Devil's Pact

by Brook Wilder

  This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, events, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Devil’s Pact copyright @ 2018 by Brook Wilder and Scholae Palatina Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  DEVIL’S PACT

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  EPILOGUE

  OTHER BOOKS BY BROOK WILDER

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  DEVIL’S PACT

  Chapter 1

  Olivia ran in the dark. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but she knew it wasn’t fast enough. No matter how hard she tried to push herself, she couldn’t make her body move forward.

  The darkness surrounding her was the pitch black of a starless night. It hung heavy and thick in the air around her, making it hard to breathe, and her already laboring lungs ached as she tried to suck in oxygen.

  She was getting tired. She could feel it in every muscle as they started to cramp and spasm from the effort to keep moving. Her whole body felt like she was moving through quicksand. Something in the dark kept catching at her feet, making her stumble, her arms wind-milling as she tried to keep her balance.

  Behind her, invisible in the pitch-black night, Olivia could hear the sound of growling, like a large fierce animal stalking after her.

  She ran and ran. She knew she couldn’t stop. If she stopped, the monster would get her and then she’d be hurt, or worse. Olivia didn’t know how she knew, but the knowledge sat deep inside her like a boulder weighing her down.

  Olivia lost track of how far she’d run or the time that had past. Every step felt like a momentous effort. Just as she felt like she wouldn’t be able to take another step and all hope was lost, a sudden light appeared in the distance ahead of her. She knew that, if she could just get there, she’d be safe. She just had to reach the light. If she could reach the light, then everything would be fine.

  Olivia focused on the light, moving towards it. She ignored the ache in her legs as she ran up a big hill, and she ignored the fact that she couldn’t draw a breath. Her heart was racing, and her lungs felt like they were about to burst, but she didn’t stop. She didn’t let herself slow down. Because the growling was drawing closer and closer, no matter how hard she pushed herself.

  She shot a frantic look behind her, stumbling as she did so, and for a second she could almost see the monster forming in the darkness. With a muffled scream, she climbed back to her feet, pushing herself forward.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Olivia reached the top of the hill, the beacon-like light drawing her closer to it. But she couldn’t let herself relax. The growls were right behind her and, as she reached the light, she suddenly froze. It wasn’t growling at all, but engines. Motorcycle engines. And the light she’d finally reached was a single headlight, glaring at her in the night.

  Everywhere she looked now she was surrounded by motorcycles, roaring loudly, and on each one sat a ghoul, larger than a man, with black smears where their eyes should be. She could still feel the hatred in their gazes, even without their eyes. She could feel their terrible intent.

  Olivia looked around desperately but there was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to hide. She was surrounded. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out.

  Chapter 2

  Olivia awoke with a gasp. The terror from the nightmare was still pumping through her body, stringing her up tight. She lay frozen in place on the hard mattress for a long time as her mind tried to swim out of the mire of her awful dream.

  As she blinked, her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light inside the motel room. Inch by inch she could make out the cracked plaster ceiling, the scratched dresser that was shoved against one wall and the small nightstand next to the bed.

  The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon, tinting everything a dull fuzzy gray, but Olivia drank in the sight of it. Anything was better than closing her eyes and reliving that nightmare.

  She knew, logically, that it had just been a dream. That it wasn’t real. It had probably just been her own subconscious trying to deal with the fear that had charged through her when Preston had showed up on her doorstep the day before and told her that both their lives were in danger.

  Olivia tilted her head to the side, the early morning light catching on Preston’s sharp cheekbone as he slept next to her. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t just a dream. She knew that they were in trouble. Serious trouble.

  They’d rushed out of town so fast that Olivia had barely had time to process it all, or to even think. They had ridden through the night, until she’d reached the point of exhaustion, and even now she could feel the aches and bruises on her thighs from the long ride.

  But there was still an edge. She knew they hadn’t gone far enough to lose the Devil’s Martyrs. The notorious biker gang that even now was probably out hunting for them. All because she’d thought she was doing the right thing.

  It was the right thing, she reminded herself.

  But she wondered who she was trying to convince.

  If only he had told me the whole truth…

  Olivia let that thought trail off with a mental sigh.

  Preston had told her over and over again not to go to the police with the evidence that she’d found. But he was being charged with a murder he hadn’t committed! What else was she supposed to do?

  She hadn’t realized how serious he was, or how serious the repercussions of her actions would be. She hadn’t known that going forward would paint targets on their backs, or that the president of Preston’s gang would put out hits on them.

  Olivia traced his features in the faint light, marveling at him. He was so expressive when he was awake, always grinning sardonically at something. But in sleep he looked serious. Troubled. As troubled as she felt.

  That uneasiness inside her only grew worse as she thought about where it was they were really going. They were driving straight towards Knox, Preston’s brother. A murderer. And Olivia was surprised to find it bothered her nearly as much, that a man was willing to let his brother take the fall for his own crime.

  She didn’t know what to expect, and she hated walking into a situation blind. She tried to think back to what little Preston had told her about his brother, and the man didn’t seem like a murderer. A little reckless, sure, but…
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  She shook her head at the thought.

  You can’t justify what he did. The man committed a crime. Your job is to make sure that criminals get justice.

  So, then why wasn’t she calling the cops? Why wasn’t she fighting to go somewhere else?

  Olivia was still wrestling with her own thoughts when Preston suddenly woke up. Instantly, she was trapped by the dark blue of his eyes and the rush of emotion that filled them as he looked over at her.

  She realized, in the space of a heartbeat, that she was in way too deep. That was the problem. And it was oh so easy to fall even deeper for this enigmatic man. Preston tied her in knots. He had taken her neat and tidy life and turned it up on its head. And the worst part was that she didn’t regret a single moment of it.

  “Hey there,” Preston whispered, his voice still full of gravel and sleep.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “How did you sleep?” he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

  Immediately there was a lie on her tongue. Just tell him she’d slept fine. Keep the conversation light and safe. That would the easy way out, but something stopped her. She didn’t want to lie to him. Instead she took a deep breath and told him about her nightmare.

  After she’d got to the end, the part about being surrounded by ghostly bikers and unable to escape, Preston pulled her close in his arms, and when he whispered against her ear it sent chills down her spine.

  “Don’t worry, Olivia. I swear to you that I’m going to keep you safe and whole. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “But what about you?”

  The question popped out of her mouth before she realized it was even there. As soon as she’d spoken the words, though, she knew that, as scared as she was for herself, she was even more scared for him.

  “Me?” Preston asked slowly, looking shocked at her concern. As if no one in the world had ever worried about him before.

  “Yes, you,” Olivia huffed, waving one hand above them in the air. “This is you gang. Your leader, Capone. He’s not going to just take you back into his open arms, I’m assuming. And that’s if we survive, of course.”

  “You, uh, are assuming correctly,” Preston finally said after a moment, ignoring the last thing she’d said.

  His expression grew even more serious as he flipped over onto his back, staring up at the peeling ceiling as he spoke.

  “I’ve been thinking about it ever since…well, ever since I met you, to be honest.”

  “Thinking about what?”

  “About getting out.”

  Olivia’s heart leapt a bit at Preston’s words, with a joy she couldn’t explain, but she didn’t speak as he continued.

  “About going clean. Getting away from this lifestyle. I joined for the freedom. For the family. But the past year had been nothing but violence, and now Capone is getting even worse.”

  “Tell me about him,” Olivia asked after he’d fallen silent. “Tell me about Capone.”

  Preston turned to give her a questioning look.

  “Why would you want to know about him? He wants to kill us, isn’t that enough?”

  “No. That’s exactly why I need to know everything about him, then…” She paused, drawing in a deep breath. “…then maybe he won’t be so scary.”

  But Preston was already shaking his head.

  “No, Olivia. If you knew who… what he was… If you knew what he’s capable of, it would only scare you more. Believe me. The man is bat-shit crazy and unstable. He rules through fear and he doesn’t care who gets hurt as long as he’s in charge. That’s all you need to know. Believe me.”

  There was a finality to his voice that cut off the rest of the questions Olivia was going to ask about the fearsome president of the gang. For the moment at least. She had no intention of letting the subject go, but she could wait. Instead, she latched on to something else Preston had said.

  “So, if you got out of the gang life, what would you want to do? Where would you want to go?”

  Preston was silent for so long that she was sure he wasn’t going to answer her. But, when he finally did, she was surprised.

  “Honestly? Don’t laugh, but I always dreamed of living by the ocean.”

  “The ocean?”

  “Yeah, getting a little house by a beach somewhere.” He shrugged. “I don’t know… I grew up in a small town in the middle of shitsville Iowa. It was small and dirty. But the ocean… a man could get lost in something that big.”

  Olivia glanced over at him, hearing the wistfulness in his voice, and she was warmed from the inside out. It felt like he’d given her a gift. A small part of himself that she was sure he’d never shared with anyone else. She wasn’t sure why she liked that so much.

  As he talked about his dream cottage on the beach and listening to the ocean waves, it occurred to her how different his perfect life was from the vision she’d always had for herself. She’d always pictured herself in a big city somewhere, as a top lawyer in a bustling law firm. She’d never had time to envision a partner, or a romance, or a family with someone else.

  She was just as surprised to find that she wanted that too. With a bittersweet ache that filled her to the brim.

  Preston’s voice suddenly took on an edge of sadness.

  “I’ll probably never be able to see my daughter again.” He let out a rough sigh. “After all of this. With Capone after me. If he learns that she exists, he would use her against me. I won’t let that happen.”

  Chapter 3

  Preston was lost in his own thoughts, thinking about his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in over a year and very likely wouldn’t see again for a long time. She was safe, he reminded himself. Which was the only thing that really mattered to him. She was safe and protected and happy. And he would do anything and everything he had to keep her that way.

  He was so wrapped up in his musings that he was surprised when Olivia suddenly reached out and pulled him into a crushing hug. It was such a simple thing, a hug, but the tenderness of the gesture made his chest tighten painfully with unfamiliar emotion. He wasn’t used to soft touches. His entire life had been hard, painful and sharp. There had been nothing soft about it.

  “You’re a good father, Preston,” Olivia whispered.

  On top of the hug, that nearly crippled him. He held her back, marveling at her faith in him. It baffled him, but he wasn’t about to dissuade her of her notions, however foolish. He knew the truth. And he knew he was doing the best he could.

  With Olivia in his arms, it was almost possible to forget the men chasing after them, the danger that they were in. But Preston knew that would be a mistake. He had always to be vigilant, always aware.

  With regret, he pulled away from her, sighing as she slid from his embrace. She sat up, stretching as she did so, and Preston didn’t even try and hide the heat in his eyes, or the way his body instantly reacted to her. He couldn’t help either.

  She glanced over at him, giving him a knowing look.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” she said, sounding suddenly breathless. “I’m starving. I need breakfast and coffee.”

  The way she moaned the last word had his whole body tightening painfully all over again.

  “Come on, Red…” Preston pleaded.

  But she was already slipping away. He let her, watching as she got her feet. She gathered up her clothes, trying to slide them on as surreptitiously as possible. She was so modest, so unlike the biker groupies who had hung around the gang, that he shook his head, baffled. He’d already seen, touched and tasted all of her. What did she have to be embarrassed about?

  She hadn’t been embarrassed last night.

  The thought echoed through his head and Preston nearly groaned as the memory assaulted him. No, she had been open and giving and willing and took everything he had to give. She hadn’t been embarrassed one bit.

  But he didn’t say any of that out loud. He had a feeling it would just set off another one of those blushes of hers that could rival any su
nset he’d ever seen. Finally, she was dressed and was walking around the small motel room, tossing his clothes towards him on the bed.

  “Come on, Preston. I really am starving.”

  I have something she could have, he thought with a chuckle, but once more kept his wayward thoughts to himself as he reluctantly pulled on his boxers and jeans, pausing to adjust himself as well as he could before dressing the rest of the way.

  “Alright then, starving beauty,” he said with a dramatic wave of his hand. “Your breakfast awaits,”

  Olivia let out a loud snort but just shook her head as she followed him out of the motel room and down the stairs. He’s seen a small twenty-four-hour diner across the street when they’d pulled into the parking lot the night before. Hopefully, no one else would be there this early, and they could eat and get on the road without too much delay.