Dark Mind

by H. R. Owen

  “No fucking way,” I spit. “Dahlia’s warned me about your driving. Get out and let Bates drive.”

  Harmony yells out, “Shut up, Callen.” The car comes away from the curb, tires screeching and the car swerving all over the road.

  “Holy fuck! I love this car. Can I have it?” Harmony questions.

  Bates is just sitting back laughing. I have no idea how he’s not fucking frightened for his life. The ride to the address written on the letter is quick, probably because Harmony’s driving three times over the speed limit. Every time I tried to sit up in the seat, Harmony would pull down on the steering wheel, making the car swerve and knocking me back down.

  “Holy fuck, Bates, your woman’s crazy,” I yell as we get out of the car.

  “I’m not his fucking woman, Callen. He ruined any chance of that by sleeping with another woman,” Harmony berates.

  “We weren’t together, Harmony. I never thought I’d see you again,” Bates insists.

  We really don’t have time for these two to be bickering, they can sort their shit out later.

  “Let’s go,” I order.

  The house is only small, not what I would have expected for Vince’s family to live in. The door is black with a wooden knocker on it, a snake wrapped around an apple. The same one that’s carved into the lid of the box Harmony found. The rest of the house is painted in a dark gray and has a gothic vibe about it. It’s the only house on the street, and it’s covered by masses of trees.

  Harmony walks up to the door first, taking a deep breath and knocks the carved wood.

  We knock and wait patiently for someone to answer the door, and when they do, Harmony falls to the floor with tears streaming down her face.

  “Mom… Mom,” is all she can manage.

  “Baby… you came.” Her mother drops down to her and embraces Harmony in her arms.

  “Momma? Who is it?” a small voice comes from behind the door.

  “It’s okay, baby. You can come up,” Harmony’s mother states.

  “Sissy… it’s you. You came to take us away?” The little girl runs over to Harmony and their mother and wraps her tiny arms around them as far as she can reach.

  “Quick, come inside. All of you,” her mother orders.

  After we’re inside and the doors are locked behind us, Harmony’s mother introduces herself.

  “I’m Sandy, and this beautiful girl here is Belle. I’m so glad you all came. Belle? Go to your room and play with your toys, and we’ll come and join you soon,” she says. Belle does as she’s asked.

  “I overheard Vince telling someone that the woman he has living at his house is going to be looking after Belle. The only reason for that would be if I’m out of the picture. We need to get out of here fast.”

  “Mom, we have a plan. I’m not sure you’re going to like it, but if Vince loves his daughter, then this will work,” Harmony expresses.

  “Anything. We’ll do anything,” Sandy replies.

  “Good. I’ll call Dad and Hunter and tell them everything. Hunter’s already watching Vince, so he’s in town, and I’ll get the club here as soon as possible.” Harmony pulls her cell out of her pocket and walks away to make the calls.

  Time goes slow as we wait for Bill and the club to arrive. Hunter promised not to leave Dahlia so he will follow Vince when he comes. If he comes.

  Heavy pounding comes from the door a short time later. I demand that Sandy stay where she is until I check out who it is. I open the door to an angry looking Bill.

  “Bill. Come in. Is everyone here?” I ask.

  “Yes,” he replies. “Now where the fuck’s my wife?”

  Bill pushes past me and stalks over to Sandy. By the look on his face, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea bringing him here. Sandy jumps up from her seat and Bill takes her in his arms, lifting her into the air.

  “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? That fucker Vince is a dead man,” Bill yells at her.

  There’s tears in both of their eyes. I never thought that old man had any feelings, but I guess when it comes to Sandy, he’s just like the rest of us. That one woman we fall for will makes us do many crazy things.

  The strangest part to watch is when Bill is introduced to Belle. He leans down in front of her tiny body and wraps his arms around her.

  “When I take you and your momma home, you can call me Daddy. But only if you want to. You’ll be happy there, and you’ll be with all of your family. We will take good care of you together.” Belle’s big blue eyes meet Bill’s and then she kisses him on the cheek.

  “Can I call you Daddy now?” she asks.

  “Yes, baby, of course, you can,” Bill tells her on a smile.

  Harmony walks out of the room when her phone rings, and she reappears only a minute later.

  “It’s time. He’s on his way. Dahlia’s with him, so I think our plan has worked.”

  dahlia

  My sobbing hasn’t stopped since Vince pulled me from the slaughterhouse. He killed Callen, the man I was going to marry. I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. One of the men who was in the factory standing next to Vince has me tied up in the back of his car. The only thing I can see through my red, worn-out eyes is a blur of the man sitting in front of me.

  “You do know that I’m personally going to kill you all, don’t you?” I spit out at the figure.

  His laugh annoys the hell out of me. “You’re the one tied up, missy. I actually would like to see you try, though,” he replies.

  “Oh, you will. And you’ll be the first to go,” I whisper in a sweet voice.

  The asshole laughs at me again, and all I can think about is the moment I rip his sad little life out of his body. This time it’s me who’s laughing.

  Trees line what looks to be a driveway. It runs for what seems like a mile, but in reality, it’s much shorter until we finally come to a stop in front of a huge plantation home. The house is painted white with gray shutters, and balconies jut out from each set of doors.

  The back door opens, and Vince looks down at me with a strange smile. “Welcome home, sweetheart. You’re going to be really happy here,” he says.

  “I don’t fucking think so,” I berate.

  I wonder what he’s talking about?

  Is he going to lock me up here and make me look after him? That’s definitely not going to happen.

  His hand reaches into the car, and he pulls me off the seat by grabbing a full fist of hair. Ouch.

  “Fuck you, Vince. I can’t wait to watch you bleed out on the floor,” I warn him.

  Vince drags me to the front door and pulls me inside. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” he says still pulling on my hair.

  The room which is apparently mine is on the bottom floor next to a large kitchen. The room is actually really nice. It has a king size, four poster bed covered in a white quilt and cushions. At the windows are flowing white curtains. It has its own bathroom and a massive walk-in wardrobe.

  “My daughter will be moving in here tomorrow, and you will be expected to raise her as your own. Her real mother has disappointed me so you will do as you’re asked, or you’ll end up in the ground with her mother. Do you understand, Dahlia?” he asks.

  “You’re a real dickbag, Vince,” is all I can reply.

  I wonder who the mother of his child is, and if she’s already dead. There’s no way I’m going to raise his child. I need to figure out how I’m going to get out of here without getting myself killed.

  “Right, so I have things to do. You will have breakfast on the table by eight and not a minute later. Now get some sleep, and after that, I’ll show you what a real man feels like.” Vince walks out of the room grinning like he’s just won the lottery.

  Okay, so I need to leave before that happens.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  Where is that coming from? I look around the room to try and figure out the direction of the noise.

  “Dahlia,” I hear a quiet voice coming from the window. I walk over t
o the window and find Hunter standing there behind it. Quietly, I push it open and a feeling of relief washes over me.

  “Hunter. Thank God you’re here. We need to go now before Vince comes back, and I have to cut his cock off,” I whisper.

  “We can’t leave yet. I promised my sister I’ll watch every move you make and get you out of here safely. Vince is still here, and we can’t make a move until the house clears out a little. Bates took Callen to the hospital, and he said he’d let us know how he’s doing when he gets out of surgery. Don’t worry, babe, everything will work out. Harmony says she might have a plan up her sleeves. She wouldn’t tell me what it is, though. Just sit tight, and don’t do anything stupid. I won’t let that asshole touch you.” Hunter disappears from the window leaving me in shock.

  Callen’s alive.

  The tears which filled my eyes earlier have come back, but this time they come with relief.

  “You better let me know as soon as Callen’s out of surgery,” I whisper into the night just in case Hunter can hear me.

  “I will,” I hear a reassuring whisper from the dark.

  It’s been a couple of hours, and I still haven’t heard from Hunter. I’ve been pacing the room non-stop since I found out that Callen’s still alive and hopefully coming out of surgery the same way.

  “He’s fine, Dahlia. I just got the message,” Hunter whispers once again without being seen.

  “Oh, thank God,” I huff out. My exhaustion finally takes over, and I start yawning. “Hunter, please watch me. I need to sleep just a little to get my strength back.” Even my voice sounds tired.

  “I’m here,” is all I get from Hunter.

  That’s good enough. I pull the sheets back from the bed and tuck myself into them getting into a comfortable position. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I can feel sleep start to take over.

  I wake to the sound of tapping. Jumping off the bed so fast I start to stumble a little on the walk to the window. Hunter’s standing behind it again, and he looks worn. “Dahlia. The plan’s in place. Do everything that Vince says. He’s coming to get you now, and you’ll be seeing Callen real soon.” Hunter pushes on the window urging me to close them.

  The bed sheets are tangled up when I hop back in the bed. Pulling the tangles out of the sheets, I cover my face and pretend I’m asleep.

  “Get up, bitch,” Vince’s angry voice yells from the doorway. That doesn’t sound good.

  “What the fuck, Vince? You tell me to sleep, and now you charge in here waking me up,” I reply in a cocky tone.

  “Change of plans. You need to get in the fucking car now before I just kill you. Turns out your little friends are smarter than I thought.”

  Hopping out of bed, Vince grabs my arm so hard I swear it’s going to break and drags me back outside to the car.

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “To stop your boyfriend from killing my daughter. If he so much as lays a finger on her, I will kill you all,” he replies.

  We seem to be driving for a while along a road that is lined with nothing but bush and then we’re pulling up in front of a small dark house. The car door opens, and I find myself once again being dragged around by my hair. The only people I can see is Vince and two of his men. Hopefully, this is the chance we’ve been looking for. As the front door opens, I’m greeted by Callen’s big arms pulling me away from Vince and wrapping me in a tight embrace. It takes a few minutes for either of us to pull away from each other, but when we do, I see a young girl tied to a chair. The poor thing couldn’t be more than six or seven years old.

  “Callen, I’m so grateful you’re alive, but what’s happening here?” I ask.

  I don’t receive an answer from him, he just turns me around, so my back is facing him. Callen finds my hands and places what seems to be my wires in them. Harmony, Bates, and another woman come through the door, and that’s when I hear Callen’s whisper, “It’s time, darlin’.”

  CALLEN

  It’s time to get rid of Vince for good. Hunter and his MC have gone out in search for the men who work for Vince while we get the pleasure of killing Vince himself.

  A door slams shut behind Sandy and Belle as they leave the house. Vince only bought two men with him, and Harmony and Bates already have them tied up out front.

  “You fucking assholes. Where’s my daughter going? I swear to God if you let her leave with that whore, I will kill you all myself,” Vince grinds out between his teeth.

  “I do believe you’re outnumbered now, old man,” I reply.

  “Brett, Mack, get in here now,” Vince yells to his tied-up men outside.

  “They can’t help you, Vince. They’re a little tied up at the moment.”

  I can sense his rage, and it makes me feel all that much more excited. Unfortunately, Harmony has been hurt the most by Vince, so I promised her she could have him to herself. Plus, my bullet wound is still fresh, and I don’t think I have the energy to fight. I just plan on sitting back and watching it all go down.

  Vince makes the mistake of turning his back to Dahlia and me to yell at Harmony.

  “Go darlin’,” I whisper to Dahlia.

  She takes it slow, but within seconds she’s on Vince’s back, strangling him with ease. It really is a beautiful sight seeing her in her element, watching her darkness.

  “Slow down, sweetheart. Just knock him out and hand him over to Harmony. I think she deserves this one,” I tell her. She waits for Vince’s body to still and lets him drop to the floor.

  “Okay. Callen, I have to go outside and show a man how I work. Wanna join me?” Dahlia asks.

  “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

  I slowly limp outside behind Dahlia to find a group of about thirty men looking back at us.

  “Fuck, Callen. Go inside, quick. Get Bates and Harmony out of here. Run,” Dahlia begs me to leave, but I’m not going anywhere. “No fucking way, Dahlia. Are you insane? They’ll kill you.”

  “No, they won’t because I have something that Vince wants. Please, trust me. If you love me, you’ll go now,” she whispers pushing me back through the door and slamming it in my face.

  “Fuck!” I yell as I punch the door in front of me.

  Harmony’s tying Vince to a chair when I step back into the living room.

  “We need to go. Now,” I yell running toward her and Bates. I find her arm as I run past and pull her to the back of the house with Bates following.

  “What the fuck, Callen? What’s going on? Where’s Dahlia?” Harmony squeals while we run out the back door. I know Dahlia will be okay. I could see it in her eyes. I don’t know what Vince wants from her, but I know he won’t have her killed. Still, I can feel my heart break with each step I take away from her.

  We all run for about ten minutes until I have to stop. The wound in my chest has split open and is now spilling blood over my shirt. “Shit!” I say on a cough. My hand comes up to cover my mouth and spots of blood drop into my palm.

  “Holy fuck, man,” Bates spits out. “We need to get you back to the hospital. You’re no good to us dead, and we need to find Dahlia.” I don’t argue, I just let Bates call the ambulance, and within minutes an ambulance is on its way.

  I arrive at the hospital alone after an hour of coughing up blood on the side of an abandoned street. This is definitely the closest I’ve ever been to death, and I can feel myself slipping. Bates and Harmony left me with the ambulance to try and figure out what to do about Dahlia. I hope I didn’t make a mistake leaving her there, but if I’d stayed it would have gotten us all killed. Paramedics are working around me in the back of the van and asking me all sorts of questions, none of which I can hear. My body’s cold, and my consciousness is fading.

  I think this is it. My time is up.

  All I can see is Dahlia’s angelic face hovering over me, and then black.

  Nothing.

  “Callen. Callen.”

  My eyes open to see Dahlia sitting on the bed beside me. She looks slightly olde
r than I remember. Not by much, but she’s still as beautiful as ever.

  “Where am I?” I ask looking around at a room that appears nothing like a hospital. The last thing I remember was being in the ambulance.

  “You’re home. What’s going on with you, Callen? You’re acting strange,” Dahlia asks.

  I sit up holding my chest and notice that the pain has disappeared. And that’s when I hear it.

  “Daddy, Daddy, you’re awake. Mumma said that you have to take me on the boat today. Get up, Daddy.”

  A small girl with the same eyes as Dahlia’s and long, brown hair falls around her precious face.

  “Laney, give Daddy a minute to wake up, sweetheart,” Dahlia says to the girl bouncing on the bed.

  “Dahlia, what’s going on? I was just in an ambulance, and now I’m here,” I ask looking around the room again, noticing the walls lined with photos of Dahlia and me, and the little girl that’s calling me Daddy. “Wherever this place is.”

  The sound of beeping brings me back to reality, and my eyes open to see a nurse hovering over me.

  “What are you doing?” I mumble with a croaky voice.

  “We never thought you’d wake up, Mr. Parker. Keep resting, and I’ll bring the doctor in,” she says.

  I nod to the nurse and try to sit up, but my body is far too stiff. Giving up, I lay my head back on the pillow and close my eyes.

  “Callen. Oh my God, Callen. You’re awake.” I hear her voice, and my eyes open immediately.

  “Dahlia?” I question, wondering if I’m back in that room with the little girl. Dahlia has tears running down her cheeks as she runs to the bed beside me.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. Oh God, I can’t believe you’re awake,” she whimpers. Before I can say anything, Dahlia’s on the bed kissing every spot on my face.

  “How are you here right now? How did you get away from Vince so fast?” I ask her in a puzzled tone.

  “Ummm… Callen, you’ve been in a coma for the last six months,” she tells me.