Stacking the Deck (Redemption Club Book 1)

by Anne Marie Becker

  But Tom seemed lost in the past. “I had your parents—” His voice broke and he swallowed before continuing. “I had them killed. My own brother and his wife. I had to make it stop. You were in danger.”

  “I still am. We both are. We have to get out of here.” And find the girls. She wasn’t leaving without them.

  Misery brimmed in his eyes as he looked back at her. “Skye, can you ever forgive me? I always knew my time with you was short, and I enjoyed more years of peace than I deserved.”

  “And I always had the sense that someone, some unseen evil, was coming for me. Probably because you and Viper trained me to believe that.”

  “I wanted you prepared, because I love you.”

  “This isn’t love,” she shouted.

  “Love is sacrifice. I’ll do anything to save you.”

  “It’s too late.” She heard the crunch of gravel and the engine of an approaching car. “They want a hunt. They want me.”

  Chelsea had a bad feeling. It started when Bear didn’t drive away. She’d listened for his car after he’d come to check on them, but he hadn’t left the property. Unless he’d gone on foot, but that seemed unlikely.

  Then a couple of cars had driven up and she’d heard voices. From that, she discerned five men, including Finn and Bear. They’d spent some time talking and laughing, but she couldn’t make out their conversation. And then it had gotten quiet again. That had been over an hour ago.

  Had they been doing something at one of the other cabins? There were two others nearby, though not so close that she could see or hear what was going on. She hadn’t thought they were occupied before. Maybe she’d been wrong. Or maybe they’d brought a new girl.

  “You think it’ll be soon, don’t you?” Loretta asked, her face pale as she lifted off the sleeping mat. The fight had left her since the moment she’d learned her father was dead.

  “Tonight,” Chelsea said with conviction. She hurried over to their stash of food and water. There was little left, but it was nourishment, fuel for what was to come. “Eat,” she commanded, thrusting a protein bar at Loretta and following it with a bottle of water. “We’ll need our strength.”

  “It’s all we have left.” Loretta accepted the bar but didn’t rip it open as Chelsea had with her own. “What if they don’t bring supplies for a few days?”

  “It’ll be tonight,” Chelsea said around a dry mouthful. “We won’t need anymore.” She stuffed an extra bar in Loretta’s pocket. She’d need it if the final showdown was finally here.

  At least Bear had brought them the occasional change of clothing and let them wash with a bucket of water. Long gone was the seductive dress Chelsea had worn to dance for Finn and his friends. Her pants were fitting looser, but she was also lean from the training. More muscular. She could do this. She was strong. She had a family to get back to. A life.

  “Think of what you want most in this world,” she said to Loretta, injecting harshness into her tone so the girl would listen. “Make it something worth fighting for.”

  “I wanted to be an actress.” Loretta stared at the window. “Now I just don’t care.”

  “Care about something, or you might as well let them kill you now. If they catch you, they won’t be gentle.”

  “I don’t want them to win.” Loretta sobbed, then choked it back.

  “Then that’s what you care about. If nothing else, we won’t let them win. We’ll make sure they pay for your dad’s murder.”

  Loretta tore open her protein bar and devoured it.

  Jared answered before Dev’s ring tone completed the first few notes. “Say you have some news for me.”

  “Skye wasn’t at your house. The guard had been sitting outside, as you requested, but didn’t see her come or go. Good thing you put that tracking device on her vehicle.”

  Jared winced, knowing he’d gone behind her back that first night she’d shown up. He’d intended to make sure she didn’t get away from him again. He couldn’t take the risk she’d disappear from his life forever. “Where’d she go? Do you have an address?” He was already moving toward the front door, ready to get into his car and drive back to Vegas.

  “I swung by there already myself and nobody’s there. Just an old, empty trailer. Her car was there, though.”

  “Where?”

  Dev gave a familiar address. After Skye had told him the story of her past, he’d looked up the official report on that night. A chill of foreboding danced along Jared’s skin.

  “No sign of her?” Jared asked.

  “No. I’m sorry. Keep trying to reach her and I’ll keep looking for her here, and for Finn.”

  Jared suspected that was a lost cause. “Do me a favor and forward me that listing of all of Stone’s properties again, but add Tom Hamilton’s and David Wilson’s as well. For a proper hunt, Finn would need room, away from public eyes, so he’s got to have a private lot around here somewhere.” And if Finn had Skye, that’s where he’d take her.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Inside the third cabin at the Hunting Grounds, Finn grinned at the circle of expectant faces. They were shrouded in masks, but that didn’t diminish their expressions of pure, carnal pleasure. The bear was Tristan. And Ryan, though he hadn’t been on a hunt in recent weeks, had donned his wolf mask for this occasion. Finn had his fox on. Around the circle, he met the hungry eyes of a cougar, tiger, and coyote.

  “Two of the girls were released an hour ago,” he told the men. “The head start will make it more of a challenge.” He’d made sure they didn’t go toward the other cabins so they hadn’t seen Skye or Tom.

  “Any drugs?” Ryan asked.

  “Skye was drugged during transport, but it should be out of her system by now. We agreed that she should be at her full capacity for the maximum bang for your hard-earned bucks.” There were several approving nods around the circle. “But if any of you would like to partake, we can visit the shed.”

  “I’m already high,” the tiger said with a chuckle.

  “The adrenaline’s enough for me,” Tristan said. Behind his bear mask, his eyes glittered. “And it’ll make the moment that much sweeter when I take the main prize down.”

  Finn would be the one to take Skye down, but he didn’t disabuse any of these hunters of the same notion. After all, they were paying for the dream.

  He stepped toward Tristan and handed him the other half of his card. “You’ve done well. Your loyalty to the Club is appreciated, and you are now absolved of your debt. You’ve achieved your redemption.” Without Tristan, Finn couldn’t have covered all his bases. When Jared had left Vegas this morning for Three Fortunes, without Skye, Finn had known it was time to put Plan B into effect, using Tom. Tracing Viper’s phone records at the hospital and using the information Mr. Stone had provided about Tom’s history, Finn had been able to identify Tom’s cell phone and track it. Meanwhile, Tristan had prepared the Hunting Grounds.

  Tristan grinned as he accepted the card and tucked it into his pocket. “It was my great pleasure. And my privilege to participate in this event.”

  Ryan grunted. Finn knew he wasn’t happy about Tristan’s bonus, but they were making one and a half million dollars off the other three hunters. In fact, Ryan had been unusually quiet all day, and frowning a lot. It was almost as if he wanted to see Finn fail.

  “Speaking of the main event, I’ll release Skye in a few minutes. Give her a fifteen-minute head start and then you may leave this cabin. You all had an hour to survey the immediate surroundings, but she hasn’t had the same advantage.”

  “Will she be armed?” the cougar asked.

  “I suppose it’s only fair to allow her some form of defense. As for what kind of weapons,”—he grinned—“that’ll be part of the surprise.”

  “How will we know when to start the timer?” Ryan asked. Finally, his friend was coming around. Finn could see the cold, calculating gleam in his eyes.

  “When you hear the gunshot,
you’ll know Skye’s time has started. Fifteen minutes later, she’s fair game.”

  Having watched Finn’s approach from the window, Skye was prepared as the cabin door opened. He was wearing the face of a fox, which was both ridiculous and reminded her of his conceited madness at the same time.

  As he stepped inside, he grinned, flashing his perfect white teeth as he shoved the mask to the top of his head. “Good to see you up and about.”

  “Stay away from her.” Tom moved to get in front of her, but with their hands tied, there was little they could do unless Finn moved closer.

  Come closer.

  “It’s me Stone wants,” Tom said. “I’m the one who owes him.”

  Finn’s grin disappeared, replaced with a sneer. “This isn’t about Stone, and this isn’t your club anymore.” He pulled out his gun. “Step aside.” Keeping his eyes on Skye and Tom, he drew a hunting knife from his boot with his free hand.

  Cold fear sliced through Skye. She was familiar with the weapons, had been trained to use and defend against them, but facing a threat from someone who was gleeful at the anticipation of her death was a different story. And having a loved one in range of the weapons made it all the more difficult.

  “Get over here,” Finn said to Skye. He jabbed the knife’s point toward the ground in front of him in emphasis.

  “You won’t touch her.” Intending to use his body as a weapon, or maybe a shield, Tom went barreling toward Finn. Finn ducked to the side at the last second, ramming the end of his knife’s hilt between Tom’s shoulder blades and sending him to the ground.

  Finn kept the gun trained on Tom and arched a brow at Skye. “Come closer, with your back to me, so I can slice through your ties. Trust me, you’ll want your hands free for what’s to come.”

  “What are you hoping to gain by doing this?” She backed to him and he sawed through her ties. She itched to land a backward kick to the man’s shins, followed by spinning around to thrust the heel of her hand into his nose, but he had a gun aimed at Tom.

  Unaware of the vicious images running through her mind, Finn grinned as she turned to face him. “Some fun and a whole lot of money. Step back now. I can’t shoot you yet, since several men have paid for that privilege, but I will shoot your uncle if you don’t comply.”

  Several men? So, it was to be a group hunt. She tipped her head toward Tom, who was still sitting on the floor. “Aren’t you going to cut him free?”

  “He’s not part of this.”

  “Like hell,” Tom said, struggling into a standing position. But he didn’t charge at Finn again. “Stone thinks I’m behind his blackmail, but I’m not.”

  “I know.” Finn’s eyes glittered. “But we need a scapegoat. Don’t worry, you won’t be the only one making a sacrifice today.”

  Tom met Skye’s gaze with apology and a resignation that nearly made her cry out. “I’m sorry, Skye. I tried to be a good role model, to prepare you for the evils of the world. Don’t make the same mistakes I did, shutting yourself off to the good things in life, to love.”

  Finn snorted. “Who better to give you advice than a man who once embraced those evils? Don’t get me wrong. I for one, applaud you, but your time has passed, old man.” The gunshot was so sudden, so loud in the tiny cabin that Skye’s shock was paralyzing. In the next instant, Tom was on the ground, a hole in his chest. She gasped and took a step toward her uncle.

  Finn was grinning as he aimed the gun at her. “Stop right there.”

  “What have you done?” she shouted, her body straining to check on Tom but fighting the threat of Finn’s next bullet. “I won’t participate.”

  “Suit yourself, but that shot was the signal to the other hunters that they can come looking for you in fifteen minutes. That’s assuming they stick to the rules, of course.”

  She fought to control her respiratory rate and pulse, struggled to control the emotions twisting through her like a tornado, seeking to destroy Finn. She couldn’t look at Tom’s motionless body, couldn’t think about his death, or she might fall apart.

  She forced herself to meet Finn’s gaze. “How many? At least tell me that much.”

  “There are six of us, including me. And three of you, if you care at all about the other girls.”

  Other girls. “Chelsea and Loretta? They’re still alive?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. They’ve been out there, probably wandering in circles, for almost an hour now. Thought it was only fair to give them a bigger head start. Or, if you choose not to save them, that means fewer hunters looking for you, and better odds of survival if you go in the opposite direction.”

  “You’re going to leave me without any weapons?” She glanced at his gun, wondering if she could take him down and strip him of all weapons. Her cargo pockets were empty. He’d taken her phone and knife while she’d been unconscious. Her gun might still be at Tom’s trailer in Vegas. But her hands were free now, and they were lethal. She could kill Finn and check on Tom, maybe get him help before… God, before the other hunters came? She wouldn’t have much time.

  “There’s a shed out there with a variety of guns and other fun stuff,” Finn said. “Too bad it’s locked. Breaking in will eat up precious time, but you might decide it’s worth it.” He tossed his hunting knife into the dirt just outside the cabin’s open door. “That’ll give you something, when you’re ready to leave. See? I’m not a total monster.” His smile was chilling. “That will change, of course, when your time is up. I’ll be waiting for you, Skye. And, fourteen minutes from now, I’ll be hunting you.” He slid his mask back into place. “See you soon.”

  “Was that a gunshot?” Chelsea looked down from the tall oak she’d climbed to where Loretta was keeping watch twenty feet below.

  “Yes,” Loretta called up to her. “Hurry. Or maybe I should just run in a different direction. We’ll have better chances if we split up.”

  Again, she ignored Loretta’s plea to split up. They’d already had this argument and Chelsea had insisted they’d be safer if they stayed together. She still believed that. Plus, she’d go insane if she was out here by herself, especially when night fell. The sun was so low in the sky that dusk wasn’t far off. And dark… She shuddered to think what the night would bring.

  If her guess was correct, the gunshot had come from the direction of the cabins, which should be a couple of miles behind them at the pace they’d been going. At least her daily workouts to stay in shape for dancing, and the dancing itself, had given her stamina, though her month-long captivity had hindered it. She’d been using the sun as a guide, when she could. Though the forest was dense, the sun was low enough that she could tell which way was west. To the south, she spied what she was looking for.

  She scrambled back down the tree and tugged Loretta’s hand. “This way. I saw a road. It’s dirt, but it has to lead somewhere.” Despite the training Bear and Finn had tried to hammer into them, her plan was to find civilization as quickly as possible. And if they came across one of the animal-faced hunters along the way, they’d fight it tooth and nail, which was pretty much all they had.

  With a bit of research, Jared finally identified the parcel of land he believed hosted the Hunting Grounds. It had once been bundled with Three Fortunes but had been sold off by Tom Hamilton several years ago. The deed was in Ryan Stone’s name, which was why it hadn’t come up in the first search Jared had done, days ago, before Ryan and Finn had been his primary targets.

  He searched for old satellite images that showed a cluster of small cabins and a shed in the center of the property, with only one access road leading to and from the area. The parcel was miles from any populated ranches and thirty miles from the interstate.

  Perfectly isolated for Finn’s twisted purposes. That had to be the Hunting Grounds.

  Before leaving the ranch, Jared took a few precious seconds to tell Sheriff Anderson what he’d found. But while the sheriff was busy rounding up and redirecting the search party from Thr
ee Fortunes to the Grounds, Jared took off. He didn’t believe the women had that kind of time, nor did he want to turn the situation at the Grounds into a massive firefight, with Chelsea, Loretta, and Skye in the middle of it all.

  He, on the other hand, was armed with a map, his car, and a gun. He was one man, and one man could slip in unnoticed.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  The moment Finn was out of sight, Skye ran to Tom’s side, but there was no pulse. The sound of a strangled moan shocked her, until she realized it had come from her own throat. She cupped Tom’s face, stroked his brow, seeming to soothe her own irregular breathing by touching him. She channeled her grief into anger, using it to hone her focus. “I’ll get him for this. For everything.”

  Pressing her fingertips to her eyes, she took several deep breaths. Think, damn it. You can outsmart these assholes.

  In the back of her mind, her instincts were screaming at her to get going. Besides, the hunt was about her. If Tom were still alive, he’d tell her to move her ass. So would Viper.

  With a last glance at her uncle’s prone body, she grabbed the knife and ran for her life.

  Skye purposely made her trail easy to follow, though not so easy as to tip the hunters off that she was the one hunting them. She’d briefly glanced at the other two cabins and the shed that probably held everything she could ever want to use in this fight, but also had a lock that would cost too much precious time. On the other hand, it could be a trick. She could exert energy breaking in, only to find nothing inside. Besides, she could circle back around and gather supplies later if her current plan failed. If she was still alive.

  She silently thanked providence that she was wearing lightweight cargo pants in a neutral color. The tan provided some camouflage, but her white tank top was as bright as a flag of surrender. She ducked behind a clump of juniper bushes and stripped off the shirt, then rolled it in the dirt before slipping it back on. Now she could blend more easily into the wilderness.