Prologue.
October 2019.
He stood in the shadows and watched his prey struggle. He had to give the target credit; the motherfucker wasn’t giving up. A smile crossed his face as he observed the man cursing. The asshole had a hell of an inventive mouth. Finally, the prick ran out of strength and flopped back in the chair. It was time to make his move; he stepped forward and exited the darkness that protected him.
“What the fuck is this?” The guy cursed when he spied his attacker.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“No idea, punk!” the asshole spat.
“Name’s Justice.”
“You got the wrong person; you know who my dad is?”
“Yeah, Davis Cole. Your father is Stanton Cole, and he bought the cops off for those rape charges,” Justice snarled. Davis suddenly went pale.
“That’s bullshit!” Davis snapped. Terror shone in his eyes, and Justice smelt the fear emanating from him.
“Your dad paid off the feds, and those four girls were treated like dirt and whores. All of them were innocent until you date-raped them and spread vicious rumours. You destroyed their lives for what? Because they told you no?” Justice asked smoothly. His quiet tone belied the anger that was building inside of him.
“I am Davis fucking Cole. Nobody says no to me!” The college prick puffed up, and Justice snickered.
“This guy says no, and those girls. All of them are in counselling, trying to recover from the rape and abuse you put them through. Two were studying to be doctors. That’s gone for them now. You stole their virginity, their life, reputation, and dreams. Now it’s time for payback. You will go on camera and admit what you did to those four girls and confess what your father did.”
“I don’t think so,” Davis sneered.
“Oh, I know you will. Do you think you’re the first asshole who’s sat in this chair after committing a crime? Now we do this the easy way or the hard way. Choose.” Justice grinned.
“My dad will have your fucking head!” Davis spat.
“Yeah, heard that before,” Justice said. He stepped forward, picked up a gasoline can, and tipped some into a small cup. Moving swiftly towards Davis, he knelt and yanked the shoes off Davis’s feet. Davis began yelling and shouting, but Justice ignored him and poured a tiny drop over Davis’s little toe. Justice put a fireproof strip of material around the remaining toes and foot with a wicked grin and then set the toe alight. Davis’s screams ricocheted through the warehouse as Justice stood back and watched grimly. When Davis stopped screaming as the fire burned out, Justice looked up from where he sat.
“Are you ready to confess?”
“Fuck you, asshole!” Davis screeched. Justice shrugged and set the next toe on fire.
“Don’t you understand how many digits and limbs you have, prick? I can do this all-damn day. Save yourself the pain and confess.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Davis screamed as Justice set the next toe alight. Justice reckoned that Davis would lose six toes before he willingly confessed. It took seven, but Justice finally got what he wanted.
Determinedly ignoring the smell of burned flesh, he bandaged the wounded feet and injected Davis with painkillers; so he didn’t look under duress on tape. Justice explained he wanted a detailed confession on each girl and what Davis had done to them. Then he expected a clear admission of guilt for what Stanton Cole had done to cover up his crimes and how Cole had targeted the four innocent women. Once Davis looked calm and collected, Justice started filming. Davis, now composed, admitted his crimes while Justice filmed him.
But when it came to his father’s guilt, Davis ducked a lot of what Justice knew was the truth. Once the final three toes had been burned to the bone, Davis began talking freely, naming those his father had bribed to prove Davis innocent. Justice wasn’t surprised at the names admitted on film or where evidence could be found for the guilty. Once the confessions were made, Justice uploaded them to a social media site and turned to Davis. One more admission from a motherfucker who’d escaped the law because of ‘an error’ or bribes. Justice knew his job would never end. There was always another.
Justice picked up the gasoline cans and poured them around and on Davis. Davis began screaming as the flammable liquid soaked into his clothes and skin. Justice continued until he’d emptied every drop and finally turned to Davis.
“You’re scum. Your father is an even worse scumbag, and there’s no way I’d let you live and ruin someone else’s life. This is the quickest death for you. I could drag it out, but you played ball. Shitbag, this is going to hurt like a motherfucker. Of course, it won’t match the pain those four girls will have to live with. But you’ll go out in a blaze of glory.” Justice lit a match, flicked it at Davis, and turned his back as the asshole college kid began screaming as the fire caught and burned.
Justice walked away. Another day, another criminal down. There may be assholes who could bribe their way out of a crime and a prison sentence. But he was there waiting in the shadows and would always be.
Chapter One.
November 2019.
Dakota was my last chance at normalcy, if only he realised. I stared hopefully at the Hellfire clubhouse, but also with trepidation. Dakota was inside, and I needed him. Once he’d promised me he’d be there if I ever needed him, and then Dakota had vanished. Sheer luck had brought me to him again, and I hoped Dakota remembered the oath once given to me. With a slight shake in my hands, I climbed out of the car and strolled towards the building that suddenly seemed forbidding. I was unsure whether to knock or go straight in, so I knocked first and walked in. The bright light from outside disappeared, and I blinked into the sudden dimness.
An enormous man stood to one side, arms wrapped around a woman and staring at me in confusion. The guy was tall with salt and pepper hair and beard and was built, as inbuilt.He resembled the country singer Tim McGraw but bulked out. I could understand why he stared in puzzlement. Honestly, I hardly looked like I belonged in an MC clubhouse. Two other men turned toward me with their frowns. I yanked on my jacket with nervous energy and smiled.