Page 59 of Bear Hunt

Running down the stairs before the smoke gets to me, I throw the candle into the living room and smirk when it lands next to one of the men we shot. By the time I make it outside, I see some of Sarge’s men, including Bash and Kincaid, hauling the dead bodies into the house while the fire is still mainly upstairs.I mean, the less evidence, the better, and fire is great for a cleanup.

“Well, as much as I love a bonfire, I suggest we get the fuck out of here.” Grinder stands next to me as my rage threatens to take over me. “We’ll find her, brother. And when we do, we’ll kill every motherfucker that dared touch her.”

Grinder’s words bring me over the edge of sanity, and with a long gulp of frigid air, I roar out my anger and frustration. My need for violence and my desire to maim. My voice comes from deep down in my gut and if this were the top of a mountain, it would have set off a fucking avalanche.

Only once every breath expires do I bend at the waist, my palms pushing against my knees as I gulp in much-needed air.

This fire is a last hail Mary and the chances they contact us are slim to none. More none than slim, no doubt, but the idea of leaving this place intact makes me want to rip someone’s head right off their shoulders.

“Shame for all that coke,” Bash murmurs behind me.

“Better to have it down there where it can’t hurt anyone.” Sarge’s answer doesn’t even surprise me.

In the distance, the faint sound of a phone ringing gets my attention.

“Yeah?” Just as he answers his phone, my eyes meet Psycho’s and he holds my stare. “No, never heard of ‘em.” Walking over to me, Psycho holds up a finger to tell me to hold my shit for just a second. “Well, yeah. It was a bust here.” His brow slants into a frown and his head cocks to the side like a fucking puppy hearing the sounds of his favorite toy. “Right on, man. Yeah, okay. Thanks.” Then he hangs up and the feral grin he gives me spurs hope right through my body again.

“Who was it?” I ask, hoping it’s a lead we can get to right away.

“Marco fucking Mancini, coming through once more.” Then he turns to Sarge. “Y’all ever heard of Ophelia Warren and JarrettVale?” Every single head around us shakes and my hope starts to dwindle by the second.

“Who the fuck are they?” I’ll kill them if I have to.

“They’ve been hunting down The Firm for a while, and when Marco talked to them about our mission, they said they would come with the full force of their teams.”

“Teams? As in plural?” Who are these people? I mean, I get that Psycho trusts Marco, and to be honest, I do too, but I’ve never heard of these two. For all I know, they could be working for The Firm and fucking with us.

“Yeah, Marco said… and I quote, ‘They’re bringing in the dogs’.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Athena

Idon’t know what day it is at this point, but with a clearer head, I do feel less helpless than before. The small ball of hope inside me that was clinging on for dear life has been given a boost.

A doctor was with me when I woke up late last night, checking my wounds, and he gave me a drip of some kind that has somewhat given me back my energy. I still ache all over, though. Thankfully, I’ve been left alone since then, giving me time to recover and feel slightly more human.

The mattress in this tiny box-room is hard, but it’s better than a stone floor and I even have a couple of sheets. Other than the mattress, empty dresser, and mirror, the room is sparse, much like the one Mrs. Grouse prepared me in wherever we were before, and there’s a small window without a blind or curtain.

Going from the cold stone floor of what I assumed was a basement to this is an upgrade for sure. Plus, the fact that adoctor came to see me says they were concerned about my health and still don’t actually want me to die… yet. But why?

And what did Mistress mean about where I came from?

It’s all a little confusing. What’snotconfusing is the feeling I have in my gut. Master was angry before I passed out, real angry, but this new location makes me smile for all the reasons. It smells different here, more dusty, unused, but it’s the scenery outside that confirms I’m somewhere new.

I really tried to believe Bear when he told me he’d protect me, but before now I couldn’t see how that was possible and I was ready to give up on the fact that I’d ever see him again. The Master’s reaction to my little“vacation”as he called it, tells me Bear has found a way.

I won’t accept another explanation for it.

It has to be him.

Hope blooms in my chest and almost brings me to tears at the thought of seeing him again, but I won’t let the tears fall yet. I’m determined to stay strong, just like Bear would want. It’s not like I haven’t already lived twenty-eight years in servitude and survived. I managed to escape once before, I just need to build up the determination to do it again.

Losing the will to live just won’t cut it, as much as that would be the easy option.

I may not know everything about the way the world really works or about how real people can be, but I can learn. Iwilllearn.

If Forrest Gump can do it, I certainly can. That man had a determination to go for what he wanted unapologetically, and despite the pitfalls he had and the tragedies he faced, he kept on keeping on.

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