Out Of The Shadows (HADES) (Whiskey Bend MC Series, Book #4)

Drake was watching the hospital. He’d seen all the extra police and heard some of the commotion, but that wasn’t what interested him at the moment. He was still in a full rage from what Hope had said earlier. He was going to make her pay for her insolence. He was waiting for the right time. He was also waiting for the right opportunity. Time was on his side and soon he would put his plan in motion. He had to get something ready, but before he left, he blew a kiss to the hospital.

An hour later as he lit the match, he glanced toward the skies. The pinks and purples of the sunset told Drake the time was right. The fire on the end of the match burned brightly and its soft glow slowly mesmerized him. He watched it for another minute then threw the match on the pile of paper he had prepared.

As the paper began to burn, Drake smiled. This was only the beginning. He turned and made his way to the next site. A half an hour later, the first fire engine rushed by. On the ground behind him lay the body of a cop.

Blood pooled around his throat and spilled out over the ground. He was dressed in his underwear and the stark white of the t-shirt contrasted the color of the blood. He didn’t normally kill men, but this one had to die. He needed a uniform and a patrol car. This one happened to be alone in his car off the main street. Drake picked up the police hat and adjusted it to fit his head. The crisp blue shirt and dark blue pants fit him well. The weapon at his side felt awkward but Drake wasn’t bothered enough by it to leave it behind.

He turned and walked smartly toward the hospital. He wasn’t going to leave the kid behind to identify him. Without hesitating, he climbed the steps and went inside. The harsh lights inside almost hurt his eyes, but his gaze swept around the room, checking out what he had to deal with.

Drake paused long enough to ask the woman behind the counter for the boy’s room and she distractedly told him the room number and went back to the phone call she was dealing with. Drake smiled and headed down the hall.

Drake walked to the boy’s room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie arguing with the kids’ father but he didn’t bother to make eye contact. He just went into the boy’s room. When he looked at the bed, he found it empty. He looked toward the bathroom but it was empty as well. Looking around, he found no sign the kid had ever been there. Drake swore and moved to see if he could see Charlie and the boy’s father. But the angle was wrong. He stepped out of the room and walked back to where he’d seen them before but now he found no one there.

Drake swore again and turned to leave the hospital. Apparently, the boy was gone for now. He hated when his plans didn’t go the way they were supposed to. He had things he wanted to get done. He still had to find a way to get Hope on her own and make her pay for what she said to him earlier.

He got into the police car and drove down the road. A half hour later, he parked to where he needed to be. He grabbed the officers cell phone from the seat then took a small piece of hardware and attached it to the phone. He then tapped in a number. When she answered, he spoke and his voice did not sound like his own. “I’m looking for Miss Mallory.”

“This is she, can I help you?” Hope answered.

“I hope so. I’m calling about a small fire at the vet’s office. We’re rounding up the clients who had pets at the clinic. Some of the pets didn’t make it but we were asked to bring the owners down to the clinic.”

“Chloe was at the clinic.” Hope’s voice trembled.

Drake smiled at the panic in her voice. “Yes ma’am. A German shepherd made it out of the fire but you need to come and collect her.”

Hope nodded. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can get a ride.”

Drake hung up the phone and settled in to wait for her to come to him. He was waiting on a side road that led to the clubhouse and as soon as he saw her coming his way, he would get his hands on her.

~*~

“Where Hope?” Hades came bursting into the meeting room.

Caden shook his head. “She’s not with you?”

“Fuck no. I left her resting in the room for ten minutes while I got her something to eat. Then she was gone.”

“She’s here somewhere, Hades. Maybe with the women?”

“I checked.” Hades was about to lose it. “FUCK!”

Cole stepped up. “I just checked my laptop. Drake must have somehow got her to leave the compound. Her GPS is going toward town. What’s out there that she would leave the safety of the club?”

“The only thing I know is if Chloe,” Hades told them. “Her dog. Why would she leave and not tell me?” He turned and punched a hole in the wall.

The men stared at him.

Lucifer looked stone faced. “Dammit, Hades. Get a hold.”

Hades’ fist was bleeding as he stood very still and took a deep breath.

Caden and Cole watched him.

He then seemed to snap to it. “Call the vet and see if everything is o,”

Lucifer looked around the room, then he happened to notice one of his men was gone as well. “Where the hell did Recon go?” He walked out.

Hades grabbed his cell and swiped the screen. The phone rang at the clinic but no one answered. He wanted to throw the phone so badly, but then he swiped the screen closed.

Lucifer came back in. “The son of a bitch called her, pretending to be some fire personnel and that the clinic was set on fire. Which it had been. Then she got Recon to take her to the vet’s office.”

“Can you tell where she is?” Hades asked Cole as he gazed at the laptop screen.

He wasn’t he only one watching the screen. Lucifer and several other of his men were crowded into the room along with Caden, Cole and Charlie.

Cole nodded. “She’s moving east along the river road; out toward the edge of town. What’s out there?”

Charlie thought about it for a minute. “The only thing out that way is the old harbor.”

“What about the old storage caves?” Lucifer asked.

Charlie agreed. “Yes, they are and I’ll bet that’s where he’s taking her. Nobody ever goes there anymore and he could do whatever he wants to her and no one would be the wiser.”

“The fuck he will!” Hades snapped as he checked his gun clip and headed out the door.

“Come on, let’s get there first,” Charlie said. “We may have to stop him from committing murder.”

“Who wants to stop him?” Lucifer quipped. “Not me and I do have to warn you all. Hades was the best at what he did. And I won’t even tell you what he really did either. It’s still classified as far as I know.”

Caden, Cole and Charlie all looked at each other.

“Damn,” Caden said as he headed out.

The other men followed

Once outside, they saw a stone faced Hades with a duffel bag. “What’s that?” Caden asked him.

“I have a few surprises of my own for Mr. Freak. Let’s go.”

As they headed toward the caves, Hades checked the laptop again. The receiver Hope had with her was stationary now. He hoped she wasn’t hurt. Knowing this coward, she was still alive, but how badly had he hurt her. He flinched.

Lucifer’s cell rang and he swiped the screen. “Yes?” Then he listened and stilled. “Is he alive?’ His expression remained cold. “Okay, give me updates.” He swiped the screen and looked over at Hades. “One of the brothers found Recon. He has a bad concussion and a broken arm, but he’ll live. That motherfucker clocked him hard enough to almost kill him when he took Hope.” His knuckles looked white as he clenched his fists.

Hades nodded. “He will pay, prez. I promise.”

The darkness hid the isolated area from view as Caden pulled his car up next to a police cruiser.

Charlie whispered, “Dammit. That’s Donny’s cruiser.”

“Well, Donny may not be with us anymore, I hate to say,” Lucifer whispered back.

It was quiet as Hades, Caden, Charlie, Lucifer and Cole got out of the car.

Another car pulled up and Lucifer motioned with his hand to where he wanted his men to go.

Trying not to make any noise, they searched around the area trying to find the cave opening.

Hades led the way as he searched for the spot he knew would lead them in.

It took them a while to find what they’d been looking for, but they finally found the opening Drake had made. It was barely big enough for one person to get through and if you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t see it.

Hades could see it. He held his hand up as he approached.

Everyone halted.

Hades stood still and closed his eyes. He took in the surroundings. He listened.

Nothing.

Then he heard it… a small noise that was buffered. He nodded to the men behind him and pointed at the entrance.

They entered the caves single file, with their guns drawn. Hades made sure he was front and center. They couldn’t use their flashlights because they didn’t want to alert Drake of their presence. They felt their way along the cave walls until they came to one of the many caverns inside the cave. They saw a dim light off to the right side of the cavern.

Hades pointed out the way. He’d been in the dark many times on missions. His eyes were trained for this very thing. Only this wasn’t a mission. He needed to take out a killer before he hurt Hope. He’d lost his mind back at the compound when he found her missing… he would admit it. Hope was the closest thing to salvation that he’d ever had. He wouldn’t be sane if he lost her now. Holding her at night, allowed him to sleep… finally.

He shook his head to focus. He needed to keep her alive.

Slowly, they pushed forward until they came to another opening.

Carefully, Hades motioned Charlie to go to the other side. Cole crouched at his feet.

Hades slowly opened the duffel. Reaching inside, he pulled out a flare handed it to Caden and grabbed a tear gas canister. He nodded at Charlie who was holding his weapon in his hand. Lucifer and the brothers stood back in the shadows for now. They were there in case Drake got past the first line of defense. Hades knew they were going to make sure he never left the caves alive.

Then at Hades’ nod, they stuck their heads around the opening to see if Drake and Hope were in the room.

Drake had a couple of Coleman lanterns for lighting and Hades noticed a bedroll in one corner. He had pulled up some flat rocks to hold a few personal items, but for the most part the room was bare. There was some trash littering the room, and the cavern smelled musty.

Hades stilled when he spotted Hope lying on the floor. She was still unconscious. He heard Drake, but because of the lighting, there were too many shadows. They had to wait until he came into the light before they could move.

Finally, Hades saw Drake. In his hands was a length of rope. Using the rope, he tied Hope’s hands behind her back. Then he paced back and forth waiting for her to wake up.

Hades wanted to get the fucker and now, but his training stayed with him as he studied the gun at his Drake’s hip. He knew Drake was more comfortable with a knife, but Hades had no doubt he also knew how to use a gun. They heard him mumbling as he paced and Hades wished he could hear what Drake was saying. They had to wait until Hope woke up to determine her condition, but as long as Drake made no move to hurt her, they could give her time to wake up.

Drake stooped to check Hope. He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head up so he could look at her face. The bruise along her chin was turning purple, and her eyes were still closed. He dropped her head back down to the floor.

At the thump of her head, Hades sucked in a breath as a red hot fury grew in him. It burned to be let out and he could taste death in his mouth—the death of this fucking freak.

They saw Drake leave the lighted area and return a moment later with a canteen of water. He splashed water from the canteen on Hope’s face and waited for the cool liquid to revive her. When she didn’t come around immediately, he splashed more liquid on her face.

She groaned and began spitting as the water ran down into her mouth.

Hope slowly opened her eyes.

“Hi, remember me?” Drake asked her. His black eyes blazed with anger and hatred.

Hope recoiled from the hatred she could see in his eyes, but held his gaze. “Yeah, I remember you.” She looked around the room. “So this is where you’ve been hiding.”

Her voice held just enough ridicule to make Drake frown. He looked around the confined area. “It’s one of the places I’ve been using. It’s a good place, out of the way, cozy almost.”

“Yes, the right place for someone like you.” Hope struggled to sit up. She looked around again. “It certainly suits you.”

Drake glared at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Hope shook the hair out of her face and peered up at him. “A rat hole for a rat. So fitting. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Drake slapped her hard across the face. The sound of his hand slapping her face echoed through the small cavern.

Hades barely kept himself together, his rage was beyond what he could control. This asshole was beating on his woman. He slipped the key out of the tear gas canister and tossed it into the room.

Caden aimed the flare gun toward the ceiling and waited for the flare to light up the room.

Drake turned toward the noise of the canister hitting the floor and was overcome by the smoke. He began coughing and his eyes burned. He was stumbling around the cavern when the flare flashed. His hands went to his eyes and he screamed in pain. Falling to his knees, he rubbed his eyes and tried to look around. The light and the smoke made it impossible for him to see. He shouted out and tried to find his way but stumbled and fell to the ground. He lay on the ground moaning, and his eyes were closed tight against the burning pain.

Hades went over and pulled him off the ground. He hit him in the nose, then he hit him again in the stomach. “See how it feels, fucker?” He seethed. Then he leaned down and yanked his head up by his hair, just like he’d done to Hope. He slammed his head down hard on the cold cave floor. “And that! Like it? You like that motherfucker?” He then again tugged him up. Tossing him into a wall. “You aren’t facing a helpless woman or a frightened child now, you freak!”

Drake was bleeding and crying.

“Yeah, fucker. Don’t like it much do you?” He stepped forward again.

Lucifer and Aries rushed over and grabbed his arms.

“Fucking let me loose. This sonofabitch is going to die, right the fuck now!”

Lucifer was holding him tight and he was a very large man but he could barely hold a raging Hades. “Dude! Calm! You cannot kill him!”

“The hell I can’t!” Hades shouted.

Cole and Charlie rushed forward, grabbed Drake up and dragged him from the cave.

“Okay, the freak is safe, so let me go. I gotta check my woman!” Hades seethed.

Lucifer stared at him. “You good now?”

Hades nodded.

They let him go.

He rushed over to Hope.

Caden was kneeling there checking her.

Hades pushed him aside.

~*~

Hope had kept herself low on the floor of the cavern and tried not to inhale the gas. She’d heard Hades let out a roar after Drake had slapped her. Her head hurt and she couldn’t make out what all had been happening around her.

Her shoulder burned as she brought her hands in front of her and she stifled her cry of pain. Someone was carrying her. She then realized it was Hades. Her eyes were still watering but soon cleared and she could see flashlights beaming at her as smoke was pouring from the cave. She turned and saw Charlie and Cole leading Drake out into the clear air. His hands were cuffed behind his back and he was struggling against his bonds.

She could see the tears running down his face. Blood poured from his nose and his cheek. His hair was also matted with blood. She wanted to cheer at this, but she felt nothing except numb.

He was still babbling but as the clear air took the sting from the tear gas away, he wasn’t struggling as hard anymore. When Caden and Charlie threw him to the ground, he curled himself in the fetal position and lay there mumbling. Caden told Charlie to watch him.

Charlie reached down and removed the gun from the holster at his hip.

Caden gave him a kick before he walked over to Hope. He asked her if she was all right. Hades wouldn’t allow him to get too close to her in fact he wasn’t letting anyone get too close to her.

Hope nodded. Raising her hand to her face, she touched her nose and pulling her hand away, she noticed there was blood on her fingers. Her nose hurt like hell and she would probably end up with a black eye, but she was alive and that’s all that mattered. She heard Hades growl when he saw the blood and he was wiping her face with something but she didn’t know what. She was alive and would heal. She leaned into his chest and was so happy to be right where she needed to be. “It’s ok, I’m ok. Just hold me, please.”

Cole and Caden were all looking at her when they heard a noise. Drake was standing with Charlie’s gun in his hand and Charlie was down on one knee. Drake had apparently slipped one hand out one cuff and grabbed Charlie’s gun when he kicked his legs out from underneath him. The gun exploded and Charlie flew on his back as Drake ran off into the shadows of the darkness.

Caden rushed to his friend to check his condition. Charlie was lying on the ground. Blood pooled under his left arm where the bullet had gone through but he regained consciousness within a minute or so.

Hope looked over to where she’d last seen Drake. She glanced up at Hades and whispered, “He’s gone.”

“He ain’t going far,” Lucifer assured her. “My men are out the waiting for him.”

The sound of gunfire broke the silence of the night. A total of three shots rang out and then there was silence.

Caden kicked the ground and swore. Pulling his weapon, he motioned for Cole to take the left and he would take the right. He gave both Lucifer and Hades a nod.

Hope could feel Hades stiffen as he held her. She grabbed onto him and wouldn’t let go. No way was she letting him go into the darkness. She had to keep him with her, no matter how badly he wanted to kill Drake.

“Let the cops flush him out Hades,” Lucifer advised, also knowing what Hades really wanted to do.

The two men split up and soon disappeared into the darkness.

Charlie pulled his other weapon and began pacing in front of the three of them, listening for any noise, and any movement out of the ordinary.

He didn’t seem to see that both Lucifer and Hades had weapons of their own.

They all didn’t even see him when he came rushing forward; all they heard was his blood curdling, maniacal scream. He was brandishing a knife and would have plunged it right into Hope’s chest if Hades hadn’t pushed her out of the way.

Drake missed then turned on his heel and faced them both. He lunged at Hades and Hades easily sidestepped the attack.

Lucifer had pulled Hope away from the standoff but didn’t step in to interfere. He understood this was Hades’ fight.

Drake stumbled and turned again. His eyes were wild with rage and they could see the flecks of foam frothing around his mouth.

“Yeah.” Hades grinned. “You even look like a freak now, don’t you? Now that you have lost!”

Again, Drake mumbled and shouted incoherently.

Hades didn’t seem to care. “Yeah, no wonder they locked you up in the nut house!” His eyes gleamed as he stared at the madman.

Cole stepped out of the shadows and tried to reason with him, holding his gun on his brother. “Put the knife down, Drake. You’re finished.”

“I’ll never be finished. I’d rather die than go back to Danbury, and if I’m going down, I’ll take you all with me!” Drake growled at them.

He lunged toward them and a shot rang out.

Cole had put one into his knife arm.

Drake yelled in pain and dropped to his knee. Grabbing his shoulder, he gave them one last look of pure malice and stumbled off into the dark.

Cole started off after him.

“No,” Lucifer ordered. “Let my men flush him out.”

They both looked in the direction Drake had taken and waited. Lucifer’s men were out there somewhere. Hope hoped they would run him down and finish him off.

A few minutes later, Caden returned alone. No other shots had been heard.

“Did you find him?” Hope asked nervously. She kept glancing out into the darkness.

Caden shook his head. “No, but I heard a shot. What happened?”

“He came after us. He still had a knife. I managed to get off a shot and the bullet hit him in the shoulder but he escaped,” Cole told him.

“Damn it,” Caden swore. “He could be anywhere by now.” Caden looked out into the darkness. “We’ll never find him in the dark. He’s in his comfort zone and we’re not.” He holstered his gun and turned to the others.

Lucifer stood there and rocked on his heels. “You may not be able to find him in the dark but you’re forgetting something here. My men are out there and hunting him down as we speak. I say give them a little time to round him up and bring him to us. I have faith that they’ll find him.” Shrugging he added, “I can’t guarantee his condition if they do bring him in but they will bring him in.”

The five of them made their way back to Caden’s car. The squad car was still there and Caden checked for the keys. They were still in the ignition so he took them with him. He didn’t want to leave Drake with a means to get far away.

As a safe edge, Caden pulled the handle and popped the hood. Going to the front of the vehicle, he opened the hood and reached inside. He dismantled the distributor cap and took it with him. The car wasn’t going anywhere.

Hades carried Hope to the car. “I got you babe.”

Hope snuggled into his chest. “Yes you do have me Hades, for as long as you want.”

She could feel his chest rumble as he chuckled.

“Damn straight.”