The Hunted (The Killing Hours Book 1)

by Christy Anderson

  I now stand chained to a wall, nude, in front of the craziest man I have ever met.

  “You are quite beautiful. I can see why my son is so fascinated by you. Now, time to get you ready. Knox should be here soon.”

  “He will kill you for this, for all of it! Please, just let my sister go! She’s been through enough! I’ll do whatever it is you want!”

  Tears slide down my face as my pleas catch on a sob.

  Vaughn reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a bottle of clear liquid.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. He will do as I say. He always has. A whore will not change the path he is set upon.”

  He takes a rag from his pocket and soaks it in the liquid. The sweet smell wafts through the room.

  “He is my son, after all, Miss Wyatt. You surely recognize the bond that exists between family. All our hurdles have only made us stronger. Everything I do has been done to assure Knox’s birth right. To ensure he is as strong as he needs to be to carry out the tasks set before him. To take over the family business, of course this whorehouse nonsense has to end. I can’t leave everything I’ve created in the hands of someone who can’t carry on my name.”

  “You’ve beaten and starved him. Left him wounded and without treatment. You murdered his mother and forced him to watch. You are sick!”

  He places the bottle back into his pocket and walks slowly toward me.

  “I am merely a father trying to make his son strong enough to endure the world he is given. There is no room for love in our world. We procreate to build our organization. We marry, to solidify our status. You are nothing. You are no one, and you must be eliminated.”

  He brings the rag to my face, and my thoughts and fears become realization.

  Vaughn Bane is going to kill me.

  23

  Knox

  I make my way down the stairs to meet my father. I have no idea what awaits me, but I have no doubt he will make it memorable. If he’s harmed her in any way, I will shred his fucked-up ass to pieces.

  The eerie quiet allows my footsteps to echo off the walls. The damp cold of the dirt floors seep into my bones along with a sense of dread. I know how fucked up this man is. I should have worked harder to bring him down. I should have sent my Little Bird away. I knew my world was too dangerous to keep her. I should have never touched her, or at the very least, put an end to things after that first night. The selfish bastard in me couldn’t do it though. I need her like fucking air or blood now. She was finally mine and I couldn’t release her. It had been so long since I’ve felt anything besides loneliness and dread, but I couldn’t let her go even if it was for her own good. My selfish desires are what have landed her where she is now.

  A door that’s slightly ajar draws my attention. I peer inside through the crack, and I see dirty, matted red hair. She appears to be unconscious as her head is slumped forward, and she’s bound to a chair, naked. I push, and the rusted hinges on the old door creak, protesting the movement. I make my way to her and search her neck for a pulse. It is there but faint. I lift her head. Her face is black and blue. The bruises and cuts all over her body appear to be older and healing but this girl has been put through hell, that much is certain. Under those cuts though, I can clearly see this is Scarlett, Raven’s sister. I recognize her from the photos in the police file.

  Son a bitch. What’s she doing here?

  My father is somehow involved. But how?

  I move behind her and begin to cut through the ropes as gently as I can. Once her arms have been freed, I move to the front to work on her legs.

  I need help.

  After a quick text to Ace asking him to meet me, I take off my jacket and slip Scarlett’s arms into it. The movement begins to wake her. She opens her eyes, and when they land on me, she screams. I hate to do it, but I grab her and place my hand over her mouth as she thrashes and fights trying to break free from my grip. We don’t need to draw any attention to us.

  “Shhh. It’s okay, Scarlett. I’m here to help you. You have to be quiet. Can you? Can you trust me?”

  She looks at me a moment, and her tears run onto my hand over her mouth. Her eyes are unfocused, wild, and full of terror. Her body quakes underneath my grip.

  “I know your sister. I won’t hurt you. I’m Knox.”

  Her body continues to shake as she nods hesitantly, and I slowly remove my hand. Scarlett drags in a long, shaky breath, tears streaming down her face.

  “Are you injured anywhere that I can’t see?”

  I have no idea what this woman has endured the past few months, but just looking at her, I know she was put through hell.

  I’ll find out and every last mother fucker will pay in blood.

  “No, it doesn’t matter. Where’s my sister? I heard her. She was here.”

  Scarlett draws my jacket closed around her, covering her slight form as she takes in the room.

  “She was here? You’re sure?”

  “Yes, she was.” A sob breaks free from her lips.

  I look more closely at the room and find a pile of shredded fabric. I walk to it, bend down, and lift up what was once a shirt. Raven’s shirt. It’s been sliced to shreds. I can smell her on it. She was here. Where the hell is she now? Where did he take her? I sift through the pile of ruined fabric and try not to focus on what my father has done to her.

  I’ll find her.

  Underneath the clothes is an envelope addressed to me. I lift it up and recognize my father’s handwriting. I tear it open, and the hinges of the door creak. I spin around drawing my gun as Scarlett inhales on a loud gasp.

  “It’s me!”

  Ace stands at the door, hands raised in the air.

  “Ace, fuck. Stand watch a minute. It’s okay, Scarlett. He’s with me. He won’t hurt you.”

  “We have to make this quick, Knox. I just took down two Albatross soldiers on my way in.”

  Shit, they were likely sent back to take Scarlett. We won’t have long before others come looking. I holster my gun and watch as Scarlett stares at Ace with huge, scared eyes. I doubt this woman will trust anyone ever again. Ace slowly kneels in front of her. I watch for a moment, I can hear Ace murmuring to her, making sure she’s okay, then she begins to respond to whatever he’s saying to her. I can see a bit of the fear leave her features.

  Picking the envelope back up, I see a polaroid sticking out of the corner. I pull out the picture along with a note, and cold sweat breaks out over my body. It’s a polaroid of Raven, chained naked to a wall. I stare at her, noting every inch, looking for any noticeable signs of injury, but it’s the lifelessness of her body that sends terror through my system. She looks unconscious. Her hands and head hang limply. Rage consumes me. I look up to see the chains bolted to the wall in front of me. She was here. My worst fears are realized. My father has her. I tuck the polaroid back into the envelope and unfold the note.

  I have your love. No time to waste. Won’t you join us, post haste? I’ll give your Bird wings and see if she can fly. You must Hunt her in the garden or she will die. The hour is upon you, so hurry fast. Any delays and she won’t last. Come to her bare of guns. It is time for Father and Son to have some fun.

  The cold, damp earth thuds under my knees before I even realize I’ve fallen to the ground. The note and picture scatter to the ground, stirring up dust in their wake. I can’t do this again. I can’t lose her, too. The sick fucker has no intent to let her live. None. There’s only one way my Little Bird comes out of this alive. I’ll do what’s necessary to end this. I will save her. I have to believe that. Tears burn my eyes as anger boils my blood.

  “Ace, get Scarlett out of here.” I try to choke down the quiver of nerves clutching my voice.

  “I’ll take her to my room and come back to help you.”

  “No, Ace. Take her and leave the grounds. Make sure she gets checked, cleaned up, and that she’s safe. Raven would want that.”

  “Knox I…” He walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder.<
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  “Just take Scarlett and go. Please, Ace. I’ll handle this.”

  Ace stands with his hand on my shoulder, his grip tightening, but my tone left no room to argue.

  “You got it, Knox.” I lift my head to see him nod his agreement before he walks the short distance to help Scarlett up. He whispers to her and wraps his arm around her as they head to the door.

  Stopping short, Scarlett turns to me.

  “Knox, you do whatever you have to. Make sure my sister is safe.”

  I turn my attention to Scarlett and stand as they head out the door.

  “I’d burn down the fucking world for her.”

  24

  Raven

  “Wake up, whore.”

  Words drift through my mind in a feathery haze. Lifting my eyelids ever so slowly, light filters in beneath my fluttering lashes. I swallow through the metallic tang in my mouth.

  Blood? What the fuck is going...

  “I said, wake up, whore!”

  His words hit me almost as hard as his hand.

  Vaughn.

  Vaughn Bane.

  Memories return as my too heavy eyes fly open to steal a glimpse of my surroundings. My tongue darts out and touches my split lip. Blood coats the tip of my tongue as I raise myself to a seated position on the cold grass.

  “Ah, there she is. Time to run, whore.”

  Glancing down my body, I find a sea of white fabric encasing me, my feet bare.

  Oh, my God. He has dressed me for a Hunt.

  “W-what is this? What are you doing?”

  My words are sluggish to my own ears as they roll off my tongue, and my muscles feel leaden, heavy.

  “It’s time for my son’s final lesson. You will help him become the man he should be. This is an honor for a whore such as you.”

  His voice echoes distant through my mind, as the bare tree limbs sway over head, brushing against one another with an ominous rattle. The chill of the night wind kisses my cheeks, and tears burn my eyes but I refuse to let them fall.

  Fuck this man. He will not have my fear.

  “You will run, whore. You will be Hunted. You have a part to play here, and I expect you to play it to perfection, or else,” he moves to stand in front of me, “the consequences will be dire.”

  “I’m not doing this! You are fucking insane!” My scream fills the night, only to fall on deaf ears and be carried off by the wind. I look at him then, really look at him, and know there’s no way to reason with insanity.

  “You will do this. If you don’t, I will kill you and Knox. I have your sister and will hunt down your parents, and I will slaughter you all. I will obliterate anything, anyone that has ever mattered to you.”

  Scarlett. Wherever she may be now, I hope she’s safe from this man and his lunacy.

  Mom and Dad. They’ve been reeling from the loss of one daughter. I can’t imagine how they will cope with the loss of two.

  Knox. The strong man who’s still the broken boy inside. My poor Knox. The look in his father’s eyes tells me he means every fucked-up word.

  I push myself up from the ground and stagger a few steps but remain upright.

  I look at Vaughn Bane and then I run.

  Remembering how the long skirt of the dress tangled about my legs last time, I gather it up and I keep running. I can hear Vaughn’s maniacal laughter grow fainter behind me as I wait for his bullet to pierce my skull. I try to put as much distance between us as fast as I can, but my body is heavy, still trying to come out from under whatever he used on me. I don’t stop. I don’t trust him not to kill me and everyone I love. I have no doubt he will do exactly that even if I carry out every order he instructs. My feet once again transport me through the grounds, but unlike last time, the prize is my life. I round a corner past one of the cottages and am immediately grabbed from behind. A hand slams over my mouth, I drop my dress, and a scream starts to erupt from me. I’m fighting with everything I have, my arms swinging wildly and my legs begin to kick as I am lifted from the ground by my waist. I tear and scratch violently at the arm gripping me.

  “Hush, Raven. I’m here to help you.”

  I still my violent fight.

  Lazz?

  The very last person I trust to help me.

  I thrash and scream with his hand over my mouth. Oh, my God. I’ve traded one devil for another.

  “I know you don’t trust me. You have absolutely no reason to.” He continues to talk, and I begin to listen. I need help. I don’t know where Knox is, and I’m no match against Vaughn Bane unarmed. Something in Lazz’s tone sounds different, almost saddened.

  “I promise you, I’m here to help this time. I want to be the one to put a bullet in that fucker’s head. I’m gonna let you go. You gonna keep quiet?”

  I nod my agreement, my breath coming in pants around his hand still clasped over my mouth. He lowers me to set my feet back on the ground, then he removes his hand from my mouth. I spin and face the man who has terrified me on more than one occasion. He throws his hands up almost as a surrender. I don’t trust a word that comes out of his damn mouth, but at the moment, I’m in no position to deny the fact that I need help, his help.

  “First, I gotta get you out of here. Knox will kill me if I don’t. I’m not going to deal with his shit over you, again.”

  Again? I have no clue as to what he’s talking about, but there are more urgent issues at hand. Lives are at stake.

  “I’m not going anywhere without Knox and my sister!”

  It’s a demand, and as I stare Lazz down, I know it’s the truth. I won’t leave Knox alone with his father. There’s no way I could leave him here and live with myself, with the guilt if something were to happen to him.

  “Your sister is safe. Ace took her outta here.”

  “He did?”

  Hope blossoms in my chest, and to my question, Lazz nods.

  Relief washes over me.

  Thank God she’s away from here. Safe.

  Ace will keep her safe. I know he will. Knox will see to it.

  “We gotta get moving, Raven. We can’t fucking stand out here in the open.”

  He takes my arm and heads rapidly toward the estate. I drag my heels. Why is he taking me there?

  “Where are you taking me? Why are you taking me to the manor?” Panic sets in. I’ve let him trick me. I begin to struggle, his grip tightening on my arm, but he continues to drag me along, unfazed by resistance. His large fingers bite into the flesh of my bicep.

  “Keep moving, Raven. I don’t have time for this shit.”

  “You’re hurting me, damn it,” I say as I try to wrestle my arm away from him.

  He stops and turns to me.

  “I need to make sure you are safe. There’s an underground tunnel system. It will take you out of the estate. I just need to get you back there,” he whisper-shouts at me while pointing to the manor. I’m not sure why he’s all of a sudden so concerned about my safety.

  “Lazz, you mother fucker, let her go.”

  I turn to see Knox step out of the shadows then I hear the click of the safety before I see the muzzle of the gun push up against Lazz’s long, dark hair. The barrel taps his skull, roughly. Lazz’s grip on my arm drops. I step swiftly to Knox’s side, and he pushes me behind him.

  “Lazz, you need to get the fuck out of here. This has nothing to do with you.”

  “The fuck it doesn’t. It has everything to do with me!” He turns. Knox doesn’t lower the gun. The barrel now points between Lazz’s eyes. Lazz grabs the barrel and pulls it right to his skull.

  “The only way you are going to keep me from killing Vaughn Bane and every last mother fucker in Albatross is by pulling this goddamned trigger. They took everything from me. Every. Fucking. Thing.”

  “My father is mine. You can have whoever else you want in the fucking organization, but that bastard is mine.”

  Lazz’s tattooed hands come up and scrub against his face, knocking the gun back an inch, before he drops them, huffing
out an aggravated breath. I’m so shocked by the exchange I just stand there frozen, useless.

  “I can accept that, but you better fucking make him hurt. I so much as think you’re going soft on that son of a bitch, I’ll put a bullet in both of you.”

  They stare at one another, some standoff of wills, then Lazz swats the gun out of his face completely, and Knox lowers it, tucking it into the back of his waistband.

  “Lazz, I need to know if something happens to me, you’ll save Raven and take Vaughn out, but saving Raven, getting her out of here, has to come first.”

  Knox turns to me and hugs me. I’m so grateful to have him by my side again. My face presses into his chest, and I inhale his comforting scent.

  “I hear ya, brother. I was trying to get her outta here now. After Ace called me, I called in my brother and him and our MC are on their way. I thought we could use some back-up. I need to get her to the tunnels to get her out. They’ll be waiting to take her.”

  “I’m not leaving Knox here!”

  I push away from Knox, pissed and about to protest, but Knox turns and takes my face in his hands. His forehead comes down to rest against mine. I’m swallowed alive by this man. Everything about him sings to me.

  “Baby, I can’t do what I need to do with you here. I’ll worry too much. You will be my priority. You are my priority. You alive, out there, is my priority,” he says crooking his head to the world outside these walls.

  He lays the softest kiss on my lips, his breath fanning across them as he whispers, “I care about you. I need you to go with Lazz. Okay, baby? Please, do this for my peace of mind. He will not hurt you. He’s not that fucking dumb, to touch what is mine, again.” The last part he says a little louder, getting his point across.

  “Yeah, yeah. Say your goodbyes, we gotta roll. We’re fucking targets standing here.”