“Blending in?”
“Planning to pass yourselves off as hunters, are you?”
“If we’re stopped, it’s worth a try.”
“I guess,” Gabe muttered, still bothered by the calm. “Locals around here claim this is the devil’s playground. Don’t you think it’s strange that we’re not hearing or seeing anything?”
“Shit. I forgot to tell you. Satan naps from two to four.”
“I’m serious here, Harley.”
“Me too.” Harley passed him again.
A loud boom resounded in the distance. Gabe grabbed his arm once more. “Hold up.”
“What is it?”
“Did you hear that?”
“Yeah, and it’s behind us.”
“Maybe,” Gabe said, narrowing his eyes on the property in front of them. “Even if those shots were back there, straight ahead isn’t exactly sacred ground.”
“Given the rumors surrounding this place, I wouldn’t be so sure.”
Gabe looked off to the left. Below them, he expected to see Allister and Draegan again. They were gone.
“Call Draegan and Allister.”
Clearly alarmed, Harley fished his phone from his pocket and dialed. “You okay? Gabe was concerned about you. Yeah I know. He’s such a sweetheart.” A beat later, he added, “All right, man. Stay alert.”
“Well?”
“We’re bringing up the rear,” Harley said.
Every muscle in Gabe’s body tightened and he stopped again. “They know we’re here.”
Harley blew out a hard breath. “Now what?”
“It’s my gut.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll keep walking and you keep tapping on your sixth sense’s shoulder. Let me know when she gives you something substantial to go on.”
Harley took the lead then by several paces. Gabe kept his distance, watching Harley’s back.
“You never told me what happened in the sequel.”
“What sequel?”
“Your fairy tale was fairly short. What happens in the second book?”
“I get the girl and we live happily ever after.”
Ba-boom! Ba-boom! Ba-boom!
“Holy shit!” Harley ducked.
Gabe was surprised Harley didn’t drop and roll. An explosion rocked the earth and a shot of dark smoke darted above the trees as if it had been blown there on purpose.
“Well, Gabe, here it is, man. That fucked-up climatic turning point of the story where everything goes to hell.”
Chapter Three
“If I thought there might be a few illicit rewards waiting at the end of this dirt-strewn rainbow, then I wouldn’t mind the hike but—”
Bradley cleared his throat and thrust his hand up in the air. “As Heather’s brother, I have to ask. What sort of illicit rewards are you talking about here?”
Justin looked perplexed. “Sorry, dude.”
“No problem. I didn’t think you were hiking these hills because you love my company.”
“No, but I love your sister.”
“That’s what I hear.” He glanced at Curt. “From both of you.”
“What are you talking about?” Justin shot Curt a glare. “What’s he talking about?”
“Thanks, bud,” Curt grumbled. “This is exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon.”
Bradley shrugged. “I’ll keep the peace until it comes to Heather’s relationships and then all bets are off.”
“I’ll say. The Heather I know wouldn’t let her brother meddle in her business,” Curt said.
“I’m serious.”
Curt started to ask him where the brotherly love was when he’d turned his back on her recently. Instead, he asked, “Why’s that? Don’t answer me. I can figure it all out. You share your woman and because you do, you think everyone else ought to play well with others too?”
“Something like that.”
Justin caught up to them. “Mind if I ask you a question?”
“Why do I have the feeling you’ll ask whether I mind or not?”
“What’s it like?” Justin didn’t waste any time.
Bradley studied Curt.
“Don’t look at me. You’re the one who hung me on the line here. Go ahead. I want to hear this, too. It’s gotta be all weird and shit the first time you’re in bed with your woman and a few men to boot.”
“Why’s it weird?”
“Want me to say it?” Curt snorted at that. “All right. I’m not too interested in having some fella’s junk in my face.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?” Justin pressed.
Bradley grinned like he held the best kept secret close to his chest. “It’s hot as hell.”
“See, I don’t get that,” Justin said.
“What don’t you get?” Bradley asked.
“In Trouble, there are a bunch of you sharing women. From what I’ve heard about you, Allister, Derek, and Ryan....”
“What about us?”
Curt snickered. He wasn’t helping Justin out of this one.
“You fuck Ellie at the same time,” Justin blurted.
“We sure do,” Bradley stated proudly. “We also enjoy one-on-one time with her more than you might think. Trouble keeps us pretty busy. In fact, I have her to myself far more than I share her with the others.”
“But you do share.”
“Yes, Justin. We share.”
“But how does that work?”
Bradley pointed at Curt. “Can you explain this to him?”
“You’re doing a fine job.” Curt was interested anyway. He’d never participated in a ménage but he had a feeling he’d soon be invited to join one. If Heather went back to Trouble with them, he and Justin would soon know more about sharing than they wanted to know.
“Are you asking me about positions?” Bradley was direct.
“I guess I am.”
Bradley rubbed the top of Justin’s head. “Can you use your imagination here?”
“Not really,” Justin replied, running his fingers through his well-gelled hair.
Bradley looked at Curt. “Still no help?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Fuck.”
“That’s what we’re talking about,” Curt reminded him.
Bradley sped up. “All right, fine.” He took a few more paces before he hurriedly added, “Two are usually in her pussy, one in her ass, and one in her mouth. Is that good enough?”
“Damn.” Justin pressed down on his cock and walked ahead of them.
“Tell me you weren’t just getting a boner while thinking about my woman.”
“Now that’s a question you may not want to ask,” Curt pointed out. “It’s not your woman he’s interested in.” He laughed. “It’s your sister.”
Bradley went pale. “Damn.”
“I was wondering what you were thinking when you were giving fucking instructions,” Curt said.
“Believe me. I was thinking about Ellie and—”
“And it escaped your mind that Justin might have been asking about positions because he wanted to know about the fucking arrangement for three men interested in Heather?”
“Yeah, I tuned that part out,” Bradley admitted, looking distraught.
Curt gave him a solid slap on the back. “Don’t worry about it, man. We’re not there yet.”
Ba-boom! Ba-boom! Ba-boom!
Black smoke shot above the forest and the earth seemingly split in two.
“What the hell was that?” Justin asked, pulling his pistol free of his belt.
Curt kept his hand on the butt of his gun. He looked around the area, halfway expecting someone to appear right in front of them.
Bradley touched the back of his neck and stopped. His gaze went wild and his expression was downright weird.
“What is it?” Curt asked.
“Do you feel that?”
“What?” Curt stood real still waiting to “feel” it, too.
“I
do,” Justin replied, searching the trees.
“This place is eerie,” Bradley said.
A gust of cold air washed over Curt. “What the hell?”
“Now you feel it.” Justin’s teeth clattered. “You do. Don’t you?”
“Yes,” Curt admitted, not at all comforted by the fact. They were grown men spooked in broad daylight. “Let’s keep moving.”
They took a few steps. About that time, the earth opened up in front of them. “Look out!” Bradley grabbed hold of Justin’s shoulders before he fell into a pit deeply embedded in the earth.
“What is that?” Justin peered down. “Did that just appear…like magic?”
Bradley muttered something under his breath.
“The hole was there, Justin.”
“Yeah,” Bradley muttered, pulling a flashlight from his bag and walking the perimeter of the well. “It looks like it may have been here a while.”
“How can you tell?”
Bradley directed the light straight down. When he glanced up, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Bones don’t lie.”
* * * *
“Jims?” Heather snuggled closer to the wall. She hadn’t heard a peep out of him in the last hour. Then again, she wasn’t certain of the time. Perhaps it had only been a few minutes since Toms had left them.
Grateful Jims had left her one of the four water bottles, she uncapped her only drink and took a swig. She slowly returned the cap and listened to the dripping water. Maybe if she could find the leak, she could fill her bottle when it was empty. Then again, she didn’t know if the water was clean or not. Sure, they were in a well but given the stench, she wasn’t exactly anxious to drink from it.
“He’s gonna…kill…you.” Jims finally spoke with some level of sanity. Not that his chosen words eased her mind.
“I believe you,” she said.
“Me, too.”
“Then we have to work together, Jims.”
“No.”
“Don’t you want to fight?”
“It’s part of the sacrifice. Don’t ‘cha know?”
“What sacrifice?”
“That’s what they always told me. I’m the one, the chosen one in the family. I have my demons and so I have to be the one sacrificed.”
“What are you talking about? What demons?”
“I’m special,” he spat.
“Well, which is it? Are you special or do you have your demons?”
“It’s both,” he told her, regret in his voice.
“You listen to me, Jims. You do not have demons. You are not special.”
“Thanks. I think.” His voice was louder. He must’ve closed some of the distance between them. “You’re special, too.”
“And what makes me special?”
“You know. Those of us who are chosen know why we’re chosen. It’s not anything we’re supposed to discuss.”
“Then by all means, let’s talk about it. We don’t have anything else to do.”
He snickered. “I always liked you, Heather. You’re a cool gal. You play by your own rules.”
“Yeah and look where that got me.” Something struck her as peculiar then. “Jims, how long ago did Toms leave?”
“You mean after he dropped the water?”
“Yeah.”
“Not long. Why?”
“You were talking out of your head. Crazy shit.”
“Oh you mean the whole ‘wanna smoke’ bit?”
“Yes. What was that?”
“An act,” Jims replied. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you about it beforehand. I wasn’t sure if Toms was up there listening or not.”
“How do you know he’s gone now?”
“It’s about lunchtime. Ever known a Vance brother to miss a meal?”
“Now that you’ve mentioned it? No.” A beat later she added, “Why put on an act?”
“Because if I don’t? They’ll come down here and drug me again.”
“You didn’t take the drugs on your own?”
“Toms told the truth. I used your ordeal for my benefit and relapsed. They were tied up with you and weren’t watching the stash so I got high. They found me, pumped me full of more heroin and here I am. Just because I had a setback doesn’t mean I want that shit. I don’t want to live an addict’s life anymore.”
“I know,” Heather said, feeling so sorry for him then. The others always poked fun at Jims. They were downright mean to him at times. “You aren’t a bad person, Jims.”
“That’s where you don’t know the truth, Heather,” he said, a darker quality to his voice.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Sure. But I doubt you do.”
Chapter Four
“So this is how it works. They open up the top of the well, let you see the blood and guts on these walls, and then they’ll tell us to fight to the death.” Jims took a heavy breath and hurriedly added, “I’ll win. You’ll lose. But here’s what they haven’t told you—or me for that matter—but I’ve watched it nearly a dozen times.
“Whoever walks out of here isn’t the winner. They’re just the one strong enough to handle the more excruciating torture. By the way, that’s why you’ll lose. I don’t want to kill you, but I also don’t want you to be the one sacrificed to the owl.”
“To the owl?” Heather asked, perplexed.
“It symbolizes wisdom and it’s in our family crest,” Jims explained.
Wisdom and the Vance brothers didn’t exactly go together but she didn’t say as much. “Why is the owl in your family crest?”
“Why do we all have an additional ‘s’ in our names?”
“I don’t know,” Heather replied.
“It’s symbolic. Basically what it means is each one of us has several lives and several personalities in many worlds, not just this one.”
“I see.” She really didn’t.
On second thought, she’d witnessed a few personalities in Jims. From the little girl’s voice, to the crazed lunatic, to the sensible Jims, she’d seemingly met them all.
“I don’t want to die,” Heather said, finally realizing this was something they needed to discuss.
“Then kill me and face the devil out there,” Jims said.
“And who’s the devil?”
“You have to ask?”
Apparently so.
“Dons. The devil is Dons.” A beat later, Jims said, “I’ve never seen him in that form but I’m certain of it.”
The quietness took hold again and they sat there without breathing another word. She listened to the dripping water, wishing she had never had such a fascination with the underworld. She’d lived such a sheltered life. Her brother and parents had wanted the best for her and what had she done? She’d rebelled.
“Well, since you weren’t crazy when Toms was here, I take it you heard what he said about trying to lure my brother here.”
“They set you up.”
“I gathered as much.” She’d certainly taken the bait. “But you said you used the situation to find their stash and—”
“They set me up, too,” Jims admitted.
“Why would they do that?”
“It’s time for this generation’s sacrifice,” Jims stated in a matter-of-fact manner.
“This generation’s sacrifice?”
“I already explained it to you, Heather. I’m not going over it again.”
“You mentioned others had fought to the death but then ended up at the owl. So there have been others? You’ve seen this with your own eyes?”
“There have been others, but none as great as the forthcoming one.”
“Why do you sound okay with this?” Heather asked.
“Because I’m a cancer and they have to cut me out of the family so the family can then thrive and prosper with more wisdom to face the coming years.”
“You are not a cancer.”
“I’m an addict, Heather.”
“We all have our problems.”
“Would you fuc
k for a fix?” he asked.
She felt her lips curve in a smile. “It would depend on the other participating party.”
In recent days, she’d thought a lot about Gabe. In fact, screwing his brains out had been at the forefront of her mind. If she ever escaped and found her way back to him, she would fuck him as soon as she found him. She might even skip the foreplay. They’d missed too many opportunities and now she had too many regrets.
“I have…fucked for a fix that is,” Jims admitted. “More than once. I’ve sold my soul, bargained with my brothers, bartered with their enemies, and made a few of my own. I had to be the chosen one because I’m the one they can do without.”
“This is crazy,” Heather snapped. “Your family will not be stronger. They will not thrive. They will not prosper. And they damn sure won’t have a lick of sense. Think about this, Jims. No offense, but you’re the only one in the bunch who can actually carry on a normal conversation.”
“Careful, Heather! You might hurt my feelings!” Rons was above them then. His brash voice shook the timber covering the hole. “We’re set for prospering here. See your brother and your lover–or maybe I should say your lovers—point is Bradley is here now and he’s with a bunch of fellas. All of ‘em friends of yours, I’m guessin’.”
“What are you talking about?” She left her position near the wall.
“Some of the McCalls, Bradley, Gabe, Justin, and Curt—the party is all here, hon! Now we’re ready for the fireworks!”
* * * *
“Well, well, well. Look what we have here.” Two or three shotguns were pumped. Draegan immediately stuck his hands up in the air and Allister followed suit. They didn’t have much of a choice, all things considered.
“I had guessed I’d soon see ya fellas. Gotta tell ya, though, I was expectin’ Heather’s brother. Had a feelin’ he’d show up here with Mark.”
“Markie?” Draegan asked, slowly turning but keeping his arms high.
“Yeah, that’s his name. Markie.”
Allister slowly faced them, too. He started to drop his arms but Dons said, “Keep ‘em where I can see ‘em.”
Heap of Trouble [Trouble, Tennessee 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4