1. Caden
1
CADEN
PRESENT DAY
G od, I hate when blood got on my shoes. It was always a pain to get out. Caden, If you're going to lose your shit, maybe wear different shoes next time? But see the thing is, I never plan to lose myself in a kill, but when people like Jack here were on my list, I tended to go a little overboard.
I winced as I glanced at Jack's severed tongue, lying beside his lifeless body. Okay, maybe I went completely overboard. But the bastard deserved it, you know? He stole from the Wolfe family business, which honestly doesn't bother me one bit. What pushed me over the edge was the fact that this waste of flesh also assaulted his sixteen-year-old niece. And to make matters worse, he had the audacity to describe in explicit detail how he did it, once he realized just how enraged it made me. Cutting him up didn't do the trick. I even sliced off a finger or two, but he still wouldn't shut up. Hence the severed tongue. It was the only way to get the bastard to stop talking. Don't get me wrong, I don't need a noble excuse to kill, but there’s a little space in my black heart that goes soft when it comes to children. A child’s innocence and childhood should be protected and preserved.
I've always wanted a family of my own. As one of the shadows of the Herd, I technically don’t exist to anyone outside the herd, including my father who I barely even existed to anyway. Despite that, I used to dream about starting my own family. But I just haven't found the right woman yet, and perhaps I never will.
The sight of Jack's severed tongue was too much for Tim to bear, and he finally gave in, leaning over and vomiting uncontrollably. I almost rolled my eyes but refrained. Tim was new, but he was a good kid. Every once in a while, I was given new recruits to train. Apparently, I was good enough to train recruits but not good enough to join the Herd. I scoffed. Good thing they hadn’t asked me to join because I planned on burning it all to the ground.
The bastard Wolfe son. They whispered like I wasn’t right in front of them.
They were right to use me though. I was very good at most things. Being granted entry into the underworld of Red Falls at such a tender age, I became the youngest person to ever experience its secrets. since most initiates were at least eighteen.
My father was taking me to meetings and gatherings since I was eight. I barely understood what was happening at that age, but then after witnessing a pure initiation at twelve, I got the picture really quick. Not surprisingly, despite my initial fear, I swiftly embraced the darkness, and it turned out I had a talent for killing and interrogation. Which I became a pro at by the age of nineteen.
Tim finally got himself together and met my gaze. I had been going easy on him the past few months, making quick easy kills, so the severed tongue was a little too much for him, the past few months have been spent doing drills of all sorts, martial arts, kickboxing, weapons training. Most people weren't an expert in nearly everything like me, so we had to find his one skill and build on that. So far, we discovered he was good with knives, but the poor kid was squeamish as fuck. Two men walked in then, the clean-up crew. At least I didn't have to clean my mess up anymore, not like when I first started. Disposing of a body can be a bitch.
After I got back from Russia, I worked my way up, making sure to get noticed by always proving I could do anything they asked and eventually I became a shadow . Shadows had certain privileges , they weren't much, but at least they included a clean-up crew.
I straighten my jacket and kissed my teeth at the blood splatter on my cufflink. Now I’d have to get those professionally cleaned. I walked out of the empty warehouse with Tim trailing behind.
The left side of my slacks buzzed. I paused and took my phone out it was a text.
Gathering at 12:00am. at RFU.
I slipped the phone back in my pocket at the same time as Tim, who most likely got the same message. I nodded at Tim and we split up. Tim headed towards his sleek black Audi, while I strolled towards my black Ferrari F8; She was a beauty. My 30th birthday gift to myself.
Thirty minutes later, I was pulling into the underground parking lot of my condo building. I groaned, already dreading tonight. Those uptight assholes were such a fucking bore to be around. I’d much rather be buried between Anita’s long caramel legs. She had called on my drive home asking me to come over and I would have gladly obliged, but unfortunately, I had to be at the stupid meeting just in case they gave away information that would be helpful to my plan. I stood in my private elevator and glared at the reflective closed doors and then at my shoes, hating the night—No. Hating the whole goddamn week.
I walked onto the deserted campus and pulled out my key, the all-key that could open almost every door on the campus. Normally, only members of the Herd received one, but as a shadow, a special soldier of the herd, I was given one.
After unlocking each door and ensuring they were locked behind me, I continued down the long hallway, passing by the library without much thought but then paused when something caught my attention—a captivating and feminine scent of strawberries and roses, with an elusive underlying note. It intrigued me, even though I disliked overly sweet smells. I typically preferred the natural scent of a woman. Curiosity got the better of me, and I backed up and peeked into the library, only to find it dark with no apparent source of the enticing aroma. The urge to investigate was strong, but I resisted. It was probably just a candle or something. Though leaving a candle on in a library sounded stupid as hell. I shook the thoughts off and kept walking. I didn't want to be late and be more of an outcast than I already was.