by Nicole Snow
Two big Colombians were in the hall. They had a sheet stretched between them, a body weighing it down.
Same bastards who were there when the distributor's boy died and started this fucking mess. Had one of them mopped up Jenny's blood too?
Surprise, assholes!
I saw my dead wife's face when I pulled the trigger. The men screamed and dropped their bundle. One man went down instantly, grabbing his blown out chest. The other, I hit in the shoulder. He fell against the elevator they'd been heading for. It dinged and the door opened.
The Colombian toppled halfway inside and drew his gun. I hit the floor. Bullets whizzed past, nailing the wall.
I counted each one, dodging the fiery bath. What a fucking disaster to catch lead when I was this close! I rolled, felt something bite my side, right in the hip.
Shit! The heavy metal doors were sliding shut when I got a good aim. Hit the fucker right between the eyes and he went flat, just as the elevator sealed him in, a sleek moving tomb for his dead ass.
“Cassie! Cassandra!” I screamed her name, including the long form I'd never used.
Hoped like hell I'd killed them all. I limped forward, grinding my teeth. Pain shot through my hip, radiated up my side. My fingers brushed the hole below the waist and touched wet blood.
The body! Fuck, babe, please don't let it be you...
Lady Luck smiled right at me when I stood over the writhing figure on the ground. I saw her grin in Borzia's grimace. The fuck was still alive! And wheezing like some poor bastard who'd sucked up gas in the trenches a hundred years ago.
Too bad I was no soldier, and this asshole was no POW. There was no surrender and no mercy waiting in my hands.
I grabbed him, noticing the cuts and scratches on his face. He kicked his legs and slurred his breath harder as I dragged him along, straight to the wide open bedroom. My gun was at his head.
If he had any guards left in there, I'd take his ass out before they killed me.
“Where the fuck is she?” I growled. “Where's my girl?”
I looked up and saw her on the bed. Her dress was torn and she lay cold, unconscious.
Fuck! I dropped his shaky body and ran to her. If he killed her, I'd dismember his ass several times over before he was buried...
“Babe! Wake the fuck up!” She wasn't cold. Thank fuck.
Her eyelids fluttered open after several shakes. She groaned and took a swipe at me with her fingernails. Glad I'd kept them long because it must've helped her slice the fucker behind me.
“It's Evan, dammit! Calm down! Can't you see it's me?”
She stopped struggling. Blinking over and over, her eyes slowly focused, and she whispered my name. “You came. I was starting to worry you'd –“
“Forgotten your sweet ass? No, babe. Not now and not ever. Sit up and try to stand. I got one more thing to deal with...”
“Evan, you're bleeding!” She yelled after me, but I couldn't stop. Had to finish this shit, had to sign off on the death warrant I'd come to deliver.
I turned and nearly had a heart attack. Borzia was gone.
Fuck me!
My hip was burning like a wasp burrowed through my skin. I rounded the corner, holding my fucking breath, wondering where he could've –
“Asshole! Come to Papa!” He hadn't gotten far.
I literally stepped on his ass, taking the pain shooting up my leg as I drove my weight down. Borzia howled, sputtered, coughed. He'd barely limped down the hall and toward the elevator, humping up and down on all fours like the injured jackal he was.
Threw his head in a death grip and started to walk, hauling him inside. Cassie looked on in astonishment. I loved her like nothing else, but I wasn't stopping to celebrate. My free hand pounded the flimsy door leading to his master balcony.
Borzia grunted and choked some more when I hauled him up, forcing him on his feet. Slamming him against the wall outside, I looked into the eyes of the asshole who killed my wife and kept my son his hostage for two goddamned seasons.
“Remember me, you bastard? Or is your psycho brain already so damaged you can't recognize this face?”
He coughed. Fuck, it was tempting to snap his neck or choke him right there, but I eased off. Had to let the fuck-head confirm he was lucid, one way or another. He was gonna die, but this shit wouldn't be half as satisfying if I was murdering a zombie.
The poison hadn't killed him dead like I expected. Who the hell knew what else it had done to his system short of frying him?
“Answer me, motherfucker!” I rattled his fucking bones when I shook him.
“The cartel...answers to no one. Especially you,” he coughed, his voice a harsh, jagged whisper. “So...kill me then. You think...you think you do yourself a favor, Cole. You know – you understand – family runs thick. Have your vengeance and watch it all crumble...your son...your sister...your slave puta. You kill me and they'll die too.”
“Shut up!” I slammed him against the wall again, euphoria flooding my system when I heard him swallow fresh pain. “I'm not the stupid jackass who was on your payroll. We both know your asshole family will come no matter what I do. I let you go, I'm hunted. I kill you, I've got the biggest fucking bounty on my head since bin Laden. Guess which one I choose?”
I picked him up like an overgrown puppet and swung him around. Borzia screamed. I thrashed his ass around a few extra seconds, closer to the balcony's edge, just enough to realize what was about to happen.
“No! Cole! No no no no no –“
Steadied his ugly face one more time. Bastard! I'd never stop thinking this was the last set of human eyes except my own that looked on my wife as she bled out.
I threw him, hard as I could. Steep fucking drop. His scream was loud and long, orgasmic music in my ears before the breaking glass drowned him out forever.
Several custom sun rooms were built between this balcony and the pool's deck. He cracked through both of them and kept on going, shredded by countless shards. I didn't need to see his torn up bloody body on the fucking ground.
It was done. Over.
The fire in my hip reminded me we weren't clear and free yet. I limped inside, grabbed Cassie, and began to lead her to the elevator. She protested the whole time, begging for me to slow down and stem the bleeding.
“We'll figure that shit out when we're with Izzy and my son. Come on. I know you're fighting through the shit he did too...”
All the guards were dead, or else they'd fled, thinking the carnage I'd sown was a full on assault from a rival cartel. I'd executed the bravest, and only the fucking cowards remained.
The maid at the bottom of the steps screamed again when we stepped out of the elevator. Cassie didn't bat an eye at the dead Colombian who rode with us. My heart pounded.
I'd given this girl enough blood for a fucking lifetime. No more after this, no more when we were free and clear.
I waited 'til we were outside and staggering through the gate to reach for my burner phone. The signal was distorted on the shitty flip phone this far out in the boonies, but Izzy's voice was there, high and anxious.
“Evan? What the hell happened? Is Cassie with you?”
“Just meet us out on the service road at the coordinates I gave you. We're all safe. Watch out for cops and DEA. They'll be swarming this fucking place any second.”
I didn't give her a chance to answer. Clicked the call off, snapped the phone in half, and threw it toward the nearest sand dune.
Cassie squeezed at my hand. Her strength was all that kept me moving, leading her across the wasteland. Thankfully, I'd chosen a route that had mostly flat ground, right between the rocky hills. A few more miles and it would come out at an old weighing station, where she'd meet us.
We struggled on through the emptiness, nothing but her and me.
When the place was in view, I paused, and let my hand slip on her shoulder, bare where the asshole had torn the strap. “Fuck, babe. If you weren't wearing poison on your lips, I'd drop you in the dirt
and kiss you 'til you couldn't remember shit about today.”
She smiled. Hot blood soaked my trousers and the pain gnawed deeper, making me wonder if I'd even make the last stretch to the open road.
Fuck it. Her smile was enough, and it belonged to me.
From this day forward, her heart, body, and soul were mine. I've always been a jealous bastard and a possessive one too. All feelings aside, one thing was crystal-fucking-clear.
She'd saved my ass, and I saved hers. We were more than lovers, more than sir and slave, more than love and hate. This woman was the missing piece I thought I'd lost forever when Borzia murdered my wife, and now I was gonna put her in place with fucking superglue.
No other asshole was gonna threaten to tear her away from me again. Ever.
XIII: Free and Clear and Twisted (Cassie)
I'd never been north of Klamath Falls in all my life until we fled. It all happened so fast.
One minute, Evan was on the ground, and I had my bloody hand on his wound, stemming the endless blood. Izzy came with the little boy, just like she said she would.
We were off. Time blurred. The balmy autumn breeze of California gave way to chillier winds by the time we hit Olympia. Colder still when we crossed the border, discarded the car, and got on the ferry in Vancouver.
The ship had a doctor waiting for us, and Heather was there too, brought north by the nurse they'd hired. Evan had thought of everything, and it was a good thing he had. The doc cleared my concussion and saved him from getting blood poisoning just in time.
I remember his gloved hands rubbing my lips, applying something to neutralize the poison, all while Evan fell into a deep dark sleep more like a coma than sweet dreams. Izzy sat outside the little sick bay fashioned out of a normal cabin, bouncing her nephew on one knee.
When the doctor finally removed my IV and let me go, I found her outside. She looked up and smiled. Ty stared at me curiously, mumbling some sweet nonsense that only kids can understand.
“Is it really over? Do you really think we're safe?” I was wringing my hands.
I'd been too deep in fighting for my life and then too happy to see Evan to feel the fear until now. It all hit me at once. Borzia said men would avenge him.
Is this my life now? Forever on the run, without any place to call home?
“It's done. He's a fuckup, sure, but I trust him. There's no way he hasn't taken every precaution to keep us safe. Don't think there are any cartels operating where we're going.” She smiled and winked.
Damn. I hoped she was right. Despite weeks on the outside, I realized how little I still knew about the great beyond, especially this place with glacial winters and half ton bears called Alaska.
It was cold, and it got dark so damned early up here.
Outside, the snows piled higher, heavy flakes that had been coming down all day. Now, they fell from the sky like ash from a distant volcano, blanketing our whole world.
I thought I understood what winter meant, but I didn't have a clue. On the plus side, the tall house we moved into right outside Anchorage had three fireplaces, perfect for keeping us toasty.
I stared out the window at our frozen wooden balcony, into the night, just like I'd done for months since we moved here. The snows started a week after we moved in, silencing the fall's bright hues. I didn't like the Alaskan darkness, no matter how beautiful the sunrises were the next morning.
It reminded me too much of things I wanted to forget: death and decay, torture, Daddy, the Prophet and Borzia. All the monsters who made me suffer.
Staring into the fire instead helped. It was always enjoyable, especially when we were downstairs, Ty's childish murmurs building in Evan's arms. The little boy wasn't nearly as screwed up as we'd feared.
He bounced right back. I only wished I could say the same about Heather. She was making good progress every week when I went to Izzy's new place and visited her, but there was a long way to go. Seeing the cult crumble in front of her eyes was a serious shock, and the outside world was a greater one still.
But I didn't need a crackling fire to forget about winter, the past, and focus on the future.
I had something better. I had him.
I was relaxing with a glass of wine when I felt his hand on my shoulder. I turned, carefully feeling for his leg, sliding my way toward his hand and brushing his cane.
“Can't wait to lose this fucking thing. I'm tired of it getting in the way.” Frustration boiled in his voice.
“Just a few more weeks. You're doing better every day.” I grabbed his thick hand and laid it against my cheek.
Yesss. This is it. A hundred times better than any fire. His heat is what really holds off the darkness.
“What about you, Cassie? You've been quiet as a damned mouse today. Good thing you're plenty beautiful to make up for it.” He stroked my jaw, and I shivered as sharp fires ignited deep inside me.
God, I still couldn't handle his touch like a sane woman, even after all these months...
“You're not supposed to call me that...”
Evan laughed and shook his head. “Fuck me. We're alone, babe. We can use our own fucking names in this house. Lila's fine – you picked it out – but I still prefer Cassandra.”
“I know we understand that. But will Ty? Or should I say, Jacob?”
The warm humor on his face melted. “Shit. You're right. Just wish I'd put a little more thought into these damned names. They're gonna be with us for the rest of our lives, fresh social security numbers and all...”
“No need to fret about it, Bruce.” I stood, smiling and folding my arms around him, brushing my lips over his.
I liked his new name. It was strong and masculine and a little dangerous, even though the new private security business he was setting up was a far cry from the hired killer he used to be. I pulled at his robe.
We could change our names, but they didn't erase the past. Evan's was right here beneath my hands in dark ink, dreadful and seductive, double crossed swords that never ceased to fill me with envy and lust.
I worried about living up to Jenny's legacy as the perfect wife. Obviously, he was into me. Plus the boy and I went together real well, but would it last forever? Would he ever engrave my love and the tragedy we'd shared into his flesh?
I was running my fingers gingerly over his hard chest when he reached out and took my wrists. He held them in both hands, pouring pure fire into me through his bright eyes.
“Need to get you some ink soon, babe. I said you're mine, and I'm not gonna let you forget it for a single fucking second.” He pulled me in with one twist.
Flat against his chest, excitement raced through me, turning my blood to thick hot honey. I sighed deep and then inhaled him, burying my nose in his scent.
“You're not the good girl who left that damned cult. Not the one who left California behind either. You know what you are?”
He brought his forefinger and thumb to my face, gently tipping it up to his. I already saw the answer in his eyes: mine. Nothing less.
“Yours?” I whispered, loving the goosebumps prickling at my skin.
“My fucking everything. Cassie, Lila, I don't give a single shit what name you go by. You're my babe, and all you've got to worry about now is carving out a new life up here. Anything you want is yours, woman. Anything.”
I felt like I was talking to the biggest badass genie in the world. I giggled at the silly thought and covered my mouth, redness lighting up my cheeks. I'd been reading folktales since the world outside turned to ice, all the crazy fantasies from far off places I'd been denied as a girl. The Arabian ones were my favorite.
It was better to laugh than consider the endless possibilities. I wanted to give cooking another try. Maybe I could help Izzy with her new restaurant when it opened after Christmas. Playing with Ty was fun as hell too. The rambunctious little boy introduced me to a whole world of video games and challenges I had to focus to keep up with.
“Go on. Let me smoother that fucking doubt and
confusion in your eyes. One day you'll show me what you want, Cassie, even if you don't know it yet. Right now, I know what's on your brain...”
Yeah, he does...
His big hands smoothed down my back, stopping to cup my ass. He pulled me to him and squeezed. Evan's cane toppled to the floor and we fell backward, tumbling to the bed, pulling me with him.
My hands swept over his chest and I spread my legs, throwing my head back when he caught my robe. Being his went both ways. I was his property, and he was mine, his beautiful tattooed flesh was mine to explore, to savor, to pleasure.
He tugged at my belt and threw my robe off. I helped wriggle out, reaching down to open up his.
Even on the bottom, he was in control. He guided me onto his shaft, ready and pulsing with hunger. I settled on his cock, pumping my hips, drawing him deep into the soft, warm heat begging to be filled.
Evan's fingers meshed against my ass. He steadied me, feeding my lust, the perfect position for gliding flesh against flesh.
It didn't take long. It never did.
Soon, the fireball in my core swelled, hot embers ready to streak out and burn the furthest corners of my body. He grunted, jerking me harder against his hips, quickening my natural movements.
I came. Muscles wound and exploded, an avalanche heavier than any snow and ice outside. Pleasure surged in my brain, and one of his hands went up, pushing me flat against him while my hips still worked.
Evan's lips covered mine. His tongue pushed into my mouth, fucking my lips as I struggled for air. So rough, but so damned right.
And it wasn't over yet.
His heat exploded in mine a second later. He roared hot breath into my mouth, curling his tongue around mine, smothering me in his kiss.
Fuck! Take it, babe. Take all my fire. Gonna weld your sweetness to my strength for the rest of my life...
His lips sucked and played with mine. We came off our high, his come still hot and thick inside me, our kisses settling into gentler waves.
“You know I went out today,” he said, pulling out and settling me next to him. “Aren't you curious why I hit the road in this shit? It wasn't just the gym.”