by Hamel, B. B.
We stay like that until the target’s car pulls into his driveway, weaving slightly and screeching to a halt just before slamming into the garage door.
“Right on time,” Rowan says softly, pulling his hand away.
It’s nearly eleven. The neighborhood hasn’t stirred in at least an hour.
The guy gets out of his car. He locks it, drops his keys, picks them up, and stumbles to the front door. He manages to open it and head inside.
We sit there for a little while longer before Rowan finally sighs.
“Ten minutes,” he says.
“Good luck.”
He grins at me and slips out of the truck. He walks quickly down the sidewalk and toward the house, head bowed down, hands in his pockets. He’s wearing a dark sweatshirt and jeans and looks like anyone else around here.
I stare at the house as he disappears along the back. I can feel myself shifting in my seat, unsure and nervous. I hate sitting behind like this, like I’m not capable of helping him at all.
I wait five minutes before leaving the truck and following.
Here’s the thing. I never actually said I’d promise to stay behind. And anyway, I’m not waiting in that damn truck.
I have to see this for myself. If I’m going to keep sleeping with this man…
I have to see it. I don’t know why. It’s some sick desire deep inside of me that I just can’t shake. I have to see Rowan work as an outsider to really understand what he is.
I walk down the sidewalk just like he did and turn down the target’s yard. The grass is high as I step through it and I can see where Rowan passed. I move around the side of the house and through a broken metal fence gate.
The back door is slightly ajar as I walk up the two steps toward it. I push it open, heart hammering in my chest. I can hear the guy’s TV blaring some old western movie but I can’t hear anything else.
I step into a small, dirty kitchen. There’s junk on the table and dirty dishes in the sink. The cabinets are wood and about twenty years out of date. The refrigerator looks like it’s about to rust off its hinges and I half doubt it actually works. As I get closer to the sound of the TV, I suddenly can hear something else that makes me stop.
I pause at the break in the wall and listen carefully.
“How much?” the voice growls. I recognize Rowan right away.
“I-I-I don’t know.” This one must be the other guy.
“God damn it,” Rowan growls. “You don’t even know how much you owe him?”
“It’s a lot,” the man says. “Thousands. Thousands. I don’t know. Twenty-two.”
“Twenty-two thousand?” Rowan whistles. “That’s a lot. But not enough to kill someone.”
The man lets out a choked sob. “No,” he says. “Please.”
Rowan growls. “You want to live? You tell me why Fish wants you dead. Better do it fast.”
Live?
I don’t understand what’s happening. Rowan should’ve killed the guy and been done with it already, but instead he’s asking him about money and reasons and….
Rowan might let him live?
He didn’t give my father that chance.
I slip around the corner and stare at the scene in front of me. The guy’s sitting in his chair, staring up at a gun pointed at his forehead. Rowan’s standing there almost casually, the gun held in his right hand, his finger stiff on the trigger. There’s a tray next to the recliner with an untouched TV dinner on it, fork lying haphazardly next to it.
The guy’s eyes dart to mine. They don’t recognize me even though I’ve been watching him for days and feel like I know him.
“Wha—what’s she doing?”
Rowan’s head snaps around. “Allie? What the fuck?”
I stare at him. “Why are you talking about letting him go, Rowan?”
He growls at me. “Get back in the fucking truck.”
“Rowan,” I say. “What’s going on?”
He growls again and the gun waves away from the guy’s head. The target stares at the gun, blinking a little bit.
“Fish is up to something. I want to figure out what the fuck it is and maybe use it against him. This guy might be able to help.”
“I can help!” the guy says. “I can help!”
Rowan’s eyes snap back to him. “Help now before I kill you and drag her back to where she belongs.”
The man trembles. “Drugs,” he whispers. “I wasn’t selling but I was finding customers. Then one of his dealers got busted, my buddy, and I think… they think…”
Rowan groans. “Drugs, fucking of course. They think you ratted.”
The man nods. “But I didn’t!”
“Course not.”
“Rowan,” I say softly.
His eyes flick back to mine. “You don’t need to see this.”
“I have to,” I say back to him.
He growls again, clearly torn. We stare at each other…
And that’s when the guy makes his move. He grabs the fork and slams it into Rowan’s leg. I scream as the gun goes off, missing the guy’s head by inches.
The man rolls off the chair and hits the floor running. Rowan growls in pain and fires again, but he misses as he stumbles. The guy barrels into me, slamming me back against the wall. My head smashes into it and I see stars for a second.
“Fuck!” Rowan shouts, running after him. He stops to grab me. “Allie! Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I gasp. “I’m okay. I’m fine.”
He growls. “Fuck.” I watch as he pulls the fork from his leg. It wasn’t buried down deep but clearly enough to throw off his balance. “Get back to the truck.”
He runs off, limping slightly. I stand there dazed and dizzy but slowly I follow them out the back door and into the night.
I don’t see them anywhere. I head back to the truck but I notice some neighbors out on the stoops now looking around for the commotion. I try to keep myself calm as I get into the truck and stay there, willing people not to stare at me.
There’s another boom in the night not too far. I’m so nervous for Rowan that I almost want to get back out and search.
Fortunately I don’t have to wait long. Rowan shows up and starts the engine.
“Did you…” I start but trail off when he glares at me.
“It’s done. I hope it was worth it,” he says softly. “Because we might be fucked.”
He throws the truck into gear and we drive off into the night.
8
Rowan
I don’t say anything to her on the ride back to the cabin.
She lied to me. She said she was going to stay in the fucking truck but sure enough she followed me inside. Worse than that, she fucking distracted me again and that dumb bastard nearly got away.
My damn leg hurts where he stabbed me but that’s not even the biggest problem here. That was the sloppiest hit I’ve ever done. If Fish was pissed about Allie’s father, he’s going to be livid about this.
Multiple witnesses. Multiple people heard the shots. I’m betting at least one or two saw me actually kill the stupid drunk asshole.
He didn’t get far after he ran. I chased him down into a neighbor’s backyard and I didn’t hesitate. I put a bullet in his brain and ran off. But there’s no way I can be sure someone didn’t see me.
Which means Fish is going to have a hell of a time burying this problem. And now I’m going to be one of the loose ends he’ll need to tie up.
The only good thing that came out of this botched job is the info the asshole gave me before dying. I knew Fish was into some shady shit like gambling but I had no clue he was selling drugs too. If he’s killing people over it, that means he’s trying to keep it all quiet.
Fucking hell. What a goddamn mess.
I look over at Allie and she’s staring out the window. I don’t know what the fuck she was thinking. Honestly, I don’t understand the girl even a little bit.
Which almost scares me. I should understand the woman that’s sh
aring my home. I should understand the woman that I want more than anything.
But she’s still a goddamn mystery.
My blood’s boiling by the time we get back to my place. I’m angry and confused and above all I keep realizing how badly I want her and how much that’s clouding my mind.
We head inside. I grab her by the wrist before she can disappear into her bedroom and pull her toward me. She stumbles and lands pressed up against my chest.
I stare down at her. “What were you thinking?” I finally ask.
“I had to see,” she whispers.
“Why?”
She shakes her head. “I just had to. If I’m going to stay here with you, I need to know.”
“Now you know then.” I tilt her chin up to stare into her eyes. “Are you happy?”
“No,” she says.
“Good.” I release her chin and reach around to grab her hair tight. “You nearly got us both killed.”
“Got you stabbed,” she whispers.
“Got me stabbed,” I agree. I tighten my grip in her hair. “And that fucking hurt.”
“Sorry,” she groans.
“Not sorry enough. You’re going to have to be punished.” I lean down and kiss her hard, biting her bottom lip.
She groans as I pull her along into my room. I slam the door shut behind us and pull her into the middle of the space.
“Strip,” I command her, leaning back against my bed.
She hesitates for only a moment before taking off her shirt. She does it slow, watching me the whole time. I’m hard as fucking hell, half angry and half excited. She takes off her bra and reveals her perfect perky tits before turning around and pulling off her jeans.
I watch her bend over, showing me that nice round ass. I let out a soft growl when she stands back up to slide her panties off. I’m buzzing with desire for her wet cunt and I can barely control it but I can’t be too easy on her right now. Just because I want a taste doesn’t mean she deserves it.
Once she’s nice and naked, I stand and walk toward her. I take her hair again, nice and rough, and pull her over to the bed. I bend her over and spank her ass nice and hard.
“Shit,” she gasps.
I smirk at her. “You need to be punished, Allie,” I growl at her. “You nearly fucked everything up.”
I unbuckle my belt and take off my jeans. I pull off my shirt and use it to dab the blood from the stab wound on my leg. She watches me, still naked, ass turning pink from where I spanked her.
When I’m done, I slap her ass again and grab her hair. I pull her back against my hard cock, straining against my boxer briefs. I kiss her over her shoulder, palming her breasts and teasing her nipples.
I push her back forward and spank her ass again. This time though, I tease her pussy with my fingers from behind, rolling them back and forth, petting her perfect dripping pussy. I tease her clit and press two fingers deep inside before teasing her clit again.
She rolls her hips, moaning. “Rowan,” she groans.
“You think you know what it means to be dark?” I growl in her ear. “You have no clue, girl.”
“Then show me,” she whispers.
I bite her lip and kiss her hard before taking my thick cock from my boxer briefs. I come around to the side of the bed and drag her over to me, grabbing her hair and pressing my cock between her lips. She groans as I fuck her mouth, letting her spit roll down my shaft.
She sucks me fast and takes it deep into her throat. She gags once, twice, but I don’t stop. I fuck her until my cock’s dripping with her spit, nice and soaking wet.
I growl again and grab her hips. I pull her over to me and spread her ass nice and wide. I tongue her little ass around and around before pressing my thick cock against her virgin tight ass.
She moans as I slowly slide myself inside of her.
“Fuck, girl,” I groan. “Nice and tight. Now I own every inch of you.”
“Rowan,” she pants. “I’ve never…. you have to be gentle.”
“Gentle?” I growl at her. “Sorry, girl. There’s no gentle tonight.”
I spank her ass and she gasps. “Do whatever you want,” she moans. I feel her relax as I sink my huge cock deeper inside her ass, making her gasp and groan louder.
I fuck her ass and grab her hips. I spank her and fuck her deep. It’s like shoving my cock into a goddamn warm vise. It feels so fucking good as I slide myself in and out, taking her nice and deep and hard.
I grab her hair and pull her back to me. “You love having my cock deep inside your virgin ass,” I whisper in her ear. “You love giving your filthy body to me, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she moans.
“You want me to fuck every inch of you.” I thrust roughly up deep inside her and she lets out a gasp. “You love feeling me taking you.”
“Oh, god,” she whispers.
I push her forward, grabbing her wrists. I pin her down on the bed and fuck her nice and rough. I take her hard and deep from behind, slamming into her tight ass while she moans her pleasure the whole time. It feels incredible and my blood’s ringing with her.
I growl my need and spank her ass one more time. I release her and reach around her hip to rub her clit. I tease her and work it while I thrust my cock deep inside her ass. I can see sweat rolling down her muscular back and she’s panting and moaning as I work her clit. I roll it in circles, teasing and fast, and she’s gasping and bucking back against me. I fuck her faster and harder and growl like a fucking bear, unable to stop myself, unable to slow down.
I can feel it building just as she tenses. “Oh, fuck, don’t stop,” she screams. “Rowan, fuck, don’t stop.”
I work her clit faster, fucking her ass. I feel her ass tense as she comes and it feels so fucking good grabbing onto my thick hard cock. I’m buried deep inside of her while she comes and I don’t stop thrusting, don’t stop fucking her tight hole.
I can’t hold back anymore. I come hard, filling her ass up deep and rough. I growl and groan through my orgasm, ripping into her, slapping her ass and squeezing it hard as I finish deep inside.
I gasp and groan as I slowly finish. I pull out and collapse onto the bed. She’s lying on her stomach next to me, breathing deep, trying to catch her breath.
“Shit,” she whispers. “I didn’t think…. I didn’t know I’d like that.”
“I knew,” I say, taking her chin. I kiss her hard and slow. “I knew you’d like it, dirty girl.”
She smiles at me and presses her lips against mine one more time.
We stay like that for a little bit. I’m still angry and my leg starts to hurt again as fresh blood rolls down it. I’ll probably need a fucking tetanus shot or something for that.
But whatever. Fuck it. I’m alive and I have this girl, this fucking amazing girl. I don’t understand her yet but I think I’m starting to. And if I want to keep her, I’d better figure it out fast.
Because I don’t think we have much time left.
9
Allie
I wake up in Rowan’s bed the next morning.
I can barely remember falling asleep. He fucked me from behind and left me happy and satisfied, and I guess I just never went back to my room. I can feel a pleasing ache where he fucked me and I guess last night wasn’t a dream at all.
He stirs and rolls onto his side. He’s as naked as I am and I marvel at his muscular body. He slowly wakes up and blinks at me.
“Morning,” he grunts and kisses me.
“Morning,” I say. I roll out of bed and don’t bother covering myself. I can feel his eyes on my body as I leave the room and head into the bathroom.
I take a shower, trying to get control of myself. I’m falling so deep into this and I don’t know where the bottom is anymore. I don’t know if I want to hit the bottom or if I want to keep floating here with Rowan forever.
I went on a hit with him. It went wrong because of me. And as a punishment, he fucked me in the ass and took me like a man.
And I loved every single minute of it.
God, I’m so fucked up.
I finish showering and get out. I towel off, head into my room, and put on some clothes. I head into the kitchen and find him already dressed and making coffee.
“I have to go out,” he says to me.
“Where?” I ask.
“I’m not sure yet,” he says. “I need to follow up on what our dead friend said last night.”
“About the drugs?”
He nods. “If Fish is killing people because of some drugs he’s slinging, that means he has something he needs to keep hidden. I want to find out what and why. That might keep us alive.”
I bite my lip and watch as he finishes the coffee and pours some into a travel mug.
“Why don’t we just run?” I ask, voice a whisper.
He looks at me, head cocked for a second. He stares with these hard eyes but there’s something else behind that gaze, something soft and almost sad.
“You ever run before?” he asks me finally. “It’s not fun. Always looking over your shoulder, always afraid.”
“He’s a small-town gangster. There’s no way he can follow us everywhere.”
He nods. “Yeah, probably. We could go to Europe and lose ourselves there, I bet. But do you really want that?”
I shrug. “Sounds better than anything else. I’ve never left Pine Grove in my life.”
He barks a laugh. “Really?”
“Really. I’ve been here my whole life. And I guess I’m ready to go.”
He steps toward me. “And you want me to take you somewhere.”
It’s not question. I nod anyway.
“Yeah. I do.”
He takes my chin and looks into my eyes. “I’m not a good man,” he growls at me.
“I don’t think I’m a good girl,” I answer.
He smirks. “No, you’re definitely not.” He kisses me hard, almost painfully. “You’re definitely not.”
I watch him walk to the door. He sips his coffee and stretches.
“I’ll think about it,” he says finally. “Either way, I’ll take you somewhere when this is all over. I promise you that much.”