A Powerless World | Book 4 | Outlive The Darkness Hunt, Jack (feel good novels .txt) 📖

CDCR’s early-release program. Wilder was meant to handle it but things got put to one side.”

“So who brought it to your attention again?”

Johnson looked at Colby. “Asher. He brought it to the council. Overcrowding, a lack of resources. He didn’t have to do much convincing as it was already a to-do on the back burner.”

“With Boone out, that could make his job easy. Sounds like he knew he couldn’t take over the city by himself.”

Johnson ran a hand over his wet face. “So you think he orchestrated the whole thing? That he was responsible for the explosion? No. I’m not sure I can give one person that much credit. I don’t think he knew about those men’s association with John Boone. I do think he was stupid enough to send you all out there, but smart enough to arrange a takeover? I’m not sure I can buy that,” Johnson said. He slapped the watery floor around the holes. “Damn this place!”

Colby thought about it all. “If you’re playing a game of poker, you don’t show your hand immediately. You keep it close to your chest.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are things that have to be put into place to win over a community of this size. Sure, the numbers have dwindled but there are enough residents that could turn against them. Did you ever attend the council meetings back when Wilder was in office?”

“No.”

“Asher was in at that point, right?”

“Yes.”

“The threat to anyone trying to take over this community would come from two places — the people, and the armory.”

“You think it was his decision to lock down the city and remove weapons from the locals?”

“I’m not saying it was his, I’m saying that for any decision to be made it must go through the council. That would have been brought to the council or initiated by the council. Wilder was in the same position as you. He would have been the one to sign off on it. Is it possible that Asher had his eyes on controlling this community as far back as when the militia was here?” Colby asked.

Johnson shrugged. “Anything is possible.”

“The only good thing that’s come from clearing out the correctional facility is that Alby is free. Might as well have someone free,” Jessie said.

Zeke eyed Colby. It was time to tell him. There was no easy way to do it.

“Alby’s dead.”

“What?” Jessie asked, lifting his head and casting a glance at Colby. “How?”

Colby ran a hand around the back of his neck and told him. Once he was done, Jessie stared at him, his head shaking. “You turned him over? No. No, there is no way in hell you would have done that. Not to your own blood. Not to Alby.”

“Mother did.”

“Yes, into a jail with the intention of getting him out later.”

“If he hadn’t been moved, he wouldn’t have gotten out. She never intended it. That’s just what she told him. She hadn’t even told him that she was the one responsible for killing Ryland. The death of Ryland is what forced the hand of the Stricklands. Whether we agree or not, dad’s death brought a balance back. You know how it’s been — one for one. If we took one of theirs they would take one of ours. It’s always been that way. If Alby had just let it go, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“You want to blame him.”

“He purposely pursued and killed three of them.”

Jessie groaned. “No he didn’t. They broke into his house, Colby. They were about to cut him to shreds if I hadn’t shown up. He didn’t kill them. I did. I mean, I killed two, he killed Luke.”

Johnson’s eyebrows lifted. He was now privy to things that no other law enforcement officer was. This was news to him and Colby. So much of what was done in their family was done in the shadows.

“But… did she know this?” Colby asked.

“She knew.”

“Why didn’t she say something?”

“Why do you think? She’s a manipulative bitch!” Jessie said. “She wanted him dead and she let you take him out.” He shook his head. “That is a low even for her. That’s why she lied about Ryland. Who knows what else she’s lied about.”

Colby felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Although it didn’t change the situation. Hank had still lost three of his boys at the hands of a Riker. It might have given him pause to think about the situation before handing him over. “Alby never told me the truth even as I handed him over.”

“Why would he? He probably figured the outcome was the same. And besides, he told me that he would take the blame after their bodies were found on the bridge. Telling the truth would have put a bullseye on my back.”

Guilt started to eat Colby up.

He wasn’t sure whether to believe that or not. What he did know was that his mother had purposely withheld the truth from him. She wanted Alby dead more than anyone else. That’s why she came to him. That’s why she wanted them back there. She didn’t feel safe. She wasn’t safe because Alby knew that she’d been the one to push over the first domino. She knew the consequences and did it anyway.

Jessie didn’t go ballistic. They were even now. Both puppets of their mother.

He’d killed Skye under a lie, and Colby had thrown Alby to the wolves without the truth.

They spent the entire night in that steel container. As the first rays of dawn began to break, Colby shivered. The temperature had dropped overnight and now they were wet and cold and coughing. He’d only managed to get a few hours’ sleep. Throughout the evening he’d heard the rumble of trucks, the changing of those on shift.

He kept drifting off and seeing Alby’s face.

The others were sleeping when there was a loud bang on the side of the container.

Startled, he rose, his joints aching and seizing up from the cold.

A clank of metal and the rear doors