Secrets in Blood: Lake Of Sins, #2 Read online

  Lake of Sins:

  Secrets In Blood

  L. S. O’Dea

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  LAKE OF SINS: SECRETS IN BLOOD

  First edition. April 10, 2015.

  Copyright © 2015 L. S. O'Dea.

  ISBN: 978-1942706038

  Written by L. S. O'Dea.

  Also by L. S. O'Dea

  Chimera Chronicles

  Rise of the River Man

  Feeding Fersia

  Breaking the Brush Men

  Rage Of Rattus Norvegicus

  Leaving Level Five

  Lake Of Sins

  Lake of Sins: Secrets in Blood

  Lake of Sins: Hangman's Army

  Lake Of Sins: Betrayed

  Whispers From the Past

  Lake of Sins: Escape

  Standalone

  Lake of Sins Series Box Set Books 1-3

  Chimera Chronicles

  A Demon's Gift

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Also By L. S. O'Dea

  Lake of Sins: Secrets in Blood

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

  See what happens next.

  Characters

  Hangman’s Army

  Rise of the River Man

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  To Teri Valentine.

  Thank you for your help, guidance and patience while I relearned everything that I had forgotten from college. This story would not have been possible without you.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Once again, many thanks to my beta readers for not only making the time to read in their busy lives, but for giving me different perspectives of my work.

  CHAPTER 1

  “WHERE’S YOUR MOTHER?” asked Gaar.

  Trinity shook her head. Leaving her mom at the encampment had been the hardest thing that she’d ever done, but she’d had no choice. The Almightys had implanted tracking devices inside all adult Producers. It would lead the Almightys right to them. So, she’d left her mom behind to be slaughtered and eaten.

  She had to focus on something else or the tears would come. She turned her head and stared at the carnage that had once been Troy. Mirra must not be very hungry because she was digging through his carcass looking for the choice parts and tossing aside the rest.

  “We need to leave. The Almightys will send their Guards soon. Something like this”—Gaar pointed at the body—“will not stay a secret for very long.”

  Neither would the four dead Producers inside the camp, but she wasn’t ready to talk about that either. Those deaths were her fault. If she hadn’t left or hadn’t come back, they’d all still be alive.

  “Mirra, you need to go back the way we came and cover our scent. When you get to the Finishing Camp, get rid of those bodies,” he said.

  “Mirra free Nirankan and others,” said Mirra.

  “Not yet.” Gaar’s voice was harsh, commanding.

  The Tracker looked at him and snarled. He stood straighter and bared his teeth. Mirra slowly lowered her lips, a low growl rumbling through her chest.

  “Soon.” His voice was softer now. “Little One and I need to lead the Guards in the other direction. Find us when you’re done and we’ll drop Little One off at the Finishing Camp. Then, we’ll free the Trackers. I promise.”

  Mirra hissed.

  “We have to keep Little One safe, right?” His black eyes gleamed. “If you bump into any Guards near the camp, kill them.”

  Mirra smiled, her teeth white in her bloody face, and darted off into the brush. Trinity followed Gaar in the opposite direction.

  “She’s getting harder to control,” she said. “Maybe, you should give her the serum.”

  “Can’t. She needs to be strong. This journey is not going to be easy.”

  All because of her. Sure, she’d helped them locate others of their kind, but other-than-that she’d been nothing but trouble. They now had a group of teenage Producers to lead through the forest and they were going to be hunted by the Almightys’ Guards, a lot of them. With five dead Producers, Benedictine, the Almighty who ran their camp, would send out all of his Guards. He wouldn’t let that much meat go to waste without someone paying for it. Her lip curled. That was all the Producers were to them, meat. The Almightys and the Guards were her enemies and she needed to remember that.

  CHAPTER 2

  HIGH HUGH TRUENT stumbled out of his carriage at his mother’s house, brushing lint off the sleeve of his jacket. He ran his hand through his thick, black hair. He was as presentable as he was going to be. He drew in a deep breath, inhaling the crisp morning air and clearing the cobwebs from his sleepy brain.

  “Sue and Reese, secure the carriage and then meet us in the house,” said Buddy, his eldest and most trusted Guard, to his other two Guards.

  “I can’t believe I had to leave my bed in the middle of the night in order to rein in Mother’s House Servant,” he said as he strode toward the door, Buddy right behind him.

  “It’s dawn, sir,” corrected Buddy.

  He looked down his nose at Buddy. The Guard was a good foot shorter than his five-foot eleven-inch frame, but whereas he was lean muscle Buddy was as solid as a concrete block, bred for protection not speed. Buddy’s hair was grayer than black these days, especially his beard but the Guard was still an early riser. He, on the other hand, was not a morning person. To him dawn might as well be the middle of the night.

  They entered the house. The foyer was large and mostly unadorned. His mother had already given away many of her possessions to various charities, to Little Sarah’s dismay. Mom was dying and Little Sarah had already been counting her riches but what she’d forgotten to count was their mother’s love of irritating her daughter.

  “If this is one of Little Sarah’s over exaggerations, I’ll strangle
her.” He and his sister were not the best of friends. They were too different. He found it hard to believe that they’d grown up in the same household. She even liked the ‘Little’ before her name. He had especially hated that family tradition of naming the first born son and daughter after the parents and adding “Little” to their names. He’d dropped the moniker in high school. He’d considered doing it when he was eight, but at that age he’d still hoped that he could please his father.

  “Your sister was quite insistent that it was an emergency,” said Buddy.

  “Save me from Little Sarah’s emergencies. She thinks it’s an emergency when she runs out of butter,” he muttered.

  “Your emergency is a stained jacket.”

  “Tell me again, why I keep you around?” he asked, glancing at the Guard out of the corner of his eye.

  “To keep you humble.”

  He chuckled and slapped Buddy on the shoulder. The old Guard always knew just what to say to brighten his mood. “That’s true, but what you’ll never understand is that with certain jackets a stain is an emergency.”

  “Hugh, thank Araldo you’re here,” said Little Sarah as she hurried across the foyer, her brown hair tied back in a neat bun and her slight frame almost lost in her long, flowing robe. He’d never understand her. Most Almightys only wore the robes for ceremonial occasions, but his sister dressed in them daily. She grabbed his arm, leading him to the library.

  It was nice to see that his mother had not gotten rid of the books yet. This had been one of his favorite rooms, a place to while away the hours when hiding from his father. She directed him to the desk where she had the tracking program up and running.

  “See, see the dot. That’s Tim.” She pointed to the screen.

  “It says he’s upstairs.” He was going to kill her. For this, he’d left the comfort and warmth of his bed and Viola. A small smile played about his lips. He couldn’t wait to go back home and wake her, slowly.

  “What? No. He is not here. I looked everywhere for him and even asked Mother. She said that he went out during the night. He is not supposed to do that, especially that late.”

  Poor Tim. The House Servant was going to live with Little Sarah when Mom passed. That was going to be difficult. Mom let Tim do whatever he wanted, whereas Little Sarah was strict with the other classes just like their father had been.

  “I’m telling you. He was not here a few minutes ago,” she said.

  He sighed. “And why is that an emergency? A wandering House Servant is not that uncommon.”

  “They’re not supposed to be out alone, you know that.”

  “Really? You woke me for this? I’m leaving.”

  “It is illegal,” she whispered. “What would happen to your career if Mother’s House Servant was up to something that he shouldn’t be? They would not look kindly on you for that. You, the rising star, the youngest ever to be bestowed with the title of ‘High.’”

  He scratched his chin. She did have a point. He’d developed the new tracking device so that Almightys did not have this issue. House Servants, Guards, Stockers, and Grunts were not allowed to wander about, especially at night. It was dangerous. He gently pushed Little Sarah to the side and sat at the desk. He keyed in a few codes and the screen changed. There was a map and many small dots.

  She peered over his shoulder. “How’d you do that?”

  This couldn’t be right. He verified that the dot he was looking at was Tim’s number. “Buddy, take a look at this.”

  The Guard walked over and stood behind him. He whistled. “Our Tim has been busy.”

  “Are all those dots Tim?” she asked. “How can that be?”

  “Go and check this out.” He tapped a section on the screen.

  “On my way,” said Buddy. “Do you want me to take—”

  “Alone,” he said. “And keep it quiet. Hurry and report back to me.”

  “I was right, wasn’t I?” she asked, a hint of smugness in her tone.

  He leaned back, staring at the screen. He’d never hear the end of how she’d been right. It went against years of sibling rivalry to admit it, but he was nothing if not fair. “Yes, you were...correct. Tim has been up to no good.”

  “I told you. I told Mother, too. As a matter of fact, I am going to go and speak—”

  “No. This stays between us for now. I have to find out exactly what Tim has been up to.”

  “Why not ask him?”

  He looked into her soft green eyes, so like their mother’s. She was a pain but she was kind-hearted and more than a bit naïve. “He’ll lie.”

  “Tim wouldn’t lie to us.”

  He closed his eyes for a second and prayed for patience. “If he doesn’t want us to find out what he’s been doing, he will. Go and make me some breakfast.” He leaned forward to study the screen again. “And send Sue and Reese in here.”

  She stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. She was fifteen years older than him and sometimes acted more like a mother than a sister.

  “Please,” he added to get her to leave.

  She huffed and walked out the door.

  He typed in the date from a month ago and studied the new dots on the screen. Tim had been a steady visitor to the East Side Producer Camp, but had only traveled to the garage once.

  There was a knock and his other two Guards stepped into the library. Sue was built for speed and endurance like all hunting Guards and her long legs ate up the ground as she strode into the room. Reese walked quickly to keep up with the older Guard, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, swinging with each step. She was a cross between some type of hunting Guard and Araldo only knew what else. She was short and thin. Not much use for protection or hunting, but he was fond of her.

  “I need you to guard Tim,” he said. “If possible, don’t let him know, but no matter what don’t let him out of this house.”

  “Yes, sir, absolutely,” said Reese.

  He smiled at his youngest Guard. She’d only been with him a couple of years. Her previous master had not wanted her. At eleven-years old, she was a nice addition, adding some youth and frivolity to his team. She was still a bit nervous, but in time, she’d learn to fully trust him.

  “Tim will not suspect that he’s being watched.” Sue placed her hand on Reese’s shoulder.

  He nodded. Sue had also been with him for only a few years, but she was much older and more settled. He’d found her one winter evening, starving and lame. She’d been used for hunting but after long days on the trail and little food took its toll on her body, she was dumped. She was a kind, gentle Guard whose gratitude and loyalty toward him knew no bounds.

  The two turned to leave.

  “Oh, and watch my mother too. If she thinks you’re guarding Tim or that he’s in any kind of trouble, she’ll do whatever she can to help him.”

  Sue frowned.

  “I know you like her, Sue. I love her, but I don’t trust her. If she starts sending you on errands, get me or better yet, Little Sarah. My sister will keep her in line.”

  Sue nodded, still frowning and the two left the room.

  He turned back to the computer and typed in dates. “Let’s see where you’ve been going these past few months.”

  An hour later, he poured himself a drink and ran his hand through his hair. It was going to be a long day. Timothy had been sneaking into the Producer encampment for at least the past six months. That was as long as he had data. What was Tim doing there? He snorted. Well, he knew what he was doing. House Servants were notoriously randy, but mating with a Producer was disgusting even for a House Servant. Interclass relations were illegal but not uncommon. Shit, even Almightys had flings with House Servants or Guards, but he’d never heard of any class dabbling with Producers.

  Buddy stepped into the library, his face red from the cold.

  “What did you discover at the garage?” He needed to know exactly what Tim had been doing.

  “Luckily, no one was there but an elderly Guard and he was
sleeping. I searched the area and found that one of the carriages was overrun with burrowing wasps.”

  “That’s suspicious,” he said, “but not impossible.” He’d heard of wasp infestation happening between the bi-annual spraying.

  “I also found a log book,” said Buddy. “The garage was inspected last week.”

  “So, Tim turned burrowing wasps loose on a carriage.” He took a small sip of whiskey. This was serious. “Who’s carriage?”

  “Benedictine Remore’s,” answered Buddy.

  “He’s in charge of the Producer encampment on the east side, isn’t he?”

  “Yes,” said Buddy.

  “Take a look at the screen. It’s the data from the last six months.” He pushed away from the desk. The pieces were coming together but the picture was still not clear. He needed more information.

  Buddy walked over to the desk. “Tim has been spending a lot of time in Benedictine’s encampment.”

  He stood and began to pace. “This doesn’t make sense. Why would Tim risk everything for a Producer?”

  Buddy shrugged. “He’s an idiot?”

  “Tim’s not an idiot. He’s frustrating and annoying, but not stupid. There is more to this. He wouldn’t destroy an Almighty’s carriage over a fling with a Producer.” He stopped pacing and tapped his fingers on the desk. “I need you to go to the encampment and poke around. According to the records, Tim has been visiting a hut where a Millie and Remy live. Find out which one Tim has been seeing. My money is on Millie since Tim is only there at night and he doesn’t seem the type to take up with a male. Meet these Producers and if you can, find out how long Tim has been visiting.”

  Buddy nodded and turned to leave.

  “This could ruin me. It’s bad enough to have a House Servant in the family who roams the streets at night, unaltered as the day he was born, but to have one who lies in wait and vandalizes Almighty property.” He ran his hand through his hair again. “Who’ll buy my tracking equipment when I can’t control my own Servants?”

  “He’s not your Servant,” said Buddy.

  “It doesn’t matter. You know that. He’s my mother’s and my father is dead. So, as the only son he’s my problem.”