Chased with Strength_Notorious Devils

by Hayley Faiman

  We’re fifty strong and spread out over five cabins, but we’ve all been grilling our meals and eating together. Each group has a mission and our missions have all been given to us as of this afternoon. We’re ready, at least as ready as we can be.

  The Canadian chapter’s mission is to find both Hayden and the man who has been keeping her. According to the surveillance, she hasn’t been seen anywhere near Jack since that other man took her away. I don’t know what that means, or where she’s being held, and I can only hope that she’s safe and still breathing.

  Idaho is taking care of the sniper towers. California is in charge of getting the men on the ground. North Dakota is in charge of the women and children. Washington state is in charge of backing everybody up. It’s a solid plan, a good fucking plan, and I hope that it works. Goddamn, I pray that it works.

  “Just got confirmation, tomorrow six in the morning, surveillance will be disabled,” Snake announces.

  The men all lift their chins and head out to their places, I assume to gather up their shit and prepare for tomorrow morning. We’ll all head to bed early tonight I’m sure, to rest up for what will assuredly be a long fucking day.

  Standing, I start to head toward my own cabin when Snake’s hand catches my shoulder. “Got surveillance of the private residence behind those fucking trees,” he rasps.

  “And?”

  He shakes his head. “She’s there. Our guy did some digging. It’s the leader’s place. She’s staying in a room adjoined to his with Easton. She’s alive, from what he could gather, she appears unharmed. The place is on its own surveillance system, and it also has its own alarm system. He found a whole gaggle of kids there as well.”

  “Ten of us gonna be enough to take care of him?”

  A slow smile appears on Snake’s lips. “It’s him and six women. He feels safe there, he doesn’t have any men surrounding him for protection,” he explains. “Probably because those six women are all really young.”

  “How young?” I growl.

  He shakes his head. “All around Hayden’s age. Early-twenties and I know for sure he’s fucking at least one of them since he fucked her all goddamn night long while Hayden slept in the room next to his.”

  “Shit,” I say, running my hand through my hair.

  Snake squeezes my shoulder with his hand. “We’ll get her out before he touches her, Croon. You gotta believe that,” he swears.

  “I want to… fuck, she’s been through so much,” I growl.

  Snake’s hand falls from my shoulder. “I know, brother, we all know. Hayden is like our little sister. We’re going in there and we ain’t coming out without her and East. That leader is going to eat lead, and we’re ending this hate mongering group of people once and for all.”

  Lifting my chin, my lips twitch. “Fuck yeah.”

  “Let’s get packed up, then relax, tomorrow is going to be fucking stressful,” he says.

  I nod, walking toward the cabin. My hands shake with anticipation. It’s happening, I’m going to go get Hayden, first thing tomorrow morning. I cannot wait.

  I miss her smile, her smell, and the way her big green eyes would look at me, studying me and seeing all of me. She is my match, and although I pushed her away, she still stayed firm and knew what she wanted, and what she wanted was me.

  The second I have her back in my arms, shit is changing. For starters, I’m apologizing for everything I’ve put her through. Secondly, I’m putting a ring on her finger and she’s going to take my last name. Hayden is mine, all mine, and swear to fuck I’m going to treat her like the goddamn queen she is.

  Everything I have in the back of my head, all the fucked up shit my father said and taught me, I’m tamping down. None of it matters anymore, and I’m a grown ass man now. I know what is right, and what isn’t. It’s time for me to turn over as much of a new leaf as I possibly can. I don’t know how new that is, but goddamn I’m going to try, for her—for Easton.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  HAYDEN

  I yawn. Last night was the second night in a row where Zachary fucked one of the cooks all night long. This time it wasn’t Anastasia, but instead, Faith. It was a bunch of the same, just like the previous night, and he even repeated the speech about not wanting to screw up her perfect tight body. I have a feeling tonight he’ll have one of the other two women, and so on. I assume they’re on some kind of rotation.

  Glancing across the table at Whitley, I wonder if she’s in on the game as well. She doesn’t seem to be as aloof, or as snotty as I’m discovering the other women are, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t one of them.

  Taking a piece of toast, I put a little butter on it before I cut it into small pieces and place it on Easton’s plate. It’s five in the morning, and Zachary is sound asleep in bed. I’ve discovered that he usually doesn’t wake up until around noon on a typical day, and it’s because he’s up all night throwing it to a cook.

  Whitley looks at me, opening her mouth, then snaps it closed. “What?” I ask.

  “I’m not one of them,” she states. “He doesn’t even look twice at me,” she explains. My mouth drops open slightly and my brows lift in surprise. “At one time, I thought that I wanted his eye, I thought it was a way to stay safe. But I really don’t.”

  “Something happened to one of them?” I guess.

  She shakes her head. “Not them, they’re all pretty new. It was one of his girls before. He killed her in the middle of it. Choked her to death,” she whispers. Leaning over she continues, “He didn’t even care. He actually finished inside of her, then called some of his men and had them bury her out in the woods.”

  Whitley lifts her hand and dashes a tear away. “She was only sixteen. I felt so bad. He just went on with his day like nothing had happened and Anastasia took her place later that same day. It was then that I realized I didn’t want to be one of his girls, that I was safer being invisible and caring for these children.”

  With a trembling hand, I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. “I’ve been held like one of them before, used like them and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” I breathe. She nods, squeezing my hand in hers.

  Then, as if all hell breaks loose. I hear the four cooks screaming from the kitchen and then I hear things clanking and banging around, sounding much like a struggle. “Stay here with the kids,” I state.

  “There’s an underground shelter, I’ll take them there,” Whitley announces.

  I frown, shaking my head. My heart is racing, and I hope that this is who I think it is. “Don’t do that yet. If I don’t come back in five minutes, then take them,” I state.

  Her brows knit together but she nods. I hand Easton to her across the table as I stand and hurry toward the kitchen. My breath completely escapes my body when I see the familiar patches sewn onto leather jackets.

  The cooks are all holding knives out, their eyes full of fear. I know for sure any one of them would harm the men in this kitchen if given the chance. I scan the room looking for one man in particular when I see him, my heart begins to race.

  As if he can feel his eyes on me, his head slowly turns, and he looks directly at me. His blue eyes widen in disbelieve before they sparkle and smile. Abandoning his brothers, he runs over to me, wrapping me up in his arms.

  His lips crash against mine in a brutal kiss before he speaks. “Where’s our boy?” he asks.

  “In the next room. Those women are completely brainwashed, there’s no saving them.”

  I feel bad for putting an X on their chest, but it’s true. Whitley completely confirmed what I had already heard with my own ears.

  “Snake,” Ward calls out. “The bitches won’t come willingly. He’s got to them. We need to get the leader.”

  Wrapping my hand around Ward’s, I lead him into the dining room. Whitley isn’t where I left her, the children are still around, but she’s against the wall, Zachary behind her with a knife to her neck and Easton in her arms. She has tears streaming down her
cheeks.

  “The fuck,” Ward hisses.

  “You dirty pieces of shit. Get the fuck out, or she and the kid get it,” Zachary growls.

  Ward chuckles, and I hear more boots stomping closer as the room fills with the rest of the men. They must have killed the cooks, and I’ll feel bad later, but right now this is about survival.

  I hear someone suck in a breath, letting it out in a hiss next to me and I glance to the side. It’s Free, and his eyes are directly pointed at Whitley.

  “She ain’t gonna be hurt, and neither is the kid, matter of fact, no kids are going to be hurt,” Snake announces.

  Looking to the side, I notice that all of the other children are sitting stoically against the wall. They are so fucked up. I wonder if there will be any hope for the older ones at having a normal life? I hope that they will.

  Zachary laughs. “Who says? Maybe I’ll hurt them just for fun. They don’t matter anyway. I can get other bitches in my house and have another half a dozen kids in the blink of an eye.”

  Whitley whimpers and I watch as the knife is pushed against her neck a little harder, cutting her slightly. Without even taking a moment’s breath, Free lifts his hand and I hear his guns blast as Whitley, Easton, and the rest of the children let out blood-curdling screams.

  My eyes go from Easton to Zachary, who is now lying on a heap on the floor. “Fuck that sick motherfucker,” Free growls.

  We all stand, stunned into silence as Free marches toward a scared Whitely and scoops her up in his arms. He makes his way back to us, and waits as she hands Easton off, then continues walking away. I overhear him asking her if any of the kids are hers, she tells him no, and they continue out of the house.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Snake mutters. Turning to me he gives me a lopsided smile. “Hey Hayden, glad you’re okay, sweetheart,” he winks.

  Ward pulls me a little closer to his side, his lips grazing the top of my head. “We got anyone else in here we need to worry about, baby?” he asks.

  “There were four women in the kitchen, right?” I ask.

  Snake nods, his eyes clouding over, and I know he’s probably feeling guilty. I shake my head, giving him a small, sad smile. He shouldn’t. They were too far gone to be saved, like many of the other women assuredly are as well.

  “It was just us, and these children.” I lift my finger and I count them. They’re all there, even the older ones and I let out a sigh of relief. “They’re all here.”

  Ward reaches for Easton and tucks him against his chest. I watch as Easton’s hand immediately fists his beard as he tips his little baby head back. “Dada, lub you,” he coos. My heart melts at the sight and Ward’s eyes soften as he looks down at Easton.

  “We need to at least go through this place, see if we can find anything,” Snake mutters.

  “Fish, get these kids out and to the vans,” he orders.

  I watch as all of the children stand and begin to walk outside in a line, the older children pick up the babies on their way out.

  “That’s creepy as fuck,” Snake mutters.

  “I haven’t heard one of them talk the entire time I’ve been here,” I admit.

  His eyes widen, and Ward’s hand on my waist flexes with a squeeze. Snake picks up his phone and I listen as he makes a call.

  “You need backup?” he asks. “Okay, we’re at the big house. Going to look around, then we’re gone. Fish and a couple guys are bringing a batch of kids your way.” He ends the call then looks over at me.

  “Any idea where he’d hide shit?”

  I shrug. “Whitley said something about going under the house when she heard you guys coming in.”

  “Guess we’ll look from the ground up then,” he chuckles.

  CROONER

  My heart fucking swells when Easton tells me that he loves me. Fuck, I love him too, more than I ever thought possible. Following behind Snake, we make our way toward a staircase that obviously leads down instead of up. I frown, wondering what this fucker could have in the basement.

  Snake begins to descend but tells Motorhead to stay on top as a lookout just in case. I think about telling Hayden to go outside and find Free and that girl, but I don’t. Honestly, I don’t want her out of my sight right now, her or Easton. I keep my free hand wrapped around my gun and Easton close to my chest with my other hand.

  Snake flips a light on as we enter the large space. The walls are lined with guns and military devices, like grenades and who knows what the fuck else, probably other types of explosives.

  “It’s like a fuckin’ storage for the end of days,” Snake mutters.

  I watch as he opens up a door, it’s a pantry with rows and rows of military meals, canned goods, and bottled water. “Samuel Jones probably set all this up,” I say, looking around.

  “How did this Zachary fucker get in power?” Snake asks, turning to Hayden.

  She shrugs. “I don’t know. Whitley probably does though. She’s been living here for a while, taking care of his children.”

  “All those his?” I ask, my brows lifting in surprise.

  Hayden nods. “He said they were. Apparently, when a new girl would be brought in, he would screw them and if they got pregnant then he’d keep the kid before he handed her off to one of the men, or…” Her words trail off and I know what they mean, what she’s implying. Snake does too, and I’m glad when he doesn’t ask her to finish her thought.

  “The girls in the kitchen?” he asks, looking around the room, unfocused on Hayden, and instead on all of the weapons surrounding us.

  Her hand flexes in mine before she sucks in a deep breath and speaks. “Those were girls he never intended on having children with,” she grimaces. “They all pined after him, it was obvious they were completely brainwashed and idolized him.”

  Snake lifts his chin, running his hand through his hair, wrapping his fingers around the back of his neck. “Get the guns and shit out of here, load it up in a van. We’re torching this place,” he states.

  “Is there anything we can find in his office? Maybe if there are other compounds, he has information on them,” Hayden offers.

  Snake looks at her, giving her a wink. “Smart girl. We’ll grab his laptop and cell phone before we do anything.”

  Hayden smiles, and swear to fuck it’s the most beautiful sight I’ve seen in days. I lift my hand and wrap it around the back of her neck, tugging her head closer to me so I can press my lips to the top of her hair.

  “Let’s get this shit done, I can’t wait to watch this fucking place burn,” I growl.

  The men start gathering weapons and carrying them upstairs. Snake waves us to follow him as he starts to walk upstairs. “Let’s go through his office, grab anything that looks important,” he instructs.

  We follow him, Hayden curled in my side as we walk. His office door is open, the space smells like cigar smoke and it has books lining the walls.

  The desk is in the center and it’s an over the top carved piece of wood with a high-backed chair behind it. You can tell he thought he was fucking something, a man who had to make himself feel important.

  Snake closes his laptop and picks it up in his hand, using his other to rifle through the papers on his desk. Hayden disengages from my arm, and I watch her walk over to a filing cabinet and start to look through it. She gasps, looking back to me.

  Walking over to her, I notice that her hand is shaking as she holds something in her hand. It’s a file, my brows furrow as I take it from her and my stomach twists. It’s a file on her. There are pictures of her when she was younger, a lot fucking younger. She’s naked, her legs spread, and a terrified look on her face.

  “That was when I was taken,” she whispers through trembling lips. “There are so many folders here.”

  Looking from the pictures, I glance at the filing cabinet and notice that there are hundreds of names. I doubt even half of them are still alive. Daughters, sisters, Old Ladies, so many that were stolen and abused. “What do you want to do wi
th these, Snake?” I ask, keeping my voice low.

  “We could try and find them all,” he grunts.

  Hayden shakes her head. “Nobody should have to see a reminder of the hell we lived through,” she rasps. “Torch these files with the house,” she states.

  Snake nods and I throw her file on top of the others. I never want to see it again either. Fuck these sick pieces of shit, fuck this house and their compound. I wish I could kill the sick bastard all over again. Threading my fingers in Hayden’s, I decide I’ve been in this hellhole long enough, turning toward the door, I tug her behind me.

  “Our bags. They’re upstairs,” she calls out from behind me as my legs begin to move a bit faster.

  I stop, turning to face her. “That shit can burn. I don’t want any reminder of what happened to you,” I growl, tugging her against my chest. Her head tips back and tears fill her eyes. When she opens her mouth, I expect her to be pissed or to start yelling at me, but she doesn’t.

  “I love you, Ward,” she exhales.

  Lowering my head, I rest my forehead against hers. “Love you more than you could imagine, baby,” I murmur. She nods, taking a step back, and then it’s her leading me and Easton out of the house.

  Once we’re outside in the fresh air, she inhales a deep breath, her eyes lifting to meet mine. I watch as she smiles, squeezing my hand with her own. “Take us home.”

  “That’s our next fucking stop,” I grin.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  HAYDEN

  Ward loads both me and Easton up in Snake’s pickup truck. I snap Easton into the five-point harness car seat in the middle of the back before I slide in next to him. I expect Ward to get in on the other side, but he doesn’t. Instead, he leans in, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck and presses his lips against my own in a bruising kiss.

  “Gotta help close this place down, baby. I’ll be back soon. You’ll be locked in,” he explains.