Page 18 of Merciless

But just like all the others, it goes to voicemail.

Combing my fingers through my hair, I stare out at the beginning of the sunrise, trying to come up with where she might be.

But I really only have one answer.

She’s gone.

After five years, has she finally completed the journey I stopped her from taking? I might have prevented her from going that night, but that didn’t mean I took away her dream.

Honestly, I expected her to go the second I gave her some freedom—which, admittedly, took longer than it probably should have.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew she’d run from one prison and stumbled straight into another. But how else was I meant to protect her?

She was sixteen. A kid. She should have been at school; she should have been thinking about graduating and what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Not plotting how to run away from the years of abuse she’d suffered through at the hands of her tormentors.

I did everything I could think of to give her a chance at having a future. I figured that once she turned eighteen, I would give her the option of leaving. I’d give her the money she needed and whatever escape route she needed.

But I couldn’t do it.

I couldn’t let her go.

So I did the opposite; I tied her to me in a way that ensured she’d always be mine.I gave her my ring and my name. Both the ultimate protection from the men of this town.

Unable to sit around waiting for the front door to open or my cell to ring, I grab my wallet from the kitchen counter and take off.

Ignoring my car, I swing my leg over my bike and start the engine.

The vibrations rumble through me, settling a little bit of my unease as I back out of the drive and take off.

Dawn is probably the best time of day in Harrow Creek. The demons that walk the streets in the darkness disappear back into their caves and the orange glow of the sun almost makes it look like a half-decent place to live. Almost.

The streets are mostly deserted, apart from a few drunks who are still stumbling around, trying to remember where they live, if anywhere. There’s the odd street cleaner out, trying their best to make the place look respectable, but I can’t help thinking that it’s too little too late.

It’s not just the drug ring that Victor controls in this town. He literally owns Harrow Creek. Every policeman, politician, and councillor are corrupt and on his payroll. If he wanted this place to look like a town the inhabitants could be proud of then all he’d have to do is snap his fingers.

But as it is, he seems to thrive on breeding the scumbags who will line his pockets by buying his drugs and using his women.

It could be so much more than it is. So much better.

We’re surrounded by growing towns like Rosewood and Maddison, yet we seem to be going backward. The crime and violence getting worse with every day that passes.

I know I’m partly to blame for some of it. I’m ranked pretty high in the gang that rules these streets. Some of the blood that stains them has my name all over it.

But what am I meant to do?

I was born here. Brought up with no other option but to become a Hawk and follow in my father’s footsteps. I don’t like to think what might have become of me if I didn’t follow that path. Hell, I probably wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.

I scour the alleyways and darkened shop entrances for any sight of my wife, but I find nothing.

Pulling up at one of our worst trailer parks, I kill the engine and climb out.

I check my cell again, but just like I already knew, there’s nothing from her. Opening the tracker app, it still shows the same. At home.

Trying to keep a lid on my frustration, I make my way through the dilapidated homes, searching the groups of kids who are mostly huddled around fires, in varying states of consciousness. I want to say that they’re letting go because it’s Saturday night. But honestly, most of these delinquents wouldn’t know what day it was if it slapped them in the face.

The few that are still sober enough to notice me jerk their chins in greeting. A couple even grunt a few words, but the second they discover I’m not here for a social visit, they soon go back to their bullshit lives.

I make my way to the second to last trailer on the main strip and push the door open.

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