“Are you okay, baby?” she asked, coming up behind me and stroking her fingers down my back.
“Don’t touch me,” I snarled, jerking away and striding to the closest window where the daylight was streaming in. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting the sun to do, but maybe I was hoping it would chase away some of the shadows lurking in my soul.
“Oh no, are you…having an episode?” she whispered like those words were dirty and I gritted my jaw, tired of having to indulge her all the time. But I did. Biting at her now would only mean an apology later. And I really didn’t have the patience for those.
“Yes,” I forced out. “I need some space. Maybe you should visit your stepfather tonight. I’ll be on a job anyway.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? I could run us a bath?” she offered. “I’ve got some new bath salts, there’s a Himalayan one which is meant to draw out bad energy. I think it could really do you some good.”
Lord give me the fucking patience of a saint. This girl and her herbal, salty, voodoo, crystal bullshit will be the end of me.
“No, Mia. I have work to do,” I said sharply. Too sharply. I twisted around, finding her with a pissed off expression and I dug deep for the words I needed to smooth this over before she went off badmouthing me to her step daddy Kaiser Rosewood. “It’s just for a night. I’ll see you tomorrow. We could have dinner?”
Her features softened at that and she broke a smile, hurrying toward me and tiptoeing up to kiss me. I let her, pecking her lips as I fought off the shudder creeping along my skin.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said. “And I’ll leave a moonstone crystal under your pillow to help you sleep better.”
“Thanks,” I forced out through a false smile and she jogged out of the room with her pert ass bouncing in her dress.
The smile instantly fell from my face and I took a knife from my hip, striding up to the nearest chair and stabbing straight into the centre of the seat. I stabbed and fucking stabbed as I pictured Krasinksi and bled my rage into every blow I struck until I was panting and there was stuffing everywhere.
Then I straightened, put my knife away and walked out of the room, heading towards the only distraction I could think of right now. We needed to go soon anyway, so why shouldn’t I head there?
I made it to the spa and walked inside, looking around and realising she must be in the sauna so I moved to stand outside the door, listening for any movement within it. Rogue’s singing carried to me, her stupid, out of tune voice amusing me as I leaned my shoulder against the wall and listened as she made up the words she didn’t know to Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus. Having my little lost girl locked up in my compound was a satisfying feeling, like chaining the best piece of my past to my new life and not letting it go.
I gripped the door handle and pushed inside, shutting it behind me as heat washed over me and the darkness seemed to lift a little. Usually only spilling blood would soothe me after a so-called ‘episode’ but my body was beginning to calm already and maybe it was because I knew how much bloodshed was coming tonight.
Rogue had some serious making up to do before she’d be anywhere near getting into my good graces, but I doubted I was in hers either considering I’d kidnapped her. Amount of fucks I gave on the matter: zero.
I pushed a hand into my hair as I closed in on her, but then I forcibly dropped my hand wondering what the fuck I was doing.
“Hello, songbird,” I said, making her jump and turn around.
She was standing up on one of the benches in a black shirt which belonged to me and hung to her mid-thigh and I couldn’t say I hated the way it looked on her.
Her eyes dropped to me and her song fell dead on her lips as she gazed coolly at me. “That colour doesn’t suit you, Rick. With your skin tone you should go for a dusky pink.”
“Say what?” I frowned.
“Your lipstick,” she said lightly, but there was a sharp undertone to her voice which I couldn’t miss. I knew her too damn well, even now.
I rubbed my thumb over my lower lip and when I took it away it was as ruby red as Mia’s lips. I smirked. “Jealous, beautiful?”
“Of that colour? Nah, I’m more of a candyfloss pink girl. You look like a cheap hooker. I wouldn’t pay a buck for a night with someone wearing that.” She smirked right back and a laugh escaped me.
“Well there go my dreams of being a high end whore,” I said, moving further into the room and leaning back against the wall.
“What are your dreams, Rick?” She asked, arching an eyebrow at me as she lay down on the bench and my gaze dragged along the length of her body, her bronzed legs stretching out and her toes flexing.
“Right now? Fucking you senseless and sending a video to your boyfriend to make him cry,” I replied easily.
“I don’t have a boyfriend. Unless you count the Green Power Ranger, but it’s really more of a one-way relationship at the moment on account of him not knowing I exist. I’m not sure he’d appreciate the video either way.”
“I’m not sure you would either once I was finished with you and wrote my name on your back in my cum,” I said thoughtfully.
“Is that your party trick?” she asked. “Not really family friendly.”
“Depends whose family you ask. The Addams Family might enjoy it,” I shot back and a smile played around the corners of her mouth.
“The Brady Bunch, not so much,” she said.
“I dunno, the Amish are probably so horny they’re desperate to see a cock that doesn’t crow at dawn.”
“The Brady Bunch aren’t Amish,” she snort laughed and it was so fucking adorable it made me miss her. And not just her, us.
It was fucking stupid considering she was right there in front of me, but I missed our old life, I missed her easy smiles and her eyes when they weren’t weighed down by shadows. I missed who I was before…everything. But that was way back before I realised that life is nothing but wading through shit. Sunset Cove had been the best brand of shit to wade through once though. Especially while she waded through it with me.
I snubbed the intrusive thoughts as I reminded myself she’d come back to town and chosen Fox and his band of merry assfucks over me. They’d predictably let her down though and I guessed if I was really honest with myself, it just made me want to rip out all of their insides a little more than usual. Fact was, she didn’t want to be here, and she didn’t want to be there anymore either. Looked like lost girl was lost again.
“You ready to make up for what you cost me, beautiful?” I asked darkly and the light fell from her eyes as she nodded. “Good. You have thirty seconds to get dressed.” I kicked the bag of clothes I’d had one of my men pick up for her across the room. “Chop, chop.”
She took to the challenge, grabbing a pair of ripped black denim shorts and pulling them on along with a black cami before putting on some socks and sneakers. She tugged her colourful hair out from under the cami, thrusting her tits out as she did so and I cocked my head as I watched her. Her body was almost as inviting as it had been down in the freezer, spread out and bared for me. That was an image I was never going to forget and so long as I remained in this world it was going to be imprinted on the inside of my skull for whenever I got bored.
“Didn’t they have anything other than black in the store?” Rogue asked, looking down at her outfit with a frown.
“I guess it was picked to match my soul. Now get over here, we’re leaving.” I patted my thigh, commanding her like a dog and her eyebrows shot up, her face saying fuck no to that order. Which was just what I’d hoped she’d do. I strode toward her, whipping her up into the air and throwing her over my shoulder. She started swearing at me as I locked my arm over her thighs and carried her out of the sauna.
I walked downstairs and passed a bunch of my men as I exited the foyer, striding towards the black van which was waiting for me. One of my boys slid the side door open for me and I spun her around in my arms, dropping her onto her back inside th
e van. She gasped as I grabbed her wrists, locking them together with handcuffs which were waiting for me inside the vehicle before she could even try and fight me off. Not that she’d have been able to. I smirked mockingly at her and she bared her teeth at me like a savage.
“Get your hands off of me, you cock-sucking terrapin,” she snarled and I roared a laugh.
I flipped her over onto her front and she screamed as I locked her ankles together with another set of cuffs and she rocked wildly from side to side like a beached dolphin as she tried to escape.
I slapped her ass and my men chuckled as she yelped, spitting furious curses at me. I rolled her over again and she bent her knees, kicking me in the chest, but I pressed hard back against her feet until her knees bent all the way back to her stomach again and I was the only thing she could see.
“Get fucked, Rick,” she hissed.
“Oh I plan to, beautiful,” I said, brushing a couple of pastel pink strands away from her face and narrowly avoiding a bite from her.
I hooked my fingers under her cami, scoring my thumb up her side until her breath snagged in her throat. I grinned at that reaction and her face turned thunderous at being caught out.
“If you put your cock anywhere near me, I’ll cut it off,” she threatened and I could see she was entirely capable of something like that. My dick throbbed at having her beneath me and even with the threat hanging over it, it seemed more than happy to take the risk of a beheading just to get closer to her.
“Didn’t realise you were into knife play, beautiful,” I taunted. “At least cut if off after you’ve come on it a few times. You might as well fulfil the dreams you’ve had about it.”
“You fucking-” I didn’t hear the end of that sentence as I picked up the rag lying beside her and forced it into her mouth, lifting her head so I could tie the gag tight in place. She continued to scream against it, but the sound was muffled and as I stepped out of the van and shut the door, I could hardly hear a peep from her.
I climbed into the cab and started the engine, driving down to the dock and boarding the boat waiting for me there. It was a long drive to Sterling, but I had all the time in the world to fuck over my enemies. And tonight, I’d be taking down two birds with one stone.
***
Rogue had started kicking the walls of the van about an hour back, but I ignored the repetitive thumping as I drove north, turning up my music to drown her out. I played songs I knew she’d hate just to get under her skin and even listened to the entire Les Misérables soundtrack because Rosie Morgan used to watch it on repeat in their group home and drive her crazy. We’d even stolen the DVD from her once and we’d all taken turns hitting it with an old hammer we’d found on the Rosewood Manor grounds. Rosie had somehow gotten her hands on a new one though, playing it in their rec room at all opportunities and declaring how incredible the music was. I remembered Rogue shouting at Rosie, ‘I’m Les Miserable enough just by looking at your face, I don’t need that shit to make me feel worse!’ before punching her in the nose.
A smile quirked up my lips for a moment and I turned off the track, the warbling tune grating on me. Silence fell and I was sure Rogue was listening as I banged my fist on the back wall of the cab.
“I hope you’re enjoying the road trip, beautiful,” I called as I accelerated onto the interstate.
A muffled sob sounded in reply and a frown lowered my brow.
I focused on the road as quiet fell once more but then a sob came again, a heartbroken little noise that found the last shard of my heart and attempted to tug on it.
Fuck no. I don’t give a shit that she’s crying.
The sound came again and I gritted my teeth, focusing on the road ahead, but my eyes flicked to a rest stop up ahead. I drummed my fingers on the wheel as another soft sob reached my ears and I ground my teeth harder before aggressively signalling off the highway and taking the exit.
What the fuck am I doing?
Why am I indulging this?
I drove through the huge parking lot and rounded the back of a burger place, parking there in the shadows. The sun was setting, painting the sky in deepest magenta.
There were no other vehicles here and I did a sweep for cameras before killing the engine, grabbing a gun from the black bag in the passenger footwell and stepping out of the cab. I hesitated outside the side door, wondering why I was even bothering with this. Who gave a shit if she was crying?
I hesitated another few seconds before unlocking the door and yanking it open. She didn’t move from where she was facing the back wall, her body curled into a ball. Another sob wracked through her and I climbed into the van, awkward as a duck in a bra as I moved behind her and wondered what the fuck I was even planning to do.
“Rogue?” I muttered gruffly and she released another small sob. “Are you hurt?” She didn’t answer and I knelt down, pressing the gun to her back. “Don’t scream,” I warned before untying her gag and pulling it free.
I rolled her over and she stared up at me in the dark, her eyes glinting. “Go away, Rick,” she said in a choked voice.
“Can’t do that, beautiful,” I said in a low tone. “What’s wrong?”
“Like you care,” she scoffed. “You’re pointing a fucking gun at me. Just go back to driving. I wanna be done with this night.” She turned her head away and I stared at her, unsure what to do. But my hands moved of their own accord and I tucked the gun into the back of my jeans then cleared my throat.
I was reminded of the time she’d been stung by a jellyfish when she was ten. I’d carried her out of the water and she’d sobbed in my arms while she worried she’d killed the damn jellyfish because she’d punched it. That was the way of my lost girl, she’d always cared more about other’s pain over her own. And for a second, we were just those two kids on the beach again, holding onto each other and discussing whether a jellyfish could survive a fist to the face. Or if they even had faces.
“I don’t want you to cry,” I said roughly and her lips pursed.
“Well I’m in the back of your psycho van, tied up, my ankles fucking hurt because the cuffs are too tight and I’m stuck with another one of the boys who’s determined to make me suffer as much as possible.”
I couldn’t do much about a lot of that, but I could make one thing better. I grabbed her ankles, taking the key from my pocket and unlocking the cuffs. “There, is that-?”
Her bound fists crashed into my face and as I was forced back a few inches, she leapt out the door, running for her fucking life with a wild laugh.
“Bitch!” I bellowed in fury at her fucking tricking me, chasing after her as she started screaming for help.
My heart beat out a furious, panicked tune, and I went to that cold, dark place inside me where nothing but rage lived. I collided with her, taking her down onto a grassy verge and slamming my palm over her mouth. She bit me like an animal, but I didn’t give a shit, dragging her back to the van and throwing her inside.
“Wait!” She yelled before I shut the door in her face.
I hesitated, my lip peeled back in a snarl as I took the gun from the back of my jeans in a warning.
“Let me ride in the cab,” she demanded. “This is fucking bullshit. You told me you want me to help you rectify this shit and I agreed. So why am I being carted out on this job like fucking cattle?!”
“Because you could be seen by a Harlequin,” I barked. “And I’m too busy for a goddamn ambush.”
“We’re miles out of town, who the fuck is going to see me now?” she demanded and I had to admit she had a point. “You can tie me to the fucking seat in there if it makes you happy, but if you make me ride back here all the way, I won’t help you do shit tonight. In fact, I’ll scream the second I see one of Shawn’s men and make sure they know who’s coming for them.”
I growled through my teeth. I didn’t even need her on this job, I could just leave her in the van. But fuck it, if letting her ride up front would quit her whining then fine.
I
grabbed her leg, yanking her toward me and she punched me in the arm. “I can walk, donkey dick,” she snapped and I grunted irritably, moving aside and gesturing for her to get out with a dramatic bow.
“This way, your fucking highness,” I growled.
“Thank you, peasant,” she said lightly, jumping out of the van and I closed the door before following her around to the passenger’s side of the cab, pointing the way with my gun. She climbed inside and I slammed the door behind her, walking around and hopping back into the driver’s seat before hitting the door lock button.
“So your crying was an act,” I sniped as I grabbed a length of rope from the glove compartment and tied her wrist cuffs to the door beside her. It was long enough that she could still move about a fair bit, but not so long that she could reach me.
“Duh, do you think I’d actually cry over you? Been there, done that, won the I got dumped by my friends t-shirt.”
“I tried to go after you,” I growled.
“I know,” she said, her tone softening a fraction. She kicked her feet up on the dashboard and leaned over to swipe my phone from the cup holder.
“Hey,” I snarled, reaching for it, but she held it away.
“Oh who do you think I’m gonna call, Rick? Ghostbusters?” She rolled her eyes then picked out Savage by Bahari on my phone, the song filling the car.
“You could call the cops,” I pointed out.
“Contrary to what you think, I actually want to go on this trip to fuck over Shawn and get your drugs back. So get driving, and can we pick up some burgers? I’m starved. What kind of road trip is this if we don’t have snacks? Have you been in here this whole time just…breathing? Ergh.” She looked around hopefully for any sign of snacks, but there was nothing here. I opened the bag in the footwell, pulling out my leather jacket and tossing it over her arms to cover the cuffs and rope.
“Fine, we’ll get burgers,” I agreed, figuring I was kinda hungry anyway.
Dead Man's Isle (Harlequin Crew #2) Page 5