The Monster's Fury

CHAPTER NINE

Cole POV

“Sam, what in the bloody f**k is going on?” I barge into the security room. Sam hops to attention when he sees me.

“I have 10 missed calls from Miranda and Ryan and now, I can’t reach any of them.” He looks nervous as he tries to avoid eye contact with me.

“Sir, something happened at the mansion.” My eyes widen and my heart sinks down to my stomach as realization hits me.

“What happened to Adrienne?” My voice is low as I tread closer towards Sam.

“They took her Sir.”

“They took her?”

“They. Took. Her.” I chuckle as I pronounce each word slowly. I know exactly who “they” is.

“AND I’M JUST FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS NOW?!” I swing my arm, punching Sam in his jaw. He fumbles back and cups his chin, rubbing out the blow before standing up straight again.

“We tried telling you but you were preoccupied, Sir.” I want to hit him again but I know it would just be a waste of time.

“Where the f**k is Ryan?” He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders before answering me.

“Ryan is dead Sir. They killed him.” I freeze. Ryan was my best guy, my number two. The amount of money and effort I put into him was proof of that and they just killed him. My face contorts with rage.

“So, let me get this straight– they not only took my woman but they killed my RIGHT HAND f*****g MAN!” The room shakes from my murderous roars. Sam dodges out of the way when he sees me pick up the chair next to me and throw it in his direction. I wasn’t aiming for him, but I’m too livid to care whether it hit him or not. My trembling hands grip onto the ends of the table in front of me as I try to gain back some control.

“Start the car and get the f*****g jet ready! I want a full report on the way.” I snarl before I storm out of the room, my blood boiling. How the f**k did this happen? How did they find me? I made sure not to leave any traces. My mind is reeling as I rush to my closet and put on my suit. Everything I did, all the time and effort it took to prepare, just shattered into pieces before I even knew what was going on.

****

‘I WIN’

I grit my teeth as I read the bloody message my Little Butterfly left on the wall for me.

“Was she still alive when Ryan left with her?” I ask Miranda.

“She was barely conscious but yes, she was still alive.” I chuckle as I look around the room. The mattress is soaked in blood and there is glass shattered all over the floor.

“She was able to do all of this and none of you noticed?” I turn around to look Miranda in the eye. She cowers under my intense glare but she doesn’t say a word.

“Did you not hear me?”

“My apologies sir, it was my mistake.” I whip the back of my hand across her face, her body flies into the concrete table then onto the floor. She holds her cheek but does not attempt to get up. I pull her up by her hair before thrusting my hand around her throat. Her frail neck feels like a feeble branch ready to snap under my grasp.

“If it were not for the care you showed my mother, your life would be payment for your mistake.” I can feel her throat clench under my palm as she struggles to breathe. I push her away causing her to fall again. I reach into my pocket and pull out Deyanira.

“My Deyanira hasn’t had the taste of blood for quite some time now. I was saving her for my Little Butterfly but since you’ve gone and f****d that up, it’s only right that you take her place.” Her eyes are full of panic as she scurries into a corner. I fiddle with the cold steel in between my fingers as I close in on her.

“Please Sir. Please don’t do this.” She whimpers, but I don’t care. Someone needs to pay for this and ease my anger. Ryan paid with his life; it’s her turn now.

“Hold out your tongue Miranda.” My voice is low but stern.

“Sir?”

“Open. Your. Filthy. Mouth. And. Hold. Out. Your. Tongue. I will not repeat myself again.” Tears begin to fall from her eyes as her mouth slightly opens. Her hands quiver as she tries to raise them to her mouth, but pauses halfway.

“Do not make me wait.” It seems like she nods her head but her body is shaking so much it’s hard to tell. She finally grabs her tongue and holds it between her thumbs and index fingers. I kneel down to get eye level with her.

“I suggest you try not to move. It’ll only hurt more if you do.” I warn as I wave Deyanira in front of her eyes. I always liked to play with my prey before I went in for the kill. The fear in her eyes, the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her chest– gives me such a rush. It’s what I love most about killing people– it’s what I love about torturing them. Nobody gives me that rush better than my Little Butterfly, then she’d top it off with a good f**k right after. She was incredible and this f*****g twit let her slip away again.

Rage surges through me and I drive Deyanira right through Miranda’s tongue. Blood splattered across my face and she screams in agony as Deyanira splits each nerve in two. Blood oozes from her mouth as her hands spring up to shield her now snake-like tongue. A shiver runs through me as I stand up and watch her body jerk and spasm in pain.

“Clean yourself up then pack up. We’re going back to the Sullivan House.” I turn and bask in her screams before walking out of the room.

I tried to keep the peace and avoid going to war with Sandy, especially this early into my leadership, but now, that seems unavoidable. If a war is what they want, then a war is what they’re going to get. You’ll be back in my arms again Little Butterfly, but first I’m going to kill them all.

Hunter POV

“I can’t believe she’s alive. A month, Alex– thirty f*****g days I thought she was dead but she was alive the whole time.” I grip onto Adrienne’s hand as tightly as I can without hurting her, scared that she might disappear again. My eyes scan her body as I try to reel everything in. They land on her bandaged wrist and my heart twists in pain and guilt.

“Look at her man.” My voice cracks.

“What the f**k did he do to her?” I try to hold back my tears but the more I look at how beaten she is, the less I’m able to. I want to feel the anger that usually takes over, but all I can feel is helplessness and guilt. All I can think about is how much she suffered– how scared she must have been, thinking someone was going to come for her and never did– thinking I was going to come for her.

“She’ll never forgive me for this.” My voice is barely a whisper as I wrap my other hand around hers, bringing her knuckles to my lips.

“Come on dude. It’s not your fault. How could you know?” Alex is still in shock too.

“I should’ve known. I should’ve been there for her–” My voice fades.

“Hunter, she’s right here. She’s not dead, you’re holding her hand. Take a minute to take that in first.” Alex says before walking out to give me time alone with her. I lay my head next to her, placing her hand on my cheek. The warmth emanating off her instantly calms my body. A warmth that I almost lost forever. I close my eyes and relish this feeling. She’s really here. She’s really back.

Adrienne POV

I gasp as my body jolts awake. I quickly turn my head to see where I am. The usual bare white walls are now teal. The light that I’m used to being blinded by is now a soft glow. This isn’t my room. Where the hell am I? A head of hair rustles between my fingers. I look down and my heart stops.

‘Hunter?’

I’m too scared to say his name out loud, afraid that he might disappear. I know this has to be a dream. A dream that I have no intention of waking up from. I gently brush my fingers across his cheek, enjoying the mirage of Hunter sleeping next to me. This is the heaven I wanted. The little inkling of him I wanted to bring with me. I close my eyes and lay my head back on my pillow. I feel movement under my palm and freeze, hoping I didn’t just ruin the little bit of joy that I haven’t felt in a long time.

“Still not awake yet?” A whisper creeps into the silent room. Wait– is that Hunter’s voice?!

“Come on Gorgeous, how much longer are you gonna keep me waiting? Just wake up please.” He brushes a few strands of hair away from my face. His fingers lightly touch my cheek in the process. My breath hitches in my throat as the electric sparks travel through my body. I can’t imagine this feeling, even in a dream. This has to be real. I shoot up from the bed and blue piercing eyes meet mine.

“Hunter.” I choke. Before I can fully process everything, his arms wrap around me in a bear-tight hug.

“I’m here baby. I’m here.” His grip around me tightens. It doesn’t take long for me to return his embrace. As soon as I do, a blanket of warmth encompasses both of us and our stiff bodies relax into one another.

“It’s really you?” I whimper as tears flow down my face. My hands tremble as they touch his chest, his face, his arms– I want to make sure this is real. Hunter cups my cheeks and gently kisses away my tears. Each kiss causing the hairs on my arms to stand up. His lips land on mine before his tongue slowly parts them. I wrap my arms around his neck as our tongues entangle, deepening our kiss.

“I missed you so much Gorgeous.” He breathes as he breaks our kiss for air but then quickly picks up where he left off. I’m lost in his touch– the touch that I’ve been longing for. I thought I’d never feel this again. He pulls away from our kiss and rests his forehead on mine.

“I missed you too. You have no idea how much I missed you.” I smile, pulling my head back a little bit so that I can get a good look at him. My heart aches as I scan him. His face is thinner, his eyes are sunken in– I can tell he hadn't eaten or slept in weeks. Those piercing blue eyes I’ve been yearning to see are broken and almost a gray-like color. All of his pain and suffering is written all over his face. I turn away not being able to look at him like that anymore.

“Don’t move.” He whispers as his rough hands gently cup my cheeks.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to look into those honey eyes of yours. I don’t want to look away yet.” His eyes bore into mine, as if they’re searching my entire soul, but I don’t feel uneasy– I feel safe. We stay this way in silence, just taking each other in. Eventually, reality slowly starts to creep its way back into my mind. I press my hand against his chest, creating a small gap between us.

“What happened? How did I get here?” I ask him.

“Not now. Let’s talk about that later.” He tries to come close to me again, but I stop him. I raise my eyebrows, letting him know that I’m not going to change my mind. He takes a deep breath, running his hand through his hair and sits back on his chair.

“It happened by chance. We were doing surveillance on Cole. We didn’t know you were there. We thought you were–”

“Dead.” I interject, recalling what Cole told me when he first captured me.

“Ye– yeah.” His voice cracks.

“I’m sorry Adrienne. I should have known.” He lowers his head. I know he’s nervous when he starts to fidget with his fingers.

“It’s not your fault.” I reach out my hands and lift his face so he’s looking at me.

“If anyone is to blame it’s me.” I left him and he’s apologizing to me? I can’t shake the guilt that’s eating at my heart.

“Tell me what happened? Is Cole dead?” He clenches his jaw as he averts his eyes.

“No, the only reason we engaged at all was because we saw you. We got lucky when they left the mansion with you.”

“We left the mansion?” My brows furrow as I try to recall what happened. Hunter leans closer to the bed and gently grabs my forearms. My eyes land on my bandaged wrist and, like a movie being fast forwarded, everything comes back to me. I pull my arms out of Hunter’s grasps. I’m not proud of what I did and I don’t have the strength or energy to try and justify it. His eyes try to meet mine but I look away, not wanting to break down again. He takes a deep breath, knowing not to push me anymore.

“When they left, we caught them by surprise. We killed all of them and brought you here.”

“You killed them all?”

“Yeah, especially his number 2. There was no way I was letting him get away.”

“Wait. What? You killed Ryan and Cole isn’t dead?!” My eyes shoot open in terror as fear starts to set in.

“I can’t be here. How long have I been out?” I panic knowing a war is coming that nobody is ready for. My arms tug against the IV I didn’t realize was attached to me until just now. I start to take the tape off until Hunter’s hand clutches onto mine, stopping me from continuing.

“Why are you doing this?” His eyes water as he hovers over me, leaving me speechless.

“Answer me!” He roars, causing me to flinch, but still I say nothing.

“Why are you trying to leave again when I just got you back?” I turn my head, avoiding his heartbreaking eyes. Every bone in my body wants to leap into his arms and never leave his side, but I know that can’t ever happen. Not as long as Cole is still alive.

“Hunter, I can’t stay here. I have to go back.” I try to sound as stern as possible but I still can’t look at him.

“Look at you Adrienne!” He grabs my wrist so I can look at the damage I did to them.

“You want to go back to finish the job?”

“And if I do?!” I yell as I yank my hands back from him. I understand why he’s upset, but he doesn’t get to judge me– not on this. He doesn’t know what I’ve been through. I glare at him, ready to rant, but he smashes his lips into mine, burying my head back into the pillow. He’s so forceful I can barely breathe, but instead of pushing him off, I wrap him in closer. Hunter has always been my kryptonite. I could never reject him, no matter how pissed off I am.

“I’m not letting you leave me again.” He climbs onto the bed, then on top of me, making sure not to put too much weight on me. I take the short break to recollect my senses.

“Hunter, stop. I have to go back.” I push my hands into his chest, stopping him before he can continue his sweet assault.

“You’re not going back.” He pushes my hands out the way and lets his lips devour mine again.

“Hunter, please.” My moans contradicting my words. His lips travel down to my neck. I gasp when his tongue runs over my sweet spot. My body reacts to him as if we never skipped a beat. I want him so bad but I know I have to stop this before it’s too late. Thoughts of Cole start to flood my mind. Everything that he’s done, everything that he could still do.

“Hunter, stop!” I yell, fear fueling the little strength I have left to push Hunter off of me. He stops kissing me but he doesn’t move. He rests his head on the crook of my neck.

“I’m begging you Gorgeous. Just stay with me. Just trust me.” His voice is just loud enough for me to hear him.

“You have no idea what I’ve been through without you. How much I struggled just to get up and keep living. When I thought I lost you, I–" He trails off.

"Please baby, please don’t put me through that again." I fight to keep my tears back. I want nothing more than to stay with him and I trust him more than I’ve ever trusted anyone besides Taylor– but that’s even more of a reason I can’t stay. Taylor’s lifeless body flashes in my head and the words come out before I realize it.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Hunter doesn’t say a word but his body tightens. I can feel his breath against the skin of my neck. Eventually, he chuckles before he lifts his head. His eyes bore into mine before he climbed off the bed. He walks to the door and opens it.

“I’ll give you some time to adjust, but you’re not going back Adrienne.” He walks out and I hear the door lock behind him.

The tears that I’ve been holding back come bursting out full force. I know my words are hurting him. That’s the last thing I want to do, but I refuse to see someone else I love end up like Taylor. I have to find a way back before this war starts.

Hunter POV

I stood in front of the door after I locked it. I take a deep breath as I try to calm myself down. It’s hard trying to control myself around her. One minute I want to strip her down and make sweet love to her and the next I want to tie her up and keep her locked in the basement until we kill Cole. For the life of me, I can’t understand why she would want to go back. She can’t possibly think that’ll help the situation.

“Hey, how’s she doing?” Alex calls out from the hallway as he walks towards me.

“She’s awake. Have the doctor come and check her fluids. Make sure she doesn’t leave this room. I need some air.”

“Wait.” Alex stops me before I can walk away.

“Has she said anything?”

“Not now Alex.” I run my hand through my hair and continue down the hallway.

“Sandy will be here soon.” He calls out before I turn the corner.

****

I sit on the porch steps outside the safehouse. There isn’t much scenery to look at, so two birds fighting over a tree branch quickly becomes my distraction. The sound of tires driving up the road makes me look up. A gray Denali pick-up truck parks in front of me. Brody and Sandy come out of it. I stand up once Sandy and I lock eyes. She walks up to me and brings me into a tight hug.

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s awake but she wants to go back.” Sandy presses her lips together before leading me to sit on the porch with her.

“Don’t be too hard on her. The Sullivan men have a way of breaking you down and turning you into a person you don’t even recognize. If Cole is anything like his father, I could only imagine what he’s put her through. Fear is probably the only thing driving her right now, so she’s not thinking straight. Let me talk to her.” She stands up and I go to follow, but she puts her hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

“I’ll go by myself. You get yourself together. The last thing she needs is to look at your face and see all the guilt that she’s probably already feeling a whole lot of on her own.” As much as I want to object, I know Sandy’s right.

I exhale and sit back down. Sandy smiles at me softly and gives me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder.

“She’ll be okay, Hunter. Just give her some time.” I nod without looking at her and she opens the door to go into the house.

I sit and let Sandy’s words resonate with me. I try to think about all the things that asshole did to her, but the more I think about it, the harder it becomes to control my anger. Just looking at her, I can tell that he put her through hell and I’m going to find out every detail so that I can make him suffer even worse.