Revenge (Out For Blood Book 1)

by CY Jones

  “He always treated us more like pets that he owned instead of his own flesh and blood. He tortured us all our lives, on top of all the sick things he let them do to us. The sick shite he did to you.” His voice cracks, and I can tell he’s pushing himself to continue.

  “I knew no father would ever put their child through that. I couldn’t save you then, but I can save you now. After everything he’s done, everything he made us do, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing any longer. I love you, bean, but he must be stopped. You need to trust Conner and Caleb. They are our real fathers, our blood, and proof that we weren’t born from evil. We were made that way. Please stop being stubborn and help them, and I will do what I can to take O’Donnell down. I will not rest until he’s dead, so stop worrying about me. I’m alive and well. I love you more than blue skittles and oreo cookies. Stay safe.”

  After that the screen switches and lines and lines of coded data fills the screen like the matrix. “What is that?” Caleb asks, wide eyed.

  “Coded data, probably what you asked him for,” I answer, shrugging.

  “By the size of the data, I would say it’s everything we need,” Cody says in awe, staring starstruck at the screen in front of him.

  “Can you decode it?” Caleb questions.

  “I don’t know. This is some next level shite. Phantom is one of the best, if not the best coder in the world,” Cody replies as his fingers fly across the keyboard.

  “So that’s a no then,” Caleb huffs.

  “I’m not saying that. I’m going to need time and Shadow’s help to stand a chance at cracking it,” Cody explains

  “Why do you need me?” I ask him, frowning. I may be a tech nerd, but coding is not my thing. I find it boring; I usually fell asleep anytime my brother tried to explain it to me.

  “You of all people should know your brother doesn’t follow the standard coding algorithm,” Cody explains, “All his codes are personal, that’s why they’re damn near to impossible to crack. Nobody knows him better than you.”

  “Great,” I mutter under my breath. Fucking Row. He intended to make me help them if I wanted to or not. Yay for me. I felt way too unbalanced. Hell, I didn’t even know what day it was.

  “How long have I been out?”

  Cody tilts his head. “Five days. Why?”

  Five days? Bloody hell. No wonder Caleb forced the doctor to wake me. “I know where Rowen is, but I’m sure by now he’s moved on,” I tell them, shocking everyone in the room.

  “How could you possibly know that?” Hunter asks suspiciously.“You’ve been playing Sleeping Beauty these last couple of days.”

  “How do I know where he is, or how do I know he’s moved?” I say just to be difficult.

  “Both,” he answers, grinding his teeth.

  I don’t know what it is, but I love getting under pretty boy Hunter’s skin. Maybe it’s because I know he dislikes me, which is fine by me. I’m not here to make friends. If not for Rowen, I wouldn’t be here at all.

  “He told me in his message. As much as my brother thinks he can handle this all alone, he knows O’Donnell will send The Circus to look for him, and that is not a good thing. He won’t stay anywhere for more than three days tops, wiping any existence of where he’s been as he goes,” I explain, picking nonchalantly at my nails.

  “That’s the exact reason why she’s the key to decoding that data,” Cody says, bouncing around like a hyperactive puppy.

  “If he’s already moved on, then why would you go to that location, and what the fuck is The Circus?” Hunter asks, frowning.

  “The Circus are the sick fucks O’Donnell deploys out to people he wants to make suffer before they’re killed, usually one or two of them at a time. Because we’re both missing and on top of our skill set, I’m positive he’s deployed them all. Phantom is smart. He won’t be found unless he wants to, and he wants me to find him, otherwise he wouldn’t have left me clues he knew only I could decipher. I’m confident he’ll leave me another clue to his next location.”

  “Who’s in The Circus?” Conner asks softly, taking my hand in his.

  I don’t want to tell them. I know once I do, they won’t want to let me go, but I refuse to leave my brother out there alone like that. Sighing, I yank my hand free. “The Queen of Hearts, The Mad Hatter, Frost, Viper, Kelpie, Pyro, and Hangman.”

  “No fucking way,” Caleb shouts. “You’re not going.”

  “It’s not your decision to make, Caleb,” I yell back. “I don’t work for you.”

  “Listen to reason, sweetheart,” Conner attempts to mollify me. “You can’t expect us to be so cold hearted as to send you out there, knowing those monsters are looking for you.”

  “What about Rowen?” I counter, standing up and slamming my palms on the table. “Are we supposed to just leave him to the wolves? If it weren’t for you two, he wouldn’t be in danger in the first place.”

  Tears now stream down my face, and I’m mortified. I haven’t cried in years, and here I am now, bawling like a baby in front of people I don’t know. “I can’t abandon him. I just can’t.” I need them to understand that I would never bail on my brother. Row may think he can take on O’Donnell alone, but I know differently. Not with the whole Circus on his tail. He’s good, but hell, everyone has limitations.

  “Fine, duckie. You win,” Caleb huffs. “But you’ll take Hunter and Cody with you,” he adds, making my head snap in his direction.

  Hunter and I shout “What?” at the same time while a smile overtakes Cody’s face, making a dimple appear in his right cheek. All is well where he’s concerned. Unlike Hunter, I believe Cody might actually like me.

  “You heard me. You’ll take those two with you. You three are a team now. You’ll eat, sleep, and breath as one. Do I make myself clear?” Caleb says in his no nonsense manner, not giving us any room to argue.

  “Yes sir,” Hunter and Cody respond in unison, while I continue to glare over the table at Caleb.

  No one tells me what to do, not anymore. I’m finally free free from O’Donnell, and I’ll be damned if they think they can cage me again.

  “If I agree to do this, then I will be calling the shots, not them, and definitely not Hunter,” I demand, pointing at the arse in question. Hunter glares but doesn’t argue, so I take that as an agreement.

  “I don’t give a shite as long as you three work together,” Caleb says, fire in his eyes.

  Easier said than done. Hunter hates me for whatever reason, and we’re holding onto enough sexual tension to choke a horse. He’s hot, and it grates my nerves how much I want to fuck him. I feel drawn to him like a moth to flame, and I don’t understand why. He’s been nothing but an arsehole to me since the moment I met him, yet I still want him. I should go ask the doctor if I had some kind of head injury, because clearly, I’m not thinking straight.

  “Great, now that’s settled, you leave in the morning after a 0500 briefing,” Conner says looking directly at Hunter. “You’ll need to stay in Hunter and Cody’s cabin since no one besides those of us in this room and Doc know about your existence here, but since you’re a team now, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Oh goodie, a sleepover,” I mutter. “Soon we’ll be braiding each other’s hair and singing Kumbaya.”.

  “Come on,” Cody says, happily grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the door. At least one of us seems happy about our new living arrangements.

  Hunter just sighs in defeat, following behind us while both of my dads stay behind.

  Six

  Don’t stick your dick in crazy

  Remy

  The cabin the guys stay in isn’t that far from the compound, so thankfully the walk isn’t long. I’m hungry, cranky, and tired as shit. Apparently five days playing Sleeping Beauty wasn’t enough to fully rest my overworked body. Cody runs ahead up the stairs and opens the door, waving me in. I have to give them credit, the cabin is nice. It’s rustic and surprisingly clean for two guys living here. It has a real homey and
inviting feel to it that warms me as soon as I walk through the door.

  “As you can see, the house is two stories. My room is over there on the first floor. Feel free to stop by anytime,” Cody says, winking at me and giving me a cheeky look. “Hunter’s room is upstairs in the same hall as yours. Sorry,” he adds as an afterthought, and he leads me up the stairs.

  Cody points out Hunter’s room while he directs us down the hall, staying firmly pressed to my body. “Those two rooms over there are empty, and there’s only the one bathroom up here, so you and Hunter will be sharing.”

  “Great,” I mutter under my breath. This day just keeps getting better and better.

  Standing awkwardly in the doorway of the room I choose as mine, Cody gives me me a small smile.

  “I’ll leave you to get settled. Come downstairs when you’re ready, and I’ll order pizza for dinner,” he says, giving my hand a quick squeeze in an effort to comfort me.

  I return the gesture before letting go. “Thanks, Cody.”

  When I fully step into the room, I flop straight on the bed and close my eyes. “Rowen, you dumb shite, I hope you know what you’ve gotten us into,” I mutter to myself like a mad person before sleep takes me.

  I don’t intend to fall asleep for long, but that’s exactly what happens, and sometime later I’m startled awake by Cody shaking me. In one swift move I have him flat on his back with my arm pressed against his windpipe.

  “Sorry, love, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Cody croaks out calmly. His beautiful azure eyes search my face like it would a wounded animal. “Hunter picked up the pizza if you’re ready to eat. I know you must be starving.” he adds, flashing me his trademark smile making a cute little dimple appear in his right cheek.

  “Yeah, sorry,” I mutter, releasing him. Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous to wake an assassin? He’s lucky I don’t have any of my weapons on me, and even luckier I’m still weak from the events of the last couple of days.

  Stretching, I catch Cody gazing hungrily at the exposed skin on my stomach.

  “No worries, I don’t mind you on top,” Cody teases, winking at me. Cheeky git this one. I’m starting to think his mind stays in the gutter.

  “Come on, love, let's go eat before I lose all composure and fuck you long and hard right here on this bed, like I’ve thought of doing since I gave you the tour of the house earlier.”

  “Are all Australians so frank?” I ask.

  Shrugging, Cody answers, “I believe in honesty. Unlike Hunter, I don’t believe in holding in feelings or pretending they don’t exist.”

  “Are you mad? That’s crazy talk, Cody. Hunter doesn’t want anything to do with me. He hates me far too much.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, vixen,” Cody says, laughing as we enter the kitchen.

  When we get there, we find Hunter the grouch is already stuffing his face. ”Dude, you couldn’t wait on the rest of us?” Cody asks, pulling me over to the kitchen island where a bunch of pizza boxes are stacked on top.

  “No,” Hunter answers flatly around bits of food, not even bothering to acknowledge me.

  Not bothered in the least by Hunter’s behavior and whatever caveman he was channeling, Cody turns to me. “We didn’t know what kind of pizza you like so we bought a bunch of different kinds.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m not picky,” I tell him, grabbing a full box of pepperoni pizza and sitting down at the table across from Hunter. If he’s going to act like I’m not here then I’ll do the same. Cody is so full of shite if he thinks this man wanted me.

  While we're chowing down I hear the doorbell and then without waiting the door opening and closing. The look the guys share is enough for me to know that they weren’t expecting company. I was looking around for a weapon when a pretty redhead enters the kitchen squealing Cody’s name.

  “Melody, what are you doing here?,” Cody shouts, while Hunter sits there looking very amused and smug at the same time.

  “I wanted to see you, silly. You’ve been so busy lately,” she answers in a sickening sweet voice. “Oh, hi Hunter. Who’s this?” Melody asks, looking me up and down like public enemy number one. Apparently I didn’t meet her standards because she dismisses me just as quickly.

  “Melody, this isn’t a good time. You need to leave,” Cody says, trying to push her out the kitchen and back towards the front door.

  “You don’t mean that, baby,” she coos licking her lips seductively and trying to grope Cody’s dick at the same time.

  “Yeah, I do Mel,” Cody says sternly. “I didn’t invite you here, and you should know we don’t like people just popping up .”

  “But, baby. I’m not just anybody,” Melody says, moving her hands up Cody’s chest.

  Frowning, Cody pushes Melody hands away clearly annoyed by the redhead’s brazen behavior. “Look Mel, I told you the deal from the beginning. It was just a fuck, nothing more. I thought you understood that.”

  Cody must have a golden dick, because wow, this chick is crazy. I hate people who pushes themselves on others. It made my blood boil and brought up unpleasant memories at the same time. Having seen enough, I put my pizza down and get up from the table.

  “Melody, that’s your name right?” I ask politely.

  “Yes,” she sneers glancing at me like I’m less than the dirt under her six inch heels.

  “Well Mel, Cody here asked you nicely to leave. Maybe you should take the hint.”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” she screeches striding towards me.

  I give her this, she was quick, even in the six inch heels she was wearing. Too quick for Cody to stop her. In seconds flat she was in front of me hand, held up preparing to slap my face. Too bad for her I was quicker and stronger. I grab her hand inches from my face and fling it away. Angry now, she comes at me again. Jumping up in the air I execute a flip and kick out, hitting her upper chest and causing her to fly across the kitchen and land flat on her ass.

  Walking up to her, I bend down and whisper in her ear, “My name is Shadow, bitch.”

  When her eyes grow wide from fright, I give her a wicked smile as she shuffle and crab walk away from me. Satisfied that my point has been made, I stand up and leave the room.

  As I pass Cody I tell him, “Word of advice, mate. Don’t stick your dick in crazy.”

  Seven

  Her scent is intoxicating drawing me in like a siren to the sea

  Hunter

  As I’m sitting here fully amused part of me does feel a tiny bit sorry for Melody. She never stood a chance. As weakened as Remy was, she still kicked Melody’s ass and didn’t break a sweat doing it. Not like Mel didn’t deserve it the way she was looking at Remy, like pond scum, and at that thought, why do I even care how others look at her?

  “Okay, time to go Melody,” Cody says breaking my thoughts bending to help Melody off the floor.

  “Why do you have that, that monster under your roof?,” Melody screeches in that annoying high pitch voice of hers. Isn’t that a loaded question?

  Ignoring her, Cody practically drags Melody towards the front door.

  “Do the Daniel twins know she’s here? I’m going to let them know that bitch attacked me.”

  “Melody, do whatever you want. I can’t stop you, but keep in mind she’s their daughter, so if I were you, I would think twice about saying something bad about her in front of them. Oh, and please don’t come back here again. As far as I’m concerned, we’re done,” Cody says as he slams the door in Mel’s shocked face.

  Coming back into the kitchen, he takes a seat in the chair across from me and rubs his temples.

  Being the asshole that I am, I decide to not let him off the hook so easily. “Dude, I told you so.” I taunt, laughing my ass off.

  Glaring at me, he asks, “Should I go up and apologise to Remy?”

  “No. You should leave her alone, and for the love of God, quit flirting with her. Take her advice and stop trying to put your dick in crazy, or in her case, a sto
ne cold monster.”

  “She’s not a monster, and you know it, Hunter. I think you need to give yourself that little pep talk and not me, mate. I’ve seen the way you look at her when you think no one is looking. You can keep playing this game like she doesn’t affect you all you want, but I know she does. You’re drawn to her just as much as I am.”

  We both glare at each other over the table in silence for a few minutes. He’s right, but I’m not going to tell him that. Relenting, Cody thankfully changes the subject. “She seemed pretty pissed. What do you think set her off like that?”

  “Dude, the hell if I know. I don’t think it was Mel’s bitchiness, though. She doesn’t seem like the type of girl to care about anything like that. I think it may have been because Mel kept touching you when you clearly didn’t want her to. Perhaps it triggered something in her,” I tell him quietly, trying to work it out myself.

  “I feel bad, mate,” Cody says, picking at his now cold pizza. “I think some fucked up shite may have happened to her. Remember what her brother said in that video?”

  “It’s none of our business. Let it go,” I tell him as I get up and leave the room, rushing up the stairs. I don’t want to feel sympathy for her or rationalize her or her actions. All it would do is make me start seeing her as a real person instead of just a cold blooded killer, and that’s something I can’t afford to do.

  It feels good to be in my own bed again, and not sleep in that uncomfortable infirmary chair. We have a long day tomorrow, and I need all the rest I can get, plus I need to get Remy out my head before I’m forced to spend anymore time with her. I don’t know why she flipped earlier. I know it had something to do with her past, and whatever that sick fuck O’Donnell did to her.