by J. L. Beck
“Let me finish. He’s going to protect her at all costs… I was against it too, but I’m going to meet up with him tonight. He’s going to meet Bree, and then from there, we will finish out any loose ends…”
“You’re putting her in the line of death, Zerro. You know how fucked up that is?” Jared seethed. I had never seen him so angry.
“She can handle it,” Zerro said shooting me a smile. I just stared at all of them. Did they realize I was sitting right here?
“Wow…” Jared yelled, throwing his hands in the air clearly frustrated. “I bet she can handle it. Look at how she handled everything else.”
“Hey, now, asshole,” I growled at him. James started laughing, a joyful smile crossing his face.
“Well, it’s true…” he asserted.
“I was dealing with death and hurt the best way I know how. You’re lucky any of you are still alive.” I wouldn’t have killed them, but I was pretty close to wanting to hurt someone in my rage.
Zerro laughed gruffly. “Quiet. You’re merely a kitten with claws. The worst you would do is leave paper cut scratches.”
Glaring, I stood. “I can make my own choices. I will do whatever is needed to kill the fucker for all the problems and heartache he has caused.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetie. We just got you back—” James added.
“Dad.” The word sounded foreign against my tongue reminding me just how knew all this was. “I admire the fact you want to step up, but this has to be done. Mack wants me, he’s gonna get me. You guys will be there if anything goes wrong. Don’t worry.”
“Worry…” Jared snorted. “Worrying isn’t even the word I would use, Bree.” I was seriously ready to pull out a knife and shank him. He had been using the big brother card a lot lately.
“She’ll be fine. I trust Devon,” Zerro professed.
“You trust Devon even though he’s been working with Mack. That’s a load of shit if I ever heard one. It’s a trap, Zerro. A big fat trap and you’re going to walk right into it.”
I trusted Zerro. He had fucked up and done some really strange shit, but he did what was best for all of us. He pulled the trigger when he knew none of us could. I respected him for it.
“What is your plan then, Jared?” I asked, keeping my voice firm. No one had thought of anything else to do, and I was tired of hiding. I was tired of dealing with all of this shit. I wanted to be free, without wondering if I would be taken down by a gunman.
His jaw clenched as he looked at our father and me.
“We don’t want to lose you, Bree. I get it’s not that big of a deal, but there have to be other ways to do this.” Was there another way? Would we be able to get the answers we would need? I didn’t think there was another way.
“Devon worked undercover for me. He picked up the job for extra cash from Mack. He knew about Bree and me. Word with my family gets around fast, and when he found out Mack had taken Bree... well, he knew what was up. He returned her to me, knowing if he didn’t, I would kill him,” Zerro said unremorsefully.
That explained the connection and why he let me go without a single confrontation. He made it seem like it was his job, and when he smiled, I almost thought Zerro had put him up to it. I honestly wouldn’t put it past him, but now I understood.
“So, because, you know this guy and trusted him and he released her once, you think he’s going to do so again, PLUS protect her with his life?” Jared sounded unbelieving and James looked like he was about ready to punch something. This wasn’t going very well.
“I can take care of myself, guys…” No one looked at me, or even acknowledged what I had said. Fucking men. This was typical of them.
“It doesn’t matter if you can take care of yourself, you shouldn’t have to,” Zerro said sternly as if he were talking to a misbehaving child.
“Well, I can, and I will.” There was no fighting about this. I would do what needed to be done to put all this shit behind us.
“Devon will do all he can to protect Bree. She was unharmed the first time around.”
“Yeah, because John was still alive.” Jared reminded him. At the mention of John's name, a massive hole formed in my chest. I wasn’t sure I would ever get over what he had done to Mom, but I knew I would never forget what he did to me.
“I agree with Jared on this. John being alive helped immensely.” Thinking back on my time spent in the cave, I’m sure my treatment would’ve been far worse if John had already been dead. No matter how much I hate to admit it, in a way, he kept me alive. Even Devon had treated me cruel, but through it all, he never hurt me. He might have messed with my emotions, but he never laid a hand on me.
“Well, Mack knows John is dead,” Zerro said, frustrated with all of us, I was certain.
“Let’s meet this Devon guy before we allow her to go with him willingly. Plus, isn’t Mack going to say something if she isn’t roughed up a bit? What about Devon? There has to be an apparent struggle. It has to look real,” James commented. Ugh. All this talk about death was starting to depress me.
“We’ll figure it out later. The plan is Bree and I meet up with Devon before we go out. Talk to him. Pretend all is normal, and in about a week, Devon comes and gets her. I’ll kick his ass and scruff him up a bit,” Zerro commanded.
“Whatever, but if she gets hurt… it’s on you.” Jared all but scoffed, pushing past Zerro. As the room settled, I stared at him, waiting for whatever it was he would say.
“Just know I will not let anyone spill your blood.” There was so much determination in his eyes it almost frightened me.
“I know. You don’t have to tell me,” I responded, stepping up onto my tiptoes so I could place a kiss on his lips.
“Good,” he said. There was a faraway look in his eyes. Whatever he was thinking wasn’t good. Not for any of us.
* * * * *
The afternoon passed with breeze as I sat on the couch and vegged out with James, and Jared. Zerro was absent for some time before coming out of our bedroom. There was a time when someone needed to be alone. I had been there, done that. I understood the need.
“Thank God! Tell Bree to stop making us watch this extremely distasteful TV drama,” Jared shouted to Zerro, smiling at me. Jerk.
“Hey, fuckface, it’s a hit TV show. Tell us what you created that’s a hit TV show,” I said shooting him a dirty look before directing my attention back to the screen.
“He didn’t create nothing, but I did…” James said, laughing gruffly. What was he talking about?
“Good one, Dad,” Jared said, laughing. Then it hit me… He created Jared and me. Well, kind of created us.
“Good joke, James,” Zerro said coming to sit down next to me. He had a Pepsi in hand, obviously knowing I needed some caffeine. I took the drink from him curious as to what was weighing on his mind.
“Everything okay?” I asked softly, hoping no one else had heard. Keeping his lips sealed tightly, he gave me a curt nod.
“Can we please watch Dallas Cowboy’s Cheerleaders or even Football? Hell, I would rather watch Food Network,” Jared complained, which in turn caused me to chuck the remote controller at his head.
“Thank you…” he responded loutishly at me.
“Are you going to be ready to go soon?” Zerro whispered into my hair, one of his hands landing on mine. His skin caused mine to tingle, and the last thing I could think about was he and I going out on a date. I simply wanted him to take me back to the bedroom. Call me fucking crazy, but with all the pain, death, and hate surrounding us, being close to someone made it so much easier to get through.
“Uh, of course. When do you want to leave?” I asked. Zerro had changed so much. He went from being a man who was dark with more secrets than anyone else had to a man I loved. Even though those secrets still lingered, and sometimes I couldn’t decipher his next move, I knew he loved me.
“How about….” he said pondering…. “Now?” he questioned with an eyebrow raised.
<
br /> “Whenever you want, Mr. King…” I giggled. Leaning real close into my face, his nose brushing against mine, he said, “If I’m the King, then you’re the Queen.”
The very words left me breathless reminding me of why I loved him so much. He might be a monster, but he was my monster.
Chapter Twelve
Mack
“When are they going to come out of hiding? They can’t fucking hide forever,” I yelled throwing my phone against the mattress. I had been hiding out in this drab fucking cabin instead of the lavish mansion soon to be mine.
“I’m not sure they’re alone. That’s all I know, sir,” Miller added like he was some smart shit or something. He needed to keep his mouth shut before he found himself swimming with the fishes.
“No fucking way. Did you want a prize for stating the obvious?” I growled reaching across the table for his throat. I was angry and impatient. If blood wasn’t shed soon... I would start killing my own men until I could go out and do the job myself.
“Sir….” Miller sounded scared. He had a reason to be, but then again, why was some pussy like him working for me.
“Miller….” I yelled anger radiating from me.
“Calm down, sir.” Devon’s voice vibrated through my mind.
“Do you have any new info?” I growled turning my aggression to him. He looked like a kid… hardly old enough to be chasing after people like Alzerro, who would kill him on site?
“I think I have an idea of where they’re staying. I’m going to go scope it out this evening.” His voice never wavered, and his eyes stayed on mine. He wasn’t lying.
“Good and you best bring back something to tell me. I’m going crazy sitting here waiting.”
“Sir, we could be shooting or throwing knives…” Miller added. Ahhh, yes we could be.
A Texas-size grin showed on my face. “You’re right, we could. Get my knives, Devon,” I ordered. I had some aggression I needed to work out, and Miller reminding me of ways to do so only made my life easier. Devon scurried out of the room to retrieve the knives and I stared at Miller.
“You know, while I worked for Alzerro, he was very keen on making sure nothing, and I do mean nothing, scared the men who worked for him.…”
Miller nodded as if he was acknowledging what I had said, but the sweat forming on his forehead, and the faraway look in his eyes told me he wasn’t anywhere but here in this room with me.
“Do you have any fears, Miller?” I asked my voice menacing. What a pussy! He was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Where had John found these men?
“No, sir.” He sounded determined, but one look at him said he was lying.
“Good. Go stand against the far wall. We’re going to test this theory out.” Devon placed a knife in my hand. It was light weight and the blade glistened in the light. The need to sink it into flesh was overwhelming. I could just imagine the blood dripping from the blade as I sunk blade after blade int—
“Sir,” Devon asked, concern clearly found in his voice.
“What?” I questioned with raised eyebrows. If I had no way of getting my hands on Bree and Alzerro, then I would do with what I did have—Miller.
“What are you doing, sir?” Devon questioned once again.
“Never question me, or it will be you who is on the receiving end of this knife,” I growled gripping the end of the knife with so much anger, I was certain I would break it. My words weren’t a threat—they were a promise.
Devon said nothing, his eyes simply widening as he took in the scene before him. Turning my attention back to the coward, I narrowed my eyes with precision. Where would he bleed the most?
My mind drifted back to the very first time Zerro had ever asked me that question.
“MACK. When I tell you to do something, you do it. There is no reason to fear these small things. Death is always following these people.” He all but yelled at me. I was only nineteen. He had been killing for years, and this... this was my very first time.
I hadn’t landed the knife right, so the person was struggling. Their death would be painful.
“He’s hurting though…” I tried to say. I wasn’t a child, but watching someone bleed to death… It did something to your heart. It pulled the strings tight and made it beat fast.
“What’s your point? He deserved to die? What are you scared of?” Was it a trick question?
“Nothing, sir,” I immediately answered him. I didn’t want to be the next one with a knife in my neck.
“Good, because being scared is a weakness. You’re to be afraid of nothing, not a fucking thing, when you’re in my kingdom. Do you understand?” he questioned. I nodded my head as I watched him lift his foot. What was he doing?
Then I heard the crunching of bones, the splatter of brain matter, and blood against the ground.
“This is what we do to people who are weak… scared,” he snarled, staring down at what was left of the man’s body. I never even got the man’s name.
Pulling myself back to the present, I stared at the man before me. He was weak. He was scared.
With complete control, I arched my arm back and threw the knife. It flew through the air, barreling toward Miller. His eyes grew large, and I could practically hear his heart beat from where I stood as the knife sunk into the deep word directly above his head. He wasn’t just a coward—he was a liar, too. He wasn’t just scared—no, he was fucking terrified.
“You’re a liar…” I spat the words with venom. “You said you were scared of nothing, but it is clear to me as I watch you shake in your fucking skin, you are in fact scared of something…” I smiled, because I was a fucker like that. Nothing got me harder than making people pay for what they did wrong. I recognized failure.
“Sir, give him a break. He just started with us—” Devon tried to cut in. I turned glaring at him. He was lucky I needed him. He had the information I needed. Killing him would be a grave mistake at his time. His death would have to wait until later.
“Breaks are for the fucking weak…” Taking a deep breath, I smiled before I threw the next knife. It landed just millimeters from his throat. Hmmm…. his throat… yes, that’s where the next one would land.
“Are you going to beg?” I mocked. At the very least, he could go out feeling like a man. If I had one thing to thank Alzerro for it was his ruthless ways. He had taught me any emotion outside of killing was unneeded. When I put the bullet in his head and fucked Bree, it would be from his teachings.
“Men don’t beg,” he said quietly. His voice was wobbly. Was he going to cry? Was this fucking pathetic excuse for a human going to cry? I had seen women handle death better than this excuse.
“Glad you figured it out,” I mocked, gripping the blade in my hand. With one single arch, I whipped the blade at him, watching his eyes dilate, and his chest move for the last time. The blade sank straight into his throat, and I listened to the gurgling sound of him struggling to breathe while blood filled his throat. As I watched the light leave his eyes, a sick sadistic smile spread across my lips causing my heart to swell with happiness. “You didn’t have to kill him.” Devon sounded as if he was actually hurt.
“Yes, I did. He was a weakness. He wouldn’t have done anything but drag us down.” I was satisfied with all I had done, and as I watched the blood pour from him… I smiled even more. Blood wasn’t a sign of death, but a sign of victory. I had won—they just didn’t know it yet.
“Remove his body and get ready to go. We have a plan to follow through with.” I was going to get them. Both of them, even if I had to die fucking trying.
Chapter Thirteen
Zerro
I watched her fidget with the hem of her shirt. Was she nervous? I hadn’t been myself lately. I had lost the roughness in my words and touch. I wasn’t the same man as I was before.
“This is... well… a very domesticated version of you…” Bree laughed easily, her hair moving as small breaths came from her mouth. We hadn’t discussed anything pertaining to her be
ing taken because I wanted this date to be just that—a date. A normal thing two people would do when they wanted to get to know more about one another.
Dating wasn’t really my thing. I never fucked and stayed. Hell, I never even comforted anyone until Bree. I didn’t know what compassion, love, or softness was. Death, rage, and fury were all I knew. She lit a spark in my cold heart-stirring flames not stirred since my mother had died.
“See, I can do shit without a gun.” I smirked, reaching for my glass of water. We were eating at a simple diner here in town. The place reminded me of one of those towns you would see in movies. Everyone had immaculate lawns, two and half kids, and a wraparound fence in the back yard. The crime rate was low, and everyone played a part in the community.
This wasn’t my kind of scene. Hell, being normal wasn’t my kind of fucking thing at all. It felt strange, but at the same time, it felt welcoming.
“Lies…” She hissed out, taking the straw of her drink in between her teeth. “I bet you have your gun right in your back. I bet you keep looking around the room to see who the first person will be to get shot if shit goes wrong, and I bet, more than anything, being this domesticated is fucking with your head.”
Did I really have it written all over my face or was she just starting to know me for who I was?
“Dear Bree,” I growled reaching across the table to grip her chin, “you know far more than anyone.” Had I known taking her from that shabby farmhouse months prior would cost me everything, would I have done it? Even for love? Probably not. Life had a fucked up way of twisting things, even when we didn’t want something to happen.
Letting the straw slip from her mouth, she bit her bottom lip, which in turn caused my cock to swell. She made me want to fuck her a hundred different ways.
“Your double bacon cheeseburger…” the waitress said, a slight annoyance to her tone as she slid Bree’s plate in front of her.
“And an omelet for you...” She all but shoved the plate in front of me. Anger simmered deep within me. What was this bitch’s problem, and why did she feel the need to all but shove my food at me?