“You’re a sick prick.” I shake my head at him cracking my knuckles out.
“What put him in debt?”
“Gambling. And the drugs. They came after though it was the gambling that did him in. Really fucked him up. The scum found him, hit him up and here we are.”
Running my hand through my hair, I tie it back from my face. My smoke is burning between my lips, my eyes trained on the door.
“How long since he last paid?”
“Couple months. You know I’ve been pretty nice to the guy. I even serviced his wife for him and continue to do so. She loves the bad boy cock a lot better for her than the fired football coach with addiction problems and no health insurance. But as I said to the old man, I’m way past nice now.”
“I don’t know how you do it, brother. All these vices and you’re still in control.” He laughs out at me hitting my shoulder.
“It wears off, ya know that feeling. It goes away, hence all the other bitches and games I play. Gotta get him hard somehow.” His hand grabs his cock, and he jiggles it up and down inside his jeans. I don’t even know what the fuck to say. Just then the delivery van pulls up, thank fuck.
“What’s the plan?”
“You play mister nice guy. If he doesn’t play along, we hurt him until he does.”
“Me play mister nice guy? Did you forget who you brought?” I question him.
“No, I didn’t but I wanna be the bad guy today, Riddler. You always get the fun.”
“Fine.” I opened the door and stepped out.
“He’s in room 566.”
“Of course. They’re always on the second floor.” I hated the second floor. Getting in and out fast was harder and shit always went west whenever I had Jimmy with me. This fucker is psycho and gets the fuck off on this shit more than I do. Difference is I do mine quietly in the dark, unheard, unseen. Painting portraits with blood, where Jimmy is loud, crazy and makes a mess with blood. The more splatter the better; he likes to leave looking like a goddamn Viking after a thousand-man battle.
The delivery man dropped the flowers to the dick bag who opened the door. He looked like he had a fresh beating by the way his face was bleeding and puffing.
“That you?” Jimmy shrugged his shoulders.
“Na, mine was last week. Must owe some other people too.”
We climbed the rusted metal stairs and walked down to the room second to the end.
Jimmy dropped his smoke, stubbing it out as he knocked loudly. I flicked my smoke over the rail, stepped up and knocked loudly.
It was around two in the afternoon, so the place wasn’t too busy.
Nothing. Jimmy knocked again louder this time. Still nothing. No sign of life or movement. We know he’s in there we just seen him get the delivery.
Laughing to myself as Jimmy yells out.
“Open the fucking door, asshole.”
“We’ll break it down if we have to, but I suspect management won’t like that shit.” I leaned up against the railing, arms crossed, waiting. They always made us fucking wait. Checking my watch, I didn’t have time for this. I hated leaving Layla for long. I didn’t know when he would figure it out and come for her. Ian’s threats kept coming, and they were starting to fuck with my head. I know he wouldn’t be able to take her or kill her, he didn’t have the balls for it. But Damon, he sure as fuck did. Putting Anton on her though helps ease the sick feeling.
Jimmy knocked again. “Last warning. You make me break this door down and this is going to turn from a friendly chat to me blowing ya fucking head off.”
Still nothing. Fuck this, I stepped forward and kicked the heel of my boot into the middle of the door, kicking it clean open. I place my foot back down and I look at my best friend.
“After you,” I say ushering my hand toward the door for him to step inside.
“Fuck, you’re a dick,” he laughs out stepping past me and into the dimly lit piss pit that was this guy’s hideaway.
The guy looked pretty normal actually, minus the glazed-over druggy look. Definitely heroin and his face screamed one heck of a beating but that didn’t concern me. Getting what’s owed, either in cash or his head or both would be a win too. Getting back to Layla was all I gave a fuck about.
The room smelled like a fucking frat houses cum rag, it was a mess. He clearly hadn’t cleaned the place in weeks. Jimmy was right, he’s been here a long time. Fuck, I would have killed him a month ago.
Needles were prominently displayed on the dresser and empty beer cans were all over the floor. What caught my eye was the bathroom, the door was cracked, and I could see two shadows inside the shower as their image reflected in the mirror. The guy saw where I was looking. He was shaking, the hiding was fresh alright from whoever was in the bathroom.
Hitting Jimmy in the arm pointing toward the mirror, I drew my gun and pulled my tee up over the sheath holding my blade.
The guy stepped over toward the bed, his arms crossed, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and a thin white t-shirt which was covered in blood and snot, the bouquet from the old man was on the bed. Walking over, my finger to my lips to silence him, I pick the card up opening it. “Well, well, what do we have here?” I say looking at the piss bag.
“Riddle me this. Life is a gift given to you by death. Your roses are now all dead.” I read aloud as Jimmy walks around the other side out of view of the Mirror. Crossing the room, he stands along the wall that they are on his gun pulled and ready to fire on them should they move.
“You alone or you got a lady in here?” I ask the dick. He shakes his head at me. “Is that a no to being alone or a no to the lady?” I ask him sarcastically.
He shakes his head again. “Fuck, mate, cat got ya tongue?” I bite out, this shit is old, and I’m bored.
“So, you’re not alone.” He nods this time shaking like its -2 in here not fucking 42.
“Stop,” I said. “Quit with the shaking.” I crack my neck.
“Who are you guys?” he spurts out finding his voice.
“I’m Micha. And this is Jimmy. We’re here to collect your debts. The debts you owe to my mate here and now extra for having to call me on the job.” His eyes went a little wide.
“No,” he said. “No, I can’t. I don’t have any money, man. I told them guys that.” “Well Jimmy has been patient with you, too patient if you ask me and them guys,” I say, “are dead men walking.”
With that Jimmy pulls both guys kicking the door open and shooting each man in the chest.
“It’s time to pay. Or you, my friend, are next.” I walk over and playfully slapping his cheeks.
Jimmy steps closer to the guys slumped in the shower smiling his vicious smile.
“Gallo men, brother, wired up too. Fucking fucks.” Pulling the little microphone up off the dicks chest I look at it. “Bring that here, I wanna leave a little riddle for our mutual friend and you can deal with this.”
I take the microphone as Jimmy pulls his gun out of his waistband with pleasure.
“Riddle me this. The Roses have wilted. The Violets are dead. Enter the sandman for you now are dead,” I say into the microphone as a loud bang echo’s through the room and blood splatters from the guy’s head and his brains follow suit plastering the walls and Jimmy. They land on my feet and face. I pull a handkerchief from my pocket and I’m wiping my face as I drop the little microphone.
Hitting call on my phone.
- “Clean up aisle 566.”
- “Side.”
- “Tight lips,” I say into the receiver.
- “Got it.”
- “Oh, Reaper, their hearts go to 656 on E 134th St and their heads to The Pink Pussy.”
- “With pleasure.”
Hanging up from him as Jimmy smokes over the brainless dude, I grab his shoulder. “Oi, Reaper’s on his way, and we gotta roll.” Nodding toward the door I step toward it, lean down and pick up the microphone.
“See you soon
fucker,” I seethe into the line before I crush it under my boot.
Chapter Ten
My soul screamed out for violent pain and a sense of nothingness. My heart though had found its cure.
Her.
~ Micha Ragen
I woke up, slowly stretching as the sun swarmed in through the curtains I never close as the breeze blew in through the partially open window. Outside, I could hear the sounds of a city that was already awake. My eyes fall to the clock on my bedside table, 10am. Fuck me it’s late. I never sleep past 6am but shit, since this little lady started spending the night I sleep like the dead and have only minimal night terrors filled with the echoes of pain.
Layla was still asleep next to me. I sought out her body with my hand wrapping my fingers around her naked thigh. I was a fucking lucky man to have her beside me. As I laid back and stared up at the ceiling, I relived the night before in every single glorious detail. The blood splatter on the wall. The brains hitting my skin. The smell, taste of blood in the air and the way he fell to the floor - death in his eyes his life gone. The way Jimmy took the Gallo men out. What I couldn’t understand was how did they know that we would be there. What was the reason for the wires? What were they listening for? Then I got home, and the way Layla looked at me as I walked in my door dismissing Anton for the night. She stalked toward me, pulling my body toward the bathroom. She hit the faucet to hot inside the shower, stripping my bloodied clothing from my body. As she stripped her clothing off my eyes roamed over her body. Her hair fell in long, red curls over her white skin. A groan left me as she pulled us both into the shower, the water hot on my cooled skin. I hissed out as she took the body wash and began to wash the blood off my skin. The sins, the aftermath of a kill taking someone from this world, it always played with your mind when the world went quiet. She understood, she got it, and she knew what I needed was human touch, love and understanding. How the fuck had I been living before this without her? How had I been dealing? I didn’t even know because right now as she cleaned my sins, washed them away, I couldn’t even see what I had done before this. Before this, I was just too dark and cold, too lost inside hate and vengeance. Twisting her in my arms her hands went to the wall as my hand found her hips. Pushing my other hand in the small of her back, I push her down, so her legs spread open and her pussy dripped wet for me. I took her hard and fast with water falling over us mixing with the blood and sins. I feed the beast with her tight pussy and wasn’t even ashamed that I took her that way. She screamed out, “Take whatever you need from me, Micha.” My thrusts become frenzied and angered as all the kills before tonight played in my mind. All I had seen was death, blood, hate and torture. I heard all the screams and my sweet lady just backed her ass up harder into me. Reaching down, she held her legs as one of my hands held her hip and the other her shoulder, pulling her back into me and forward with each thrust. She took it all like she was meant to fuck the demons from me.
My cock stirred under the sheet at the memory as my lady moved next to me.
“Good morning.” She rolled into me, kissing my inked chest. I pulled her into me closer not believing that this was real.
“Morning, baby,” I breathed into her hair.
“Want to shower?” She asked me, biting my flesh slightly. Sucking in a deep breath through my teeth, my fingers sunk into her ass.
“You fucking know I do.” My voice was laced with sexual desire. Knowing just how my baby likes it rough sets my cock on fire.
Pulling herself up, her eyes locked with mine. Sleep and sex swam inside the green.
“Coming?” Her fingers laced around my length, a smile of seduction on her lips. I bite my own lip to stop myself from fucking that smile off her face with my dick between her lips.
“Go ahead. I’ll be in behind you.” She got out of the bed, stretching. I caught a glimpse of her perky ass sitting just under my large tee-shirt. She smiled at me over her shoulder as I threw a pillow at her, and she headed out into the hallway.
I rolled onto my side and found my phone, smiling to myself. This is what life is right here. The old man was right, she’s definitely my fucking vice and I will do anything to keep it. I see it as an honor, not a problem.
I went to check my phone, but the battery had died sometime during the night. I found my charger and plugged it in then waited a couple minutes, idly imagining Layla’s body dripping wet inside the shower waiting for me. I didn’t bother to slip my boxers on, I just started to walk from the room to the bathroom when my phone started to go berserk. Walking over to the table, I picked it up and slid it open. Ten missed calls and just as many if not more messages. I scrolled through my texts, frowning until I found one from Jimmy around four am this morning.
Jimmy- Shit’s hit the fan, brother. Them, brother. They are setting fire to the town.
Pops- Grandson I have moved your Nona, war is coming.
Jimmy- Cock, if I have to come get you then I will.
Jimmy- Bro, the fuck, man. Turn your fucking phone on.
Pops- They are coming for the girl you need to move and move now.
Jimmy- Bro, Damon knows you’re the Riddler and that you’re fucking his niece. I have info on her and his new operation with Ian. Seems the scum bag’s been in his pocket for a while and sex slavery is their new line of biz. Layla is set to be sold to the highest bidder and you just fucked that plan like literally.
Realization hits me. “FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!” I scream out over and over as I barrel down the hall throwing open the bathroom door. “Micha?” Layla yelped as I ripped the curtain open.
“What, what is it?” She could see the look in my eyes, it was reflecting in her green.
“Shit’s hit the fan. We gotta run and run now!”
“Micha, you’re the strongest Mafia man this side of Illinois,” she laughed as she leaned back and washed the shampoo from her hair.
“That won’t keep you safe if I’m dead, babe,” I snap shutting off the water and grabbing a towel. Wrapping it around her my hands fall to her hips, her delicious hips. Picking her up off the ground by those said hips I carry her to my room.
“Now get dressed. Fast.”
Lifting the mattress, I grabbed the bundles of money that I had hidden in there.
Ripping open my wardrobe doors, I grab the duffle bags, throwing money and clothes into them. Unlocking my gun safe, I empty its contents into another duffle bag carrying them all out to the front room.
Storming back into the room, Layla is sitting on the edge of the discarded bed causally drying her hair with the towel.
“Babe.”
“Micha,” she says calm and all sexy.
“Like move it, come on,” I snap.
“Micha, what time did all those messages come in? I feel like we have time. Nothing’s happened so far.”
Shaking my head, I close my eyes and count to ten. I need to, she just doesn’t get it. Like yeah, you’re the niece of Damon Gallo. That holds a lot of weight. To what she has seen, I know just how extremely dark. She went through all the abuse and torture he and her father put her through until he died in an OD and Damon became the sole tormentor of my beautiful baby.
That fucking bastard. I wanted to kill Damon so badly that it almost hurt. I wanted to hurt that bastard as much as he’s hurt me and I wanted to kill Ian for his betrayal.
“Damon is just using Ian as a pawn in all this, Micha, and as a good little soldier doing as he was told,” she says coming up behind me, her lips on my neck sending goosebumps over my body. My cock stirs, really not the time, mate.
“He didn’t have to betray his grandfather by this though. Like why would you work for a man who took so much from your family,” I seethe out.
“Because he wants to be you, my love. He wants the control, the power, the presence that you have. He wants it all. Damon and death sends him that bit closer to the end game of becoming Micah Ragen.”
“I know. I know you’re right, but
fuck, Ian should be fucking smarter than this though he fucking understands what he’s doing. He knows that it’s fucked.” I say to her looking deep into her eyes.
“Well, my love he wants to make a name for himself now that it’s all been stripped from him. You and your grandfather are all that is standing in his way.”
I crouched down in front of Layla, staring into her eyes.
“It’s going to be ok. We will survive this, we will win.”
Her lips kiss mine softly, lightly and fast.
“You know this how?” I raise my eyebrow at her.
“Because you’re smarter than both of them.”
Her arms wrap around me and I hug her back tightly, pressing her body against mine. I took a deep breath and I felt the tension in my body relax ever so slightly.
“We gotta go, babe.” Pulling her body back from mine and linking my fingers through hers we head out of my house, bags and all, down to my Camaro and to the safe house on the other side of town.
Ian has no clue where this one is. He would have hit up all the others by now.
Hitting call on my phone the sound of it connecting to my cars Bluetooth has the ringing bouncing around us.
- “Pops.”
- “Ahh, Grandson.”
- “You good.”
- “Yes, I’m with your Nona. Ian has hit four outta the eight houses searching for you.”
- “I’m heading to you now.”
Hitting end on that call I ring Jimmy.
- “About fucking time, ball bag,” he snaps into the phone.
- “Yeah, sorry. Phone went dead. Why didn’t you come over?” I say to him turning off the main road. I take the small gravel road down to the old farm that I bought a few months ago for Layla and me to have a family at. That was before I had even spoken to her, though it seems stupid I knew I would marry this woman.
This place is huge. Set on thirty acres with the main house being ten bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, two lounges, a movie theater and wine cellar.
Silent Echoes Page 8