Sanctum (Sacred Series Book 1)

by K. Michelle

  He shakes his head once again, but this time, looking me in the eyes. “I’m dead either way. You’ll have to figure this one out for yourself, boy.”

  “Evan! Let’s get to work, brother.” Time to make him sing.

  “Aye, aye, cap-i-tan!” Evan comes up beside me, handing me clamps and scalpels.

  “Alright, Mr. Denton. Time for repentance, motherfucker.”

  I let the blade of my scalpel slice through his skin, smooth as silk. He tries to withhold his screams, but it doesn’t take long for him to bellow out the notes to the sweetest symphony ever heard. Payback. Revenge. Justice.

  Evan and I are both hard at work, taking breaks occasionally, both of us drawing this out as long as possible before he’s drained of blood, and justice is partially served.

  Vex passed out long ago, and Evan and I are sitting, eating sandwiches until he wakes back up—if he wakes back up.

  “You didn’t have to do this with me, ya know,” I say to Evan.

  “I know, but she was like a mom to me, and you’re my brother. I want this just as much as you do.” It’s a rare moment when Evan is serious and sincere, so I know he means those words. Growing up with a lying, piece of shit mom and a dad who abandoned you and left to be the unspoken guardian of your little sister can do that to you. I’ve never once said anything to him about how he wears his façade because I don’t think he puts it on for other people, he puts it on for him. He craves happiness and laughter and good things in life. He’s desperate for them. But he’s been dealt shitty hand after shitty hand. So, he’s the fun one, the easy-going one, because it’s what he hangs on to in order to make it through life. If life doesn’t hand him lemons, then you can bet your ass Evan will find a lemon tree and pick them right off the branches.

  “We’ve been at this for two hours. Are you sore, or am I becoming a pansy-ass bitch?”

  “Pansy-ass bitch.” Not really. My body aches, but I’ll never admit it. “It’s mentally and physically demanding work, this torture thing.”

  “Thank God I was in communications. I work out plenty as it is, I’d get buff as fuck if I did this on the weekly.”

  I chuckle over my sandwich as he makes his job title sound like he was working for a carpet cleaning company in comparison. Vex stirs, coughing up blood. We peek over at him, and he’s not looking so good, but it will never be enough applied pain and grief compared to what he and Sanctum have caused Evan and me throughout our lives.

  “Just kill me already, kid,” Vex sputters out slowly.

  “Awe, now what fun would that be? And why do you think I’d do you the favor of putting you out of your misery?” I question, cocking my head.

  His eyes slowly drag up to mine, taking every ounce of energy he has in his body to do that one simple task.

  “Well, we definitely made sure he won’t be hurting anyone ever again,” Evan pipes up as he chows down the last bite of his sandwich. I look down at Vex’s hands—or the lack thereof. We’ve removed every finger.

  Evan eyes Vex also. “Yep, it definitely won’t be easy hurting any more people, unless he clubs them with his nubs.”

  Laughter bubbles in my chest. It’s probably the first time Vex has ever seen a sliver of what looks like happiness on my face. “Trust me. I only look this happy because you’re about to sleep on your deathbed, and I’m about to sleep knowing I put you there.”

  “Son, you need to know—”

  I grab him by his bloodied throat. “STOP calling me ‘son,’ understood?” I keep squeezing, and I planned on letting go, but I can’t. I can’t remove my fingers from his warm flesh. I can’t take my hand off his throat, feeling his pulse beat slower and slower. I can’t stop draining the life out of him with my bare hands. “Looks like this is the end for you. Give Lucifer my best.” I hold out my other hand, and Evan places something long and sharp in it. I thought it was a knife, but once I pierce his chest over his heart, I realize it’s a long screwdriver. I remove my hand, and both of us step back, watching the last few breaths leave his body. Once they do, all the adrenaline leaves me at once, and exhaustion hits like a brick wall.

  We clean up our shit, taking our time so I can be sure he’s dead-dead. Thirty minutes later, I walk over, checking for a pulse to find nothing but a desolate void where a pitiful life once lived.

  Evan clasps my shoulder in his hand. “One more to go.”

  “Yeah, and you can guarantee that one will be ten times more difficult than this one.”

  “We need to move tomorrow before Henry finds out about Vex and busts a nut to get out of Lake Meadows.”

  “Very weird metaphor, Ev. Nonetheless, I agree.” I pat his shoulder, and before we leave the warehouse, all the lights are off, save for one. It’s shining down like a spotlight on a very mutilated Sanctum member, and pride and relief bubble in my body from today’s work. We’re in the car, and I shoot Dessa a text to let her know I’m on my way.

  Me: Ass up in my bed, Little One.

  I smirk to myself, waiting for a reply, but I don’t get one. I look at the clock, noting it’s nearing two a.m. Dessa’s probably knocked out, asleep. The thought of going home to her sleeping in my bed fills me with another feeling aside from love—peace. Protectiveness. That woman has been mine from the moment I found her. I’ve loved her through the screen of hatred that was always between us, and it’s never been anyone else for me, only her.

  Thirty minutes later, we get to my house.

  “Fuck, I’m going to sleep so good tonight. Visions of bloody sugarplums dancing in my head,” Evan mutters, and I shake my head.

  Evan says the weirdest shit, and it’s probably my favorite quality he has. You either accept Evan, or you don’t, and either way, he doesn’t care because it would be your loss. We walk up to the door, and it’s slightly ajar. I know in that instant, in that fucking instant, she’s gone. I don’t feel her here, and I feel her presence anytime she’s near. I look at Evan, and his eyebrows pull together as we both grab the guns out of our jeans. We walk through the door and into a deafening silent house. I make my way into the kitchen, noting the barstools broken and knocked over and papers scattered across the floor. I see one letter though, and it’s sitting on my kitchen island, waiting for me like Dessa should’ve been.

  I’ve no time to wait or sigh

  No patience to wait ‘til by and by

  Kiss her quick, the months go by …

  POP! GOES THE WEASEL.

  “If he touches her …” I don’t finish my sentence because I don’t have to. Though Evan and I had a slightly different childhood, we were cut from the same cloth.

  “He’s a dead man walking, Cohen,” Evan puts his hand on my shoulder, “Let’s go get our girl.”

  “You know, you’re quite the revengeful cunt considering I haven’t done anything to you.”

  “You call snatching Cohen from me not doing anything? Are you blind?”

  “No, but apparently, you’re dumb. I hadn’t even heard of you until you walked in that night. Cohen also made it clear you’re the scum between his toes,” I shrug, “if I’m quoting Little Rascals.”

  I stare at Tessa standing before me, clearly getting her kicks out of seeing me tied to this chair in some sort of bunker. I got to Cohen’s last night to some awaiting visitors. Tessa was on the couch as someone attacked me from behind. I tried fighting back, but they drugged me. Which is ironic considering we’d done the same to Vex only minutes prior.

  “I really don’t know what Priest sees in you.”

  “You can keep repeating that line all you want. It’s not going to make the answer magically appear in your head, even though we’ve already told you. And secondly, I don’t call him that dumb fucking name. And lastly, I guess I’m just better than you.” I smile sweetly at her, getting under her nerves. They haven’t hurt me in any sense other than nicking my neck with a, hopefully, clean needle. But still, I have no fucking clue why Tessa felt the urge to woman-nap me.

  “So, do you want
to explain why you’ve tied me up in this partially lavish bunker?” It’s lavish for a bunker. It has cement floors with not a single spot of dust or dirt, and the walls are finished and painted white. This whole situation is so weird.

  Her lips pull up into a devious smile. “Let’s just say I had an incentive.”

  “Okay, so this wasn’t for you. Who wants me here?”

  “If you have to ask that question, then you aren’t as smart as you put off.”

  Well, this has given me an immense shortcut. “Okay. Sanctum used your greedy paws to get to me. Why?”

  “You’ll have to ask them. In the meantime, I’ll keep Cohen’s bed warm. Don’t worry. He won’t even know you’re gone.”

  “Oh-kay. Sure. I’ll let you think that.”

  “You’re foolish not to be slightly scared of the men who want you.”

  “I like being wanted by men. Men don’t scare me. They’re easy to read and even easier to influence,” I say, and she stares at me cautiously. “Do you even know why they want me?

  “They offered something I wanted, so I did what they asked. The only person I look out for is myself.”

  “Probably another reason Cohen doesn’t like you.”

  “You do the same thing.”

  “No, I portray that same thing. If I don’t know you or like you, sure, I look out for myself. But once you’re close to my heart, I make sure you’re protected and safe. Very few people are in that circle. And if Cohen is the one you’re trying to nab, taking away something he’s claimed is not the way to do that.”

  “Enlighten me as to what a group of men could want with you,” Tessa says, doubting me.

  I chuckle at her oblivion. “Do you know what Sanctum does? How they operate? It’s pretty sad your father works with them, and you have no idea what they really do.”

  “Drugs. Weapons. Territory. Just like most of these businesses.” She purses her lips as if I’m the stupid one.

  “Sure, that’s true. But try human trafficking. Sex rings, kidnapping, and selling innocent people. And do you know why they want me? Because they have my sister, and I’m determined to find her and deliver justice.”

  Her eyes widen before they squint, and I can tell she’s hesitant. “Why should I believe you?”

  Just as I’m about to respond, the door opens, and a man walks in, whom I’m assuming is Henry. His essence of power and dictatorship reeks from his suit and demeanor.

  “That’s enough, Tessa. You’re no longer needed.”

  Her eyes flit back and forth between me and this man whose looks catch me off guard. I don’t know why, but I expected Henry to be a bald, fat, older man. The man in front of me has dark, salt and peppered slicked back hair with tanned skin and the same hazel eyes as Cohen. He must’ve gotten his hair from his momma. I look back at Tessa, giving her a thanks-for the-spot-you-just-put-me-in smile. It’s the first time I see a semblance of humanity and regret in her facial expression. I’ve caught her off guard with my admission, and I’m assuming she feels guilty. Good.

  “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” I break the silence first with my eyes on Henry.

  “If I’m not mistaken, we’re the ones that dragged you in,” he says, and his deep voice catches in my chest.

  “And if I’m not mistaken, I will be the one to bring you down.”

  He chuckles, showing perfectly white, straight teeth. He and Cohen look so much alike, yet so different at the same time, it’s eerie.

  “Spare the dramatics, Dessa. You couldn’t touch me if you tried.” I pull up my lips in a seductive, fuck-you sentiment as he continues, “Here’s the thing, Dessa. You are the key to the kingdom, and I plan on unlocking this door very, very soon.”

  “Might be a little difficult when you’re several hyenas short.”

  “Everyone who enters this life knows they’re at risk of being eliminated. I have no emotional attachments to my men. They’re disposable. Every one of them.”

  “Apparently that goes for your son and late wife, too, eh?”

  He zips over to me, yanking my hair back harshly, my neck snapping back. It pops with the jolt, and I bare my teeth to his face looming above mine. “You have quite the smart mouth, don’t you?”

  “It’s one of my many quirks,” I struggle saying through the angle my neck is in, his grip still firm in my hair.

  “I’m sure he’ll enjoy training that trait out of you.”

  “Who are we talking about now?” My nostrils flare through the words.

  “You’ll see soon enough,” he turns to leave but stops at the door, “but I’ll give you a piece to nibble on.” He stops to look over his shoulder. “The man who has your sister.”

  Red hot anger instantly rises throughout my body, burning the blood in my veins. My fists ball, and I scream and shake the chair, trying to get out. All the while, he smirks and shuts the door on me, leaving me in the pitch-black room. I throw my fit for what feels like an hour, doing anything I can to break loose, but I’m sure it was only mere minutes before I calm down.

  With sweat coating my forehead and hair sticking to my face, my chest rises and falls rapidly, trying to think. Think, Dessa. Think. I wait for my eyes to adjust to the dark when a sliver of light underneath the door illuminates the room just barely. I curl my fingers under the armrests of the chair, trying to feel for something, anything. I feel the end of the rope. Hope rises in my heart, and I spend the next hour trying to use the tips of my fingers to catch the end of the rough, frayed rope. To no avail, I can’t pull my binding loose, and there’s no sense in wasting energy on hopeless attempts of freeing myself. So, I wait. And wait. And wait until I hear footsteps. The door opens, and the light shining in from the hallway blinds my wide pupils.

  “Dinner,” a man says.

  “I’m good. Thanks, though,” I grit out.

  “Bosses orders, don’t be a pain in my ass.” An idea pops into my head, and just as I’m getting mentally ready to head-butt this guy as hard as I can, his face comes into view, and confusion takes hold.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” I whisper aggressively.

  “Shut up and play along,” he whispers through his teeth.

  “I have to say, I was hoping never to see you again, but I’ve never been happier to see your face than I am right now.” Tyler fucking Jones. An angel sent from the strip club heavens.

  “Thanks, I think?”

  “Seriously, how are you here right now?”

  “When they came looking for Vex, I heard them say they recognized you. They called Henry, and he said he was already bringing you in. I told them I knew where the guys that did this went. Henry knows me, but they don’t. So, they didn’t question why I didn’t say anything in the first place. I volunteered for food duty. I couldn’t think of any other way to get down here without being obvious. Plus, I’m trying to keep to myself, so Henry doesn’t see me.”

  Our voices are barely above a whisper. Tyler loosens the ties on my arms and legs. “I can’t completely untie you, but there’s no reason you can’t get out of this.”

  I move my head, catching his eyes. “Thank you, Tyler. I know this cost you a lot to come back to Sanctum after Cohen got you out.”

  “You owe me.” He winks as he pushes his brown hair out of his light brown eyes and walks out of the room, shutting the door and leaving the metal tray of food. It takes me a few minutes, but I get my right hand untied and untie my left, then my legs. I grab the tray of food containing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Jell-O. I throw the food off the plate and stand by the doorway. I’m not looking to get out of here. I’m looking for revenge. I’m looking for my answers.

  Now, I wait. I won’t let myself sit down because I don’t want to be caught off-guard. Time ticks by so slowly. It’s deathly quiet, and I can hear every beat of my heart. I have to pee so bad, but I’m determined.

  I’m coming, Rory.

  About two hours later, the sound of footsteps echo. Two men are talk
ing outside the door, but I’m not sure what they’re saying. My heart picks up speed, and I’m trying to keep my hands steady, hoping one of the men goes away, so it’s less of a fight. The knob turns and he walks in quickly, passing right by me, and I make my move immediately. He didn’t see me standing next to the door because of the dark, so I swing the metal tray over his head as hard as I can. It doesn’t knock him out, though.

  “What the hell?!” He turns and lunges for me. He’s considerably bigger but slightly slower. I dodge to the side, tripping him up.

  I’m almost out of the room, but he snatches me by the hair and has me in a headlock. I stomp on his foot as hard as I can, making him loosen his grip just enough for me to twist out of it and grab the gun from his waistband. Aiming the gun at him, his hands immediately raise in defense.

  “Don’t move. Don’t speak. I will blow your head off. I swear, I will.”

  “I doubt that, blondie.”

  I fire the gun at his knee. “Why do people keep calling me that? I. Don’t. Like. It.”

  “You just shot me!” He says, shocked. I did warn him.

  “Very good observation. Now I’m going to kill you,” I say, smiling.

  “Wha—”

  I pull the trigger once again, and the jolt of his body sends him backward with blood and pieces of flesh littered behind him. Holy shit, I just shot a man in the head. Now is not the time to freak out, Dessa. You need to move and move now.

  I check the gun and see there are four rounds left. I walk into the bright hallway, wondering why no one is coming to see what’s going on. They had to have heard the gunshot. My feet take me up the stairs, opening the door into another hallway. I’m convinced it’s soundproof because the sound of people chatting echoes through the hall. Looking to my left and right, I notice a hall of offices and wait several minutes until they clear out, then walk down the hall. All bland, regular doors with one pristine one. Hard picking which office might be Henry’s. The door muffles the murmur of voices, so I make my presence known by barging in with my gun drawn, hands shaky, but Rory at the front of my mind. Two men turn their attention to me. Henry is unfazed, but the other guy looks taken aback.