Nate snatched it up and glanced down, his beautiful eyes moving slowly across the faces. "I remember this well. I was seventeen and it was the day before we all stopped talking to each other."
"Someone dropped it off earlier." I tossed my apron toward the laundry basket as I walked around the counter to grab my bag. I glanced over at Sam. "What did the guy that dropped it off look like?"
"Dark hair, beanie, mean looking. Thug?" Sam smiled and reached out to grab my arm. "Be careful, okay? I don't know who he was, but I don't like the feeling I got from him."
"I will." I squeezed Sam's hand and moved back to stand in front of Nate. "You know this girl?" I brushed my finger over Denise's face.
Nate glanced up and studied my face, but didn't say anything for a minute. "You jealous cause her head’s in my lap?"
"Should I be?" I tugged the picture from his fingers as my heart raced. What game was he playing with me? Was he as innocent as he appeared to be? Surely not.
"No. She's a whore." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and moved us toward the exit. "She had her head in everyone's lap. Married some rich guy last I heard." He leaned down and kissed the side of my head. "You wanna tell me why Erik Bertinelli stopped by to see you? He's a dangerous man, Jenna."
I stopped and turned to face him. "No, I don't."
He nodded. "All right. Can I ask that you stay away from him? He kills people for a living."
I glanced down the street and tried to think through what the fuck I was going to say.
"Jenna." He gripped my chin and forced me to look back up at him. "I'm going to ask nicely once. Stay away from Erik. He loves beautiful women and doesn't care who's involved when he finds one he wants."
"When is the last time you saw Erik, Nate?" I reached out and touched the side of his ear. "And how did this happen?"
"Funny you should ask." He took a step closer and glanced down at me with an intensity that scared me as much as it turned me on. "He came by this morning to deliver a message."
"What?" I took a step back. "Erik did this to you? With what?"
I reached for him again, but he gripped my wrist and pulled it just behind his back, trapping me to the front of him.
"His gun. He's a cold-blooded killer, baby. Why are you involved with him? Tell me so I can figure out a way to get you out of whatever you're getting into. Does this have to do with your brother? Tell me so I can help you."
"Would you?" I wrapped my other arm around him and forced myself to stare into his eyes. I needed to know. "Would you kill the girl in the picture if I told you that she killed my brother? Would you help me?" I ran my hand over his ass and squeezed softly. "Please?"
He nodded. "Of course I would, but it seems like you already have all the help you need, baby doll. Erik is the killer here. Not me."
"I thought you wanted me away from him." I moved into step beside him as he turned and walked us toward his bike.
"I do, but if you're contracting him to kill someone, just make sure you're really ready to be deemed a murderer." He stopped by the bike and picked up my helmet, handing it to me.
"Would you still want me if I was?" I put it on and got on the bike.
He smiled and shook his head. "And here I thought I was falling in love with a good girl for the first time in my long life. Seems like I'm playing the fool here, angel. Is that the case?"
I shook my head 'no' and waited until he got on the bike to snuggle up against him. After pulling up the face guard I leaned in toward his damaged ear.
"Did you love her at one time, Nate?"
He turned and popped up his guard. "What?"
"Did you love her? Denise?"
"Her name isn't Denise, Jenna, and no. I've only loved one woman in my life." He popped his face guard back down and turned, starting the bike and pulling out into the mid-morning traffic.
I had no clue where we were going, but truth be told, I didn't care. Erik wanted me to understand the connection before I pulled the trigger. I knew it now. They were all old friends.
It was a warning. I was risking my relationship with Nate by killing one of his childhood friends, but maybe that wasn't the case. From what I could tell, Nate wasn't going to stand in my way, nor throw me out on my ass if I came back with blood on my hands.
I only had to decide if I was capable of taking a life. Maybe Nate was right. Maybe getting Erik to do it was the best way of keeping myself from regretting the moment my life changed for as long as I lived.
Either way, one thing was for sure. Nate wasn't going to leave me hanging dry when everything went down, nor was he willing to get involved.
He might not love Denise, but he had feelings for her. I wanted to know the extent of them before I moved another step forward.
25
Nate
I took her back to my place, which wasn't the brightest idea I'd had lately, but then again, keeping an eye on her was my top priority. She'd stepped into a world that was too big for her. Too dangerous.
That Erik Bertinelli was trying to play savior to my girlfriend left me with the sound conclusion that the fucker had fallen for her too. I wouldn't be caught off guard again. If he wanted to find her he'd have to come to my place and come through me.
And this time, I would be ready.
I sat in Mikey's favorite chair, watching Jenna sleep soundly while curled up on my couch. After fixing her a big sandwich, I turned on some TV and cleaned up the kitchen. She wanted to talk, but I wasn't ready. I didn't know what to say, and the idea of opening up left me feeling vulnerable.
She wanted someone to kill Ash, but it would only be in her pulling the trigger that she would ever gain peace. It was sick. Fucked up. But it was true. I knew the truth all too well.
If I let her go with Erik, and she took Ashley out, then we'd kill two birds with one stone. She stabs me in the heart by killing one of my childhood friends, thereby letting Mikey's theory play out in tit for tat, and all at the same time, save me from whatever horrid death Ash had planned for me. It was only a matter of time before Ashley showed up and pulled a gun on me.
She didn't trust me anymore. I couldn't blame her.
I was sleeping with the enemy.
My eyes moved around Jenna's pretty face as I studied her full lips, long eyelashes, button nose. Could a sweet woman like her actually pull the trigger? My cock grew thick just thinking about it.
"Stop it," I whispered softly.
How fucked up was it that mine and Ashley's tricks were coming back to bite us in the ass. Ash had given up years of her life to play wife to some shrimp dick rich boy, or old man really, for the first time, and what had I done? Killed for the umpteenth time? And now she was going to die because I'd fallen in love with the wrong girl?
I got up and let out a long sigh before walking to the kitchen and kneeling beside the dishwasher to pull out the vodka. The small shot glass I used was already sitting out by the sink. Odd, but whatever. I needed to lose myself for the night. Maybe Jenna would wake up horny and forget the need to play twenty thousand questions.
Could I kill Ashley? No.
Could I forgive my girl for doing it?
"I don't know." I filled up the small shot glass and threw it back. Bitter. Really bitter, but I ignored it.
Would Ashley ever in a million years have let someone hurt me? No. Never. I'd used and abused that poor girl more times than I cared to admit, and she still loved me. She loved me no matter what happened.
I left the shot glass sitting on the side of the sink and decided to drink deeply from the bottle instead. There was no way around the situation. Well, none that I wanted to take advantage of.
Jenna killing someone might be hot, but we were all underestimating Ash. She was a violent, sick bitch. She was partially my bitch, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight.
I needed to do something. Fast. I took another drink and wiped the back of my sleeve across my mouth as I groaned in pain. The liquor burned so fucking good.
&
nbsp; "Nate?" Jenna's voice surprised me.
"Hey." I set the bottle down and moved toward her. "You all right? You passed out while I was rubbing your shoulders."
"Yeah. I'm good." She rubbed her eyes and leaned against me as I wrapped my arms around her. “Nate. I need to know who Denise, or whatever her name is to you.”
I bit my lip and stared at her. “She’s an old friend, but I need to tell you something. If you wanna leave after or stab me with a butter knife, I get it.”
“Tell me then.” Her lips pursed into a tight line.
“She called me a few days ago, beside herself because of her newest guy biting the dust. I didn’t know it was your brother, baby.”
“And?” She put her hand on her hip as her eyes narrowed. If I wasn’t about to lose the best thing in my life, it would have been hot.
“And I went over to your mom and dad’s to help support her so she wouldn’t have to be there alone.” I slipped my hands into my pockets as my stomach soured. I couldn’t tell the whole truth. I just couldn’t risk losing her over a fucking mistake.
“And you figured out then that your old friend was with my brother?”
“Yeah.” I glanced down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t put two and two together.”
“Did she kill my brother, Nate?”
I locked eyes with her. “I don’t know, kitten. I wouldn’t put it past her. We’ve run tricks in the past, but I don’t know.”
“Tricks?”
“We’re not from the right side of the track, Jenna. You know that already.”
“Right.” She glanced up toward the ceiling. “I honestly don’t know what to think.”
“Then don’t think anymore. I wasn’t involved with your brother. I was just doing an old friend a favor by going over to the house. I thought nothing of it.”
She lowered her chin and tilted my head. “Do you know how fucked up it would have been if you and I ran into each other over there?”
“Yes. I’m glad we didn’t. I didn’t think anything of her request.”
“I know. You’re repeating yourself.”
"Right.” I let out a short sigh. “I don’t feel so good. Stay with me tonight. I need to feel you against me."
She nodded. "Okay. This subject is not over.”
“Alright. Fine.”
“I need to take a bath. I feel gritty." She crossed her arms over her ample chest as her expression relaxed. I hadn’t gotten away with shit, but at least we were done talking about it for the night.
"All right. I'll run you some water. I got some sweats and a t-shirt you can wear." I kissed the top of her head and moved around her. The situation felt too domesticated, and yet I was comfortable in the middle of it. Growing up on the streets and having no one or nothing should have had me pulling back, but I wanted so badly what Jenna represented.
I pursed my lips as the doubts started to rage deep in my skull. I didn't deserve what Jenna offered, what we could be.
The image of my hands wrapped tightly around Ashley's first husband's throat rolled through my mind's eye. He’d screamed and cried for her to come help him, but she stood quietly beside me, only giggling softly every so often. I fucked her in the room where the old man lay dead before leaving for a long night of violence back at the apartment.
Sickness rolled through my stomach, and I reached out and touched the wall. I was a monster. I should kill Ashley.
"Nate? What are you doing?" Jenna's voice was so soft, so sweet.
"I'm not feeling so good, baby girl." I glanced over at her and lifted my hand to stop her as she started to strip. "No. Don't do that. Not yet. I feel ill."
"Do you need me to help you get to the toilet?" She moved toward me as my knees went weak.
"No," I mumbled and knelt toward the ground as she tried to pull me up. "Jenna, stop. Fuck. Back off for a second." I swatted at her, and she jerked back with a yelp. "Something's wrong, baby. Seriously."
"Let me call 9-1-1." She walked out of the room as I crawled toward the toilet.
What the fuck had I eaten? Drank? Nausea rolled over me in thick waves as I reached for the toilet and missed it, vomiting on the floor all around me. I'd never heaved so goddamn much in all my life.
I pulled out my phone as I rolled onto my side and blinked in and out of consciousness. Someone had to help get my big ass up and down the stairs. I wasn't going to make it.
Not Mikey. Erik. Would he help?
I dialed the number, hit speaker and put the phone on my chest as my breathing became more and more labored.
"What?" Erik barked into the phone. "I wasn't where I could-"
"Erik," I moaned softly. "Dude, I need help. Something is-"
"Fuck. Where are you, Nate?"
"Apartment. My-"
I glanced up as someone moved into the doorway, her hair much too light to be Jenna's.
Erik's voice poured through the phone. "Get the fuck outta there, man. You know as well as I do that Ashley isn't going to sit by idly and wait for you to show up-"
"No, she's not." The woman walked into the room and picked up the phone. Ashley. Fuck. "Hi, Erik. I look forward to you coming after these two. I'm not thinking there's going to be much left when you get here though."
She tossed the phone in the tub and reached for me, grabbing a thick handful of my hair as she turned me around and pulled me toward the living room.
I groaned and grabbed her hand, but I had such little strength. "What are you doing, Ash? You know I wouldn't hurt you." My voice was nothing more than a whisper.
"You're gonna love this." She moved and sat down on my chest as I cried out. Everything hurt.
"Get off. Fuck, please, get off." I pushed at her, but my arms were so weak.
"It takes about twenty minutes for the drug to go from making you feel sluggish to giving you so much energy you could knock down buildings." She leaned down and ran her fingers over my lips. "One makes you hot under the collar. Two makes you so horny you could fuck farm animals and three of them? Well, we know what three of them do."
"What did you do?" I tried to turn my head as my stomach contracted tightly.
The sound of someone's muffled screams almost stopped my heart. Jenna. Tied to a chair, in nothing but her panties and a bra.
"No. Let her go. She wasn't going to hurt you, Ash." I turned back to face the girl I thought would love me forever. "Hear me. Let her go. Seriously."
"Oh no. You had the chance to help me." She continued to play with my mouth. "I am going to leave soon though, but you should be prepared. She's not drugged."
"No." Terror raced through me and I pushed Ash with all my might, barely getting her off the top of me. I rolled onto my knees with the last bit of strength I had and stuck my finger down my throat, trying to force myself to throw up the contents of my stomach.
"Good luck. That shit rushes through your bloodstream so fast." Ashley stood up and wiped her hands before turning from me. "He's going to fuck you until you wish you were dead. Zandra's such an incredible drug when taken in the proper doses, but a little too much, and bestiality. It's horrible. I've seen some crazy shit, Jenna. And one pill too many?" She laughed loudly as I gagged over and over, getting fucking nowhere. "Death. Poor Darek. He misunderstood the instructions. I like it hard and rough... one pill too many?"
Jenna went nuts beside me, the chair hitting the floor hard and jolting my nose against the hardwood beneath me. I groaned as my pain dissipated and warmth rushed out from the center of my stomach, dancing along my nerve endings and leaving me famished.
"Nate. One more present from me." Ashley brushed my hair to the side, and I rolled over and grabbed her, licking and sucking at her wrist. Everything about her looked good. Really good. I needed to fuck her long and hard.
"Ashley. Goddammit.” I pulled her down toward me and she laughed.
"No. Jenna’s all yours. I'm giving her to you." She extended her hand and dropped a little white pill on the floor beside me. "Here you go. One more of
these things and you rape her all night long. You're welcome."
She stood and I glanced over at the pill, realizing what the fuck she'd done. The shot glass. I’d known something tasted bitter in my first shot of vodka. Lust burned through my veins, my cock so hard it felt like it might crack.
"Shit," I groaned and slid my hand down into my pants, wrapping my fingers around my swollen flesh and pumping fast and hard. Tears burned my eyes and I glanced over at Jenna, who was crying hard. "It's all right. I won't hurt you."
I cried out again and turned away from her as every part of me screamed with violence to rip her out of the chair and throat fuck her until she begged me to stop.
"No," I whispered against the floor and continued to jack off.
The extra pill. I rolled back over and our eyes met.
She shook her head and moved her chair toward me as I reached for the pill.
"It's good. It's better this way, baby. You're not meant for a guy like me. I promise you aren't." I grabbed the pill and gripped it tightly in my hand as a scream ripped from my throat. My orgasm violated me, stripped me of my dignity, forced me to keep pumping my cock though it hurt to do so.
"Nate. No!" Her voice was sharp, angry. "Look at me, goddamnit."
I turned toward her as tears dripped down my face. She’d somehow worked the gag off her mouth, but it clasped tightly around her chin instead. That shit had to hurt. "I'm not scared to die, Jenna."
Another moan ripped through me, and my back lifted off the floor as I came clear up my stomach, hitting myself in the chin and chest with it.
"No. This is stupid. We love each other. Don't you take that goddamn pill. Do you hear me?"
I lifted it toward my face and moaned loudly. "You had half a pill and you let me spank you like a whore." I forced a smile on my face. "Two of them. The fucking bitch put two of them in my drink somehow."
"Then make love to me. All night. You've been promising. Don't leave me here to watch you die." She screamed and bounced, pounding her chair against the floor.
"No way. You don't make love like this. You deserve better. This is all my fault." I rolled onto my stomach and slipped my other hand into my jeans to stroke my balls. "Turn the other way. Fuck. Please."
Captain Hotness: A Single Father Bad Boy Novel Page 74