Untamed fury.
“Please don’t.” Begging didn’t help, but I thought it was worth a try. Onyx didn’t even look at me; instead, his focus was over my head at my family.
He grabbed my arm, pulled me to his side and out of his way. It was harsh but not in a way that would cause me harm. His intent was to move me from his path, and he did. How could he be so consumed in anger but still keep me safe? Every move Onyx Blake made had me more confused than the last.
“Contract’s fucking off. You’re done!”
Kennedy drained of all color and Malcom grabbed on to her trying to prevent a fall, but was unable to. She hit the floor as the sobs raked her body. Pulling away from Onyx, I rushed to my sister and slid next to her, wrapping my arms around her. Whispering soothing words, I begged her to settle.
Her cries turned into screams, tears rolling down her face. It was like her world was ending because of Onyx. She was mumbling, but I couldn’t make out the words she was saying. Piecing it together from her wails wouldn’t happen.
Kennedy rocked back and forth, her hands doing some weird movement things. I tried to hold them down, but wasn’t successful. I felt her breaking in my arms, and it was killing me inside.
“Send a man to my home? You stupid fucker,” Onyx rumbled at Malcom, ignoring my sister and me completely. “Now you pay the price.” The venom in his voice sent shivers down my spine.
My sister started shaking her head, this time the words clearer. “It’s never going to happen. It’s never going to happen. It’s never going to happen.” Over and over again she repeated herself, and I was terrified for her.
“It’s okay, Kennedy.” I held her with everything I had, the very same way I did when we found out our mother died. I wasn’t sure I believed my own words, but I couldn’t lose hope we would all come out of this on the other side. We survived once, we could again.
“Kennedy feared for her sister. That’s why we sent him. Just to make sure she was okay,” Malcom responded calmly, and I wanted to smack him upside the head. Did he not know when to shut the hell up? Onyx made the rules here, and it was our place to abide by them. I may not know the man or even the truth behind what was going on, but I did know Onyx wasn’t going to allow anyone to take the reins.
“Mistake,” was all Onyx said.
Malcom looked down at us, then back to Onyx. “We’re sorry. Can we please continue?” His tone was defeated, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it all meant if they gave up.
“No.”
Kennedy’s body began shaking so hard it actually shook the floor below us. I kissed the top of her head and tried to calm her, but nothing was working.
Fear gripped me, holding on with all its might. I watched Onyx cut the fingers off a man just hours ago, and here he stood in my sister’s house a ball of unleashed fury. How bad would this be? What would I witness next? Then, what would happen to me given all I know.
That was when my world flipped upside down. Kennedy’s words seared me like a brand, engulfing me and not letting me go. The universe dropped under my feet making me fall hard and fast. Everything changed with her next sentence.
“I’m never going to be a mother. I’m never going to be a mother. I’m never going to be a mother,” she chanted, and my mind raced.
“What, Kennedy?”
“He’s taking my baby. He’s taking my baby. He’s taking my baby.” Her rocking became more determined as my body moved with hers.
“Baby?” I looked up to Malcom who huffed out a breath, and then to Onyx who was still pissed off as hell. Onyx started toward Malcom, fire in his eyes just like when he chopped that guy’s fingers off.
Releasing my sister, I jumped up and got in front of Malcom. My hands automatically going to Onyx’s chest, pretending like I could hold him back. “Please. Just stop and talk to me,” I begged him.
“No,” he huffed, moving around me and refusing to look me in the eyes. I sidestepped, blocking his path.
“A baby. You have a baby for my sister?” Onyx didn’t pay me any mind. Instead, he lifted me and set me out of his way. Again the pressure was there as he moved me, but he didn’t hurt me.
It happened so fast I couldn’t stop it. Onyx’s fist went up and came down hard on Malcom’s jaw. Malcom fell to the floor next to my sister, blood pouring out of his mouth.
Moving quickly, I got between Onyx and Malcom once more. “Please. Please don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you need. I’ll stay as long as you need me to. I’ll come willingly and never try to leave. Swear it.” The words tumbled out—the promises, the agreements—I meant them all if I could give my sister what he obviously controlled.
“You’d do that?” Onyx asked, suddenly noticing me.
This was what I needed, his attention on me. I had to fight for my sister. I didn’t know the details, but if Onyx held a baby, the key to my sister’s happiness, then I would do anything. “Absolutely. Whatever I can do. Just please keep the contract intact. It’s my fault they sent someone to your home. Me. Not them.”
Onyx stared down at my sister and brother-in-law, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. I had one chance to salvage all of this. I still didn’t know the details and honestly, I didn’t need to. My sister wanted to be a mother. My loving, adoring, devoted sister wanted a baby, and Onyx held that in the palm of his hand. I couldn’t let her down.
“Baby. They wanted a baby, and you can get one. Right? If we keep the contract enforced and I go with you, you can fulfill it.” I was babbling, but he needed to listen to me. “Collateral, I’m your collateral.” I didn’t choke on the words like I expected. I believed in every word I spoke. My sister had talked about wanting to start trying for a baby, but she never said anything else about it. I figured they decided to wait a bit or Malcom’s job got in the way. A million and one reasons ran through my head, but the pieces didn’t fit.
Now, they were beginning to fit.
Kennedy was one of those women who was born to be a mother. Since I was little, she always looked out for me. She would no doubt be an amazing mom to a baby of her own. If she and Malcom went to such extreme measures as to get into business with Onyx Blake, then this was necessary.
My sister laid on the floor, hysterical beyond measure. My brother-in-law held his mouth, no doubt never being punched in the face before. They were defeated. The look of despair washed over both their features, and it drained me of all emotion. This was going to be the fight for our family.
Onyx was staring at me. Studying, calculating, deciding the fate of us all. No words. Only the rise and fall of his chest a little quicker gave me the indication this was getting to him. Or, at least, I was hoping.
“Please, Onyx. I’m scared for her,” I whimpered, putting my emotions on my sleeve. Kennedy meant too much to me.
“You think I give a flying fuck if you’re scared for her or not?” He was a savage beast, and I was an idiot trying to tame him.
I jumped back at his harsh words, but he continued.
“You think begging me to keep our deal is going to work?”
“Please,” I said quietly.
He looked to Malcom. “You owe me double your amount by ten AM tomorrow. That money isn’t in my bank account, I’ll come back and make sure you lose the very hands that paid that fucker to come on my property. Then your feet because he walked on my grass. Little by little, I will cut you limb from limb.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks because Onyx would do it. He would make my brother-in-law pay for his mistake. He would cut it all off leaving my sister to pick up the pieces, if by some miracle Malcom even survived. That couldn’t happen.
I stood on my tiptoes to get Onyx’s attention. “Please, don’t do this. I’ll go with you. I’m collateral, remember; look what they did for my safety. I’m the best security you can get. I’m not going anywhere until you have your money and they get their baby. They won’t send anyone after me because I’ll be willing. Compliant,” I choked out the wo
rds, meaning them and killing a piece of me in doing it. For Kennedy’s happiness though I would swallow my pride, my strength, and my will to disobey Onyx.
“Ten AM tomorrow. I’ll be in touch. And don’t send another motherfucker for her. Torryn is collateral.” He smirked, no doubt knowing he won when I claimed the title myself. “No more games, Malcom,” Onyx warned before grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door. He didn’t release his grip until we got to his bike and he handed me my helmet. He said my name, but I didn’t have time to process the emotions.
“I need to make sure she’s okay.” I tried to get a few moments to let it all sink in and one last chance to promise my sister I would make this happen for her. The head cover felt heavy in my hands like the weight of the world was riding on it. I couldn’t bring myself to put it on without one last chance to see Kennedy.
“You go in that house, then I go back in that house. You do not want me to go back in that house, Collateral.”
My body trembled as the silent tears kept sliding down my face. He’d hurt them. That was what he was saying. If he went back into that house, he was going to carry through with his threats. My best bet was to get him as far from this as possible, to try to talk some sense into him. Even if it was a losing battle. I, at least, had to try.
Without a word, I secured the strap and followed him onto the bike. It was agony when my instincts screamed to go comfort my sister. I couldn’t process it all as we mounted. Onyx twisted the throttle and took off like a shot.
A baby. My sister wanted a baby. My heart swelled with joy for her and our family. Then it broke at the same time. Why couldn’t she have one? Was something medically wrong?
Onyx could get it for her. How though? How could this man who cuts people up, have access to babies? And better yet, why?
The thoughts swirled as we made the ride back to the Manor. A man like Onyx didn’t strike me as the baby kind of guy. Then again, human trafficking was a huge underworld business. I had seen the movies based on real life and the news from the big port cities. I didn’t live in a bubble. This was a worldwide problem and something I wanted no part in, but was stuck.
Fear gripped me, and I found myself holding Onyx tighter only because he was the body in front of me. Was that the business he was in? Would he be selling my sister some baby from a woman forced into being a sex toy?
How could Kennedy go along with that? There’s no way she would take a baby who came from those kinds of situations. The more miles that passed on, the more my mind went to the darkest places I could think of, each scenario scarier than the last.
Before I managed to sort out a solid plan or wrap my head around what was going on with my sister and Onyx, we were pulling up to his gate.
Just behind the metal closure, he entered his code, the gate opened, and he drove us to the front of the house. I tried to see the numbers when he pressed them, but failed.
Passing the dragons, I couldn’t help but think they were fitting. Onyx Blake breathed fire on everything he touched.
Including me.
11
Onyx
My blood rushed through my veins. Why the fuck I even agreed to this was beyond even me. What was it about Torryn McAllister that tied me up and made me break my own fucking rules? One fucking pleading look was all it took from her. This shit wasn’t good, and I needed to squash it fast.
Life was a game that a person must play with strategy. I couldn’t let Torryn figure out her piece in this, nor could I let her feel like she gained any ground. This wasn’t a roll of the dice, wish for the right number to move. No, the things at stake here were life, death, and freedoms.
I didn’t bother with the garage, parking by the front steps instead. In fact, I dropped my helmet by the front door, and she did the same. We entered the manor with her on my heels. I didn’t speak, and I could tell she wanted to but hadn’t begun yet. Good, because she wasn’t getting shit out of me.
Going to my room, I didn’t bother with locking the door. She came of her own free will, no need to chain her down. If she left the deal would be off, and her sister’s baby would be sold to someone else. Hell, if that dick she called a brother-in-law didn’t have my money in the morning, it would be off and he could go fuck himself.
Either way, I wouldn’t lose a bit of sleep.
“How do you do it?” she asked as I pulled my shirt over my head, dropping it to the floor.
“Collateral.”
She threw her hands up in frustration, slapping them back down on her lush thighs. “Dammit, Onyx. I know now, sort of. I’m here on my own accord. I’m here so my sister can get her baby, but how do I know it isn’t some bigger thing. How do I know you aren’t into bad things? You might have this mother drugged or something crazy. How do I know, or they know, they’ll be getting a healthy baby?”
“You’re pushing,” I warned.
“Is the mother addicted to drugs? If she is, the baby could have problems.”
Her eyes blazed golden with so much emotion. I wanted to kill it inside of her. I wanted her to be numb, but couldn’t bring myself to break her even though this was the perfect opportunity.
“You worried?”
She nodded. It cut me deep. When did someone ever worry over me? Not even the guys and I cared like that. Watching someone worry over an unborn child was a foreign thing, even in my line of work.
I found myself giving her the comfort she sought without stopping myself. “I do not drug women ever. I do not traffic them, take them, or make them disappear. It’s a transaction.”
“Then the baby?”
I blew out a breath. “Is healthy.” I closed the space between us. She swallowed down her fears, and instead of backing away from me, she held her ground. Fuck, it turned me on.
“Okay then.”
I studied her, and the honesty I found surprised me. Reaching out, I cupped her neck and used my thumbs to tilt her head to me. “You trust me?”
“Trust that you’re not lying to me, yes.” Her eyes flickered in a genuine reply. “Trust you, no. In the span of a day, I’ve seen you cut then stab a man, punch my brother-in-law, and made my sister so distraught it scared the living shit out of me. So no, Onyx, I don’t trust you.”
“Good.”
I crashed my lips to hers. A moan escaped her before she opened her mouth, letting me have all access. My tongue plundered as she arched her tits, pressing into my chest. I growled wishing she didn’t have a shirt on, and I could feel those hard nipples against my skin.
Her lips swelled under my assault. I relished it as her hands came to my back seeking more. She tasted sweet, with a bit of spice. Reaching down to her ass, I squeezed it hard making her yelp. It was enough to break whatever we had going on because she jumped out of my embrace so quickly she almost hit the corner of the bed.
Torryn’s head shook as her hand came to her lips, covering them. “No, we’re not doing this.” With one more glance, she darted to the bathroom, slammed the door behind her, and locked it. I could hear her slide down the door, and I imagined she had her head in her hands, contemplating what just happened.
May as well give her some help with it all.
Moving to the door, I spoke through it, “Your body wants me, Collateral, may as well give in now.”
Having her off balance, sensing the war inside of her, it was exactly what I needed. If she had time to clear her thoughts, she might make a play that gave her some leverage. I would never allow that, so it was best she hate me. I preferred it that way.
“No,” she barked with more power, her guard coming back up. Smiling to myself, I headed downstairs and grabbed my tool box, carrying it back up to the room. Quickly and efficiently, I unlocked the door, which had her scrambling on her hands and knees away from it. It was a beautiful position for her. I then disconnected the door from its hinges and carried it away.
“What are you doing?” she questioned loudly, getting even more pissed off.
Nodding to the door,
I said, “Makin’ a fuckin’ baby bed.”
Torryn burst out laughing as I took the door away. Her laughter was amazing, and I hadn’t ever heard anything like it. Hell, I was pretty damn sure I’d never been the cause of that kind of laughter in my life. It was a war inside me to make her hate me and yet, I found myself craving a chance to hear her laugh once more.
Taking the door to the room down the hall, I came back in to find Torryn standing in the open area of my bedroom like she was lost.
“Why did you take the door away?” she asked me softly.
“Because we will have nothing between us, Collateral.”
She tilted her head to the side, studying me. “There are lots of things between us, Onyx.” There was a sadness in her tone.
“Physically, there is no place you can run, no place you can hide, and no place—including the bathroom—you can shut me out of, Collateral.”
“Sometimes I need space, Onyx.”
I smirked at her explanation. “Sometimes, you try to take the reins. Sometimes, you try to hide. Sometimes, you try and fail to shut me out. I’ll never let it happen, Collateral.”
She placed her hand on her hip and leaned in. “I don’t know you well enough to shut you out!”
Expanding my arms wide, I gave her this moment. “I’m standing right here. Ask me anything you wish.”
“Your name,” she fired back without hesitation. “We’ll start with the basics.”
“Onyx Blake.”
She shook her head, frustrated with me. “Your real, full name, Onyx.”
“My legal, full name is Onyx Blake. No middle name, no fancy additions unless you want to call me Sir Blake while you’re on your knees sucking my cock.”
“Who named you Onyx?”
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I played with the Zippo lighter inside the right one flipping it over. “It’s a dark and long story,” I replied without giving her anything more on the matter. Did the who really matter? They weren’t part of my life now, so where my name came from was irrelevant to me and that made it a nonissue for her.
PowerHouse_Anti-Hero Game_Power Chain Book One Page 7