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CHAPTER ONE
The woods were filled with a light mist tonight that trailed along the forest floor in places due to the warmth of the ground and the coolness of the air, and it gave the area an extra touch of mysticism. Gage stepped quietly through the moonlit darkness, following the badger he'd tried to catch on film before and being extra careful not to scare or intimidate. Badgers can be aggressive creatures if threatened, but Gage was not threatening; all he wanted was the perfect photograph.
He'd been in these woods many times over the past month, photographing whatever caught his interest, but a few days ago, he sighted a badger and got a few shots but not one that made him happy. Those creatures were fascinating, photogenic, and unusual, so he hoped to get a picture with the perfect ambiance. The right photo could help him win or at least place in the wildlife photo competition at the county fair.
Ever since he could remember, his dream was to make it as a photographer, and this was a way to get noticed. After graduating last year, he enrolled in a photography class at the community college and discovered a passion. He'd taken pictures before but needed the proper equipment and software and the skill to use them. Now his goal was to make it a career, and this competition could prove to be step one in reaching that goal.
He entered the woods off the main road where he’d parked his car. Gage knew that this section belonged to the state, and he was allowed to access it, but there was private property that butted up to the state land, and that's where his problems lay. The badgers he was following tended to lead him onto the private land. Their den must be in that area. It was risky crossing over once again since he’d already been caught twice by DuCane’s security people.
They were getting progressively meaner each time they apprehended him, and he really didn't want to deal with those guys again tonight. But the badger and the perfect mist and moonlight were making him follow. He just needed to get the right shot, the perfect shot, and then he'd be done with these woods. He figured the fact that badgers were not commonly photographed around here would give him an advantage in the competition.
Gage respected the law and wasn't usually a trespasser, but circumstances pushed him to once again take the risk of being caught. He kept his eye on the badger, and then it happened. The little beast paused, his head held high as if smelling the mist, and the moonlight shrouded his head and shoulders. It was the perfect shot. He started shooting multiple shots, knowing one of them would be the winner, when a series of cracking noises erupted, and the badger leapt and was gone in a heartbeat.
He knew what was happening, and although it was disheartening to have to go through the rough handling and verbal abuse of the security men, it was worth it for the pictures he had gotten. Gage stood still and waited as they came at him from all sides. He could see at least five of them, but with the sounds he was hearing, there were more that were out of sight.
"The property is posted. . . very clearly posted. . . so clearly posted that one would have to step over the no trespassing signs in order to enter this property." The man was not impressed, and the look on his face was part irritation and part disgust, not a good combination from where Gage stood.
Gage did not respond to the man's statement, for there was nothing he could say. He'd entered. . . again. . . without permission, and he had no excuses. Gage had tried to explain himself before telling them he was just a photographer and that he meant no harm, but it didn't hold water before, so he knew it wouldn't now. He remained quiet and waited.
"You don't seem to understand that we are not joking. Our privacy and security are paramount, and your deliberate refusal to follow the law has left us with little choice but to deal with you more severely." The man nailed him with a stare that had Gage quaking just a little and glancing away. Whatever was coming, he wasn't going to like it.
The guy shifted his gaze abruptly to the man beside him. "Contact Sheriff Keller." Gage tensed at the thought of Sheriff Keller coming for him. He'd rather this guy gave him a brutal tongue-lashing like the last two times. If the Sheriff became involved, Gage's stepdad would be contacted, and the repercussions would be awful and endless.
"I won't bother you again. I was just taking pictures, and I'll stop; no more pictures in the woods, no more chasing nocturnal animals. I'm done, I promise." His stepdad could be a tough bastard; right now, Gage needed him. He provided Gage with a job and a place to live, and he didn't want to lose that. He would lose everything if he brought the Coven and Sheriff Keller into their lives.
The guy stared at him once again and then took a phone call which seemed odd. "Yes, Commander Haas." He said, and then it was all listening, and little talking. Whoever was on the other end gave this man a litany of orders. The guy continued to listen and then ended the call with, "As you wish, sir." He then closed the call and looked at Gage with what appeared to be a growing sympathy.
"Trenton." He barked the name without taking his eyes from Gage, and a man in the back came forward. The man had an air about him that was off-putting, and Gage turned his gaze away and took in the men standing around him. They were company men, all business doing their job except Trenton, who had a coldness that set him apart from the others.
"Take Mr. Montague to the exterior cells and impress upon him the importance of abiding by property laws." The way the guy said this was chilling, and Gage found his breath catching in his throat. Trenton came forward and grabbed him by the upper arm, and began hauling him away. Gage tried not to resist, but his sense of self-preservation had him pulling back.
"Go with him and do as you are told." The guy told him and then turned his attention to the other men. "We're finished here." He said, and within seconds they had all disappeared into the night except Trenton.
Trenton roughly pulled him through the woods to a clearing where a four-wheeler was parked. He tossed Gage into the back and zip-tied his hands together. Gage had his camera and phone in a shoulder bag, and he hoped that nothing would happen to his equipment because he could not afford to replace them. Coming to the woods this night had been a colossal mistake.
There was no talking as they drove through the clearing to a path that led to a manicured lawn with formal walkways, and the four-wheeler was parked just beyond a grove of fruit trees. Trenton then jerked him from the back seat. "We will walk the remaining distance." He said his words were flat and cold, but his actions held a level of anger that was scaring Gage.
They made their way through the trees and foliage to a large block building with very few windows and a foreboding aura. Trenton punched in a code, and the door opened. He then grabbed Gage by the scruff of his neck and violently pushed him inside. Gage stumbled but caught his balance before falling to the hard tile floor.
The tile floor and the various drains positioned around the room were not good signs. Gage felt his skin tightening and his heart rate escalating. Fear began to choke him, and reactions seemed to satisfy Trenton for the moment. This guy was bad, really bad.
Trenton cut the strap on his shoulder bag, dropping it hard onto the floor, and Gage scrambled to protect it but to no avail. Trenton kicked it across the room, and it hit the opposite wall.
"You have no right to destroy my things," Gage shouted at him but regretted the outburst almost immediately. The man turned on him with eyes that were now rimmed in red, almost glowing as they looked him over from head to foot. He then walked over to Gage's bag and stomped on it three times before opening it and dumping the contents on the tile floor.
Gage watched as his camera, expensive attachments, lenses, and phone were reduced to nothing but a mass of broken pieces. It was heartbreaking as his dreams and goals were snuffed out in seconds. Then Trenton turned on him, walking over very deliberately, holding him in the grip of his cold stare, and backhanding him across the side of his face.
Gage fell to the floor, this time feeling the blood run down his chin from the split in his lip. His face was numb from the strike, and he knew there was much more and much worse to come.
…
Deacon Haas, Commander of the North quadrant Security Forces of Coven DuCane, sat at his desk awash with conflicting feelings regarding his recent order concerning an incessant trespasser. The man was an irritant and refused to heed properly and lawfully posted property signs. He was warned repeatedly, and the fact he kept coming back made it clear he did not understand common courtesy and direction.
His presence was intolerable, and if it took corporal measures to get him to understand, then so be it. Trenton was the man for the job. He did it quick, clean, and emotionless.
The physical reminder of his trespassing crime would stay with him, and he would not return again. It was harsh and brutal considering the interloper was human but necessary; there could not be such irreverence of the laws of DuCane. Security needed to be tight and efficient, and outsiders needed to know that breaches would not be tolerated.
Deacon walked over to the tray by the window and poured himself a glass of whiskey. It all made sense when he explained it to himself, but still, he felt like a rank bastard for ordering the young man punished in such a manner. He could sense the derision in Lieutenant McKay's tone when he called him and put down the order for punishment. McKay didn't agree with him, but he didn't voice his opinion. He was a good and solid soldier and would do as he was told.
