The Deadliest Secret (The Deadliest Series) (30 page)

             
Almost an hour had passed in silence. Kody’s knee bounced up and down swiftly he couldn’t control himself.  Gwen moved and his eyes zeroed in on her chest. Everything about her exuded class, the sun was coming in behind her. Kody would never forget this vision in front of him. The way her hair fell around her shoulders, perfection was achieved. The sunlight caught a glint off something. It was a ring. Kody’s world came crashing down. That bastard Ford must have followed through and forced her into a marriage. Kody began to shake in anger.

             
“I see you have new jewelry.” His sneer was obvious in his tone alone.

             
“Yes,” she simply said while adjusting the ring with a smile, “I need to talk to you about something important Kody certain women you may have known.”

             
“What women?” Kody said with a big sneer on his face.

             
“Women you knew before you came here. Kody their families want to know if you are the one who did this, they need closure.” Her voice was soft but she had betrayed him, her body shifted and she pulled out photographs for him to look at.

             
“I fucked them, I tortured them, and I killed them.” Kody said with barely a second glance at his work.

             
“Why?” Gwen couldn’t help but ask, Kody decided to give her the real reasons.

             
“They pissed me off… they looked like a cheating whore I used to be with.” Kody was still locked on the ring on her left hand, he knew what it meant but it pissed him off nonetheless.

             
“Kody listen. You need to be calm and tell me the exact situations behind each one, and more if you have the confessions to make.

             
With her words Kody stood. He couldn’t remember all the people he had killed. All the lives he had taken, all the eyes that had fallen lifeless at his feet. Even if he could, he would never give them to her. She was tainted to him. She was no good anymore. Kody stood from his chair and began to pace. Gwen tried to stand and calm him by making him look at her, she only wanted answer and his paranoia was beginning to show. He stopped right in front of her seething before exploding. Everything happened fast.

             
“You bitch.” Was the only warning he gave her.

             
Kody may have been in cuffs but he worked fast, his movements were as fast as a viper’s, before she could move or call for anyone to disrupt them again, his elbow was fast and sure, it smashed into her eye socket. This was no longer his Gwen. She was impure. The cuffs were too strong to break so Kody’s next move was a doubled up punch to her sternum. She began to fall, he saw the ring shining as a loud bang from the door came and he was taken to the floor hard.

              Torrian had sat through enough. When he saw the tape of Kody standing, he stood as well. This was too close; this was not how things were supposed to go. Torrian could almost feel Kody’s anger. Then it happened. Torrian’s heart stopped and he nearly ripped the door from the hinges. Kody had hit Gwen. Kody had hit Gwen and hurt her again. In the time it took Torrian to close the distance and get to Gwen’s office there had been more damage. Gwen was on the ground, and Kody’s body was above hers, he was pummeling her.

             
A vicious snarl came from Torrian as he launched himself without word at Kody. Gwen’s instinct to curl up had saved her from having too much damage to her face. Kody on the other hand would be a different story. It took three agents to pull him off of the inmate. When he finally let go Kody’s face was bloody. Torrian shrugged away from the agents that held him and went to Gwen to check her injuries. He kissed her already bruising cheek and eye tenderly and could kill Kody for the soft wince she tried to hide from him. The other guards took over at that moment. They must have felt Torrian’s extreme anger. They dragged Kody McQueen out of the room directly back to solitary confinement. The other guards took no pity on the prisoner they carried from the room.

              Kody had attacked her yet again. The federal agents that were there did not follow through on their promise to keep her safe, after the sudden blow to her face she curled to prevent further injury as best she could, her legs flailed and eventually her hands joined in fighting against him. She took pity on Kody and for some reason did not prepare for the danger she should have known she was in. Then all of a sudden Kody was hauled off of her. The air almost shimmered with anger. She tried to sit up, and felt more pain as the blood rushed to her head. The agents soon surrounded her once she was pulled into Torrian’s lap. The video and voice recording should be enough to give closure to the families brought up this day. Gwen struggled to her feet, Torrian caught her shoulder and with one decisive sentence.

             
“We’re going home, you can all fuck off.” He almost growled and led Gwen away from the prying eyes of the men that were now working on her office to remove cameras, he was too angry to look at the agents that failed.

              Kody was attacked by Ford yet again, his retribution ruined. Gwen was still filthy and she needed to be redeemed. He needed to redeem her in his eyes. The lackeys that Ford commanded dragged him back towards his cell in solitary and threw him into it. He sat in the bed and rocked himself back and forth after he was tossed in without care. The males were full of pithy words for him. Kody didn’t care. His plan had been ruined once more, but this was not the end.

Chapter twenty-three

Another four days off for Gwen, Torrian refused to let her go back to work immediately. He had brought her home and cared for her even though she wasn’t hurt too badly. Her injuries looked worse than they were to her. A black eye shined in the mirror when she was applying makeup, and she was slightly tender but she had taken enough days off lately, she liked her job and now it would be easier because the agents were drafting papers to remove Kody McQueen from the McNeil Island prison. Gwen thought over the conversation she had with one of the agents in her home, the agents had come to get her statement and signature on all the documents for the move. Shaking her head she came back to the reality, the papers were signed and Kody was getting transferred to another prison but not for long, he was going to be put down like the rabid animal he was. She gave a heavy sigh; it wasn’t out of dismay or sorrow it was out of relief. Gwen felt honest relief for the first time since she discovered the secret she buried so deep had come back to haunt her.  She was relieved at his impending death, but that also brought some guilt, as a psychologist she should never revel in someone’s demise or pain but in this case she had to break her own opinion of propriety and admit, even if it was just to herself that she was glad to see that Kody McQueen had signed his death warrant.

             
She finished her daily ritual and was ready for her day. She could not handle sitting still any longer; she hated feeling as if she were to be placed on a shelf away from the realities of life. Sometimes you got knocked down but you always get up one more time. She pulled on her most comfortable slip on shoes and picked up her keys. She was taking advantage of this day to go to the Farmers Market in downtown. She loved the fresh produce and beautiful flowers for her table. She was going to have fun on her day of hooky since she was forced to take one.

              Torrian checked his cell phone, he spent hours convincing Gwen to stay home for the rest of the week. The inmates did not need to see the bruises. His argument that the bruises would encourage more violence towards her won, now, Torrian did not know if it was true or valid, or if Gwen just wanted to shut him up and agreed just so he would be quiet was another issue he intended on dealing with, after the biggest one on his mind. Kody Lee McQueen had been a thorn in his side for what felt like forever now even though it had only been a couple of months in reality. In Torrian’s opinion Kody was lower than pond scum. After he clocked out, he pulled Justin to the side.

             
“Justin I need the security camera to conveniently be down for a couple minutes in solitary.” Torrian’s urge for revenge had taken over; no one would blame him for what he was about to do.

             
“What?” Justin was confused.

             
“Just accidentally stop the camera on solitary in about five minutes, for about fifteen minutes. You feel me?” He was looking the lower ranking guard in the face, hoping he understood the gravity of the situation.

             
“You got it, and give the fucker one for me as well.”

             
Torrian patted Justin on the shoulder and smiled. “You got it. We need to be tight on the timing, you text me the second the camera goes off.”

             
“As I said, you got it. Now get going.” Justin took over the controls.

             
Torrian didn’t need another word with the other corrections officer he just took off towards the solitary confinement area, since it was one of the last nights Kody would be spending with them he needed a proper send off, and Torrian needed to exact revenge for his woman. As soon as the text came from Justin that the machined were now “malfunctioning” he opened the door and slipped into the solitary area with his keys in hand, he opened McQueen’s cell and left his baton in the door to keep it open.

             
“Wake up, naptime is over you piece of shit.” Torrian announced himself; Kody almost flipped himself out of the small bed.

             
“Ford.” Kody was sneering.

             
“I wish I could say I was glad to see you but I can’t but I am glad to see you go east and get that fucking needle in your vein. I may bring my fiancé to watch the festivities as you take your last breath.”

             
Kody didn’t respond to Torrian’s attempt to rile him up. At his cool demeanor Torrian knew the other male was a true demon, a soulless being upon the Earth. Torrian’s two hands landed on Kody’s lapels and picked him up from his bed, slamming him into the cement wall opposite them. Torrian had to tell Kody one more thing before he carried on with his plan. “You’re going to feel pain. I fucking promise you.”

             
Torrian’s arm went against Kody’s windpipe, crushing it. This is when Kody began to react and make this fun. A kick landed to Torrian’s shin, Kody’s eyes were no longer blank and emotionless, and they were full of fire and evil. The kick was somewhat of a surprise and enabled Kody to get a few lucky punches in.

             
After he got back to his feet Torrian launched at the male, tackling him just right to send them both spiraling to the ground, Torrian landed on top of Kody, he quickly moved to straddle him. Torrian’s fists flew hard and fast at the other man’s face. The satisfying crunch sounded more than once, followed by the scent of copper sprung into Torrian’s nose as blood started to gush from Kody’s nose. Torrian’s cocky smile had to goad Kody on.

             
“I have Gwen, you will never see her again.” Torrian stood and spit on Kody and started for the door.

             
Torrian’s hand was on the door, the other hand reaching for the baton that held the heavy door open when a blow landed to his head from behind. Kody had gotten up; apparently it was time for round two. Torrian threw his arms up to protect from another assault. Kody’s fists were landing harder and faster than Torrian expected.

             
“I live for worse, let’s see if you can.” Kody hissed.

             
A newfound fervor was driving Kody; his eyes were wild and locked on Torrian like a predator. Torrian kept up for him, they were limited on the room in the cell but this was not going to end well. Torrian’s thoughts were clouded with undiluted pure, grade-A rage. His only thoughts were of avenging the indignities Kody forced upon her. The physical violence was enough to drive Torrian to kill. The only sound besides hits landing to bodies was heavy breathing. Torrian stepped too far into one hit; his body did not recover quickly enough. Kody slithered his way behind him and caught him in a chokehold. Torrian tried to knock Kody off balance to no avail. His oxygen was quickly dissipating; Torrian could feel the fatigue and desperate need for air course through him, his struggles increased. His last thoughts before he was met with darkness were soft on his lips. “Gwen I love you, I’m sorry...”

              Kody’s breath was ragged but he still heard what the imbecile said. It was a pledge of love to HIS woman. Gwen was Kody’s and now that he had finally done as the voice had said he would be able to claim her again, they were both ready for life. Kody was not satisfied, if Ford was found in time they could somehow bring him back to life, Kody snarled at the thought and before dropping the lesser male to his feet, Kody placed one hand on each side of his head and jerked them hard. He heard the satisfying pop of the bones in the neck snapping. Ford was dead at his feet. Now it was time for Kody to go to his woman and tell her the news.