Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

G age

Nothing had ever really scared me.

Fear was for bullies and idiots who knew no better. Kind of like the ridiculous horror flicks where the victims always did the dumbest thing that could be accomplished in the movie. It was great for blood and gore but not in real life.

Plus, being trained in various aspects of martial arts as well as taking boxing classes for a few years had not only honed my muscles but given me much more control in fighting physically.

I should be grateful for that since I seemed to have no control around her.

I hadn’t pointed out I had several gun stashes placed in strategic locations to her. That would terrify her even more.

Although she’d been a cool cucumber when I’d walked back from the phone call from Braxton, acting as if it was to be expected.

Maybe she knew the group better than I realized. I was glad she was showing her backbone, but coming with my brothers and me to Connecticut? I didn’t see that happening.

I would have a fight on my hands since her child was in the horrible mix of bullshit.

I continued to think about that fact as I stared out the window of the bedroom. I knew I’d fallen asleep at least for a little while. Now I was jittery. Thoughts about how I wanted to handle the situation were tough to put into the back of my mind.

Valerio was also in charge of bracing the media, promising the story of the century. I only hoped his sources worked miracles overnight, providing detailed information on the names listed on the jump drive.

Without detailed information to potentially blackmail people with, our ammunition was slim at best. It had to work.

I lifted my arm, the one with the Glock. Something else all three brothers had been taught to do.

Shoot.

We’d even gone to the shooting range together from the age of sixteen. Our father had insisted we learn to use and respect a dangerous weapon.

I was a crack shot, good enough I’d heard some say I could be a sharpshooter. I had rifles, some considered long range, but those were kept in a locked-down environment no one knew about. It was a treacherous piece of equipment and not to be taken lightly.

There was no activity, no blip of the security system whatsoever.

The last time I’d had the entire system on, a bear had kept me awake half the night. I almost laughed from the memory.

A few seconds later, I eased into the chair by the bed. She was sleeping so peacefully I didn’t want to disturb her. Yet my head ached, my mind full of far too much information as well as anger.

It wasn’t a good combination.

I rubbed my eyes, realizing they were not only dry but getting tougher to keep open. I leaned back my head, taking deep breaths. It had been one hell of a few days.

Even worse, we were going to be near damnation for the next week or so.

I don’t why but the thought gave me a smile.

Evangeline

“Did you really think you were going to get away from me, from this community?” Joseph snarled as he backed me into the living room.

My feet were raw, bloody from losing my shoes somewhere in the process of running through the forest. Not that the bastard cared. “I’m not staying in his fucking commune.”

“You’re such a whore.”

I wasn’t expecting the brutal backhand, which knocked me over the couch to the floor. As soon as I hit, including my head, stars floated in front of my eyes. He’d slapped me before but never like this.

Jarred, I struggled to sit up, pushing my hands against the floor, managing to get onto my hands and knees so I could try to crawl.

His cackling laugh from directly behind me was just another reminder I was a prisoner. His, the community’s. Hell, I couldn’t even run to my parents. They wouldn’t care.

A single whimper left my mouth and he continued laughing, now yanking me off the floor by my hair. I felt the pain as several strands were ripped from my scalp.

He jerked my face close to his. “You’re such a bitch. You made me look like a fool. That is never going to happen again.”

He’d always been forceful but when he ripped his hand down the front of my tattered shirt, exposing my breasts, I yelped, trying my best to slap at him.

All he did was laugh before tossing me back over the couch onto the cushions, storming toward me before I had a chance to move. As he unfastened his belt, I had a terrible feeling about what he was going to do.

“I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. Then I’m going to fuck the whore you are until you become pregnant. Then you can never leave, or I will take the child from your womb if I have to.”

Gasping, I jerked up from the bed, the imagery so real, the memory so ugly that my heart was palpitating. I’d blocked it out, somehow. Someway. Why now?

Because Damien had been stolen or because they would start another kind of hunt?

I had to clasp both hands across my mouth to stifle a scream. As I blinked, trying my best to focus, I finally turned toward what I believed to be Gage’s side of the bed. He wasn’t there. A moment of horror flashed through me until I heard a slight noise.

Was that a snore?

When I noticed him asleep in the chair, I felt comforted. He was watching out over me.

It also meant he was nervous that the threat was real, especially since I noticed a weapon still in one hand positioned on his lap.

While seeing it made me shiver, it was also comforting that he had it in his possession.

And I hated guns.

I was still trying to control my breathing, my mind spinning with how I’d lived through what I had. I would help Gage in every way possible to get my baby back and keep him away from the monster. Make that plural.

I was so thirsty, my mouth cotton dry. Very slowly I threw back the covers, lowering my feet to the floor. I was still unsteady, hopeful there was a glass in the bathroom. I walked in, taking deep breaths. I couldn’t see one.

I needed something. I’d just go downstairs, grab a bottle of water from the kitchen, and return lickety-split.

I found a soft robe on the back of the bathroom door that smelled just like him. Something else that would comfort me. After sliding into it, laughing softly since it was basically a long dress on me, I tied the sash and returned to the bedroom.

Thankfully, I hadn’t disturbed him. I had to be grateful for some things.

He hadn’t closed the door all the way and I was thankful the hinges didn’t creak when I opened it. For some reason, the stairs seemed even more daunting. My grip on the banister was firm. The house was so quiet that it was odd. It had seemed there’d been so much activity with the cleaning girls, music, and the phone calls I’d slightly overheard Gage make. Now the quiet was deafening.

I managed to make it all the way down, my legs stronger than they’d been before. At least I felt I knew the house well enough I wasn’t disoriented. As I padded to the kitchen, I continued listening, but it was silly to think anything was going on. I’d been impressed with the security system. It was amazing and made me feel safe.

The kitchen was glistening, the light on over the huge Wolf oven. I couldn’t help but admire the oversized room. I could swear I smelled fresh bread. As I walked closer to the refrigerator, glancing at the counter, I realized I’d been right.

One of the girls had made homemade bread. When? Uh-oh. When we were fooling around in the lagoon. Oh, well. Hopefully, they hadn’t gone blind. I almost giggled, which was a good sign my resolve hadn’t been cracked. Fuck the past.

I grabbed a bottle of water, taking a longing look toward the pool. What an incredible afternoon. That I’d allowed myself to enjoy the day surprised me, but it meant I’d needed a mental escape. That was normal. Right? It had to be.

As I headed for the stairs, I wondered if Gage had a second gun he would allow me access to. After I’d left, taking classes and going to the shooting range had been one treat I’d given to myself, purchasing a small handgun afterward.

It was locked away where Damien had zero access to it, but at least I knew where it was hidden.

I was almost at the stairs when I heard a blip coming from the system.

Stopping short, a trickle of fear almost stifled all movements. However, I remembered what he’d said about wildlife. Maybe I could catch sight of something adorable on camera. If they had adorable feral creatures out here. I rolled my eyes, my stupid thoughts making me snort.

Yet I still wanted to see. It would make me feel more comfortable.

The system did seem easy to use and I flipped to the cameras, it only taking a second before I figured out how to scroll from one to the other. I didn’t know what the blip was about as I didn’t see anything.

Until of course the very last frame. I blinked as I tried to figure out what I was seeing. The one thing an infrared camera did was distort the subject. However, when I zoomed it up, I could swear what I was looking at was a dog somehow trapped in brush, possibly briars.

It was whimpering. That was for certain.

Ah, fuck. I might not have ever been allowed to have a dog, but I’d always cared so much about them, promising myself that one day I would have one for my sweet boy.

I chewed on my lip as I watched the poor thing struggle. Maybe I should awaken Gage. No, he’d make fun of me or act as if he didn’t care. It was silly to most but not to me.

Sighing, I placed the bottle of water on the table, trying to figure out where the particular camera was. Close. Maybe twenty feet from the house. I could do this. I could free the pup and be back inside before the blink of an eye. Maybe he’d be pissed but he would need to understand I couldn’t allow an injured animal to suffer. That wasn’t me.

I studied the system again, feeling confident I’d turned it off. I winced as I unlocked and opened the front door, breathing a sigh of relief when an alarm didn’t start buzzing. After clicking the two lights on, I headed out, lightly closing the door after me. I only hoped I could do this quickly.

Gage

Something jarred me awake, the feeling sickening as I jerked up to the edge of the chair. Shit. I’d fallen asleep. At least the weapon was still in my hand. After raking my other hand through my hair, I did what I could to shut down the disorientation.

That’s when I heard a slight but continuous beep.

What the hell?

All I had to do was look over at the bed to realize Evangeline had something to do with trying to turn off the system. I hadn’t fully explained it because I didn’t want her trying. What the fuck was the girl doing out of bed in the first place?

The moment I roared to my feet, a light over my shoulder caught my attention. Had someone broken in? No, she’d gone outside.

Without permission.

Damn it. What the hell was I going to do with her?

I cursed the entire time I yanked open one of my dresser drawers, grabbing a pair of jeans. Throwing open the closet door, I pulled out a pair of tennis shoes I could just slide my feet into. With the gun in my hand, I raced down the stairs.

The door was cracked, the alarm system indicating a breach. I was going to spank that girl until she couldn’t sit down for a fucking week.

As soon as I threw open the door, I could hear her squealing or moaning. I was uncertain which one. At least the horrible sound gave me a direction to race toward. I ran as fast as I could, rounding a bend and hearing her slight scream.

Within seconds, a blur of activity managed to catch my eye.

And not in a good way.

The bad girl was racing in my direction, more terrified shrieks coming from her and what was following? A fucking bear. A bear? There was a part of me that wanted to stand in awe for the fact she’d tangled with a bear, but this was a serious and highly dangerous situation. There was no time to react as maybe I should.

I shot the damn thing.

Granted, it wasn’t a kill shot but it wounded the beast. I was certain when he reared up and roared he was going to charge.

“Don’t you kill him!” she screamed from behind me.

She had to be kidding me. She was almost the bear’s delicious snack and she didn’t want me to kill it?

“Stay back, Evangeline. I’ll deal with you later.”

“You’re a bully!”

All I could do was sigh. I yelled at the bear and thankfully, he dropped onto all fours, lumbering into the woods. I’d need to call animal control, but they wouldn’t open for a few hours.

And I was pissed.

When I spun around, at least she sensed she hadn’t made the best choice, her eyes opening wide.

“What the fuck did you think you were doing?” I demanded.

“I… I had to get water. I was thirsty. Parched actually. The system blipped and I wanted to see. I thought it was a hurt dog caught in something. You might not be, but I’m an animal lover. I had to try and help.”

I think I coughed or maybe I laughed. “Wait a minute. You believed a big bear was a dog needing help?”

“Okay. Maybe I was sleepy but yes, I did. Sue me.”

She was standing in my robe, looking drowned in it. Her feet were bare, her hair disheveled, her hands firmly planted on her hips and she’d just told me to sue her?

I’d seen and heard a lot of shit in my life, but this took the cake.

“I’m going to do one better than that.” I clicked on the safety, shoved the weapon in the back waistband of my jeans and advanced.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

“This.” I easily tossed her over my shoulder. I was having no more of her antics.

None.