‘But if you’re tired, I don’t mind.’
‘Well I do, I intend to make this marriage last, and I once read that couples who forsake their wedding night never stay together.’
‘Well we can’t have that.’
‘No we can’t.’
‘You look beautiful in your wedding dress.’
‘Well I’m not taking it off, so just be careful we don’t ruin it.’
‘I’ll be very careful.’
‘Good, I love you husband.’
‘I love you too wife.’
‘Say it again.’
‘I love you too wife.’
‘I’m never going to get tired of being called your wife.’
*****
Norfolk, ENGLAND.
Two months later...
Dan pulled in to the driveway of the cottage and switched the engine off. The “For Sale” sign had been replaced with a new one that stated “sold”. He smiled and got out of the car. The last couple of months had been good to them. They’d honeymooned in Mauritius, a wedding gift from Chloe’s parents. They’d wanted to pay for the wedding too but Dan had agreed to cover half of it.
Dan had already sold his home in Hertford and this cottage was about to become the property of another couple.
Chloe had gotten all her affairs in order; the fire at her flat had left nothing undamaged but she really didn’t seem fazed by it. Her room at her parents held a lot of her favourite possessions and she’d told Dan how glad she’d been that she hadn’t moved everything out of her parents’ house.
Dan breathed in the sea air, it was winter and there was a coldness in the air that felt refreshing.
Dan and Chloe had kept a constant eye on the media over the last three months but nobody was looking for them and they had taken interest in several big news stories about various law enforcement agencies worldwide that had made the connection between McCreedy’s murder and others, these were soon connected to McCreedy and although no one actually came out and said that the Brotherhood existed it was clear to Dan and Chloe that the organisation was finally dead. Neither of them were stupid enough to think for one minute that atrocities would cease to continue but in their own way they felt that they had made a difference and most importantly had ensured that they wouldn’t have to keep looking over their shoulders the rest of their lives.
Some nights Dan would wake from a bad dream, doubts and fears swimming around in his head but Chloe helped and soothed his nightmares away and over the last couple of weeks his dreams had all but ceased.
Dan opened the front door and stepped in to the hallway. Large amounts of boxes were lined up along the bare walls, and more were in the living room and dining room. The house was pretty much packed up and everything that he wished to keep would soon be on route to America, the remainder would be collected by a children’s charity.
Dan could still remember Chloe’s delight the week before when she had answered the phone in the kitchen, listened for a couple of minutes and then after putting the receiver down had launched herself at Dan. He held her in his arms; her arms around his neck, her bare legs wrapped around his hips, her feet locked behind his back. His hands gripping her naked buttocks, his eyes on her bare breasts and she had said, ‘Oi mister, my eyes are up here.’
He’d looked at her and she smiled. ‘That was our lawyer, our citizenship has been approved, there will be a couple of documents to sign and other boring guff but the reality is that we can move to Montana as soon as next month.’
Dan had kissed her and said, ‘Chloe, that’s great, we’ll fly out next week and look for a place that we like.’ It was amazing how having money made things run a lot faster and smoother, cutting through the “red-tape” rather easily.
‘Sounds good.’
Chloe had then proceeded to unzip his jeans and he had made love to her over the kitchen table.
Since the wedding they hadn’t stopped making love. He’d thought she was highly sexed when they were jetting all over the world but since she’d said “I do” she’d been like a woman possessed. It was as if she had to show him she meant to keep her promise to him.
‘I’m not going to be one of those wives that only put out once a month, I don’t want us getting complacent,’ she had told him after one such sexual liaison.
Dan moved through the house but couldn’t find Chloe anywhere downstairs so he called up the stairs to her.
‘Chloe I’m back, where you at sweetie?’
He started up the stairs, there were still a few things in the attic, his old shooting trophies, a couple of other items, she was probably up there now packing the last of it; she was desperate to get everything finished so that they could start their new life on a different continent.
Dan walked along the hallway; it was strange to him how this house no longer felt like his home. He wanted to start again with Chloe; together they would choose a place to live. He was looking forward to building a life with Chloe; he figured it was the least he was owed.
Dan saw the folding steps leading up in to the attic and walked towards them, he passed the open doorway to the master bedroom and saw movement, he turned, he realised something was wrong, but he was too slow and something heavy connected with his skull and he slammed towards the floor, he was unconscious before his head connected with the wooden floor with a loud thud.
Dan came to and realised several things at once. Firstly that his head was pounding, he’d been hit real hard, any harder and he wouldn’t have woken up. The second thing was that his hands were secured by cable-ties; so tight that the circulation was damn well cut off, his hands were near his groin and he was flat on his back. Finally he realised that Chloe was in the room, her sobs were what woke him up. He opened his eyes and regretted it instantly; pain shot through his head and he winced at the sudden overwhelming pain.
Dan turned his head and his stomach cramped with fear. Chloe was in one corner of the bare room (all the furniture had been taken away the day before by a charity organisation; they would shop for new furnishing in Montana), she was secured with cable ties at the hands, her hands were clamped to her chest, she was naked. Chloe had her knees together, trying to the best of her ability to hide her naked body. She was crying steadily but apart from that didn’t look to have been hurt but he had no way of knowing what had happened to her whilst he was out.
She saw him looking at her, ‘Dan!’ she cried out.
‘Have they hurt you?’ Dan croaked.
Chloe shook her head and was about to speak when someone stepped in to Dan’s vision.
Dan laughed, ‘I should have known, only the first born were allowed entry, I should have figured it all out right then when Nakatomi said that.’
Terry squatted down beside Dan’s prone body and smiled down at his younger brother. Dan didn’t move, he could see the large revolver in his brother’s right hand, and he knew instinctively that if Chloe was to live through this that he would have to choose his moment correctly, if such a moment came. Dan couldn’t see how they’d both survive this, but as long as Chloe lived he’d take that outcome.
Terry put the barrel of the pistol against Dan’s forehead. ‘You see, I had to know for sure. For months I’ve thought hard and long about this, should I confront you?’ Terry said, he was calm as he continued, ‘I couldn’t be sure, you never gave me any suspicion to think that you’d figured out I was Brotherhood, but if I didn’t say anything how would I really know that you wouldn’t come calling late one night, now it’s obvious you didn’t know, but that’s life I guess; sorry.’
Terry stood up and walked over to Chloe. Dan followed his brother’s frame. Terry looked down at Chloe and smiled. Chloe shied away from Terry’s evil glare.
Terry turned his face to Dan. ‘You see Dan-dan I just didn’t know and I’ve spent too many years building my fortune for you and this slut to fuck it up.’
Terry smiled down at Chloe, ‘I want you to show me those perfect tits now honey, come on don’t be sh
y.’ He laughed at Chloe as she sobbed and shook her head.
‘Honey you’ve got two seconds or I’ll put one in Dan’s head right now.’
Chloe raised her head. Dan could see her fighting to look defiant and he loved her for it.
Chloe lowered her arms from her bare breasts.
‘Damn, they’re good; you’re going to make me a fortune.’
‘Terry, don’t.’ Dan said.
Terry laughed, ‘I’ll do whatever the fuck I like! Do you know how much trouble you and this cunt have caused me?’ Terry licked his lips and said, ‘Chloe stand up.’
‘Terry!’ Dan shouted.
Terry waved the gun at him and said, ‘Carl, shoot this motherfucker in the leg.’
‘No!’ cried Chloe.
Dan turned his head towards the open door; he hadn’t known that Carl was present.
BLAM!
Dan cried out as the round tore in to the meaty flesh of his right thigh.
Chloe screamed, ‘Dan! No, leave him alone. Why are you doing this?’
‘Stand up cunt or I’ll have Carl plug him in the other leg.’
Dan rolled on to his side and clamped his hands against the hole in his leg. Blood flowed between his fingers but he didn’t think an artery had been hit, there’d be a lot more blood if it had.
Dan clamped his teeth together against the pain. He watched Chloe stagger to her feet and she pushed her back in to the corner of the room.
‘A fortune,’ Terry told her.
Terry walked back to Dan and looked down at his brother and shook his head and sighed.
‘That has to hurt like a bitch. Why couldn’t you have just let it go after Rufus; that I understood but everything after that? A total fucking mystery to me.’
‘Why did you help us then?’ Dan managed to spit out through the pain.
Terry laughed again and to Chloe it sounded like broken glass.
‘I wanted to keep an eye on you, and you helped me in the end. McCall, Nakatomi and Williams, I didn’t think you’d get them all, sure back in the day you were a psychotic little bastard but after all these years I thought you’d have gotten soft, and this whore, I thought she’d just cause you one distraction after another. How wrong was I? She’s a wildcat, I heard about what she did to Jinsui.’ Terry cast a quick glance at Chloe and said, ‘I want to see your cunt bitch, show me everything.’
‘Terry!’ Dan spat.
Terry kicked out his right foot, his boot connecting with Dan’s ribcage, there was an audible crack and Dan cried out and Chloe screamed, her tears flowing harder, her sobs sounding like a wounded animal caught in a snare-trap. Terry kicked Dan several times, each kick landing with a terrible thud and Dan tried to protect his ribcage.
‘Leave him alone, I’ll do whatever you say,’ she screamed at Terry and showed herself to him.
Terry nodded. ‘Nice.’
He crouched down near Dan, but not too close.
‘Dan-dan, just so you know, once you’re dead I’m going to fuck your beautiful wife and then Carl here is going to fuck her ass until she’s bleeding,’ Terry turned his face to Carl, ‘Carl, you’d like that right?’
‘Right boss,’ Carl snarled as he looked at Chloe’s naked body.
‘Hear that Dan, I think it’s the least Carl can do, I figure you still owe him for breaking his hand, and once we’re done with her I’m going to pimp her out to every man that can afford her. Shit, they’re going to queue up around the block to fuck that gorgeous body of hers.’
Terry pressed the barrel of his revolver in to Dan’s bullet wound and Dan cried out in even more pain.
Chloe couldn’t stand it anymore. ‘Terry, please! Stop, I’ll go with you now, I’ll do whatever you say, but stop hurting him.’
Terry stood up and grinned down at Dan.
‘Hear that baby brother? She’s going to let me do whatever I like if I leave you alone, isn’t that sweet, don’t you want to thank her?’
Dan coughed and cried out at the pain in his ribs. He figured at least two ribs were broken and the whistling sound coming up through his throat and out his mouth made Dan fear that a lung might be punctured.
‘Come on Dan, what do you have to say, you used to be so tough, man you scared the shit out of everyone, and here you are, a fucking wreck, are you really going to allow your wife to become a slut so that you can live?’
Dan laughed. ‘Fuck you Terry,’ he spat.
Terry’s face went red and he screamed in rage. ‘Fuck me, no fuck you!’ Terry yelled and pulled the trigger. Dan cried out as the shot hit him high on the right side of his chest. Terry stepped forward and kicked him hard in the head and Dan felt a tremendous pain and he cried out coughing up a little blood. It felt like he’d been hit by a train.
Chloe cried out and started to run across the room to him but Terry grabbed her by the hair and yanked her off her feet. Chloe landed on her ass and cried out.
‘Please Terry, he’s your brother!’ Chloe shouted up at him.
‘Brother! He left me years ago. Do you know how hard it was for me to stay in control once you left baby brother? I had to fight harder than ever, and why? Because I fucked some woman you liked, we had everything! Everything and you threw it all away because of some cunt!’
Terry was a shaking rage as he dragged Chloe by her hair across the wooden floor.
Chloe screamed, her hands tugging at his hand, her feet kicking the floor trying to get free of Terry’s grip but he was too strong. Terry dragged her in to the corner and let her go.
‘Stay there bitch, I’ll deal with you in a minute.’
Terry turned back to Dan; Chloe looked between Terry’s legs at Dan and was scared by what she now saw. Dan was a bloody mess; she could see blood running from the corner of his mouth. She was so scared; this was terror like none she thought could exist.
Carl was standing in the doorway, his pistol pointed at Dan. Terry aimed his gun at Dan’s body and Chloe closed her eyes, she didn’t want to see the moment when Dan was killed. She was crying and she had lost all hope. Squeezing her eyes shut she wasn’t prepared for what she heard next.
Dan was laughing and coughing, his laughter filled the room and Chloe opened her eyes. Dan was looking right at her as he laughed, she could see blood spraying from his mouth as he roared with manic laughter.
‘Don’t worry Chloe, Terry won’t fuck you.’
‘Is that right,’ Said Terry mockingly.
Dan laughed and spat blood on to the wooden flooring.
‘Yeah that’s right Terry, you aren’t going to fuck Chloe; she’s not your type.’ Dan turned his face up to Carl and laughed harder, it hurt like hell but he laughed nonetheless. ‘Carl, there’s more chance of my brother fucking you than him fucking my wife. You see we were abused as kids, men used to fuck us for money, hundreds of them.’
‘Shut up Dan-dan!’ Terry screamed. ‘Shut your fucking mouth!’ he screamed and shot Dan again. Dan laughed as the bullet grazed his thigh; Terry’s rage causing his gun-hand to shake.
‘It’s true Carl, haven’t you ever wondered why you’ve never seen your boss fucking his merchandise, he doesn’t like women, it’s all a fucking act. When our mum pimped us out Terry got to like it, he’d even suck their cocks just to give them a little something extra.’
‘Shut up,’ Terry screamed. Spit flew from the man’s lips as he glared down at Dan.
Chloe could see Terry struggling to compose himself and she could also see the new look flutter across Carl’s face.
‘Boss?’ Carl said. ‘Boss?’
Dan was laughing harder now as he managed to roll on to his front and push himself to his knees. ‘It’s true Carl, your boss is a big fucking queer that enjoys sucking on the old cock!’ Dan shouted up at the two men.
‘Shut up!’ Terry cried.
‘Boss, what’s he saying?’ Carl asked, his gun no longer pointed directly at Dan.
‘I’m saying that he’d suck your cock if you asked him you dumb fuck!�
� Dan cried out through his pain.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Chloe screamed, ‘No Dan, no, not you baby!’ But she could still see Dan on his knees, his eyes were open, she could see him breathing heavily. And then she saw Carl crashing to the floor out in the hallway; his torso a riddled mess. Carl’s pistol fell to the floor near Dan and she prayed that somehow Dan could get to it.
Terry turned back to Dan, his face a mask of pure hatred and rage. Terry pointed the revolver at Dan’s face and cocked the hammer, his finger on the trigger.
Dan was looking at Terry and continued to laugh.
‘I don’t know what you’re still laughing for, it’s over, you’re a dead motherfucker,’ Terry said.
‘Two things,’ Dan managed.
‘Oh yeah, well why don’t you enlighten me brother.’
‘One; you’re out of bullets...’
Terry pulled the trigger and Chloe screamed but the hammer fell on a spent cartridge and the only noise the revolver made was a dull click.
‘And two, you forgot that I always could take a beating,’ Dan said and Chloe watched as Dan propelled his body upwards and on to his feet.
Dan used all of his strength to push up on to his feet, his body like a coiled spring, as he moved upwards at Terry he moved his hands to his left, his right elbow projecting outwards and up at Terry’s startled face.
Dan’s upward momentum put all his energy behind his elbow, its point connected solidly with the underside of Terry’s nose. Dan’s elbow moved up, flattening his brother’s nostrils and there was a loud crack as bone gave and was driven upwards in to Terry’s brain.
Terry began to fall backwards and Dan fell with him. Terry’s head hit the floor and blood flew. Terry was dead before he hit the floor but Dan brought his elbow down hard in to the middle of his brother’s face crushing the older man’s features. Dan roared with rage and brought his elbow back down, this time his blood covered elbow connected with Terry’s exposed throat, the noise it made was sickening.
‘Fuck you Terry!’ Dan whispered and collapsed to the side of Terry’s lifeless body.
Rage Against The Machine: Special Edition (Dan & Chloe Book 1) Page 45