by Sam Crescent
Entering the bedroom, he found Tulip standing as she dried her hair. She wore a large shirt. He’d purchased them all some new clothes with money he’d stolen over the past year, from his house, from people he killed.
With Jade’s help, he’d been able to locate an underground gambling ring. There, ten men had been spending a fortune, and he’d gotten in, killed everyone, and took the money as spoils. Everything was a spoil to him.
“Are you okay?” Tulip asked. He saw she was nervous. “How was the water?”
“Warm but I can’t complain. Some hotels don’t even offer a bath. I took a shower. It makes a lot of noise and I let it run for a couple of minutes to clear any dirt. It should be good for you to use.”
He stepped up close to her, tucking a couple of strands of hair behind her ear. “Don’t go to sleep.”
“You’re ordering me about what I should be doing?”
“I’m telling you what to do.” He pressed a kiss to her head and left to go into the bathroom. He closed the door, removed his jacket, and stared at his reflection. He didn’t look like the same carefree kid of years ago. The kind of jerk who slept around with half the school.
That kid had died a long time ago, and he wasn’t coming back.
No, the guy he stared at now was a killer. He’d been trained by Rick, by the best men his father could buy.
He’d never known what real darkness was like, not until he was told Sarah was dead. When he found out the truth about his father’s involvement, he knew he was going to kill the bastard. What did he have to live for? Now, of course, the joke was on him. Men and women were still after him and he had Tulip to consider.
If he let her get hurt, he’d never forgive himself.
After removing his clothing, he tossed it to one side and turned on the shower. He waited for the water to run and stepped beneath it. It wasn’t a great shower, but it wasn’t like he had the option to be choosy. For now, they were at the mercy of whatever this house had to offer and for however long it was safe. Tomorrow, he’d have to go with Jade around the perimeter, to work out an escape route, set up points, and then run it through with both girls.
He didn’t linger too long in the shower, taking enough time to get the day’s dirt off his body. One of the towels he’d purchased was on the counter. He lifted it, wrapped it around his waist, and went back into the bedroom.
Tulip had laid out the blankets and a couple of pillows on the bed.
He and Jade had been through their lists of the barest essentials they needed when they were moving around.
Tulip stood up.
The shirt she wore grazed the tops of her thighs, and he didn’t want to wait to hold her. It’d already been too long since having her in his arms.
He closed the distance between them, cupped her cheek, and ran his thumb across her bottom lip.
“Landon,” she said.
“You don’t have to be nervous. I won’t hurt you. Not ever.”
“This is all new for me, and I don’t know what you want from me,” she said.
He tilted her head back. Holding her hip, he smiled down into her face. “Simple. I want everything.”
“What’s everything?”
He stroked across her stomach, going between her thighs to her pussy. She gasped and tensed up, but she didn’t push him away.
“All of you. You belong to me, become mine. I want your body, your heart.” He took possession of her mouth, sliding his tongue across her lip. She opened up and he plundered inside, tasting her. Breaking from the kiss, he trailed his lips down to her neck. “When it comes to you, Tulip, I want to give you the world.”
“I’m second best.”
“You’ll never be second best.” He let go of her cheek, sliding his hands down to her ass. Gripping one cheek, he pulled her in against him. “You feel that? You feel what you do to me? How hard I am for you?”
“You could be hard for anyone,” she said.
“No, I would only ever be hard for you. From now on, Tulip, you own me, just as I own you.”
“This is crazy. You think it’s because your body is telling you this.”
“I know what I want. I know what I feel.”
“I don’t trust it.”
“Then let me show you.”
“I’ve never done this before,” she said. “I’ve never been with a guy.”
“You lived on the streets.”
“I know, but I’ve never … not with a boyfriend. Not with anyone. I avoided it. I found every chance I could to get out of harm’s way.”
“You’re a virgin?”
“Yes.”
He saw tears shimmering in her eyes. “Why are you crying?”
“You’re laughing at me.”
“I’m not laughing, Tulip. I wish you were my first, but it’s not possible. I’ve had so many women, but I know exactly what I want to do tonight.”
“What?”
“Take your shirt off and lie down on the bed,” he said.
“You’re going with orders again.”
“Are you going to do as you’re told?” he asked. “Or do I have to make you?”
“You don’t have to force me. I’ll do as you want.” She lay down on the bed. “Happy? I’m lying down.”
“Good. Now try to relax.”
“You know it’s not good when you ask a woman to try to relax.”
He stepped toward the edge of the bed, grasped her ankles, and slowly slid them apart. Her pretty pussy was on display. The light came from a single lamp. He would need to check the wiring. His and Jade’s agreement to not fry themselves in dodgy electrical work was to only use what was necessary and for a short time.
“I have to turn this off for our own safety. I want to see you, Tulip, and one day, I’m going to take you and I’m going to get to watch everything.” He flicked the light off and moved back toward the bed.
Stroking her ankles, he worked his way up her calves, going to her thighs. He put his knees on the bed and started at her ankle, lifting it and finding the path up her leg, getting closer to her pussy.
He touched her between the thighs, feeling how wet she already was for him. He wanted to blow her mind completely.
She moaned as he stroked through her slit. The sound filled every single part of his soul as he focused on her clit. After spreading the lips of her cunt, he flicked his tongue across her clit, pulling it into his mouth, teasing her, and biting down.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m making you feel good.” He sucked her clit into his mouth. Moving his hands to her ass and holding on to the globes, he ravished her pussy, eating her out as if she was the best damn meal he’d ever had. He brought her close to orgasm multiple times but never allowed her to go over the edge. He kept here there, balanced, desperate, hungry and when she came, he swallowed her down, relishing each cry, shake, and moan.
This was what he wanted.
He brought her down from the peak slowly, caressing up her body and kissing the same trail he took with his hands, with his lips as well. When he got to her mouth, he kissed her hard.
She didn’t push him away. She grasped his shoulders as if they were a lifeline that she wanted. “What was that?” she asked.
“Baby, you just had your first orgasm.”
“I did?”
He found her surprise so cute. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her neck.
“Now, go to sleep.”
“I don’t know if I can sleep.”
“It’s been a long day. You need to get your rest somehow,” he said. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll lick you again and blow your mind some more.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Yes.” He kissed her head, breathing her in.
“What about you?” she asked.
“There will be time for me. I can wait.”
“You’re a gentleman.”
“Don’t think it will last. I’ll want you to do the same for me one day.”
****
The following morning, Landon was true to his word. He brought her to orgasm even before breakfast. By the time they made it down, Jade had already made pancakes, which had no sugar or syrup. They were good though, just bland.
After food, Landon got all serious. They had no choice but to explore the outside of the house and the inside, looking for weaknesses and ways out. He wanted to always have an escape route, which he found through the kitchen, which led out onto a back porch, and out into the main field. They would have to take cover in darkness. So long as they didn’t cut the grass, it would provide them enough cover for a short time. Long enough to get out.
The second exit was through Jade’s bedroom. She had a tree perched outside of her window, which they all had to climb outside.
“I didn’t grow up around trees. This is all new territory for me. I’m going to die.”
“You’re not going to die,” Landon said. “I won’t let you. Just follow Jade’s lead.”
So for the rest of the day, she had no choice but to climb up and down the tree. Jade and Landon kept on showing her, but she knew she was the weakest of the link so far. She’d never had to run for her life, not from the threat of death. This was different than anything she was used to.
Landon left to get them some food late at night. She and Jade took separate showers, and she went to Jade to get her hair put in a plait for the night. Her hair was way too long and she didn’t want to have to worry about it if they were attacked at night.
“How are you finding all of this?” Jade asked, combing her hair.
“Strange. I don’t know if I like it.”
“I imagine being back at the Denton house was a lot more fun.”
“Not really. I was trapped in a room all day, bored. They didn’t exactly take my entertainment seriously.”
Jade giggled. “I imagine not. I must have sucked, like big time.”
“Oh, it did, believe me. I did what they wanted me to do, though. I didn’t realize until it was too late.”
“What did you do?”
“They wanted me to escape,” Tulip said. “From the very beginning, Landon’s uncle, Rick, he fed me enough information to make sure I knew who I was dealing with.”
“Does Landon frighten you?”
“Frighten me?” She thought about the feel of his lips between her thighs and shook her head. “No, he doesn’t frighten me. I … I don’t know what I feel about him. What do you think? I never thought about it, but do you want him?”
“Landon, ew, no. He’s like a brother to me. I have brothers, and they’re assholes, so I know the difference.”
“Right.”
“He was going to kill me. You know that, but instead, he helped me.”
“Was your home life really that bad?” Tulip asked. “You’re running for your life all the time. You could get killed because of him.”
“I know. It beats being married off to some guy I don’t know. In my family, us girls, we’re nothing to them. The sons, they’re the ones to inherit the family name. Take over the line. Keep the name feared. I was allowed to go to school but I knew from the start it didn’t matter if I was academic. I was only as good as my looks. I had to look pretty. I had to be perfect. Whenever my father saw me, if I wasn’t pretty enough, silent enough, if I made him angry, he’d hurt me. A slap, a kick, that kind of thing. I was told at an early age that I was to remain a virgin and be available for marriage to whomever he pleased. I wasn’t to have my own mind, my own thoughts. If I even showed him a glare, he’d smack me for it.”
“Oh, wow,” she said.
“When the news came of my impending marriage to Landon, my first thought was at least he’s not old. Then my … wife training began. Yeah, I had to keep my husband happy. We all knew of the curse of the Denton men. How they’re destined to find their one true woman. Their love. I was told if I lost his attention, they’d kill me.”
“Wait, if they’re going to kill you anyway, why send men to come and get you? Back at the house, you said if the Savona crest was on the back of the guys’ necks.”
“Until I’m married, I’m useful. They’re probably hoping I’m still a virgin as well. I am. Landon and I, we’re friends. We’ve both been fucked over by our families and we have a mutual understanding. If my family gets a hold of me, they will put me on the chopping block. The highest bidder will get me. I don’t want that. I want to be free. Even though this means no designer dresses and constantly being on the run and fighting for our lives, it’s shit, I know that. But I can say shit, fuck, crap, and I can hold a gun. I can talk to whoever the hell I want to, and I can watch horror movies. I’m not going to lie, horror movies aren’t my deal, but I can watch them. I’m free.”
“You believe this is free?”
“It is to me and for now, I’ll take it. Haven’t you ever had a moment or a time when you wished for something like this? To be your own person? To not have people telling you what to do? How to live your life?”
Tulip nodded.
“Then this is exactly the same. We’re both free. I admit it’s not always the best, but look at us. We’re our own little team.”
“We don’t have what it takes to win,” Tulip said. “We’re three people.”
“You need to stop being so negative,” Landon said. “I know we’re young and people underestimate us. They think we’re predictable.”
“It’s why we always make sure we go against what we really want. Like now. His family and mine will probably be checking every single hotel or motel in the area. They wouldn’t think to look in places like this. It’s the perfect cover for however long we need it,” Jade said. “Did you get me some yummy food?”
“Fried chicken tonight.”
“Great.” Jade clapped her hands. “Oh, until I was with Landon, I wasn’t allowed good food. My diet consisted of celery, salads, and fruit.” Jade shrugged. “See, there are a lot of pluses to being here.”
Tulip took the food Landon gave her, and she started to eat.
“We did good work today,” Landon said.
“Yes, and while I make this place livable, tomorrow, you’ve got to get on the laptop again. We need to get those bounty hunters off our backs, and we need to know what everyone is up to,” Jade said. “Tulip can help me. So long as she doesn’t mind working her ass off.”
“I don’t mind hard work,” Tulip said.
They finished eating and Landon took their empty cartons downstairs. She bid Jade goodnight and made her way to the bedroom.
Landon disappeared into the bathroom and Tulip stared up at the ceiling.
“Do you love Jade?” she asked when he returned.
“No.”
“But you saved her.”
“I was going to kill her.”
“But you didn’t.”
“It doesn’t mean I love her. We’ve managed to find some kind of friendship. Don’t you like her?”
“I do. She was telling me about her life.” She rolled over as Landon climbed into bed. “Is that why you let your sister go? You had to get her away from the life your parents wanted?”
“Tamsin”—Landon laughed—“was a pain in the ass. She moaned a lot. Her life was nothing like Jade’s. For the most part, Tulip, we did have a good life. Or as good as a Denton can have. We’re respected, feared. We have to know when to kill and when not to. I don’t know what it’s like to live a life like Jade has. She’s told me some of it, and I wouldn’t wish that kind of life on anyone,” he said. “I love my sister. I heard some bad shit about the family my father had arranged for her to marry into.”
“What kind of shit?” she asked. “You can tell me. It’s not like I’ve got anyone else to go and tell.”
“The Savonas’ father, she was destined
to be with the oldest son, but the father, he had a reputation for raping young girls. He liked them young. I saw the way he looked at my sister. I just know he was going to hurt her. When I took her, I didn’t really have a plan. It’s what you need to understand. I’m not a great mastermind here. I just did whatever I had to in order to protect my sister.”
She cupped his cheek. “It makes you a hero then.”
He covered her hand with his own. “I’m no hero. I’ve killed a lot of people, Tulip. I will keep on killing a lot of people. I’m not a good man.” He kissed her wrist. “It’s time to get some sleep.”
Chapter Nine
Tapping into the local Wi-Fi was easy. He hooked up his connections to the cameras in his old home, checked on the feeds he had for Savona, and then went back to the mainframe where his father kept all the necessary details.
He had tried all of their codes from birthdays to anniversaries, his mother’s, and all of Maddox’s children, including Gabriel’s. The bastard Colton who had become one of them overnight.
Rubbing at his temples, he glanced across the ground to see Jade and Tulip washing in large buckets. They couldn’t risk going to a laundromat, so everything was being done by hand, and they were using their strength to wring out each item.
This wasn’t the fucking life he wanted for Tulip. Even as she laughed at whatever it was Jade said, he knew he couldn’t keep this shit up. Running wasn’t the answer. It wasn’t even fucking close.
Almost as if his brothers felt his moment of weakness, his cell phone started to ring, and he recognized the number. It was Rick.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”
“We found your location. The men, the bounty hunters, they’ve been taken care of,” Rick said.
“I guess I should say thank you, but then you’re no closer to stopping them than I am.”
“You need to come home.”
“And you need to go home. You think with you showing your face around here Mandy is going to be protected for much longer? Not all of us has a twin as a fallback.”
Silence rang out across the line. “You’re pissed so I’m not going to bite to that one.”
“I’m starting to think, Uncle, you’re getting mellow in your old age.”