by J. L. Beck
His hand wove around me, cupping my tit as he rolled my nipple between his fingers. “You’re exquisite, Bree. I don’t deserve someone like you…”
He had no idea what he deserved. Pushing back against his thrusts, I moaned.
“No, it’s I who don’t deserve you.” I barely got the sentence out as the air in my chest was heaved out as he pushed me hard against the glass. Every inch of my body was squished.
“No, love. I don’t deserve you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take you. You’re mine.” He grunted and nipped at my earlobe.
Without the chance to say anything else, he pushed into me painfully and pleasurably as if he were trying to rip me apart only to build me back up.
Tilting my head back, I pushed against him wanting everything he could give me. In seconds, I felt the distinct flutter in my belly. A zing ran through me leaving my senses fried. My breaths were pants, and as he slapped a hand against my ass, I continued to urge him on.
“Beautiful. Fucking. Beautiful.” He somehow got out as he clamped onto my hips, bruising them.
Spurts of hot semen entered me, and as he pulled out, I felt as if I had lost a part of me. As if this was the last time I would see this man for who he was.
“Remember, no matter what, I love you, Bree. I always have, I always will. Okay?” His lips found my forehead, and for some odd reason, I said yes—not thinking this might be the last time I would see him alive.
As he dried off, I felt him pulling away from me. Why? I didn’t know. The butterflies in my stomach just moments before were now replaced with worry and doubt.
“Are you okay?” I asked finally getting the courage to do so.
“Just fine,” he said smirking. It wasn’t a real one though; no, this was the mask of the man I had grown to know. I knew whatever was going on wasn’t going to be good. In the throes of passion, nothing seemed wrong, but now thinking about it, it was. It was so different.
“Is something going on? You’re acting strange… Did the plan change? Did I do something?” The horror of actually doing something wrong crept up on me like a disease.
“Just get ready for the day, Bree,” he simply said, dismissing every single question I had thrown at him. Confusion wasn’t even the word I would use to describe how he made me feel. Just moments ago, I had never felt so close to someone, and now—now, I felt as if we were oceans apart.
Slowly, I pulled myself together. I brushed my teeth. My hair. I was trying to mend my fragile heart so he couldn’t see the hurt he was causing me. Whatever he was doing, it wasn’t because he wanted to—or at least I would keep telling myself that until I knew the truth. A soft knock sounded against the bedroom door.
“Come in,” I mumbled, picking up one my many books I had somehow managed to get here. It was strange how much pleasure reading could bring you. It could pull you from your current life and make all the pain go away.
I heard the creak of the door as my eyes lifted to meet James coming in the room. He looked wearily around the room as if I were going to lash out at him.
“Can I come in? I just want to talk to you for a second.” He hesitated for a moment, which only made my curiosity grow. What did he want to talk about? I thought we already said everything we needed to say.
“Sure,” I said smiling.
He crossed the threshold closing the door firmly behind him. It was then the walls felt as if they were closing in on me. John’s death was still fresh in my mind and even if James was my father, it was hard for me to see things like that yet.
“I just wanted to see how you were handling everything? If you had any questions?” His eyes smiled. Literally smiled, as if he were happy for the first time in his life. I knew I meant something to him—that finding me, alive and well, was something he never expected.
“I’m handling it…” I mumbled over my words. How was I handling it?
“You know... you don’t have to handle it alone. I am here for you. I want to be here for you, but you have to allow me to be.”
I looked at him sideways for a moment as he stood in front of me. Was I really not allowing myself to let him in or to heal after all the damage had taken place?
“I know… I just… I don’t know how to deal with all of this. It’s like part of me thinks it’s all a lie, maybe even a dream. Like somehow I’ll wake up from it all and things will be different.” I shrugged my shoulders.
He smiled softly. “I used to think the same thing when I found out your mother was dying. When I found out about you… My heart broke… To have something truthfully yours ripped from you.” My eyes began to sting with unshed tears threatening to fall.
He knew heartache. His was different from my own, but he still knew it. It seemed as if we were two sides of the same coin. The same book just different stories.
“I’m sorry. I truly am. I never knew, and had I known, I would’ve said something. I would’ve done something. I loved John because he was all I had, but if I had known you were my father... if I knew your blood ran through my veins too, I would’ve made an effort to be part of your life.” The words left not only my mouth, but also my heart as I spoke them to the father I never knew I had.
“I just…” He paused. “Now that I know about you, Bree, you can’t expect me to not want... no, need to be a part of your life. So I want to try to be the father you need now. I know I can’t go back in time, but if I could, I would.” My feet closed the distance between us, and in a matter of seconds, I found myself in his arms.
I didn’t really know this man, but it was evident he loved my mother. I could feel the love he had for me each time he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. I am the person they created together, out of love and for that reason alone, I know I have to try.
“I don’t want you to not be in my life either.”
“Then let’s cover the distance, years, and months once separating us. Let’s attempt this father and daughter relationship… I haven’t always been the easiest to be around, I mean, just ask Jared.” He sighed. “But I want this to work… Sam would have wanted that.” The mention of my mother’s name caused a shiver to run down my back. I knew in my heart, especially after reading the letter from her, she would have wanted it just like he said.
“So we try then.” He gently pushed me back to look into my eyes. I think he needed to see I meant those four words. “You mean that?” he asked anxiously.
“Hey…” I could hear Jared’s voice on the other side of the door as James wrapped his arms around me engulfing me in a tight hug. His hold was tight as if he was trying to embed an imprint of me into his skin—as if he might lose me again.
“Are you ready?” Jared asked peeking around the corner, hoping I wasn’t naked I was sure.
I ignored him for a moment. “Yes, I’m sure—Dad.” The words eased from deep within me, and I knew when I said dad now, I really meant it.
With one last tight squeeze, James released me with a smile on his face as he slipped out of the bedroom past Jared.
“What was that about?” Jared questioned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“That was none of your business, what do you want?” I changed the subject standing before him in a defensive stance. I still wasn’t sure about Jared. Some days, we clicked and other days, we were like water and oil on two very different ends of the spectrum.
He watched me as I watched him, our eyes colliding.
“Right… Well, whatever it was, you’re holding us up.”
“From what?” I sputtered, clearly taken aback by his comment. What the hell was he talking about? I wasn’t holding anyone up.
“From going to the grocery store.” Jared sounded surprised, and I had no idea why. No one told me anything.
Huffing out a breath, I shook my head. “What are you talking about? I’ve never gone to the grocery store with you since we’ve been here. Why now all of the sudden?” It wasn’t a strange question really with the way Zerro had been acting and now J
ared raising my suspicions.
“Well, since Zerro decided he didn’t want to do it, and Dad is busy, I figured you and I could go.”
“You mean you saddled me up for the job so you don’t have to go alone?” I asked raising an eyebrow.
“You know it. Now get your ass moving. Daylight is burning, and we have to be back before dark.” Then, just like that, he slipped from the bedroom. I slipped from the bed. My boots were next to the bed. I had tucked the knife into my boot the night Zerro and I had sex on the hood of his car. I wasn’t sure what he would think about Devon giving me a weapon, but I wasn’t going to go into all of this without one.
Slipping them on, I walked from the bedroom ready to go. What I stumbled upon was an argument between James and Zerro of epic proportions taking place in the living room.
“It’s not your choice,” Zerro growled bearing his teeth like a lion ready to roar.
“It’s not yours either.” James came back just as harsh, and for a second, I thought they were going to brawl right here on the living room floor.
“Just shut up, both of you. Don’t kill each other while we’re gone either,” Jared said, heading over to me. It was then Zerro had taken notice of my presence. His eyes lingered on mine for a moment before going to the floor. What is his problem?
“Let’s go.” Jared more ordered than asked, and even though I didn’t want to go, I knew I needed to get away, get out. Get some air. Clear my head and think about it all.
“You know you could ask me, and not so much order me. Just because you’re my brother doesn’t mean I have to listen to you,” I enlightened him.
With a short laugh and shake of his head, he entered the SUV, leaving me to stand there and wonder what the hell was going on around me.
* * * * *
“Don’t they have pads anywhere in this godforsaken store?” I mumbled to whoever was listening as I walked down the aisle marked toilet paper. Tampons were a bathroom product so what the hell was the deal?
As I searched the shelves, my eyes landed on a box of Kotex hidden behind a sign. Well, one box was better than none, I supposed.
Grabbing the box, I turned on my feet slowly, only to run into a firm chest.
“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sor—” My words cut off as my eyes ran up the body landing on two green orbs. Devon.
“Fancy seeing you here.” His words were teasing, but his eyes held danger as if at any second he would grow fangs and start yapping at my neck.
“Umm… yeah…” I stuttered over my own words, which obviously showed my nervousness. I had no reason to be scared of him before, but now. Now I was slightly frightened. It just showed how much a person could change in a days’ time.
“We’ve run into some trouble, so I’m going to need you to leave the store quietly and come with me.” He said it calmly, but his demeanor was off.
“What do you mean we’ve run into some trouble?” I wasn’t stupid; the way he was acting made it seem like everything was off.
“I mean…” he said between clenched teeth gripping me by the arm firmly. “We need to leave now…”
Shrugging his hand off my arm, I shot daggers at him. “We don’t need to go anywhere. When I hung out with you the other night, you were different. Now you’re all uptight and pushy. What’s your problem?” He was aggravating me.
“Bree…” He said my name as if he were pained by the mere verbal use of it. “We can do this one of two ways. One, you can come quietly. Two, I can take you against your will. The first way will result in little to no damage. The second, well… it might hurt a bit.” I looked at his face to see if he was kidding, but he wasn’t.
“This wasn’t a part of the plan, Devon,” I stated informing him how wrong he was. I was so caught up in trying to figure out everything as if it were a puzzle I didn’t see Devon cover the distance separating us.
“Hard way or easy way.” Those were the only words he said and my taking a step back must’ve been my way of answering, because not a second later did a white cloth appear from his pocket. In an instant, his hand was over my mouth and the white cloth cloaking my airways. My vision blurred as I felt a hand behind my head holding me up. Green eyes shone down on me and fear ripped through me. What was going on?
Chapter Eighteen
Bree
Light blinded my eyes, and as I tried to remember what had happened, my mind caught up with my surroundings. My eyes popped open revealing the fear I knew was on the other side of my closed eyelids.
A large overhead light was pointed down to me and I was chained to a pillar. What the fuck? The ground beneath me was cold concrete, wherever we were looked to be like an abandoned factory.
“Welcome back, Princess…” His voice spiked my fear. It was a different kind of fear compared to the kind you just thought about. No, this was a living, breathing nightmare.
“Leave me alone,” I growled, feeling cornered. My insides spiraled out of control trying to figure out why Devon had gone against the plans. Why I was here early? And most importantly, did Zerro know.
“Leave you alone?” he said laughing loudly. His voice boomed through the factory echoing off the walls.
“Yeah, as in fuck off,” I spat at him, trying my hardest to hide the fear from my body. At least my clothes were still on. He hadn’t defiled me.
He stood a mere two feet away, and then, within a blink, he was on me. His hand wrapped tightly around my throat. I could feel the air leaving my body, and as I fought against him, I felt his breath against my lips—as he smelled me.
“You were always the best. The night I tried to fuck you and you wouldn’t give it up to me... I bet you suck dick really well… I mean your mouth has to be good for something other than fucking spewing shit that’ll get you killed.” His hold released slightly, and I took the chance to take a deep breath, both my lungs and brain thanking me for it. I felt wetness against my skin and knew he was licking me. His tongue was scratchy and I knew the second I got the chance, I would cut it out.
“You behave, and you just might walk away from all of this alive.” That was a lie. A big huge fucking lie.
“Don’t lie to me. If I’m going to die, at least be man enough to tell me,” I croaked out, even with his hand wrapped around my throat. I knew he wouldn’t kill me. At least not yet. He needed me. He knew Zerro would never come if I were dead.
“You’re right, who the fuck am I kidding. You’re all going to die.” He laughed heinously as he shoved me back. My body landed against the hard floor, and I stayed there for a moment trying to get my bearings and to bring oxygen back into my body.
“If I’m going to die, so are you…” I knew I shouldn’t have said it, but I didn’t care. The monster needed to know if I died, he did, too. I would make sure of it.
“No, sweetheart, you don’t understand what loving that fucker has done to you. It’s you who’s going to die. I’m going to slit your throat right in front of him so he can watch the light leave your eyes. Then, when I think you have suffered enough, I’ll put a bullet in your head and turn you into pig feed.” His description had my stomach rolling around in knots on the verge of spewing all of its contents.
“Nice to know,” was all I said. He must not have heard me because he walked away. My head lay on the cold concrete, and it made me feel better.
“You look like shit,” Devon said, his voice causing me to squeak and sit up straight. I had thought I was finally alone.
“Now isn’t the time for small talk. I can’t even tell you how fucking angry I am with you. You betrayed us, asshole.” I was seething. My rage was more than just angry. He had brought me here.
“Bree, just calm down. I didn’t do anything wrong. I promised to protect you, and none of that has changed, all right?” He sounded convinced, but I wasn’t. I knew better. Everything that had happened to me rubbed away the naïve girl I was before. I knew in the end death would be cast upon us all.
“This wasn’t a part of the plan. Did you tell
Zerro?” I asked, eager to know if he knew what was taking place.
“No. He will know soon though. I’m assuming my cell should be ringing shortly.” Devon spoke nonchalantly as if I wasn’t being held captive by a deranged Mafia lunatic.
“Perfect. Maybe you should’ve let him know about your changes before you just up and kidnapped me.” I was exhausted. I wanted this all over, and even though I knew I had to be strong, I wanted to cave and to be weak.
“Shhh…” he said gripping my chin hard. Tears showed behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Mack came into view, and Devon shot me a warning glare. A look that said you say a fucking word and it’s your death.
“Was she smarting off to you, too?” Mack asked with a sick smile on his face. I wasn’t sure I would make it through the next twenty-four hours without barfing numerous times. The man made me sick.
“Yes. She’s defiant, isn’t she?” Devon’s voice turned cruel, and it was as if his own personal mask had slipped into place. Whose side was he on?
“Very much. Alzerro likes them sassy,” Mack said, licking his lips as if he couldn’t wait to take a bite out of me.
“I bet he does. He should realize she’s missing here real soon. Prepare for him to come with guns a blazing.” He laughed at his own joke, and Mack followed suit with happiness filling his facial features. What a sick bastard he was.
“It’s just me and you. The other men will be sticking around the outside to protect the building. We’ll know he’s here before he even steps foot on the premise.” Mack seemed awful full of himself. To me, it was too early to be boasting.
“A little full of yourself, aren’t you,” I growled. Devon’s simple glare turned into a full on angry stare. I didn’t care if it got me hurt. I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Bragging isn’t my specialty, Princess…” The words rolled off his tongue with ease. “You shall find out real soon when Alzerro the King is brought to his knees to watch you bleed out.”