“He told you about it didn’t he? The girls we raped and branded as them.”
Again she shook her head yes, fearful of what would happen if she didn’t. This was not the time to be strong or disobedient. Brax let her get away with it. This man would not.
“It does make me wonder why he would tell you so much, and yet never marked you as his.”
Annie froze, unsure of what to do. Was that a question?
“Don’t worry pretty girl, you’re going to get his mark now.” From his back pocket he pulled out a switch blade and flipped out the knife. “Benny, I think you should do the honors. It’s only fair since you brought her to us that you go first. Let’s call it your first initiation as a Grim.”
“Gladly,” Benny told the man while taking the knife. “She’s been a pain in my ass since Ax first met her. It’s about time I return the favor.”
Benny stepped toward her, calm and calculating, per usual. There was nothing she could do to stop him and laid still on the floor, trying to refrain from emotion. She learned once in one of her USC courses that rapists and murders get off on emotions. They want you to fight and scream; it’s all part of the excitement. If you don’t give that to them, their drive begins to falter. This is not to say they won’t go through with what they intend, but they may not enjoy it as much, and sometimes that small amount of satisfaction can make a difference.
Bending down he straddled her waist and placed the tip of the blade on her forehead, dragging it down to her nose and then her lips, chin, neck and ended right between her breasts. She thought at first he meant to cut her, but it had only been a scare tactic. He wanted her afraid, imagining what was to come.
Continuing with the knife he brought it to her shirt, applied pressure and let it cut through, just a small slit and then used his hands to tear it open before bringing the knife back to her bra where he cut through that as well, exposing her to the room. Annie closed her eyes, not in embarrassment, but in defeat. This was really happening.
Benny set the knife down near her head as he worked to unbutton her jeans and she thought for a moment maybe she could reach for it. Could stab him in the eye and let the others do their ill will. At least it wouldn’t be him. If Brax ever found out, it would crush him to know of this level of betrayal. Her fist opened and clenched as she considered making a move. Would she even be fast enough? Did he set the knife there on purpose, just to taunt her?
Glancing up at him she watched as he focused on pushing down her pants. They were skinny jeans, form fitting, but he could have easily removed them in a rush, instead he was taking his time. The Baller Grim leader noticed his leisure as well, and ordered him to hurry the fuck up. That was all he apparently needed to hear; didn’t even bother getting her pants off all the way before flipping her to her stomach.
Annie tried her best to hold back the tears, she didn’t want to give them the satisfaction, but a few broke through. She could hear Benny behind her, unfastening his belt. The knife still sat nearby, but from this angle it was useless. She felt his hands move to her hips where he tore at her underwear, ripping it from her body and she braced herself for what was to come next.
Tactical extraction wasn’t something that came natural for mobs like the Emmo; their usual game revolving more toward insertion, but Ax had given orders and they needed to excel, or the game they spoke of would be over. The girl was to make it out alive; no ifs, ands or buts.
Protocol when taking back what was theirs normally involved excessive gun power and while that night would be no different, they needed to start off silent, ghost-like; no one could hear them coming.
Treading lightly, they ran through the streets, some on the ground and others from a higher perspective, perched on the surrounding rooftops; their rifles with a sniper scope magnification of over a thousand yards. The local law enforcement that tagged on to their expedition had no knowledge of the men above them. They were there for backup support only. Any Grim stepping foot out of the building was to be shot on sight. At the end of the night, Ax only wanted one story, and it was going to be his.
The men approached the three-story tall, red-brick warehouse and Ax signaled for team Beta and Charlie to surround the building, only to advance once the first shot was fired. Team Delta was ordered to the roof; a handy fire escape in place to assist with their ascent. Team Alpha, Ax’s team, was to invade through the front, the main doors only guarded by two Grims, but there would be no sneaking up on them.
The parking lot may have been dim, but it was large in diameter. They were going to have to attack head on. That was where the detectives became useful, each carrying a far range Taser able to shoot a distance upward of thirty feet.
Ax glanced toward the Tasers, holstered at their sides and both detectives engaged, running forward and ejecting the metal probes. The two men went down instantly, not a word from them while their bodies seized on the ground.
Ax let the detectives lead the way, let them push through the heavy sliding metal door while he bent down and brought a knife to each Grim’s neck, cutting deep and thorough.
The main door of the warehouse opened to a small square room with a hallway leading both left and right. Ax didn’t know this building. He knew nothing of the rooms or the halls, or if it was all above ground for that matter; they were going in blind, and they were going to have to split up. He didn’t like that idea. It meant there was a fifty percent chance he wouldn’t get to her first, but he had no other options. He had to trust if his men found her they would know what to do. It didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t trust anyone, ever, and now he was forced to trust them with the most important thing to him.
Choosing wisely, he pointed at five of his men, ordering them to go right. Detective Mak went with them. He’d hoped Detective Stevens would go too, at least then he’d be able to wreak havoc how he deemed fit, but no such luck.
Going left, he led the way; his gun still holstered with only a knife for protection. Keeping silent was key. One loud noise, one shout, and they’d know they were there.
Continuing forward they came to a set of stairs, scaling each step slow and with care. Ax’s heart pounded with fear the further up they went. Time was running out and yet he had to move with caution, couldn’t run to her like he craved.
At the top of the steps a Grim paced back and forth and Ax reached out an arm, rapidly snaking it around the man’s neck and bringing his other arm up to apply excessive pressure. The man couldn’t focus on fighting back, too worried about the lack of blood flow to his brain and as he passed out in his arms, Ax turned to Detective Stevens, looked him straight in the eye, and snapped the man’s neck. To his surprise, Stevens didn’t seem bothered. He seemed to understand, and even support, the death of this man. Releasing the body, Ax set him down in the corner and continued on as if nothing happened.
The second floor spanned several rooms and they cleared each one, killing seven more Grims. Stevens even took one of the kills, understanding it was kill or be killed, and Ax began to feel more comfortable with him around.
By the time they made it back to the second set of stairs, their other team was coming up the first, and they were suddenly all back together again, ready to embark on where Annie was sure to be, as well as at least thirty more men if Trevor’s numbers were correct.
Ax found himself wondering and worrying why all the men would congregate on one level. What were they doing? Realization exploded through him and all of a sudden he no longer cared about being quiet, about going slow. He was late. He was too late.
Racing up the final stairwell, the rest of the guys followed in his wake, their footsteps loud and echoing. This time he did take his gun out. He was going to blow the head off of every motherfucker he saw.
When they hit the landing, an abundant amount of Grims were scattering in all directions, sending fire their way as they ran, forcing them back for cover.
Still hidden behind the wall, Mak shot two deceiving rounds down the stairwell whil
e Ax snuck a look onward. He had to duck when three bullets were fired back, but at least now he knew where they were hidden.
In a succinct movement, he leaned around the wall and shot off two rounds before moving back to safety. It was almost funny when the audible sound of two bodies dropping sounded only seconds later. Almost funny because Annie was still in there. He could have just been shooting toward her.
Conversing with his men, Ax requested cover while he exposed himself to scan the room. One man was to shoot decoy shots down the stairs while the others only shot to kill. There would be no further blind shots.
On his cue they did as they were told, including Mak and Stevens. Ax peered around the corner once more, frantically searching for her as the shots rang loud in his ears. It wasn’t long before he found her and what he saw sent him straight to his feet, consequences be damned. She was bruised, he’d known this going in, but what made his heart stop was her lack of clothing. She was face down on the floor with no shirt to speak of, and her pants around her knees.
“Fuck!” he screamed, possibly louder than the ammunition continuing to pierce the air. At that point Ax lost all sense of reality, all grasp on smart choices. All he knew was he needed to get to her, no matter what. Needed to tell her he loved her, that he’d make them pay, that this was all his fault, that he was so sorry, that he would never forgive himself.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, his legs crossed the room, carrying him from one side to the other. His gun up and aimed, he used it as often as he had the chance, pulling the trigger eight times in a row, each time as fast as you can snap your fingers, and each bullet meeting a target.
When he finally reached her, he didn’t kiss her like he wanted, didn’t tell her everything he thought he would; he lifted her up, squeezed her tight and ran for the nearest cover, anything to give them some sort of safety. Unfortunately, there weren’t many options and Braxton had to make due with a corner, his body the only thing shielding her.
Bullets continued to blast around them, he could feel a shell as it breezed past his ear, only a hair away from hitting before it lodged into the wall beside him. Annie’s hands clutched at his sides, her soft touch letting him know she was still safe, still breathing. Braxton ached to get back into the action, to rip the heads off each and every one of the fuckers who thought they could get away with hurting her, but he refused to leave her unprotected.
Reaching a hand to his side he clutched hers, held on tight, his only form of console. Another stray bullet flew toward him and this time it struck, hitting him in the shoulder. He should have felt the pain, should have yelled out, but he wasn’t worried about himself, was only focused on her.
Blood began to seep down his arm when another bullet hit him in the thigh. This time he did yell out, couldn’t help himself. The Grims were losing, they were turning their fire on him, a last ditch effort to cause as much damage as possible, the damage they sought out to do in the first place, and all he could do was pray it would be over soon, hope he would make it through long enough to keep her safe.
Braxton squeezed her hand again; three succinct squeezes, hoping to translate into the three words he wanted to tell her, but couldn’t. Annie began to sob beneath him. He could feel her small body trembling. She thought his squeezes where meant to mean something else. That his I love you was meant as a goodbye, an end to him, to their relationship, but what he was trying to tell her was quite the opposite. If he made it through, their lives would never be the same again. Their love would be stronger than ever before. His gesture was really meant to reassure her it was not the end for them; it was the beginning.
Silence eventually engulfed the barren building except for the sporadic calls of clear from each man still standing and Braxton finally relaxed, breathing out a sigh. They did it. It was over.
Pushing back off the wall he wasted no time wrapping her in his arms, holding her close, breathing her in. She held him back just as hard, as if she would never let him go. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” he whispered over and over.
“You came,” she said through a sob, tears streaming down her face, her voice quiet and raspy.
“You thought I wouldn’t?”
Annie averted her gaze.
“Baby look at me,” he cradled her face in his hands, urging her to look up. “I’ll always come for you. Do you hear me? Always.”
“But I-I was going to.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“You know?”
“That you were going to take the money? Try to leave me? I know. And I deserved it. What I did. It wasn’t okay. You should have taken the money. Should have ran far away. I promised you once I’d never hurt you and I broke that promise. It will never happen again. Never,” he stated once more and waited for some sort of response, his pulse beginning to race when she said nothing. “Do you still want to leave?”
Annie’s voice was weak. She wanted to tell him she would never leave him, that she forgave him, that she broke a promise too, that she would be better for him too. Instead all she managed was a shake of her head and whispered, “no”.
“I’ll let you. If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. Not this time. You can have the money. Take it and live somewhere safe where you don’t have to deal with all this shit.” Braxton motioned with his eyes around the room, finally noticing the men standing around them, inconspicuously listening to their conversation while avoiding their gazes. She was still naked, too weak to have the care or desire to cover herself.
Reaching behind his neck he gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it off, the sleeve was soaked with blood, but it would be better than nothing. With all the care in the world, he settled the shirt over her head, helping to get each arm into the sleeves. It hung low enough to cover her entire body.
The big, bad mob boss was suddenly being soft and affectionate. His men had never seen this side of him before and stayed unusually quiet, unsure of what to say or do. The officers in the room stood in shocked silence as well, but for different reasons. For them, they just received the unequivocal proof that Braxton Cage was the notorious mob boss they all thought he was, but thinking it and seeing it in front of you are two different things. He was still wearing his Kevlar, but that didn’t stop the Emmo tats from standing loud and proud. And not just the tats, but the raised brand on his forearm; the significant mark only a leader would need to have, but Braxton didn’t care. None of that mattered. All that mattered was her. He’d figure things out with the detectives later. He knew this day was coming and he’d taken precautions for when it did.
“Home,” her voice cracked.
“You want to go home?”
Annie nodded.
“Phoenix?” He clarified, but she shook her head. Braxton had to stop himself from smiling smugly when he asked his next question. “Home with me?” When she nodded again he couldn’t help himself as a shit eating grin stretched across his face. “Then that’s where we’ll go.”
Home wasn’t their first stop, but Braxton was content in knowing it was where they’d end up. Instead their first stop was the closest hospital as he was still sporting two serious bullet wounds and Annie was suffering from extreme dehydration.
Multiple ambulances were waiting for them as they exited the warehouse and the EMTs immediately started a drip line, but it wasn’t enough, and her doctor later informed him they would be keeping her a few nights, if not longer.
Braxton only left her side to have the bullets extracted from his shoulder and thigh and the wounds stitched up. He had lost a lot of blood during the altercation, but refused to have them set up a room for him. He didn’t want to be away from her for any longer than necessary.
The doctors tried to argue with him, insisting he needed a transfusion, but like any others who try to undermine his wishes, they received only an earful of fowl language and zero compliance. They could go fuck themselves.
Braxton hobbled back to Annie’s room and found her in a deep sleep. The nu
rse explained to him that sleeping was the best way for her to heal. They’d given her medicine to keep her under and she’d likely be out of it for the next twenty-four hours. Still, he wasn’t leaving her.
Pushing over a metal, armed chair, he sat at her bedside and gripped her hand. He didn’t ever want to let go.
The nurse watched in the doorway before leaving and returned minutes later with a second chair. “Here,” she said with a thick Italian accent. “Put your leg on here. You should keep it elevated.”
Reaching down she lifted his leg by his calf and settled it on the chair. It made him feel fucking helpless she had to assist with such a menial task, but still, he had to admit, it was nice to be taken care of.
An hour later, just as he was about to doze off, the nurse returned with a portable IV unit equipped with a bag of saline and another bag of type O negative blood.
He wanted to tell her no, to fuck off, but she’d been so helpful before, he didn’t want to turn her away now. Instead, he offered his arm and let her continue with what she deemed needed.
Annie blinked open her eyes, Brax was by her side, his head drooped to the side as he slept. Everything was blurry, she couldn’t get a sense of reality.
The next time she woke was to voices. There was another man in the room. He was talking to Brax in a hushed tone while he pulled items she couldn’t make sense of out of a black bag. Brax looked over and noticed her semi lucid state.
“Shhh Baby. Go back to sleep.” Reaching up his hand he fiddled with something on her IV and she was forced back to unconsciousness. The world black; void of anything and everything.
Twenty-Seven
Poorly fitted rolling shades covered the large square window, allowing the bright, mid-morning sun to blare through at every edge. Annie blinked open heavy eyes, letting them flutter several times before taking in her surroundings; white walls, a sink in the corner and a TV monitor above. She didn’t recognize a single thing and it took a full minute before she finally recovered her bearings. The hospital. She’d gone to the hospital.
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