Camouflage (Predator and Prey #1)

by Angelica Chase

  Amber screamed as a bullet ripped through her passenger side mirror. I was confused in Laz’s attempt to take us out with Amber in the car. He’d apparently spent so many years caring for her and I wondered if his hatred for me was enough to make him forget all about it. They gave chase as Daniello grabbed Leroy from my console and fired out of Amber’s side, the gun going off like the small cannon it was and ripping through the metal of the trucks behind us. With only three shots left, he took his time aiming carefully and taking out two of them. I yelled at Amber, who was still shrieking with each shot.

  “Give him more bullets out of the glove box. Now, Amber, do it now!”

  Just as the trucks closed in, I turned on my headlights and saw the SUV shoot past us, launching a small arsenal at the trucks. Two of them veered off the road, engines on fire as the others pressed on toward us. Daniello reloaded and managed to shoot out the tires of another truck so that we were only left with one, that I knew Laz occupied. The truck sped in front of us and I slowed, following it until it came to a stop, knowing that I had to face him again. That I if I didn’t end this now, it would never end. Our headlights beamed into the cab where Laz stared back at me through his rearview.

  We all stayed still for mere seconds as we tried to contemplate the other’s next move. The silence was broken as the SUV skidded to a stop next to us and Rocco addressed Daniello, who was staring at me from the back seat.

  “Wait,” he ordered Rocco, who was once again spraying angry Arabic at Daniello.

  I met Laz’s eyes in the rearview, unsure if he saw me watching him. He leaned over, pulled something from his glove box, and hung it on the rearview.

  “It’s your necklace,” Amber whispered.

  “He never gave me a necklace.”

  “It’s a sweet sixteen necklace. He keeps it on him all the time.”

  A solid lump formed in my throat as I watched the back of his head. “Laz,” I whispered. It was then that I thought maybe he had loved me all those years ago. That he was just a fucked up kid, as I was, but that he’d wanted to keep his promises.

  Just as I thought it Laz pulled away and Rocco waited next to us for the word. Daniello watched me carefully and ordered him to back down.

  Confused with Laz’s move to longer engage us Daniello instructed me to follow Rocco, who seemed to know the way back to civilization. Half an hour later Rocco stopped a few towns away from Dyer and we checked into a decent motel next to the interstate in amicable silence.

  Exhausted and overwhelmed, I sank into the bedside chair as I watched my sister sleep. Was she in on this whole scheme with Laz? She’d told me she needed help, but if he was her protector, why would she ask for my help? I would get my answers as soon as she woke. Muscles aching from too many hours on the road, I opted for a shower as Daniello and Rocco argued in the room next to us.

  I stripped to nothing and let the water wash away one of the most fucked up days of my life.

  My mother was dead.

  I allowed myself to think about her and couldn’t muster one single emotion from the news of her death. I slipped into a t-shirt and shorts and walked out of the room to knock on Daniello’s door. Rocco opened it and pushed past me with his shoulder, his eyes telling me what I already knew. The man despised me.

  “Come in,” Daniello said as I watched Rocco get into the SUV and drive away.

  “Where is he going?”

  “Back to Charleston, and then home.”I shut the door behind me and watched as Daniello pulled an array of guns out of a long, sleek black bag.

  “And where is home?” He didn’t answer me as I sat at the table opposite him. He remained evasive as he loaded each gun and placed it back into the bag. I watched him without a word as the lust grew inside me. He bit his full bottom lip as he concentrated, occasionally looking through the scope of a few guns and checking the chambers. He was all too alluring as I remembered our time together, and what his lips and hands could do to me in seconds.

  Unable to resist, I lifted from my seat and walked over to his, straddling him and bracing my hands on the back of his chair. He ignored me, working around me, and kept at his task as I began to nip at his neck, breathing him in. He loaded another gun as I licked the divot in his throat, tasting the salty sweat that’d dried on him and went back for more. I began to grind my hips onto his hardening dick and pulled back after a few minutes of working myself up to see the fire in his eyes. Heat worked its way between my legs and I leaned in to take his lips just as he moved his head to dodge my kiss. With a sigh, I began to pull away when he put the gun he was holding back on the table and grabbed my hips, bringing me back to his lap hard.

  “What is it?”

  “Who is he?”

  “Just a man I know who is holding a grudge against me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t want to stay here. Because I left him here.” Admitting the truth was easy. It was the look that Daniello gave me that was hard to swallow. “You being involved in this, it’s just going to make it worse. I can handle him. I can handle this on my own.”

  He gripped my arms as his breath hit my face. “I am not going to leave you here so he can play his games.”

  “I’m going to talk to him tomorrow, and then I will leave with you.” I pointed to the table. “We don’t need all of this. No one was supposed to die tonight. He’s sick and he’s hell bent on making me suffer.”

  “Then I will handle him.”

  “It’s not your place.”

  “I am not asking your permission!” He lifted from his seat, forcing me off his lap and leaving me stunned at his anger.

  “Please,” I begged, knowing the outcome if the two men ever faced each other. “Please, just give me a day. I’ll come back to Charleston with you.”

  “You continue to gamble with your life, Taylor, as if it means nothing. Why are you so intent on dying?” He pulled his shirt over his head and slipped off his shoes as he waited for my answer.

  “I’ve never really been afraid of men or bullets. My mother used to convince me I wouldn’t live long and after she’d said it enough, I began to believe her, to accept it.”

  He remained silent as he watched me, trying to figure me out.

  “I need to go check on Amber.”

  “No, you do not. She will not wake.”

  “What do you want from me?” My voice was gravelly with exhaustion. He crossed the room wearing nothing but his jeans, his ripped chest begging for the stroke of my tongue. He hovered over me, masculine, dangerous, and beautiful.

  “Fuck me,” I pleaded. “Please, just fuck me.”

  Without hesitation, he pushed me against the door, his arms braced above me. “Why?”

  “Because I want you.”

  “And your affection for this man ...Laz?”

  “You’re jealous?” I saw his anger and couldn’t help the full feeling expanding in my chest. He gave me little time to bask in my victory as he leaned in and bit my neck. A cry of surprise erupted from me as I clawed at his bare chest. He stilled my arms, soothing his bite with soft lips.

  “God, please don’t make me wait.” He pulled me toward him, his lips still attached to my neck, and pulled my clothes off in a rush. I breathed out his name as he pushed two fingers through my waiting, dripping pussy. I leaned into his touch, thankful for the reprieve of my busy brain.

  “Do not go numb on me, Taylor.” He hissed as his digits explored me and a third finger slid into my back entrance. He caught my gasp with his mouth, his tongue stroking velvet licks against mine. Intoxicated and completely full of him, I moaned into his mouth as I kissed him. We melted together, our movements unrehearsed but perfectly synced. I pulled his cock from his pants, rubbing the silky tip with my thumb before stroking its thickness.

  He pulled his fingers from me and I sank to my knees, kissing down his manicured chest, keeping a steady hand on his cock. Once there, I worshipped him as I heard his steady exhale. He began to fuck my mouth hard, mov
ing his hips and gripping my head possessively. Without warning, he pulled me up by my hair and gripped my hips, impaling me. I screamed out in a mix of pain and pleasure as he nailed me to the wall in rough, thorough strokes. My back slid up and down the rough surface as he punished me with his cock, his eyes as penetrating as much as the muscle he was fucking me with.

  He gripped my bare breast with his teeth and bit down hard before sucking it deep into his mouth. I clawed the crown of his head, pushing him away as he pounded into me without mercy, my body tightening to the point of pain before I exploded my release. I heard the sound of our sex as Daniello flexed and moved inside me, never slowing, never stopping. Our bodies covered in sweat, we exchanged needy tongues, fueling our hunger.

  On the floor minutes later, my back screamed at the feel of the rough carpet. Daniello moved inside me, fucking me, owning me.

  I heard his grunt as he pulled away from me sharply, fisting his cock and spewing his hot cum all over my chest. He brought his soiled hand to my lips and I licked it clean as he rubbed his orgasm all over me.

  “Beautiful,” he rasped out as he circled my nipple with his drenched finger. “You are the only woman I see.”

  A large part of me melted in that moment as he looked at my body in awe. His fingers drifted down to my sex as he again pushed them inside of me. I moaned in protest, sore from his brutal cock, as he began to kiss me. Minutes later, I shuddered with release as he fingered me to the point of orgasm, twice.

  We showered together, and for the first time, bathed one another with gentle hands and shared long tongue filled kisses. We toweled each other off with soft smiles and spent the night in the dark motel, confessing from our separate pillows, my leg wrapped around his torso.

  “Home is in Italy,” he murmured as his fingers strummed my thigh. “Barga.”

  “I know it must be beautiful,” I whispered, close to sleep with the steady movement of his fingers. He pulled my thigh up to get a better reach as he whispered.

  “It is home and yes it is beautiful. It is the only place I do not feel pressure, expectations.”

  “From who?”

  He stiffened at my question, but for the first time gave me an answer. “My work, Rocco.”

  “Why do you deal with him? Just get rid of him. All you seem to do is argue.” I felt his chest move with his chuckle and pulled my head back from him slightly to study what I could of his face in the dark room. The cold air whirred through the vent and I pulled the cover over us and burrowed into his warm body.

  “If I ‘got rid’ of all the people I argued with, we would not be sleeping in this bed.”

  “Threatening to kill me again?” I rolled my eyes as he pulled me to him tightly.

  “I will make you the promise that I will never say those words to you again.”

  “Oh, well, thank you for that,” I said sarcastically.

  “That does not mean I will not kill you,” he chuckled as I pinched his nipple and twisted hard.

  “Fuck, woman,” he bit out in pain, pinning me to the bed, his hips spreading my legs as he made his way between them.

  I felt his hard stare on my face as he spoke next. “If I trust you with this tomorrow, you will not get a second chance.”

  “I know,” I whispered.

  We spent the rest of the night whispering back and forth as he told me of his home in Italy, of his one sister, Tula, and her nine children. He’d even confessed his love for airplanes and told me he owned a small one he flew at home. I only put a word in here and there as he told me stories of himself and a younger, less angry, Rocco, who was his cousin. The last thing I remembered was a caress of lips on my collarbone before I drifted away.

  I woke up just as the sun was peeking through the motel blinds and went back to Amber’s room, lying down next to her, watching her sleep. She shook and twitched, clammy, and covered in a thin veil of sweat, but remained asleep. I used to watch her for hours when she was young, worried that one more abusive hit or word from my mother would break her. But every day she’d wake up, ready to face her. It was if she mentally prepared herself in the few minutes from the time she woke up before she went downstairs.

  I wondered how’d she’d conquered her stammer and lisp. She’d spoken perfectly last night, without pause. I assumed my mother’s death had a lot to do with it. I turned to stare at the ceiling, contemplating how to get out of my predicament with Laz without more blood-shed. What I did know was that money talked in these parts and it spoke volumes. I could give him enough to start a new life somewhere. It wasn’t too late for him. I realized last night, no matter how much he hated me, how much he wanted to hurt me, I wanted different for him.

  Seeing him last night had physically hurt, though I didn’t let it show.

  But his choices were his own. I wasn’t responsible for the way his life turned out. Life after Dyer was anything but easy for me. I had struggled long after I left, at the hands of Ray, at school, at life. And why the hell was my sister so tied up with Laz? She could’ve left like I had. She could’ve done whatever it took to get out of here like I had.

  “I have a son,” my sister whispered, startling me. “They took him a week ago.”

  I turned to her with question. “His grandmother, she found I was using again. I can’t deal without him. I’ve tried to get clean so many times, but it may be too late.”

  “How can I help you?”

  “I have to show I’m capable. I have to get clean, have a stable home for him to come back to. It’s legal now.”

  “What’s his name?” I asked, curious.

  “Joseph. He’s two.” I imagined a ginger baby with brown eyes just like hers and a sweet smile. “I cannot live without him, Taylor. I fucked up. I’ll do whatever it takes. I can’t be this person anymore.”

  I nodded, knowing this I would help her with, for however long it took. “Why didn’t Laz help you?” Even as I said the words, I was glad she’d contacted me.

  “He’s a well-known drug dealer, and even if he gave me the money, Dyer isn’t where I want to raise my son. Laz never wanted me smoking and he never gave it to me. I started on my own. He lied last night to get under your skin. He’s not the monster you think he is.”

  I shook my head. “Then why all the theatrics last night, Amber? What the hell is wrong with him?”

  “I think he loves you and hates you in equal measure. I never thought he would pull shit like that when he called you. But I’m guessing he didn’t plan on extra company.” She nodded her head in the direction of the motel room next to us as her lips began to shiver involuntarily.

  “Yeah, about him,” I said as I eyed her, “let’s not air our business in front of him. He already knows too much and he wants Laz dead.”

  “Who is he?” she asked, pushing her auburn hair away from her forehead.

  “Good question. Go shower, clean up. I have to talk to Laz and we’ll get you back to Charleston.”

  “Charleston?”

  “Yeah, I live there. It’s ...so fucking far from here.” At my remark about the distance, Amber began to crumble.

  “Joseph,” she whispered, closing her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I can’t leave him.”

  “You aren’t. You are just getting your shit together.” She nodded slowly, got up and made her way to the bathroom.

  “Laz is a good man,” she assured me. “He has always been good to me.”

  “No, he’s not. He’s a could’ve been.” She pulled the door shut and I pulled some spare clothes from my bag and stuck them in the bathroom for her. It amazed me she could think of Laz that way when the situation I’d entered last night was anything but wholesome. He was getting his cock sucked by a zombie and she was being forced to watch.

  My sister sure had a contorted image of good. Then again, this was all she knew.

  I changed into a t-shirt and jeans and made my way next door, expecting to find Daniello gone. I was surprised when I found him dressed and waiting.


  I smiled and he didn’t. I wanted to go to him, run my fingers through his hair. My sex pulsed at the thought of us repeating last night. I wanted him every minute I was with him. I wondered if he felt the same. He’d been so open last night. It was obviously a fluke because he was slightly closed off this morning.

  “I think—”

  “Don’t you dare. You cannot change your mind. This is not your decision!”

  “Do you know who he is?!”

  “Yes! I’ve known him my whole life. And now, apparently, someone got an update while I was next door. How the hell did you even find me, anyway?”

  “Why even question how?”

  “Because you invade my life! You demand my body and demand answers and give nothing in return!”

  He moved to stand in front of me, his eyebrow quirked. “Nothing?”

  I blew out all the air in my lungs as he smirked. “You like seeing me this way, agitated and pissed off,” I concluded as I put my hands on my hips.

  “I like you other ways, as well,” he murmured as he slid his hands underneath my t-shirt and caressed my skin with his fingertips.

  His thick lashes shadowed perfect golden eyes as he studied me. “Just let me try this my way, if not, we can do it yours.”

  He nodded and took a step back just as Amber knocked on the door. I opened it and noted that Daniello made himself busy loading his bags and bringing them to the trunk. Apparently, he didn’t want an introduction. So I didn’t give him one.

  I handed Amber my phone, asking her to text Laz and have him meet me at our place. She had a question in her eyes but did as she was told. Driving into Dyer, there was an eerie quiet in the car. Daniello didn’t miss anything as he surveyed the ghost town and caught my eyes in the rearview. We past what would have been the town square, which was just a few buildings opposite of the other, all abandoned and crumbling brick. The further we went, the more the dread in my chest built. It was everything I’d remembered it to be: desolate, deserted, and forgotten. Desperate to escape the town I’d fled, I gripped the wheel tight as Amber stared out the window emotionless. This was all she knew.