by Sam Crescent
Not for one second did she feel fear.
“You don’t want to steal my car?” she asked.
He didn’t answer. The rapist sliced the material of her shirt, exposing her bra and a healthy dose of cleavage. She still hadn’t moved.
“Good girl.”
Something snapped inside her, revulsion rolling up her spine. She’d played along long enough. In her books, there was a huge difference between a rapist and a thief.
Graciella brought her stiletto down hard on his foot and snatched away his knife so fast he probably still thought he carried it. She used the heel of her hand to his chest, knocking him back, then flipped him to the ground. With the knife under his chin, she asked. “How many women have you raped?”
“I don’t know.” When she didn’t move the knife, he said, “None.”
She laughed. Graciella got down on one knee and reached into his pants that he’d conveniently left open. “You can’t rape women without a dick, can you?”
His eyes widened. One quick slice and it was over. She tossed the knife and the scrap before returning to her car. The piece of shit was lucky she left him alive.
Chapter Two
“She disappeared.”
Boss gritted his teeth. “What the fuck?”
He wasn’t happy.
“Look, the contract was fulfilled but I couldn’t find her. Everything was done in less than thirty minutes, Boss. No one came out,” Maurice said.
“She came out of the building. Get me the security footage and have your ass here now.” He hung up his cell phone as he checked through the latest details of the little science experiment with the drugs. “This shit is deadly?” He looked toward his science genius.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life. Don’t get me wrong, drugs are tainted with all kinds of fillers to help bulk them out, but whatever is in here, it’s killing people,” Adam said. He moved across his van and started to type on his computer.
Boss rubbed at his eyes. At Killer of Kings, he didn’t just have hitmen for hire. He had all kinds of men and women in his arsenal. Computer and weapons experts, doctors, gadget designers, scientists. Whatever a job called for, he had someone available to help run any given operation needed.
Adam was one of the best men he had and was willing and able to run all sorts of tests and experiments on various chemicals that came his way.
Drugs were supposed to be an easy one.
“Look, I’ve been tracking this thing for months, if not years. The first case of an overdose gone bad appeared about three years ago down in Colombia. It was in a bar. The kind of bar owned by a hotel. I kept the details as I figured it was more a cartel-gone-wrong kind of thing. Anyway, three months after that, at least ten people who went to the bar got admitted to the hospital all with the same symptoms. Fever, hallucinations, extreme pain.”
Boss shook his head. “Why are you telling me this? It sounds like a bad case of the flu or something.”
“Exactly. After this, everything goes silent until six months ago, here, in this city, ten more potential cases appear. All random. Drug dealers and users suddenly turn up at the hospital with similar symptoms. Within forty-eight hours, they’re all dead. I’ve been thinking there’s some kind of cover up to hide something, but I’ve got a feeling this is the real deal.” Adam had this big smile on his face. “It’s tainted drugs and I can tell you, whatever is the main cause in this stuff, I can’t locate it. Of course, I’ve run all the basic tox screens, but whatever is in there is hiding.”
“So this stuff is useless?” Boss asked, holding up his piece of paper. He rubbed at his temple. He was starting to get a headache. When dealing with Adam, it was always a challenge. The man got excited about chemical formulas.
All he wanted was for Maurice to arrive and give him some reprieve.
“No, it’s not useless. That is the third time I’ve tested this stuff. This is the first, and this is the second. Look at it,” he said.
Boss looked at the paperwork. “It changes?”
Adam nodded. “Yeah, it changes and believe me, I don’t know how the fuck that is. I mean, it could have something to do with exposure to oxygen, heat, sweat, I don’t know. This is a big deal, but this is some serious shit, Boss. You’re going to need to call your contacts in the police force, because if I’m right, and this stuff is the killing coke—it means it’s traveled here, and well, a lot of people are going to die.”
There was a loud bang at the side of the truck.
Boss opened it to find Maurice. “I’m all set up in your office.”
“Adam, I want you to put this truck into the underground parking garage and bring everything inside. I’ll pay you by the hour, but I want you all over this, got it?”
“I’m expensive.”
“I know. It’s why I know you’re the best.” He left the truck and knew Adam would follow his instructions. Boss had a hunch and when he did, he always followed it. These drugs, the men tonight, the fear, the way they were, something was relevant here. He stopped at the doorway to his building and turned. Adam was already getting ready to move. “Is it airborne?” he asked.
“That I don’t know, but hopefully I’ll have some answers for you soon,” Adam said.
“Follow protocol. I don’t want you to exposed to any of this shit.”
“On it.”
He made his way toward his main office where Maurice had set up all the relevant security feed.
“I’m sorry, Boss,” Maurice said.
“I don’t want to hear it right now. Just show me what you’ve got.” He leaned against his desk, watching the security footage of fifteen different cameras. The woman in the blonde wig, he recognized her shape and face instantly. “There she is.”
She was with the target, leaning against him as if he was some kind of god. The look on her face appeared like a woman in love but he knew the Widow Maker. She was a deadly weapon.
Running a hand down his face, he watched.
“The camera by the hotel entrance. Keep it on.”
About thirty minutes later, Graciella came out of the hotel room, minus the wig. She wore the same clothes but her locks were now a luscious black and a lot longer than the blonde.
“Fuck,” Maurice said.
“You were watching for a blonde.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Boss moved to his desk, opening up his laptop and accessing the cameras located on the streets. He had permanent access to the surveillance through a particular software one of his men wrote, that allowed him unlimited access to the city whenever he wanted. This was how he was able to stay on top, always follow his men, and also keep an eye on possible targets.
He watched the woman in question go to pick up some food. The sway of her hips was so sensual, he shouldn’t watch, nor should he feel a stirring, but he had one nonetheless. Women shouldn’t affect him, they usually didn’t. Gritting his teeth, he watched her put her food in the back seat, and then there was a man in the shadows.
Boss tensed up, having to change camera angles, but the man took her down an alley that had none.
“Fuck!”
Seconds passed and Graciella came strolling out of the street as if she owned the place but he saw the look on her face. It was one of disgust. He recognized it well. There were many times he wore a similar expression.
Grinding his jaw, he waited, watching, but she left the street without another word. He watched long enough for the man who’d attacked her to come stumbling out, blood coating his pants.
It didn’t take a genius to deduce she’d cut his dick off. He had to hold back a chuckle.
Sitting back, he ran a hand through his hair.
“Is that why they call her Widow Maker?”
“She has a hatred of most men,” Boss said. He didn’t need to go into the backstory on this one. Graciella had been through hell. He knew every detail and it sickened him what men did to her. He also knew that
most of the men involved in her kidnapping, selling, and subsequent rape were all dead.
There were gaps in the timeline he’d gathered between Graciella becoming a child sex slave to the woman she was now, a cold-hearted killer. A woman with no thoughts or feelings. If she came to work for him, he had no doubt she’d be fucking perfect at any job he set her on. He wanted her, but right now, she was causing him more problems.
“Leave,” Boss said.
“I’m sorry.”
“And I’m dealing with your mess. Go and assist Adam. He’s going to need your help.”
Once he was alone, he picked up his cell phone again and called another one of his men. “I want an address for a female, Graciella Moreno. An apartment or condo, somewhere nice, lowkey, had to have been occupied within the past few months. Send me all the data you have.” He hung up and brought the image of Graciella back on his screen.
She was beautiful. A woman who could have any man she wanted but chose a life of killing for her freedom.
No one had ever been able to capture her, but she hadn’t been up against the Killer of Kings before. He would find her and when he did, she was going to belong to them. She was used to being able to predict men, knowing what they wanted, but she didn’t have the first clue of who she was dealing with when it came to him.
****
Sneaking into the police department was easy.
With her hair tied up, dressed all in black, she snuck into the main detective’s office, opened up his filing cabinet, and used her flashlight to read through the notes on the latest drug bust. Graciella knew Boss had been involved. It wasn’t the deaths that concerned her, but the symptoms the men displayed prior to their deaths.
She had software that helped her detect certain reports with overdoses and men hallucinating, showing a fever, or flu-like symptoms. She always checked them out.
This was the fifth one in the past two weeks.
She saw the report and slammed it shut.
Fuck!
Before she left the office, she made sure there was nothing out of place. She crawled out of the bathroom window and dropped down to the pavement, only to be suddenly grabbed from behind.
“You do know breaking and entering is a criminal offense.”
His voice brushed across her ear. Deep, sexy, a man in control.
She brought her elbow back and stamped on his foot. As his grip loosened, she dropped down to punch him in the gut, but Boss saw it coming and blocked. She quickly pulled back but made sure she wasn’t trapped by a wall.
Her mask was still in place but seeing as they were old friends, well, more like enemies, she pulled her mask off and offered him a smile.
“You do know it’s not polite to attack a girl during her work. It’s not very gentlemanly.”
“I’m not a gentleman. I never claimed to be.” He smirked.
She noted he wasn’t even in a stance to attack.
What was Boss doing here?
“Are you stalking me now? You want me to come and work for your precious Kings? Not going to happen. I’m a lot better than they are.” She’d already been paid for the last kill. Some contracts tried to renege on their deals, but she liked to put them firmly in their place. No one fucked with her. “Sloppy work on the drug bust.”
“You know something about the drugs? It’s why you went in there. Tell me what it is you know.”
She scoffed. “I know nothing.” She went to turn on her heel but Boss grabbed her, pressing her up against the concrete wall, his grip firm. She tried to pull away, but he captured her hand, locking it up tight above her head. He was stronger than she expected.
“I’m not in the mood for games,” he said.
“Good, because I’m not playing.”
“You’ve been playing games since the moment you got here. I’m not biting.”
“I’d say with the way you’re holding me, you’re biting just enough.” She smiled and his grip was suddenly around her neck.
It was odd, she wasn’t afraid.
“You know, the last man to hold me like this never saw the light of day again.”
“I’m not hurting you, and besides, if you really wanted to, you could get out of this. We both know that, Widow Maker.”
“You’ve been following me?” she asked. Widow Maker. The name didn’t bother her. People had a tendency to create nicknames to fit the person. She was just a woman in a man’s world, doing a better job than the cock in it. Still, she didn’t like how her body responded to Boss, or that she liked the thought of him following her.
No man would get beneath her skin.
“The man is going to live, if you’re curious,” he said.
“But he’s going to do it without a dick, and every woman is all the safer.”
“So you’ve got a thing against men? And cock?”
“I’ve got a thing against assholes who don’t take no for an answer,” she said. “Like, no, thank you, I’m not working for Killer of Kings.”
“The offer of work was revoked. You know about the drugs,” he said. “Tell me.”
“I’m not talking.”
She cried out as he suddenly grabbed her, jerking her forward. Instinct took over. No one manhandled her. She brought her knee up, and he blocked that. Next, she tried to pull free, but he held on to her arms. Again, he anticipated the move, and at each point of her breaking free, he knew what to expect. It pissed her off not to be in charge.
In the end, she dropped her entire body weight as if she’d fainted. He had no choice but to let go and catch her or she’d fall. The moment he did, she reacted, spinning around and putting a few feet between them. Now, she was near the entrance of the alley, and he was the one trapped.
“Interesting,” he said.
She glared at him, not saying a word.
“You’ve got trigger points. You don’t mind me grabbing your neck, or holding you in place, but if I grab you as if I’m about to drag you someplace like an animal, you can’t stand it.”
“You want to know about the drugs, you tell me what you’ve got, and I’ll tell you,” she said. He wasn’t going to psychoanalyze her reaction. It didn’t take an expert to know she was a woman with issues, but she dealt with them in her own way.
If Boss wasn’t right there looking at her, she’d touch her chest. Her heart raced and not that she’d admit it to him, her hands shook a little. This reaction, this feeling, it was the first one she’d experienced in months.
“That’s not the way this works.”
“This is the way I work. Take it or leave it. I don’t give a fuck!” She wasn’t going to be bullied by men or forced into doing anything.
How dare Boss try to intimidate her.
“You know, I thought you were better than that,” she said, blurting out the words before she could stop herself. She was so angry.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t care if I’m a man or a woman? Yet you used your force there to control me,” she said.
He laughed. “I don’t care that you’re a woman. It’s good to know you’ve still got feeling inside you somewhere.”
“Fuck you.” She was done with this conversation and done with him. She had more investigating to do and right now, all she wanted to do was put Boss at the top of her kill list. She turned to leave.
“El Diablo wants to see you,” Boss said.
She stopped.
El Diablo.
The only real family she had left. She stopped and turned toward Boss. “I’ll see him when I want to.”
“You can be the biggest bitch you want, but it’s not a bad move to have friends.”
This made her pause. “Friends. You consider yourself my friend?”
“I could be. I’m not the worst guy in the world.”
“But you’re still a guy. Don’t think for a second that I don’t know everything there is to know about you.”
“I doubt that,” he said.
“The man without a past.
A man surrounded in history. I’m starting to believe, Boss, that you’ve made yourself out to be invincible and you’re beginning to believe in your own lies. It’s going to get you killed. You’re just a man like everyone else.” She stepped toward him, feeling more herself with each passing second. Now that she had the spotlight and wasn’t taken by surprise, she was in her element. Stepping up close to him, she placed a hand on his heart. “You’ve still got a beating heart and it’s pumping blood around your body.” Down she went, her hand going closer to his pants. “You could die if I were to puncture just the right artery.”
“Be careful,” he said.
“Even the killer of kings can’t live forever.”
Boss could kill her. If there was ever a man who could take her on and win, it would be this man right here. Tilting her head to the side, she watched him, waiting, and then she cupped his cock. He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes briefly.
“And you get hard like every other man.” She licked her lips. “You’re not invincible, Boss. You have the same desires, the same needs. All of them wrapped up in a nice little package for anyone to open.” She leaned in close so her lips were right next to his ear. “I bet you love taking women. Willing of course, but I can imagine you fucking them. I bet you’ve broken a lot of hearts. So many women wishing to be the only thing you desire.” His cock was getting hard and to her own shock, her nipples had peaked and wetness flooded her pussy. Even Boss’s scent was intoxicating.
But this had to come to a stop. She wasn’t here to seduce the king himself. No, she wanted answers and there were many messes she needed to clean up.
Just as quickly as she’d gotten him under her spell, she pulled back. “I’ve had friends, Boss. I’ve watched them come and go so fast. It’s always interesting when it’s their ass or yours, how easy it is for them to turn on you. I’ve experienced it all. I’m better off alone. You should know that. Nice seeing you again, and tell El Diablo I’ll see him around.” She took off, running in the opposite direction as far as she could.