Down Devils Road: Devil's Angels, #1

By Autumn Raynne

For fans of Sibel Hodge’s Untouchable, Anni Taylor’s The Game You Played, and Dot Hutchinson’s The Butterfly Garden

-Inspired by real U.S. police investigations this book contains scenes that some readers may find disturbing-

Ava Cavatica, so evil and diabolical she would make the legendary Hannibal Lector tremble with fear.

Ava Cavatica, a woman so beautiful, cunning, twisted, bloodthirsty and malicious, she would only take the name of a spider.

Now the origin of her evil is unveiled.

Long before she met the devil that disguised herself as her lover, Ava was once a frightened, tormented young girl.

In this dark psychological thriller, Down Devils Road, the prequel to Devil She Became, Ava Cavatica emerges from her nightmare of a childhood, a young girl pulled from a burning house and away from the clutches of her abusive, drug addicted mother.

Placed into a torturous foster family, Ava’s foster father subjects her to unspeakable abuse. As the rage boils inside her, Ava discovers the power that lies within her.

After she escapes the hell her foster family subjects her to, Ava vows to wreck vengeance upon those who have harmed her. As Ava begins to nourish the evil within, she discovers she has extraordinary gifts. Gifts that imbue her with an ability to become death’s prodigy for all those who stand in her way.

However, there is one man who has been watching Ava closely. Her foster brother and lover. Only he knows the frightened, young girl she once was and the devilish woman she is becoming. Is he strong enough to stop her? How far will he go to protect his family from the evil that resides within her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackthorne Publications
• Release date: Sep 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536507676

Book preview

Titles by

Autumn Raynne

Devil She Became: Book Two in the Devil’s Angels series

Ava: Book Three in the Devil’s Angels series

The Games He Played: A Chilling Serial Killer Thriller

Down Devils Road

Copyright © 2016 Autumn Raynne

Published by: Blackthorne Publications

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

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means – electronic, mechanical, photographic, recording or otherwise – without prior permission from the author. More information and books by this author can be found at www.autumnraynne.com

There is something so very dreadful, so satanic in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly within our power, who have weapons neither of offence nor defense, that none but very hardened persons can endure the thought of it. Cardinal John Henry Newman

*Author’s Note: The characters in this book known as Baby Girl and Little Bit are referred to as such due to the psychologically and physically abusive nature of their foster father. This is not done to confuse or irritate the reader merely to demonstrate the brutality and inhumanness of their foster father. Their true identities are revealed in book three of the Devil’s Angels series, Ava.

Eight year old Amelia shook with fear as she walked slowly into the kitchen. The floor was littered with pots, pans, and broken dishes. Remnants of the chicken noodle soup she’d had for dinner was spilled across the stove some splashed upon the wall.

What happened?

(Mommy)

Amelia brushed her long black hair from her face as her tummy filled with dread.

Her mother was here.

But where?

Cautiously moving around to the other side of the counter, she peered over the side.

Mommy, she whispered her hands falling to her sides.

There lie her mother wearing her pink robe stained crimson from the pool of dark blood surrounding her. Her right hand was outstretched as if she were reaching out for something.

Or someone.

Her face was contorted in agony, her mouth slack, her green eyes open. Several holes were in her neck and a long kitchen knife lay nearby. Blood was spattered everywhere behind her on the cabinets on the walls she’d just painted last summer.

They had been a sunny yellow. Now they were maroon.

Amelia ground her tiny fists into her eyes. She couldn’t stand the sight. The smell of the blood filled her nostrils causing her to gag.

Momma, She whispered again forcing herself to inch her way to her mother’s side.

Taking great care not to touch the sticky blood, Amelia bent down to touch her mother’s cold cheek.

As tears dripped down Amelia’s cheek for the mother who’d never loved her, she sank to the floor next to her mother’s body.

What’s going to happen to me now?

Sobbing in despair, something stirred inside her. She looked over at the corner cabinet splattered with blood.

Several small spiders were sitting in their webs.

Watching her.

Protecting her.

Amelia stared long and hard at the spiders. They seemed to be trying to tell her something. They were making the strangest humming sound she’d ever heard.

A strong sensation shot through her body. Suddenly, her mind became very clear. It was as if she were being cut from a cocoon and the real Amelia-the butterfly was emerging for the very first time.

Standing straight up, the tears still wet on her cheeks she became aware of who she was and what she needed to do.

Amelia is dead.

I am Ava. She whispered. The spiders scurried across the blood soaked floor and raced up her legs to sit upon her shoulders.

The little girl looked to her right side and saw Amelia as a shadow of a girl-the girl she’d once been. She was tiny and scared.

But not Ava.

Ava slowly smiled at Amelia.

I know what to do. And you’ll never be locked in that closet again.

Later, as fire burst through the house, shattering the glass in the windows, flames licking up the curtains, Ava walked out of the burning house with her spiders taking refuge in her pockets.

Ava turned to look at the house one last time. She could see the shadowy figure of Amelia lost in the flames and she waved to her.

One last time.

Chapter One

Kicking the dirt with her shoe, seventeen year old Ava waited in the park for her boyfriend, Marciano to show up. He was always late!

Ava pulled her long dark hair up into a ponytail. The Santa Ana winds were blowing fierce that day, the dry and dusty air whipping up all around her.

Hey, Marc, took you long enough! Ava scowled as she saw him walking up the hill.

Damn, baby, you know I was trying to get out of there as soon as I could! Marciano flipped his long dark hair from his eyes. Ava gazed at him.

What a fucking moron.

As soon as he reached her, he pulled her tight into his arms. Ava admired his muscular body running her hands over his bulging biceps. Marciano was forever at the gym when he wasn’t running errands for his father.

Her foster father.

Marciano kissed her long and deep as she melted into his arms. How he wanted to protect her from his abusive father!

If he tried to rape her again...

So do you have the money? Breathless from the kiss, Ava pulled back from him.

Annoyed that she broke the kiss, Marciano reached around to pull out his backpack. Digging deep inside it, he retrieved a large manila envelope stuffed full. Smiling, he held up it for her.

Sure do. Count it, baby.

Ava grinned as she eagerly opened the envelope. Counting the huge wad of bills, she smirked at him.

Not bad, but I think we need a bit more.

More? Fuck, Ava, there’s over ten thousand dollars in there! That’s enough to get us out of California!

Ava shook her head.

Not enough for what I’m planning.

It’s a start, Marc, but I think we need a bit more. Say, twenty thousand at least.

Marciano threw up his hands in frustration. Damn, this bitch was getting on his nerves! He’d stolen ten thousand dollars from his father. If he took anymore he’d likely get caught then they’d both be fucked.

Ava, be reasonable. If I steal anymore, my dad’s going to know. He’s already checking his guys like crazy. He knows money is missing! It’s only a matter of time before they figure out it’s me.

Clenching her hands into fists, Ava narrowed her blue eyes at him.

Look, all you need to do is be sure that when you take the money that dumbass, Paulo is working with you. Antonio already thinks he’s a fucking thief anyway!

Ava stormed over to a bench and sat down angrily.

Marciano grabbed the backpack and ran after her.

Ava, baby, you know my dad. You know how cruel he can be. He’ll kill me if he finds out I’m stealing. And if something happens to me, who will protect you from him? Marciano slipped his arm around her.

Ava shuddered.

You want to talk about how cruel your father can be? To me, of all people?

Antonio Bertolli, Marciano’s father and Ava’s foster father, was an extremely wealthy man from an old Italian Mafia family who also had a penchant for very young girls.

His foster girls, that is.

Ava’s entire body went rigid with anger. She could feel the evil boiling inside her like hot lava threatening to explode.

Marciano saw how upset she was becoming. Her anger frightened him. He was well muscled, very strong, over 6 foot tall, but this petite dark haired girl sometimes scared him to death.

Don’t fuck with me, she’d said.

We need more money, Marc. It won’t take much to get it. We’ve been stealing from him for months. Just one or two more big jobs will do it. Her blue eyes changed from raging hatred to soft and warm.

Marciano melted under her loving gaze.

Baby, I’ll see what I can do. Dad’s got me going out with Paulo and Luc Friday night. Should be a fairly good size job. A shipment just came in from Mexico.

Ava nodded as Marciano’s hands ran over her silky hair.

But hurry, please, Marc. Antonio has another party planned for Sunday night and you know what that means for me. I can’t...I can’t go through another scene like that. Tears welled up in Ava’s eyes