My first step was to review the short clip for any signs of location. Once I knew the visual aspects of my video ransom note were clean, I moved on to the audio.
I had a program that I could use to mask my voice. It was something I normally used any time I had to converse with a client on the phone. No one knew what my voice really sounded like except a few close associates who I’d known since childhood.
It sent a chill down my spine that Mara knew more about me than almost anyone else. Even the men looking for me didn’t know exactly what they were looking for. I was certain that eventually they could hunt me down like a dog, but it would take considerable money and effort.
Mara was the only one who saw both sides. Detective Lindsey Vale knew one side, and the family I worked for had glimpses of the other. Mara tied it all together. How was I supposed to let her go? The situation was my own fault. I’m the one who risked meeting with her and letting her into my world. I’d done it because I needed the money.
Even with the money in hand, letting her go would be a stupid decision. If her father figured out who I was, he and the other families could use Mara to track me down. I doubted that she’d be able to lead them to me, but what would they do to her in their attempts to get to me?
I paced the floor while the computer cleaned and encrypted the video file. My heart thundered in my chest, and I could feel my throat closing up. Sweat broke out along my hairline. I’d never had an anxiety attack before, but I’d seen them enough to know that was what was happening to me.
Mara was breaking me.
The entire situation had thrown me off my game. I’d made dumb decisions in desperation. Anger was the answer. Fear would dull me to the point where I’d get us both killed, but fury would sharpen me.
I’d let the bitch put me in this situation, but I could feel my heartbeat slow as I imagined my fingers wrapped around her delicate neck. My breathing returned to normal as I shut my eyes and pictured her breath being cut off by my hands.
When I was calmer, I looked at the laptop screen and saw that the file was ready to send. I logged into the Trench[MS16], and set the file up to bounce from proxy server to proxy server until its origin might as well have been a black hole.
Even if Mara’s father responded right away, it would take some time for the message to get back to me. There were several protocols that incoming messages had to go through to ensure that they didn’t lead the sender to me.
Since I was calm again, my stomach growled angrily. It had been a while since I’d had a decent meal and I’d exerted myself physically quite a bit. I decided to whip up something to eat, and I imagined that Mara was hungry as well.
I wouldn’t go through with it, but it brought a smile to my face to picture making Mara perform favors for me in order to get food. I wouldn’t force myself on her physically, but I could make her beg for my cock if I let her get hungry enough.
These thoughts brought me the first bit of true relaxation I’d had since the night I blew my career to smithereens. While I prepared jambalaya with the foods I had on hand, I tried not to dwell on the fact that Mara could be my salvation. That mouthy cunt was not what I needed.
That’s what I told myself.
When the food was done, I put some in a bowl and made a pitcher of instant iced tea. I should have just given her bread and water. The monster hiding just under the surface had to stay down, though. I couldn’t let it out.
I hadn’t even known it was there until Mara teased it out of me. Sure, I was a killer, but the things I craved now unnerved me. I’d spent my adult life putting down rabid dogs, but these new fantasies sickened me at the same time they turned me on.
Mara was in the chair, looking exhausted, and she did not start screaming at me when I approached her. I’d expected her to begin berating me, but by the looks of it, she’d worn herself out.
Bright red marks circled her wrists and ankles where she’d fought the restraints. In some places, it appeared Mara had fought them until she’d almost drawn blood.
“How far are you willing to take this?” I asked as I set the bowl of hot food and the glass of cold tea down on the workbench near where Mara was tied up.
“How far are you willing to take it?” she asked quietly.
“I have rules, Mara. I have boundaries, and you’ve done everything you can to cross them,” I started. “This was supposed to be a professional job, but you’re playing it like a game. What are you trying to accomplish?”
“I just want the money,” Mara responded.
“Really? Then why are you pushing me? Why not just conduct this whole operation like a business deal?” I asked as I knelt down to cut the zip ties with a pair of sharp shears. I was a bit concerned that she’d attack me, but I doubted it with the shears in my hand. Plus, she still needed me to get the money from her father. Mara had no idea what I’d done upstairs.
“Did you send the message?” she asked as she stretched.
Mara bent down to rub her ankles, and I saw her wince when she touched the angry red marks.
“I did, and that’s all you need to know.”
“So, what? You’re like a hitman with a heart of gold?” She started in on me again as soon as she knew the message had been sent. “You operate under some sort of honor code? That’s so fucking cliché. You’re a joke.”
“Please stop, Mara. Just eat your food. Save your strength. You’re going to need it when we get the money.” I had to stay cool.
“You’re nothing more than an animal. Most men are. In fact, all of you probably are. I see in your eyes what you think. You try to deny it, but it’s there under the surface. You’re a filthy pig.”
I snapped and pulled my gun out of the waistband of my pants. I pointed my piece at her head, and I wasn’t quite sure if I was happy that I’d kept it on me or if I regretted it. “Shut the fuck up and sit still.”
“You won’t shoot me,” she said and started to get up.
“Sit the fuck down,” I said and cocked the gun. “I’ve got a video of you. I could kill you now and I’d probably still be able to get the money[MS17].”
She looked indignant, but Mara obeyed. I took out more zip ties and secured her ankles and one hand, but I left her one hand free to eat. Once she was tied up again, I kicked the chair over close to the workbench so she could reach the food.
I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, but Mara calling me a filthy pig set off something inside of me. My mother used to call me that when I displeased her. She’d follow up her name-calling with a scalding hot bath that left my skin hurting for days. If I closed my eyes, I could still feel the burning water from the last bath she’d given me before CPS took me away. The caseworker thought she’d saved me, but the foster care system had turned me into something much worse. Something I’d been able to control until Mara’s mouth tripped my trigger.
Part of me wanted to undo her binds, or at least put some antibiotic ointment on her chafe marks. No. If I gave her an inch, Mara would keep needling me until she unleashed something I knew she wasn’t prepared to deal with.
Somewhere in my mind, I knew that my rule about not hurting kids was because of my childhood, but the rule about not hurting women was because I was afraid of how much I’d enjoy it. I was scared that every woman was my mother, and that I’d unleash the beast inside of me on them. Mara had no idea what she was tempting. I had to break her to keep her safe. There was no other way.
“Fine. You wanted to be kidnapped. You’re fucking kidnapped,” I said and went back upstairs. “You can sit there in the dark until you learn some fucking manners.” I flipped off the basement light and left her there to eat in the silent damp[MS18].
Chapter Eight
Mara
I should have been afraid, but excitement was the lightning that coursed through my veins. I was walking a razor’s edge with Salvatore, but I couldn’t make myself stop.
The violence inside of him was more than I expected. I knew he was a contract killer
, but I’d assumed that was his job. There was more to it than that. I could feel that the violence he’d shown me turned him on. He’d brushed against me when he was tying my wrist, and I’d felt his erection.
I licked my lips, thinking of how big his cock had felt. He’d been thick and hard, and I wanted it. I didn’t really want him to fuck me with that monster because I knew how bad it would hurt the first time, but I wanted to make him lose control.
That was my end game.
I was bored more than anything else while I sat in the darkness. I would have given anything to have my phone so I could at least play games or look at cat pictures on the internet. But my phone would have led my father right to me, so Salvatore had chucked it out the car window hours before we arrived.
The food he’d made kept me busy for a few minutes. The spicy stew was pretty good, considering he’d only had canned and dried food to use. I briefly wondered how many meals he’d eaten like that in his career.
I’d just started to get cold and begun wondering if he planned on leaving me down there all night when I heard the door to the basement open.
Salvatore’s footsteps slowly descended the creaky wood stairs. He paused a couple of times, and I wondered if he planned on going back up without me.
He finally came all the way into the room. “Can you behave?” he asked through clenched teeth. “Can you keep your hands to yourself long enough for me to take you upstairs? If you can’t, I’ll be happy to leave you down here all night.”
“You wouldn’t dare leave me down here overnight. You’re working for me, remember?” I said defiantly. I didn’t know who Salvatore thought he was, but he needed to be put in his place.
“I was working for you, princess. You’ve crossed a line,” he said and took a half step toward me. “Now, can you behave long enough for me to take you upstairs?”
“And then what?” I asked mockingly.
“There’s a bedroom. The bed is four-poster and has a slatted headboard. If you behave on the way up, I’ll only cuff one of your wrists to the headboard. If you try and hurt me at any point before I’ve got you secured, I’ll truss you up. Or, if you don’t want to come upstairs, I’ve got an old camping bedroll stashed in the back closet. I’ll toss it down here to you. Either way, I’m tired and I won’t be able to sleep unless you’re locked up tight.”
He was serious. Salvatore intended to tie me to the bed upstairs or lock me in the basement overnight. Flashes of him on top of me entered my mind. I knew that I turned him on, and it would only take a little push to get him inside of me. I couldn’t let it go that far unless I knew I had the money in hand. It would have to wait. But, I bet that I could get him to eat my pussy if I promised to let him fuck me. Once I’d gotten off, I could shut him down.
It was a dangerous game, but I was just curious enough to see if I could pull it off. I wanted to watch his face fall when I reminded him that he wasn’t the kind of guy who raped women. I could imagine him, his cock hard and face covered in my nectar, slinking off in defeat.
I nearly chuckled. “I’ll behave,” I said.
Salvatore knelt down and cut the ties on my ankles. When my hand was free, he took his gun out and motioned me up the stairs. His breathing grew heavy and I knew he was watching my ass as I walked up. He must have gotten quite the show though my black lace panties. They didn’t leave much to the imagination.
“Like what you see?” I asked when I reached the top of the staircase.
It threw him off for just a moment, and I tried to slam the basement door shut on him. I wanted to see how he felt locked down there in the dark, and I wanted him to remember that I was in charge.
Salvatore’s arm shot out and he caught the door before I could close it. I put all of my weight behind pushing it, but he had enough strength in one thick, corded arm to keep me from accomplishing my task. His big shoulder flexed and it took all of my strength not to be thrown off balance. Salvatore raised his other arm and pressed the barrel of the gun into my belly.
“Perhaps you should have just stayed in the basement,” he said as I backed off.
Shit.
I thought I’d seen him mad, but now he was enraged. I hadn’t believed all of the stuff I’d said earlier about him being an animal, but there it was. Something had shifted inside of Salvatore, and I got nervous.
“Get to the bedroom, now,” he said.
“I... I don’t know where it is,” I stammered.
He pointed the hand without the gun to an opening off the living room. “Move before I put you back downstairs.”
I walked quietly across the hardwood floor of the living area to the door he’d pointed to a moment ago. The bedroom was gorgeous. It wasn’t something I would have chosen, but it was inviting and comfortable.
Salvatore walked over to the side of the king-size bed and pointed at it. “Here.” It came out almost as a grunt.
I walked obediently over to his side and moved the pillow to the center of the bed so that I could sit on the mattress. “Please leave my feet untied. My body will be so sore in the morning if I have to sleep spread-eagle.” I tried not to sound like I was begging, but I was starting to feel scared.
“You should have thought of that before,” he said calmly. “Lie down and spread your legs. You’ll have to stretch.”
I watched Salvatore as he secured my first wrist with a plastic tie. He grabbed two lengths of fabric from the closet, once I was secure, and set to work tying my ankles to the bedframe. I was terrified of being left like that all night, but I was also turned on watching him tie me up.
“I would probably be more comfortable in a sleeping bag in the basement,” I said.
“Too late,” he said, without even looking at me.
That was the moment I snapped. I couldn’t handle the way he was dismissing me, and the fear I’d experienced managed to spike my adrenaline.
When Salvatore went to the other side of the bed to secure my other wrist, I took a swipe at him. I clawed his face as hard as I could, and then punched him in the neck.
He stood up straight and put his hand over my throat. The pressure on my windpipe was slight. The gesture was a warning.
“That’s right, big man,” I choked out. “Strangle a woman who’s tied to the bed.
He took a step back and studied me. “What are you trying to do?”
Salvatore must have seen something in my eyes. Before I could answer, he was on top of me. He was between my legs. It felt as if he was everywhere.
His hands found the clip of my bra between the cups and undid it. The thin, black fabric fell to the sides. He studied my breasts without touching.
When he did touch me, it was the back of his knuckles as he tore the fabric of my panties. I thought of the basement when I’d felt his massive cock brush against me, and tears filled my eyes. There was no way I could take him inside of me. Salvatore was too much.
“You shouldn’t have pushed me,” he growled.
“I shouldn’t have. I don’t know why I can’t behave,” I whispered.
“Because you’re a spoiled brat. You need to learn a lesson. You need to know what happens when you keep needling a man to his breaking point.”
“No,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if I meant it. “Get off me.”
“Oh, I’m getting off alright. How I do that depends entirely on how well you can play nice until I’m finished. This can be pleasant for you, or it can be torture.”
He turned slightly and undid one of my feet. Only my wrist and ankle on my left side were bound, and I flooded with confusion.
Salvatore ran his hand down my belly and traced a finger down my thigh. He grasped my knee and pushed it up so that my pussy was on full display for him.
“You look so sweet and pink,” he said and licked his lips.
“What are you going to do?” My voice trembled.
“Shut your mouth, and you’ll find out,” he said and leaned toward the apex between my thighs.
“Stop, ple
ase,” I said. “I need to wash. You can’t do that. It’s too embarrassing.”
Other girls had told me about their boyfriend’s eating them out. I’d never had any guy do it to me. My body throbbed with the anticipation of pleasure, but my head was screaming for me to kick him in the face.
I couldn’t do that, could I? What would he do to me if I tried to hurt him again? My chest clenched at the thought of him tying my other foot to the bed and thrusting his hard cock into me with no preparation.
At least if I let him make me come first, it might lessen the pain when he fucked me. I didn’t want him licking me, but I wanted it more than I wanted the alternative.
“Guess you should have played nice earlier,” he said and pressed his nose into the small patch of hair between my legs. “A little humility will do you good.”
Salvatore used two of his fingers to spread my lips. I moaned at the touch even though I didn’t want to give him any encouragement. I didn’t know what was betraying me. Was it my body welcoming his intrusion? Or was my mind lying to me when it said no.
“You said you wouldn’t do this.”
“I said I wouldn’t do what?” Salvatore asked. There was a wicked glint in his eye. He was getting off on my confusion.
“You said you wouldn’t force me,” I pleaded.
“Is that what I’m doing?” His thumb grazed my clit so lightly that I questioned whether he’d really touched me at all. The sensation made my entire body quake. No man had ever touched me there. I had no idea it could feel that good, and if Salvatore hadn’t found me, I never would have known. Any man my father married me off to would have just used me for his own pleasure. Until I met Salvatore, I was doomed to a life of empty, passionless sex.
Right then, he was offering me something different. What we were so close to doing would ruin my life, but Salvatore made it so I didn’t have to say yes. I could stop fighting, and he’d make the decision for both of us.
Hitman's Obsession Page 4