Unleashed (Unmemorable Series Book 2)

by A. P. Jensen

  Raven collapsed on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She was so tired that she felt sick. Pushing herself wouldn’t do any good. Her throat should have healed already and it hadn’t. She closed her eyes, but her mind was too busy. Her life was a blur of events that all melded together and then blew up in her face. The swamp, the attack, Sunshine gone and now the Council was coming to Unmemorable headquarters. What was the world coming to?

  ***

  “Finally,” Delilah said and she sounded frantic. “I got something. Are you paying attention?”

  Delilah had her head bent and she was staring at her ripped jeans, which were filthier than ever. Raven tried to focus when her head and throat ached.

  You okay? Raven croaked and tried to fight the fuzziness.

  Delilah shook her head and tears dropped onto her dirty hands. “Maggie’s been raising hell and this time I think she’s gone too far.”

  A distant, piercing scream made Delilah shake and Raven knew it was Maggie. Her mind went cold with rage, but she forced herself to think.

  Delilah, focus. You said you know something. What is it?

  Delilah grasped fistfuls of her hair. “Maggie said we’re in a house. The windows are covered, but she saw one of the guy’s walk outside. We’re in a forest. There’s snow outside.”

  Okay, that’s good, Delilah. Anything else?

  Delilah took a deep, shaky breath. “Can you give my parents a message?”

  Raven’s heart ached and she closed her eyes against a flood of tears. Delilah, we’re going to find you.

  “Tell them I was the one who broke the swing, not Tommy,” Delilah sobbed.

  You can tell them yourself, Raven said and asked, Did Maggie say anything else?

  Delilah shook her head. “No, that’s it. That’s enough for Cain to find us, right?”

  Raven nodded, although Delilah couldn’t see. Definitely.

  Another scream echoed to the basement and Delilah shuddered. The other kids around her clapped their hands over their ears and rocked.

  You’re brave girls, you hear me?

  Delilah didn’t answer.

  Tell Maggie to stop throwing her tantrums unless she knows where you are. You’ve done a lot.

  “I’m scared, Raven. Hurry.”

  Another scream, tormented and full of fear filled the basement. Raven could hear muffled sobs. One girl rushed to the cage and grabbed the bars.

  “Stop it!” she screamed. “Leave her alone! Do you hear me? Stop!”

  The door opened at the top of the stairs, and even as Raven tried to hold onto Delilah, she slipped through her fingers.

  ***

  Raven jolted in bed and the arm around her tightened. Even before she was fully awake, her mind identified who it was.

  “Bad dream?” Cain growled in her ear.

  “Delilah,” Raven whispered and noticed her voice was mostly back to normal.

  Cain tensed. “Tell me.”

  Raven closed her eyes and tried to recount everything she could remember. Cain’s grip was like a steel band around her middle.

  “Damn it, Maggie,” he said hoarsely.

  “A forest with snow?”

  “Could be Canada, could be anywhere.”

  “The girl who screamed for them to stop, she has straight red hair, freckles, dark eyes. She was wearing booties with cupcakes on them.”

  “Fuck. That’s Marlie.”

  “Marlie?”

  “She’s the only girl in her family. Peter and Jan had six boys before they finally had Marlie. Her parents manipulate water. Since she was taken, Texas has iced over.”

  “What’s Marlie’s power?”

  “Storms. She’s the strongest of them all.”

  “Maybe we can check to see if there’s unusual storm activity,” Raven said.

  Cain grabbed his phone and typed something on it before he relaxed against her. “Jane will check on it.”

  Raven tensed. “Jane?” With everything going on, she shouldn’t care that Cain was texting his ex, but she did.

  “What?”

  She tried to push away the stabbing jealousy. “I better get up.”

  “No. What’s going on?”

  Raven thought of the way Cain dealt with the prisoner and the fact that he was Rich’s hit man. None of the Unmemorables believed Cain had fallen for her because of his past . . . a past he wouldn’t discuss with her. What else was he hiding from her? “I really don’t know you at all, do I?”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “It means I really don’t know you at all.”

  His hand cupped her jaw. “You know me, Raven.”

  “You’re a money-making hit man who occasionally tortures people for information,” Raven said sarcastically. “Oh, yes, and you can cook five-star meals and babysit for Rich. Have I got that right?”

  “What’s your point?” Cain asked.

  She threw up her hands. “The point is that you know everything there is to know about me and I know absolutely nothing about you. You won’t tell me what it is you do, I have to find out from everyone else and you’re still in touch with your ex who has feelings for you!”

  “I don’t know everything about you. I didn’t know you can speak telepathically to other Unmemorables and can connect to Delilah through dreams.”

  “That isn’t my fault! Delilah said I was open unlike you!”

  “This is a stupid fight,” Cain said.

  “Ever since we had the fight on Christmas you’ve changed.” He’d become harder and more distant. She sat with her back against the headboard and crossed her arms. “I didn’t choose the Unmemorables over you, Cain.”

  His face shut down. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  That was usually her line and she didn’t like that the roles were being reversed in their relationship. “Finding a way to break the curse is my focus. It has to be. I need to break the curse before I can even think about our future.”

  He glared at her. “I don’t care if you break the curse. I’ll wear your hair, drink your blood, I don’t fucking care.”

  “I care! What if you drop my braid or forget to drink my blood? You’ll forget me like that.” Raven snapped her fingers. “That’s not normal, Cain!”

  “Who cares?”

  “I do! Maybe one day you don’t want to do all that and it isn’t just me. Jackie’s gonna be around and maybe the others, too. Down the road, taking their hair or blood is gonna get old. What then? I need this curse to be broken so I feel like we have a chance.”

  Cain scowled at her. “You have to trust me.”

  “I do.”

  “No, you don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t care about breaking the curse at all and we wouldn’t be dealing with the Unmemorables.”

  “They’re my family,” she said.

  “If they’re your family, why did you look like Carrie from that Stephen King horror movie? You were covered in blood, your throat was covered in bruises, and you were surrounded by dead bodies. They just watched you, Raven. What kind of family is that?”

  “They couldn’t come close,” Raven said in a stifled voice and dropped her eyes. “The Unmemorables say I have Clarity. Its like this hyper-aware fighting state. It’s survival mode. After my cousin was taken, my mind shut down and Clarity took over. They didn’t interfere until I . . . woke up.”

  Cain was quiet for so long that she looked up. He was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. He shook his head and pushed off the bed.

  “You’re mad about me not telling you I used to interrogate prisoners when you’re a killer?”

  Raven jerked back as if he struck her. “Killer?”

  “I’ve never seen anyone go from housekeeper to assassin so quickly. You’ve become one of them even though I told you they’re cons. They don’t get involved in battles. They sit back and pick things off dead bodies like vultures. You can’t trust them and now you tell me you’re one of their elite?”

  Raven hopped
off the bed. “You don’t know them like I do. Jackie and Bones have taken hits for me and . . . .”

  “If you hadn’t taken off to that fucking swamp and listened to me for once, no one would’ve had to take a hit for you. I told you to stay in Las Vegas. That trip was a waste of time.”

  “It wasn’t! Belle has something to do with the Belrose descendant...”

  Cain slashed a hand through the air. “You know what, Raven? I don’t have time for experiments and theories. All I know is I wasn’t there when the Council got attacked on Christmas. Maybe Maggie would be safe instead of throwing a fit so Delilah can contact you. Maggie’s risking her life to feed us information about their location because she knows I can’t track them.” Cain swore and turned away. “I gave up everything for you and you just keep showing me that you’re more like them than I ever wanted you to be.”

  Raven’s heart shriveled in her chest. She had no idea what to say to that. She stood there for several seconds, waiting for him to look at her and apologize for that hit, but he didn’t.

  Raven walked out of the bedroom and Cain didn’t try to stop her. She rode the elevator down to the ground floor and saw that the foyer had been cleared of bodies. Aside from the fact that there were no doors and the scorch marks on the floor and walls, you couldn’t tell that a bloodbath took place not even eight hours ago.

  Raven walked outside and saw that the grounds were just as clean. There was a pile of weapons nearby so she walked over and found her blades in the mess. She was aware of the milling Unmemorables who kept their distance. She’d never felt more like a freak. Once she found all her knives, she walked into the kitchen, which was as clean as always. She dropped the knives coated with dried blood in the sink and began to wash off the gore.

  “I’m Vegas.”

  Raven looked up. An Unmemorable dressed in army fatigues with thin features and pencil-thin eyebrows leaned against the counter.

  “Raven,” she mumbled as she wiped down her blades.

  Vegas rolled his eyes. “I know.”

  She ignored him, but when he didn’t move, she raised a brow. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m on babysitting duty while they sleep,” Vegas said.

  “Babysitting me?” she asked and tested the blade with her thumb.

  Vegas took a step back and held up his hands. “Hey, I’m just following orders.”

  “From who?”

  “Bones.”

  She grit her teeth. “I’m fine.”

  Vegas eyed her knives. “You sure are. You’re lethal.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he raised a finger and cocked his head.

  “Council’s here.”

  Vegas walked outside and she followed as he rounded the mansion to the golf course. She got a full view of the damage. The cement on the basketball court was stained a rust color and the water in the pool had been drained. There was a crater in the middle of the golf course, most of the trees had been destroyed, and there were signs of fire everywhere.

  In the distance, there was the roar of large engines. She realized the Council had flown here in private planes. Lines of Unmemorables leaked out of the house with rifles ready. Harvard and Ace appeared with sheaths for her knives and two handguns. If it were anyone besides Sunshine, would Gerald have agreed to call on the Council? Probably not. The Battalion fucked up when they took Sunshine. He was the Unmemorables’ one weakness and they would deal their souls to the devil to get him back.

  The devil, AKA Rich Henson, didn’t look as threatening this time around. Rich was dressed like a dashing cowboy with a leather trench coat, but he was limping on a cane and his face was drawn and haggard. Even with his larger-than-life hat, she could see a thick white bandage beneath the brim. On either side of Rich were his demons, Cain’s parents. Behind the Council were expressionless men and women with weapons in hand.

  Gerald, Big Daddy and Cain walked from the mansion to the Hensons. She looked away and got to work with her knives. The conversation between the Hensons and the Unmemorables lasted over fifteen minutes and the standoff made Raven’s hands itch. The sun began to set, casting all of them in orange light. Jackie and Bones sidled toward her.

  “What’s taking so long?” she grouched, shifting from foot to foot. “How hard is it to call a truce? Want to kill each other? No, let’s all kill Angel first and then we can kill each other later. Sounds good. Later.”

  “Nothing’s simple when it comes to the Council,” Jackie said.

  “Apparently,” she drawled and then asked, “Am I a killer?”

  “Yup,” Bones said. “A damn good one.”

  Jackie glanced sidelong at her. “What’s up?”

  Raven stiffened as a small figure broke away from the line of Council soldiers and ran over to the group. Jane was easy to recognize since she had on a huge pink fur hat with matching gloves and boots. Raven had on a hoodie and jeans while Jane was dressed as if they were in Antarctica.

  Raven grit her teeth as Jane made her way to Cain’s side and put her hand on his arm. Raven waited for Cain to step away, but he didn’t. Jane tilted her face up to Cain and he leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. Raven tried to view them objectively while her blood heated. Cain had on slacks, a button-up long sleeve and tailored jacket. Cain matched with Jane, she couldn’t deny it. She’d always known she wasn’t in his class. When she realized her hand was on the handle of her knife, she jerked back. She really was a killer.

  Raven broke ranks and pushed through the Unmemorables so she could walk back to the mansion, away from everyone. She couldn’t stand to see Jane around Cain. How did normal people handle seeing their partner with an ex? Was it because she’d never been with anyone that she felt everything so intensely? Or was she a murderous freak?

  “Raven?”

  She stopped in the open doorway and leaned against the doorjamb. Jackie said nothing as he copied her.

  “Are there Unmemorables who are serial killers?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  She fell silent and made a conscious effort to keep her hands from balling into fists.

  “Truce is made,” Jackie reported. “Rich’s power isn’t working at full potential, but now that he knows that Delilah’s reaching out, he’ll try to contact her. Since you’re dreaming about the girl, Pop said you should catch some z’s just in case.”

  She glared at him. “I don’t want to sleep.”

  “Too bad. You have just as much chance of finding out where the hostages are as Rich.”

  Jackie pointed to the elevator and she went to her room reluctantly. She stared out of her window at the golf course where the Hensons, Gerald and Big Daddy congregated. The Unmemorables and Council soldiers were still at a standoff even though the last rays of light filled the sky.

  “Here you go,” Jackie said and handed her a cup of tea. “This will put you out like a light.”

  She eyed the dark liquid suspiciously. “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. Thumbs makes it.”

  Raven paused with the cup against her lips. “Thumbs?”

  “He’s good with plants.”

  She shook her head and downed the cup in three gulps. Jackie caught her before she hit the carpet.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Something prodded Raven sharply in the back. She stepped out of a vehicle into falling snow. The smell of pine filled the air. There was a rundown cabin a few feet away. Someone shoved her hard from behind. She fell on her hands and knees in the snow. Her arms were hairy and hair fell into her eyes. She was wearing Superman pajamas.

  “What the hell is wrong with this guy?” a soldier muttered.

  “I think he’s retarded. He hasn’t said a thing,” another masculine voice said.

  Raven got to her feet and staggered barefoot to the house. Her hands and feet tingled from the cold and when she walked inside, warmth engulfed her. Angel and the impersonator sat in fr
ont of the fireplace. The impersonator’s face was covered in angry claw marks and his ear was swaddled in white linen. Both men looked up when she entered with the guards.

  “So you’re the one Vick’s been telling me about,” Angel said as he rose. “Let’s see your sketchbook.”

  Raven clutched the book in her hands and didn’t hand it over. Angel tilted his head to the side and examined her.

  “He’s handicapped,” Vick said dismissively.

  “Yet he can draw the future and saw through your disguise,” Angel mused and Vick subsided in angry silence. Angel refocused on Raven. “Can you tell me why you led the Unmemorables to the swamp?”

  A faint trembling started in her heart and she couldn’t speak. Angel clucked his tongue as if he could smell her fear. Gently, he tugged the notebook from her hand and flipped through it. Angel examined several illustrations and shook his head.

  “Who knew she was such a saint? She thinks she can unite the Unmemorables, but they’ll never listen to a woman.” Angel glanced back at Vick. “I don’t understand Raven. What does she want?”

  “She’s a vicious bitch,” Vick snarled.

  Angel laughed. “I know. She’ll be mine soon.”

  “You want her even though Cain’s had her?”

  The smile faded from Angel’s face and the menace that filled his eyes made Raven’s heart skip. Angel turned toward Vick and the disgust faded from the bald man’s face.

  “Raven’s mine,” Angel said, and his voice was uncompromising and cold.

  Vick shifted in his seat. “Whatever you want.”

  “Yes,” Angel hissed and turned his back on Vick who was suddenly pale. Angel flipped through the pages and narrowed his eyes at the house in the swamp and then the picture of Belle. He looked up and focused on Raven. “Why did you send them to Louisiana?”

  Raven clasped and unclasped her hands. When Angel stepped forward, her mouth opened but no sound came out. Angel stopped with less than a foot between them.

  “Why?” Angel breathed.

  She didn’t have time to react when the punch came. One moment she was staring into Angel’s eyes and the next she was on the floor. Blood poured from her mouth and she touched her jaw gingerly. The guards hauled her up. Angel grabbed her face and forced her to meet his beautiful eyes.