. Anger continued to tear through me as I rushed forward, tugging one hood off a victim then another. As soon as I witnessed their horrified faces, I did my best to soften my expression.

When all the women’s identities were exposed and none of them belonged to Cassandra, I threw my head back and roared.

“Talk to us. Is there another woman with you?” Zach asked as he crouched down in the circle.

“I don’t know,” one said.

“Me neither,” another piped in as she burst into tears.

“Please don’t hurt us. Please! I have a family.”

Jesus Christ.

What the hell had we allowed ourselves to become?

“We can’t do this,” Zach said. “This isn’t who we are.”

“He’s right, Wilder.”

I ripped off my mask, exposing my true identity. My brothers did the same. “We’re not going to hurt you, but I need to find the man who did this to you.”

Their eyes reflected an understanding of who we were.

“He left only a few minutes ago,” another girl said. “Mr. Blackwell. He said you’d follow. Be careful. He’s insane.”

This was a test as to whether we’d leave the women or make certain they got to safety.

I moved away from the group and Xander grabbed my arm. “We’ll get them to safety. Find the woman you love. Just do it, brother. Not just for her but for you. Find the light.”

The light.

As if that was possible.

But the lure had been set and this time, I accepted the bait. After returning the mask over my head, I gave them both a nod.

“Don’t let him beat you, Wilder. He’s not fucking worth it. Living is.” Zach’s words could haunt me for years to come.

If I lived that long.

The lure we’d sent to Drew had been forwarded to the Scorekeeper as we’d hoped. That was the single reason we were standing here today and the only reason the women had been left alive. A gesture of good will.

However, I knew how the monster thought. That was the end of what little humanity was left in the man.

I took the stairs two at a time, bolting into the darkness. I’d come equipped for a long-haul hunt including carrying a heavy-duty flashlight. Now we were playing by my rules. I rushed into the darkness, swinging the light from side to side.

I remained as quiet as possible as I shifted through the trees, listening for any sounds. The only noise was that of crickets coming from every direction.

With every step, I could feel her pulse in my hands. I could sense her presence.

Another sound drew my attention and I cut the light. Something reminded me of the recording I’d taken earlier.

Play his game.

I pulled my phone into my hands, immediately switching screens until I was able to play the simple recording.

As her voice broke through the night sky, I closed my eyes long enough to capture an image of her face in my mind.

She was everything to me. Everything good. The light.

She was the goddamn dancing light that I’d said I couldn’t handle, that I didn’t want. I couldn’t lose her. I couldn’t go through the same pain all over again.

As I played the second snippet, I suddenly heard a laugh.

His laugh, only it sounded like my voice.

“My son. It’s good to finally see you. My, how you’ve grown.”

I stepped away from the tree, coming face to face with our true enemy, the man who’d haunted our nightmares and driven our souls into blackness.

He was wearing a mask, his glowing eyes a representation of my own. Only this time, I wasn’t interested in playing a game.

Perhaps I’d never be able to again.

I ripped off my mask, pointing the beam of the flashlight toward my face. “Is this what you wanted all along, Dad? A carbon copy of yourself? Same face. Same voice. Same desire for darkness?”

While I was allowed to inch closer, I took my time and didn’t push my luck.

He shifted from foot to foot, but slowly removed his mask as well. When he held out his arms, I shifted the beam directly to his face.

The years and prison hadn’t been kind to him, his once handsome face lined with scars, one eye slightly misshapen. Now he looked like a monster.

“You were always your mother’s kid. Did you know that? Her favorite. She cared more about you than her own husband.”

I licked my lips, taking the opportunity to scan the forest. “Yeah, well, she had hundreds of reasons to stay away from you. More than that. You have me curious how you managed to escape.”

He tilted his head. “Escape? Is that what you were told?”

I narrowed my eyes, reflecting on what Cassandra had suggested. “You took the fall on purpose.”

“Very good. I was the butcher back then, but there were dozens of men who lined up for prime grade-A meat.”

As the wind shifted through the trees, I was able to gather a whiff of Cassandra’s perfume. What the fuck had the bastard done to her? “Who the fuck are these assholes?”

“You might be surprised, son. Powerful men who had no qualms about what they did, including paying me dearly to carve up the wives of men who were determined to lessen their empires. I assure you I plan on picking them off one by one. I have a nice list waiting for me, so I won’t forget. You’ll be proud of me when I’m finished.”

“Nothing would surprise me. How did you know my name? The Stalker.”

“Oh, come on. You didn’t think I kept up with the work my sons did? The Sinner, the Seducer, and the Stalker. Clever. The three of you gave me so many incredible ideas on how to handle my next victims. And I assure you I used many of them and will so again. That’s when I knew I was right about the three of you. You’re just like me.”

He was pleased with himself. I almost shouted at him that we were nothing like him but stopped myself. What good would it do?

“Why the game, dear ole Dad?” I asked and took another step closer.

He laughed and wiped his mouth. “Oh, come on now, son. I took you as a more intelligent boy.” He waited with his head tilted in the air. A fucking challenge.

“The fucking legacy. You want me to help you finish.”

“I’d love to have all three of my sons by my side, but you witnessed what I did and you hungered to work alongside your father.”

His words threw me. “I never saw you work. Mother wouldn’t allow me anywhere near your madness.”

“Think again, Wilder. You always wanted to know what was in that basement and you were determined to find a way. So you did.” This time when he started to laugh, the echo the sound created thrummed against my eardrums.

A rush of images slammed into my mind.

Horrible visions.

Blood.

Gore.

I cinched my eyes shut, trying to block them out. I knew what the fucker was doing. Exhaling, I opened my eyes. “Where is she?”

The Scorekeeper seemed annoyed.

“I asked you a question, old man? Either you tell me where the woman you took from me is or this ends right here. No more game playing.”

“Oh, I assure you the game has yet to be finished. Only I decide when that happens. But I tell you what. You have a choice. You can kill me now by simply putting a bullet in my head, but there’s a chance you’ll never find her. Or you can let me go knowing I might disappear for a little while, but I’ll never be able to get the taste of blood from my mouth. That means you’ll be responsible for additional deaths. And there’s a good chance you’ll find her because I’ll be honest about the direction you should go. You have five seconds to decide.”

I shook my head, still listening for any sounds. I took two long strides toward him, pointing the barrel right between his eyes.

“See, here’s the thing. You long to cut me up like I’ve done with almost every woman. Becoming a good butcher. Just like a good son. Simply using a bullet won’t satisfy you. But you have three seconds. Two. One.”

“Where the fuck is the woman I love?”

We stared at each other for five seconds. I wanted to tear the man apart limb from limb.

“Oh, love. Hmmm… Well, then. I made that mistake once and it cost me forty of the best years of my life. You don’t need to make the same mistake, son. I’m offering you immortality.” He looked away and I moved closer enough, arching the gun to the side and preparing to backhand him.

But that’s what he wanted.

Fuck him.

I lowered my arm, standing right in front of evil and staring him right in the eyes.

He’d offered me a choice.

Her life for his.

What the fuck.

Death would eventually find him.

“Where is she?” I asked again.

“Fine. Have it your way. You’ll regret your decision, but I’ll honor it. You might need to hurry before she runs out of air.” He took a deep breath and nodded off to the side.

Then he disappeared.