25

25

KADE

Archie rattles the chains as he struggles, his restraints cutting into his skin. Cuffed at his wrists and ankles, he stands spreadeagled in the centre of the walk-in freezer with nothing but his underwear on.

I cut his clothes off while he was passed out. I wanted him fucking exposed while I carved my name into his back.

My mum refuses to come down to the basement. It’s dark and cold, and the walk-in freezer is covered in melted ice cream and defrosted meat. And blood.

It stinks.

Barry leans his uninjured shoulder against the entrance to the freezer while I pace around Archie. “It’s funny to see you like this. Helpless and scared. Waiting for your wife to save you?”

Archie spits at my feet, his face half scalded, one ear missing. Infection has set in from my dad shooting him, and the wounds are starting to smell.

He’s pissed himself for seven days straight. I’ve only fed him kibble and the odd glass of water to keep him alive and extend his torture. I want enough video evidence to rile up Bernadette to come out of hiding.

One of the guards was on watch earlier – recorded himself as he used a water gun to spray all of Archie’s wounds with vinegar. It was the most pathetic thing I’d ever seen, watching a grown man scream because of a fucking water gun.

He glares at me, trying to follow my steps as I keep circling him. “Your father will be dead soon, just like your brother,” he says, letting out a laugh.

I smirk. “How does it feel? You’ve been married since you were eighteen, yet your wife sought out a teenager to get pleasure. She was so damn bored of your pathetic ass that she used drugs and manipulation to get others into bed.”

He laughs again. Several of his teeth are missing. “You think this is revenge? When I get out of here, because I will, I’m going to make you cry again. I’ll make you bleed and hate your own body more than you already do. Do your men know you begged me to stop? I’ll make it ten times worse when I’m out of here, boy.”

I sigh, unaffected by his threat. “I’d love to see you try.” I turn to Barry. “Get me the nail gun.”

Archie’s eyes go wide as I walk towards him with it. He thrashes as I press it directly to his crotch and screams as I shoot a long nail right through his limp dick, pinning it to his inner thigh.

I lower my voice, whispering into his ear. “You’ll never touch me again. I highly suggest you keep your threats to yourself, or I might just order my largest guard to split you in two.”

I toss the nail gun on the ground as he wails in agony and head out the door. Barry follows, locking the door behind us.

Stopping in the corridor, I lean against the wall, bending forward to hold my head in my hands. “Fuck,” I murmur to myself. “Fuck.”

“You good, boss?” Barry asks, patting my back.

I shake my head. “Nah.”

“Let’s get some fresh air.”

When we get outside and I fill my lungs, I close my eyes. It’s fresh, cold and quiet. The moon is high, and there’s a cool breeze against my heated face.

“Where’s Stacey?”

“With the dogs in the sitting room. She’s watching a movie with your mother and sister.”

I nod. “Any updates?”

He shakes his head. “She’s probably created a new system database. The one Christopher Fields was in is now dead. Like it never existed. But we’ll find her.”

“Your father will be okay,” he reassures me. “I’m fully expecting him to walk through the manor gates with Bernadette’s head under his arm.”

I roll my stiff shoulder. Everywhere is stiff from tensing my body. The shakes are worse, and my muscles still ache like I’ve crashed my car again.

“Before you sign off for the night, could you bring a nurse in?”

Barry tilts his head. “What for?”

I feel comfortable talking about this with him. He’s very aware of what I’ve been put through and the rules I had to stick to. He tried to get me out a few times and failed. I didn’t want him getting caught and risking everything, so he kind of just aided me, my crutch when I was in a really dark place.

When I left for Russia a year ago, I blacked out so many times, I have no idea if I wore a condom when I was forced into sexual contact. Bernie definitely didn’t let me use one with her.

My teeth crush together. I should have told her to fuck off and to shove her rules up her ass. I did everything she asked. Everything. And degraded myself in the process. Following the shitty rules hasn’t kept my family safe, has it?

I’m done being her chained pet. The defective Kade Mitchell with no free will who was drugged and fucked by her family to save his own. Raped by men and women.

Pathetic.

Dirty.

Useless.

I crack my neck to each side. “I want to make sure I’m clean.”

“Ah, yes,” he says with no judgement. “I’ll get one first thing in the morning.” Then there’s a long pause. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He could mean any number of things. I just shake my head, because if I even attempt to speak about what’s going on in my head right now, I might slip off the deep end.

I pull the joint from behind my ear and roll it between my fingers, fidgeting to control the tremors. “How old is Eva now?”

His entire demeanour shifts to pure happiness. Proud. Fatherly. Something I can’t relate to. “She just turned one.”

The spark in his eyes makes the corner of my lips curl in a soft smile. I truly consider him a friend and my right-hand man. He’s spent so much time keeping together everything I’ve built over the years. The glue of my company and sanity. He stayed by Stacey’s side while she was in America and was even helping my dad.

Fuck, he even pointed a gun at me when I met up with Stacey after shooting her. He cares for her. He puts her safety before mine.

And that’s what I need – Stacey safe at all costs.

He’s already secured the manor, set up contacts with the outside to help bring down Bernadette and is liaising with the cops to make them listen. Information for protection. Information for the promise that Bernadette and her fucking cult are taken down without any risk to those I love.

Barry’s done all this, all while being a first-time father. The travelling he does back and forth between here and the safe house up in Aberdeen is a mission in itself. He needs to be careful – but he’s committed.

I inhale the cold air through my nose, letting it out through my mouth before putting the joint between my lips. “Go to your family. Nothing’s happening right now anyway. You should be with your wife and daughter.”

He frowns, his hands shoved into his pockets as we start walking along the edge of the loch. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You’ve done a lot for me while I’ve been away.” I place my hand on his good shoulder, squeezing it. “You kept the ship from sinking, and I appreciate you for it. But you need to go and spend time with your family. I’ve taken you away from them enough. Go and join them at the safe house.”

“What if there’s a development? And what about Archie?”

“I’ll deal with Archie.” I raise a brow. “And if there are any developments, you better answer me when I call.”

Barry lowers his head. “Thank you, sir.” His eyes flicker to the side. “And I’m sorry for your loss. I know I haven’t said it yet, but I truly am sorry. Don’t beat yourself up about it, alright? Eat something. Drink water. Sleep. Jason knew the position you were in when things went down with Stacey. He forgave you. He loved you.”

I stiffen at his use of the past tense, letting go of his shoulder and stepping back. “Make sure you have eyes on you and your family wherever you go. I’ll let you know if there are any changes.” I nod to the house. “Go rest, then take one of the cars.”

Barry gives me a quick nod and pulls his earpiece out, yanking the black box from his waistband and disconnecting the wire as he walks back to the manor.

He looks over his shoulder and raises a hand in farewell, and I do the same before he vanishes inside. It’s three in the morning, but every light is on. Mum is sitting on the porch steps with a glass of wine, looking more drained with every minute that passes.

Ewan reported Bernadette, and, shock, there was no evidence to prove anything. Barry checked Police Scotland’s records, and all he found was a closed file that noted Jason McElroy had been found deceased. His death is marked as unexplained but not to be investigated.

That’s fine. Keeps the heat off my back.

Mum’s eyes land on me as she takes a large gulp of wine. She’s been drinking. She’s never drunk, but she’s not exactly sober either.

“The doctor said you’ve to rest as much as possible,” she says, her eyes sunken from nights spent staying awake and crying. “You should sleep.”

I fidget with the joint between my fingers. She’s not yelling at me to throw it away – she’s definitely not doing good. “So should you.”

She smiles and takes another drink as I sit down beside her, resting her chin on her palm and staring off into the silent and steady waters of the loch. Dazed. Tired. Heartbroken.

“I take it the movie’s finished?” I ask, gaining her attention again.

“Yeah,” she says blankly.

“You know he’ll be okay, don’t you? Dad can handle himself.”

Her smile is fake. “I hope so.”

For a minute, I sit with her in comfortable silence before I walk over to the pool house. It’s the only place I can get some peace given the number of guards Barry’s brought in.

We have patrols all over the manor. All armed. All standing around inside and outside. Watching. Waiting. It’ll not be long before Bernadette strikes again, but we’ll be ready. I’ll be ready. Not shacked up in my bedroom while she singlehandedly ruins my family in one breath.

I abruptly and harshly blink multiple times, then screw my eyes shut to stop myself. I sit down on the edge of the drained pool, my legs dangling over the side as I pull my lighter back out to try relighting my joint.

It takes me five tries with my unsteady hands to spark a flame, and I inhale deeply, until my lungs burn more than the thoughts running rampant in my mind.

Dirty.

Pathetic.

Useless.

You were raped by men and women.

Your dad is going through it all now.

And your brother is dead because of you.