I try to make a run for it, but my legs are unsteady, and I end up running straight into a disciple. He grabs me, hauling me down into the water where Wyatt is waiting. Bringing my fist up, I slam it into the disciple’s stomach as hard as I can, his stupid ram head falls off him and into the water with a mighty splash as he lets me go. Again, I move to run, but two more men stride through the water, grabbing me around the upper arms so tight I know it’s going to bruise.
I let out a whimper.
I should have fought harder when I had the chance.
They drag me back over to Wyatt and make me stand in front of him. My head scrambles, trying to figure what all this craziness is about as Wyatt holds a sharp knife in his hand with that same devilish glint in his eye as before. My heart slams against my chest rapidly as the cold water laps at my thighs.
“Ivy, you will be cleansed by the blood of all the fellow farm members, then branded to show you belong to the family.”
Tears glisten in my eyes as I hear the word family.
I think of Eva.
I have no idea if she is okay or if I will ever see her again.
I think of Wyatt’s family. His son, Void, how he died so I could live.
But I don’t want to be here.
I don’t want to live in this world without Void.
I let out a sob, my body hunching over in my grief.
Wyatt steps forward right into my space, his hand moving to my chin, lifting my eyes to meet with his. “There you are, cleansing yourself already of all that pain you feel. Let it out, Ivy. Let it out while I free you.” His other hand moves to the top of my dress, ripping the material apart. I let out another sob as my left breast is exposed to everyone who’s here, including Void’s father.
He lets out a low growl as he signals to the three women who drugged me. They walk over with their stupid headwear and potted-fucking-jugs while I stand, sobbing, exposed, and shaking as they surround me.
“Be one with the family, Ivy,” Wyatt calls out.
“Welcome to the farm,” everyone replies as the three bitches bring their jugs up, pouring the contents over my head. The red liquid slides over my face, the feeling unlike anything I have experienced before. I clench my eyes and mouth shut, the warm liquid floods over me while I shudder, feeling the fluid envelop me completely.
“You’re a part of the family now, Ivy. All that’s left is to cleanse you,” Wyatt informs me, wiping the liquid away from my face.
Finally, I take a deep breath, opening my eyes to blood smears all down my body. I let out a shriek as I try to wipe the liquid off me in a panic, my heart hammering in my chest so fucking hard I don’t know if I can stand it. I’m so terrified right now I can’t breathe.
Oh, God, I really can’t breathe.
Wyatt brings the knife to my breast as I try to catch myself, but my head is swirling, and I can’t function enough to even stop him. “When the wound opens, your blood will mix with the rest of the family, then we will be as one.”
“You’re fucking crazy,” I yell as he pushes the tip of the blade into my skin.
I let out a shriek with the pain, but as I do, a massive blast sends debris raining down over us from up the hill. The main house goes up in a fireball causing everyone to scramble.
Wyatt drops the knife into the murky depths of the water. “Fuck! Go check it out. Now.” He turns back to me as I pant, trying to catch my breath. “We’re not letting this go, Ivy. You will be cleansed.”
“Not on my watch,” Void calls out from behind a tree, drawing his gun then aiming it at his father.
But Wyatt reaches out then pulls me in front of him as a shield.
Void’s alive!
Suddenly, bullets start firing as the women scream out in fear. Everyone runs off, trying to take shelter as hellfire has come to rain down on them all.
Wyatt’s grip on me tightens as my eyes snap around, trying to figure out where all the shooting is coming from. It takes me a second, but then I see Mafia soldiers in their flawlessly tailored suits, racing around shooting anything in a ridiculous ram mask.
Void sprints across the perfectly manicured lawns toward me, Dash flanked at his side. My eyes widen when I realize they’re working together as they gun down disciples on their way to reach me. Ram masks splinter, shattering apart as they shoot them in the face. Blood is running down their white shirts as they flop to the grass. Dead.
Wyatt grips hold of me tighter, keeping me as leverage as we stand in the water, watching everything unfold in front of us.
The disciples had no hope.
Tony pulls out a semi-automatic, mowing a bunch of them down, their stomachs exploding apart as I revel in their destruction.
I want to be a part of it.
I need to take a stand.
So, I reach up, grabbing Wyatt’s arms which are around me and bite down as hard as I fucking can, taking out a big chunk of flesh. He yelps in pain as I spit, then elbow him in the stomach. This forces the asshole to let me go. So, I turn, bringing my leg up through the water and knee him as hard as possible in the balls.
The asshole hunches over, his eyes bursting out of his head as he glares at me. “I thought you were sweet, innocent?”
I let out a mocking laugh. “You don’t know shit!” Then I tighten my left fist and sucker punch him right in the kisser. The asshole falls backward into the water, then floats to the top, completely knocked out.
I take a deep breath, glance down, and try to fix my dress as best I can. I don’t need Dash or Tony and his men witnessing my breast on full display, that would be enough for Void to have a coronary.
I manage to put myself away as Void surges forward in the water. Once he reaches me, he assesses me all over. His eyes tell a thousand stories, and right now, all I want to do is kiss the living hell out of him.
“I thought you were dead!” Tears well in my eyes, but I blink them away as best I can.
“I’m fine. A little smoke…” He soothes me with his hand. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine now you’re here. I just want you to hold me.”
He looks me up and down again. “Let’s get this shit off you, then I’m never letting you go.”
“Gladly,” I reply.
Void moves in gripping hold, his front to my back as I dip down under the water, using my hands to wash all the fucking blood off me. I gasp as I come back up, his hands never leave me as I wipe my face, the water around us going crimson in color.
“This is disgusting… get me out of here.”
Dash jumps into the water, grabs Wyatt, then drags him ashore. I smile at Dash, and he dips his chin at me, then I turn to Void as the roaring of gunfire begins to settle down. I’m fucking freezing, my body shivering as Tony’s men head over toward us. I have to admit I’m a little shocked to see Tony and his soldiers here, including Matteo, but I’m happy Void and Dash had backup.
Everyone congregates around us.
“How did you find me?” I ask.
Void runs his hands up and down my arms to try and keep me warm. “Dash called Tony like you told him to do if the club ever needed help. Because he’s out of Jacksonville, closer to Savannah, he has tapped-in resources.”
Dash takes a step closer. “I figured Tony might have an idea where to start looking. With Tony’s tech guru on the hunt and Void knowing they would want a farm with a lake or some kind of body of water, we were able to narrow the search down pretty easily. This was the only hit, so we took it.”