Hunter's Mark

by Wendy Smith

  Julia laughs. “Do you really think they have access to anything like that? That guy isn’t a real doctor. I got the boys to check him out.” She puffs her chest out proudly.

  “The boys?”

  “The undercover cops that are here. I’m assuming you know all about them given you’ve been living next door.”

  I nod. It’s all coming together. “Kane and Jared.”

  “Yes.”

  “But why the subterfuge?”

  “Ash likes to show everyone he’s in control. I noticed that despite everyone getting these injections, there were still members of his little harem who got pregnant.” She sighs. “Including me.”

  “That’s screwed up.”

  “When it happens, he puts it down to how it was meant to be and how manly it makes him. He doesn’t give a crap who he hurts.” She nods at my hand. “Pee on the stick. I’ll be outside.”

  I pull myself to my feet, and take a look at the test in my hand. Sighing, I pull the end off it, and do as Julia’s told me to do.

  The test sits by the basin. I wash my hands and take it back out to the bedroom.

  “Well?” she asks.

  “I haven’t looked yet.”

  “Let’s do it together.”

  Two lines.

  “Two lines is …?” I ask, but I already know the answer.

  “You’re pregnant.”

  I gasp, slapping my hand over my mouth. Corey.

  “He trusted me. I betrayed that trust.”

  Julia wraps her arms around my neck, and I fold into her. “No. You weren’t to know. You were caught up in Ash’s demented game. Ash wanted to show you he could exert control over you, but the truth is that you’re in control. Don’t let him win.”

  “What will he do if he finds out?”

  She shrugs. “We need to get to the bottom of all this once and for all before that happens. If you’re feeling well enough, let’s go for a walk.”

  I clutch at my stomach. “I can’t get caught. If he hurts me, he’ll hurt my baby.”

  Shaking her head, she cups my face. “He won’t catch us. I still have access to this building; I’ve found all of the ways out of it. It’s too big a complex for him to guard the whole thing.”

  I stare at her. “Who are you and what did you do with Julia?”

  She laughs. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I remember when you came here. You were so meek and mild.”

  “Do you really want to know what happened?”

  I nod.

  “Ash happened.”

  Julia and I manage to sneak outside the house.

  This place was once used for communal living, and there are plenty of interconnecting rooms. You just need to know which ones connect with which.

  Turns out she’s done a lot of exploring.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Most people are at dinner. It’s still early, so we’ve got enough light to go and check out the bunkers. I think they’re the key to whatever’s going on, and you know them better than anyone else I know.”

  I swallow. “Isn’t that what Jared was investigating when he disappeared?”

  She nods. “Michael, too.”

  My mouth falls open. “No.”

  “Ingrid’s been beside herself.” She grimaces. “Ash offered to keep her company.”

  “Ugh. He’s disgusting.”

  “That’s what she said. And that’s why she’s currently shut away in her house as punishment.”

  “For what?”

  Julia sighs. “Telling the truth. Anyway, we have to make this quick. If Ash finds out you’re out of that room …”

  “He’ll go after my parents.”

  She nods.

  We make our way to the greenhouse without any trouble. The workers have long since packed up for the day and are in the food hall having dinner. I look across to the maize field. Is the gap in the fence still there?

  “Constance.”

  I turn back to face Julia. “Maybe I could try and go through tonight?”

  She shakes her head. “I wouldn’t risk it. He tightened security at night since you left the first time. There’s a much higher risk of getting caught.” Julia grabs my hand. “We need to be fast. Once dinner’s over in there, Ash will get a tray taken to your room.”

  “That’s not a lot of time.”

  “Then, we need to get going.”

  I swallow and nod. “Come on.”

  Julia follows me down the concrete steps that lead to the outer door.

  “I always thought this was just a storage room.”

  Shaking my head, I turn the handle, grunting when it doesn’t open. “It’s locked. It never used to be locked.”

  “I’ve got a key.” From her cleavage, she pulls out a key on a long string.

  “Where on earth did you get that from?”

  “Ask me no questions and I won’t tell you I cosied up to one of the Ash’s friends.”

  “He knows you have it?”

  She grimaces. “No. I stole it. He was dumb enough to have a label on it.”

  I bite down a laugh. “Let’s get this done quickly.”

  She hands me the key and I unlock the door.

  We step into the storage room, and I push the door shut before turning on the light.

  Julia looks around. “This is just a storage room.”

  “That’s what you’re meant to think.”

  On the left-hand side of the room, is a board with tools hanging on nails. I find the edges of the board, sliding it sideways.

  “Holy shit.” She gasps.

  There’s a corridor. Soft lighting illuminates closed rooms on either side of it.

  We used to bring torches down here, it was so dark.

  “Come on,” I say

  We set off down the corridor, opening doors and looking for anything odd as we go. The corridor turns left and then right before forking. We go left first.

  “How on earth can you find your way around this?” Julia asks.

  “We used to play down here all the time as kids. Ash and I both know this place like the backs of our hands.”

  “Do you think we’ll find anything down here?”

  I shrug. “Who knows? These are all bedrooms. There’s a storage room at this end.”

  We reach the end room, and I try the door handle.

  “This is locked, too. Got any more magic keys?”

  Julia shakes her head. “We could try this one again.”

  I shrug. “A lot of the locks inside are the same. Ash’s father used to say it was easier to keep track of one key, and no one around here locked anything. You could give it a go.”

  She slides the key in, and her eyes widen. “Thanks, Ash’s dad, for being lazy.”

  I chuckle, and she pushes open the door.

  We gasp at the same time.

  Sitting on the floor, their hands and feet bound together, are Jared and Michael.

  “Michael?” I whisper.

  Relief is written all over his face. “Constance. What are you doing here? And thank God you are.”

  “It’s a long story.” I look around for something to cut the ties holding the men’s hands together.

  “Jared.” Julia runs to him. She cups his face, and the longing is clear in her eyes.

  When did that happen?

  “I’m sorry, Julia. I know you must have been worried.” He presses his forehead to hers.

  “Can you get up?” I ask.

  He nods. His lips are cracked, although he seems to be in generally good condition.

  “We need to get you somewhere safe.

  Julia shakes her head. “We need to get him to Kane.”

  “That’s the first place Ash will look. He knows they’re friends.”

  “She’s right,” Jared says. “If I can find somewhere to hide until it gets dark, I’ll go through the fence if the gap’s still there tonight.”

  “Jared.” Julia gasps.

  “He can’t
stay here. As far as I know, the gap in the fence is still there. Ash seems to think I sneaked out with a delivery, and I didn’t correct him.”

  Jared chuckles. “Ash thinks he’s a lot smarter than he actually is.”

  I nod. “Even if anyone else notices it, no one will want to go and fix it. Ash and his men are the only ones who wanted the fence in the first place.”

  “We all need to go,” Julia says.

  Corey. I’m only surprised he hasn’t turned up here yet. Not that I would know if he had. My stomach churns at the thought of him being somewhere within this complex.

  “Is it just the two of you?”

  Michael nods. “I brought Jared down here to check on a lead, but we got caught.”

  “Did you find out what Ash is doing?”

  His expression tightens. “We need to get Jared out to his people as quickly as possible.”

  “Are you going to tell us?”

  “Ash is bad, Con. Really bad. He’s up to his eyeballs in illegal shit. You and Julia need to get out of here too. I’ll help Jared.”

  “But—”

  “Go, before you two are missed.”

  “Let’s get Andrew and get out of here,” Julia whispers.

  I nod. We have to risk it. She sneaks back up the concrete steps, and looks around to see if anyone’s watching.

  We make it back to the house, and as we get back inside, I breathe a sigh of relief.

  And then I see him. Waiting by the door to the room he’s been holding me in, a small dark-haired boy in his arms.

  “What are you two ladies up to?” Ash says. He chucks Andrew under the chin, and the little boy laughs.

  “Just getting some fresh air,” Julia says.

  “And that involved breaking Constance out of a locked room?”

  Her eyes dart between Andrew and me. “It’s stuffy in there.”

  “Go back to your room, Julia. I’ll deal with you later.”

  I turn my head, but his goons have us surrounded, and there’s nowhere to run.

  “And you can go back in there. Your special visitor’s here tomorrow, and I need to make sure you’re safe and well looked after.”

  The men close in.

  Fear makes my heart race. But I won’t show him that.

  “I made a promise, Constance, and when you left I had to break it. He picked you.”

  “He never even met me. You made the choice. I already know that.”

  Scott and Liam grab me by the arms, and pull me back to the room. They at least have the decency to be gentle when placing me on the bed.

  “Scott Abernathy. Your mother would be so disappointed in you.”

  “Stop it,” he says through gritted teeth.

  But I can’t. “Your father would kick your arse for treating me with so much disrespect. What’s wrong with you?”

  His tough-guy look cracks, and for a second I get a glimpse of the boy I grew up with before it hardens again.

  He turns and leaves the room. I pick up a pillow and try to throw it at his head. It hits the wall with a soft thud and falls to the floor.

  Ash closes the door behind him, and I finally let go of the tears of frustration.

  There has to be a way out of this.

  Corey.

  31

  Constance

  Tonight’s the night.

  My stomach rolls at the thought of what’s coming. Ash has essentially sold me for the night before I’m married off. I could refuse, and I will, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to fight.

  I miss Corey. Of all the people in my life, I thought he’d fight for me. But there’s no knight in shining armour.

  The light goes off.

  I look up, and roll my eyes. It’s still early in the day, but with this room sealed off, the only decent source of light has been the bulb that’s just gone out. I look across to the alarm clock by the bed to check the time. The screen is blank.

  Is the power out? We haven’t had any power issues up here for years.

  I sit up when the key turns in the lock, and Ash stands in the doorway.

  “This is your fault.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He crosses the room in three large strides and grabs me by the hair, pulling my head back. “I asked you before, and I’ll ask you again. What did you tell the police about this place?”

  “Nothing. There was nothing to tell. All they know is that I didn’t want the marriage you were forcing me into.”

  He growls, pushing me back with such force I fall backward onto the bed. “Sweet little Constance. At least you were sweet before you turned against me. But now you’re my hostage, just like the rest of them. I’m sure he’ll want you back.”

  Hostage?

  He grabs me by the arm and pulls me from the bed, then drags me along behind him. I try to stand upright, but the wooden floor slips under my feet. His fingers dig into my flesh, but I can’t get free, his grip is so tight. What the hell is going on?

  Pulling me to my feet, he shoves me into the communal lounge. His harem is gathered there, and they all look at me with wide eyes. I seek out Julia, and sit beside her. Little Andrew wraps his arms around my neck, and I press a kiss to his head.

  “What’s this all about?” I whisper.

  “The police are outside the building. They raided the bunker.”

  I let out a gasp. Jared and Michael must have escaped. It’ll be over soon. It has to be.

  Corey. He must be out there. Surely.

  Ash stands beside the window. He plucks his phone from his pocket when it rings, and I hold my breath.

  “I’ll kill them all,” he says.

  Around me, panic starts to build. The hushed whispers give way to frantic calls to each other. These are women who have dedicated their lives to this man, in some cases for several years, and most of them haven’t seen the other side of him yet.

  “Get off my land.”

  I hate only hearing one side of the conversation. I’d love to know if it’s Graham he’s speaking to, and if they know I’m here.

  Ash throws the phone across the room, and it hits the wall with a loud smack.

  “Where are the other men?” I lean closer to Julia so she can hear me over the chatter around us.

  “Only Ash was inside. I think the police got the others,” Julia whispers.

  “I hope so. If they’re anywhere near here, we’re in a lot of trouble.”

  She nods toward Ash. He looks out the window, a crazed look in his eyes. “We’re already in a lot of trouble.”

  32

  Corey

  I haven’t had a drink since the day Mum died.

  That doesn’t mean I don’t think about it.

  How easy would it be just to drink my problems away … But I’m stronger than that. I have to be.

  I’m on the couch in front of the television. It’s the easiest place to be right now, and requires no effort.

  I don’t want to answer the door when someone hammers on it. “Who is it?”

  “Graham.”

  I roll my eyes. I suppose I should go, because hopefully he’s here to tell me their investigation’s over and they’re leaving my property. Cutting all ties to Constance for good can only help me move on with my life.

  Making my way to the door, I glare at him. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to come with me. Constance needs you.”

  He doesn’t have to say anything more. I’m out the door before he can say anything else.

  “The gate’s open,” he yells as I pull down the driveway in my truck.

  Sure enough, the gates to the commune are wide open, and I swing between them. There are police cars everywhere. It’s not a common sight around here. Graham has two constables as far as I know, so they must’ve brought in the big guns.

  I park a little back from the row of black and white cars, and jump out. Seconds later, Graham pulls up beside me.

  “In a hurry?” He narrows his eyes at me.


  “You told me she needed help. Where is she?”

  He places his hand on my arm. “Ash has her as a hostage. Along with his little harem.”

  I swallow. “So, what do you want me to do?”

  “Nothing. I just thought it might be good for her if she knew you were here.” He tilts his head. “Corey, I need to tell you—”

  “What the hell is going on. Why haven’t you got them out of there yet?” A ruddy-faced man is heading straight for Graham. Graham turns to face him.

  “The negotiator’s trying to get through. And we’ve got snipers in place. This is going to take some time.”

  The man turns to me. “My fiancé is in there.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” I say, my gaze focusing on the building. My stomach aches with worry. Maybe Constance doesn’t want to be with me, but I’ll never stop caring.

  And she can’t deny what we had was special—what I want again.

  “John Parsons.”

  I shift my gaze back to him. This is the man Constance ran from. He’s short, and a lot older than her just as she described, and my anger builds at the memory of her stories about what he did to his first wife.

  Looking around, I see the police are focused on the building. They don’t need me causing a scene or anything that might put Constance in further danger.

  I ignore the hand the man’s holding out.

  But I do have my eye on the cop standing in front of me. The one who’s just put down the megaphone they must have been using to try and communicate.

  I can’t handle this anymore.

  Knowing Constance is in there while these arseholes sit around watching the building is driving me crazy.

  I take the two strides to the nearest car, grab the megaphone, and turn.

  “What the …?” Graham says.

  “Harris, you pussy. Come out here and face me.”

  “What are you doing?” Graham glares at me.

  “Calling him out.” I raise it to my lips again. “Face me like a man, Harris. Stop hiding behind the women.”

  “Who the hell is this?” An armed cop walks up to me.

  “Corey, you can’t—” Graham says.