“Look man, I tried to find him. But he just disappeared.”
I looked down at my hands, closing my eyes as he continued to try my patience. “Speak clearly. What the fuck happened?”
“We were at the bar, the one he likes to hang out in. He was trashed as fuck the last time I saw him. Thought I could go take a leak real quick. When I came out, fucker was gone.”
“When was this?”
Silence penetrated the line and I had a bad feeling. “When did this happen?” I growled.
“Three days ago.”
“Three fucking days ago!” I slammed my fist on the bar top, the shot glass shattered from my force. I turned my hand and stared at it, blood dripped from the new cut in my palm.
“Jesus!” Trent came over and started to wrap my hand in a rag, but I tore myself away. I made my way up the stairs.
“I swear to God, when I find you, I’m going to fucking kill you.”
I hung up the phone and made my way out the door. The tracking device I had put on her phone showed that she was still at the apartment, but it just didn’t make sense. Taking my secure line out, I opened the application for the street cameras. As I waited for the app to load, my private line rang. Her name appeared on the screen, and relief shot through me.
“Where are you?”
“I suppose I should have followed my gut and had you killed, but I think it will be more fun this way.”
Her scream penetrated my head and fear clutched at my heart. Closing my eyes, I let the darkness encompass my mind, and I let the cold brittle truth settle in.
“If you harm one hair on her head, I assure you your screams will be much more powerful but they’ll be filled with blood.”
His cynical laugh only fueled my rage as I got in my car. The images on my phone showed where she had been taken. She was walking tonight, even though I told her I’d send a car for her. She was cold, she shivered as she made her way down the street. It was then I spotted the black vehicle trailing behind her. In one instant, she was about to cross the street, the next, a man had gotten out, grabbed her, and placed a rag over her face. She’d struggled, and the fucker had slammed his fist down, knocking her out completely. I gripped the steering wheel as I watched the screen, gaining quick access to where he was going.
“I’m sure you’re on your way to rescue your hot little damsel, but you forget one thing, Aracely belongs to me by law, and I will not have some insignificant piece of shit like you take what rightfully belongs to me. “
I let him talk as I followed the signal on my phone. I may be a piece of shit, but I was also a smart motherfucker. I focused on what I knew, my training made me meticulous in surveillance and tracking, and when I aimed to find a target, I was unstoppable.
A snake like Shane wasn’t going to stop me. Especially when I had a bullet saved with his name on it. Oh no, he was going to pay for every sin he’d committed, and I was going to be his judge, jury, and executioner.
Chapter Eleven
Aracely
My head pounded, and eyelids felt heavy as they fought to open. One moment I was about to cross the street to Edge, the next I was bound and gagged. I’d felt a sharp pain run across my temple and then darkness enveloped me.
Through my blurred vision I took in my surroundings. The room was dank and dark, it smelled of paint and thinner. A cold draft lifted the plastic covers that aligned the windows. In front of me, there was a metal chair, it was who was in it that frightened me. Seated in that chair, a gun propped on his knee, was my worst nightmare.
I managed to scream, a soft croaked sound emanating from my dry throat. Struggling, I couldn’t move. I was chained against the wall, my toes barely touching the ground. I shivered as I realized I was naked and completely helpless to his twisted games.
He stood up slowly, a grin on his lips. His dark crow eyes staring back at me. Taking the gun in hand, he pressed it to my temple, roughly pushing on it. Chuckling he ran the cold steel down my body, circling my bare breasts, shoving it against my stomach. His grin turned twisted as he cocked the barrel of the gun, the click echoing off the barren walls. The cold breeze that wafted in, mixed with my fear, made me shake uncontrollably. The gun shifted down between my thighs and he pressed the barrel against my core.
“Is this where you let him fuck you?” He shoved the tip of the barrel up my dry entrance and tears fell down my cheeks. I hung speechless as pain took my breath away, the reality of what he was going to do slowly and dreadfully settling in.
“Tell me bitch! Is this how he stuck his dick in you!” I cried out as he forced more of the steel rod inside of me and I fought through the burning pain.
Gripping my chin, he forced me to look at his vile face. “Did you think you could leave and I’d just sit back and let you walk all over me?” His spit hit my lips and I grimaced in disgust.
“No one leaves me, bitch! I’ll kill you first! Maybe I should end your worthless life right here and now.” Pressing his face against mine, he whispered to me. “But I think having your lover watch me fuck you as I strangle the life out of you would be so much more fun. Don’t you think so?”
He smiled at me, shoving the gun in and out of me, tearing me up. “I can’t wait to feel that pussy clamp down on my cock as your body grows cold.”
“Fuck you!” I managed to scream, spitting in his face.
Gripping my hair, he yanked my head back, the sting of pain running down my spine.
“The bitch has claws. I’m gonna have to clip each and every one of those claws off. Maybe I should start with this finger.” He gripped my hand that was chained to the wall and placed my index finger between his teeth.
I watched in horror as he held it there for a long moment, his eyes focused on me. I shook, waiting for the horror to happen.
“Or maybe…”
He yanked the gun from between my thighs, staring at it for a moment. Pressing it to my temple, he slid it down to my mouth. Closing my eyes, I tasted the faint copper of blood. My vagina throbbed painfully, and I focused on that burning as he spoke.
“Maybe instead of a finger, I can bite one of these titties off, they look much more tempting.” I gritted my teeth as he bit down on the tip of my breast. Intentionally mauling it until I screamed.
“That’s it, scream for me. Your screams make my cock so hard.”
He dug his fingers into my tender pussy and I simply hung there as he groped me. An icy current ran through me and my eyes focused on the concrete floor behind him. The sound of his zipper being undone was a faraway sound, my eyes glued on that spot on the floor, focusing on the droplets of water that tapped on the concrete.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
They splashed in a hypnotic rhythm, one after the other, forming a small puddle of water. His grunts were loud, breaking through the silence as he masturbated in front of me. His breath smelled of stale beer and his scruff brushed against my cheek as he leaned into me.
A gutted response escaped my lips as the sting of the slap startled me, the familiar taste of blood once again clung to my lips. My head hung down in defeat, and my eyes were now focused on him. His massive dick angling against my core and as his fluids flowed out onto my body, I vomited all over him.
“Fucking whore!”
The last thing I remembered was his hand raising, a sharp pain, and then that unexpected comforting darkness. But there was something that echoed in the darkness. The voice of the only man I trusted fluttered through me as my eyes fell closed.
Chapter Twelve
Eric
The rage in me was like a violent wave, it was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. And lying beneath it, was fear. True, unequivocal fear. The fear of being torn apart from the one you love.
Love. Such a fickle word. But yes, love. I loved her. I knew it as I stood there while this monster touched what was mine. Anger flooded my senses and hands itched to kill. Murder. Destroy him.
“Do. Not. Move,” I gritted out as I raised the silencer,
the red beam focused on his temple.
He turned, and I got a full view of her. My heart dropped when I saw the barrel of his gun pressed against her temple. My eyes darted from him to the precious limp form of my lover behind him.
“Uh-uh-uh, careful now, hero.” He pressed the gun to her temple, tipping her head to the side. “Wouldn’t want to accidentally blow her brains out.”
“What the fuck did you do to her?”
Blood covered her face, crimson droplets leaked from her breasts and down her thighs. Red was the only color I saw. Clutching the gun, I prepared to kill the son of a bitch. One shot, and it would be over, but that would be too easy. The motherfucker needed to suffer. He had to suffer.
“What did you think, hero, that I wouldn’t come after you? That I was stupid enough to not notice what you were doing?” He smirked sarcastically and my finger trembled on the trigger.
It would be so easy.
Just pull it.
“After that last conversation we had, I knew something was up. Red warned me to be careful with you. You like doing shit your way, and only your way. Shit like that don’t work with me. See, because shit goes my way, or you die.
“Well shit ain’t goin your way no more, hero. You can’t be taking shit that ain’t yours. Ain’t it funny how things end?”
I kept quiet, slowly making my way towards the opposite wall, keeping my distance as the gun’s red light told me one move, and he’d die instantly.
“Eh, eh, eh, where you goin’ there? Stay still killer. Wouldn’t want to turn my gun on you when it’s on this pretty little thing. She’s a good piece of ass, ain’t she? I bet you had a good time with her.”
He looked at me and sneered. “I’m gonna have to kill her. Can’t be fucking somethin’ used.”
“Son of a bitch!” I yelled out as his hand squeezed her breast and a whimper fell from her lips. The pain transpiring into her unconscious state. “Don’t. Touch. Her,” I gritted.
His cynical laughter grated on my nerves. If he would just point the gun at me, that’s all I needed. That one window.
“She’s mine. I can do whatever the fuck I want with her. Or what? You gonna stop me, hero.”
“I’m gonna fucking tear your heart out!”
“I’d like to see you try,” he smiled and that’s when he moved.
His gun swung towards me and I fired two shots. One at his hand, which sent the gun off and flung it back. The second was to his right knee, which brought him down quick. I tucked the gun behind my back and lifted his screaming ass into the metal chair. Taking the rope that was lying on the floor I secured his hands behind him, binding each ankle to a chair leg. He screamed in agony as I moved his leg, it was drenched in blood and he smelled of piss. Motherfucker had pissed himself.
I looked down at him in disdain and grabbing his hair, I tugged his head back. “I’m not gonna be the one to kill you. No. That, I’ll leave up to her.”
I looked back at my Aracely, bound and mangled, dangling behind us. He was a sadist, a sick fuck who got his kicks off from torturing women. My glare focused back on him and he shook, because he knew that if she said no, I was still going to rip his fucking soul out.
Gently, I undid the chains that bound Aracely’s wrists, she groaned, and I cooed at her that everything was going to be okay, that I was here. Her eyes fluttered open as I was finally able to get her down. Taking my jacket off, I wrapped it around her cold body. She whimpered as I placed it around her delicate shoulders. She was going to bruise, and God knows if she had any broken limbs.
“Eric,” she whispered, pain in her eyes.
“It’s okay, beautiful. I’m right here.”
Her eyes flooded with tears and she wrapped herself around me. Her sobs echoed in the abandoned space, the sun had set, and in the darkness all you heard was the sound of a broken woman crying. I lifted her and looked back at the fucker who had gotten her here.
“Don’t think I won’t be back for you.”
I swept her up and into my truck, turning on the heat and grabbing a blanket I had in the back seat. I made sure she was warm and secure. Starting up the truck, I quickly drove us to the nearest hospital. She moaned beside me, but it comforted me because pain meant she was alive. Squealing into the driveway and startling a paramedic crew that was bringing in an injured person, I ran past them with Aracely in my arms.
Coming up to the desk, I must have looked crazy because Security surrounded me. Looking at the nurse, I pleaded. “Please, she’s been hurt and abused. Please,” I croaked out. My heart in my throat as I kept looking at the beautiful woman in my arms. I didn’t think I would get to her in time, and now, holding her, I knew I’d never let her go.
“Please,” I begged, and the nurse quickly shooed away the officers. She called for a doctor and they had her in a gurney within seconds, dragging her God knows where. As I followed close behind, I heard the Doctor state there was internal bleeding.
They went through a door and the nurse stopped me. “Where are they taking her?”
“The surgery ward.”
“Why?”
“She’s got internal bleeding, and broken ribs. She’s dehydrated and needs to be cared for immediately. Mr….”
“Halthorn.”
“Mr. Halthorn, I’ll need you to take a seat in the waiting room. You realize the police may have some questions for you.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay, just take a seat. I’ll try to keep you updated.”
I paced for what seemed like hours. Back and forth, debating on whether or not to give Shane up. The police didn’t arrive until hours later. Just as they approached me, the doctor came out.
“Mr. Halthorn?”
“Yes!” I got up instantly, ignoring the officers who were watching me. I was used to it, I wasn’t a clean-cut man. I was big guy, my facial hair gave me a rough appearance, and my eyes were always wary, never friendly. I knew this and I didn’t give a fuck.
“Are you the patient’s family?”
I hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. “I’m the only family she’s got.”
The doctor nodded. “She’s okay. She has two broken ribs and a fractured wrist. She was battered and her torso has… bite marks. Injuries that will heal and we’ll do our best for her not to have any scarring. She was banged up pretty badly, and she has bruises on her head and neck. We’ll have to wait until she wakes to see in what mental state she’ll be in. There may be an incident of memory loss, but it should be temporary.”
“But she’s okay?”
“Yes. She will be fine, you can go in and see her if you’d like.”
I nodded, but as I went to follow her, the officers stopped me. “We have some questions for you first, Mr. Halthorn.”
I narrowed my eyes on them and made a quick decision. One that would save us both.
“He’s on Bowers street, the abandoned building on the corner. He’s bound and probably bleeding out, and yes, I shot him. I have a concealed weapons license and he was causing harm to another, so I found myself in the position to use it. Any other questions?”
I stood eyeing them both and they just stared down at me. “We’ll be back later to get the lady’s statement.”
“You do that,” I shoved passed them and rushed down the hallway.
Stopping at her door, I took a deep breath. I was going to need all my strength for what was to come.
Chapter Thirteen
Aracely
My eyes fluttered open and I squinted from the bright streams of light that shone through the windows. I tried to sit up and pain shot up my abdomen and stole my breath away.
“Lie still.”
His deep voice resonated through me and I looked up to find him staring down at me. He looked tired and worn out, his hair was mussed up, his eyes dark and exhausted. I reached out to him and he grabbed my hand.
“You’re okay. You’re going to be okay.” He kissed my hand and my heart sang.
I did
n’t really want to say anything, so I let my tears fall. He’d become my savior in so many ways, the only person in this world who knew me. Yet, he wanted me. Broken and all and he wanted me.
I gently placed my hand on his cheek, and he closed his eyes, leaning into it. I wanted to say so much, yet there were no words to express how grateful I was to him, how much I needed him, how much I cared for him.
“The police have Shane in custody. He’ll be facing prosecution soon.”
I frowned, not fully understanding what happened. “How?”
“I shot him. He won’t ever walk straight again, I assure you.”
“I thought you killed him.”
He nodded. “I was going to. Fuck, I wanted to rip his heart out for what he did. But I realized something last night.”
“What was that?”
“I couldn’t kill him. I didn’t want to.”
“Oh?”
“Aracely…” he looked down at my hand for a long time. I could see his jaw clenching, his throat working, he was fighting something deep.
“It’s okay, you can tell me. You can tell me anything.”
His eyes met mine, sorrow and tears shimmered in those dark cerulean orbs. “You’re mine.”
I smiled. “Yes, I think you’ve mentioned that before.”
He shook his head. “In every way. I realized last night that I didn’t want to be anywhere else, but here. I realized I have been fighting so hard to keep you safe, and in an instant it all slipped through my fingers. I don’t want to lose you, Aracely. I’m scared shitless thinking I could have lost you because I wasn’t here.”
“You’ll never lose me,” I flinched as the pain shot through me again.
“I swear, I should have fucked him up for life.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. I’d much rather have you here by my side. Always. Rather than behind bars somewhere.”
“I deserve that too. I’m not a good man, Aracely.”
No Limits: A Taboo Anthology Page 18