The Hunted (The Killing Hours Book 1)

by Christy Anderson

  “Knox, I can’t leave you. Just come with us.” My tears roll over his fingers. “Please!”

  “Shhh. It’s okay. I’ll handle this, and I will come get you. I have to end this. I have to. We’ll never be safe if I don’t.”

  He presses a kiss to my lips as I dig my fingers into the fabric of his shirt, trying to hold him to me, unwilling to leave him behind.

  “Go.”

  He nudges me toward Lazz, and with one last lingering look, he takes off into the night.

  “We gotta move, Raven.” Lazz grabs my arm and begins pulling me toward the manor again.

  I stumble in his grip, unable to stop staring at Knox’s retreating form. My heart sinks when he stops at the top of the hill. He turns, and I can see him in the silhouette of the moon, looking at me. My heart thunders in my chest. Why does this feel like a goodbye? I dig my heels into the ground as Lazz tries to pull me forward again.

  I wait.

  Will this be my last memory of him? Watching him as heads off to sacrifice himself for everyone he cares about?

  In the blink of an eye, Knox is gone, swallowed by the night.

  “Let’s move, Raven. Sooner I get you out, the sooner I can come back and help Knox.”

  “You’re going to help him?” I never expected Lazz would help him. Their relationship seems to be one of convenience rather than an actual friendship.

  “Yes, but we have gotta’ go, now!”

  His words send my feet moving. Lazz may be many things, but I have no doubt he’s every bit as lethal as I have believed him to be. I wipe the tears from my face as we head toward the tunnels.

  We enter the manor through a side door, and we make our descent down several sets of stairs.

  “We go down a couple more flights and then we should get to the door that leads to the tunnels,” Lazz states as he turns, glancing back at me.

  “How do you know about the tunnels?”

  “I know almost every nook and cranny of this massive stone monstrosity. I’ve studied the blue prints.”

  “Why would you study the blue prints?”

  “Because I have been planning to kill Vaughn Bane for several years. Only his surprise disappearance pissed on my fucking parade.”

  I stop in my tracks. The way this man so callously speaks about taking another human being’s life, even if it is that sadistic bastard, sets my hackles on edge.

  “Why would you plan to kill Knox’s father?”

  “He and his associates took my life from me. Knox wants Vaughn, so I’ll give him that, but the other fuckers are mine.”

  “I don’t understand. You’re alive.”

  “Raven…” He stops and turns to face me, causing me to come to an abrupt halt. The mask he usually hides behind is gone and I see pain in his eyes. Real, visible pain. “You remind me so much of her. I think that’s why I get so pissed when I’m around you. I see her in you. I miss her so fucking much, and you are a reminder of what I lost.”

  His eyes glass over with unshed tears.

  “Who? Who do I remind you of?”

  “My wife.”

  Wife? What the hell?

  “You’re married, and I remind you of your wife? Why are you here if you have a wife?” I wave my arms about frantically. This crazy bastard has a wife and is here, chasing women to fuck as sport?

  “She’s dead.” He pauses, and he wipes his tattooed hand over his face, brushing his long hair out of the way.

  “Albatross killed her and our unborn daughter.”

  I hear the gasp escape me before I realize it’s happened.

  “They were trying to recruit me, and I kept ignoring their requests for meetings. I have my own connections, my own jobs. I didn’t want or need theirs. They decided the best way to get to me was using Jennifer as bait. When things didn’t go as they planned, they killed her. She was twenty-two weeks pregnant. I couldn’t fucking save them.”

  One single tear slides down his cheek, but it does nothing to quell the murderous rage in this man’s eyes.

  “I will kill every last fucker tied to that organization, brutally, mercilessly. Albatross runs deep, Raven. Vaughn Bane isn’t the only sadistic son of a bitch tied to that organization. It is big. It involves big-time money. They’re a worldwide murder for hire organization, with operatives all over the world, ready to leave on assignment at a moment’s notice. They kill heads of state, mafia leaders, anyone who can pay their price. Vaughn Bane was the leader of the North American faction, until he disappeared.”

  My stomach churns with dread, the floor falls out from under me. When Knox told me his story, I never realized just how deep he was in. I waver slightly, placing my hand on the wall to steady myself. Jesus Christ. I don’t even know what to do with this information. “I don’t understand. If Knox is the leader, can’t Knox just order his father to be killed?”

  “I’ll tell you this as swiftly as I can because I think you need to know just what and who exactly it is we are facing here, but we have to move.”

  I nod my head once at Lazz, and he turns and leads us down the last few flights of stairs toward the tunnels.

  “I don’t know what you already know, but I assume Knox told you some things. Knox’s father left on assignment three years ago but never returned. Knox thought he might be dead. Vaughn Bane just vanished. I stumbled onto Knox’s path, shortly thereafter. I was trying to track his father.”

  “What happened when you met Knox?”

  The door slowly opens with a creak, and every hair on my body stands on end. It’s dark and damp. The dirt floors waft up a smell of mold as the coldness surrounds us. I would never willingly enter this place alone. Lazz walks ahead of me, and every few yards, there’s a single overhead light illuminating our path.

  “Instead of finding Vaughn that night, I found Knox. We came to a deal. We would work together to bring Albatross down. Make those bastards pay for taking the people we loved. That’s how the idea of turning the manor into what it is today was born. We thought it was a good way to lead the very people straight to our door step that Albatross would want to put a hit on. We could better control the environment here.”

  “Wait, so you lure people here, using the club to draw them in, then kill them?”

  “If it’s needed, yes, but also other members of Albatross show up from time to time. We thought it would be a good way to draw Vaughn out, if he were hiding for some reason and not dead. I’m sure the estate being turned into what it is today really pissed him off.”

  I can hear the smile in his voice. I can’t fathom a world where you decide who lives and who dies.

  “Yeah, he isn’t very happy about that. Why is this tunnel here?”

  The walls are constructed of aged stone, and from the dim lighting ahead, it seems to go on forever.

  “It was part of the Underground Railroad once. Tunnels run in several directions under this property. They had to have several escape routes. Later, they were used to sneak in booze during prohibition, and of course, being in the mountains, moonshiners used them to transport their liquor. A few of them have caved in over time, but most are still functional.”

  We track along the dirt path until we come to a fork. One tunnel to our left, one to the right. We go right and carry on a few hundred yards until we come to another wooden door.

  “We have quite a distance to go to get through this maze, then my brother should be waiting for us on the other end.”

  Lazz begins to push the door in just as gun shots start to ring out around us. The bullets crash into the stone and dirt.

  “Fuck!” Lazz roars as a bullet nicks his shoulder. The blood begins to trickle down his bicep, but he doesn’t flinch or stop forcing his weight against the door.

  “Get behind me, Raven! This fucking door is stuck.”

  I move to stand behind him, using him as a human shield. He’s putting himself in the line of fire to keep me safe. He continues to push, and I help, pressing my weight onto the wood. Slowly, the heavy
wooden door moves back enough to allow us access to the room beyond.

  He shoves me through the opening before following me inside.

  “Who the hell was that? Why are they shooting at us?“ I bend over, resting my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

  “Seems Vaughn Bane has some back-up.”

  “Who? Who would help him?”

  “Likely some men he hired from within the group.”

  We begin to jog again, making our way through the new maze of tunnels.

  “Albatross? You mean those were hitmen?”

  “I’d say so.”

  Lazz jogs, and I watch as the blood seeps freely from his wound.

  “You’re bleeding!”

  Blood pours from the wound, running down his arm before it trickles to the floor. We come to another door, and he forces it open. The hinges groan in protest. It’s hard to tell how long it’s been since anyone was last down here. Cobwebs cover the walls and cling to the light fixtures overhead.

  “I’ll live.” He shoves the door shut behind us.

  “Gotta move, girl.”

  We run, and the blood begins to pour heavier from his wound.

  “Stop. Stop, Lazz.”

  I come to a halt, putting my hands on my waist.

  “We don’t have time to stop.” He passes by me before turning to face me.

  “We have to stop the bleeding on your arm.”

  I bend down and rip at the bottom of the white dress, trying to tear away a piece to use as a tourniquet. I rip a long strand and step up to Lazz to tie it off. He watches me wrap the fabric around his arm from the corner of his eye. His arm is covered in blood. I’m not sure how much farther he’d make it before passing out if we don’t stop the blood flow.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole to you. I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did that night, or any of the others.”

  I don’t say anything. I’m not sure I can forgive him. I tie the tourniquet off, and Lazz nods his head in thanks. Then, we run.

  25

  Knox

  I crest the hill with one last glance back at Raven. Standing in the moonlight, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I linger when I probably shouldn’t, but I have very little hope I’ll make it out of this alive. I’m damn good at what I do, but my father no doubt brought along a small army of his best men from within the organization. He isn’t foolish, so I have no delusions that he would come alone.

  I stalk through the forest, searching for tracks, when I hear footsteps rustle the fallen leaves around me. I sprint through the dense underbrush, seeking shelter as bullets begin to fly past and lodge into the trunks of the white oaks and maple trees that surround me. I duck behind a large oak and pull out my piece as I slowly begin to edge around the tree. A bullet hits the tree right above my head.

  “Fuck.”

  They’re all over me. I run, darting to my left behind another tree and fall to my knees, then roll onto my stomach and let the bullets fly.

  I cap one fucker in the throat. I guarantee these men are wearing vests under their camo. Another stops dead in his tracks as his pal hits the dirt deader than four o’clock. I take that opportunity to pop one between his eyes.

  The crunch of leaves behind me has me rolling over, but it’s too late. Two red lasers are sighted on my head. The next thing I hear is a crack and then blackness is all I know.

  26

  Raven

  I can hear their footfalls behind us, their boots pounding the ground. The walls of the tunnel only seem to amplify it.

  “Here.” Lazz grabs my arm and pulls me to an alcove that has a smaller than normal door.

  “What is this?”

  “An exit. You go, and I’ll hold them off as long as I can. Take this.” He reaches behind his back and pulls out a gun. He grabs my hand, pushing the gun into it. Lazz presses my fingers around it

  “You know anything about guns?”

  “No.”

  He places my finger on a lever on the side.

  “Safety. Off. On.”

  He moves my finger back and forth.

  “You see someone you don’t know, point, squeeze the trigger.”

  The metal is heavy and cold in my grip, foreign. I test its weight, resigning myself to the fact I may have to use it to take someone’s life.

  “Follow this tunnel. It will take you straight outside. No turns. Lucian, my brother, the president, and our MC will be waiting. Go with him. Do not talk to anyone else but Lucian.”

  “Lazz, thank you.”

  A weak smile stretches his lips.

  “Go, sweetheart.”

  I bend over and slide through the door. Inside it opens up to a narrow passage. I turn back and lock eyes with Lazz. Gun shots begin to echo through the tunnel.

  “Go!” he shouts while slamming the door closed.

  “Shit!”

  I take off as fast as the confined space will allow me to go. Every few hundred feet, there are openings in the ceiling to the outside, they’re covered by grates. It’s dark, but a little moonlight guides my way. I hustle as fast as I can down the tunnel, toward the door. There’s a loud, almost deafening roar, and I realize it’s motorcycles the closer to the end I get. I see a door up ahead, and I scramble with everything I have in me to get to it.

  When I reach the old, time-worn door, I grab for the latch to unlock it. I slide the rusted latch, a breath away from escape. My heart races as freedom is just on the other side. Help, Knox and Lazz will desperately need.

  I hear metal creaking, then a thud sounds from behind me. Before I can turn around, a cold hand wraps around my mouth, and an arm latches around my waist, pulling me backward away from the door.

  My scream is muffled by the hand, and I buck, trying to free myself, but I’m no match against whomever has me. I continue to struggle, and the backward movement causes me to lose my grip on the gun. I watch horrified, as it clatters to the dirty floor, stirring dust. It’s as if it happens in slow motion. The motes fly up, suspended in the air before falling away to nothing.

  “Just shut up, girl. There’s no sense in trying to fight me.”

  I don’t listen. I kick and thrash in his grip as he drags me back further from the door, further from the help we so desperately need. If he got in here does that mean Lazz is hurt, or worse?

  I scream behind the hand closed over my mouth in hopes that Lazz’s brother, Lucian, or one of his men, can possibly hear me.

  “I warned you.”

  Vaughn Bane’s breath is a violent promise whispered against my ear. His voice echoes through my mind as a sting bites my neck. My body instantly warms and feels heavy before darkness steals me away.

  My eyes are heavy. My lids refuse to open, no matter how hard I fight. Something is splashing my face. Something cold. Something wet, maybe? My wrist, it hurts, no it burns. Tight, restrained.

  Pain.

  I manage to crack open an eye. It takes every ounce of energy I can muster to turn my head toward the source of that pain. The edges of my vision blur as I fight to focus my gaze. A man, holding my arm, tying rope around my wrist.

  What?

  My mind can’t make sense of the scene before me. I fight to keep my eyes open as cold seeps into my skin, nipping my flesh like a thousand pin pricks. I look up, up, up, up above me, and tears fill my eyes. No not tears, water.

  Rain?

  Am I outside?

  My eyes try to focus through the haze as I look down the length of my body. Dampness surrounds me. Puddles of water glisten.

  I’m lying on the ground on my back, in the rain. I try to move my other arm, to roll over, but I can’t move it. I roll my head to the side to see a large pond. The rope tied to my wrist extends across to the other side of the pond. I squint, trying to focus as the cold rain pelts my face. There’s a figure there, across the pond.

  What’s he doing?

  He’s holding a post, I think. I squint harder, trying to understand the sight before m
e.

  What the hell is going on?

  “Oh, look. My son’s whore is awake.”

  Oh, Christ, no. Not him.

  Vaughn Bane hovers above me, holding an umbrella. My head throbs. My brain feels fuzzy. I’m sluggish. I watch the water drip from the edges of the umbrella, lost inside my foggy mind. This makes no sense. I was at the door. Lazz got me to the door. I was at the door!

  I try to jerk my hand from the guy tying the rope around me, but I don’t have enough energy to manage much of a fight.

  “I gave you a little cocktail. Makes it easier to get you set up.”

  The rope is now securely tied to my wrist. The man stands, wrapping and tying it off to a post before handing it off to another man dressed in camo, who walks away with the long length in his hand.

  The tension stretches my arm out, and I begin to get pulled to my left, toward the pond. A weakened scream tumbles from my lips. The other man is pulling me into the pond.

  This is what happened to Knox’s mother.

  Dear God! He plans to drown me!

  I continue to be pulled closer to the pond. Despite my struggles, I can’t seem to move my legs. I lift my head to see rope wrapped around my ankles, and it’s tethered to an anchor that’s dragging to the side of me. It begins to stick in the mud as the rain pelts down onto the earth, and bile rises into my throat. I try to scream frantically, but the drugs in my system are making me too lethargic to achieve more than a low moan. I raise my head again as mud rolls over me and my heart stops.

  Knox!

  My heart hammers at my chest.

  No! No! No!

  He’s tied to a tree across from the pond. My God. Is he alive? I start to shout his name, and my efforts land me a sharp kick to my ribs. I suck in air desperately as the pain radiates through my side.

  “Enough. Shut the fuck up. You couldn’t listen, could you? I gave you one job, Prey, run, and you couldn’t listen. You did this to yourself, girl. Fucking Lazzaro, screwing up my plans. I had to drop down one of those old tunnel grates to get you before you slipped away from me.” I watch as Vaughn stalks off toward his son.