Chapter Twenty-Nine
Braxten
T he engine of my truck works overtime as I plow through rough terrain, following the coordinates I was given.
We were driving off road for so long that I was certain we missed something, but then it came into view—an old barn out in the middle of nowhere.
It’s encompassed in complete darkness, depicting abandonment. No one would ever know that the woman I have fallen in love with is inside along with the madman who was stupid enough to take her from me.
A madman who is going to die for it.
The vengeance that’s been brewing for weeks has taken over every cell of my body. It slithers beneath my skin, bringing on a steadfast calm for what’s to come.
The rules I was given were simple. No cops, no guns.
Which is why I lied to Craig and gave him a set of coordinates that would lead him in the opposite direction as us.
I hated doing it, but it’s better for everyone involved, especially him.
This is going to end in bloodshed, including that of his deputy.
I pull up to the secluded barn, parking out front. My headlights flash on its rickety wood revealing one final riddle:
Welcome to Wonderland. Our time has come.
Want to find, Alice? Then join the Mad Hatter for some fun.
The time has come. Time for us to lay the demons from our past to rest, once and for all.
My gaze shifts to my brothers. “Remember, no matter what happens in there, no matter how this plays out, this bastard is mine. I will be the one to steal his last breath.”
Justice nods. “That’s fine, but I want Pierce.”
As much as I would like to finish that asshole off too, I will give Justice that pleasure.
“Let’s get on with it then.” Knox opens his door first, just as anxious for retaliation as the rest of us.
Once out of the truck, we fall in step, each of us ready for the battle we’ve been preparing for.
Silence rains from the other side of the barn door. After a look to my brothers, I slide it open and assess the scene before entering.
A makeshift fire burns in the center of the room, its roaring flames a threat to the rotted wood of its shelter. It’s the only light in the room, the orange glow giving us a glimpse of the inside.
Different levels of platforms are strung from the rafters, their cables leading from one loft to another. Each one has been meticulously crafted and placed, creating a suspended maze.
The rest of the place is quiet and shadowed in darkness. I begin to worry the fucker isn’t even here and this was all a set up until the distant whimper of my name sounds from above.
I look up beyond the platforms and am struck with a desperation and horror unlike any other. It impales my chest like a cruel blade, piercing my rapidly beating heart.
Alice hangs from the highest rafter of the barren ceiling, displayed as nothing more than a sacrifice. Her face is stricken with despair as rivulets of blood run down her arms, dripping onto the rest of her half naked body.
“Jesus!” Justice is the one to speak because I have no words. They are lodged in my throat, suffocated by the agony tearing apart my chest.
All I can do is act. Shoving down the chaos of my soul, I charge inside and head for the lowest platform, my brothers following closely behind. Just as I am about to launch myself onto it, it’s lifted out of reach.
“Son of a bitch!” I spit, my hands just missing the edge.
“Surely you didn’t think it would be that easy.”
We turn toward the condescending voice and find none other than the enemy himself.
Andon Denton stands on the highest platform across the barn, holding a black remote in his hand.
Hate instantly engulfs me, my need for bloodshed escalating to a dangerous level. “Let her go, you bastard.”
“I don’t think so. We have a few things to discuss. Deputy Pierce!”
At the call of his name, Pierce walks out of the shadows behind us, his gun drawn. The weapon trembles in his hand, contradicting the control he tries to exude.
“You’re a fucking dead man.” Justice starts forward, ready to make him pay, when a desperate scream rips from Alice as she is dropped toward the raging fire below.
“No!” I run for the flames, prepared to burn among them if it comes down to it.
She comes to a jerking stop, the sound of her pain bringing Justice and me to a halt.
“One more step from either of you and she will meet her fate early,” Denton threatens, holding up the remote in his hand.
“Let her go.” The demand leaves me on a rush of panic. “This is between us. You don’t need her now that we are here.”
“On the contrary. She needs to pay just as much as the rest of you.”
“She’s paid enough, motherfucker!”
I think about all the pain she has endured in her lifetime, all the innocence she has lost, because of the sins of her father.
“She hasn’t…yet.” He directs his attention to Pierce. “I take it they came alone?”
Pierce nods.
“Good, then frisk them.”
He stiffens at the order. “What?”
“You heard me. I said frisk them.”
“No fucking way. There is three of them and one of me.”
It wouldn’t matter if there was only one of us and he knows it.
“Don’t worry about it. They know what’s at risk.”
Alice.
I make eye contact with her, those crystal blue irises bright with anguish. They glow among the shadows that drown her. “I’m so sorry.” The unwarranted apology weeps past her lips, threatening to swallow me whole.
I’m the one who should be apologizing. I promised to protect her and I failed, but not again.
It’s why I allow Pierce to pat me down and not snap his fucking neck like I want to. He finishes quickly, his fear overriding thoroughness.
Knox, on the other hand, doesn’t find the same restraint I do. His foot strikes out behind him, catching the bastard in the gut.
Pierce doubles over, wheezing for breath.
“Oops, I slipped,” my brother deadpans.
Fortunately, the enemy across from us laughs, finding it funny. “Good one, but don’t do it again.”
Justice heeds the warning, but utters a few words that has Pierce backing away quickly.
“They’re clean.” He moves to the right of us, giving him the benefit of keeping all three of us in his sight.
“You actually followed my rules,” Denton expresses in surprise. “Smart choice.” He begins walking along the loft he stands on, drawing my attention to the pulley system that Alice is attached to, its axle connected to the end of his platform.
I make a mental note of the small escape door behind it that leads to the roof.
“I have to tell you, it’s been nice finding a friend in Deputy Pierce,” he says. “I knew when I saw the two of you go at it in the hospital that morning all those weeks ago we had something in common. Should have known there would be other people out there who hate you all as much as I do.”
“Trust me, we’ve had a lot of enemies cross our path,” Justice tells him. “Just none of them are still alive to talk about it.”
The bastard smirks down at us. “You three have always been so sure of yourselves. Aren’t you the least bit curious why I have carried this grudge on you all for so long?”
“Because you’re a fucking psychopath?” Knox tosses out candidly.
Denton’s amusement fades. “A psychopath is debatable, but I’m definitely fucked up, thanks to the three of you.”
“Bullshit,” I snap. “We all suffered at the hands of that piece of shit. It’s why we put an end to him. We did you a fucking favor!”
“Favor?” he snarls, grabbing onto the metal railing before him. “You really think you did me a favor? Have any of you thought for one second about what happened to the rest of us after you took off?”
“That’s not our problem,” Justice says. “We gave you the same out we gave ourselves. Fuck you, if you didn’t take it.”
“No, fuck you,” he fires back, his carefully controlled composure beginning to unravel. “Fuck you all for running and never looking back, fuck you for escaping what was supposed to be your fate, and fuck you for leaving me to take your place!”
The ramblings of his rage confuse us.
“You have no idea what was to become of you, what your fates should have been,” he continues, his demeanor calming. “You were bought before you even arrived there, sold to the highest bidder.”
Dread begins to take form as I think about what I learned from Jameson earlier today.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Justice asks, not knowing the damaging information he’s about to set free.
“I’m talking about a hell that none of you can even begin to imagine. Except for maybe Knoxville.”
Knox stiffens at the use of his full name.
“Don’t listen to him,” I tell him. “He’s full of shit.”
Denton cocks a brow. “Am I?”
“Yeah, you are, so let’s stay focused on what this is about and that’s Hobbs.”
“You’re wrong. My rage for Hobbs has been dealt with, that’s what my baby sister was for.” He smirks, making my trigger finger twitch. “My rage for you three is about something entirely different. I actually think Knoxville here might just understand where I’m coming from more than anyone.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Desperation claws its way through me as I try to stop this conversation from going further.
My warning is ignored, his gaze drifting to Knox. “You were mommy dearest’s most prized possession, were you not?” He pauses dramatically. “Lights…Camera…Action.”
“Motherfucker.” Knox’s howl rips through the desolate barn, his demons propelling him forward.
I move quickly, my arms locking around him from behind, but not before Alice is dropped another few feet.
The sound of her scream drowns me in a helpless rage.
“You sick fuck,” I bellow, clinging to my brother. “This isn’t on us!”
“It’s all on you,” he roars back. “I was always meant to be safe, I was Hobbs’, but then you three bastards offed him and ran like fucking cowards, which meant others had to take your places. Guess who one of them was…”
Silence fills the barn as the reality of his revenge is revealed.