Vicious Desire by Leslie V. Walker

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ayanna

“Dad?”

My father stands holding a gun to my head.

“I told you to not interfere with the Carters.”

“What are you doing?” I know my dad to be the villain after what I found he did to Brendan and what he has been doing to my mother.

But never once would I have guessed him to go so low, to be teamed with Neo and Zane’s father.

I turn to Zane looking to see if he’s just as shocked as I am but see nothing. He stares at his father as if he isn’t even there to begin with.

Everyone moves slowly as more people come out with guns aiming right at us. We stand in a circle the only one of us missing is Lillie who seems to be sleeping through all of this.

“Nothing personal, son.”

They’ve trapped us on deserted road surround by the forests. The dark moon coming out as the clock gets closer to three in the morning.

“Now let’s move it we don’t have a lot of time. Let’s finish them and get what we came here for.” My dad says, shoving me backwards until I fall to the arms of strong bulky tattooed guy, who grabs me by the hair with a gun to my head.

Rocco and Zane are in the same position, yet Brendan stands in the center of the circle watching me. He sends a death glare toward the guy behind me.

“Oh, isn’t she an angel.” Neo tsks leaning against the car door. I tense when he moves to Lillie, who’s napping in the backseat, completely oblivious to what’s going on.

About ten other men hold us still with guns pointed at us. But we don’t fight back. This is the only way we’ll get answers, and we need them.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Brendan yells at Neo, who goes to run his hand up her Lillie’s leg.

He chuckles slamming the door shut, “Don’t worry, nothing I haven’t tried already.”

I still at his words sensing what’s about to come next before it happens.

I see when Brendan’s rage courses through him acting on him to shove Neo against the car. “What are you talking about!?”

In an instant, Neo’s men tug him back by the shirt as his hands are pinned behind his back. Neo looks around pointing his weapon carelessly through the air. Before landing at Gunner, who looks about ready to rip his skull apart and feed it to the wolves.

A laugh leaves his lips as he taunts, “She really didn’t tell you guys, did she? The little thing is something else. I found her at a party a few weeks ago, she was moping around saying how the one person she loves doesn’t want her. So, I told her I wanted her, and fuck was she tighter than any other virgin pussy I had before.”

I’m going to kill him. How dare he touch her. And what was she thinking of letting him touch her. Heartbreak. She was sad about Gunner.

“That’s enough!” Dad yells. “We don’t have a lot of time. Boss wants this done now.”

“And what exactly is that, Dad?” I ask through clench teeth. My hatred toward him grows more and more on a daily basis.

My dad doesn’t hesitate a second as he grabs me by the neck looking toward Brendan.

“Now were going to do this fast and easy. We want what was promised to us before your bastard of a father decided we weren’t useful no more and took it all away.”

What the hell is he talking about?

“You’re them,” I whisper. “The teenagers from back then. You were part of the group. What happened to you guys? You were all best friends. What made you guys turn on each other?”

No one knows what happened to the friend group from the nineties but after one Halloween festival someone tripped from the clocktower, and it has been closed since.

I’ve been reading the folder I found in the library for the past few days. There was a Carnival not only back in the nineties but back in summer camp, yet somehow, I didn’t remember.

“Now that, my sweetheart, is a question for another day.” His hold on my neck tightens harder cutting off my air supply and I gasp for air.

I see Brendan rushing toward me when he gets pushed to the grown mid-way.

“Now dad, don’t treat my sister so harshly.” Neo comes to me rubbing my back up and down as I stare at him wide eye.

“What are you talking about?” It’s like we’ve been standing here for hours and not one of them has said anything. I see the car move a little signaling Lillie is up and ready.

“It’s funny how we don’t like to open our eyes when the truth is right in front of our faces,” Neo says before he begins to explain everything we’ve been wanting to know.

“The year is 1997, your dad, Ayanna, meets my mother, Elise Norman, knocks her up. They separate and she moves on with Luther Carter who leaves her on the streets with. Leaving my mom with nothing! My mother died five months after giving birth to me, all because of his father, never wanting her and she died of depression. I was pushed through foster system until our dad found me. Put me up with one of the richest families here in Ashbourne, then I had a sister, a beautiful sister, who had the audacity to fall in love with a Carter.”

“I was friends with Luther,” my dad says glaring at Brendan, “we formed the Carter O Bank together. We were close until it became the number one bank in the country, when your dad kicked me out. Turns out the contract was a false, I never ran the company with him. He took all my money and left me on the streets.”

We all listen close as more and more information comes to light but what shocks even more than Neo being my brother. “Danny boy here was the one who sent Brendan’s parents to their sudden fate.”

A gasp leaves me as tears shine bright, my breathing stops as I look to Brendan. My dad killed his parents.

“You dropped the charges when you accused me. Why?”

“The big man wanted me to. For some weird reason he wants you alive.”

“For greed. You killed two innocent people for money, what kind of fucking…” My scalp burns my hair being tugged back the gun being pointed under my chin.

“Don’t touch her!” I hear Brendan yell.

I focus my eyesight toward the night sky calming my shaken body. This is so much. My heart breaks for Brendan, at the thought of my own flesh and blood has caused him so much hardship.

“Doesn’t explain shit about what’s going on today. Tell us who you’re working with and let’s get this over with,” Zane says turning to look at me mouthing “Soon.”

“We don’t know. We were all hired but John, he was the only one who knew who the guy was, which is probably why he sent someone to tell us to kill him.”

“So, in conclusion you fuckers don’t know anything and without you were still be targeted. Yet, you killed our men.” Brendan glowers at Neo.

“It was just for fun, so was forming a competition in Eastview. See your all so blinded about the closest people coming after you, you don’t even realize we were all right in front you. The cold you live by Brendan took time away from capturing us. If you’d just snap my neck, then and there this would have been solved. Yet, you’ve made an enemy since you were born. You all did. And now there’s no going back.” Zane’s dad turns to look at every single one of us before stopping at me.

“Why do you think your sex tape was made? Just for fun? It was your dad who planned it, who sent Neo there to begin with. Could you believe it, your own brother and father fucking you over just for fun?”

This is all too much. And there’s still more, the carnival, the clocktowers murder on Halloween night, along with why the hell is this town covering up a murder.

It’s true what they say… some secrets are better off hidden.

“You took everything from me, Brendan Carter, and now I’ll do the same to you.” Neo yells, getting on his feet coming toward me, he grabs a hold of me by the wrist so hard he’ll leave a bruise.

I turn to face him, looking away from Neo’s watch, already knowing they’ll be here in any minute. We ran out of time. “Remember how at the hospital you said you don’t lose, and I said we always win. Well, this is one of those times. Don’t believe what you see, because we always have a plan.”

“Now!” Brendan yells.

In a flash our car alarm blares, and Lillie opens the door throwing smoke bombs in every direction. Catching him off guard, I throw a punch at Neo, taking his gun away from him.

I turn to the others seeing as they’ve also accomplished getting out.

“Get in the car!” Brendan orders Lillie.

She closes the door just as red and blue lights flash signaling the police have made it. I make my way toward Brendan as he tells Neo, “There coming for you three. I say you either leave now and run as far as you can until we come and find you. I’m giving you a head start; take it or leave it.”

I watch as Patrick runs and just as my dad goes to do so as well Gunner pins him to the ground. Neo still stands there facing us with a snarl. “Fuck you,” is the last thing he says before he bolts.

The cops pull up taking control as they grab a hold of Danny, my supposed dad, who’d destroy everything for money.

“Why did you let them leave?” I ask not understanding what this is all for. Neo murdered his men and he just let him leave as if nothing.

I turn to face Brendan. “It was a nice plan you hatched out. Even though it was all for nothing since we still don’t have the important shit, it got us closer than we would’ve gotten without you.”

We ignore the rustles around us as police bark orders and the fog of the night creeps around us. I hear the car door open again, and Lillie steps out.

“Where’s Gunner?” Lillie asks looking around.

“Hey? Is it true what he said?” Brendan demands, coming to face her.

She says nothing, looking anywhere else but him. “Who?” She tries acting nonchalant.

“You know who.”

Her eyes meet mine’s briefly before regret washes all over her face, “I was having a hard time. It just happened. I’m sorry, Brendan. I didn’t know he was like this. It was before you told me to stay away from him.”

“He didn’t force you, right?” She shakes her head no.

“Why did you let them go, Brendan? I mean I know the plan, but they wanted to take everything. What makes you think they won’t come back for payback?”

“I’m planning on it. They’ll come back, just not for my us this time.” Me and Lillie stare at him confused as to what he’s saying.

“Then what for?” Lillie asks.

“I told Gillian to send a message to their real boss about this. I won’t let them get away with hurting anyone else. Now Neo might just be a dumb prick and show up for a comeback, but Zane’s dad, no. That’s a different story. I have my men investigating more about them. Their following their every move. They have no money, no nothing. We’ll get them when they come back which they’ll do cause whatever’s biting them on the ass is stronger than their will to live. Now for Neo please we all know the stubborn asshole. He’ll be back sooner than we think and when he does come back will be ready.”

Brendan

“Close the door behind you.”

We’re standing around in Lillie’s hospital room ready to discuss what’s to come tonight.

“So, what do you have?” Rocco asks.

“They are watching our every move currently. So, the very moment we leave this door we have to pretend we don’t know anything that is going to happen in the upcoming hours.” They nod. “The first thing Neo is going to do once we leave is try to approach Ayanna.”

“What? Why me?” She gets off Lillie’s bed.

“He has this weird fascination with you. So, when he comes for you, you’re going to plant this on him in the best place you can.” I hand her a small tracker and she eyes it carefully. “At the same time Rocco will be installing one in his car so take your time in trying to keep the conversation going. I’ll be calling Jonathan to inform him to go to Eastview and pay off whoever the fuck he can so they will start a fight. If they see were slowly losing control then they’ll think they have one ahead of us, he’ll call Zane to inform him the Police will be waiting for us to continue our conference which will happen once we recruit Gillian Vargas to our side.”

“Gillian?” Ayanna asks.

I nod. “You know him?”

“Not really,” she replies flatly.

“Before we head there were going to my place and in the meantime, I’ll be contacting a friend of mine who can help us out. They’ll be waiting for us. And when they approach us, Lillie act like you’re sleeping or something because you’re the one who’s going to sound the alarm to my car to inform the cops, they can come in. Don’t do it until I yell ‘Now’.”

If I’m being honest, it’s not the only reason, I decided to let Neo go. When I contacted my friend, I found out something. Something worse to be added to the stuff I saw that summer night. And I intend to find the person and let them take justice into their own hands. Because I probably couldn’t help them then, but I intend to do so now.

My parents gave me this power for a reason, and I intend to do right by it.