The Nullifier

by Erin M. Leaf

  “Are we almost there?” she asked before Felix could respond. Her voice sounded rough. “Ugh. I need to sit up.”

  Nick turned around, vaguely disappointed. There was no way Felix could answer his question now. “Yeah, we’re almost there, sis.” He looked at Felix. The man gave no indication that Nick’s flirting had cracked his composed exterior. The man’s a robot. Jesus. Isn’t he tired?

  “You can sit up, now,” Felix said quietly, interrupting Nick’s internal griping. “We’re almost there. In five more minutes you’ll be able to stretch out in an actual bed.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Jenna said, pushing off the quilt. It fell to the floor as the truck lurched, and she grabbed for the seat in front of her. “Good lord, is this even a road?”

  “It’s enough of a road for my needs.” Felix slowed the truck. “The harder it is to find and drive on, the harder it is for anyone to track me here.”

  “Huh. Good point,” Jenna said, reaching for her seatbelt. Before she could get it on, Felix pulled to a stop.

  Nick frowned. He couldn’t see a cabin. Hell, he couldn’t see fuck-all. “Where in the wilderness are we, Daniel Boone?”

  Felix snorted. “Look to your right.”

  Nick squinted out the window. Nestled in the trees was a dark blob. “That’s a cabin?” He opened the door and stepped out of the truck. A chorus of crickets and frogs greeted him. He swatted at a mosquito that buzzed near his ear. “Jesus. This is horror movie territory.” He stretched his aching muscles. “I hope to God you have some kind of plumbing.”

  “Don’t worry, the cabin has solar and a bank of batteries. I supplement with a small wind turbine. There’s a well, and even a toilet,” Felix said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Come on.” He got out of the truck and helped Jenna down from the rear seat. He clicked on a small flashlight and led the way along an overgrown path to the front door. Nick followed him, staying close to his sister.

  “You sure about this guy?” she whispered to Nick.

  Nick watched Felix unlock the heavy wooden door. When the man glanced back at them, a hint of uncertainty flashed across his face. Nick’s instincts, honed over years of survival on the streets, buzzed. Felix was a killer, yes, but he was also a man dying of loneliness.

  “Yeah. I’m sure,” he told her, voice hoarse with the sudden arousal he couldn’t seem to suppress. Nothing seemed to touch it: not worry for his sister’s life, not the man whose neck he’d broken, and not the mad dash into the unknown with a guy who wasn’t shy about blowing people to bits when the situation warranted it.

  “I hope you’re right. Because there’s no going back now,” Jenna said, squeezing his arm. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

  Nick nodded slowly. “I know,” he told her, leading her up the stairs. We may be in the middle of nowhere, but I don’t want to go back. I want to dive in deeper.

  Chapter Six

  Felix opened up the cabin, grateful he’d visited it a few weeks ago and stocked it up with supplies. They had plenty of food, water, and warmth, and that was all that they needed for now. “There are two bedrooms upstairs, that way.” He pointed across the living space to the stairs as he flicked on the light switches, then checked the security panel installed next to the door. It hadn’t registered any attempted break-ins, not that he’d expected otherwise. He’d have been alerted via text if there’d been any problem.

  “Wow,” Jenna said, stopping just inside the door.

  Felix glanced at her, strangely pleased at the expression of surprise on her face. He’d never brought anyone here before, and hadn’t really ever thought about what it might look like to someone else. He’d built it for comfort. He’d built it for himself. He rented houses all up and down the east coast to live in, six months at a time, but this cabin had been his safe house for several years. He wasn’t looking forward to abandoning it when he headed west, but he supposed he could always build another one in Oregon or some other western state.

  “Make yourself at home,” he said, not wanting to dwell too closely on why he’d suddenly broken his self-imposed isolation. He headed for the kitchen, wanting to check the freezer. All the food was still frozen, not that he’d expected anything else. He checked the plumbing next, nodding when he heard the pump click on as he ran the faucet. Everything seemed to be in working order.

  “You can take the first bedroom upstairs,” he told Jenna. “The guest bathroom is across the hall from the bedroom.” He glanced at Nick as Jenna nodded and headed up to the loft. “We’ll have to share the other room, unless you want to bunk with your sister.” He lifted a shoulder. “The guest bedroom only has a full-sized bed, though. You’ll end up on the floor if you stay in her room.”

  Nick made a face. “I can sleep on the sofa.” He walked further into the large room, then dropped his heavy duffel next to the coffee table. He poked a finger at the old leather cushion slumped down against the wooden frame of the sofa.

  Felix shrugged. “Whatever you want.” He locked the door and threw the bolt. “I don’t mind sharing.” He gestured to the sofa. “The sofa is old and lumpy. I’ve been meaning to buy a new one.”

  Nick gave him an odd look, then headed for the stairs. “I’ll take a look.” He disappeared up the stairs.

  Felix ran a hand over his face. What the fuck was he doing? Did he really want to share a bed with a complete stranger? Yes, a small voice in the back of his head told him. His cock lay thick and heavy against the front placket of his pants. He wasn’t quite hard, but he also wasn’t quite soft. The fight and the flight out of town had been the most excitement he’d had in months. Years of killing for a living seemed to have degraded his sense of … what? Fear? Excitement? He had no fucking clue, except for some reason, since meeting Nick, he felt alive again.

  “Maybe I should get out of the assassination business and try protection for a while,” he muttered, imagining the complicated mess of trying to keep someone alive instead of dead. The puzzle of it appealed to him. How to protect someone without getting killed? Without getting caught? He pressed his fist against his dick, enjoying the way he hardened into a full erection. Interesting.

  “Your bed is enormous,” Nick said from the loft landing, startling him out of his self-pleasure.

  Felix smiled up at him. “Yeah. I don’t like being confined.”

  “I can tell,” Nick said, hands on his hips. “So, I’m officially taking you up on your offer. We’ll share the bed.” Nick disappeared back into Felix’s bedroom.

  Felix smirked. He knew his king-sized mattress would appeal to Nick. Somehow, he had the feeling that the other man enjoyed the finer things in life. And Felix had more than enough money to provide them. He grabbed Nick’s duffel and headed up the stairs.

  “Jesus Christ, are these silk sheets?” Nick was sitting on the bed, one hand tucked underneath the duvet.

  “No. Fifteen hundred thread count Egyptian cotton.” Felix set the bag down near the dresser.

  “Expensive sheets and a pickup truck.” Nick lifted an eyebrow. “You are a hell of a contradiction, my friend.”

  “Nick, I’m going to go to bed,” Jenna said from the doorway.

  Felix turned, smiling when he saw her in an oversized Wonder Woman t-shirt. At least she hasn’t completely lost her sense of self, he mused.

  “Sleep tight,” Nick said, walking over to her and hugging her. “Everything’s going to be okay, Jenna.”

  She shook her head, glancing at Felix. “Is there anything I should be worried about? Should I lock the windows or something?” She held onto her brother tightly for a moment, and then she stepped back. “I mean, it looks like we’re in the middle of nowhere, but it was dark when we got here.”

  “You can sleep easy. No one knows about this property, and I have a security system set up. No one can get in without my knowing about it,” Felix assured her.

  She stared at him for a moment, the worry clear in her gaze, and then she nodded. “Okay. Because I have a feeling I
’m going to be unconscious in like, five minutes. I’m so freaking tired.” She rubbed the back of her neck.

  Felix smiled at her, willing her to trust him. “You are safe here. I promise.”

  After another searching look, Jenna sighed. “It’s not like I have a choice.”

  Felix frowned, trying to understand her wariness. She’s vulnerable, and she doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know that I don’t kill innocents. She doesn’t know that I kill people at all.

  “I’ll walk you to bed,” Nick said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “I want to check out the room.” He gave Felix a look that said, Let me handle this.

  Felix nodded slightly, hoping that Nick understood that he meant no harm.

  Jenna ran a hand over her face. “Okay.” She yawned. “You going to tuck me in, too?”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “God forbid.” They headed out of the bedroom.

  Felix sighed, then strode to the master bathroom and shut the door behind him. “What the fuck are you doing?” he asked himself in the mirror. Tired hazel eyes stared back at him accusingly, and he snorted and turned on the water. His erection hadn’t subsided one bit. He washed his face in ice cold water, but it didn’t help. No way was he sleeping anytime soon.

  ****

  Four hours later, the soft sounds of Nick’s slow breathing sounded in Felix’s head like a metronome of doom. “Fuck,” he whispered, not for the first time. He’d already been to the bathroom twice, once to take a piss, and once to try to deal with the arousal that seemed to simmer along his nerves. He’d jacked off fast and furious, but almost as soon as he’d climbed back into bed, his erection had returned. He’d give it five more minutes, and then if he couldn’t fall asleep, he’d go outside and walk the perimeter. At least he could do something useful with this excess energy.

  “Can’t sleep?” Nick murmured, rolling over.

  Felix grunted. What the fuck was wrong with him? Just the sound of Nick’s low, sleepy voice sparked another surge of heat.

  “Still trying to convince yourself that you’re straight?” Nick asked, sounding more awake.

  Felix frowned, head turning towards Nick. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Nick sighed, pushing the covers down to his waist. “I’ve seen you looking at me.”

  Felix sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I’m going out to walk the perimeter.”

  Before he could stand up, Nick’s hand landed on his shoulder. “No, you’re not.” His voice was low and soft. Unthreatening.

  Felix’s muscles tightened anyway. Nick’s hand was warm and heavy. His training told him that he could grab Nick’s wrist and break his elbow, or twist him around and rip out his throat, but the strange tension flaring through his body wouldn’t let him move. “You don’t want to do this, Nick,” he said, gritting his teeth.

  “Do what?” Nick pulled him back down to the mattress. “Touch you? Make you feel good?” He pressed Felix’s wrists down, hard.

  Felix flexed his biceps. In the dark, Nick was a dark shape looming over him. Instead of fear, or anger, Felix’s emotions jumped wildly from arousal to confusion. “I could break your neck.”

  “That knowledge just makes it sweeter,” Nick murmured.

  “Makes what sweeter?” Felix asked, voice raspy. He couldn’t seem to breathe right. Is this a panic attack? he asked himself. He’d never experienced anything like this. His entire life had been a systematic observation of facts and rational decisions. Nothing much bothered him—not killing, not violence, not sex. Boredom was a problem, but he certainly wasn’t fucking bored at the moment. I’m screwed, he thought, still not throwing Nick’s ass to the floor.

  “This,” Nick said, leaning down and kissing the side of Felix’s jaw. “Jesus, you smell good.”

  Felix flexed his arms, pushing up against Nick. “Stop. You know I’m straight.”

  “Make me.” Nick moved his lips down Felix’s shoulder and pressed his lips to the crook of his elbow.

  Felix froze. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

  “You’re not straight, and you don’t want me to stop, Felix,” Nick said, and then he bit the soft skin of his arm.

  Felix groaned. Just that one sharp touch brought him right to the edge. “Fuck.” His hips strained upwards as his balls drew into his body. His cock hurt.

  “No, no fucking yet. Tonight, I’m going to blow you.” Nick shoved down Felix’s sweatpants and took his cock in his hand. “I can’t wait to suck you off. I bet you’ll try and keep quiet. I bet I can make you come so hard you won’t know where you are anymore.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Felix gripped the sheets. He’d never wanted a mouth on his dick so bad before. Nick’s voice had him shaking. “What the hell are you doing to me?”

  Nick chuckled. “I’m not doing anything yet.” He leaned in and blew along Felix’s erection. “This isn’t just about me, straight boy. This is about you. You’ve suppressed your sexuality for so long that you don’t have a damn clue about what you like and don’t like. You’ve been fucking the wrong gender your whole life.”

  “Screw you. I’ve been straight for decades. I’ve fucked plenty of women,” Felix ground out, not wanting to admit how hot Nick’s touch made him. You’re going to eat your words, a small voice in the back of his head told him.

  Nick slid his thumb over the top of Felix’s erection and rubbed the pre-cum welling from the tip in a tight circle. “And every one of those women left you empty. Missing something. I bet you haven’t even bothered to pick someone up for the past few years. You haven’t hooked up with anyone lately, have you?”

  Felix shuddered, but didn’t reply. Nick was right. He hadn’t even attempted to get laid recently. Why bother? The women always wanted more from him than he was willing to give, and the rote mechanics of sex bored him lately. “Just get on with it,” he grated out, not in the mood for a psychoanalytical mind-fuck at the moment.

  Nick laughed. “Oh no, my friend. My blowjobs are works of art. I am going to go slow, and I am going to drive you out of your fucking mind.” He leaned down and licked a stripe up the length of Felix’s dick. Nick’s gunshot wound didn’t seem to be holding him back from being aggressive in bed. Felix liked that. He’s a badass. Of course I like that, he thought, still somewhat dazed by the intensity of his arousal for Nick.

  Felix growled, hands twisting in the sheets. He waited for Nick to slip him inside his mouth, but Nick scooted down further and began to suck his balls. “What the hell are you doing?” He grabbed Nick by the hair and tried to move him away. No one had ever touched him there before.

  Nick let him pull him up, but then he dug his fingers into Felix’s wrists, hitting the nerve points. Felix released him, not because of the searing pain, but because he didn’t want to fight. He wanted Nick’s mouth on his cock. Instead of obliging, Nick immediately pinned his hands to the mattress.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Nick muttered, and put his mouth on the delicate skin behind Felix’s ball sac.

  Felix squirmed. He could break free of Nick’s hold if he wanted to, and he knew that Nick knew it. The man wasn’t even holding him down very hard anymore. “Fuck, Nick.” He closed his eyes and inhaled, striving for calm. It was no use. Nick moved further down, pushing Felix’s legs open wide. The moment his tongue touched his asshole, Felix bucked. “Jesus!”

  Nick grabbed his thighs and held on. “I’m just getting started, Felix.”

  Felix threw an arm over his face. He’d never in his life felt such pleasure. He’d never fucking wanted to feel like this. A cascade of lukewarm sexual encounters flitted through his mind, and he gritted his teeth. How the hell had he been so fucking clueless? He was fucking forty-five years old, for fuck’s sake. He reached down, desperate to touch himself, but Nick somehow intercepted his hands.

  “No. Keep your hands away from your cock. I’m not done yet,” Nick said, and then he went back to tonguing Felix’s hole.

  Felix groaned, and then
suddenly, Nick moved up and sucked the tip of his erection into his mouth. Felix sucked in a hard breath, hips jerking. He was right on the edge of orgasm, but then Nick wrapped tight fingers around the base of his dick. “Not yet.”

  Felix grabbed Nick by the hair again. “Stop fucking around.”

  Nick smiled at him, and then he deliberately slid a slick finger into Felix’s ass. Felix gasped, going completely still. “What the fuck are you doing?” He tried to sound angry, but his words came out more like an astonished whisper. His face heated, with embarrassment or arousal, or some sick combination of the two.

  “I’m making you lose your goddamn mind,” Nick replied, adding another slick finger.

  Felix didn’t know where the hell Nick had found the lube, or if he was just using spit, and he didn’t care. “Christ,” he moaned when Nick began sliding his fingers in and out. “Why the hell does that feel so good?”

  “Just wait,” Nick said, and Felix frowned, but then the fingers hit something like an electric wire in his body and his entire nervous system lit up like a damned Christmas tree. Felix bucked despite his resolve to be calm.

  Fuck me, Felix thought, mostly incoherent, and then Nick sucked his cock back into his mouth, blowing him completely away. Felix’s dick swelled harder. Nick’s fingers relentlessly pressed on the spot inside his body as his mouth worked Felix’s erection, and suddenly it was all over. Felix flexed his spine as his orgasm hit him like a fucking train. His mind whited out as pleasure rushed through him. His cock jerked as his toes curled and his hands made fists around the sheets. He couldn’t do a damned thing except thrust into Nick’s mouth until his body gave up trying to turn itself inside out.

  A long time later, he felt Nick easing his fingers out. Felix forced his eyes open. The middle of the night darkness kept him from seeing Nick’s expression, but the lack of spunk all over the fucking place told him that the man had swallowed every last drop. “Fuck,” he muttered, strangely aroused by the thought. The shock he heard in his voice had him clamping his mouth shut before he could say anything else.