After the Dust Settles (California Dreaming Book 3)

by Stacey Johnston

  Shutting down, I feel Luca’s touch, but it doesnt stir any reaction from me at all. He is mumbling to himself, words I cannot and do not want to hear. His breathing becames erratic as he increases the pressure of his fingers on my clit, in his desperate attempt to make me orgasm. My body has stilled, and is lifeless under his caressing hands. The only feeling I’m succumbing to is the one of being disentangled from my body. It’s as though I’m watching the lurid things Luca is performing on me from afar. I can actually envision it all in my head.

  My panic rises to a new level when I hear the noise of his zipper lowering, and a packet ripping. Tears are now welling in my eyes as I accept my fate. This is going to happen, Luca is going to fuck me on my own desk against my will. At least he has a minute amount of decency to use a condom. What I wouldn’t do to have someone burst in right now, and stop him from defiling my body. With my eyes tightly closed, and my tears dropping onto the wood beneath me, I prepare myself for what is about to happen.

  ‘Why won’t you let me help you?’ the voice deep inside asks of me, because you can’t – I reply.

  “Are you ready, my sweet? I tried to make it easier for you, but you’ve resisted. Now I’m going to fuck you anyway, and in any orifice of my chosing, until your body can take no more.”

  Curling my hands into fists, my tears continue to fall as he thrusts into me.

  “Ah beautiful girl, this cunt of yours is truly a remarkable thing,” he grunts, withdrawing from my body. Thrusting back in, even harder this time, the impact jerks my body forward. Well, as far forward as these ropes will allow it.

  The taste of bile sits at the back of my throat, his continuous spiel of obsenitites is making it hard to suppress my need to vomit. The vile words spewing out of his mouth, and the continuous assault his cock is inflicting on my lily has me wishing he would just kill me already. Death has to be kinder than what I’m being made to endure.

  “Ah fuck...” he screams, his body jerking as he reaches his release.

  “Exquistive, my dear. That tight cunt of yours milked my cock quicker than any of those whores your padre keeps locked up in this building.”

  Well, that wouldn’t be fucking hard, I am at least ten years younger than most of them.

  “Including your madre.”

  What the Fuck!

  Actually, I shouldn’t be too surprised that he’s fucked my madre, she is a whore after all.

  “Unlike her precious figlia, Melania loves to be tied up,” he declares, stepping out from behind me, settling by my side.

  Dropping his head closer to mine, whispering in my ear, he taunts, “And do know what she loves the most, precious one?”

  His vicious words draw my attention even though I’m trying to ignore him. Standing up straigher, he’s fisting his cock as he snarls at me. “Your madre loves it when I take this hard cock of mine, and impale it in her ass.”

  Did he really just say impale? I mean seriously, who the fuck says that anymore. If I wasn’t terrified right now, I’d be laughing at him. Now, I have visions of him with my madre that I don’t want, and could’ve lived without. Gulping, there’s suddenly no moisture in my mouth at all. The dryness of my throat is limiting my ability to swallow, it’s becoming more of a luxury than a necessity at this point. I hate to admit it, but Luca’s words are finally having an effect on me, my heart is pounding.

  Drawing out just enough courage to put up some kind of resistance, I stutter, “Is that supposed to impress me?”

  “It doesn’t matter if I’m impressing you, sweet Hadley. That little virgin, or maybe not so virginal, hole above your cunt, has been taunting me.” Creeping closer, he leans back down. “I will be burying my cock in there soon enough, and no resistance from you will stop that.”

  My face twists in a scowl. Anger boils deep within me, overtaking any fear I had been feeling. Rage bubbles, waiting for a window of opportunity to present itself.

  “Just remember, Luca, whatever you do to my body will result in me inflicting ten times that pain, in return. I will get free eventually, you can’t keep me tied up like this forever.”

  “That may be the case, but for now, I – am – in - control. Although, the idea of you on your knees, bound like this in my basement is a delicious thought.” The smirk on his face is sickening, he really is a sadistic fuck.

  I’ve always known he had a taste for kink, but never this extreme. With the way the girls around here talk, you learn more about our clientele’s preferences than you care for.

  “Are you ready for me, angel?”

  My earlier fear resurfaces, my body tensing in preparation. Panic grips me as Luca slowly takes his time, painfully scraping his nails along my body, until he’s standing directly behind me once more. One of his hands grips my ass, causing me to flinch when his fingers forcibly dig into my cheek. If his weight bearing down on me is anything to go by, I’m imagining him fisting his cock with the other. The grunts of pleasure now flooding my ears will prove to be confirmation of that.

  Pressure from beneath, on my clit startles me, my body jerking as his finger slides up along my lily, parting my lips. Sliding it inside of me, he curls his finger and drags it back – in, and out of me, digging his nail into my flesh, causing nothing but pain.

  “I need you wet, angelo, for what I’m about to do, but you’re not being very cooperative. Since you are working hard to fight against me, I’m done trying to make it easier on you. Time to take what has always been mine.”

  Balling my hands into fists, I brace for his attack. The sound of another wrapper echo’s in the silence. I know he is still speaking to me, but I’m drowning him out. His voice is nothing more than a faint whisper ghosting around the room. Instead, I concentrate on Sean, silently wishing that he was here with me. If I hadn’t been so fucking stubborn, then Luca would never have gotten close enough to touch me. If only I hadn’t been so determined to deal with my padre on my own. My thoughts drift back to my boy, and how he is going to react when he learns what Luca has done to me.

  The iciness within the room starts seeping through my skin, burying itself deep into my veins. As the coldness continues to overtake me, my body shakes uncontrollably. Scrunching my eyes tightly shut, I can feel the wetness as my tears escape once more, trickling down my face onto the surface beneath me. For people like me and Luca, fear is a valuable tool. It’s one that I have used in the past to push my victims, breaking them down so they prayed for death, willed it even, to escape the pain I was inflicting on them. It’s been a long time since it’s been me on the receiving end, since I’ve felt the level of fear flowing through me in this moment.

  Right now, I’m praying that Luca will just take out his gun and kill me.

  Willing my mind to concentrate on anything other than what is happening, I try to shut out the ramblings of the madman attempting to fuck my ass. Pressing forward, I feel his cock travelling the same path as his finger. He pushes it up along my lily, parting my lips, briefly entering me before pulling back out and continuing to the ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’ - as he so unattractively put it.

  This is it...there’s no way out..

  When he was fucking my lily, I could zone out and not allow myself to feel anything, because it was nothing. The thought of him readying himself to rape me anally, though, is fucking freaking me out. This is something I won’t be able to ignore. The memories of the night my padre whored me out to those Columbians comes crashing back into my head, flooding my eyes with visions I though I had buried. Whatever self control I thought I had is now gone. Terror rears it’s ugly head, grinning and laughing at my patheticness as it grips my insides, squeezing the life out of me.

  Gasping desperately, I fight against the terror that’s trying to crush my lungs. My heart feels like it’s about to explode, the thumping vibrates loudly in my ears. Nothing, not even my violently shaking body, is going to stop Luca from taking what he wants.

  With my focus soley on the fear that’s consuming me,
I’m oblivious to what Luca is doing until he thrusts into my ass. The pain is instantaneous, and it takes everything in me not to scream at the top of my lungs. FUCK! Laying my head to the side, I let my tears flow, biting down on my arm to suppress the fucking pain that’s screaming throughout my body. I don’t know if it’s from the blunt force he used shoving his cock into my tiny hole, or the rope that’s cutting into my limbs after being forcably driven forward.

  Embedding himself as deep as he can go, he stills, his fingers dig painfully into the cheeks of my ass. Flinching, a new wave of pain grips me, but this time, it’s managable, and nothing like the pain from him entering my ass.

  “Oh Angelo,” his breathless voice exhales. “ I knew your ass would be tight. I’m going to enjoy fucking it... often.” With raggard breathes, he begins to move again, sliding his cock out completely.

  Over his breathing, in the background, a click catches my attention. “Step away from my sorella , Luca.”

  Gerrick

  My fratello is here.

  “I don’t think so, boy. It’s you that needs to step away. Lower your gun, and walk back out the same fucking door you entered.”

  The grip Luca has on me tightens as he addresses Gerrick. The tip of his cock rims my ass, sitting just outside as he prepares to slam back in.

  “I don’t think so, old man. Remove your cock from Hadley’s body, or I’ll shoot.”

  Gerrick’s voice is hard. It’s toneless; void of all emotion. If I could see his face, his eyes right now would be reflecting nothing but blankness, and his jaw would be set. It’s a look I’ve seen many times before, right before he kills someone.

  My padre created his perfect replacement, a heartless killer, in the form of his own son.

  “This body is mine, Gerrick, and you would do well to know your place. I will remove my cock from Hadley’s body when I am done with it. Now, lower your gun and leave,” Luca barks at my fratello.

  Using this moment to enforce his authority over both of us, he shoves his cock back into my body. Without any warning at all, a loud bang shatters the silence. Luca’s body falls forward, crushing me under his weight. All the air from my lungs exits my body upon impact, leaving me gasping.

  “Fuck, are you okay, Hadley,” my fratello’s concerned voice bellows in my ears.

  Hurridly, he removes Luca’s dead body from mine, and I finally start to relax. Cursing loudly beside me, Gerrick starts moving around the table, rushing to untie the ropes securing my limbs.

  “Fuck, Fuck, Fuck,” he continues to curse. “You’re free, Hadley, let’s get you covered up.”

  Lifting me off the desk, Gerrick carries my limp body over to the sofa. Laying me down, he covers my naked body with his jacket. I want to thank him, but my voice is lost, stopping me from saying the words. Tears stream down my face as he comforts me, whispering over and over again, that it’s going to be okay. Kissing my forehead, he tells me he is going for help. I don’t want him to leave, which he senses, but he reassures me that I’m safe. Just before he leaves, he looks back and tells me he will be back soon. More tears slide down my cheeks when I glimpse the sadness hovering in his eyes. Turning away from me, I watch as he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

  Exhaustion is finally kicking in, as my battered body sinks into the cushions of this sofa. I succumb to the pressure, and allow my heavy eyes to close, knowing that Gerrick will keep me safe.

  *****

  Waking, my eyes open, but my vision is blurry. There’s so much grogginess clouding my senses that it takes a few minutes to focus on my surroundings. The constant rhythmic beeping of a machine in the background gives my location away instantly. As I regain focus, it becomes obvious that I’m laying in a cold, sterile room, in a hospital bed. Beside me, my sleeping fratello is resting his head on the mattress. He looks peaceful, angelic - innocent.

  “Gerrick,” I hoarsely croak. I wait a few minutes, but nothing, he’s not budging.

  Sliding my hand across the bed toward my fratello, I lift it to gently stroke his hair. Not surprisingly, his hair is still as soft as I remember it being when we were younger. Back during a time when he used to crawl into bed with me, hiding from the monsters. Gerrick would curl up next to me, tucking himself under my arm, and make me stroke my fingers through his hair until he fell asleep. I didn’t understand at the time, but I do now. One of the monsters he was escaping, was our padre. Heaviness sets in, and a painful ache in my joints forces me to drop it back down onto the bed. The movement of my other arm only produces much of the same.

  “Gerrick,” I croak again, a little louder this time, and he stirs.

  When he does wake, it takes him a few minutes to register his surroundings, and I watch as concern floods his face.

  “I’m okay, Gerrick,” I reassure him, sliding my hand over his in comfort. The touch of my hand visibly relaxes him, and I smile when he grips tightly in return.

  “He will never hurt you again, Hadley,” he swears, when he finally finds his voice.

  It’s tiny, and much weaker than it normally would be, but he’s wrong. It should be me protecting him – not the other way around.

  “I’m just sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

  “It’s not your fault, Gerrick, you didn’t know what he was planning,” I attempt to voice through my croakiness.

  Anticipating my actions, Gerrick brings me over a cup of water. Directing the straw into my mouth, he tells me to take small sips. The coldness of the water both cools and burns as it travels down the back of my throat.

  “I knew he was up to something, though,” he admits.

  Dropping his head in guilt, I stay quiet and listen as he continues.

  “I was summoned to our padre’s side late last night under false pretences. He apparently was concerned about one of the Gerabaldi’s, and needed me to sort it out. I was halfway across the bridge when I realised I’d been set up.”

  “How did you know?”

  The blue eyes looking into mine are not the ones I love. They are haunted.

  “I knew,” he pauses, letting an exasperated noise escape his lips. “because when I asked which one, he said Joey.”

  Joey? Wait... What?

  “It wasn’t until I was crossing the bridge that it dawned on me. Joey Gerabali has been dead for six months. I should know, I was the one who put the bullet in his head.”

  That motherfucking, worthless piece of trash. It’s time for the two of us to finish this, otherwise we are both going to end up dead. Gerrick and I have obviously become too much of a threat for him to keep around any longer.

  “I was on my way to tell you, when I walked in on Luca attacking you.” His whole body tenses at the memory, his hand clenching under mine.

  Squeezing mine down onto his, I bring him back to me. It’s something I’ve always been able to do. When he was little and something scared him, I would grab his little hand in mine and squeeze it tightly. It was as if he sensed I was there, snapping him out of whatever dreamlike state he was in.

  “Sorry, it’s hard to remove those images.” Looking up, his eyes are wet with tears, and my heart breaks for him.

  “After I killed him, and made sure you had received medical attention, I went back to confront our padre. He sanctioned the attack on you, Hadley, our own flesh and blood gave that monster permission to rape you.”

  Oh my fucking god... My own padre is the reason I’m in here. “I wasn’t suppose to survive, was I?”

  Gerrick’s silence confirms my suspicion. That bastard had used Luca to torture and rape me. The very same man he was trying to marry me off to.

  “Answer me, Gerrick,” I demand.

  “No, no you weren’t,” he whispers.

  His voice is brittle, but it’s the tears streaming down his face that make my heart ache. I’m too shocked to respond, I knew my padre was planning something. It was stupid of me to ever underestimate him. Gerricks voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

  “He wants us b
oth dead, Hadley. He would have known what would happen, the moment I stepped into Gerabaldi territory. They want revenge, I would have been killed.”

  I’m speechless, everyone knew Gerrick was a target. Joey Gerabaldi’s death caused more than just rumbling between the families, it caused a war. My padre’s reasoning for that hit was sketchy at best, and left his son with a contract out on him.

  “I have made contact with our enemy, we need their help with this. Padre has his men close, he is expecting us to retaliate. I’m not proud of asking the Valentine’s for a favor, but it became a necessity.”

  He’s contacted Sean?

  “We will have re-enforcements by sundown. Our padre is going to die tonight, Hadley, and I can promise you, it won’t be quick or painless. Before the sun rises tomorrow, I will be the new head of the Alexandria family.”

  Still speechless, I just watch as my fratello rises from his chair and leans toward me. The tears trickling down my cheek as he kisses my forehead was unexpected, and something I can’t control, yet when he notices it, he just smiles.

  Wiping it from my cheek, he pauses for just a second before leaving my hospital room.

  Chapter Eight

  Sean

  I can’t help but wonder what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.

  When we landed last night, Gerrick Alexandria was there to greet us. We hadn’t made any prior arrangement, so you can imagine our surprise when we found him sitting in arrivals waiting for us. He looked like shit, all disheveled and raggard, like he hadn’t slept in days. Everything about his appearance was a trainwreck, right down to his fidgeting. For someone normally so composed, the sight we were faced with was completely out of character. He couldn’t sit still and that concerned me. If I wasn’t mistaken, Gerrick was coming down from something. I would’ve thought the risk it imposed on him by being seen with us, would’ve had him being more discreet.