by J. L. Beck
To make an example. The thought appears inside my head before I can stop it.
Hero shakes his head at my question. “No. You’re going inside with me. I can’t trust you’ll be safe in here, especially not where we are right now.”
My hands shake as I reach for the door handle. I want to glue myself to the seat. But if I don’t get out and go inside, Hero will force me, and that’ll be one hundred times worse.
Digging deep inside myself, past the fear and sadness, I open the car door and step out onto the pavement. There’s a cold breeze, and I realize I should’ve brought a jacket. Hero walks in front of me instead of beside me, his strides full of purpose and strength. He’s walking with his head held high, while I’m shivering in fear.
As we get closer to the building, I see a guy standing outside it. His face doesn’t hold an ounce of emotion, and he doesn’t even look at Hero and I as we slide inside. I wrinkle my nose at the smells assaulting my nose.
Smoke clings to the air, and I start to cough as I suck the tainted air into my lungs.
Hero pulls me into his side as we travel deeper into the building. There’s a dimly lit bar off to the right side of the room, and a huge stage where lights flash in several colors. I know what a strip club is. I might be naive and sheltered, but I’m not stupid.
Music softly plays in the background, and I notice quite a few men lingering at tables near the stage. Hero doesn’t pay any attention to these things, though. He just keeps walking, almost as if he’s angry. We veer off to the left, down a long, dark hall, then take another left.
I can hear someone moaning off in the distance and look up at Hero to ask him about it. He merely shakes his head at me. My mind starts to wander. The woman sounds like she’s happy, but is she really? Are they abusing her? Hurting her?
We stop a moment later in front of a door. It’s painted red, and I wonder if that’s because they bring people into this room to kill them.
A large, burly man with fists of steel and menacing eyes stares me down.
I partially hide behind Hero, wanting to run right the hell out of this place.
“Who’s the girl?” The unknown man gestures to me curiously.
I see the muscle in Hero’s jaw jump. Is he jealous? Angry? There’s something there...something for me.
“No worries, Diego. She’s with me.”
Diego pauses, his gaze running up and down my body once more before he raps his knuckles against the wood doorframe.
A second later, a deep voice vibrates through me. “Send him in.”
Him? I blink. What does that mean? I don’t even get a chance to ask Hero what he’s talking about because the door opens and I’m ushered inside, pushed forward by the weight of Hero’s body, his fingers digging painfully into my arms. When my eyes land on the man in front of me, the man sitting behind a huge desk, a cigarette hanging from his lips, I know I’m in trouble.
I don’t even need to feel it in my bones, not when he pushes from the desk with a gun pointed right at me.
“Damon,” Hero grits out.
My heart flutters.
This is Damon. The man from the warehouse finally has a name, and he looks like he’s ready to kill me.
Chapter Seventeen
Hero
There are very few moments in my life where I’ve been afraid, actually afraid, and this—this is one of them. Elyse trembles in my grasp, her tiny body rattling against mine, making me want to protect her. But I can’t. I couldn’t even if I tried.
“Hero.” Damon’s voice is slightly unhinged. He looks pissed, irate even. “I thought I told you to get rid of her or I would. This doesn’t look like she’s been gotten rid of, does it?”
I clench my jaw so tightly, I’m afraid I’m going to break a fucking tooth. If it weren’t for Damon being a close friend of mine, a friend who helped me and my mother when I was on the inside, I’d knock the fucker out cold. But because of all he’s done, I’m loyal to him to a fault. But am I loyal enough to give Elyse to him?
“I’m aware of what you asked of me, and I know for a fact you fucking heard me when I said I wasn’t going to get rid of her.”
“She’s a liability, Hero. Look at her…” Damon snarls, moving from behind the desk.
Elyse shudders against my chest, her face pressing against my body.
“She’s shaking like a fucking leaf, and why? Because I’m holding a gun?” The laughter that erupts from him is humorless. “She’s literally on the verge of spilling the beans. If she was asked about us, what do you think she’d say?”
I hold Elyse to my chest, feeling every tremble of her body.
She’s afraid, scared fucking shitless, but even I know she’s loyal to me and would never call the cops or do something to compromise me. “I didn’t come here so you could parent me. I came here because I want to know who you have on her.” My eyes pierce his, and I swear to god if he lies to me, I’m going to turn his own gun against him. Friend or not. Loyal or not. A liar is a fucking liar.
“Have on her?” Damon takes a drag of his cigarette, his eyes darkening. “She’s not worth the trouble. You fucking told me you’d take care of her, so I didn’t put anyone on her. It’s a waste of my time to get involved, but that doesn’t mean I want to lose my best man or compromise my business.”
I nod, a different kind of fear and anger taking root inside me. If it’s not Damon, then it’s someone else—and that terrifies me. If Elyse is being followed, that confirms she needs me.
“But since we have her here, why don’t we just get it done with?” Damon takes a step forward, the gun pointed directly at Elyse.
She shifts in my arms to face forward. I can no longer see her face, but I can imagine the terror in her eyes.
“I told you no. I have other ways of dealing with this.” I swallow hard.
Damon doesn’t seem to care about my response. His eyes remain trained on Elyse. “Do you even know him? Know he did seven years for murder...murder in cold blood, strangling the fuck out of the bastard.”
Elyse nods her head.
I feel shame coating me from the inside out. I should’ve just left her at the fucking house. Then again, look at how far that got me before.
“Do you know how many women he’s fucked? Not some pussy ass making love bullshit, but fucked, hard, screaming as they fall apart on his cock. Do you know how many?”
I cringe. When Damon takes another step toward her, the gun still pointed directly at her, his finger on the trigger, I know I have to do something. If Damon shoots me, so be it. I can’t let anything happen to Elyse—not when I’m trying to protect her, not when the entire reason I pushed her away was so she wouldn’t have to see this.
“I don’t care how many women he’s been with, and I don’t care that he killed someone. He didn’t do it because he wanted to.” Elyse’s sweet voice sounds like it doesn’t belong here in this room, or even this world.
“It’s so adorable how you think you know him,” Damon taunts.
I need to figure out how to diffuse the situation before it gets worse.
“I bet you think he’ll stay with you, protect you, cherish you. But that’s not Hero. He’s not really living up to his name, baby. He’s a criminal. Blood covers his hands the same way it does mine. You’ve seen that part of him, though, so you know. It’s living inside him, the dark part, the part that feeds on the innocent.”
Elyse shakes her head in disbelief. “Hero lives up to his name every single day. I don’t care about what I saw that night, I care about him and the person he is when he’s with me.”
Tension fills my muscles.
I make a move to put Elyse behind me, but I’m not fast enough. Damon reaches out for her, his fingers sinking into her golden-brown hair. Her neck twists as he drags her from my grasp, forcing her eyes to meet his. He brings the barrel of the gun to her lips, and my entire world sinks away.
“Do you care about him enough to take a bullet for him? To fucking die for h
im?” Damon acts as if I’m not standing right here.
I clench my fists and unclench them, every possible scenario running rampant inside my mind.
What if he accidentally pulls the trigger?
My heart beats for the person in front of me, for Elyse. If he kills her, if he harms her, I’ll kill him and everyone else in this fucking building.
“Let her go, Damon,” I order, not wanting to make too much of a scene. There is no hiding Elyse from this life anymore. There’s no point in me denying us what we want. Not after this moment.
A sinister smile pulls on Damon’s lips as his grip tightens into her hair.
A whimper escapes Elyse’s lips, and I move without thinking, letting instinct take over and direct my body.
With the element of surprise, I push the gun in Damon’s hand upward with my right and punch him in the ribs with my left. The gun goes off in his hand, a bullet hitting somewhere in the ceiling above us. Damon releases Elyse, and I push her out of the way with my elbow.
She staggers to the side before landing on the hard ground. For a split second, I want to grab her and hold her to my chest and tell her everything will be okay, but I don’t know if it will be, and I can’t do shit for her while Damon is still a threat in front of me.
His face is contorted with anger and betrayal. He snarls at me like a wild animal. “You're going to fucking regret coming here.” He’s still holding his gun, finger on the trigger.
If I let his hand down, he will shoot us. He swings for me with his free hand, hitting my jaw. My head snaps to the side, but I don’t feel pain.
All I can think of is Elyse and how she’s in danger because of me. I’m going to get her hurt…all over again.
How many times am I going to fuck up?
“Hero…” Hearing her say my name like a prayer is all I need to find that extra strength to twist Damon’s hand, making him drop the gun to the floor.
He reaches for it, but I’m faster. I lift the gun, pointing it in his direction, something I would have never thought I’d be doing.
Damon takes a small step back, putting his hand up, showing me his palms. He shakes his head at me tightly, as if he can’t believe I’m holding a gun on him.
“I can’t let you hurt her.” I look into his eyes so he knows I mean every word I say. “I love her, and I will not let anybody hurt her. Not even you.”
At my admission, his face changes.
I lower the gun to point it toward the ground between us. I don't want to hurt him, but I will. I know I will. “We have been through a lot together, Damon. You are the closest thing I have to a friend. Don't ruin it over this.”
“Don’t get all sappy on me now,” he huffs. “Fine, I’ll leave her alone. But I’m warning you, if I hear of her yapping about me to anyone, she is done.”
Hearing him threatening her doesn't put me at ease, but this is the best I’m going to get out of Damon right now. I change the grip on the gun to hand it over to him before I crouch down to Elyse and pick her up from the ground. I slip my arm around her waist and pull her close to my side.
She hasn’t stopped shaking, and I doubt she will until we are out of here. I’ll make this up to her tenfold, but right now, she’s going to have deal with it. She leans into me, and I pull her even closer.
“I still need to figure out who’s watching Elyse. If it’s not you, then it’s someone else. I could use your help with that. I’ll pay you, of course.” Friend or not, Damon doesn't do anything for free. You either work for him or you pay him. One way or another, I’m at his mercy.
He puts his gun back into his holster and takes a seat in the large leather chair behind his desk. His fingers drum against his chin, his eyes narrowing in thought. “I don’t need any more money right now. What I need is some extra muscle around here. I’m down a guy, and it just so happens you would be perfect for that job.”
“I don't want to be involved in any more of this, Damon.”
“That’s the deal. Take it or leave it,” he smirks, knowing damn well I’m going to take it.
My eyes skirt down to Elyse. Her body's still trembling slightly, her blue eyes sad. I don't want to agree to anymore shit that could potentially endanger her or what we have, but I have to protect her. “Fine,” I sigh. “I’m not starting tonight, though. I’m taking her home. Call me tomorrow with details.”
“Glad we got that settled. Go home and tuck your girl in…unless you want to get one of the other girls and have a threesome with her.”
The way he looks at Elyse is sickening. I want to punch him in the face all over again.
Saving it for another day, I usher Elyse out the door, never losing my hold on her. I open the car door for her, and make her sit down, then I buckle her in. She seems to be in shock, unable to say anything, and I'm okay with that. I'll give her time to breathe...time to come to terms with it all.
I drive straight home, wanting her somewhere she feels the most safe and comfortable. I cut off the engine and get out of the car, but Elyse doesn't make a move. I open her door and gently get her out. “Come on, baby. I’ve got you.”
She grabs onto my shoulder and lets me help her. “You said you love me.” She tilts her head up to look into my eyes.
“I did. Let’s get you inside, then we’ll talk about everything.”
The moment we enter my apartment, I feel a million times better. My mind flickers through the events that took place. Until now, it hadn’t really sunk in that I could have lost Elyse today.
She might be the one in shock, but I am a fucking mess.
I help her out of her sweater, catching a whiff of smoke and booze. It clings to our clothes, reminding me further how close Elyse was to death because of me.
“Why don’t we take a shower before we go to bed?” I suggest, knowing it’s most likely what she needs.
“Okay.” Her voice is still a little shaky, but already sounds so much stronger than it did a few minutes ago.
We walk into the bathroom, and I start undressing her, leaving all her clothes in a pile next to the tub. I hate how quiet she is. The permanent frown on her lips, it breaks my fucking heart.
Turning on the water, I check the temperature before I let her get in. I strip out of my own clothes, adding them to the pile, and get into the shower behind her.
As soon as I step in, she leans her back against my front, and I wrap my arms around her stomach. She lets her head fall back to rest on my shoulder like she needs this...like she needs me.
Lowering my head, I kiss her neck, and a sensual moan escapes her plump lips. My dick twitches in excitement at the sound, and I pull back an inch. She doesn't need this right now. She's in shock, afraid. I grab the soap and squirt some into my palm. I start washing her shoulders, massaging them, kneading all the tension from her body.
“That feels so good.” She turns in my arms, and I start massaging her front, giving extra attention to her breasts. My thumb skims across her hardened nipple, and I listen as an audible gasp fills her lungs. I do it again, to the same nipple, and am rewarded with the same breathless tone.
Her beautiful blue eyes flutter closed, and she teeters on her feet before leaning into me more.
“Hero,” she whimpers against my skin, her lips blazing a trail of fire over my chest.
Fuck, I wanted this to be more than this, but my dick is hard as steel.
I take down the showerhead to rinse us both off quickly. I don’t want to fuck her in the shower. I want her in my bed. I want to cherish and worship her body like I should have done the first time.
Using the fluffiest towel I have, I dry her off from top to bottom before I dry off myself and lead her to my—our bed.
“Lie down, baby...” I watch her as she crawls into my bed and lies with her head on my pillow.
Her still wet hair falls around her, encompassing her in a halo of golden brown. Her perfect body is spread out in front of me like a feast. Fuck, I can’t believe how lucky I am that this beautiful creat
ure is here with me.
Even after all the shit I’ve put her through, she remains here with me.
Looking up at me with nothing besides love and trust, she says quietly, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I climb over the top of her, pressing her small body into the mattress, bringing our bodies as close as possible. We’re skin on skin. I can feel her heart pounding against my own.
The need to kiss her consumes me. I dip my head and press my lips against hers. Her fingers run through my hair, her tiny nails indent into my skin, and I relish the feelings spiraling out of control inside me.
Every inch of her I see I want to touch and devour. I want to make every part of her mine.
My mouth moves all over her creamy skin, my tongue dipping in and out, leaving a trail of fire behind. Her moans become louder, her quivers become stronger, and when she arches her back, pushing her pretty pussy against my swollen cock, I know she needs more.
“Please...Hero…” she begs and pleads, as if I wouldn't give her exactly what she wants or needs.
I move up her body and take her lips next, delving my tongue into her hot mouth like I want to drive my dick into her tight pussy.
Nudging her legs apart with my knees, I barely touch her, and she spreads herself wider, making me smile mid-kiss.
Sliding one hand between us, I guide my dick inside her. I go slow at first, letting her adjust to my size. Her tight, hot walls grab onto me, squeezing me so tightly, black colors my vision. It feels so fucking good. I never want to stop fucking her. My dick wants to live inside her permanently.
Her legs wrap around me, pulling me closer to her, deeper. Unable to hold back any longer, I dive into her all the way, until I feel the back of her pussy, then pull out just a little before plunging back in.
She moans directly in my ear, and her small fingers grip onto my arms.
“Does that feel good for you, baby?”
“Yes,” she moans, wrapping her legs around me, her heels digging into my butt cheeks.
I find a rhythm, rocking into her, and she tries to match me thrust for thrust, which makes me chuckle. Such a tiny thing trying to own me, own her pleasure. It turns me on more.