Malevolent

by Cassia Brightmore

  His words made no sense to Gwyn. Someone taught him to do these sick things? Who the fuck would want someone else to act this way?

  “Speaking of blood…I could use a little more of yours. I can’t get enough, you see. You are just scrumptious, Gwyn darlin'.” Picking up his knife, he grinned at her. Before he could make another cut, there was a noise above them.

  “Oh, this is interesting. Looks like our special guest has arrived. Are you ready to meet my mentor, sugar?”

  Sam studied the map one more time, wanting to be sure he knew what he was seeing. Five miles outside of town, it looked like there was an old sugar factory. It wasn’t on any of their new updated maps, which is why they had all missed it. Ben Marshall had suggested going down to the library and looking through their archives to see if they had anything that would aid them in their search.

  His idea had been brilliant, as right there on this map was exactly what they had been looking for. He knew in his gut this was the place. This factory was where they were going to find Gwyn and finally put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

  He could feel Hailey’s presence with him, encouraging him. This was the jackpot they had been waiting for. Running into the pen from Brady’s office, he called for attention. No one seemed to hear him, his voice wasn’t one they had been used to listening too. Taking a page from Hailey’s book, he stood on a chair. “Hey!” he yelled. The room immediately stilled, all eyes turning to him.

  Brady started forward, concerned. Sam held up the map, pointing to it. “Listen up everybody, we don’t have much time. I found something, I found what we’ve been searching for.”

  Every set of eyes was looking at him like he was one marble short of a dozen. Frustrated, he got to the heart of the matter.

  “I know where they are!”

  It took all of 10 minutes to verify that Sam’s information was correct. Adrenaline spread through the department as Brady separated them into teams, formulating a plan. The FBI didn’t intervene, it was obvious he was the one in control.

  “Okay, Team A—that’s Sparks, Harris and Walker, I want you here.” Brady pointed to a spot on the map. “You’re covering the North East entrance.”

  “Team B—that me, Sam and..” Brady trailed off as he realized he was short men. Mr. Marshall stepped forward. “Sheriff, I can have your back. I’m a crack shot. You can ask anyone. I need to see this done.” Brady searched his eyes and liking what he saw there, he agreed. “Okay Team B, we are going in the front.”

  “Team C—Agents Willis and Lomas, you’re covering the South side. That leaves the back entrance open, but I’m hoping that since we have the element of surprise on our side, that isn’t going to matter.”

  Earl and Mr. Bartlett stepped forward from the crowd of volunteers. “Sheriff, we can cover the back exit. If anyone can catch a bullet, it’s him,” Earl joked, jerking his thumb in Mr. Bartlett’s direction. Brady cracked a grim smile. “Well, let’s hope he doesn’t have to.”

  He stepped forward to shake their hands. “I appreciate it, fellas.” Nodding, they all headed to the closets to suit up.

  Dressed in bulletproof vests in record time, they were all armed and ready. “All right, let’s move out. I want to see every one of your ugly faces back here. This fuck has taken enough of my people.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Gwyn struggled to sit up, still coughing from the water that was shoved down her throat. Jed had indicated that someone was coming, that he had some sort of a partner. A mentor? Looking up at the ceiling, she listened for footsteps again.

  “If you think I’ve been hard to deal with, you have no idea what you’re in for, sugar. I’m merely the pupil—I don’t think anything I have ever done has come close to being as spectacular.”

  Gwyn’s blood went cold, this partner was the worse of the two? Fuck.

  Jed was twitching with anticipation. Yanking her up by the hair, he forced her onto her knees. Looking down at herself, she looked like the sacrificial lamb being put out to pasture. She wasn’t having it. If this was going to be her last moments, she was going out fighting.

  She reared back and kicked out her feet, catching him on the back of the shin. It was enough for him to sink to the ground. Unfortunately, he still had an iron grip on her hair and she toppled over with him. Scrambling out of his arm’s reach, she pushed herself away by her heels, kicking wildly. She managed to knock his hands away from her ankles when he dived for her.

  Roaring, he gained his feet and charged at her, grabbing her bound wrists and hauling her up on her toes. Furious, he sneered. “I’ll make you suffer for that, you bitch.”

  Gwyn found her courage. “Just for that? What about for this?” Drawing her knee back, she slammed it into his balls. Hearing his howl of pain gave her a dark delight she didn’t know she had in her.

  At the sound of clapping, Gwyn backed away from Jed and looked around the dark room. She could just barely make out a shape in the pitch black. Breathing hard, she willed her eyes to focus. When the figure stepped forward into the one beam of light hanging from the ceiling, Gwyn gasped out loud, stumbling back.

  “No…” she whispered. “You?”

  “Oh yes, I’m afraid it’s true,” Mila said as she continued stalking forward. Casting a disgusted look at Jed, she said casually, “I see she got the best of you there, Jed baby.”

  “How are you involved in this? You can’t be.” Gwyn couldn’t believe it—couldn’t believe her eyes.

  “And why’s that, precious? Because I’m a woman?” she walked to the corner of the room and picked up a chair, carrying it back over to Gwyn. Sitting down, she crossed her legs. She looked like was preparing for a long chat with the girls.

  “It means I’m strong. I’m in control here, the people in this room—I command them, I decide their fate. You have no idea what that kind of power feels like, Gwyn. It’s seductive.” She looked down at her nails, studying her manicure.

  “Mila. This isn’t power, it’s murder. You’re going to go to prison for the rest of your life!” Gwyn was suddenly furious. There was no way she was dying here. There was just no way.

  Mila laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. As if anyone would think, I, Mila Stevenson would have anything to do with this. I’m the sweetheart of this town, the princess.”

  “Why me? What do you want with me, Mila?” Jed had regained his composure and moved to stand behind Mila, rubbing her shoulders. She moved her neck back and forth and moaned. “That feels good, precious.”

  “As for you, well Gwyn it’s simple. You’re in my way. You have something that I want, and that is simply unacceptable.” Jed’s hands slid down the front of Mila to massage her breasts. Mila arched off the chair, into his eager hands. Gwyn averted her eyes, appalled.

  “Mila, look at me. I have nothing that you could ever possibly want.” Gwyn gestured at herself with her bound hands.

  Pushing Jed’s hands aside, Mila stood and advanced on their captive. “Oh, you’re wrong about that. You do have something I want. You have Brady. And Brady is meant to be my happily ever after, we are the perfect couple, after all.”

  Wrinkling her brows, Gwyn stared at her. “You’re fucking crazy,” she spat out.

  Mila’s fist shot out, striking Gwyn in the nose. The pain was instantaneous, the throbbing intense. She cried out and fell back, clutching her face.

  Enraged, she shouted at Gwyn, “You have been such a thorn in my side ever since your white trash ass showed up here! I usually don’t like to mark a lady’s face. A woman’s beauty is scared after all, but you—you are no lady, Gwyn. You are in for a world of suffering. But,” she paused to take a deep breath and look over her shoulder at Jed, “not before we have a little fun with you first. Jed here has been dying to work his magic on you.” Mila’s face had turned a deep red. Her hair and eyes were wild, her blouse wrinkled from Jed’s hands. Gone was the perfect princess. Her true nature had been revealed.

  Jed came up behind her, twirling the
knife in his hands. The look in his eyes was downright chilling. Gwyn knew she had reached the end of the line.

  There was a loud crash upstairs and what sounded like thunder. A split second later the room was flooded with light, shouts coming from all around them. Men rushed into the room, dressed in riot gear and carrying weapons.

  Gwyn heard Jed yell out, “What the fuck,” and then felt the cool press of metal at her neck. He was behind her, jerking her head back and exposing the long line of her throat.

  Blinking rapidly, Gwyn thought she saw Brady, but she couldn’t be sure. The blood loss and now lack of oxygen was starting to get to her.

  “Back the fuck off, or I swear she dies right here. My blade can sever her neck in a second, Brady.” Jed nicked her for effect and his body tensed. Even in this moment he wanted to taste her blood. The three guns trained on him didn’t phase him in the slightest.

  Gwyn’s heart sang at the mention of Brady’s name. It was him. He had found her. The urge to struggle to get free and run to him was strong, but she had to remain still, the knife was pressed so tight against her neck.

  “Jed, look at me. You don’t want to do this. Just put the knife down and we can all walk out of here.” Brady tried to reason with him.

  “Fuck you. You think you’re such hot shit? I’ve been playing you since day one! That stupid fuck Percy thought we were best buds, sure changed his mind when I shot the fucker dead now didn’t he? I’m the real man in this town, Brady. Not you.” Jed was starting to lose it.

  Brady saw Sam approaching from the left. With a slight shift of Sam’s eyes, a thousand words were spoken between the two.

  “You’re right, Jed. I can’t argue with that. You did outsmart me. You outsmarted us all.” Jed grinned, hearing Brady admit his failures was music to his ears.

  Sam moved into position and gave Brady the nod. “But you want to know the difference between us Jed?” Jed cocked his head, confused.

  “I’m not a crazy son of a bitch. And I never work alone. Send him to hell, Sam.” A gunshot rang out, followed by a scream from Gwyn. Brady rushed forward and caught her in his arms before she was dragged down with Jed’s body.

  Crying hysterically, she babbled. “You came. You came. I knew you would, Brady. I just knew.” He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. “We’ve got to get you to the hospital, sugar. You look like hell.”

  “Wait. Wait, wait, Brady.” Gwyn was frantic, trying to leap out of his arms.

  “What are you doing? Calm down, you’re going to make these cuts worse!” She wouldn’t stop, she fidgeted, scanning the room.

  “Brady, you don’t understand. Jed—he wasn’t alone. He had—he had a partner.” Brady’s whole body tensed. Grabbing his radio, he barked orders to secure the perimeter.

  “Gwyn, darlin, did you see who it was? Who are we looking for?”

  She looked him in the eye. “Mila.”

  Gwyn was in the hospital for three days. She suffered multiple cuts and abrasions, but thankfully very little sexual abuse. The doctor’s assured Brady that she would make a full recovery. It would be a long road, but in time, she would heal completely from her injuries. She had needed multiple stitches, she had suffered several cracked ribs and her face was black and blue from Mila’s sucker punch. Through it all, she still remained positive.

  Brady couldn’t have been more proud of her strength; of the way she kept her wits about her and stayed alive until he came for her. Brady’s fussing over her drove her nearly to the brink of insanity. Each time she tried to persuade him to leave and focus his efforts on tying up the loose ends of the case, he would get angry and ignore her. There was no arguing with him and in the end she gave up. She was thankful that she was alive to be fussed over, not everyone had been so lucky.

  They recovered physical evidence from the scene that belonged to Claire and Hailey. A thorough search of Jed’s apartment led them to a thick journal, detailing each and every one of the killings. His thoughts of glee and pride were sickening to read. He really had fooled them all, he hid the monster living under the surface quite well. Ava Marshall was the only one that hadn’t been taken to the warehouse, she was held and later murdered at Mila’s family cabin on the outskirts of town.

  The most heartbreaking discoveries were the clues that Hailey left behind: her ring, pieces of her fingernails. Both Brady and Sam knew she had been the one to leave behind those items as evidence. To irrevocably tie her to the scene and thus place the final nail in Jed’s coffin. Quite literally.

  Sam was improving slowly since finding Gwyn. He believed with his whole heart that Hailey was with him during the search, guiding him and helping him find the clue that saved Gwyn’s life. His father had finally convinced him to take a leave of absence from the department. He would spend a few months in Florida and begin the lengthy process of healing.

  Mila had escaped. A fact which instilled fear in everyone. They later found a hidden door that led to a tunnel. She had slipped away in the confusion, and no one had been able to locate her since. The town was left wondering if she would ever be found. Or were they destined to continuously look over their shoulders, wondering who lurked in the shadows?

  Brady made himself a vow that he would find her, and make her pay for what she had done. No one would be safe until she was behind bars like she deserved, or in the ground like he wanted.

  For now, he was content taking Gwyn home and nursing her back to health. She was his light in the darkness. A pure, kind soul. He was going to spend the rest of his life showing her just how loved she truly was. She had been the happy ending to rise from the depths of all of their worst nightmares.

  THE END

  EPILOGUE

  Dark beings live among us. Disguised in various forms. Camouflaged in everyday life.

  True faces of evil are never what they seem.

  Malicious.

  Devious.

  Insidious.

  Mila Stevenson was the purest form of malevolence.

  A goddess of mayhem.

  A queen of destruction.

  Standing in the wake of the chaos she was leaving behind in Durham Heights brought her a delicious delight. Running a hand over her gently rounded belly, a cold grin spread across her face.

  Their legacy would live on. A malevolent soul that would bring the world around them to its knees.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I can hardly believe that I’m writing acknowledgments at the end of my very first book. This whole experience has been so humbling—I feel so fortunate to have connected with so many unbelievably amazing people on this journey. While I can’t possibly name everyone that has helped me through this process, there are a few that I must express my extreme gratitude to.

  Jerzie, Charlee, Lexie—You three are spectacular women. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the years of friendship, support, laughs and tears. I couldn’t have done this without you behind me.

  Gillian Gybras—Dude, I’m so glad I met you! I feel privileged to call you a friend. Thank you for listening to my rants and kicking my ass when I wanted to hide under a rock. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.

  River Savage—Lady, I have no words for how awesome you are. You are the kindest, most generous person I know. You’re an inspiration! Love you, whore.

  Alissa Evanson Smith—I love you, girl! Thank you for all the advice, always. I can’t wait for Cleveland and Dallas when I can finally give you the biggest hug. You’re amazing, whore.

  Ellie McLove—You are amazeballs and that’s all that needs to be said. Thank you for taking a chance on my little book. Your editing skills have truly been invaluable. I couldn’t have done this without you!

  L.J. Anderson at Mayhem Cover Creations—Lady…you are just phenomenal. Your work on the cover of Malevolent was superb, you knew exactly what I wanted without me having to say it. I cannot ever thank you enough for your patience and understanding with all of my countless questions and for not wanting to kill me when I cha
nged my mind over and over. The compliments I’ve received on the cover are through the roof and that’s all a tribute to you! Looking forward to working with you in the future.

  My Betas: M.M. Koenig, Kat DeSalle, Kristin Leigh Jones, Gillian Gybras, Alissa Evanson Smith, Hilary Love—I don’t know how I can ever thank you for giving my book a shot. The feedback and guidance you all offered….I don’t even know what to say. Malevolent wouldn’t be the book it is without all of you, I am truly grateful. Each of you invested hours, and listened to my panicking and freak outs. You gave me the confidence I needed to pursue this dream and I can never repay you or thank you enough.

  My Street Team: Cassia’s Sassy Sirens—YOU LADIES ARE AMAZING!! I love each and every one of you. You’re a fantastic bunch of ladies, I am so honored to know you. You spend hours pimping and promoting me, voting for me in contests and listening to my babbles in the group. I value and love all of you more than you know.

  To My Family—You’ve been my biggest supporters. My cheerleaders. Boosting me up when I would fall, encouraging me to keep going. I am so lucky to be part of such an amazing family, I can’t say I love you enough.

  Bloggers, Authors, Readers—To all the bloggers that have offered me support – I THANK YOU! Without you, indie authors such as myself wouldn’t be able to pursue this dream. I appreciate you so much. To each and every author that has reached out and offered me advice, I cannot say thank you enough. The support in this community is phenomenal and I am so lucky to be a part of it. To the readers, thank you for picking up this book, and the books of other indie authors—you make all our wishes come true.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR CASSIA BRIGHTMORE