CUT (New Adult Dark Romance)

by Cheri, Ann

  I left the boots, holding the huge pants up over my waist as I stepped out into the stairwell. The top of the stairs led out near the back of the club, and there was a good chance nobody would be looking this direction, but I still tried to look casual as I cleared the landing. Turned out I wasn’t in need of much subterfuge.

  The men were occupied.

  For the first time since I’d been here, it wasn’t girls keeping them busy. Two big men stood toward the front of the warehouse, talking to a half circle of men, the shouts and hollers echoing in the room even over the top of the music. I passed by the other stairwells that led down to the dungeons. Other girls were down there, waiting for rescue… Ducking down behind some of the furniture my fingers clenched just a bit harder around the gun in recognition. Jude was up there holding court.

  “We know Black wants us off these docks, and we know he’s going to try and fuck up the drop. Dingo says he wants me on point for this one. I’ve worked with Black, I know how he operates, and we’re going to end this tonight. We’ve got numbers, we’ve got firepower! I’m ending the motherfucking Rampant! Who’s with me!”

  I crept along the pleasure pits, moving out toward the side exit, my path blocked by a large pickup truck and a closed roll-up. No exits seemed readily accessible. The only way out was through the front, and that meant strolling right past every King in the building.

  The Kings were cheering loudly, pounding on chests and chanting their agreement.

  “Lets get the fuck out there and kill somebody.”

  The roars of the crowd was only drowned out by the roars of their engines as they climbed into vehicles just outside the warehouse. I stayed low, crouched in next to the truck as I carefully watched the club rolling out. Jude took one last look toward the back where I was kept. He seemed to hesitate, then climbed into a car and drove away. A large trucking cab without its trailer rumbled to life and followed right along.

  Black’s in trouble…

  The thought sickened me. He’d be ready for the fight, but there was no way the club I knew was prepared for this. A simple head count made it more than two to one, and the Kings knew Black was coming. There was no way to get to him. Black didn’t carry a normal cellphone and I didn’t know the number to his latest burner.

  “This guy’s off his fucking rocker.”

  “Doesn’t matter, boss says he’s got a hard on for Black and we need that asshole dead. You got your dick wet, lets get the fuck out of here.”

  The shouting voices echoed from the rear space of the club, back near the dungeons. Someone must have been back by the other women getting a little last minute fun. My head swung round to the main floor in horror, realizing there was nowhere to go. I’d be in plain view, and there was no way this disguise was going to hold up at this range…

  I leapt into the bed of the truck. My body landed inside, the pounding music drowning out the sound as I fell onto a thick metal chain laying atop a large green tarp, pinning it to the bed. I rolled, pulling a flap over my body, shivering as I lay in silence.

  The footsteps came closer.

  They weren’t talking anymore. They’d seen me. They’d seen me and I was dead. My fingers held the gun in a death grip, pointing it toward the edge of the truck bed. I wasn’t going town with six bullets still ready to go.

  The footsteps passed. My breath came in short quick gasps as they piled into the truck, the sound of the enormous roll-up opening as they fired the engine.

  It was time. I knew what I had to do.

  I’ll save you Black…

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  I bounced violently in the truck bed as we careened through the night, the air becoming more humid. This was it. My life was meaningless. All that mattered was getting one fucking shot at the asshole who did this to me. I stared up at the green tarp, knowing exactly what kind of look was plastered across my face.

  Murder eyes…

  He thought he could pull me away and tear me down, but I was already one of the Rampant. Marcus Black held my heart.

  “I’m coming for you…” I whispered, saying a little prayer. I’d never really put much faith in God. My father had shoved that little book at me my whole life, but in this moment, I wanted his help.

  Lord help me put a bullet in someone…

  If it wasn’t for the adrenaline and fear, I might have laughed. Another long turn had the speed rocketing upward. The tarp buffeted in the bed but I gripped it tightly with my free hand, keeping myself covered. In the regular cab I could only imagine the two smug Kings driving out to this drug drop off, talking about the killing and death only a few miles away.

  They couldn’t know death was sitting right behind them, and I had no intention of cluing them in until we stopped the truck.

  I thought about Black. How had he taken my disappearance? Did he look for me? Did he try to find me? A small part of my mind was convinced that he had, while the other half was pessimistic.

  Maybe he thought you ran away like a scared little girl.

  I tried to block out the self doubt, but it was right. I had run away like a scared little girl. Everything I’d experienced at the hands of the Jude. Every debasement, every night I’d spent in that little room, it was all my fault for trying to run away from my problems. Echoes and memories of the darkness were freezing my heart almost as surely as the rushing air sneaking under the tarp.

  It’s time.

  The truck rolled to a stop as I lifted the tarp, sitting up like a warrior in my little metal chariot surrounded by an unholy cacophony of sound. Nobody challenged my right to be there. In the distance, a huge cargo ship unloaded cargo one metal container at a time. It took a moment for the men in the truck to step out, the driver walking round the car to meet up with his passenger. I didn’t recognize them. To me, they were just two faceless assholes doing horrible things back in that clubhouse to the women they trafficked. The fire inside was lit and burning, and I sat quietly waiting for them to notice me.

  Someone once told me you never see death coming. By the time you notice it, you’re too far gone to care. I know that’s not really true because I saw the look in these men’s eyes. The revolver exploded, time moving ever so slowly, the metal cylinder moving round to bring another bullet to the barrel. No hesitation, no remorse. The second man didn’t even react, he just stood there with that cold stare as I put the bullet in him.

  Light shined on shimmering pools as I stepped from the bed of the truck, turning back only briefly to see the dark blood covered visage reflected back at me. I didn’t look any more alive than the men lying at my feet.

  I am death.

  My fingers trembled as I lifted the gun again, staring at the cold metal. Four bullets left. I turned to the men on the ground, reaching down to search them. One had to have a better choice of weapon. Before my fingertips could reach the fallen King, nearby shouts sent me running, one hand holding up the loose pants and the other gripping the implement of my revenge. My gunshots had opened up a whole new sound, and it took a moment to recognize what was going on. Black had arrived, and I was standing on the wrong side of the dock…

  Sparks flew off a nearby shipping container, a line of bullets pounding the metal in a long line. I ducked behind a thick stack of pallets listening to the chaos. Hollering men screamed their war cries as the battle raged. A roaring engine approached, and I watched as the big 18 wheeler rocketed by, before the whole thing careened into a stack of containers and a retaining wall. Out stumbled a bloodied King, holding his arm limply as he moved away from the smashed cab and ruined engine. I waved to him and he turned, moving toward the pallets.

  He didn’t see death coming.

  There was no going back. Two men rushed toward the big truck as I ran away. Three bullets waited in the smoking gun, a lingering threat. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. I did the only thing I could and charged toward the violence before me.

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  “JUDE!”

  The shout c
ame from the side, a shattering roar of a sound. It was Black. It had to be. I made my way toward the sound as more gunfire erupted behind me. If Jude thought this was going to be fast and easy he underestimated the Rampant. Hell, I underestimated the Rampant. The shipment was stuck behind a smashed truck cab. Three Kings were dead by my hands and the rest seemed pinned down near the water. Whatever plan Jude put into motion out here, it didn’t seem to be working.

  I threw myself up hard against a concrete wall, the shouts of Kings and explosions of bullets rattling me. Ahead, an open space was all that separated me from where Black had shouted, but there was no way I could cross it. That was no mans land, a strip between two armies. Five bodies lay dead and gone against the cool ground, not all of them Kings.

  “JUDE WE CAN MAKE A DEAL!”

  A few more shots rang out, but the night became quieter again as a second voice joined the fray.

  “NO DEAL BLACK. YOU FUCKED IT ALL UP. YOU FUCKED EVERYTHING UP!”

  It was Jude, and his voice wasn’t nearly as steadfast and sure as I was expecting.

  “I JUST WANT THE GIRL JUDE! KEEP YOUR FUCKING DRUGS, KEEP THE DOCK, I WANT THE GIRL!

  A relative quiet fell again, stretching out too long. Where were the sirens? Where were the cops? I looked back up the dock listening to the sounds echoing over the water. The crane operator continued his work, unloading the ship. It didn’t take me long to realize no help was coming. Blind eyes and plugged ears, even if they saw something, they’d know better than to report it.

  Fuck.

  “SHE’S DEAD BLACK. DEAD AND FUCKING BURIED!”

  I stared out in the direction of the voice. The Kings were crouched behind any cover they could find but from my angle I could make out at least ten of them looking toward Black’s side of no mans land. It wasn’t clear which one was Jude. My hand trembled as I pressed myself harder into my little wall, wishing I were invisible. If any of them turned this way, even for a minute…

  There was no response. No continuation of the conversation. I spun my head, staring off into the darkness.

  “YOU’RE DEAD TOO YOU STUPID FUCK!” Jude shouted one final time. Suddenly, it became clear why I was looking at so few Kings. Explosions of gunfire came from beyond where Black’s voice originated, and Jude’s group started right back up firing in their direction. Gears rolled in my head. This whole thing, the men down here on the low ground, it was all just a distraction while Jude’s men circled round. Black was surrounded, pinned….

  Dead…

  I had to let him know I was here. Without a care for my own safety I leveled the gun at one of the crouching men. From this distance, there was no question what was about to happen. I stared down the barrel, my hand steady as I pulled back the trigger.

  The unexpected direction of fire caught the Kings off guard. I watched several of them turn my direction as I dove away, my knees smashing into the concrete while bullets chipped concrete above me.

  “BLACK! HELP ME! I’M ALIVE!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Another shower of concrete fell above as I crawled backwards towards the maze of steel containers. Maybe if I could make it to them… Shouting and confusion seemed to be coming from both sides as the battle raged on. I could hear Jude among them, his voice wild as it was terrifying.

  “YOU FUCKING WHORE!”

  He wasn’t going to stay with the men. He was coming for me. I knew more than anything what I needed to do was run. My feet fought for traction as I pressed myself up from the ground, body launching itself toward the containers to my left. A guttural scream of rage followed me, the sound almost chilling enough to stop me in my tracks. Jude had seen me, and now, nothing would stop him. Like some kind of horrible wrecking ball of destruction, he was coming. A rattle of gunfire burst behind me as I gripped the edge of a container and pulled myself round wildly.

  That was no handgun. I thought to myself, feet aching and knees bleeding as I kept moving, round another stack I went, bursting between the metal towers that seemed to close in around me. The darkness was absolute, but it offered no protection. Boots crashed behind me as bursts of gunfire followed my path. My lungs burned and knees ached. I ran for my life even as screams of pain and death echoed in the distance.

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  Dead end.

  My feet carried me round another stack only to find them lined solid to the wall of the dock. I ran the final steps, my hand slamming down on the concrete as if willing it to move. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Steel rose up four stacks high on either side, a makeshift prison every bit as oppressive as the little dungeon I’d spent the last week inside. Darkness wrapped around me like a blanket, and I spun round, collapsing to the ground.

  Not like this…

  I lifted the gun toward the opening. Where I was cool and ready, now the barrel shook in my vision, tears pouring from my eyes as I hyperventilated uncontrollably. Forty feet away, the darkness loomed. Boots crashed, the monster of my nightmares for so many years coming round the edge of corrugated metal, his hulking visage terrifying in the dark. I fired, the bullet sailing past him and slamming into another container as he ducked back away from the opening.

  I’ve seen terrifying things in my life, I’ve heard terrifying things, but nothing prepared me for the laughter. Wild and without any hint of happiness. It was maniacal in its breathless wonder, and it shook me as deeply as anything ever had.

  “Like a rat in a fucking cage, aren’t you baby?”

  Jude’s voice echoed round to my little metal prison. I shook and shivered, tears pouring from my cheeks. I’d hardly even noticed the rain that was starting to fall. Fitting. Dying in the rain…

  “Let me go…” I said, my voice carrying down between the crates. Jude’s laugh tore through me again. I watched the shadow of his gun appear as he held it round the corner, letting out a small burst of bullets that slammed into the crate and wall above me. My body curled tighter, knees tucked to my chest as I shook, the gun waving wildly toward the open space.

  “Why don’t you just end it baby? Save me the trouble.”

  “Jude… Just go… Go with the Kings, take your drugs, go…”

  His laughter rose even higher. I sat shivering through every single gasping breath. When his voice returned, it was colder. “Do you think I care about the Kings? Think I want the fucking money? The drugs? The pussy?”

  “What do you want Jude?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

  “All I ever wanted was you baby… All I ever fucking wanted was you.”

  He wasn’t laughing anymore. I listened to his sobs, his guttural wail.

  “I won’t fucking live without you. You’re little whore brain can’t wrap itself around that. Can it?”

  I stood up, my feet flat against the cool ground. The tears wouldn’t stop falling and I didn’t want them to stop.

  “Gave you everything you fucking bitch. I suffered. I did everything for you. All of it! FUCKING ALL OF IT!”

  My feet padded forward, silent steps, the wailing and broken man so close. I could hear his fist slamming against the metal container. I could imagine the battered and bloodied knuckles and damaged mind behind them. Jude was my monster. I’d helped him live in this world. I’d given him hope.

  I’d made a mistake… I’d made a mistake every time I’d looked at the gun I had hidden in my closet and decided not to fucking use it.

  “Jude…” I whispered, stepping into the open space.

  Fear had drained away. My mind went blank as my ears closed off the gunfire in the distance. Nothing mattered. Nothing ever mattered. I was colder than I had ever been.

  He stared at me, the gun held tight in his hands, fingers running across the stamped metal of a beastly looking assault rifle. It rose up, aiming at my chest. Eyes shined at me in the darkness, no hint of the evil they contained. My stomach collapsed.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Jude asked as my hand moved upward, lifting the revolver.

  “Kattlyn. Fucking
stop.”

  I closed my eyes, tucked myself away somewhere deep inside. It was safe in here, a calm place where nobody could ever hurt me. There was no more time for talk. It was kill or be killed.

  I couldn’t pull the trigger… I barely heard the shot.

  “Kattlyn. MOVE!”

  My knees ached on the pavement. I’d fallen, the emotions crashing over me. Was I dead? I couldn’t feel the pain of his bullets…

  “I SAID GET UP!”

  I was still alive. My eyes flashed open and I saw him. Black was pressed up against a container, a cannon of a handgun still pointed at Jude’s collapsed body. He’d followed us… He’d saved me. My hands dropped, the revolver clattering to the ground next to Jude. I looked to the rifle still beneath Jude’s cold hands. Outside of our little hiding spot, the battle was still raging. I’d outlived my purpose, survived my monster.