Incendiary (Inferno Book 5) Read online

  Incendiary

  Yolanda Olson

  Contents

  Inferno Series

  Blurb

  Prologue

  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

  Epilogue

  Free Book!

  About the Author

  Text copyright © 2021 Yolanda Olson.

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Inferno Series

  Inferno Series by Yolanda Olson

  Inferno

  Cinere

  Sparks

  Embers

  Incendiary

  A New Beginning

  Scorched

  by Yolanda Olson & Jennifer Bene

  Blurb

  We both know that I’ve done my best to be a good father to these children.

  Sometimes, I felt like I had done right by them, but all I’ve ever had are disappointments.

  I’m going to give myself one more chance to get this right now that Darby is out of the way.

  Maybe they’ll listen, but I doubt it. It still doesn't change how I feel a family should be run.

  And you…

  You’re always so quick to believe the lies of children.

  Honestly, it makes me laugh.

  If what they told you makes you sleep better at night, feel free to imagine that it's true.

  Anyway, let me tell you what happened before he went off to find his sister.

  And if you still want to find some comfort in what he’s already said, then by all means—continue believing their lies.

  They’ll fight me; I can already see it in their eyes.

  But you know what they say.

  You can’t keep a good man down.

  Prologue

  I’ve been looking out the window for the past hour.

  The only regret I’ll ever have is putting that bitch into the well instead of breaking her like I did her mother.

  Useless fucking kids, I think irritably as I run a hand over my face.

  Maybe I should throw the other two down there too. I could always take the boy and girl into town like I did with the slow one and leave them with someone who might give a shit about them.

  But that would be too easy.

  He hasn’t had a chance to learn yet and she’s too defiant for her own fucking good.

  A good father doesn’t give up on his children.

  He molds them, shows them how things go, and when he’s successful—like I am from time to time—can be proud of the kids in front of him.

  Granted, I almost got it right with Darby, but she was just like her fucking mother.

  She pretended to love me.

  A smirk creeps up the corners of my mouth. The sentiment is wasted on me. I don’t want or need anyone’s fucking love. That’s not what makes men strong and sure as fuck isn’t what gets things done.

  Luckily for the boy, he’s afraid of me. He knows to fear the hand that feeds instead of bite it, but the girl… she’s a different matter.

  She needs to be taught.

  She needs to learn.

  And even though I’m the only one that can really show her how to survive in this family, I’m more interested in making the boy do it.

  After all, he’s going to be a man in a few years, and practice makes perfect.

  How old are these fucking kids?

  I never did care enough about any of them to guess, but I’m pretty sure that the boy is a teenager by now and the girl has to be a year or two younger than him.

  Richter and Skylar.

  The last apples of my eye that I have sway over.

  The last ones that will have to carry on the Greene name.

  The purest form of love is the one kept between family, and I refuse to let the branches grow too far from the tree.

  I reach down and pull up the pane of glass and rest my arms on the windowsill, my eyes still on the well.

  There’s no ‘Mommy’ to save them now, though I always felt insulted by the thought.

  Salvation is for things that are warranted; no one in this fucking house has ever needed saving.

  Now that Darby is gone, all they have left is their father.

  Eventually I’m going to have to show them how to keep the line pure and the tree growing high into the crisp blue sky.

  And I think today is as good a day as any to get the lessons started.

  Chapter One

  I walk into the living room and roll my eyes when I see Richter sitting on the couch, staring at a blank television screen. He has this annoying fucking habit of spacing out ever since his mother went down where she belonged, and I’m assuming he thinks it’ll get him attention.

  I take a deep breath and let it out in a huff as I walk over and sit next to him. He flinches instantly, then scoots a couple of inches away from me, and I chuckle.

  Fear and respect is the only way to properly run a house and, at the very least, I have one if not the other when it comes to him.

  “Where’s your sister?” I ask.

  He shrugs, his eyes still on the empty screen and I clear my throat loudly. When he finally gives me his undivided attention, I try again.

  “Do me a favor and go find her. I want to talk to you both about something and I don’t feel like repeating myself. I’ll wait here.”

  Richter gets to his feet and quickly makes his way out of the living room. I let out a content sigh as I cross one leg over my thigh, then click my tongue against the back of my teeth.

  Skylar’s turning into a beautiful young woman. She reminds me of Darby in a way, but I guess that’s to be expected.

  I drop my foot to the floor and lean forward, rubbing my face tiredly. I haven’t had pussy in years, but that’s not something Skylar needs to worry about. I’m not here to be her husband, I’m going to teach her brother how to be one.

  After about ten minutes, I blow out my breath impatiently and get to my feet. I don’t know what the fuck is taking so long, but I’m sick and tired of waiting and I wouldn’t put it past those little shits to try running away.

  Their grandmother and her brothers tried it. Hell, I’m sure even Darby thought about it every now and then.

  “I don’t have all fucking day,” I bark as I make my way toward the girl’s room since I’m sure that’s where I’ll find them.

  Just inside, I see the boy sitting on the edge of his sister’s bed, running a hand up and down her arm.

  It seems like he’s trying to console her, so he understands that it’s time to learn how to be a man like I am..

  I don’t walk in right away.

  I stand by and listen to see what I’m going to be up against instead.

  “But I don’t want to,” Skylar tells him qu
ietly.

  “Me either, but you know how he is. Sky, if you don’t let me help you, he’ll do it himself. It destroyed Mom—you saw what it did to her. I don’t want that to happen to you too. I don’t want to be alone with him.”

  “It’s not like he would do anything to you,” she shoots back, angrily. “It’s only the women in this family that he treats like that.”

  A smirk creases my lips.

  At least she has it figured out.

  I rub the bridge of my nose briefly before I continue to listen.

  “I wish Cleo was here,” Richter confesses in a softer tone.

  “No way,” his sister replies, venom dripping from her words. “She’d never be able to survive growing up in this house.”

  “Don’t you miss her?” he asks in disbelief.

  “Every day, but wherever she is, it has to be better than here.”

  I roll my eyes as I place a hand against the door and slowly let it creak open.

  I’m done listening to their kumbaya bullshit.

  They both look at me with wide eyes, ripe with fear and even a little bit of loathing.

  They’re probably wondering how long I’ve been standing here. If I heard what their little gripes about being a Greene really means, but I don’t give a shit.

  “Let’s go,” I say evenly before I turn and walk away from the door.

  They’ll find out how much I heard once the lessons get started.

  Chapter Two

  I grunt as a bead of sweat rolls down the side of my face.

  My hands are scuffed and cut.

  I’m exhausted already, but someone has to pull the roots out of the fucking yard, and these goddamn kids can’t be bothered to pull their own weight.

  The oubliette is one of my favorite things around this property, so I like to make sure that the grounds around it are always in pristine condition.

  I don’t know.

  I guess something about the way they react to seeing me near it also starts a small fire inside of me.

  It kindles and laps at my soul until I’m ready to remind them that they’re my children and will do as their told or spend as many fucking days and nights as I see fit in the deep, dark hole.

  Maybe I’ll have them go down there and scrape their mother out, I think with a final grunt as I manage to finally pull one of the rotten roots out of the ground.

  Tossing it aside, I use my forearm to wipe my brow before I glance toward the back door of my home.

  They still haven’t managed to come outside and ask me if I want or need help. They more than likely haven’t even left their fucking room, but that’s fine.

  If they want to start in the place they sleep in, that’s fine with me. They’ll have the privacy to keep practicing in there until Skylar is swollen with a new Greene child, and then another until I say she’s done.

  Richter will never make a good husband for her. He’s too fucking gentle with his sister and he seems more interested in earning her trust than her respect.

  He’ll never go far in life, but that’s fine.

  His days are numbered whether he knows it or not, and while I don’t plan on getting rid of him anytime soon, eventually he’ll be of even less use to me than he already is.

  When that day does come, it will open up a place at the table for any new mouths to feed that Skylar manages to spit out of her rotten, little hole.

  I always believed that children should be the pride of any father, but I’ve never felt that toward any of them.

  Except for Darby, and even that didn’t last long.

  Bitch, I think irritably as I reach down for the bottle of water next to the oubliette. I take a healthy swig, then set the bottle down on the gate covering before I glance at the back door again.

  Useless and lazy.

  I roll my sore shoulders as I start to make my way back toward the house. It seems that these children aren’t in the mood to start learning anything today and think that’s just fine.

  “Move it!” I bark as I slam the back door open.

  A gasp is followed by the sound of heavy glass shattering against my kitchen floor, and I turn sharply to the left.

  “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

  I walk over to the island in the middle of the room, place one sweaty palm down on it, then put the other on my hip.

  Skylar looks absolutely terrified right now and it brings a small smile to my lips.

  “What’s got you so busy that you can’t get outside and do some yard work?” I ask her evenly.

  She begins to wring her hands nervously as she lowers her eyes to the mess on the floor, then looks back up at me.

  “I was making some lemonade.” I arch an eyebrow. “For you,” she finishes quickly.

  “Instead of going outside and doing your chores?”

  “I thought you wanted—”

  “When did you learn to speak when you’re not being asked a question?” I snap at Richter who suddenly appears in the doorway.

  His mouth becomes a tight line as he balls his fists angrily at his side but doesn’t say anything else.

  I’ve never taken a belt to these kids before, but I’m not above it.

  Especially not with as mouthy as he’s being.

  I begin to drum my fingertips along the island top before I let out a sigh and run a hand irritably over my face.

  “You clean up that mess,” I say, nodding toward Skylar. “And you, Mr. Big Mouth, come outside and help me finish pulling up the rest of the roots.”

  Once you’re both nice and exhausted, then we can take care of the rest, I muse to myself as I watch him stomp angrily toward the back door.

  Chapter Three

  I’m watching the boy from the back steps. The way he grunts and groans in frustration at the root he’s been working on for the past twenty minutes, not giving way, makes me chuckle.

  Life is so much more difficult than just a stubborn root and he seems to think that anger and whatever strength he can manage is enough to get by.

  “Daddy?”

  “Yeah?” I ask without turning around.

  “The kitchen floor is clean. I’m sorry I dropped the pitcher.”

  I don’t respond because her statement doesn’t require one. Instead, I pat the spot next to me on the back step and take a deep breath when she doesn’t drop her ass right next to me immediately.

  “Skylar.”

  Her name rolls off my tongue as a warning more than the moniker her mother branded her with, and it’s more than enough to get her to comply.

  I can feel her trembling so goddamn hard that she’s probably gonna end up pissing herself with fear if I don’t do something about it soon.

  I glance at her and give her shoulder a quick squeeze before I turn my attention back toward the boy.

  “Hard work is what keeps a family going,” I begin thoughtfully as I let my hand drop to the small space between us. “Your mother was a hard worker. Her mother was too. What about you, Skylar? You think you got it in you to be a good, loyal Greene woman?”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she mumbles quietly as she shifts uncomfortably next to me.

  “Your sister didn’t, though,” I continue completely sidestepping her bullshit response.

  We both know that she won’t last long in this family, but I have a feeling that won’t be my problem.

  Not that I particularly care.

  “I tried to understand that girl, but all of the fucking babbling and only wanting her mother. It would have been enough to make me crazy if I let her stay. I did what was best for all of us by getting rid of her.”

  “Cleo was a good girl,” she states quietly.

  All it takes is a flick of the wrist to backhand her across the face. Her hand flies to her cheek and she sniffles almost instantly She’ll learn eventually to speak some fucking sense, and until she does, I’ll be more than happy to remind her to never disagree with the man of the house.

  It’ll be laying the groundwork for Richter when he takes ove
r as the head of the family, and while I’m fully prepared to be disappointed, he shouldn’t have to deal with this girl smart mouthing him.

  She’s nothing like her mother, I think as I give her a stern glance.

  Darby knew when to shut her mouth, but she was a spirited girl. She always stood up for herself and even put her hands on me a time or two.

  I shake my head as I get to my feet and reach down for Skylar’s elbow, yanking her off her ass.

  Maybe I made a mistake by not dumping her somewhere like I did her sister, but the boy needs a woman in his life.

  The line needs to stay clean and pure, and this is the only way to make it happen.

  I half-walk, half-drag her toward the oubliette where the boy is still fighting with the same damn root before I roughly toss her against it.

  “Put some fucking work into that and maybe you’ll be able to pull it free sometime this year,” I snarl at him.

  He looks up at me with defiance gleaming in his eyes. Almost as if he’s ready to give up and walk away, but when I pull the latch on the gate and flip it open, I can see the fear prominent in his eyes again.

  “I’ll get it out,” he assures me quietly as he goes back to the laborious task.

  “You’re not allowed to stop until you do,” I tell him evenly.

  “Yes, Dad,” he huffs as he goes back to grunting and groaning.

  I watch him for a moment, wondering when he’s going to have the common sense to start twisting the damn thing instead of just pulling it, then turn my attention back to the girl.