by Marie James
“Hey, fucker,” I yell kicking the edge of the mattress to shake him awake.
He grumbles but stays asleep. I clear his pockets, finding nothing. I kick at him again, this time making contact with his body. We never let them stay asleep since each one needs to be threatened and warned about what will happen if they don’t come up with the money they owe.
He opens his eyes halfway, and I recognize him as a man we made contact with the first couple of days I was forced to work with Vito.
He smiles looking over my shoulder. “My savior,” he rasps and closes his eyes again.
I turn back to see Vito spinning a silencer on the end of a handgun. My eyes widen. I knew he had the weapon, but he’s never brandished it or felt the need to pull it out to threaten anyone with it before.
Without a word, he points it at the man on the bed and pulls the trigger. The man doesn’t move an inch as his life drains out of him from the wound in his forehead. I stumble back away from him.
I’m no stranger to death. I don’t know of any solider that has ever left the pseudo-safeness of a base in the Middle East that hasn’t experienced death on some level, either at their own hands or the loss of a fellow brother. Seeing someone killed in the civilian world, without the pretext of war is totally different.
I stare back at Vito, trying to regain my composure. If I had any doubt the level of violence this organization is willing to go to, those thoughts have been cleared up now.
“You’ll get used to it,” he says nonchalantly as he twists the silencer from the tip of the murder weapon.
“Fat fucking chance,” I say as he turns to leave the room.
I use my t-shirt to clean the doorknob on the way out of the room and pull the door closed to what has now become that poor fucker’s tomb.
***
The rest of the night, thankfully, goes by without more bloodshed. I’ve never been more grateful to be enclosed in this room than I am right now.
I sit on the bed for a couple hours trying to get my thoughts lined up. My brain tries to make sense of what happened tonight, but no such luck. Evil and abuse surround the entire SINdicate organization.
You’ll get used to it.
Vito’s words bounce around in my head. I’m no shrink, but I imagine some pretty messed up stuff had to have happened to the man for him to be so blasé about taking another man’s life.
I think back to the kids we encountered overseas. We never knew if the kids were in fact part of the organization and there to kill us. They had been raised around death, destruction, and so much hate for American soldiers that they were sometimes even more volatile than their adult counterparts, like baby rattlesnakes, not knowing the amount of venom needed to disable a threat. They go for the gusto every time. I have a feeling that Vito may be the latter.
I shake my head trying to clear the image of that man’s blood pooling around his pillow. I stand and retrieve the phone stashed inside the bedside lamp.
I dial the number Shadow gave me last time we spoke. It’s four o’clock in the morning, but I know he’ll answer.
Two rings and he answers with a gruff, “Urruela.”
“Hey, man,” I say sitting back down on the edge of the bed.
“How’d you like that strip club?” He asks with a sick chuckle.
“Nastiest fucking place I’ve ever seen in my life,” I answer honestly. “So you guys in town?”
“The whole team got here Thursday. A couple of us got here beginning of the week,” he responds.
“They’re more sophisticated than I thought,” I tell him. “Vito just put a bullet in some guy’s skull at the Paragon.”
“We found him,” he answers. “But they’re not all too sophisticated. Doesn’t take much to put a bullet in someone’s head. These guys aren’t operating with rules of engagement you expect from an organization.”
“It’s like being back in the desert,” I mutter to him.
“Pretty much,” he agrees.
It’s true. Thugs, idiots, and assholes kill people every day with no level of organization or skill.
“You find out anything?”
“They carried a girl out the back of the hotel last night.” My body stiffens. “It wasn’t Aviana,” he says easing my mind. “We know where they’re taking those girls now. The next move is up to you.”
“I need to be with her when it goes down,” I tell him.
“I figured,” he says lightheartedly.
“They told me we’d go back up there on Tuesday.” I look up at the ceiling hoping she’s okay. I pray I’m not too late to save her. There’s no telling what she’s going through right now. I have to trust that while she still has time left on her father’s extension, combined with the fact that they think she’s ‘working off’ some of the debt will keep her from harm.
I hear Shadow pull the phone from his mouth and say something to someone else in the room.
“I think we can work it out for Tuesday.”
“I have no idea what time we’ll go in.”
“We’ll keep an eye out. We’ll move on it around half an hour after you guys enter,” he assures me.
A couple of days and all of this shit will be over. Hopefully, both Aviana and I will still be standing when the dust clears.
Chapter 28
Aviana
A soft knock at my door makes my pulse race. It’s been too long since I’ve seen BT and the days seem to be fading into each other. My skin is growing pale, and I know it’s because I haven’t seen the sun in weeks. In Tampa, I was in perpetual sunshine even though most of my days were filled with pitiful sadness and self-loathing. At least there the sun was always a guarantee. Now I don’t even have that. I can tell a horrendous bout of depression is setting in, and there’s nothing to keep it away. The promise of seeing BT again is the only thing keeping a little bit of life in my heart.
I get up and answer the door, hoping BT is here to spend time with me. Darby, not BT, is in my doorway when I pull it open.
“Hey,” she says weakly.
I open the door so she can pass by and close us into the room. She’s been keeping to herself even more than before, but I’ve avoided everyone also.
“What’s up?” I try to say with a semblance of cheer in my voice.
She huffs loudly and plops down on my bed. I climb on as well and sit with my legs crossed Indian style and wait for her to speak. She seems quite comfortable with the silence, so I wait her out.
Long minutes drag by before she finally speaks.
“Vito was here last night.” Her words make my heart drop.
I can’t help but imagine that BT was with him and chose someone else to spend time with. I’ve had in the back of my mind that glitz of the SINdicate and all that they do would pull him down eventually. Seems good men don’t exist anymore.
“Was he alone?” I don’t even try to hide the sadness in my voice. Melancholy and sorrow seems to be her mood as well. Why not be a glutton for punishment?
“He was alone,” she says staring at her twisting hands.
I take a deep, relieved breath. “Did he hit you again?” From the way she’s ringing her hands together, I already know they didn’t have a functional meeting.
“No, he didn’t hit me.” She sighs loudly. “He was too busy being balls deep in Courtney to even care about what I was doing.”
I don’t understand her heartache. I don’t understand wanting a guy to come back after he was violent the last time.
“I’m sorry,” I lie because it’s what she wants to hear. I don’t know her well enough to chastise her for her choices.
“He stopped by after he got his fill of her. He wanted to remind me that I was still not allowed to mess with any of the other guys.” I watch as a tear runs down her cheek. “I’d rather be the focus of a ten-man gangbang than not be allowed to touch anyone.”
I laugh because that’s ridiculous, but when I look up, I see the pain and seriousness in her eyes. “Sorry,” I a
pologize. “I guess being a…” I let my voice trail off.
“A nympho?” She says with a smirk.
“Yeah, that. I guess no sex would be hard for someone who identifies as a nympho.”
I let the silence take back over.
I feel her weight shift, so I raise my eyes to her.
“You know,” she begins. “He said I couldn’t touch any of the other guys.”
I look at her confused. She winks at me, and I immediately understand her train of thought.
I hold my hands up by my head. “Umm, no. I hate the situation you’re in, but that’s not gonna happen.”
She shrugs her shoulders sadly. “I figured it was a long shot, but doesn’t hurt to ask.”
I’m just about to respond when a knock, followed by the door opening up interrupts me.
Vito stands in the doorway. I watch as he steps aside and BT walks in. I school my face as best I can when all I want to do is smile from ear to ear.
“Be a good little whore,” Vito says looking at me. He slaps BT on the back. If looks could kill Vito would be lying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. “Take care of my boy here for his birthday.”
Vito gives Darby a pointed stare making her climb off the bed and leave the room. Vito leans in close to BT, and I hear him whisper. “Tonight’s on the house, Buddy. Fuck it up.”
Vito closes the door, and I watch as BT closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. I know he’s trying his best to tamp down his anger at what Vito said to me. I climb off the bed and cross the room to him. I won’t allow the outside world and things beyond our direct control ruin our brief time together.
I cup my hand on his face and slide up against his body.
“I’ll kill him,” he mutters coldly.
“Shhh,” I soothe. “I have just the perfect gift for the birthday boy,” I tell him as I reach for the zipper of his pants.
He grabs my hand once again. This shit is getting ridiculous. “It’s not my birthday. They think it’s Mike’s birthday,” he explains.
I wiggle my hand until he releases it. “Well, then Mike gets a blowjob for his birthday.”
He groans but stops my hands when they reach for him again.
“Why won’t you let me touch you?”
He takes a step back. “I don’t want you to do anything you normally wouldn’t do,” he says in a frustrated tone.
I look up at him in disbelief. “Seriously? Do you not remember the night at your house in Tampa?”
I let my gaze drop from his. I remember his rejection all too well. Seems all he wants to do is reject me or put his mouth on me. I’m not complaining about the latter by any means, but I want to please him also.
“You rejected me then too,” I say softly.
“You wanted to fuck that night.” His voice is gruff and a straight arrow to the truth. “I could see in your eyes you didn’t want anything more than that.”
“It’s different now,” I tell him.
“Is it? How do you know? You’re a prisoner here. I’m practically their captive as well. How can you make informed decisions right now?”
I shake my head at him. “I’m not some traumatized little girl, BT. I’m a grown woman, making adult choices. If you don’t want me to suck your dick, then fine. I won’t, but don’t turn this back on me. I’m not the one pushing against us.”
He closes his eyes briefly. I’m mad, and this is not the way I wanted to spend our limited time together.
“I don’t want you to feel used, Aviana. I want you to know that these four walls and your familiar face is not the only reason I’m standing here with you and not in one of the other rooms.”
“I know that already, BT. You came all this way to save me. I don’t want to be with you because I feel obligated. I want to be with you. If I ever get out of here; if we ever get the chance to go back to some normalcy. I want there to be an us. I’m not pushing you away like I did when you turned me down in Tampa.” I sigh, hoping I’m making sense. “And I’m not pulling you to me because of our current situation either.”
He cups my face in his huge hand. “Say it again,” he whispers.
“I want there to be an us,” I say with a smile.
He leans in and slowly takes my mouth in a passionate, all-consuming kiss. He strokes his tongue over mine as if we have all the time in the world, as if both of our lives aren’t complete chaos at the moment. I whimper when he tangles his hand in my loose hair, his grip displaying an urgency his lips don’t match.
“Let me,” I say pulling my mouth from his.
He doesn’t stop me when I reach for his zipper this time. I sink to my knees and pull his jeans and boxer briefs down as I lower. His throbbing erection is mere inches from my face and my mouth waters at the sight. I rub my cheek against it and kiss his lower belly.
“Aviana,” he gasps. I frown when he begins to tug his jeans back up. “I’m going to fall if I don’t sit down.”
He shuffles to the bed and sits down near the edge. I don’t even bother to get up; rather I opt to walk on my knees until I’m between his legs again.
Placing my hands on his trembling thighs, I run my tongue up the length of him. His cock jerks pulling further from my mouth. “Control yourself, Mr. Urruela,” I chastise.
“Not fucking possible.” He hisses loudly when I take the plush head into my mouth and give it a hard suck.
I moan at his enthusiasm and pull him deeper in my throat. Grabbing the base, I hold him upright at the perfect angle for my attention. I close my eyes and breathe him in. Manly. Seductive. All mine.
I feel his long fingers tangle in my hair. At first he rests it there increasing our connection, but the deeper I go and the harder I suck the tighter his grip gets. I love the small bite of pain I feel at the roots when his hand begins to dictate my speed and rhythm. I love that he’s able to enjoy it enough to exert his control.
I release him and place both of my hands on his muscular thighs, allowing him to take over. He gags me a couple times but listens to the cues and changes his tempo to correct it.
Breathing through my nose is growing increasingly difficult, much like my ability to keep from touching myself. He’s lost in the moment, and I cherish it. I feel him thicken just before he begins to spurt hotly in my mouth. I struggle to swallow the salty thickness as it flows out in a torrent. I release him from my mouth and lick around the base, collecting the stray droplets.
“Fuck, Aviana.” His voice is hoarse, and it makes me smile.
I lick my lips one last time and wipe away the remaining wetness with the back of my hand.
He lies back on the bed and covers his face with his arm. His breathing is still erratic, but he reaches for me. I climb on the bed and curl up beside him.
“I can’t wait to get you out of here, baby. The things I have planned for you. I hope you don’t have anything to do in the immediate future, because I think it will take weeks before I let you out of my bed.”
Chapter 29
BT
“You better put that thing away,” she says jokingly. “You don’t want Vito to catch you with your dick out.”
Begrudgingly, I tuck myself back into my jeans, even though I was enjoying the coolness of the air after Aviana’s hot, talented mouth.
I pull her tighter against my chest. I want to tell her that it ends tonight, but if something goes wrong, I don’t want to have wasted one single second of the bliss I feel when she’s in my arms.
“It will be over soon,” I assure her without a time frame commitment.
“They know who I am,” she says weakly. “They’ll just come after me again. It will never be over. I’ll never be safe.”
I feel the wetness from her tears as they soak into my shirt.
“Things will work out. Once it’s all said and done, you’ll never have to worry about the SINdicate again,” I promise her.
“Besides, we can always move from Tampa. LA would be a perfect place for a beautiful, budding ac
tress like yourself.”
She laughs against my chest. “I do not want to be an actress.”
“What happened to your life dreams of being a showgirl?” I raise my head up to speak to her, but she keeps her head on my chest. “What do you want to do, Aviana?”
I feel her shake her head gently.
“Don’t do that, baby. Don’t shut me out. Tell me,” I prod gently.
“I’ve always wanted to go into sports medicine,” she admits softly.
“Look at me.” I tilt her head up with my finger under her chin. “If that’s what you want then that’s what we do.”
“We?” She asks gently.
I nod. “We.”
I can tell by the hitch in her voice when she asks that she wants there to be a we. My heart soars, because all of this time I was questioning whether we’re growing closer only because she’s been trapped here for weeks. All of the uneasiness about what happens when we leave hasn’t dissipated, but the worries have settled some.
I feel her head lift slightly off my chest as if she wants to speak to me but then she settles back down. After doing this two more times, I shift my weight where she’s on her back, and I’m hovering over her.
I look into her beautiful hazel eyes and let my eyes trail down her cheeks. I twitch in my jeans when my eyes land on her plush, swollen lips. Knowing how they got that way nearly has me begging for more.
Under my gentle scrutiny, she finally speaks. “I didn’t know if you were here out of some sense of duty or if you were here because you wanted me.” She looks away from me, angling her face toward the bathroom door. “I’ve been in this room wondering what is going to happen if I ever get out of here.” She turns her face back toward me, and I watch as a tear slides down her face, disappearing into her hairline. “I didn’t know if you had any plans of keeping me after I left.”
I smile down at her and push stray hair off her cheek and behind her ear. “You think I can let you go?” I ask softly. “I let you walk away from me once, and you see where that got us?” I chuckle lightly, hoping the mention of her abduction night doesn’t upset her too much.