Taken! - Bedeviled (A Taken! Novel Book 17)

by Remington Kane

  “Please tell me that your sister talked?”

  Violet shook her head, as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

  Cassandra reached across the table and took her hand.

  “I won’t hurt her unless I have to. By now, Prophet has to assume that we have her. If so, he’s moved on to a location that your sister doesn’t know.”

  “What will you do to her?”

  “Sleep deprivation, hunger, and extreme thirst. That may make her talk to us.”

  “Is that as far as you’ll go?”

  “No, we still need to know anything she can tell us.”

  “So you’ll hurt her, even maim her?”

  Cassandra said nothing as she released Violet’s hand, but did offer a look of sympathy.

  “I know this is difficult for you.”

  “It’s beyond difficult, and the things you might inflict on her... it’s cruel.”

  “It is cruel, yes, and I’ll get no pleasure out of doing it. You know what it’s like, Violet; you’ve tortured to get information, and it has saved lives. I’ll do what I have to, but I promise you, I’ll go as easy on her as I can. In fact, talk to your sister once more, but after that... it’ll be my turn. We have to stop Prophet. To do that, we have to know as much as we can about him.”

  Violet wiped at her eyes as she and Cassandra sipped their coffee in silence.

  As Cassandra checked her email by using her phone, she began to yawn. A minute later, and she could barely keep her eyes open. When fatigue turned to exhaustion, followed by weakness, Cassandra understood what was happening. She looked into her coffee cup, and then over at Violet.

  “Why?”

  Violet went to her and lowered her gently onto the kitchen floor.

  “I’m so sorry, Cassandra; but she’s my sister and I love her.”

  Seconds later, Cassandra was asleep, as the drug Violet had added to the coffee put her out cold. Violet had made a small pot of coffee, poured a cup for herself, and then brewed a second batch, which she then spiked with crushed sleeping pills.

  After dumping the rest of the tainted brew down the sink, Violet checked Cassandra’s pulse to make certain that she was all right. Once she had assured herself that Cassandra was just asleep, Violet left her and went to free her sister.

  She returned from the basement minutes later with a blindfolded Viola, whose hands were bound behind her back. Summer’s puppy, Hope, gave a little yelp as Violet opened the back door.

  Violet shushed the pup and led her sister outside by gripping her by the elbow and guiding her along.

  “Where are you taking me?” Viola asked.

  “I don’t know, but I won’t let anyone harm you.”

  Viola smiled.

  “I love you too.”

  Moments later, Violet was driving away from the PREY house while crying. She had just betrayed her friends, as well as Elena, and she wondered if she would ever be forgiven.

  ***

  Later that morning, Michael leaned over and gave Samantha a squeeze before rising from his seat upon the front steps of his brother’s home.

  He had plans to visit the PREY house to have breakfast with Summer. He would walk there, as he often did, however, his usual companion was nowhere to be found.

  “Samantha, have you seen Stitches?”

  “Jace has him. He needed him for something, but he’ll bring him back today.”

  Michael frowned.

  “I’ll miss Stitches. He’s a good companion on a walk.”

  “Are you going to see Summer?”

  “Yes, do you like her?”

  Samantha thought about it.

  “I don’t know, but I know she likes you.”

  “You and Buggy need to spend more time together; you’re my two favorite girls.”

  Samantha smiled at Michael. He waved goodbye and headed towards the stream. There was a path along it from which you could reach the other side where the stream narrowed, and from there, one could walk to the rear of the PREY house.

  Samantha had been reading on a tablet, and as usual, she wore a dress. It was one of the new dresses that Jessica had bought her, and was pink with a lace collar. Samantha put the tablet down, rose from the porch steps, and walked around to the side of the garage.

  Mr. White practiced his knife-throwing there and so did Samantha. White had taught her the proper way to throw and she was becoming expert at it. Because of her size, she had to stand closer to the target than Mr. White, but her skill was still impressive.

  Samantha practiced with a set of six knives. She had just thrown the last knife when she heard someone clapping behind her.

  It was Russo and his four companions, and Samantha recognized them for what they were immediately.

  The predators were likewise aware of her kinship and breed, and one of the men, the shortest of the group, pointed at her.

  “I’ll be damned; she’s one of us.”

  Samantha ran to free a pair of knives to use as weapons, but Russo was quicker. He grabbed her up and tucked her under his left arm while pinning her own arms to her sides.

  As Samantha opened her mouth to gnash at Russo with her teeth, he issued a warning.

  “Hurt me in any way and I’ll cripple you.”

  Samantha closed her mouth, only to open it and ask a question.

  “What do you want?”

  “We’re here for Dr. White. I’ll also hurt you if you try to shout a warning.”

  Samantha smiled.

  “You’re all going to die.”

  Russo grinned at her audacity.

  “I don’t doubt that you’re capable of killing, little one, but you’re too small to be a real threat.”

  The men moved towards the house boldly. They already had one hostage and hadn’t even entered the home. It lent them confidence and assured them that their raid was going to be an easy one.

  The front door had been left unlocked. Russo and the others entered with their eyes darting around in all directions. Two of the five men brought out guns and went off to search the rooms on the ground floor. When their search was over, they reported finding no one, but like Russo, they heard sounds of movement coming from upstairs.

  Russo had his gun out as well, and he pressed it against the side of Samantha’s head. He still gripped her under his left arm, and she was squirming to get free. As the cool metal pressed against her temple, she ceased her movements.

  “If you shout a warning I’ll blow your brains out.”

  The creaking of a door opening issued forth from the second floor. It was Jessica, and she could be heard talking to the twins. When the sounds of their footsteps came from the stairs, Russo and the others moved that way.

  Jessica noticed them as she reached the landing. She held Liam’s hand in her left hand and Emma’s in her right. Liam showed no reaction, but Emma’s grip on her mother’s fingers tightened, and she hid herself behind Jessica while whimpering in fear.

  Russo removed the gun from Samantha’s head and pointed it at Jessica.

  “Give us the kids, Doctor, or I’ll shoot this little bitch here and then take them anyway.”

  Jessica looked at Samantha and saw her nod slightly. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but guessed that she was planning to fight back. How Samantha proposed to do that was a mystery to Jessica, since the man holding her had her arms pinned to her sides.

  Jessica called upstairs to her husband, her voice purposely full of alarm, so as to warn him. He soon rushed to her side while holding a gun.

  Russo and the other men gazed up at him in wonder. As they had with Samantha, they recognized him for what he was, they also felt the intensity of it more than they ever had before.

  Russo wasn’t about to take a chance with White, and so he issued an ultimatum.

  “Put that gun down or I’ll shoot this little bitch under my arm.”

  “What is this?” Mr. White asked.

  “We were sent here by Prophet. I’m sure your wife knows why. They
took one of ours and we’re going to trade one of your kids to get her back. Now drop the gun or it will get messy in here real quick.”

  Mr. White bent at the waist to place the gun atop the step above the landing, then, he straightened up again. Samantha felt the tension leave Russo’s body and knew that he believed he was in control.

  The man standing beside her had a knife hanging in a sheath on his belt. Samantha craned her neck sideways, locked her teeth on the handle of the knife, and freed it from the sheath. Next, she whipped her head around. The motion ripped a gash across the side of the man who owned the knife. While continuing the blade’s arc, Samantha then drove the knife between Russo’s ribs, while aiming for his heart.

  Russo dropped her immediately. With her arms free, Samantha gripped the knife in both hands and thrust it up between the legs of the man she’d taken it from. Samantha followed this by a vicious twist of the blade as she tore it free.

  The man attempted to shoot her, but was so debilitated by his wounds that Samantha was able to knock the gun from his hand, and it dropped to the floor. As that was happening, Mr. White leapt from the landing and drove two of the other men to the floor.

  The fifth man took aim at White’s back, but had to jump aside to avoid Samantha’s thrusting blade. His gun found a new target as he aimed at Samantha’s face.

  BAM! BAM! BAM!

  Jessica had claimed her husband’s gun from the stairs and shot the man who was about to kill Samantha. Little Emma began to wail in fright, while Liam watched the scene below with fascinated eyes.

  Samantha dropped the knife and used both her hands to pick up a gun and point it at Russo. After she had stabbed Russo, he had stumbled backwards and slid down to the floor with his back against the hallway wall.

  Samantha had missed Russo’s heart, but she had hit something vital. Russo appeared as if he had suffered a seizure of some sort. His gun lay limply in his right hand, and his fingers could only twitch about the weapon’s grip. The other man Samantha stabbed was lying on his side in a growing pool of red. He was unconscious and would bleed out in minutes.

  A loud, CRACK!, echoed through the hallway. It was accompanied by a thud and followed by a scream. Mr. White stood with one of the men held over his head, the small man. White was using him as a weapon to beat the other remaining man to death. More crackling resounded as more bones broke, then, the screaming ceased, to be replaced by the moans of the dying.

  White turned with eyes brimming with rage. When he saw Russo, he walked over and grabbed him around the neck. With one hand, he lifted the big man up until Russo’s feet dangled off the floor.

  Jessica shouted to her husband, while holding Emma to her breast to comfort her.

  “We need him alive! He may have information... that...could...”

  Her voice faded as she realized that her husband had crushed the life from Russo.

  After he stepped back from the body, it dropped and landed atop the floor as limp as a bundle of rags. White glared up at his wife.

  “They threatened our children. They don’t get to live!”

  Jessica began moving up the steps. Emma still cried, but not Liam, although his eyes were huge in his head.

  “The babies shouldn’t have seen this. I’ll also call Elena and tell her what’s happened.”

  After Jessica disappeared with the children, White used a knife to finish off the men that lived. He then looked over at Samantha, who was as bloody as he was.

  “Are you all right?” he asked her.

  “Yes. They underestimated me, didn’t they?”

  “That they did,” White said, and lowered himself atop the stairs to sit. Samantha settled beside him and laid her head against his shoulder.

  “Mr. White, who is Prophet?”

  “Someone I’m going to kill,” White said through gritted teeth.

  Samantha nodded. She knew the truth when she heard it.

  CHAPTER 19

  Summer had come across Cassandra laying on the kitchen floor.

  After checking her breathing and pulse, Summer rushed off to wake Elena.

  Since there were no signs of violence, Summer had believed Cassandra to be ill. By placing an ammonia inhalant beneath Cassandra’s nostrils, Elena was able to rouse Cassandra enough to get answers. That was when they learned that Violet had freed her sister.

  Kelly looked worried.

  “Do you think she’ll lead Prophet back here?”

  “No dear,” Elena said. “Violet wouldn’t do that. She simply couldn’t bear to see her sister come to harm. I should have realized that and done something to avoid this.”

  By the time Michael had arrived at the house for breakfast, Cassandra was awake, if still a bit sleepy. Then came the news of the attack at Jessica’s home, and Elena saw how desperate Prophet was to get Viola back.

  “Prophet has lost a substantial number of men over the last few days,” Elena said. “I’m sure we haven’t stopped him, but I’m equally certain we’ve crippled his plans and have caused him to regroup.”

  “He still has to be stopped,” Cassandra said. “I can’t believe Violet doesn’t see that.”

  “She does, and she hasn’t switched sides. She’s just confused.”

  Cassandra held her head in her hands. She was still dizzy from the sedative Violet had slipped into her coffee.

  “If Violet shows up again, she’s mine.”

  Elena looked startled.

  “I won’t let anything happen to that girl.”

  Cassandra lifted her head.

  “I wouldn’t kill her. If she really meant to hurt me, I’d be dead. I will kick her ass though.”

  Kelly laughed.

  “You can try, but that’s one tough woman.”

  Elena sighed.

  “I only pray that she returns to us.”

  ***

  Violet and Viola stood together while staring at the grave of their mother.

  “Do you really think that she’s looking down on us from somewhere?” Viola asked.

  “I don’t know,” Violet said. “I only know that I feel closer to her when I’m here, and I miss her too.”

  Viola hugged her sister.

  “I’ve missed you, and thank you again for saving me. Your friends back there would have killed me.”

  “Prophet needs to be stopped, Viola; why can you not see that?”

  “PREY is just spinning their wheels. Numerical died and women still go missing and are still murdered. Serial killers will always be with us, so why not control them and profit by it at the same time?”

  Violet stepped away from her sister.

  “That’s sick! These men must be stopped. Our gift at spotting them makes that possible. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme; it’s a responsibility.”

  “So what are you saying? Do you plan to spend your life hunting these assholes down like Dr. Colt? She’s wasted her life; don’t you see that? Humans murder other humans and always will.”

  Violet shook her head sadly.

  “Don’t try to follow me. Anyway, I won’t be going back to the PREY house.”

  “Where will you go?”

  Violet looked around.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure I’m no longer welcome there. I betrayed them for you. They’ll never trust me again.”

  “Come with me, please? Prophet is not a monster, you’ll see.”

  Violet stepped forward and kissed her sister on the cheek.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Violet turned and walked back to her car while wiping away tears. Viola watched her go, while fighting the urge to run after her. When Violet disappeared from view, Viola walked through the cemetery in search of a phone.

  She had to reconnect with Prophet.

  ***

  Prophet knew that something had gone wrong yet again when Russo failed to call in with an update.

  First, Anthony Dalen was killed, then Morrison and his crew, and now it looked like Ru
sso and the other four men were either dead or AWOL.

  To lose those nine men was bad enough, but losing Viola would be devastating. She had the ability to identify the men they were using; without her, the plan would never work.

  When the phone rang, Prophet had expected to hear Russo’s voice; when Viola’s came instead, Prophet was overjoyed.

  “I see that they made the trade.”

  “What trade? My sister let me go.”

  “You aren’t with the man named Russo?”

  “No, why? What did you do? Is my sister in danger?”

  “Relax, I sent Russo and four others to Dr. White’s house. I was going to trade her for you,” Prophet lied.

  The real plan had been to use one of the doctor’s children. Had the plan succeeded, the viciousness of using a child could have been blamed on Russo. In any event, there was no reason for Viola to know the truth.

  “You haven’t heard from Russo?” Viola asked.

  “No, and he’s overdue.”

  “They’re dead. I think the doctor and her husband are as dangerous as PREY.”

  “Listen to me, Viola. We can’t be certain that you weren’t followed or have a tracker on you. Go to the apartment. I’ve left money in the refrigerator for you. Use it to buy all new clothes and then go to our old location.”

  “I’ll do what you say, but it’s not a trick. My sister saved me.”

  “I believe it, but we must be sure. Once you’re at the old location, I’ll send a man there who will give you a phone. If nothing happens, call the number in the phone’s address book and I’ll tell you where to find me. I’ll also dispose of this phone.”

  “You’re so cloak and dagger,” Viola said.

  “It keeps me alive, and I’ll see you soon.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, Viola, but now get going.”

  “All right, baby, and stay safe.”

  Prophet ended the call and threw the phone against the wall, causing it to break into pieces.

  Nine men, nine killers, gone, and with nothing to show for it.

  Prophet fell atop a sofa and pounded a fist on the coffee table in front of it.

  First, that bastard Numerical got some of my best men killed. And now, just as I get everything the way I need it, PREY and Jessica White kill more of my men. Another damn delay, but I won’t let them beat me, and soon, very soon, the world will know the name, Prophet.