“Hey, not so tight,” he protested. A small smile played on her lips as she pulled the belt a little tighter. She then proceeded to strap his feet.

  When she was done, she looked at me. “All done.”

  “What you planning to do man?” Leroy inquired.

  What I originally intended to do was to kill the bastard, a slow excruciating death. But when I entered that room and saw them both in my bed where Rayne and I used to make love, I knew I needed to make them both suffer as much as they made me suffer.

  “You love your wife, Leroy?” I asked. He looked up at Rayne. “Do you love her?”

  “Yes, I love her.”

  “Has she ever cheated on you?”

  His brows creased in confusion. “What are you getting at man? No, she wouldn’t dare cheat on me.”

  I drew my attention to the woman who used to be my air. “Do you love him Rayne?”

  She didn’t hesitate when she looked me in the eye with her reply. “No. And you know I don’t play double, Gage.”

  “You sure played that game with me though,” I sneered.

  “I never cheated on you, Gage. I loved only you.”

  I grabbed her arm and pulled her up against my body. A bolt of electricity galloped over my chest, but I was determined to not allow her to break through my walls. I stomped on whatever was threatening to weaken me and set my jaw.

  “Then what do you call this?” I snarled. “The last time I checked you were wearing my engagement ring.”

  “You were the one who ended things, Gage. Have you forgotten that letter you sent me? It said I should not wait for you.”

  I frowned. “What letter?”

  She wrangled from my grasp and sprinted over to her side of the bed, pulling out the drawer of the side table. She rummaged for a second then pulled out a folded sheet of paper, coming back to shove it under my nose.

  “This letter. It’s written in your handwriting with your signature!”

  She opened the letter and held it up for me to see. I didn’t need to look for long to see that she was right. It was my handwriting and my signature, telling her that I didn’t need her. It said that I didn’t love her anymore and she should move on with her life.

  “I didn’t write this,” I replied, my façade slipping a little that I had to catch myself before she managed to slip through any cracks. “It doesn’t matter. You should have double checked.”

  It was her turn to look confused. “What do you mean you didn’t write this? What about those times I came to see you and you refused me.”

  “I did no such thing woman. You stopped visiting me.”

  Rayne turned to Leroy. “It was all you, you sonofabitch!”

  The bastard burst into a fit of laughter, throwing his head back and roaring. Without thinking, I closed the few steps between us and booted him in the gut. He sputtered as his amusement was cut short. He tried to continue laughing but it came out as coughs instead.

  “You two are the most gullible people I have ever met,” he spat. “See how easy it was to get rid of you and take what was yours?”

  Rayne grabbed my arm. “Gage, you have to believe me. I loved only one man and that was you.”

  “Then prove it. Kneel before me and show your husband how to love a man real good.” Her face tightened as she looked at me with something akin to shame. “Come, kneel.”

  “Stop waving that gun and I will do anything you ask.”

  I didn’t trust her, but I holstered the weapon, keeping my hand close enough to pull it if needs be. I sat on the bed while Leroy looked up at me from the floor, his expression changing from one of amusement to anger. Rayne came and knelt between my thighs. Her eyes searched mine as she reached for my zipper and undid me. I had steeled myself against responding to her in any way, shit I had five years to practice hating her.

  But when she reached those soft fingers inside and pulled out my dick, it sprang to life. I told myself it was because I was horny, hadn’t had a warm body in such a long time. I would have responded the same with any female. A she dipped her head to bring her lips to my growing cock, a ball of fire shot up my groin. Incensed at my response to her, I stood abruptly, causing her to topple on her ass.

  Tucking myself in, I closed the zipper. “Enough for tonight.”

  Walking over to Leroy, I crouched, bringing our faces level with each other. “I came to kill you tonight, but I change my mind. Let’s play a game, big brother. Let’s see how much of what you stole from me you get to keep.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  I grinned. “I will take everything from you, piece by piece, including your wife, your mistress Zoe, my company and everything else you own. Then when I am done striping you of your status, your stolen wealth and drug money, then I will kill you.”

  He scoffed. “You think your idle threats scare me?”

  “It’s not a threat, Brother Leroy. It’s fair notice.”

  “I wanna see you try, little brother. You’re no match for me.”

  “Game on,” I replied, rising to my feet. “Untie him in fifteen minutes Rayne.”

  I started leaving the room when she ran up to me. “Gage, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s too late to say you’re sorry, Rayne.”

  4 – Rayne

  As soon as the straps were off Leroy, he grabbed me. I was expecting nothing less than what he was doing now. I had long since trained my mind to absorb whatever he meted out to me, not only for my sake, but for the sake of the only man I’d ever loved – or ever will. Moreover, there was more at stake than anyone could ever imagine.

  “You dare do this to me?” Leroy snarled, grabbing my hair. “You forget who you’re married to now? You’re mine, Rayne … mine.”

  I gritted my teeth, my face twisting in anger. The revulsion I felt for the man penetrated every fiber of my being. My eyes blazed with the wrath he evoked in me. Somehow, knowing that Gage was out of prison and coming after him gave me courage. Courage I didn’t have for the last five years.

  I grabbed him by the throat and began to squeeze. He let go of my hair, his eyes bulging from the shock of my actions. I knew I couldn’t divorce him just yet, but it didn’t mean I would allow him to continue his reign of terror. I was no longer going to allow him to control me.

  “I told you the day you forced me to marry you, Leroy … I told you that I may be your property now, but you will never own my heart.”

  With all the energy I could muster, I shoved him. He staggered back a pace or two. “You ungrateful twit. I will show you a thing or two,” he said, rubbing his throat as he reached for the belt that had bound his hands.

  I pulled the knife I’d retrieved from the kitchen after Gage had left. When Gage told me to untie Leroy, I took the opportunity to slip into my robe and skipped downstairs before loosening Leroy. The knife was hidden in my robe pocket. I held it up to his neck as I advanced on him. He retreated, his back coming up against the closet door. I pressed the blade into his skin.

  “You touch me again and I will cut your balls off while you sleep,” I gritted out. “I’m married to you, but that doesn’t mean you can abuse me.”

  He grabbed my wrist but I pushed the knife a little deeper until I could see a sliver of blood. We stared into each other’s eyes as we willed each other to back away. For five years this man kept me captive with the threat of Gage’s life, in addition to the other secrets he held over me. Now that Gage was out of the hell-hole Leroy put him in, I would no longer be prisoner.

  “You’re forgetting what’s at stake here, Rayne,” he said.

  “I know very well what the stakes are,” I replied. “And that’s the only reason I haven’t killed you yet and why I can’t leave. Not until I find what I am looking for.”

  “You will never find it.”

  “You saw your brother, that he’s out for blood,” I chuckled. “If I tell him what you did, you’ll be dead before sunrise.”

  “You do that, and you will bury him by sundown. You’re forgetting that anything happens to me, Gage and Braun will be the first to be executed and you will never live to find that precious little thing you keep looking for.”

  He was right and he knew that his words made my insides quiver. I withdrew the knife and stepped back, but kept the point trained in his direction. The invisible spear wedged in my chest was deepening the wound. Every minute that ticked away brought more pain.

  As soon as I moved, Leroy rushed passed me and left the room. I could hear him shouting Calvin’s name as he headed down the stairs. I wanted to see the drama and followed him out. By the time I reached the top of the stairs he was in the living room.

  “Calvin!”

  “Yes boss,” the traitor answered, his voice groggy.

  “What the fuck have you been doing?” Leroy barked. “You worthless piece of shit. I could have been killed. Where the fuck have you been?”

  Braun was leaning against the door leading out to the deck with a look of complete satisfaction on his face. Calvin glanced his way and back at Leroy.

  “I’m sorry boss, I fell asleep.”

  Leroy slapped Calvin across the cheek with his open palm. “You moron. What do I pay you for? Where are the others?”

  “They are checking the premises now, Boss.”

  “Make sure that no one comes in that doesn’t live here, got that? Including my brother Gage.”

  Braun eased himself from the door and came to stand a foot away from Leroy. “You can’t do that,” he pointedly told his brother.

  Meanwhile, I perched myself on one of the steps and watched the exchange in fascination. Leroy moved up to Braun who now towered him by a few inches. I had no idea that Braun had become so strapping. He looked just like Gage, only a younger version.

  The wilder men had something about them that told them apart from other men – except Braun was a cousin on Gage’s mother side. It was uncanny. Leroy was the one who looked like he didn’t quite fir. I blinked away the though and refocused on the men.

  The two men faced off. Leroy’s face expressed the evil lurkimg inside him, while Braun portrayed a calm yet steel like exterior, much the way Gage was.

  “And now you will dare tell me how to run my own house?” Leroy snapped.

  Braun chuckled. “A house you stole. You’re forgetting one thing Leroy, Gage is alive and well and he owns whatever you so blatantly snatched from him.” Braun raised his eyes and settled on them me as he spoke those words. My heart all but jumped from my chest from the sudden jolt it gave me.

  Leroy grabbed Braun by the collar of his t-shirt. I expected a scuffle, but what I got was so much better. Braun easily placed his hand over Leroy’s, pried his hand away and twisted, bringing Leroy to his knees.

  “Don’t soil the shirt Leroy,” Braun said, releasing him. “I’m tired and don’t have time for your shit. I’m off to bed.”

  Leroy slowly rose to his feet nursing his sore wrist. His face was ashen as he stared at Braun walking away. When he realized that his security guards and I were watching, he reddened with embarrassment.

  “You don’t walk away from me, Braun. I’m not done with you.”

  The youth ignored him, taking the stairs two at a time. Leroy continued to call after Braun, his obvious agitation showing in his body language and voice. I rose as Braun neared me, a silly smile on my lips.

  Braun paused, looking me in the eye. “You and your husband are going down, Rayne. Remember this night. It’s your first warning.”

  His words wiped the smirk from my face. I was now the enemy of both Braun and Gage and I could not blame them. To the outside world everything seemed normal. I did walk down that aisle with Leroy only three and a half months after Gage’s incarceration. To the world, I cheated Gage. Only Leroy and I knew the truth.

  5 – Gage

  Three days later …

  I doubled my fist, resting it on my thigh I as listened to my attorney tell me something I didn’t need to hear. It was around two in the afternoon and we were meeting for the first time since I exited Ionia Correctional Facility. I leaned back in the armchair I was sitting in as we spoke of setting things right.

  His office was located Downtown Grand Rapids from where we could see the waters of the Grand River. Ron was one of the best attorneys in the city even though he was barely older than my thirty four years. He always told me that he’d had to push much harder than his colleagues because he was African American.

  During the last five years, he worked his fingers to the bone to get me released. And then a few months ago, he got a breakthrough. A report was revealed that was either overlooked or deliberately kept from the speedy trial that sent me behind bars.

  The gun powder found on my fingers did not match with the one from the weapon. That simple technicality not only called for the original charges to be dropped and for my release, it opened a new investigation in the death of Bainbridge. A man killed because he know about my brother’s shady dealings. Bainbridge was the sacrifice needed to get rid of me.

  Ron’s voice was tinged with concern. “Are you listening to me, Gage?”

  “Yeah.”

  I knew taking back the company wasn’t going to be easy and killing Leroy now would only send me back to the slammer. I wasn’t afraid of returning to prison, but my revenge would have all been in vain if I didn’t at least accomplish something in the end.

  It was our father’s wish that I head the company for many reasons. While Leroy was gambling away our father’s hard earned money, I was there with Roman every step of the way, going to college at night and working full time during the days to learn the business.

  Leroy’s continuous irresponsible conduct resulted in lost faith from his father. He’d been given many chances to prove himself worthy of taking the helm, but each chance resulted in disappointment.

  Gambling and stealing only skimmed the surface of his erratic behavior. Roman Wilder indulged his eldest child because of the guilt he carried for choosing my mother over from Leroy’s mother. Although Leroy and I were a few years apart, but my father had already fallen for my mother when Leroy’s mother got pregnant.

  “Listen Gage,” Ronald Harvey was saying, interrupting my thoughts. “You signed over your shares to her, gave her power of attorney. What she did was legal.”

  “It was supposed to be temporary.”

  “You and I know that … hell, I was the one who drew up the paperwork. But you insisted that I didn’t need to add an expiry clause in it.”

  Unclenching my fist, I ran a hand through my hair as I contemplated my situation. “I trusted her.”

  “What happened man?” Ron asked. “You two were inseparable. How the hell she ended up marrying Leroy? What was even stranger to me was that she disappeared for months after the wedding … alone.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, right after the wedding she just up and left. Then she came back about a year later.”

  That was news to me. “Braun didn’t tell me this.”

  “He probably didn’t think it was something you wanted to hear.”

  I nodded. Learning that my fiancé was marrying my brother, I demanded that Braun refrained from giving me any news about her. I was only interested in what Leroy was up to. I was determined to erase every trace of Rayne from my mind and heart and I thought I’d succeeded.

  “Let’s forget Rayne for a moment and talk about my shares. How do I obtain them?”

  “The documents signing over her rights to Leroy is ironclad, unless he signs them back to you, there’s hardly anything you can do. That is – short of him dying or something.”

  “That could be arranged.”

  Ron looked sharply at me with his dark brown eyes. “I didn’t work my butt off for five years to get you released for you to end up back there. I know what you intended to do as soon as you were released. What the hell were you doing at the Wilder Oaks last night?”

  “That’s my house … and how the hell you know I was there?”

  “I had someone follow you, just in case you decided to do anything foolish I could do damage control.”

  “I was this close to pulling the trigger,” I paused, recalling seeing Rayne in bed with Leroy.

  “What stopped you?”

  “Killing the bastard was too easy,” I replied. “I want him to suffer as much as I did.”

  “Well, that I can help you with,” Ron said. “But, if you do plan on killing him, don’t pull the trigger yourself … okay. I might not be able to save you this time.”

  We both laughed at that. I knew Ron was serious and he knew I wanted nothing more to see Leroy pay for his crimes. But if there was one thing that Roman Wilder taught me was that I should never give my enemy the advantage of them thinking I was anything like them. He taught me to always stay one step ahead and to never underestimate my opponent.

  Leaning forward, I rested an elbow on the edge of his desk. “Ron, you need to get Carlon out of jail. You know he’s like a brother to me.”

  “You’re really serious about helping your ex’s brother out?”

  Tapping my fingers on the glass surface, I thought about how I found out that Rayne’s brother was in the same facility as me. After being released from isolation for starting a fight, I was working the bathroom duties again when The Big G and his posse accosted me. Carlon had been taking a shit in one of the stalls when the gang approached.

  The stall door burst open and he came out with a sharpened toothbrush and he started doing some fancy schmancy karate looking fighting, within minutes Burly was out cold and his men nursing some very deep cuts on their faces, arms and thighs. Some of Burly’s old wounds opened up and he had to get stitches.

  My mind lingered on that bathroom scene as I recognized him right away. “Carlon, what’re you doing in here?” I’d asked.

  Stepping over the unconscious Big G, he beckoned me to follow him out. “Come out before they revive.”

  We left the bathroom and went down to the storage unit where I dumped the cleaning equipment. I was done for the night anyway.

 

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