UNLEASHED (Devil's Reach #3)

Chapter One

Chapter One

TRIGGER

“I told you not to fight this, Trigger.” Sam tugged at his tie. The skin around it was red. In all the years he’d been our lawyer, I had never seen him this stressed. “You’re up for multiple murder charges, and you have a rottweiler named Rothweiler for a judge. Biggest d**k on the west coast.”

“The proof will show itself,” I muttered, still lost in the dark thoughts that simmered with the need to tell my men who the mole was. It was too risky a move. They’d more than likely kill him before I could. Just knowing he was walking around freely in my club without a f**k made me wild with the urge to break out of here and rip his throat out.

Then there was her.

“Will it?” Brick rubbed his face, his tone hopeless. He’d completely worn through the pad of his thumb from rubbing the top of the screw on the chair leg. He pointed to the camera on the wall. “They clearly have some people in their pockets to have made this happen. That’s some high-up power.”

I know people too. I just need to wait for the right moment to play my cards.

The acidic ache in my chest alerted me that I was about to be hit with an image of her.

I jolted at the tear in my armor and pushed it away, back into its place, away from them. I felt their claws scrape at my insides as if they smelled my weakness.

“Trigger,” Sam broke my focus, “this is bad. My hands are tied. No one is listening. All they want is to see you gone. I had no idea Doyle was working as a U.S. Marshals Liaison.”

“I can’t be someone’s bitch.” Rail’s high-pitched voice piped in from the corner. “I have limits.”

“Come on, Rail, you nailed that cougar from the gym in a Goodwill parking lot last month.” Brick shook his head. “You have no limits.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s right.” Rail chuckled. “She was a freak.”

As jacked as they were inside, neither of them could keep their mouths shut.

“Fuck.” Sam pressed his hands against his forehead. “You’re all going to prison. I’ll be the one left here on the other side of the wall.”

“Why are you worried?” Rail dropped his feet from the table, his shoes smacking the floor. “Not like you’re the one who’s going to be showering with company.”

“I’d rather that than what awaits me if I can’t get you out.” He glanced at me but quickly turned away. That’s right, you little f**k. You better be scared to s**t. I would kill his entire family if he didn’t get us out, and he knew that, hence why he was freaking out.

The dusty, caged-in clock on the wall ticked loudly above Sam. Each second that passed seemed to toss another bucket of dirt on my grave…or hers. I knew Morgan had been monitoring Gus’s location, but that was a few days ago, and I hadn’t heard anything in a while. Sam chose to know nothing, so it couldn’t be beaten out of him later. He was right to be paranoid. With me behind bars, he would be a target for sure, and not just for Allen, but for me too.

I dropped my head in my hands to soothe my achy eyes. I couldn’t sleep, and it f****d with my mind. I’d woken to the sound of her voice, only to realize it was Rail in the bunk above me.

I followed the chains of the skeleton on my forearm and stopped at the lock. A heaviness settled in the pit of my tortured soul. I needed to get out of there, but I also knew I needed to play my cards right.

The door swung open, and in walked my parole officer, Chamness, shaking his head in his normal disapproving way. I rolled my eyes. The man was tired of working with me, and the feeling was mutual.

“Congratulations, Trigger, you’re royally fucked.”

“Please don’t sugar coat it, Chamness,” Rail hissed.

“Oh, trust me, I don’t plan to.” He dropped a file on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t listen to me, your lawyer, or the law. You made your bed, now lay in the s**t that awaits you, because I have no more tricks up my sleeve.”

“Meaning?” I met his exhausted stare.

“Meaning they,” he pointed at the window, “are finished with you and the revolving prison door you’ve had since you were sixteen. They’ve moved up your trial, given the number of deaths, and are prepared to get the ball rolling now.”

“But it’s been a week.” Brick stood and pounded his fist on the table. “This s**t should take months!”

“Yup,” he nodded, “but you’ve pissed on them so many times, they want to make their point, and they’re willing to pull out every judiciary trick in the book to do it.”

“And their point is?” I was about to go on when the door opened. Three officers stepped in and quickly ushered us back into the courtroom.

“For f**k’s sake, Trigger, keep your mouth shut,” Chamness warned before we entered the courtroom.

I didn’t recall much of what was said because I immediately locked eyes with Morgan, who shook his head, indicating they hadn’t found her or Gus.

The wild things inside me went nuts when they felt my mood shift south.

Shit.

Sam elbowed me hard in the arm when I didn’t give the judge the attention he demanded.

“Matthew Montgomery and Silas Hunter, you boys are looking at forty-five years, and by God, I aim to make sure you serve every second of it.”

Brick huffed out a heavy breath, and Rail muttered something about how he’d rather die.

Judge Rottweiler—Rothweiler—narrowed his blue eyes partially hidden behind his bushy eyebrows on me. “Nolan Vineyard.” He struggled to keep the corners of his mouth down. I stood a little straighter and waited for my fate.

“I guarantee, Vineyard, you can look forward to three life terms.” I blinked at his words. “And if I had it my way, I’d give you the death penalty.”

Rail reached out for the table while I bent to whisper to Sam.

“Links.” He quickly pulled out his phone. Links was the guy who made things happen. As soon as we were arrested, Morgan pulled some strings, and he got to work. Now I knew we just had to wait.

I scanned the faces in the benches and stopped at my mother. She gave me a slight nod. I wasn’t sure if she was telling me it was all right, or that she was giving me her support. Either way, I didn’t want it. Why the f**k was she even there?

An officer came up behind me and pulled my wrists, indicating for me to follow.

“Sam,” I yanked back and stepped closer, “she comes before us.”

“I know.” His answer sounded distant; the judge’s malice had thrown him.

“Play dirty. I pay you enough to do so.”

“You have my word.”

“I better.” I stopped myself from reminding him I knew his family well.

“Let’s go.” The officer grabbed my arm and pulled me away. I followed quietly to make my point to Sam. I’d do my part if he did his.

***

TESS

I tossed the paper plate in the trash and glanced out the window at the driveway and wondered how long it actually was. Three, maybe four miles? I knew it took it four minutes from the time I heard the engine until I could actually see the truck. Gus said six, but I thought his timing was off.

His smell hit me before I could react. My muscles locked in place as he stepped up behind me and whispered over my shoulder.

“You doing okay?” Zay trapped me at the counter with his arms. “Can I get you anything? Your skin looks so pretty in the sun. Like diamonds.” Fox walked through the kitchen, stuffing his mouth full of potato chips.

“Yuck,” I muttered. “You really know nothing about me, Zay.”

“I know more than you think I do.”

I wanted to elbow him in the ribs, but the last time I did that, Allen took it out on Gus.

“Really?” I couldn’t help myself. Zay pissed me the hell off. “Then you should know making a Twilight reference is far from sexy, and seriously, I hate romance.”

“Where the f**k are my shoes?” Allen snapped from behind us.

“Fine.” Zay’s tone changed, and he yanked one arm behind me and undid his belt. I started to panic. There was no way he was doing that. “I tried to be nice, tried to control myself around you, but you consistently push me away. So, we’ll do it your way.”

Allen sniggered, and I tried to whirl around, but Zay held my hips in place while his other hand fought to undo my pants. He was doing a shitty job. His hands kept slipping off my button, so I used that to my advantage.

“You sick f**k!” I drove my heel into his foot and drew back to punch him, but he caught my arms and bent me over the counter.

“I love that you fight, Tess, but you also need to know who you belong to now.”

“b***h needs to learn.” Allen grinned with excitement as he raced upstairs.

“You mean a sicko who gets off by r****g women?” I yelled at him because that was all I could do. He was too strong and completely overpowered me.

“It’s not r**e if the other wants it, and I can tell you do. You just don’t know it yet.”

Holy s**t, he was insane! My shirt was pulled up and ripped a little at the neck, though I was thankful he gave up on my pants.

Suddenly, I heard a loud c***k and Zay’s full weight fell on top of me then slid to the floor.

“f**k, Tess, you okay?” Gus pulled me to my feet while I scrambled to haul my shirt down.

“Yeah,” I huffed, wiping tears of fury from my face.

I hauled off and kicked the son of a b***h in the ribs as hard as I could and was about to do more, but Gus put his arm on me and held a finger to his lips.

Footsteps sounded coming down the stairs. We looked at one another, knowing what was about to happen.

“It’s gotta be tomorrow, Tess.”

I wanted to be sick, but I knew he was right.

“Okay.”

We braced ourselves for what would happen in the next few minutes.

The beating made me ill; it always did. All I could do was watch in horror as Zay held me back. He’d whisper for me to be calm and to stay quiet, but I would tune him out. He was a monster, just like the rest of them.

Gus had a fat lip, and blood oozed from a cut on his head. All things considered, he looked okay, but I knew with all the kicks and hits he’d taken, the damage on the inside would be a lot worse.

I inched closer to him. The grass was thin around the trunk of the tree where it was fighting for space with the thick roots, providing us a little sitting area.

I reached out and gently tapped his head with a rag. “You okay?”

He laughed, which turned into a nasty cough. “I haven’t been okay since 1997, sweetheart.”

I fumbled with my emotions. Gus and I had grown closer since we arrived here. It was funny how a horrible situation could draw people together.

I glanced over at the miles of cornfields. “I don’t think I can do it.”

Gus closed his eyes and struggled to sit straighter against the tree trunk. “You can, and you will.”

“What if I can’t?”

“You know what, sweetheart? That’s just not an option.” He reached out and covered my hand. “They need you.”

“We need you,” I countered. “You’ll die here.”

His smile showed he had already made peace with his decision, and it nearly brought me to tears.

“Tess, I’ve been battling for my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve had three different types of cancer, but this one,” he covered his chest with one hand, “this one refuses to let up.”

“Breast cancer?” I wanted to be sure.

He nodded. “Stage three for some time now. I only have a matter of months.”

A tear slipped down my cheek. “I didn’t know.”

“No one needs to.”

“Does Trigger?”

“He knows enough. He can connect the dots.”

“The boys?”

“Nah.” He reached down and pulled his leg up with a wince. “I would be dead weight for you out there.” His gaze moved to the fields. “We should get some sleep.”

I helped him to his feet and walked him inside. As I was leaving his room, he cleared his throat.

“You’re the best thing to ever walk into my sons’ lives.” He reached up and clicked the light off, leaving me in the dark to mull over his words.

A heavy weight hit my chest hard as I took one last glance at him. “Second best,” I closed the door behind me and avoided Zay, who stared at me from the doorway of his room. I sure hoped he didn’t know what the hell we were up to.

Goodnight, you creepy fucker.

I’d been preparing for this since we got here, but I still didn’t feel ready. I glanced out the window and saw the heavy, dark clouds headed our way.

Great.

***

I opened the door slowly and cursed at the loud sound of the old hinges. With a mental kick to the head, I made my way downstairs and out the kitchen door.

My feet beat the cold earth, and it flung up behind me and pricked the back of my calves. The thick cornstalks were maddening, as they only allowed me to have a few inches of view. I was a runner and could normally go for miles without a thought, but this was completely different. This was like something designed by an Army boot camp.

My lungs screamed for a break, but I knew better than to stop. Rain formed paths down my body, and the wet corn slapped against me as I ran, dragging their cold, wet tassels across my face and chest.

“No.” I came to a stop and strained to listen. “s**t!” The low-pitched buzz sent a shiver across my skin. I bolted forward desperately on some deep-dredged hidden energy for a few more yards. I wasn’t sure what kind of range the camera on the drone had, but I knew I had to try.

“Ah!” I fell without warning. My hands caught me, preventing my face from meeting another skull, and I shifted back and swallowed my screams. Two bodies were shoved into a hole. I pulled back to look at them and noticed they both had their stomachs torn away, victims of Allen’s weasels. The hum grew stronger, and I still hadn’t found any sign of a lake.

Frantically, I searched for any possible place to hide, and then it hit me. I nearly vomited with the mere of idea of it, but if I wanted to help Gus, it was my only choice.

“Eww.” I cried inside and gagged as I pulled the bodies to the side and tucked myself into a ball beneath them then dragged them back over me. They were heavyset men, so it took a lot of effort to move them, and the rain didn’t help either. Their clothes felt like paste. I squeezed my eyes shut, turned off my nose, and prayed to anyone who could hear me for help.

It didn’t take long for the drone to find me, or at least I thought it did. It hovered above for what seemed like ten minutes before it moved away and began to run systematic paths to hunt me down. The sound of its blades cutting through the storm was eerie and sent a triple dose of fear through me.

“You can do this,” I whispered to myself over and over. I needed something to hold on to.

Maybe it was the stress of the past two weeks or the emotional roller coaster I had been on, but somehow, I managed to fall asleep.

I peeled my eyes open at the vibration of a closing door. The last twenty-four hours came rushing back, and I shot straight up in…bed?

What the hell? I tried to process where I was.

The room was small, and there was a thin layer of dust covering everything. The bed and a two-drawer dresser were the only items in the room. There was a bathroom in the corner and a closet on one wall.

Call me crazy, but I thought I’d be in some basement chained to a wall, not waking up in a bedroom that smelled like—I sniffed deeply and placed the scent—pancakes.

I flipped the covers off and looked down at my clothes. Nothing had been removed but my shoes. I quietly moved around the room checking things out. I leaned down and pulled open the top drawer of the dresser to find a set of clean clothes.

Weird. They were my size.

I couldn’t help but think this was much like Savannah’s moment when she awoke in the safe house, only she was actually safe. I was not.

Or was I? It was a giant mind-fuckery of an event.

I raced to pull on the fresh clothes and hopped on one foot to the window and tried to push it open. Two nails stuck out on the sides, keeping it locked it in place.

I tried the window in the bathroom, and it was the same. Locked.

Shadows moved under the door, alerting me I was about to have company.

I looked around for something to use as a weapon, but all I came across was a bottle of water on the dresser.

Slowly, the door handle turned, and there stood Allen in his church collar.

“Holy Lucifer,” shot from my trembling lips as I fell captive to his stare. Part of me wanted to cry. Allen was like an older version of Trigger, but just as you felt remotely comfortable, the devil would flicker across his pupils and remind you of the darkness that filled his soul.

“No, not Lucifer, but if you care to bare your soul, I’m listening, Tessa.”

“Tess,” I corrected him.

He tugged on his collar before he stepped into the room. He looked around like he was approving how nice it was.

“Look,” he bent down and sat on the arm of the chair, “I’m not in the business of k********g. Never really cared for it, so most were dead by hour four.” He shrugged. “But what I do care about is taking back what’s mine.”

“Which is?” I folded my arms to hide the shakes.

“Devil’s Reach and to return the favor my son so lovingly did for me.” He raised his head, and a smug smile played across his dry lips.

“So, how do Gus and I fit into this?”

“Gus doesn’t. He was just being Gussy. Always had a moral probe stuck up his ass for the ones he cared about. He’s like a tick that burrows into your skin and attaches itself to your veins and never leaves unless you either cut off its head or force it from your body.”

“And me?”

His eyes widened. “You, Tessa,” he slowed my name down, “you’re my son’s weakness, my ace in this game. You,” he pointed to me, “will be mine.”

“Ha!” burst out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Not a chance. I don’t do seniors.”

He licked his lips, annoyed at my comment. “As flattered as I am you thought I would consider you, I don’t do hand-me-downs.” He brushed the arm of his jacket free from dust. “When I say mine, I actually mean…” He paused and glanced at the door. I followed his line of sight to Zay standing there in jeans and a fisherman’s knit sweater, wearing the same blank expression he always did when he was around me.

What?

“Now that we have that cleared up…” He stood, and I saw the blood on his cuff. He noticed and raised his cuff to get a better look. “Rick was a fighter.”

Nice.

“Tessa,” he purred out my name, “don’t bother running. You have no shoes, and the cornfield will slice your feet to pieces.” He smacked Zay on the shoulder as he left. “All yours.”

Not a chance.

“Hungry?” Zay asked quietly.

“No.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“A lift to town.” I dripped with sarcasm.

He gave an amused smile. “We’ll grow on you.”

“Like a tapeworm, maybe, or a tick.”

He unfolded his arms and dropped them heavily to his sides. He stepped into the room and stopped a few feet from me. “He’ll only take so much lip, Tess, and me too.”

“Good to know.” I folded my arms.

“Trigger might like it—” I slapped him across the face with my open palm. Trigger’s name was too hard to hear right now. I sucked in a sharp breath, anticipating his reaction. He closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for the sting to pass. I knew because my hand hurt like a b***h.

“I won’t sleep with you, Zay,” I muttered to fill the silence.

He stepped back and stood in the doorway. “Like I said, we’ll grow on you. Now, let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Gus.”

The feeling of cold earth stuck to my face, and the stink jolted me fully awake. I tried to shift back from the bodies on top of me.

Panic rippled through my bones, and my mind spun out of control. I forced myself to count to ten so as not to move too quickly then wiggled my way out from under the human remains. I looked around and stood on shaky legs.

“That’s so f****d up,” I hissed to help loosen my nerves. I paced the little clearing in the corn and tried to focus. “That’s some dark s**t right there.” I took some deep breaths and thought of Gus.

“You can make that,” Gus whispered from across the picnic table. He angled his head so I could see the reflection of the truck leaving the driveway through his sunglasses. “Truck goes out and swings left every time.”

“Which means the main road must be just over there.” I didn’t point. He knew I understood.

“Follow the path straight down, and it should dump you on the road. Tonight.”

“What?” Panic rippled through me. “Your knee isn’t any better. How would you keep up?”

His lips formed a hard line, and I knew what he was about to say.

“No, Gus. What about the—”

“The only way I’ll get back to my boys is through you.” He lowered his voice and started to use a rock to dig into the soft wood. “Here’s what you’re going to do.”

A tear slipped down my face. I needed to keep moving. I would never forget the look on Gus’s face when I returned with my hands tied, being pulled out of the cornfield by Fox the first time I tried to escape. They made me watch them take a piece of wood to Gus’s knees.

Monsters.