Page 75 of Echoes of Fear

“I only stayed a member out of loyalty,” he tells me. “We all did. His dad was an amazing President. Sweets is just a dick.”

“His pride is wounded,” I say. “He wants revenge.”

“He’s also not alone,” Reynolds reminds me. “Someone was at my place at the same time someone was here.”

Yeah, I have my theories on that one as well.

“Let’s cut through the woods,” I suggest. “Don’t call out for Knox. I don’t want him to come out of hiding until I know it’s safe.”

Silently, we make our way through the trail. Darkness surrounds us, and the trees are blocking most of the natural light.

“He must be so fuckin’ scared,” Reynolds growls. “He might have been able to handle it better had he stayed Big.”

“I don’t think so,” I respond. “My Pup seems to be very vocal and trusting. He’s only just started to come back out. I hope this doesn’t ruin his progress. I’ll kill Sweets for that alone. Should have done it to begin with.”

I avoid looking around as we make our way to Reynolds’ house.

“There’s a vehicle,” he whispers.

Looking, I see a truck sitting with the door wide open. I can’t tell if it’s a dark red or brown.

Angry voices come from inside the house as we make our way closer.

“Where the hell is he?”

“He has to be here. If he left Taylor’s house, then he left on foot. This is the only other place to go.”

“You’ve watched him for weeks now and told me that he wouldn’t give much fight.”

“Well, the last time I saw the fag, he was scared of his own shadow. There’s no way he ran off into the woods. You must have walked right by him when you searched the house.”

“Then he’s still at the house, hiding. Let’s go. I want to get him and leave before that bastard gets back.”

We simply stand next to the steps as they leave the house. We’re shrouded in darkness, so by the time they notice us, it’s too late. I slam my fist as hard as I can onto Sweets’ face and watch as he falls to the ground.

Then I look over at the struggling man Reynolds has.

“You’ve made a huge fuckin’ mistake, Benny boy,” Reynolds says. “Sweets is most likely just going to get dead. But we figuredyou were the one who led him here, right? You reached out to your old president because you got butt hurt that Taylor kicked your ass and then booted you from the club.”

“IT WAS MY CLUB FIRST,” he shouts.

“We only kept you as a member for as long as we did so that we could leak false information to Sweets to keep him out of Heath.”

“Yep,” Hayes laughs when Ben’s eye widens in shock. “We knew you were butt buddies the entire time.”

“Then you went and told him about our new friends,” Reynolds says. “But, that wasn’t too bad because those men are scary as fuck. But, and this was your biggest mistake, you led him back to our homes where Knox was tucked away nice and safe.”

“Fuck you,” Ben spits. “I’ve been watching that faggot for weeks. I’ve had many chances to beat him straight, but I wanted to let you get attached a little more first.”

“You talk a big game, Ben,” I say. “But you’re just a coward hiding behind threats. You thought you could mess with us, but you forget who you’re dealing with. Knox is safe now, and you’re about to learn the hard way what happens when you mess with our family. You’ve made your bed, Ben, and now you’ll lie in it.”

“Except I don’t have beds in my chambers,” King walks out from the shadows. “However, I do have a fun section. Have you ever playedDeath by a Thousand Cuts? It’s rather fun. Want to play with me, Taylor? We could always bring your unconscious friend along with us. I have plenty of room.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Tie him up and toss him into that ugly truck,” King says. “I’ll check them in and leave them to think about their life choices for a couple of days.”

Knox’s screams fill the air, and Ben laughs.

---