His Brutal Game by Audrey Rush

CHAPTER 9

Wilder

The base of my neck burned. It had seemed easy at first. Breaking Maisie down. Figuring out who she was. But I could never unravel her completely.

She wanted to see the property. That was easy enough. But did she understand what that meant?

“The more I show you, the more important it will be that you never cross my family,” I said. Maisie scanned the corpse kneeling behind us.

“What did he do?” she asked.

“Theft.”

Her cheeks flushed. I had kept it short, using one word to determine her place in this. And I was right: she had stolen too. I had always known that. But my father had promised her money, which was one of the reasons I let it slide; she was taking an advance.

The other reason? I didn’t give a shit about money. She wasn’t a livestock order yet.

“Oh,” she said.

I gestured at the different pens, the stanchions, the drains, the basin, at the bloodstains that had turned the shade of copper with passing time.

“So this is all for humans?” she asked.

I didn’t answer. Part of me wanted to tell her. To test her. To see where exactly her boundaries lay. But I held back. I didn’t want to scare her yet.

“Why are those racks in here?” She pointed to the stanchions. “Those are for milking cows, right? But you don’t work with dairy cows.”

The stanchions were made of metal and wood, with slats wide enough for cow and human heads to poke through. A head gate buckled the livestock orders into place to keep them still. In a way, it was a modern pillory, ripped from the humiliating dungeon and thrown into a rancher’s barn. Put a trough in front of it for the cows. And the humans? A bucket for catching blood and other fluids that dripped out.

“Forrest considered dairy cows once,” I said. “But he had other ideas.”

Then I explained our terminology. New hires, once we deemed we could trust them, were promoted to ‘hunters’—men who gathered the targets, unless the buyer requested an on-site execution. The targets were called ‘livestock,’ as part of our cover should anyone overhear. Livestock was then brought to the Dairy Barn for execution, handled by the ‘ranchers,’ the final promotional ranking in our business. Ranchers were skilled at torture and murder. Finally, we incinerated the remains with the rest of the animal waste, unless otherwise requested.

Maisie was speechless after that. I took her back to the Calving Barn. “You know most of this,” I said. She pointed to the door leading to the office.

“Who uses this?” she asked.

“Mostly Sawyer,” I said.

She pushed the door open, then pulled on a drawer. A locked box slid into view.

“The key is above the door,” I said.

“Don’t tell me that,” she said.

“No one is here at night.”

She rolled her eyes. But it was a test. Would she use that information, or would she be loyal to us? To me? And if she stole, would I blame her for it? Theft didn’t seem like a crime when it came to marrying into a family where you might not make it to your first anniversary.

Outside, we walked through the pastures together. The stars blinked above us, staring down in the night. Her scent trickled in the wind; I had never met someone as potent as her, someone who smelled as sweet. Drowned out the fur, decay, and blood.

Why wasn’t she afraid of me?

She couldn’t accept me. I didn’t accept her.

“Make no mistake,” I said. I squared my shoulders, dipping my chin. “I don’t care about you.” Her eyes never left mine. “If you follow me again, I will drown you. You will beg for your life.”

The stars twinkled in her dark pupils as she dipped her chin again. She understood, but that didn’t mean that she would be smart about it. Curiosity killed Maisie, driving her straight toward danger.

I left her in the house, then I stood outside, waiting until I saw her bedroom go dark. Then I went back to the Dairy Barn. The lights were on inside.

“You let her into the Dairy Barn, willingly?” Sawyer asked.

Forrest rubbed his forehead. “Sawyer,” he warned.

“She could give away our secrets. Jeopardize our operation.”

“She knows the consequences,” I said.

“It’s his wife, son,” Forrest said, putting a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. “We have to trust Wilder’s decisions. If he wants to invite her into the family business, then who are we to stop him?”

Sawyer’s gaze seared into me. I didn’t understand Forrest’s infatuation with Maisie and me, but I understood Sawyer’s distrust for our relationship. He had already completed the Feldman Offering. But Forrest was on my side.

“Let him fall for her,” Forrest said. “You know how hard it is for him to connect.”

My fists tensed. He said it like I was born this way, like he had nothing to do with my lack of interest in people.

“I’m not connecting with her,” I said, gritting my teeth.

Forrest smiled. “All right, son,” he said.

Sawyer shook his head, dismissing my words. “We’ll see,” he said.

***

Maisie

In the morning, I made my way to an old monthly rate motel. Bambi wasn’t picking up her phone. In the far corner room, a bottle of vodka was sitting on the windowsill, a plastic cup with a bright red lipstick stain next to it. Green’s car was gone, which meant that if Bambi wasn’t out with Green, then she was sleeping in, alone and by herself. I banged on the door.

The door creaked. “The hell are you doing here?” she asked, her voice raspy with sleep. “Damn, lady. What time is it?”

I glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand behind her.

“After eight,” I said. Which meant that she had only been asleep for a few hours. It was a jerk move, but not enough to keep me away. She stepped to the side, letting me in. The two of us sat on the bed. She pulled the comforter around her. A bruise darkened her shoulder.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Forget about me,” she said. “What about you? What is it?” She tilted her chin toward the door. “You know Green will be back any minute, right?”

I nodded, holding my chest. Which was why I had to figure out a plan as quickly as I could and let the bruise go for now. What the Feldmans would do was so much worse.

“Have you been able to keep that money?” I asked. Her eyes flicked away from me. “Where is it?”

“I—”

“You spent it, right?” As long as Green didn’t have it. “Did you get new sunglasses? A purse?” When she didn’t answer, my pulse raced. “Don’t tell me you—”

“What’s wrong with it, anyway?”

“Did you give it to Green?”

Her chin jutted forward. “You think he’s going to let me keep that kind of cash?”

I wrung my hands together. It had only been a little while, but I had already forgotten what it was like. It was hard for us to keep around cash, even tips that the clients gave us. Because if Green found out we were keeping something from him, we paid for it. And if we spent it quickly, feigning that a regular client had gifted the purchases to us, he would sell those ‘gifts.’ We had to spend it on little things: cheap sunglasses, bottles of nail polish, a new makeup palette.

I had screwed up everything in my old life, but with Bambi, I wanted to make things better for her, even if I wasn’t there to protect her. But Green was like an oncoming train, always off in the distance, until suddenly, he was running you over. He’d never stop.

I had to get her away from him. But how could I help her when I was in a similar situation? Wilder hadn’t punched or stabbed me like Green had, but now that I knew what ‘interested’ him, it didn’t seem that far off. My life was in danger.

“That money was for you,” I said. “Green’s already got enough from the arranged marriage.”

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked again. “Why are you acting so weird?”

“My husband killed a man for stealing,” I said. “If he finds out I stole from him, I don’t want him to come after me.”

“Geez.” Her jaw dropped. “Who the hell did you marry?”

I shook my head. It was already done. But I could still change things for Bambi. “Either they go after me for stealing it, or they go after you. And that can’t happen.”

She chuckled, then leaned back on the bed. Sweat beaded on my arms. Did she not see the danger in this?

“How much do they have?” she asked. “Like, where do they keep the biggest chunk of it?”

The locked box in the Calving Barn flashed in my mind. “Don’t be stupid,” I said.

“What?” She picked up a loose stick of gum off of the nightstand and threw it at me. “They killed some other farmer, right?” she asked. ‘Rancher’ was the term, but we didn’t have time to get into specifics. “They don’t suspect you then. You might as well take advantage of the situation.” I crossed my arms, and her expression dropped. “It’s not like they need it.”

“You want to get killed?” I asked.

“I’m sure you’re not the only one who steals. You think they have enough for me to leave?”

I didn’t know the answer. How much did it cost to leave a town with enough money to cover your tracks and change your identity so that your psychotic ex-boyfriend/pimp didn’t find you?

“Where do they keep it?” she asked.

“Bambi,” I said.

“I could go by myself. I could—”

The door beeped and opened. Green’s eyes fell on me, a smirk on his face.

“Babygirl finally came back,” he said. He ran a hand through his blond hair. “I knew that fancy car had to be from someone special.”

I sucked in a breath. I had to play nice. I didn’t want to open any old wounds.

“Visiting,” I said. I smiled at him, then stood, taking the keys from my purse. “Seriously, Bambi. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“But you would,” Bambi said. “And you did.”

I clutched my purse. “I wouldn’t do that. Not anymore. It’s not worth it.”

“Do what?” Green asked. His shoes squeaked as he came closer. He didn’t stop until my back was up against the wall. “Do what, babygirl?”

“Nothing, Green,” I said. “It’s not a big deal.”

He sneered down his nose. “You’ve got a lot of balls showing up here after what you did to us.”

I tapped my fingers on my side. “You sold me to Forrest for an arranged marriage. Stop complaining.”

“But you left us with nothing. Or maybe you just left me.” He licked his lips, dragging his thumb across my chin. “But you’re still such a good girl. Always bringing the goods back to Daddy.”

I snarled. He had the Feldmans’ money. He didn’t need Bambi’s cut too.

“You’re a leech, you prick,” I hissed.

He thrust a hand forward, grabbing my throat, cutting off my circulation. Blood rushed to my head, my face puffing. Using his free hand, he pressed my hand to the wall, digging his nails into the scar.

“Careful now,” he said. “Don’t you forget your past. I made you, Crystal. Married or not. You wouldn’t be where you are without me.”

The door beeped, then slammed open. Green pulled out his gun, aiming it at the entrance. Wilder’s broad shoulders took up the doorway. Green straightened his aim. Wilder stared into the barrel of the gun, his eyes remaining soulless. Green shot the gun, but Wilder jerked it out of the way, then grabbed it by the barrel. Green strained against him, trying hard to push back until finally, he let go and the pressure of the gun smacked him in the face.

Green held his chin. “What the fuck?” he asked.

Green lunged for Wilder, but Wilder grabbed Green’s forearm and threw him at the motel desk’s edge, a loud snap breaking through the room. Green gaped, speechless, his eyes watering. Wilder motioned for me to get behind him.

“If I see you touching Maisie again, I will rip your throat out.”

Bambi’s eyes widened, and she held her mouth, holding back a gasp.

“You owe me, Crystal,” Green’s hoarse voice called out. “A million dollars.”

Bambi lowered her eyes. She had told him, then.

After Wilder said he’d have a rancher come pick up my car, I climbed into the passenger side of his SUV. The vehicle hummed as we made our way back to the farm. I held my breath, then let it out slowly. I could figure this out. I would find a way. I always did. I could make it on my own.

“Did you tell them where we keep the money?” Wilder asked, his voice low, his eyes on the road.

“No.”

“What about the key?”

I was willing to do a lot of things, but after I saw exactly what Wilder did to people who stole from his family, I wasn’t going to let that happen to Bambi.

“Have you ever stolen from us?”

I bit the inside of my lip. “No,” I lied, gripping my pants. Was it really stealing if his father would eventually owe me that money anyway? Especially when his father hadn’t told me how difficult it would be to have sex with Wilder?

Wilder sighed, then adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “You know what my family is capable of,” he said. “You know better now.”

I sunk down in my seat. That was why I had raced here, to see what I could fix. To make sure that Bambi was safe. But she would never be safe until she left Green. And until I left the Feldman Farm.

In some ways, the two of them were the same. Green and Wilder were not good people. But Wilder had never fooled me. He might not have answered my questions, but when he did, he was honest. And in the end, he had saved me from Green. Told him to never touch me again.

Wilder could have even killed me, knowing that I might have been stealing too. But he didn’t.

“Why did you save me?” I asked.

He switched lanes, never losing his focus. “I didn’t save you,” he said.

“You broke Green’s arm and stopped him from hurting me.” I threw up my hands. “Like it or not, you saved me, Wilder.”

He swerved to the side of the road, slamming on the brakes. We surged forward. He cut the engine. My heart palpitated.

“I did not save you,” he repeated, his eyes completely absorbed in me. Blood vessels in his neck and forehead vibrated with rage. But he kept it inside. Every emotion tempered. Every feeling held back. He bent toward me, sucking in a long breath. “I saved the farm.”

A bumpy sensation filled my stomach. I still didn’t believe him. If he wanted to save the farm, he would have caught on to my stealing. But he hadn’t been watching me carefully enough.

He started the car again, merging back with traffic. I thought back—he had sighed earlier when I said that I hadn’t stolen anything. He knew I was lying.

He was on my side. And it wasn’t because of our legal agreement. It was something else.