The Deadliest Secret (The Deadliest Series) (39 page)

             
She was on the verge of tears, her muscles protested and quivered.  Kody began to pace again. Gwen was losing him again. She was not going to be able to talk to him much longer if his psychosis got any worse. She had to work fast, or start praying that Darrien would find her before the worst-case scenario happened.

              Darrien had hit a wall with the first hotel. When he arrived he went to the front office and got the spare key for the cabin the Lincoln was registered to. The pale blue cabin was nothing remarkable. He parked the car at a different cabin and walked silent but swift to the door, he listened and heard a man’s pleasure. Darrien saw red, he kicked the door in with his service gun drawn, aimed right at the bed. He was stunned when he saw an older graying male with a buxom blonde.              

             
“What the fuck?” The man yelled.

             
“Oh shit.” Darrien was mortified at his mistake.

             
“Get the fuck out.” The soprano voice peroxide blonde yelled at him.

             
“Sorry.” Darrien closed the door and almost ran back to the car.

             
His phone chirped with notification of the text message. The newbie agent he left at the hotel had followed through. The troops had been mobilized starting on the other side of the lake. Darrien had gotten away with his plan for long enough. The next set of cabins was seven miles away. He could be there quickly. Darrien texted the kid for the address, he input the information, and started driving towards the next set of cabins.

             
Darrien’s skin felt too tight. His heavily muscled arm rolled with power while he drove. He was more than ready to take this pathetic asshole on. He pulled onto a dirt road when the GPS instructed him. The road was extremely bumpy, years of abandonment and subpar care caused the large divots. He cursed the shocks in the car. Darrien pulled up at the front office and went inside.

             
“The Lincoln.” He snapped at the front desk clerk.

             
“I’m sorry.” The red head stammered when she took in his hulking figure.

             
“You have a Lincoln registered here, what cabin, how do I get to it?” His tone was clipped and ice cold the girl shrank back.

             
“If you think you’re getting our records you’re high.” She decided to act affronted. 

             
Darrien flashed his badge in her face. “You are obstructing justice, now give me the fucking information or I will arrest you for obstruction of a federal investigation.”

             
His barked direction and mention of jail seemed to shock the girl into action. She began to type; she hit a few buttons and brought up the profile of the cabin. She printed it and handed the paperwork to Darrien.  Her voice was sarcastic when she spoke next. “Do you need a map or shall I show you?”

             
“Just point me in the direction, I’ll manage fine.” He countered.

             
“Out the door, to the left it’s the sixth cabin, the last in the row.”

             
“Thanks.” With the last word being his Darrien walked out and leapt into action.

             
He drove his car and parked it at the fourth cabin. The place seemed abandoned; he could almost feel the cobwebs that most likely inhabited most the cabins in this area. No wonder that sick fuck Kody picked this place. Even though Darrien wanted to go straight for the cabin he did a little check, the front door opened to a small dining area on the left along with the kitchenette, the right offered the living room space. Straight ahead was the hallway that leads to the bedroom and bathroom. He studied the map of the cabin until he was satisfied it was forever in his memory.

             
He started walking towards cabin number six, before Darrien started on the steps he looked around the area for a security camera, trip wire, anything that would be a danger to Gwen or himself. When he saw the area didn’t have any booby-traps he tested each step to the cabin door before he committed his weight to it. Kody did not need any advance notice he was there. Darrien listened carefully and he could hear Gwen’s muffled cries. She was screaming. He tested the door handle, it was locked, and he grabbed the key and began to silently work on the tumblers holding the door in place.

              Kody had snapped awake from his reverie. Gwen was his, she was here, and she needed to be punished again. He removed a dagger from the one bag in the room that was his. He toyed with the edge first, testing it against his own hand. The copper scent of blood filled the air. Kody’s chest seemed to ease with the scent. “Don’t worry my love, we have time to cleanse you of your sins.”

             
Gwen’s eyes widened when she saw the blood, and the dagger coming towards her, she tried to scream and pull against the restraints. The effort was futile; Kody had tied her down and guaranteed she would not be going anywhere. Kody enjoyed her palpable fear. She knew what she did she knew it was wrong. This thought satisfied him immensely. He licked the dagger clean of his own blood and traced the tip over her bare stomach.

             
“Gwen you need to be cleaned.” After he spoke her voice fell and she began to plead with him.

             
“Now, now my love, hush,” he spoke softly but the dagger continued on a figure-eight track on her smooth stomach, “you knew that you had to pay, you broke the rules.”

             
His voice was oddly distant, he stopped the dagger on her hip and he started to dig it into her skin. His reward was her pain. The red liquid started to spill from her slowly, her white teeth stood out against the muted color in the room; even in pain she was exquisite. He was in awe. The blood trickled and started to pool against the mattress, Kody watched. Soon it was time for more pain, he dug the dagger deeper and twisted.

             
“The dagger that hurts the most is the one twisted slowly. You did the same thing to me Gwen.” Kody spoke low as he followed through on his threat.

             
Gwen’s body attempted to close in on her. He withdrew the dagger from her side and sliced near her wrists. Kody wanted to remind her of his rules. She should not be moving. He stuck the other side of her stomach, the gush of air that left her with his sudden stab made him want more blood, more carnage. He had to be careful with this woman this was his woman. She could be hurt but he could not let her die.

             
She screamed again, Kody relished the sound, he licked his lips and leaned down, his face was in Gwen’s he hesitated for a second watching her beautiful features twisted in agony did make this better for him, but the agony was necessary so she would know she did wrong. He pressed his lips to hers. She wasn’t responding she was still. Kody pulled back, Gwen’s stare was blank, like she wasn’t there. Kody brought his hand back and slapped her again. She sputtered this time blood came from her lip. He wanted to taste her, Kody leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, she wriggled trying to get away from him but he bit her hard, she stopped and cried out. The sound vibrated his lips and made him want her more. Kody was about to kiss her again and finish taking everything he wanted from her when he heard a creak from the direction of the door. He dismissed it, until he heard something fumbling with the door lock. He put the gag back into Gwen’s mouth and left to investigate

Chapter thirty-two

The handle made noise as Darrien jig
gled it. Darrien tried to quiet it by lifting on the door before he opened it. His eyes zeroed in on the bed across from him and his heart shattered when he saw Gwen. Her face was stained with tears and blood. Darrien was too focused on what was in front of him he rushed to her side. He pulled at the gag in her mouth; it was wrapped around her head. He growled audibly. Gwen was shaking her head violently left to right trying to get his attention. Darrien broke the clasp on the gag and pulled it away from her mouth. His hand moved quickly to the bind at her left wrist, he flipped out his Swiss army knife and cut through the bind before she could even speak. Her voice was hoarse.

             
“Darrien look out!” She screamed a split second too late.

              Kody had come from his hiding spot in the closet beside the door; the knife in his hand was stained from Gwen’s blood. He was livid; the tall blonde man from the hotel, the one with the cocky swag was trying to steal his female. The man started by undoing Gwen’s beautiful mouth. The gag was something special he had purchased just for her, the careless bastard just threw it from her mouth like it was trash. Darrien, as Gwen called him took out a knife in a flurry of movements he cut the binding on her wrist. Kody had to strike fast or else this bastard was going to desecrate his woman again. Kody’s arm jabbed the knife deep into Darrien’s side and twisted it. The most satisfying cry of anguish came from Darrien’s mouth as he crumbled to the ground beside the bed.

             
“She is MINE.” Kody growled and kicked Darrien’s body.

             
“OH GOD DARRIEN! NO” Gwen screamed.

             
The scent of blood blossomed in the room as it spilled from the downed male. He sat on the edge of the bed and traces his knife along Gwen’s nude form once more, he dragged it down the center of her chest digging it slightly, blood of her own and Darrien’s smeared on her milky flesh. She sobbed, and begged for Kody to stop. The sound of her begging him was music to his ears.

             
“Say you’re sorry.”

             
“Please dear God I’m sorry.” Her voice was much too loud.

             
“Again.”

             
“Kody I’m sorry.” She begged again.

             
“Where were we before this fuck interrupted us? Oh yes, you need to be cleansed of your sins my darling Gwen.”

             
“Stop please.” Her tears were fat and falling down her cheek.

             
“No you need to truly be sorry.”

             
“I am please Kody.” Her voice was getting weaker; the shower curtain she was wrapped in was covered in her blood.

             
“It will be over soon, a pound of flesh to repay your sins my darling, then we can be together forever.” Kody sounded as if he was in the thralls of a trance.

             
Gwen’s face contorted in anticipation of the pain she knew was coming. Kody started to dig the knife deeper. Her scream was blood curdling.  She thrashed against the remaining restraint Kody caught her free hand before she could use it against him, Darrien had cut the restraint closest to him so Kody dug his fingers into Gwen’s wrist forcing her to submit, she couldn’t move her arm. He could feel her dainty bones beneath his fingers. He could snap her, this power he had within him over her got him off. He hard he knew her life, her limbs, heart were all in his hands, quite literally. She whimpered when he tightened his grip even more so to continue his cleansing of his woman.

              Darrien was floating; he was brought back down to Earth by Gwen’s screaming. He was fighting with his mind. Her pain was his. She was being tortured. His eyes refused to open at first. He tested his limbs, they wouldn’t respond. Another scream, this time accompanied by the coppery smell of blood, he couldn’t tell it was his or hers. He remembered getting stabbed. Darrien kept his breathing even and deep, he tried to force his eyes open yet again, success. His vision was blurry; Darrien closed his eyes hard and opened them again. His switch knife was still in his hand. Kody hadn’t kicked it away; it was a stroke of luck.  He gripped the handle on it, Kody was too enthralled torturing Gwen to notice any small movements, Darrien was slowly testing his limbs to make sure they worked, his side was burning he ignored it and pushed through. Every instinct said to stay down, but fuck instincts Gwen was in trouble and it was his fault she was in this situation.

             
Kody was hovering above Gwen’s body, Darrien forced himself up in a fluid motion and launched himself at Kody’s body, punching his meaty fist into the side of Kody’s face as he tackled the unsuspecting male to the ground, the force at which Darrien knocked into Kody had the large knife falling from his hand, Darrien didn’t have time to react to grab the knife, he hoped it didn’t stick Gwen again. She was losing enough blood she didn’t need another cut because of his hasty action. He landed in a pile on top of Kody on the other side of the bed.