Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1)

by Reese A. Stephens

  “What happened to you?” I ask.

  “I tried to get Dylan.” He sits on the bed beside me. “He's fine, but Jason has him hidden. I'm sorry, Shayla. I tried. I want to be a good husband. I really do.”

  He looks so sincere. When he's like this, it's hard for me to hate him, but then again, I know this isn’t how he always is. He can be so sweet, and then so evil. I'm almost positive he's got some kind of bipolar disorder. He needs medical help for so many reasons.

  “Thank you.”

  I don't know what else to say. He risked his life to try to help me, even if his motives are less than honorable.

  “I do love you. I know you don't believe me, but I've loved you since I first set eyes on you in college. You were perfect. You were sitting alone in advanced chemistry; I walked by you and you smiled. No one does that. They ignore me. Never had anyone looked up from what they were doing to see me, but you did. You spoke kindly to me. Even when you wouldn't go out with me. I understood, you had a son and you didn't want to date. I got that. Then you did say yes. I didn't handle our date well; I should've taken it more slowly. I think you would have loved me. I’ve screwed everything up. This was the only answer.” He gestures around the room. “I built this place slowly over the last twelve years. I finished it last year. I didn't think you'd ever be mine, because you were married by then, but I took care of that.”

  That raises a huge red flag for me. “Took care of what? Is Todd okay?”

  He smiles. “Of course he's okay. I'm not a killer, Shayla. I just found out about his wife, that the divorce was never actually legal. His marriage to you wasn't legal. I also paid him a good chunk of money to leave you, not that I had to try very hard. He didn't love you enough. As soon as I mentioned money, he was on board.”

  I'm in shock. My marriage fell apart because of Trevor. Of course, I reconnected with Ryan because of him as well. All of this was his fault. I’m equal parts furious and happy. How dare he interfere with my life, but then if he hadn't I might still be in an unhappy marriage, trying to have a baby to fix it.

  “Why would you do all this?”

  “I told you. I love you.”

  I'm so overwhelmed. “Trevor, as well-meaning as you may have been, it’s not right for you to manipulate my life like this. I should be able to choose what's best for me and my son. This isn't it, don't you see that? My son is in mortal danger because of what you've done.”

  “I'm sorry for that. I didn't anticipate what Jason would do. Believe it or not, the fact that he knew Ryan and had a vendetta against him was merely a convenient coincidence for me.” He smiles happily at the thought.

  “Did you help Mathis get out of prison?”

  “No, but the timing was perfect.”

  “You know he's not only a mob boss, but a serial killer. He's called The Fox in the FBI. He kills women who look just like me.”

  He frowns. “I know. It seems the men in our family tend to go for the same type of woman. We called him Fox when he was a kid. He was always so sneaky.”

  “As a kid? How did the FBI not pick up on that?”

  He smiles, then rubs his hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh. “I guess since you're my wife now and you'll never be able to say anything, I can tell you this. There's an FBI agent named Gregory Edwards. He grew up with Jason and me. He gave him the nickname. He also helped him get out of jail.” I gasp. He laughs. “I don't think you understand how far the Mathis ties go.

  “How are you related to him?” I figure if I keep him talking then maybe Ryan will get here before he has time to do anything.

  “Cousins. My mom and his mom are sisters.”

  “Oh. But your mom’s last name is McAdams?”

  He stares at me for a second. “I know you’re trying to distract me, but that’s okay. I’ll answer. My mom kept her maiden name; her mother was a Mathis and married a McAdams. My dad was a lawyer and it was easier to differentiate between the two that way.”

  “Oh, that makes sense. I should keep my maiden name, you know, so they don’t confuse us at the hospital.” I have no idea why I just said that.

  He chuckles darkly. He stands and leans over me. “I think you misunderstand, Shayla. You aren’t going back to the hospital. You’ll be staying here and taking care of me. I want you barefoot and pregnant.” He pushes me back down to the bed until he’s lying on top of me. I try to push him away, but he doesn’t budge. “Did you think I’d forget?” He leans down and kisses me. I have nowhere to go. I shove at him again and turn my head, but he just trails kisses down my neck.

  I have to find some way to stall. “I need to use the bathroom, Trevor. Please.”

  He sighs and rolls away. “That’s probably a good idea. Go freshen up for me, sweetheart.”

  I run to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me. I look absolutely horrible. I’m still in the wedding dress, but it’s torn and dirty from our fight in the kitchen. My hair has fallen out of the up-do and my makeup is smeared; black trails of mascara mark my face. A huge knot and bruise have bloomed on my forehead and cheek. I don’t know how he can even find me attractive. I’d be disgusted with myself if I hurt someone I’m supposed to love like this. I guess that’s part of his problem. He can’t see the hurt he’s causing me.

  “Hurry up, Ryan. I don’t know how long I can hold off the inevitable.”

  I take my time. I wash my face, use the toilet, comb my hair, and reapply my makeup. I don’t want Ryan to see the bruises if he gets here in time, because God knows what he would do if he did. I close my eyes for a moment and pray that he gets here soon. When I have nothing left that I can possibly do to waste time, I open the door. Trevor is sitting on the bed reading something on his cellphone. He looks up to me and smiles.

  “You look lovely. Sorry your dress is ruined.” He jumps up and goes to the closet. He grabs a white silky nightgown and robe. “Here, put these on.”

  I take the items and hurry back to the bathroom, anything to eat up the minutes. I change and sit down on the side of the tub. I’m so sleepy. It has to be close to dawn by now. A bang on the door startles me and I realize that I have actually started to doze off sitting there. Standing, I make my way to the door and open it before he breaks it down.

  “What’s taking you so long?” He’s angry.

  “Just wanted to be sure I was perfect,” I tell him, trying to keep my rolling stomach at bay.

  He smiles and cups my face, his anger draining away as quickly as it arrived. “You already are perfect.”

  He pulls my chin up and kisses me. It’s slow and tender. I close my eyes and try to pretend that it’s Ryan, but it doesn’t work. I know it’s not him. I try to pull back, but Trevor wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me over to the bed.

  “I love you so much, Shayla. You’re my entire world.”

  Trevor’s words are sweet, but he’s not who I want to hear them from. I want Ryan so badly. He brushes my hair off my neck, kissing me there. His fingers then wrap around the strap of the nightgown and he pushes it down my arm. He taps my bra.

  “You’re not really supposed to wear this with a nightgown.”

  I shrug. It was on purpose, obviously, but Trevor looks irate now. He roughly grabs the other strap of the night-gown and pushes it down so that the top falls to my elbows.

  “Take it off now.”

  “Please don’t make me do this.” I know begging will do nothing except make him angrier, but I won’t give in that easily.

  “It’s your duty as my wife to consummate this marriage, now do what I say or I’ll cut it off you.” I gasp, but make no move. He reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a pocket knife. “I’m serious, Shayla.”

  I back away. “So am I. I don’t want to have sex with you.”

  He grabs me roughly. I try to fight against him, but I’m so tired and probably have a concussion from the earlier blows to the head that I’m not successful in my attempts. He throws my ripped up bra to the ground and then stand
s there breathing heavily. I quickly pull the nightgown up to cover myself. He drops the knife and reaches for me, but I take another step back, bumping into the dresser. He smiles.

  “You can’t get away from me this time. The door is locked.”

  Trevor grabs me and pulls me tightly to his chest, kissing me deeply. I gag, but it doesn’t deter him. He rips the nightgown and robe off me, and throws me down onto the bed. He’s kissing every part of me he can reach as I try to fight him off. He’s not deterred in the slightest by my kicks and hits. Growling, he sits up, grabbing my hair and wrenching my head back as far as it will go. I feel like I might hyperventilate. I’m flailing about, trying to find purchase on something that will help me, but I can’t find anything.

  “If you don’t cooperate and participate, I’ll have Jason cut off your son’s hand.”

  “No.” I struggle to get loose again. I can barely breathe.

  He lets go and I collapse onto the bed, taking huge gulps of air as I try to get my breathing regulated again.

  “Are you going to cooperate?”

  “Yes, just leave Dylan alone.”

  He pushes me down and lies on top of me. He cups my face gently. “Tell me you love me.”

  “I love you.” My voice is monotone.

  Trevor shakes his head. “Tell me like you mean it.”

  I close my eyes and picture Ryan. “I love you,” I say softly, full of longing. It’s not hard. I do love Ryan.

  “Better,” he murmurs as he leans in to kiss me.

  He kisses and caresses me, then takes my hands and puts them on his back, making me move them up and down. Tears slip out of my eyes. I can’t stop this and Ryan isn’t going to get here in time.

  “You are so perfect, Mrs. Daniels. I’m ready for you. I’m ready to make us a true couple.”

  I panic, looking around everywhere trying to find something to stop him. “Condom!” I blurt.

  He laughs. “Why would I want to use a condom when I want you pregnant? If I’ve done my math correctly, you should be ovulating right around now.”

  I stare at him horrified. “You tracked my cycle?” I can’t believe he did that. How could he have known?

  “Isn’t that what a good boyfriend or husband does?”

  “No!”

  He smiles. “Well, I did and I can’t wait to see you swollen with my child.” He looks down, palming my belly. I whimper in protest and try to move back on the bed away from him, but he grabs my leg and pulls me back down to him.

  “No!”

  This can’t happen. Please, God, don’t let this happen! A loud bang sounds in the air and something wet hits my face as Trevor’s eyes grow huge, then he falls forward, pinning me to the bed. I scream and shove at him. He rolls off the side of the bed and I scream again, scrambling up the bed and grabbing at the blanket to cover myself.

  “Shayla.”

  I don’t know what to do. I can’t see straight and the light streaming into the room is so bright. I don’t understand what’s happening. What’s wrong with Trevor? What’s on my face?

  “Shayla.” Someone touches me and I jerk back.

  “Please no. I don’t want this. I want to go home. Please don’t make me. I want to go home. I want Dylan. I want Ryan,” I mutter repeatedly.

  Arms wrap around me and a scent that I recognize immediately wafts around me. Not sweat and cologne like Trevor. This smell is fresh like the outdoors, rustic, woodsy; the warm sun. He’s everything pure, honest, and safe. So safe. It’s a scent that I know belongs to the one I love. I cling to him tightly.

  “I’ve got you, baby. I’m here.”

  I slowly look up, my eyes having finally adjusted to the bright light. “Ryan?”

  “Yeah, baby. It’s me. I’ve got you. He’s not going to hurt you again.”

  “Ryan?” I ask again.

  “I swear it’s me, Shay. You’re safe.”

  “Safe. I’m safe.”

  He presses a kiss to my forehead and I know he’s right. I’m finally safe, wrapped in his arms. He made it in time. He saved me from the fate I was sure was mine and prevented something that would have surely haunted me throughout my life. I squeeze him even tighter, basking in the strength of his arms and the love I know he carries for me. A love that is mirrored in me for him. That’s what Trevor didn’t understand. He thought he could make me feel something that I didn’t, but all I felt for him was anger and, to a lesser point, pity. I breathe in deeply, knowing that Ryan is here and that I’m protected in his embrace.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Ryan

  Everyone is busy gathering supplies. Twelve men from two local precincts have joined us and ten from my own. It’s not quite as many as we’d hoped for, but it’ll get the job done. As far as we have been able to ascertain, there are only fifteen armed men on the compound. Another SUV with four men arrived about an hour ago. There may be more on the way, so we have to move fast. I turn to Tom. I want to be sure he’s mentally prepared for this.

  “If you want to stay here, that’s fine. Shayla will kill me if anything happens to you.”

  “I’m going. My baby girl and my grandson have been through enough in their lives. Things I couldn’t protect or save Shayla from. I’ll be damned if I let that happen again. I’m going.” He shoves his gun into his chest holster making it final.

  “Good. Just remember to stick to the plan. We don’t want to go running in shooting wildly. We need all our men to be safe so that we can get Shayla and Dylan out.”

  He looks at me for a long moment. “I may be a lot older than you, Ryan, but I was in the military for a long time. I know how to work a rescue mission. I’ve been on several in my time.”

  I hold up my hands in surrender. “You’re right. I forgot. You’ve been an accountant for as long as I’ve known you.”

  He slaps my shoulder. “As far as you know, I was an accountant.” He turns and walks over to the group, leaving me stunned. I follow, but I don’t have a chance to ask him what he’s talking about.

  “If I can get everyone’s attention,” Marsh says, drawing everyone to him. “I have a few things to go over. First and foremost, thank you all for volunteering your time. I can’t say that it will be easy and I can’t guarantee you’ll come back in one piece, but I think if we can all work together, we can keep the casualties at a minimum and bring Shayla and Dylan home safely. Now, I’ve already divided you guys up into groups, with one team leader on each. For the sake of simplicity, if you need to contact the base, you’ll be known as team 1, 2, 3 and so on. Stay with your team. We don’t need a rogue hero. That’s how people end up dead. Cover your team and work together. We’re moving out in ten.”

  Marsh steps down off the chair that he was standing on and comes to me. He shakes my hand and puts the other hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eye.

  “I know you’ve got your head on straight for this, but let me warn you now. If you do anything to endanger these men, yourself, or Shayla and Dylan, I’ll be sure that you never walk again. Am I clear?”

  “I’m good. Don’t worry about me.”

  He nods. “Good. Now, I’m sure you want in that house. I’m putting you, Paul, Tom, and Linc together. You’re team leader 2. Don’t make me regret this, Ryan.”

  “Who’s one?” I ask, bypassing his warnings. They’re unnecessary. I’ve never been as levelheaded as I am right now.

  He smiles and winks. “Me, of course.” I snort, rolling my eyes.

  “Marsh, I gave each team and leader their call number. We’re all packed and loaded. Just waiting on your word,” Jon tells him.

  “Good. Let’s move out!” Marsh calls.

  My team is to head northwest. The house is about five-hundred feet from the forest’s edge, but there’s really no point around the entire compound that is closer, or covered. It’s out in the open. We’ll be able to hide around a few buildings or cars, but we’ll be sitting ducks for the most part. We’ve also decided not to use the ATV’s. There are sim
ply too many of us for that to be feasible.

  “You good?” I ask Tom. I worry about him running the ten miles to the compound, but he seems to be as much on task as the rest of us who are half his age.

  “I’m not as weak as you think I am, Ryan.”

  “I know you’re not weak. This is a long run.” I’m panting. I assumed he would be too, but he looks barely out of breath.

  He smiles. “I run ten miles every day. This is nothing. Now, shut up and get moving. I want my babies in my arms by daybreak.”

  He’s surprising me more and more. We’ll have to have a serious talk when we get home. As we draw closer to the compound, I hold my arm out and slow my men.

  “Team Two to base. Do you copy?”

  “Team Two copy. Over,” Riley replies.

  “Team Two is at the forest edge. Ready to move on your word, Team One. Over.”

  “Team One to Team Two, hold position. Over.”

  “Copy that, Team One. Over.”

  I pull out my binoculars, looking for anything to give me an idea where Shayla or Dylan could be, but the only thing I can see is a light on in one of the bedrooms. I turn to my team.

  “Paul, you’re with me. Linc and Tom, you have our backs. We’ll secure the house and then move into the room with the light.” They all nod.

  “Team One, to all. Proceed with caution on my mark. Base, cut the external power in three, two, one.” Once it goes dark, we hear, “Move in. over.”

  It’s almost pitch-black, save for the small light shining in the one window. Seeing no one visible, we take off running low to the house. We stop behind a small outbuilding. I look to the left and right and see two men. One is making his way to the back of the house, grumbling about the power outage; the other is standing guard at the front door. I signal for Linc and Tom to get the guy headed for the back and Paul to follow me to the front.

  We almost make it to the porch when the gunfire starts. The guy starts to draw his gun, but Paul beats him to it, shooting him in the chest. He drops to the ground hard. I grab his gun and we make our way into the house. It’s almost too easy, but I know we aren’t out of the woods yet. Quickly, we scan the house and find no one else present.