Ghostface Killer ~ M. Never

by Never, M.

  “I’m requesting to be reassigned,” he complains dryly.

  “You are not. Quit crying.” I laugh as I open the sliding glass door leading into the kitchen. I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and toss one to Gun. Then I chug half the bottle right where I stand.

  “Gun, quit checking out my fucking wife!” Baz’s voice rings aloud. I lower the bottle and look at Gun. His hands are up in confusion. “I wasn’t lookin’ at anything.”

  Through the doorway, I spy Baz, Gianni, and Gianna all sitting at the dining room table.

  “Ignore him. He likes to stir up shit.”

  I strut into the dining room in my spandex leggings, sports bra, and loose tank top. It’s not even like I’m wearing anything sexy. And I just had a baby. My body is far from bangin’.

  “Why are you trying to cause trouble?” I kiss Baz on the head as I pass by him. Audie is sleeping soundly next to him in her portable rocker. I loop around the end of the table and take a seat next to Gianni, who’s sitting at the head, and across from Baz. Gianna is sipping coffee quietly to his left, giving me the stink-eye, of course.

  “Did she wake up at all?” I ask Baz as I pour some coffee from the silver carafe.

  “This child hasn’t batted an eyelash all morning,” Gianni takes it upon himself to inform me.

  “That’s because she had a dance party in her bassinet all night.”

  “Madone!” Gianni wags his hand in the air. “You’re gonna have your hands full with this one.” He looks down at her adoringly. She has every man in this house under her spell.

  “Both of them.” I don’t exclude Baz.

  He makes a silly face at me, and I laugh.

  “Good morning, Miss Stevie.” Frederick appears by my side brightly. “What can I get you for breakfast?” I look up at the tall, thin man dressed in black butler attire. I squint from the sun shining through the wall of windows beside me.

  “Oatmeal, please.”

  “With raisins and brown sugar?”

  “Yes. You know how I like it.” He introduced me to it.

  “Very good.” His satisfaction is abundant.

  I sip my coffee as I watch Baz dote over our sleeping daughter. He can barely take his eyes off her, and I can barely take my eyes off him.

  “Where’s Desmond?” When he’s not off running an errand for Gianni, he usually has breakfast with us.

  “I don’t know. Still sleeping, maybe? He had a late night.” Baz pops his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Oh.” I nod my head in understanding.

  Audie makes a little sound, and he swiftly turns to check on her.

  “Is she up?” I peek over the table top.

  “Nope, just fussing.”

  “I need to feed her.” My breasts are starting to ache. If she’s not up by the time I’m done with breakfast, I’m going to pump.

  “Stevie?” Gianni places his knife and fork on his plate. He’s dressed neatly in a white Polo shirt, and his salt-and-pepper hair is slicked back like he just got out of the shower. “I have some business in the city tonight, would you be interested in accompanying me?”

  “No, she wouldn’t,” Baz snarls.

  “Baz—” I go to argue, but Gianni just raises his hand slightly, telling me to leave it.

  I sit there with my jaw dangling. This is an awkward position. I’m married to the head of the family, but Gianni is the puppet master. He pulls all the strings. Makes all the decisions. Baz is essentially a silent partner. Who do I listen to without pissing anyone off? You don’t say no when the boss tells you he has business and wants you by his side. If I wasn’t married to Baz, I would be no different than Bull or Gun. I’m muscle. A bodyguard, a killer. I have a debt to pay, and Gianni is going to hold me to it. That’s how this institution works. And I want to prove my loyalty. I don’t want there to be any doubts. I’m committed to Baz and Audie and Gianni, and even Gianna. She may not be my biggest fan, but I’d protect her and RJ, just the same.

  “Baz, I think I should go.”

  “You’re not going.” The green of his eyes burns in the sunlight. It almost looks like they’re smoking.

  I don’t get a chance to reply because Desmond walks into the room. He doesn’t look well. Pale as a ghost, actually.

  “Desmond?” Gianni sounds concerned. Desmond doesn’t verbally respond, just reaches inside his crumpled jacket.

  “Gun!” Bull shouts and chaos ensues.

  Desmond opens fire, shooting up the room. We all hit the floor as the bullets fly, shattering glass, destroying dishes, and obliterating breakfast. I scramble under the table. Baz and Audie are too far away for me to reach. Gianna is screaming, Bull and Gun are using their bodies as human shields, all while Desmond creates havoc.

  Without thinking, I reach up onto the tabletop and feel around for a piece of flatware. I grab a handle and yank, producing a knife. It’s dull, but it will do. I just need a distraction. Sucking in a breath, I raise up onto my knees and fling the heavy sterling silver knife across the room. Then I duck. I hear a pained sound, and the shooting stops. That’s my window. As fast as a cat, I climb onto the table and leap across the room, tackling Desmond onto the floor. Bull and Gun pounce as I wail on Desmond’s face until it’s bloody. It all happens so fast, it takes my mind a second to catch up with my body.

  “Baz!” Terror grips me as I fly across the floor to my husband and infant daughter. No, God. Please no, God. No.

  The rocker is sideways, and there’s a red stain on Baz’s side. He’s curled in the fetal position with Audie screaming in his arms.

  “Baz!” I screech as I pull on him. He pops his head up, guarding Audie even from me. “You’re bleeding.” I pull his T-shirt up, frantically searching for the wound. But nothing’s there. I pull his shirt down again, and the red stain is clearly visible.

  “Is it her?” I look at Audie, but she seems fine. Thank God.

  “I think it’s ketchup.” He dabs his finger against the stain and takes a lick. “Definitely ketchup.”

  My body sags. I just lost three years of my fucking life.

  “Get him out of here!” Gianni bellows as Gun and Bull subdue Desmond on the floor.

  “No, wait.” A sensation I haven’t felt in a long time rushes through me. The urge to kill. Everyone in the room pauses to look at me. “Take Audie and Gianna upstairs,” I instruct Baz.

  “Stevie—”

  “No,” I shut him down at once. “Take our daughter upstairs.”

  Baz’s eyes widen. Not from fear or intimidation, but from recognition.

  He doesn’t say a word as he stands, clutching Audie. I give her a kiss as she squirms and cries in his big arms. Turning to watch him leave, I find Frederick beside himself at the door. My heart breaks for the old man. His world was just shattered. His son turned. That’s the ultimate betrayal.

  Several other guards have entered the room at this point, assessing the damage, but I just want to be alone. Alone with Desmond.

  “Everyone get out,” I announce, and Gianni’s gaze bores into mine. We have an unspoken conversation. He knows what I need. Who I am. And what I’m capable of.

  “You heard her,” he backs me up.

  “Put him in a chair,” I direct Bull and Gun. “We’re gonna talk.”

  The other guards vacate the room, taking Frederick with them. The look in his eyes . . . It’s devastating. I feel for him. My heart imploding.

  Once it’s just the five of us, Bull and Gun slam Desmond into the seat at the head of the table.

  “I’m anxious to see you work.” Gianni gives me complete carte blanche. “I’d like to know what rumors are true.”

  “All of them.” I sit on the edge of the table, directly in front of Desmond. “You’re a shitty shot,” I insult him. “And you just utterly destroyed your father. Why?”

  Desmond looks away, his long, dark, messy hair falling into his face. That’s when I’m struck with recognition.

  “You.” I clutch his chin and je
rk his head forward. “I knew I recognized you. You’re one of Regina’s boy toys.” He was the guy in her study the day she sent me after Baz.

  “I’m not a fucking boy toy. We’re in love.”

  He’s delusional. Regina doesn’t love anyone but herself.

  “Jesus Christ. Regina and her fucking golden snatch. She brainwashed another one.” I laugh. “She doesn’t love you,” I set him straight. “She’s using you. She sent you on a fucking suicide mission. That’s not love. That’s manipulation.”

  Desmond clenches his jaw, rage radiating in his pretty blue eyes. At least I used to think they were pretty. They’re a traitor’s eyes now. Disgusting.

  “Desmond.” Gianni shakes his head, disappointingly. It’s all he needs to say. His hostility is palpable. That’s the sign of a true boss, when one word can strike fear in the people who are on your own side.

  “It was all you,” I accuse. “You were the one who told Regina where to find Baz in Colorado. Where to find us at the safe house. You were the one who gave me up after Baz and I arrived. You told her when we were getting married. You helped her try and sabotage us. Baz was supposed to be your friend! How could you betray him like that? Betray your entire family?”

  Desmond remains quiet. He knows he’s fucked.

  “Kill him,” Gianni gives the order.

  “No,” I stop him. I’m wearing brass balls today. “I’ve had enough of this. You’re going to deliver a message. I need a knife.”

  I pull up a chair directly in front of Desmond as Gun retrieves a sharp paring knife from the kitchen. Bull remains in place with the barrel of a gun pressed firmly to Desmond’s head.

  Gianni stands quietly beside me, arms crossed, morbidly engrossed in what I’m about to do.

  I pick up the knife and lounge in the high back chair. My blood is a rushing river of lava right now. I press the point into my fingertip and twist it back and forth.

  “You know, I once watched Benny skin a man alive. He started with his neck.” I show him on myself with the tip of the blade, pressing it lightly under the side of my jaw. “Did you know you can see your pulse beat beneath the skin? The muscles actually quiver with every thump.” The dread in Desmond’s eyes is actually gratifying. “Hold his head still and tilt it up.” I flick the knife. Gun, with his two huge paws, traps Desmond’s face. Desmond flails, and Bull whacks him in the stomach with his gun, causing him to double over.

  “You brought it on yourself,” I seethe. “I’m tired of hiding.” I press the point of the knife into Desmond’s neck and pierce his skin. He shakes, inhaling terrified breaths as I move the tip through his epidermis in the shape of a G. “You are going to tell Regina this ends now. I’ve had enough.” I continue to carve slow curves across his neck. H-O. I deliberately slice his Adams apple as I draw the S. He whimpers like a little bitch. “You tell her I’m coming for her. And I’m not afraid to pull the trigger.” She’ll know exactly what I mean. I finish the T, admiring my handiwork once it’s complete, blood oozing from the letters hacked into his throat. Ghost.

  “Jesus,” Gianni grunts. “I’m sort of pissed Benny found you first.”

  I eye him deviously. “I’m yours now.”

  His lips curl up in a cold, conspiratorial smile.

  “Make him a pretty shade of black and blue, and then return to sender,” I direct Bull and Gun. They both smirk darkly. Desmond is in for the ass kicking of his life.

  I rest the bloody knife on the table as Bull and Gun drag Desmond away. There’s a heaviness in my chest. Sorrow for Baz and Frederick and even Gianni. Desmond betrayed them all, and he’ll get what he deserves. If he lives beyond this evening, it will be a miracle. Regina will have him put down like a dog, no doubt. I wish I could see her face when Bull and Gun drop him on her front doorstep. Hopefully they’ll toss him out of the car while it’s still moving.

  I bet she thought she was never going to see him again. Surprise!

  “Stevie?” Gianni demands my attention. “When you said I, you really meant we. Correct?”

  “Sure.” I cop to nothing.

  Gianni raises a suspicious eyebrow at me.

  I stare back at him expressionlessly. I’ll give nothing away.

  As I climb the stairs, the steel wall guarding my defenses falls down, allowing what just happened to finally register. To affect me. Letting the devastation of what almost became my life seep in.

  He could have killed everyone I love. My husband. My baby girl. My precious, innocent, helpless baby girl. The rage is uncontrollable. The fear and the what-ifs take over my mind. I nearly crumble to my knees once I reach the door to our room and hear Baz singing softly to Audie through the small crack. He loves her so much. I love them so much. So much it’s terrifying. The thought of losing either one of them is crippling.

  I push open the door, and the sunlight shines directly in my face. Baz’s silhouette illuminates like a spirit as he paces in front of the large palladium window.

  “Is he dead?” he asks about Desmond straightaway. “Did you kill him?”

  “No.” I take Audie from his arms and hug her tightly. I can finally breathe. Nestling my face against hers, I explain. “I sent a message.”

  “What kind of message?”

  “That I’ve had enough.”

  Baz regards me quietly. “And what does that mean exactly?”

  I flick my eyes up. “It means I’m done hiding. Today was the last straw.”

  His eyebrows pull together darkly. His wavy, brown hair tucked behind his ears. “Gianni is going to work something out,” I lie to him. I lie straight to my husband’s face. To put his mind at ease. He’ll find out the truth eventually. But it will be too late. I’m not relying on anyone. I never have before, and I’m not going to start now.

  Audie cries in my arms—a wa-wa-wa escaping into the air.

  “She’s hungry. I was going to make her a bottle.”

  “I’ll feed her.” I walk toward the bed. My tits are about to explode anyway. I hand Baz Audie as I pull off my tank top and sports bra. Leaning against the headboard, I place a pillow on my lap and prop Audie up when Baz passes her back to me. He lays beside me so he can watch our daughter eat.

  Neither of us say a word. We just escape to the most important place in our world. The place where we can share our love for the little girl in my arms.

  I try to keep Audie up for as long as possible so she’ll sleep tonight. It’s a challenging task. She’s fussy because she’s tired, but we have to break her out of her backwards sleep pattern. Gianni was right—I do have my hands full with this one.

  Baz is mentally vacant most of the day, which isn’t surprising. His best friend just tried to kill him and his entire family. But I don’t want him falling so deep into despair he can’t find his way back. Audie helps me keep him grounded. Anything she needs, Baz is right there to give it to her. She’s my secret weapon. Shh, don’t tell.

  Audie is out cold by the time the sun sets. I kept her up a good majority of the day so hopefully she’ll sleep somewhat through the night. Fingers-crossed. The sleep deprivation is starting to eat away at my sanity.

  I place her in the bassinet all swaddled and warm. She’s an angel. A bonafide angel sent straight down from Heaven. Wrapped in pink with a halo of golden blonde hair. I wonder if that’s how I looked as an infant. I have no pictures. No memories. No nothing.

  Utterly exhausted, I climb onto the bed where Baz is sprawled out, shirtless, reading something on his iPad.

  I rest my head on his chest and wrap my arms around his waist. “Are you doing okay?” I ask.

  “About as well as a man can be after his best friend tries to assassinate him.”

  I look up at Baz. He doesn’t look down, just keeps his attention focused on the screen.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Turn back time?”

  “Not one of the talents I possess.” I place my cheek back on his firm chest, mindlessly drawing circles on his pec, ponder
ing why the world is the way it is. Why is power more important than the simple act of living? More important than being happy, or finding peace? I have seen so much death, inflicted so much destruction. It never fulfilled me. Not like this does. Just lying here with my husband, and our sleeping daughter safe in her bassinet.

  “Stevie.” Baz groans and grabs my traveling hand.

  “What?” I focus my eyes and realize he has an erection. How did that happen?

  “I like the way you’re touching me, baby.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “No, but it’s making me want to rip your clothes off.”

  “And what’s wrong with that? The doctor gave me the okay for all physical activities.” I drop a teasing kiss on his nipple.

  He sighs as if conflicted. He’s had a long day. I know he’s fighting to keep it together. His emotions are a battlefield. And the pressure to present himself as normal is overwhelming. I get it. I get my husband.

  Sometimes I feel like I have to be perfect.

  I don’t need perfect. I just need Baz.

  Taking matters into my own hands, I kiss my way down his chest, over the divots in his abs, stopping at the beginning of his happy trail. I look up at his face. His mouth is slack, and his eyes are glassy. “You’re just gonna stop?”

  I press my lips together. Of course, I’m not.

  Balancing on my knees I strip off my clothes, putting on a little show. My body is nowhere near stripper perfect anymore, but I’m working my way back to that. Baz doesn’t seem to mind my newfound curves.

  Baz groans once I’m completely naked, his attention trained on my larger than normal breasts.

  “Just relax, okay,” I purr as I pull his sweatpants off his body.

  “Stevie,” he hums euphorically as I trap his rocket in both my hands. I jerk lightly, causing him to tilt his head back. Just looking at his vulnerable form turns me on inexplicably. Sliding his long, thick shaft through my palms, my dormant arousal swiftly awakens. I’m wet already, and he hasn’t even touched me. Too eager for drawn-out foreplay, I drop my head, immersing his cock deeply into my mouth. He grunts when the head hits the back of my throat.