by Penelope Sky
If those restraints weren’t on my wrists, I’d take him down. It would be my last act, and at least I would be doing something productive with it.
“Any last words?” Joe asked.
I snorted until a wad of spit was in my mouth. Then I spat on his shoes. “Fuck off and pull the trigger.”
He stared at the top of his shoes, which were now covered in my spit. Anger came on to his face, but instead of telling me off, he nodded to one of his men. “Kill this asshole.”
I kept my eyes focused on Joe, knowing the bullet was coming any second. I would die the way I lived, strong and fearless. I was caught with my guard down and that was my fault, but I could still leave this earth with respect and dignity. I hoped Vanessa wasn’t watching. I didn’t want her to see this. My death would be the best thing for her, but I didn’t want it to haunt her for the rest of her life.
The gunshot went off.
Then another.
I closed my eyes, swallowed in darkness. It didn’t hurt the way I expected, didn’t feel numb either. I’d been shot many times, but not in the head. It didn’t feel like anything had happened at all.
Then I heard two bodies fall. One, and then two seconds later, another.
I opened my eyes and saw the commotion around me. Two of the four henchmen were dead, and the others were trying to identify where the shots were coming from.
A bullet hit one of the two in the left eye, sending them crumpling to the ground as their brains flew out the back of their skull. The man standing behind me on my left jerked when a bullet pierced his chest. He fell back, his body landing on the coffee table and shattering the platter that had once belonged to my mother.
Joe was all that was left.
He pulled his pistol out of his harness and aimed.
I pushed my body forward and knocked him over, making him hit the ground and drop the gun.
Vanessa pinned it under her bare foot and kicked it behind her. She stood in the black teddy and garters I’d asked her to wear, looking downright sexy while holding the shotgun in her hands.
Jesus Fucking Christ.
She marched over to Joe and pointed the barrel right in his face. “Move, asshole. I dare you.”
He lifted both hands into the air in surrender.
I got to my feet and found a knife in the kitchen. I slit the cable tie in half and let the knife drop to the floor before I walked back to the entryway, seeing Vanessa still standing on top of him.
Joe wasn’t nearly as brave as I was. Sweat marked his forehead, and he heaved with his deep breathing. His hands shook, and he pleaded under his breath, his whispers sounding like incoherent phrases.
“Baby, what are you waiting for?” I grabbed Joe’s pistol off the ground before I stood over him.
She stepped back and righted her shotgun. “He’s all yours.” She kept walking back, her bare feet hitting the hardwood floor until she was a safe distance away. “Make him pay for what he did to your mother.”
I held the pistol at my side, more entranced by this woman who took down four armed men by herself, headshots to almost all of them, than by my nemesis on the floor. All she’d had to do was keep quiet and hide somewhere, and all of her problems would have disappeared. But she’d risked her life to save me.
The monster who kidnapped her.
Like a wet dream, she killed my enemies in the lingerie I asked her to wear. Her hair was around her shoulders, and her heavy makeup made her eyes dark and lustrous. This was a fantasy I never realized I had.
And it was reality.
I turned back to Joe and raised my gun right at his face.
He put his hands in front of his face. “Look, there’s gotta be—”
I shot him in the face twice and once in the chest.
His body went limp, the blood pooling in a puddle on the hardwood floor. His eyes were wide open, and his hands fell to the floor beside him. His suit was ruined, and now he was a dead corpse in the graveyard of his men.
I stared at the face of my enemy, at least, what was left of it. My mother finally avenged, and more importantly, this guy couldn’t hurt anyone else. The leader of the Tyrants was killed, along with his top men. I’d killed the rest of them on the street, so hopefully that wiped out most of the organization.
The barrel was empty, so I tossed the gun on the ground, hearing it make a loud thud once the metal clanked against the floor. The silence was somehow louder than the sound of gunshots. It was louder than my frantically beating heart. I’d thought I was going to die just minutes ago, but now I was standing over my enemies.
Because of her.
She set the shotgun on the floor, no longer wanting to touch it now that everyone was dead.
She could have let me die.
She could be free right now.
But she saved me.
I turned to her, speechless for the first time in my life. I didn’t know what to say. I was enemies with this woman, and she was enemies with me, but we managed to look the other way in light of the connection that stretched between us.
I could feel that connection now.
She stared at me, her chest rising and falling hard because the adrenaline hadn’t passed yet. She didn’t have a drop of blood on her, but I had it splashed on my collared shirt.
I unbuttoned it before I let it fall to the floor. Then I moved to her, my eyes set on her just the way they were when she shot me in the snow. She did something so ballsy that I couldn’t stop myself from wanting her. She did something that impressed me, and I wasn’t the kind of man who was easily impressed.
My hand slid into her hair, and I kissed her in a way I never had before. It slow and sexy, and my arm wrapped around her waist to keep her as close to me as possible. I breathed with her, the adrenaline emerging for a whole different reason entirely. I wasn’t scared of anything.
But I was scared of this woman.
I lifted her into my arms and carried her down the hallway, our kissing commencing because nothing was going to slow them down. My cock was so hard in my slacks, so hard it actually hurt. I needed to be buried inside this pussy. Not later after the bodies were dumped. Not after I explained to Max what had happened.
Now.
I dropped her on the bed and pulled her black thong down her gorgeous legs. She worked my slacks, getting them undone so my cock could be free. They weren’t pushed all the way down because neither one of us wanted to wait that long.
I parted her legs then sank inside her, my cock sliding through her wetness until I was completely buried within her. I should thank her for what she did, say something about what just happened. But there were no words to describe how I felt about it.
This was the only way I could express myself.
She moaned when she felt all of me, her nails clawing deep into my back. She grabbed my ass and pulled me deep inside her, breathing against my mouth as she took all of my cock. She rocked back into me, taking my thick length with the same enthusiasm.
My hips thrust over and over, and my body began to slicken in sweat. I wanted to come, but I never wanted this to end. I wanted to stay just like this, my hard cock buried inside this gorgeous pussy. I wanted to be connected like this indefinitely, to share this heat. Nothing else seemed to matter except the two of us.
Because nothing was as important as the two of us.
5
Vanessa
Why did I do it?
I don’t have an answer.
I could have let him be executed. It would have fixed my problem without getting my hands dirty. I wouldn’t be responsible for his death, and once Joe and his men left, all I had to do was walk out.
And be free.
I would have saved myself.
Saved my family.
But when I watched them put Bones on his knees and bind his wrists, I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t let this be the end of him. It wasn’t fair. He was trying to avenge his mother, and he shouldn’t die for protecting his family.
I made my decision without looking back.
I found the shotgun in his office and ran back down the hallway. I’d never handled a shotgun before, only handguns. But I aimed true and hit my mark every time, making their bodies fall to the floor. I took them all out before they even understood what was going on.
The only reason I didn’t shoot Joe was because I shouldn’t be the one to kill him.
It had to be Bones.
I stepped aside and let him have his revenge. I let him get his closure, let him have the peace he’d been searching for.
And then I let him have me.
He took me to his bed and fucked me all night. He stayed on top of me, giving me all of his big dick as his body got hot and sweaty. Every time he finished, he was ready to go again in a few minutes.
And we kept going.
We didn’t exchange a single word. He didn’t ask for an explanation, and I didn’t give one. We communicated with our bodies, screwing each other’s brains out. My pussy overflowed with come because he’d never give me so much before. Every inch of my skin had been kissed by his lips, and by the time we finally went to sleep, my pussy was sore.
He held me in his arms as we slept.
When I woke up the following morning, he was gone.
The bed was empty and cold because he’d been gone for hours. I sat up and searched for him around the room even though I knew he wasn’t there. I got out of bed, pulled on a new pair of panties, and grabbed one of his t-shirts. It was way too big for my frame, but it was the most comfortable piece of clothing I’d ever worn.
Because it was his.
After putting on a pair of jeans, I stepped into the hallway and saw him talking with Max in front of the elevator. They were speaking quietly to each other, so I couldn’t catch what they were saying. The ground was clean of blood, and the bodies were gone. They shook hands before Max disappeared into the elevator.
Bones stood there even after his friend was gone, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the doors to the elevator. He obviously didn’t expect his friend to return, but his brain was full of endless thoughts.
I emerged from the hallway, stepping out exactly the way I did last night—when I killed all those men.
He turned to me, dressed in his gray sweatpants without a shirt. Ink covered his skin everywhere, the black color weaving endless stories across his muscled physique. He watched me with a stoic expression, hiding his thoughts from me as best he could.
I knew everything was different now.
I crossed a line I couldn’t uncross, and now we had to discuss what that meant.
Bones had to end the blood war against my family. He owed me.
And he knew it.
He dropped his arms then approached me, his broad shoulders powerful and the look in his eyes gentle. His hands moved to my waist, and he kissed me, a soft kiss that was just lips. He pulled me tighter into him, and my tits pressed against his body.
Whenever I was with this man, everything about my life faded away. All I knew was I wanted more of him, more of this feeling he gave me. He made me feel safe, and if he were ever in danger, I wouldn’t think twice before helping him. I needed him to be alive. I needed him to be safe. I shouldn’t care whether he lived or died, but I cared from the bottom of my heart. “You got rid of them…?” My arms circled his waist, and I rested my face against his chest.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Max helped me dispose of them. We dropped them in Lake Garda.”
“You’ve been awake for a long time, then.”
“I never went to sleep.” His hand moved under the fall of my hair, and he rested his chin on my forehead.
“Do we have to worry about the rest of his men?”
“Unlikely. All they’ll care about is who will replace him, not who will avenge him. Besides, they’ll be afraid of me now.”
“Do you feel better…now that he’s gone?”
He stepped back so he could look into my face. “I do.” He rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. “Because of you.”
We sat across from each other at the kitchen table, our plates empty because we’d finished our dinner. Bones didn’t eat much and spent most of his time drinking his scotch. I sipped my wine, not in the mood for a big dinner either.
Bones stared at me across the table, his fingers resting on the rim of his glass. Sometimes he spun his fingers around the edge, his callused tips rubbing across the surface. He’d already had two glasses, so now he seemed to be pacing himself by purposely slowing down.
I stared at the beautiful man across from me, knowing he deliberately wasn’t speaking. We both knew I could have turned my cheek and let him be executed in his entryway. I could have hidden away and waited until his murder was finished. If I hadn’t picked up that shotgun, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.
That meant the relationship had changed.
But how much did it change?
Bones downed the rest of his glass before he set it down. He licked his lips then rested his forearms on the table, the corded veins protruding from his tight skin. His muscles were thick and veined, and he was a beefy man who seemed too heavy to sit in his chair. “You could have let me die.” He finally started the conversation, got the ball rolling.
“I know.”
“You could have hidden until they left.”
“I know…”
“But you didn’t. And I don’t understand why.” He didn’t look down once, holding my gaze with his ice-blue expression. He showed his affection all night and morning, but now we couldn’t pretend there hadn’t been a major shift underneath our feet. Like an earthquake had struck, the ground was cracked and broken, and now the foundation had been completely destroyed.
What was left?
“Why?” he repeated.
I didn’t have a concrete answer, and there hadn’t been much thinking that went on. It was all instinct. I only had seconds to make up my mind and intervene. If I’d sat there and tried to decide what I should do, he would have been killed. “I couldn’t let you die. It’s that simple.”
“But my death would have fixed all your problems.”
“I’m aware…” I could be back in my apartment right now, the shackles free from my ankles and wrists. My family would be safe. Bones was my tormentor, and he kept me as his prisoner for two months. All I had to do was nothing. “But I just…” I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
“Look at me.”
I refused.
“Baby.” His tone was hard and soft at the same time.
I breathed a sigh before I shifted my gaze back to him.
“Just what?” he whispered.
“You’ve done horrible things to me. You aren’t a good man. You’ve threatened to kill my family multiple times…but you’re such a big part of my life now. You’re the man I’m sleeping with, the man I get jealous over, and the man who makes me feel safe at night. There’s two different versions of you. There’s the one I hate…and there’s the other one. If I let you die, both of you die.”
He remained absolutely still, motionless like a statue.
“You’re right, I could have let you die. No one would have judged me for it. But it’s because of me that you were able to get revenge for your mother. You were able to put that vendetta to rest so you can move on with your life. Now you owe me.” I swallowed the emotion in my voice and found my strength to remain strong. “You owe me for saving your life. And you owe me for giving Joe to you.”
“They’re one and the same,” he whispered.
“What does it matter?”
“Because I owe you for one thing, not two.” He rested his fingers over his empty glass. “And you’re right. I do owe you. I’m an honest man who honors my debts. You saved me when you didn’t have to, and I—”
“Spare my family.” I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted my family to be safe from his wrath. I wanted them to continue their peaceful lives. They
were so happy and had so much to be thankful for. If Bones threatened them, all the peace they worked for would be destroyed. “That’s what I want. Nothing else.”
His chest rose and fell heavily with the deep breath he took. “You know I can’t do that…”
My jaw almost dropped. “Are you fucking kidding me? I could have let you die—”
“I know. But you need to understand that your parents took everything from me—”
“Your father took everything from you because he was a psychotic rapist. He kidnapped my aunt, raped her, and then he killed her right in front of my father. And then he raped my mother, who’s the best woman on this planet, and my father didn’t just let the past repeat itself. He did something about it and saved her. If you’re going to sit there and act like your father is the victim in all this—”
He raised his hand to silence me. “Baby, I understand—”
“Don’t fucking ‘baby’ me,” I hissed. “Leave my family alone. I saved your life so you could get revenge for your mother. You owe me, asshole. You fucking owe me. If your father wasn’t such a piece of shit, he would be alive right now. He wasn’t a good man, and we both know it. So shut up about it.”
His face remained stoic, and he didn’t get angry like he usually would. “I’ve heard you—loud and clear.”
“Then you’re a psychopath just like your father.” I crossed my arms over my chest so I wouldn’t smash the bottle over his skull. Now I really did want to him kill him.
“I have something else to offer you,” he said calmly.
“There’s nothing I want more than my family’s safety. That’s all I want—nothing else.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” I countered. “What does that even mean?”
“You saved my life, and now I’ll spare yours. We’re even. I promise I’ll never hurt you, Vanessa. I’ll never lay a hand on you. I’ll never try to kill you. Regardless of how I feel about your family, you’re safe.”
I stopped breathing because the offer was tempting. I was always scared that he might change his mind and send me to the guillotine. Every day was a gift because he could take it away. But now I wouldn’t have to live with that fear anymore.