by Vivien Vale
"Jack, look out!" I yell.
But Jack is already turning on Adam before the words leave my lips. I didn't even have to say anything. Jack has some kind of sixth sensory skill for detecting danger.
It’s extra useful for when I’m around, since I’m really fucking good at getting into it, or so it seems.
Jack’s face is red with fury and desire for revenge.
I would fucking hate to be Adam right now with no hope at all.
Jack catches Adam by the neck. There's no contest between the two of them. Jack is so much bigger than Adam that it's ridiculous to even compare.
He holds Adam by the neck and throws him against the wall where he begins to strangle the latter.
Is it wrong to say I find sick satisfaction from seeing the man who almost murdered me now in the grips of the man who saved my life?
In this moment, I realize that Jack will always protect me. He always has my back. And my front.
And some parts of me between my legs that are probably improper to be thinking of right now.
But at the same time, I came very close to death—I saw death tonight. And I know Jack is gonna to make Adam pay for that, sorely.
"L-let me go!” Adam says, choking on the words. “We can work something out. I've got money. You can have it. You can have anything you want. Just let me go!"
Jack is unfazed. All I see is a fiery rage in his eyes. He's on a mission to kill and I'm not sure I oppose the idea.
He releases Adam, who falls limply to the floor. Jack starts kicking him in the ribs over and over again.
Adam's screams do nothing to make me empathize. I want him to suffer. He deserves everything he gets.
Jack pummels him to the ground and punches Adam's face multiple times. Soon, he's a bloodied, unrecognizable mess.
Now that I'm released from my bondage, I feel like I should do something. I should probably stop this horrible beating. Instead, I find that I actually want Jack to keep doing it.
God, I think it’s actually turning me on.
Adam betrayed me, his country, and, most of all, Jack. He's the reason Jack suffered so much pain in his life and that makes me feel a certain sense of yearning to defend my man—the man who saved me.
Adam has the blood of many on his hands and to think… I came so close to marrying him. It makes me shudder.
It's over. I see from the crumpled mess Adam has become on the floor that we have won. Yet, a part of me wants to see Adam suffer further. I want him to die.
Jack looks at me over his shoulder, his eyes giving me a silent question about whether he should go on. My humanity's in question as I hold the keys to Adam's life. With one nod, Jack will kill him. Am I willing to live with that?
To my horror and ultimate fascination, I actually want Adam dead. It gives me a sense of power and satisfaction to know that this scum of the earth will be gone soon. We'll be doing the world a favor getting rid of him.
Jack looks at me, and finally, I say the words.
“Do it.”
He's a danger to us if he lives. He'll never give up trying to kill us. He’s fucking insane, and he’s hurt everyone here—even poor Buck.
Adam has hurt me so many times. Just a few minutes ago, he had a gun pressed to my skull and I was seconds away from death. If his weapon hadn't malfunctioned, I'd be dead right now.
And so the sight of him getting what he deserves from the man I'm obsessed with—well, it feels pretty good.
I watch the scene as though I'm in a trance. Jack is letting loose on Adam and I feel an odd kind of appeal in knowing that the man who tried to hurt me so badly is finally facing Jack's wrath.
I know the beating has to do with me, but I know Jack is also doing it for all the men whose lives were lost that day on the battlefield. Jack is a hero, but he doesn't even know it because his mission went awry, all because of Adam.
Years of aggression are pouring forth from Jack. The evidence is on Adam's bloodied face and body. But Jack has complete control over himself. He could stop any time he wants to.
He would stop, I know, even now if I only asked him to.
But I can't say I want him to stop.
He needs this revenge. He deserves it. His men deserve it. Buck deserves it.
And so do I.
Jack
Blood is flying from Adam's face.
He looks like a mutant, a corpse of his old self.
I've successfully made him pay for the sins of the past, but I can't help pummeling him again.
It's as if all those years of being isolated out here are finally making me come undone. Beneath my fist is the man who made all this happen. He killed my men. And he made me believe it was my fault.
By playing both sides of the deal, Adam is responsible not only for the deaths of my squad but of other squads as well—and innocent civilians to boot.
The enormity of that crime is too much for me to contemplate now. He's betrayed an entire nation.
I've spent years out here trying to escape the pain of what I thought I did. This son of a bitch ended the lives of my comrades, and I plan to make him pay.
He groans in pain, mumbling words through his swollen mouth. I don't want to hear any of it.
"Please. Help me. Take my money, take whatever you want. Just please let me go."
"Shut up," I say as my fist meets his face.
What's worse is that he threatened Avery. The thought of him touching her fills me with rage. When it comes to her, my innocent flower, I'm not willing to risk anything. I could kill this guy for what he's done.
It's all about greed and money and power. Even his marriage to her was based on these poor foundations. Here is a man that lacks all conscience—a sociopath, a psycho, a killer.
Maybe he didn't personally use the weapons but he was behind it all. Maybe he didn't get the chance to rape Avery or to kill her but he would've done it in a second. Why should I show him mercy?
This weak excuse of a man is starting to piss me off with his grumbling and groaning. I have him on the verge of death. It’s no wonder he's saying anything just to get me to spare his life.
His face is so marred and destroyed that he'll never be the same. I know he's close to death but I hold back.
I look to Avery, who’s cowering in the corner watching me, transfixed. This is a bad position to put her in. She’s not used to seeing a guy get the breath beaten out of him.
I want to kill Adam so badly, but I don't want to kill in front of Avery. It might traumatize her for life.
The fact that I'm even able to hold back this much shows how Avery is getting into my heart. Never before have I thought about a woman before my own needs.
Never before have I considered someone else's feelings like this. She's got me hooked pretty good.
Somehow, I've changed in the short while that I've known Avery. I'm not the same man that I was before I met her. I'm not sure that getting revenge on Adam is worth losing her respect.
She found me out here in the wilderness, stumbled upon my cabin, and changed my life. I thought I was a lost cause, gone forever in the abyss of painful memories. Instead, Avery pulled me back from the edge. She pulled me back into life.
Adam continues to beg. "Please! Avery, say something to him! He's out of control. Help me. For God sake, someone help me!" he screams incoherently.
As much as I don't want to, I'm going to show this bastard mercy. The only reason I'm able to do so is for Avery's sake. As much as it kills me to let him off the hook, it would be worse to show her that I can be this violent.
She's pure and innocent. I want to keep it that way.
I let up on Adam and let him bleed out on the floor. He'll probably die just trying to make his way back to civilization. It's not like I'm going to help him out of here.
But at the same time, the thought of who Adam is crosses my mind once again. He's a true criminal, a bad man.
If I don't kill him now and I let him escape, he'll probably come back for
us. He might come back for Avery. That thought gives me all the ambition I need to get this deal done. He needs to die.
But still, I'm torn.
I look up at Avery and see her beautiful face staring at the scene. She doesn't look frightened. She doesn't look intimidated. Instead, I see a newfound sense of strength in her. She's witnessing it all with bravery.
Who knows? Maybe the time with me has changed her, too. Maybe her moment in the wilderness has toughened her up a little bit. I don't know.
"Avery, what do you want me to do? I can leave him like this and he has a chance of escaping, of living. Or one final punch and he could be dead. You decide," I say to her.
To my surprise, she looks me dead in the eye and says, "Do it."
I marvel for a second at the empowered woman she's become. When she landed on my doorstep, she was a scared and tragic figure, running away from something. And somehow, someway, she's found herself out here.
Nature has a way of doing that. It has a way of forcing you to reckon with yourself. Maybe Avery's been reborn as this new powerful person, effortless in her beauty and competence.
I shrug and turn back to the bastard. The bastard who got my squad and lord knows how many others killed.
The bastard who tried to rape Avery.
The bastard who kicked my damned mutt of a dog.
The bastard who tried to kill the woman who, in every way that matters, is my wife.
I don't use a gun. I don't use a knife. I use my own bare hands to crack his neck and make sure Adam's dead.
It's over.
Avery
I look on as Jack does the final deed.
He uses his own bare hands to kill Adam.
Not one part of me is sad to see him go.
I know it has to be this way. It was either his life or ours.
I should feel traumatized and shaken, considering Adam had a gun to my head mere minutes ago. Instead, I feel a newfound sense of strength. I draw on this private reserve of wellness to witness the bloody scene before me.
I’m so glad Jack is here to do the dirty deed, and that the carnage of it is not up to me. I’m smaller than Jack and not as strong. If I had to kill that evil fucking sleazebag myself, I’d have to use the gun or a knife.
Jack just had to use sheer force of brute strength.
We’ve escaped Adam at last, and with him, the past can be buried.
I don’t look at Adam as the life drains from his eyes. I don’t need to care for anyone who never cared about me, either. The moment he stops breathing, I race outside.
Jack said that Buck was hurt. I need to find him.
Out on the porch, there’s a black, furry body. When I get closer, I can see Buck’s chest is rising and falling in slow, steady breaths—a good sign.
“Buck!” I call out, throwing myself down on Jack’s big, shaggy dog.
Buck perks his head up right away and licks my face.
“Boof!” he barks.
I think he’s happy to see me.
“Snow’s clearing up,” Jack says suddenly, kneeling down next to us. He rubs Buck’s shaggy head and receives some kisses, too—from me and the dog. “We’ll drive him into town soon, have the vet look at him. But knowing Buck…he’ll be fine.”
It’s a relief.
But the night’s not over yet.
Adam deserved to die. I know it’s true. But I don’t want Jack to get into trouble for killing him.
“Jack, we have to call the police. We’ll tell them what happened and that you acted in self-defense,” I say.
He grunts in agreement and passes me his cellphone. I make the call quickly.
We sit silently next to each other while we wait for the cops to arrive. There’s not much to say, considering what happened.
One thing does come to mind, however: “Thank you, Jack. You saved my life. I really don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
I’m stronger now, but tears still roll down my cheeks. There’s no stopping the pain of the situation. So many people died because of this one man. Jack suffered for years because of this one man. And I almost had to marry the piece of shit.
It’s a truth I can’t even contemplate, and one I’m glad is forever dead, so to speak.
Soon, I hear the sirens and the police show up. They come in and bag up the body. Jack takes the responsibility of telling them exactly what happened to spare me having to respond.
He tells the truth, basically: Adam had a gun to my head, and I almost died.
The cops feel bad for me. I can see it in their eyes. They reassure me that nothing bad will come of the situation. They reiterate the fact that Jack was acting in self-defense, and it’s clear that Adam arrived with violent intentions.
They’re asking me if I’m okay, which I am. And they tell me how lucky I am that Jack was here to keep me safe.
“Without him, you might’ve died. You have to remember that. All of us know Jack. He’s well-known in town as a hero. So we hope that you’re good to him,” the police chief says.
It’s hard to believe how amazing the police are being. I know in my heart that Jack’s a hero―but I had no idea other people knew that fact as well. Apparently, he’s left a mark on the local town.
I’m proud of him, and my heart swells with happiness. There’s a chance that things may really work out for us.
“I promise to be good to him. He deserves the very best,” I say.
“Then it’s a good thing he found you,” the chief says to me with a wink.
Something about having his approval makes me happy.
Soon, Adam’s body is removed from the cabin.
When they leave and the commotion dies down, it’s just me and Jack. I’m starting to feel worried about him.
He just killed someone, and I know that must’ve been hard on him. He’s sitting in front of a roaring fire staring into the flames like he always does.
I take a seat on his lap and dare to ask, “Jack, are you okay? You spared me from having to kill Adam. But instead you had to do it, and I’m worried about you. I know that must not feel…good.”
He squeezes me tightly and takes a while to answer.
He finally says, “It’s okay.”
And if Jack says it’s okay, then, well, I guess it must be okay.
I look at him hopefully. Maybe this day has brought Jack some kind of vengeance, something that he needed. If that’s true, then I’m glad he was the one to take Adam out.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
He looks at me and says, “For the first time in years, I feel a sense of peace. It feels like I have closure. Justice has been served. At last.”
I’m elated to hear that Jack feels some sort of peace inside. He deserves it more than anyone in the world. I can’t imagine what these years out here alone has done to his conscience.
He’s had the blood of his men on his hands for so long and it took all of this for him to realize that it wasn’t his fault at all. Their deaths could not have been prevented. Not with Adam in the way.
I’m elated to just have my man happy. I thought for sure he’d be more upset by the day’s events, but he’s handling it really well.
He says, “I’m just sorry for not getting to you sooner, Avery. All those wasted years. We could’ve been having the time of our lives.”
“I’m not that old,” I giggle. “If you’d gotten to me any sooner, we would have had a problem on our hands.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him tightly. Being in the midst of his strong presence makes me feel safe. Having nearly died today and having him save me makes me feel safe.
He’s a man above all others. He so strong and sturdy―and yet in there somewhere is a tender heart that I think I’ve captured.
I know that with Jack, he’ll only have eyes for me. He’s possessive of me already, and I know that to him, I’m forever the only one. It’s a good feeling. One I want to thank him for.
“Jack,” I say. “In this sh
ort amount of time…you’ve become everything to me. I was one half of a soul before meeting you. And then suddenly, I feel filled. You make me whole.”
He looks at me and combs his fingers through my hair. He tugs gently and tips my head back so that he has access to my mouth.
He plants the most gentle of all kisses upon my lips. And then he kisses me deeper and deeper, his teeth grazing my bottom lip, until finally, he bites me gently in a show of restrained lust.
It’s as if we both have a new lease on life and on each other.
Once again, I feel a nervous kind of pleasure at being with him. Butterflies swarm in my belly, and the fluttering feeling is enough to throw me off my game. That’s the thing about Jack: he always forces me to be vulnerable to him and only him.
He breaks away from my lips to say, “You’re so fucking strong now, Avery. When did that happen? When did you become so sure of yourself?”
I’m pleased that he’s noticed my new empowerment. It makes me feel special to receive this compliment.
To hear that you’re strong from a man like Jack means everything. I don’t take the comment lightly.
“I am strong,” I say, looking into his eyes. “Because of you. You taught me everything I know. And now I want to repay you. I want to thank you.”
From the look in my eye, I think he can guess what kind of gratitude I mean.
I slide from his lap down to my knees and start to unbuckle his pants. I’m ready to show him just how deeply I care. Specifically, I’m ready to take ownership of the beautiful cock that I know will be mine for the rest of my life.
I finally found my man, my soulmate. We have days and days of pleasure ahead of us―hopefully, alone out here in the wilderness where we can’t be disturbed.
His big, thick manhood is gleaming in the firelight, and I make it my mission to show him just how very grateful I am.
Jack
When the commotion has died down and the police depart from the area, I take a deep breath. I’m trying my best to sort out how I’m supposed to feel about everything.
I killed Adam. I took his life with my bare hands. And I did it right in front of Avery, with her approval at that.