Chapter 8
Shandra woke in the morning and lay in bed, thinking about what the hell she was supposed to do now. She was still reeling from her conversation with Leo from last night. A part of her couldn’t believe she had shared the truth about what happened to her. Well, not the full truth. The specifics of that night would probably make his stomach turn. She knew he had probably done worse in his life, but people tended to shy away from women who could torture and kill multiple people in one night.
No, those details would be kept private.
But she couldn’t help the smile that came over her face as she thought about his response to what she shared. Clearly, he was not put off by her story or pulling away from her. If anything, he seemed to dig his heels in and go ten-toes down to remind her that he was not going anywhere.
Leo was darkness personified, and she should walk away. She should take her daughter, leave his house, and never look back. It was like he could see into her soul and have her expose herself in ways she never wanted him to see.
Now he knew her deepest, darkest secret. Yet, not once did he look at her with disgust. No, the crazy-ass man made sure she knew exactly what he wanted from her.
Her brain told her to leave. That being with him was dangerous. But her heart screamed at her to stay. To allow this man to love her. The thought of walking away brought on an anxiety attack. How the hell was she supposed to walk away now that she could finally admit just how much she needed him?
Tears pooled in her eyes as she thought about how it felt to have him stand beside her. To not walk away or look at her with disgust in his eyes. Over the years, she’d lost sight of having this type of connection with anyone. Of course, she’d seen it with her parents. Even when Camille and Tristan met each other, Shandra could feel how strong their bond was and craved the same. She knew that man loved her friend down hard. But for Shandra, that type of love always felt too far away. She felt undeserving.
Unclean.
Unworthy
Her assault was not her fault. Deep down, she knew this, or at least tried to use the rational side of her brain to convince herself of this. But try telling that to her heart, which was still broken, scarred, and too damn afraid to let anyone in.
Over the years, she tried to convince herself that the right man would come along and change her entire world. Once she found him, she knew he would be the one to break down all the walls she had built over the years. Her heart pleaded for someone to walk right through all the barriers she had put around herself and her daughter. Push her to love again. To feel again.
Yet, when he showed up, looking sexy as hell, wearing all black, brandishing a glacial look in his eyes, it jarred her. All she wanted to do was run away as far as she could.
Looking over at the sun coming through the window, she realized the room was decorated in the same colors as the bedroom at her home. It wasn’t the same design, but just being here in this space, she knew it was created just for her. Amina’s room was decorated with the same theme as her bedroom at their house. It seemed as if Leo had searched every store he could find just to make sure her little girl had everything she could ever need or dream of.
Shandra knew in her heart that Leo was a special man. Any woman would be lucky to have him by her side. Not only did he love her daughter, but she knew his feelings for her were real. No, it wasn’t him who was the issue.
She was the problem. It was her stubborn feelings and fear of being taken advantage of and hurt again. But she also knew the last thing Leo would ever do was intentionally hurt her, which is why it still pissed her off so much that he brought that woman with him to the compound. It didn’t matter if he was trying to put up a wall between them. He should have known it was in her nature to talk shit to him. If he really knew her the way he said he did, then he would understand that pushing him away was her way of asking for space. She had been trying to tell him things were getting too deep, yet she always went back to him. He wouldn’t let her stay separated from him for too long.
She would have to talk with him again today about the situation. Because if that shit happened again, the woman would get more than a broken nose.
Yes, she was a hypocrite. Her actions were contradictory, and she had no excuse. She constantly pushed him away, only to get jealous and territorial when he tried to honor her wishes. Well, she didn’t give a fuck about any of that. If Leo was serious about them being together, he needed to accept everything about her. Even the bullshit attitude she occasionally threw at him.
A part of her dreaded seeing him this morning, especially after their talk last night. As she told him about her situation and exposed her hurt, Shandra could see his eyes change. Become hard. Cold.
Inside, she knew it wasn’t about her. It was about vengeance. He wanted to hurt the men who hurt her, but he would never have to worry about that because she and Camille handled that situation a long time ago. Even thinking about it brought a slight smile to her lips.
5 ⒈/⒉ Years Ago
Shandra walked next to Camille as they made their way to the dreaded cabin in the woods. It had taken them two months to plan this excursion. A month into their planning, Shandra found out she was pregnant, which strengthened her resolve to carry the act out. Camille wanted them to wait or ask Dwayne for help, but Shandra refused. It had to be done now. Those motherfuckers had taken something from her that they had no right to, and she would have to fight to get back to herself.
Her Dignity.
Her Pride.
Her Faith.
Her belief in Love.
The old Shandra had withered away and died in that cabin over the days they held her captive. A new version had arisen, and she was something to behold. Fierce. Strong. Angry—full of a righteous need for retribution.
Since their teenage years, both she and Camille had trained with Dwayne in private. He taught them all about how to handle guns. They also spent many hours learning how to use a knife to cause the most pain, but still allow the person to live. To make their victim feel every cut. Every slice of the blade across their skin intended to cause immense pain. How to let the blood drip slowly from the body as they sliced through skin and muscle.
Those skills will come in handy tonight.
It was easy to confirm if the four men would be at the cabin this weekend. All it took was a bit of internet stalking and a few DMs pretending to be someone interested in hooking up. Since Shandra would become nauseous at the thought of speaking sweetly to that monster, that part was handled by Camille.
They stopped about twenty-five feet away from the cabin to check their gear.
“You sure you’re okay to do this?”
Shandra nodded. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. They will pay for everything they did to me. Once they do, I can move on with my life. I’ll raise this baby with all the love and care it deserves. But tonight, their blood will run, and none of them will leave here alive.”
Camille smiled. “Damn, girl. Shit, I like the way you think. You go to the back, and I’ll cover the front. Let’s sync our watches for ten minutes.”
They knew the men would be there tonight, but they had no issues with taking care of anyone else who was there. They had planned for every situation. Plus, if there were others here, they were probably of the same ilk, so fuck ‘em.
Nodding at each other, both women went silent as they stalked the dwelling. From what she could remember and the blueprints they could retrieve, it was a two-bedroom dwelling with an open kitchen and living area. Shandra would go in through the back to clear out anyone in the bedrooms, and Camille would make sure no one ran out the front door.
Once she was in position, she thought about how long it had taken for the bruises to fade from her skin. How long it was before she could sleep through the night? Even now, two months later, the nightmares would wake her from a deep sleep. Sweat covering her body. Tears trailing down her face. She had to eliminate the monsters haunting her at night.
10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
About one minute later, surprise yells and screams of pain could be heard coming from the men in the house—if one could call them men. If anyone had watched Shandra and Camille as they walked through the cabin, they would have been shocked and awed by how they operated.
Smooth as silk.
Vicious as a viper.
Unrelenting like the most heartless hunter.
Because, yes, they were hunting their prey.
Bullets tore through bone and muscle, but none were meant to kill. No, that would come later. As they gathered the living feces in the living room, they forced them to strip down naked. Tears and snot ran down their faces while they kneeled before the two women in black clothing.
Shandra removed her mask, and the men gasped as they recognized her face. Then they began pleading. Too bad she had no sympathy for them or their fear. Months ago, when she begged them to release her, to let her go, to stop forcing her to do things no woman should be forced to do, they’d laughed at her pain.
So, this time, she would return the favor.
She punched her ex-boyfriend in the face. His head snapped to the side, and blood poured from his nose.
“Fuck you. You held me here against my will. You figured no one would give a shit about me. Why? Was I so unworthy?”
Crying. More crying. Words tried to come out, but it all sounded like static. Shandra knew she was beyond any level of reason. Reason and rationale left her three months ago when she ran away from this hellhole to safety. Too bad there would be no escape for the scum of the earth in front of her.
“I wondered how I would make you pay for what you did to me. Just know that I’ve given this so much thought. I wanted to keep you alive, torturing you for as long as you held me. But I have a life to live. I don’t want to waste more time than necessary on any of you.” She paused before looking around the room that brought back so many horrible memories. “Just in case you’re wondering if there’s a way out. No. There isn’t. You will die tonight. And yes, it will hurt like hell. Before it’s over, you’ll be begging us to put you out of your misery. And then I’m going to torture your ass some more. Get ready for a long night. Assholes.” Looking over at Camille, she smiled. “Thanks, Sis. I appreciate you being here with me tonight.”
Camille put away the Glock 19 she used when they entered. She then pulled out her favorite knife with the 8-inch serrated blade. “You’re my sister. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Now, let’s see who we can make scream the loudest.”
Four hours later, the two women left the cabin in the woods without looking back.
It would be months before anyone found the decomposed bodies of the four men in the backwoods hunting cabin. The damage was severe. Their faces were unrecognizable due to being smashed in with fists and pipes. Fingers and toes had been removed. Their dicks were cut off and stuffed in their mouths. Each one had their throat sliced from ear to ear, almost to the point of decapitation. Strips of skin on their thighs, arms, and chest had been removed with what the medical examiner could only describe as a sharp but jagged tool. There was a bullet in the head and heart of each, because double-tap was the only way to make sure a motherfucker was dead.
And one word was carved into the stomach of each dead body.
Rapist.