Zane Wayne Pt. 01

Thank you for reading

This is a modern day romance set in the West

Chapter 1 is a little dark and violent, but it is the only one

And sets the stage for the rest of the story.

Thanks again to a76pinto for the edit.

Chapter 1

"MOM!!!"

I was in the family room playing 'Call of Duty' with some of my friends, but the scream from my sister made me drop the controller and jump to my feet.

My mother must have heard the same anguish in her voice as I did as we both made it to the front door at the same time. We found my younger sister being held up by her friend, both of them were hysterical and sobbing.

"Brian Reynolds".....she sobbed. "He raped me!"

Those words would haunt me for the rest of my life. The rage I felt was overshadowed by the devastation I saw when I looked at the broken face of my innocent little sister.

I looked at her and had to know, "Where?"

Her friend Emily looked so guilty, like it was her fault somehow. "Elliot asked us to come over and hang out today. After we got there, Brain showed up and took her into the bedroom with his two buddies. I tried to stop them but Elliot and Mitch held me back."

My mother jumped into action. "Get in the car, we are going to the hospital." She was already on the phone with 911 while she rushed them both to the car.

As soon as they were out of the driveway, I was in my truck heading towards Elliot's house. I knew of Elliot, Brian, and the crowd they hung out with. Brian had been charged with rape last year, but his rich daddy somehow made the charges go away.

These guys were from the 'richie rich' crowd, jocks who thought the world revolved around them. They also thought that laws did not apply to them, and now my sister has paid the price.

I flew across town, blind with anger and raw emotion. Brian was going to pay, his daddy wasn't going to save him this time. When I pulled into the driveway, they were sitting around in the garage drinking beer. I jumped out of my truck and started walking towards the garage, my eyes never leaving Brian's.

They were laughing and joking, not worried about one older brother, there were five of them after all.

Brian stood up and laughed at me.

"Why hey there Zane. If you are here looking for some pussy, I am afraid you are a little late to the party."

I never said a word, I just kept walking towards him. Once I started getting closer the other four stood up, sending a message that they were a united front.

They may have been athletes, but they were still soft. I wasn't in the jock crowd. My friends and I spent our time on horses and bulls. We used real muscles and knew what real pain was. Our weekends were spent drinking, riding and fighting.

I grabbed Brian by the shirt and drove my fist into his face as hard as I could. I felt satisfaction when I felt his nose break and blood covered his face. He went down like a sack of potatoes while his friends jumped to his aid.

I was fueled with adrenaline and anger, not holding anything back. I grabbed one of his buddies by the shirt front and headbutted him four times as fast and hard as I could. I pushed him back and he fell heavily into his lawn chair flipping over and landing hard on his back.

I felt a fist land a blow in my back, a weak attempt at a kidney shot. Turning around I saw Elliot, the rape host. I brought my foot up and smashed it into the side of his knee hearing a loud crack as it snapped. He went down to his knees, a high pitched scream coming from his mouth. I thought with satisfaction that he wasn't going to get that scholarship to Texas Tech now. When he went down to his knees I grabbed him by the back of his head and rammed my knee into his face, his eyes rolled back into his head and I let him fall to the floor.

The other two finally decided they should try and do something. Mitch was a big fat kid who was the center of the football team. He decided to bullrush me and it was almost comical how slow and clumsy he was.

I stepped to the side, and as he went by I grabbed his arm and tripped him. I rode him down and drove his face into the cement with all my weight as we landed. Then I pushed his arm back behind his head until I felt something pop and heard him scream in agony. I smashed my fist into the back of his head several times, watching his face bounce off the cement with each blow.

Brian's fifth buddy finally got a good lick in on me, a blind side kick to the side of my head while I was smashing fat ass's head into the cement.

It knocked me over and dazed me, but I was blood thirsty at this point. He thought that since he got a good kick in once that he would try it again. This time I caught his foot and jumped to my feet bringing his leg up with me. The kicker ended up on his back with his foot still in my hand. I stepped forward and started stomping his head. The heel of my cowboy boots did some wonderful damage to his face as I watched it get bloodier and bloodier.

I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye and saw the target of my anger, Brian. I jumped on him and started smashing his face with my fist. I finally got to the point where my fist couldn't take anymore, so I grabbed his hair and started smashing his head into the cement as hard as I could.

I didn't even hear the police screaming at me to stop. The only thing that ended the beating was my muscles freezing in agony as 50,000 volts surged through my body from the taser they had to use on me.

****************************

I sat handcuffed in the back of the police car as I watched ambulance after ambulance take Brian and his buddies to the hospital. I felt proud with a real sense of accomplishment. Daddy may get him off for raping my sister, but he definitely paid the price for it.

Finally a cop came back to the car and opened the door.

"Zane Wilson?"

"Yeah"

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time. "

He stopped and looked at me, "Do you understand your rights?"

"Yeah I do, but I have a question for you."

"What's that?"

"Did you read the same rights to the guy who raped my sister?"

"Which one was that?"

"Brian"

"No I didn't."

"Why is that, did daddy already pay you to have the charges go away again?"

"No, but it is kind of hard to read someone their rights when they are dead."

I sat there stunned as his words sunk in "You are shitting me."

"Well I am not the coroner, but yeah he aint gonna make it. Now, do I need to read you your rights again, or do you understand them?"

"Yeah I understand them."

"Ok hold tight."

I swear I sat in the back of that car for hours. I watched CSI come and take pictures and talk to everyone. There were cops everywhere. Parents came and demanded answers, motioning to the car where I was sitting. I wanted to scream out, 'Hey, maybe you should have fucking taught your sons not to rape little girls and they wouldn't be heading to the hospital.'

Finally the cop whose car I was in returned and took me to the station where I was photographed, fingerprinted, and thrown in a cell for the night.

****************

They say if you are going to do something big don't do it halfway, and boy I didn't. Brian was dead from his injuries, I basically broke his head open like a melon.

Two of his buddies were in critical condition for a week and the other two were in serious condition. Elliot, the school's starting halfback, had his knee broken in half. Not only would he not play again this year, the scholarship from Texas Tech evaporated like a fart in the wind. Not that he could play from prison anyway.

I was charged with one count of first degree murder and four counts of attempted murder. Brian's four buddies were all charged with accessories to rape. With all the publicity and witnesses, there was no way this was getting swept under the rug this time.

Now in Texas, if you kill your sister's rapist, they usually throw a parade in your honor. However, when the ALLEGED rapist's daddy owns eight Ford dealerships, they throw the book at you.

My public defender was actually much better than I was expecting to get. He was an old, smooth lawyer who lost his firm from spending too much time in the bottle. Law was in his blood however so he decided to take the only job he could still get, a public defender.

When he was talking to me and my parents, he talked about trying to get the best plea bargain he could for me. When talking to the prosecutors, all he kept talking about was how he couldn't wait to get the case in front of a jury.

The problem, my lawyer said, was that the victims' families owned ninety percent of the county. The families would buy or intimidate every jury member chosen if we let it go that far. The idea of getting a fair trial was a fairytale.

The prosecutor was left out on an island.

He was under pressure from the mayor (who was under pressure from the richest families in the county) to get a conviction. However he knew this was Texas, and there was no way in hell he was going to get a murder conviction of the older brother of a sixteen year old rape victim.

After going back and forth the public defender came to us with their best offer. Plead guilty to manslaughter, and they would drop all other charges. Manslaughter would get me ten years in the pen, eligible for parole after five.

After talking it over with my family, I decided to take the plea deal. In my mind, it was well worth it and I would do it all over again. I guarantee you one thing, no one would ever fuck with my family again knowing they would have to face me if they did.

Chapter 2

Five years later

"This parole hearing is now called to order. Parole hearing for Zane Wilson is now in session."

The hearing itself was incredibly boring, the state presented all the charges and all the evidence. They also read letters sent by the victims' families asking them not to grant me parole. I thought they were pretty cynical considering it was their sons who raped my sister which caused all of this.

My lawyer presented my case. He argued that I had never been arrested before that night. He also showed prison records indicating that I had been a well behaved inmate, even obtaining a degree in animal sciences while I had been incarcerated.

Finally came the direct questions from the panel, most of which were pretty easy to answer, until one almost tripped me up.

"Mr Wilson, if you are released on parole, what are the chances that you will reoffend?"

"Sir, I will never reoffend as long as no one gang rapes my sister again."

He didn't like my answer, and I wondered if I had blown it.

"Explain please."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and figured that since he was middle aged, he more than likely had a younger sister or daughter, so I went with it.

"Sir, do you have a daughter by chance?"

"I do."

"Now close your eyes and imagine she was gang raped. Now imagine that the men who raped her had done it before, but their rich daddy got the charges dropped, and may again this time. Tell me what you would do, sir?"

"I pray I never have to face that choice."

"Believe me sir, I pray you never have to as well. It will destroy your soul no matter what happens."

The question and answer portion ended quickly after that along with closing statements. I was shown back to my cell and the waiting game began.

************************

December 24th

"Mail call, Zane Wilson."

I held the envelope in my hand, the return address said it was from the Texas State Dept of Corrections.

I held it in my hand, afraid to open it. Knowing if I screwed it up I would be here for at least another year. Finally with trembling hands I opened it.

Parole of Zach Wilson

Granted

Release date March 1st

There it was, I was getting out in a little over two months. But what am I going to do when I escape this hell hole? The entire county was pretty much owned by the families of the jocks I put in the hospital. I won't even be able to get a job at Burger King.

***************************

Ring.......................Ring..........................Ring..................

Verlin: Ron, Verlin Wayne here.

Ron: Verlin my friend, how are you?

Verlin: I am good Ron, and you?

Ron: I am still above the roses, so I can't complain.

Verlin That is all we can ask for at our age right?

Ron: Yes it is, so what do I owe the pleasure of this call?

Verlin: I need a favor Ron.

Ron: The answer is yes.

Verlin: You haven't heard what the favor is yet.

Ron: That is irrelevant, no matter what you need the answer is yes. You should know that.

Verlin: I assume you are still running horses on your ranch.

Ron: Yes, but it is getting harder and harder every year, my old body can't handle the work like it used to. Do you need a horse?

Verlin: No, you remember my grandson from a few years ago who went to prison for beating his sister's rapist to death?

Ron: Yeah, that was a bad deal all around.

Verlin: Well, the good news is he has been granted parole, the bad news is the rumor mill says the rapist's family is going to put him in the ground as soon as he gets out.

Ron: Why does that not surprise me, what can I do to help?

Verlin: Before this all happened, he was actually a pretty damn good horseman. I am sure he would love nothing more than to have a chance to work on a real horse ranch. Would you be willing to hire him on?

Ron: You know I can't say no to you, but let me know what I am in for. What kind of kid is he?

Verlin: Of course you can say no, you are not beholden to me. That being said, he is actually a damn good kid. He liked to blow off steam like most teens of course. But he was always respectful, hardworking, and honest. If he gives you any problems at all, don't be afraid to send him packing.

Ron: My friend, I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you, I am very beholden to you. Of course I will give him a shot. If he is decent at all, it will be a godsend to both of us. When shall I expect him?

Verlin: March 1st, so a couple months out still. We are planning on picking him up, spending the day with him, and will put him on the road the same day. We are not even going to take a chance of bringing him home for one night.

Ron: OK my friend, I look forward to meeting him.

*********************************

"Mail call, Zane Wilson."

I anxiously ripped open the envelope from my parents.

Dear Zane

We are so excited to be able to see and hug you again.

Bad news first.

No surprise, but the rumors around town say Brian's family will take revenge on you if you step foot in town again. They intend on you joining him in the graveyard. You know how much power their family has, and if they want you dead, you'll be dead.

Now for the GREAT news.

Your grandfather has an old army buddy who owns a horse ranch in Wyoming. He actually needs some help and your grandfather has secured a job with him for you. However, keeping it will be up to you. We know you will make us proud and work hard for him. We will pick you up the day you are released, spend some time with you and put you on the road to Wyoming. As much as we would love to bring you home for awhile first, we don't want to take any chances. We love you and will be waiting for you outside when you are released.

Love

Mom & Dad

Wow, there is a God and he doesn't hate me!!!!!!

Not only am I getting out of prison, but somehow I have been handed my dream job. The days were already starting to drag by, now it was only going to get worse.

Chapter 3

I walked out of Texas State Prison on Monday, March 1st a free man. I was thrilled to find my family waiting for me outside the gates. I don't think I have ever been more relieved or happier in my life.

My parents and grandfather wrapped me up in a big family hug, my sister had midterms at Texas U and couldn't make it, but sent me a corny get out of jail card. I am not sure which was harder for her, getting raped, or the guilt of me spending five years in prison for avenging her.

We had lunch, and caught up on everything, there is only so much you can share in letters. We went shopping for the things I would need right away and a new cell phone. After a stop at the DOT to get my drivers license reinstated, it was already time to say goodbye.

"Zane, Ron is one of my dearest friends and is doing me a huge favor by giving you this job."

"I won't let you down grandpa."

"I know you won't son, I am giving you my F250, I don't have much use for it anymore anyway."

"Thanks grandpa, I will take good care of it."

My father gave me an envelope. "Son, here is $2,500. It should be enough for gas, clothes, and everything you need to get you started in Wyoming. We love you and your mom expects phone calls at least once a week."

"Yes dad, thank you I really appreciate all your help."

"We know son. Drive safe and call mom when you get there safely."

"Yes dad."

**************************************

The drive to the Elliot ranch would take me roughly twenty two hours. I wanted to put some distance between me and the prison just in case anyone was looking around for me. I drove six hours the first night, sleeping in the cab of the truck at a rest stop.

The next morning I was up early and drove hard for another twelve hours. By the time I got into Southern Wyoming I was beat, the old truck was not the most comfortable ride in the world. I found a cheap roadside motel with a hot shower and soft bed. I wanted to be well rested and presentable when I met Mr Elliot tomorrow.

Early afternoon the following day, I pulled into the driveway of the Elliot ranch. This was a huge opportunity for me and I was really nervous. As I drove up the long lane, I loved what I was seeing. There were white split rail fences as far as the eye could see. The pastures were covered in something I had never seen before, snow. I was tempted to get out and touch it, but decided there would be plenty of time for that later.

I parked in front of a long building I assumed was the stables and jumped out of my truck breathing in the scent of freedom. An older gentleman I assumed was Mr Elliot was stiffly getting off a tractor. I strode towards him right away and stuck out my hand.

"Mr Elliot, I am Zane, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to working my butt off for you and rewarding the faith you have put in me."

"Welcome son. Call me Ron please. I am not sure what you know of your grandfather and I, but he saved my life. Not once but twice. I owe him this favor, I hope you live up to his great name."

"I will sir, I will do everything you ask of me, and more."

"Good, come let's show you around."