“Tell me how much you love me,” he whispered, nipping at my ear as he rammed his cock into me again. “Tell me how much you need me.”
“I love you so much. I need you. I don’t want you to ever leave me,” I panted, pulling him in closer.
“I’m never leaving you, Blake. You’re mine now.”
I nodded, unable to say anything else as my orgasm washed over me. It felt like hours passed as our sweaty bodies settled into each other and finally relaxed. I couldn’t get enough of being with him. Every minute felt like a gift I had been given. I would never take it for granted again.
“I like your plan,” I murmured as I started to drift off to sleep. I felt him kiss my forehead and pull me closer.
“Good, because that’s the way it’s gonna play out.”
I loved the confidence in his voice, and for the first time, I felt like I could lay back and let someone else take control. Parker was here, and he was going to make sure that everything worked out.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Knight
Senator Brunswick wasn’t the easiest to get alone. He must have been paranoid after everything that happened with Cortez disappearing, because he had bodyguards following him. He was scared, and he was keeping watch everywhere he went. But he wouldn’t always be in a crowded place. Eventually, he would have to go home, and I would be waiting.
I followed him everywhere he went today. I always stayed out of sight, but he knew I was there. He kept looking over his shoulder, and every time he did, I vanished. I even walked right past him once, slipping a listening device on him. He didn’t even know I was there. For the rest of the day, every phone call that he made, every time he spoke to his guards, I was listening.
I watched through my binoculars in a hard seat far enough away that no one could see me. To most, I looked like I could be bird watching. Frankly, I didn’t give a fuck what they thought I was doing. I wasn’t being reckless, but I also wasn’t being as careful as I normally would be. I guess that’s what happens when you lose the thing you love most in the world.
“I’m telling you,” he practically yelled at his guards. “He’s here. I can feel him. I’m being watched.”
“Sir, we have you covered from every angle. There’s no way anyone is getting past us.”
Brunswick shook his head in frustration. “This guy isn’t going to let you see him. He’s going to just show up and slit my throat.”
“Senator, we know how to do protection, but if there’s something you’re not telling us, now would be the time. We can’t keep you safe if you don’t tell us who’s after you.”
Brunswick looked around again, running his hand through his hair. He wasn’t going to tell them, I realized. He didn’t want anyone to know about me, because then people would really start asking questions. Why did he have an assassin after him? What could he possibly have done that would piss off a man like me?
“Just do your job and protect me,” Brunswick snapped.
I couldn’t hear what the bodyguard said after Brunswick walked away. He was most likely handing out orders. A few minutes later, they all loaded up into vehicles and headed out. I got in my truck and followed, making sure to take side streets and stay a good distance from them. There was no point in proving to Brunswick that I was on his tail. When he stepped out of his vehicle at his house, he looked relieved. I smirked and waited until everyone left the vehicle, then I pulled out my remote detonator and pressed the button.
The vehicle exploded into a fiery ball, actually lifting the car off the ground momentarily. Brunswick dove for the ground and one of his guards covered his body. He started crawling backwards on his hands and feet, pushing to get away from the wreckage. He was terrified and he should be. I wasn’t letting him die that easily.
“Sir,” his bodyguard shouted. “We need to get you inside!”
“No, I need to leave. We need to get out of here.”
“Not until we’ve had the other vehicles checked,” the guard shouted back.
Reluctantly, Brunswick allowed the guard to drag him into the house. I watched with excitement as the guards started searching the other vehicles, and when they didn’t find anything, they assumed it was all clear. The main bodyguard headed inside to talk with Brunswick.
“Sir, there were no other bombs. We really think that the best thing to do right now is to stay put.”
“Someone just tried to kill me with a bomb!”
“Sir, it’s most likely that it was a timed detonation, and the killer had no idea if you were in the vehicle or not. Whoever it was, they have no clue if you were on the road or in a parking garage. We need to call in the FBI and have them analyze the bomb. Once they’ve done that, we’ll know more.”
“I’m not just sitting here waiting to be killed!” Brunswick shouted.
“Sitting tight is the best option. If we move around, it’s harder to secure you.”
I was hoping he would say that. He talked Brunswick down a little more before leaving him alone in his study. I watched as Brunswick paced his study before pulling out his phone and dialing a number.
“Burke.”
“It’s Brunswick. Someone just made an attempt on my life.”
“Shit. Do you think it was Knight?”
“I know it was him, and my bodyguards aren’t listening to me. They think it’s safest to stay.”
“Then tell them why the fuck you have to leave.”
“You know I can’t do that. It’ll draw too many questions. Questions that neither of us are ready to answer.”
“Look, you need to find a way to get to safety. Cortez has been missing too long. He hasn’t checked in, and if Knight is after you, that means that Cortez gave us up. And if he gave us up, chances are he’s already dead.”
“If he’s already dead, then Knight’s coming after all of us. You’d better be ready.”
“I’ve got guards.”
“And what about the plans? Are we still moving forward?” I asked.
“I’m not letting this asshole destroy everything we’ve worked for. We just have to hold Knight off for a few more weeks.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one with the target on his back right now.”
“You knew the plan all along,” Burke accused. “Don’t act like this is suddenly too real for you.”
“It was never in our plans to have an assassin coming after us,” Brunswick hissed.
“Look, stick with our course of action. Do whatever you have to, but stay safe and stay on track. We still need your military connections once this thing gets out.”
I pulled down my binoculars from where I was perched behind his house. They were all ruthless assholes, but Burke was the worst. His goals were so crazy that I doubted he could even see the insanity in continuing. I watched as the guards changed their positions, and pulled out my tranquilizer gun. I waited for the second guard to round the corner of the house, and then I shot the first guard with the tranquilizer. I continued around the house, taking out each guard as I came upon them. The point wasn’t to kill them all. I had no beef with any of them unless they tried to kill me. No, this was all for effect.
Once the outdoor guards were taken care of, I moved into the house, effectively subduing three more guards before stepping just outside Brunswick’s study. Cracking the door, I watched as he sat in his chair at his desk and worried his bottom lip. I knew that look. He couldn’t concentrate on anything. He was too worried about what was happening. He was too distracted. I shot him with a tranq dart and then got to work, dumping what appeared to be large quantities of blood next to every body. I had given the guards twice the amount of tranquilizer as I had given Brunswick. He would wake up first, and he would see nothing but carnage. And he would know he was alone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Senator Brunswick
I slowly lifted my head off the desk. A piece of paper stuck to my cheek and I clumsily pushed it off my face. The whole room spun around me. I fel
t like I was in some kind of weird tunnel as the room wove in and out of size and shape. I blinked rapidly, checking my desk for my decanter and glass. Had I drunk too much?
I reached for my desk phone, fumbling with the receiver because my hands didn’t seem to want to work. I pressed the receiver to my ear and grabbed onto the edge of my desk when I felt like I was going to fall out of my chair. It took me a minute to realize that there was no dial tone on the phone. Shaking my head, I half tossed, half placed the receiver back on the cradle. I patted down my pockets for my cell phone, but couldn’t find it.
The papers and folders on my desk seemed to be moving even though I wasn’t touching them. I shuffled everything around, looking for my phone, but still came up empty. Shoving my chair back, I stood on shaky legs and slowly moved around my desk. Getting around to the front side was difficult, and I couldn’t see how I was going to make it to the door and down the hall to find one of the guards.
Taking slow steps, I managed to make it to my study door without falling over. I gripped the door handle and closed my eyes, resting my forehead against the door for a moment. That took way more energy that I could ever have imagined. Opening my eyes again, I noticed something red on the floor in the hallway. I squinted, noticing it was more of a streak. Was that blood?
I stumbled into the hallway and bent over, just barely staying on my feet as I pressed my hand to the red streak on the carpet. Holding my hand up to my face, my heart started hammering out of control. Oh God, it was blood. I swallowed hard and looked down the hallway for any sign of someone that could help. I was in no state to defend myself, but I also couldn’t just sit in my study and wait for someone to come kill me. I needed to get out of here. Placing my hand on the wall, I leaned heavily against it as I moved toward the front of the house.
The floor shifted under my feet as I reached the living room. I closed my eyes again to regain my equilibrium. The smell of smoke hit me hard and my eyes flew open. There was a fire on the other side of the house. It was hazy and my vision was still blurring, but that most definitely was a fire. I had to get out of here. I turned quickly, tripping over something on the floor and falling hard. My face smacked into the tile of the entryway, cracking my tooth and splitting my lip open.
I rolled over and kicked out at what had tripped me up. I glanced back and gasped in horror. There was a body on the floor. One of the guards was just lying there in a pool of blood. And then I caught sight of another man in the kitchen, also lying on the floor. Oh God, they were all dead. I pushed backwards, moving as quickly as I could toward the front door. When the terror receded enough for me to think clearly, I got to my feet and stumbled through the foyer to the front door.
There was a sign on the door. You took something that was mine. Now your time is up.
Sitting in front of the door were my shoes, just waiting for me. He was taunting me. He wanted me to put my shoes on and run, but what other options did I have? Everyone was dead and he was waiting for me. On the stand next to the door were my keys. They weren’t hanging on the hook or in the bowl. They were just sitting there. Slowly, I reached out and grabbed them. Somehow, I knew this would be the end for me. The car was my only option on this sprawling property. Yet, if I got in the car, I would be dead tonight. I was dead either way.
I flung the door open and raced out to my car, terror licking at my heels the whole way. I fell to the ground twice, unable to walk normally yet. Each time I fell, I swore that I could hear someone laughing at me, could feel him watching me from the shadows. Pushing off the ground one last time, I grabbed my keys from where I dropped them and quickly unlocked my car. In seconds, I was throwing myself into the front seat and locking the doors. I turned the engine over, relieved that it started. But when I put the car in reverse, it only went a few feet before the pressure gauge light came on, telling me my tires were low or out of air.
I pushed the door open and checked the rear tire. It was completely flat. I got out and checked the front. It was also flat. I had a feeling the other two tires were flat as well. Not wanting to stay out in the open, I got back in the car and engaged the locks again. I dropped my head to the steering wheel and shook my head. What had I done? I knew who I was going up against. I should have known it would end this way. He was out there right now, just waiting to attack. My security had let me down because I hadn’t wanted to draw attention to the project, and now I would pay. We would all pay. I couldn’t even contact Burke and let him know that I would be dead before the end of the night.
A hissing sound filled the car and a white smoke of some kind started filling the car. I quickly yanked on the car door, but it wouldn’t open. I shoved at it again and again, but it wouldn’t budge. I hit the unlock, but it just as quickly re-engaged. I slammed the vents on the car closed, but the air continued to filter in. I started choking, gasping for fresh air. My already fuzzy head was feeling lighter by the second. I pushed across the seat to try the other door, but got the same dead end result. I felt a tingling on my neck and slowly looked up. Standing at the front of the car in all black was the very man that I had been dreading. But he wasn’t here to stab me or shoot me. He was here to watch me slowly suffocate.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Knight
I watched as the man in the car slowly suffocated to death. He gasped for air, but still I watched, waiting until the final moments when it was done. I made sure not to leave any prints or fibers behind, but I wasn’t getting rid of the evidence. There was no point. I wanted everyone to know exactly how the senator died.
Walking back to the house, I got rid of the illusion of fire and checked on the men. They were all still unconscious, but they wouldn’t be for too much longer. I pulled Brunswick’s cell phone out and scrolled through the numbers. The next kill on my list was Senator Allan. She was a few day’s drive from Brunswick’s house. It would give me time to plan out what I wanted to do to her exactly. I decided to go ahead and give her a call, a little heads up. It would make the chase more fun.
“Nathan, what the hell is going on? I’ve been trying to reach you all night,” Senator Allan hissed. “Have you gotten confirmation yet? Is Cortez dead?”
I didn’t say anything for a moment.
“Nathan?”
“I’m sorry. Nathan can’t come to the phone right now, or any time in the foreseeable future.”
There was silence on the other end and then she answered, her voice quivering. “Knight?”
“Oh, I’m touched that you know my name. Do you remember my wife’s name also?”
“What about your wife?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard? One of you took her-”
“I had nothing to do with that! That was all Cortez.”
“And was he the only one that gave the order to have her murdered?” I shouted.
“We didn’t- none of us had anything to do with that.” Her voice was hysterical. Reality was setting in now and she realized her error in fucking with me. It didn’t matter how much knowledge she had of the situation. In my book, she was guilty by association, and she would burn for it.
“I don’t give a fuck if you did or not. You were all involved. You’re all fucking dirty, and now every last one of you is going to pay. And you’re next, Cheryl. I’m coming for you. Watch your back.”
I hung up and tossed the phone in the grass, walking off toward my truck that was parked a few miles away. I headed back to the motel and immediately stripped off my clothes, stuffing them in a bag to be burned. Getting in the shower, I stood under the hot water, letting it stream down my back as I leaned my forehead against the shower wall. The adrenaline faded and all I was left with was agonizing pain. She was gone.
I screamed out in anguish, slamming my fist repeatedly into the wall until my knuckles were bloody. The water did nothing to wash away the pain or the blood. I would be covered in her blood for the rest of my life. It didn’t matter if I killed the ones that took her. My hands would always be stained because I let her d
own. It wasn’t right that I was alive when she was dead. I didn’t deserve this life, and my kids didn’t deserve to be without their mother.
I shut off the water and walked out of the bathroom, not bothering with a towel. I flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Someone next door slammed their door and tiny pieces of the popcorn ceiling fell down on me. My eyes slid closed and sleep overtook me.
“Garrick,” she whispered in my ear. I loved it when she called me that. She wasn’t supposed to, but in the privacy of our home, in our bed, it was fine. It reminded me of a much different time, when I was a different person and she accepted me for who I was. Or maybe it was despite who I was.
I rolled into her, pressing my ear against her chest. I could hear her steady heartbeat thumping against my cheek. I would never take for granted the fact that she was in my life. Every day with her was a gift.
“Garrick,” she whispered again. “Garrick, help me.”
My head jerked up to see her beautiful face contorted in pain. Tears spilled down her cheeks and her hand was reaching out for me.
“I’m right here, Kate. Sweetheart, listen to me.” I grabbed her hand and held it to my chest, but she continued to cry and started writhing in pain. “Kate, listen to me,” I pleaded.
“Garrick!” she screamed, her voice shattering as her body jerked.
I cupped her cheek, trying to get her to focus on me. “Sweetheart, I’m right here. I’m here with you. Stay with me. You’re okay.”
I didn’t know what was wrong. I searched her body for injuries, but I couldn’t find anything. I started to panic. I had been thinking it was a dream, but she wasn’t waking up. Blood started to pour from her eyes, nose, and mouth. She started choking on blood, gasping for every last breath.
“Stay with me,” I cried. “Stay with me. I’ll help you.”
GoodKnight: A Reed Security Romance Page 13