Page 51 of Strictly Forbidden

They were coming after us and it would seem nothing would stop them. I only prayed to some god from some land I’d just caught a break.

Kill or be killed.

That had been my motto in prison. Maybe that’s exactly what I needed to remember from here on out.

CHAPTER 14

“Do not go gentle into that good night but rage, rage against the dying light.”

—Dylan Thomas

Kage

Call me an enraged man.

Right now, that was fitting, too much so for having such a fragile creature in my protection. I’d done what I’d thought was right. I’d paid my goddamn dues, but it still wasn’t enough. Monsters sucked on your blood and bones until you were nothing but a corpse.

Saldono was cunning. Maybe he’d realized killing me in prison was a bad idea, but like a predator lying in wait in the wild, he’d bided his time.

Fuck me.

And I’d been stupid enough to believe the man cared about me.

Hissing, I did what I could to concentrate on plowing down the road without another incident. As the elevations increased, so did the inches of snow covering the ground. At least it seemed the ice hadn’t accumulated as significantly as it had in the valley. If it had, there would have been no way the truck could have made it up the steep inclines.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and after about twenty or thirty minutes, I realized both she and Max had fallen asleep, both still nestled in the back as if we were going on a pleasure cruise. In truth, I’d been grateful for the solitude and lack of continuous questions that I wasn’t in the mood to answer.

It had been years since I’d been at my grandfather’s cabin, the man rarely there himself. He’d had it built as a secluded getaway from his thriving business, but other than his wife, he rarely allowed family to even know the location.

I’d only learned of it because he’d brought me to the place to handle my final training for taking over his company since my father had wanted nothing to do with it. They were cordial, even acting like they cared about each other at family gatherings, but I’d sensed there was discord between them when I was young.

The funny thing was that I’d come prepared with spreadsheets and quantitative studies on the business, eager to show him how I intended on expanding the family wealth.

He’d wanted nothing to do with that, instead taking me fishing and hiking. I’d been an eager beaver, clueless as to what the hell he’d been doing. I only figured it out after his death.

The time spent in the wilderness had been two-fold. He wanted me to truly gather a solid respect for nature in all aspects, which would alter the course of our business. And he’d also wanted to remind me about balance.

I’d used that in taking over, finding his advice useful when I’d fallen in love. It was now that I realized I hadn’t been here since… since I’d lost too many people in my life and long before I’d been imprisoned.

Max had helped me open up; I was surprised the place wasn’t in worse shape than it was, although it was certainly rough around the edges. But there’d been enough dried and protected firewood to start a fire. I was shocked every scrap of wood hadn’t rotted, which could mean someone else was taking care of the place. If that was the case, it hadn’t been for a while since the place had been boarded up. I didn’t bother removing the wooden planks, something I’d do in the morning.

I simply wanted to ensure the place was warm, that critters hadn’t found a way inside, and that we could feel safe while we were here. I’d forgotten my grandfather had paid a shit ton of money to have electricity run to the cabin. The fact it was still on meant someone was paying the electric bill.

I’d heard my grandpops had been smart enough to put a few things together, keeping the business running by his attorney after my incarceration. I’d yet to talk to the man and now, I wasn’t certain when or if I’d get the chance.

After finding blankets someone had thought to keep covered in a huge plastic bag, I carried her to the couch, easing her down with a pillow and her pup.

I’d always known my grandfather had been not only protective of the business, he’d also been certain there were people out to get him. That had made him very secretive. Finding a full-scale communications and security system had only been a mild surprise, and in this case, a pleasant one. I’d spent some time determining what—if anything—still worked. If so, it would add a layer of protection that I’d yet to install at my place.

A huge mistake.

I’d been full of them over the years. It was time to think with a clear head for a change, foregoing my extreme anger.

While that would be tough, I was just like my grandfather, capable of doing whatever I put my mind to. Or so I hoped.

Now I sat with a drink in my hand, trying to figure out what the fuck I was going to do to get my life and hers back to some sense of normalcy.

If there was such a thing.

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