NEVERLAND

by Melissa Jane

  “Why is she rocking?” he asked, seemingly inconvenienced I couldn’t pull myself together.

  “Your world and her world don’t align, Dominic. Not everyone is a cruel, heartless bastard like you.”

  Only Momma G could say such a thing in such a tone and get away with it.

  “Tomorrow I have a very important meeting that’s taken months to organize and Diamond is coming. So do whatever you have to do to fix her up. Re-stitch that shoulder and get the bitch coherent again.”

  “Perhaps you should have kept the meeting in mind before you committed to slaying those closest to her. She’s not a robot. The girl has feelings, Dominic, and you’ve pushed her to the brink. Find someone else to go with you to the meeting. Nothing I do will be able to help the poor girl. She needs time. And more time now that you stuck your fucking finger in her shoulder.”

  His agitation was manifesting, and a heavy glass paperweight became his next victim. It smashed against the wall causing us both to jump with fright. “Gina,” he asserted. “Go check on the others, make sure no one’s talking.”

  She slowly turned to him. “I’m not leaving Diamond here with you.”

  “You’ll do as you’re fucking told.”

  Momma G rose to her feet and stood protectively in front of me. “She can’t handle anymore, Dominic. You’ve gotta leave her alone.”

  “Diamond is fine,” he bit back, patience running thin. “She’s tougher than you think. Now go.” His last two words carried a warning which were promise enough for Momma G to back down.

  “Don’t you lay another hand on her. I’ll be back in five minutes to re-stitch her shoulder. I don’t wanna have to repair anything else.” Momma G bent down and whispered in my ear, “Don’t even give him an inch, baby girl.”

  When she left, I wanted to run after her, but there was no willing my body into action. It had gone into shock along with my mind.

  Dominic stepped in front of me, my eyes trained on his snakeskin shoes. They were the same ones he’d worn when he killed Blaze. And now, he waited and watched. “Stand up,” he finally ordered, voice void of any care.

  I willed myself to move, but I simply couldn’t. “I can’t,” I mumbled, blinking a fresh wave of tears.

  “Bullshit you can’t. Stand the fuck up now, Lucy.” The more I tried, the more I failed, and the more desperate I became. I could feel the hysteria from earlier coming back. “Stand. The. Fuck. Up,” he yelled, wrapping his hand around my throat and pulling me to my feet. He shook me like a child would a ragdoll, reckless and without care, before dropping me to the floor. I collapsed in a sobbing heap, wishing he’d just end me like he had Blaze and Jonny.

  “Just kill me. I beg you to just kill me.”

  Dominic laughed manically. “Why the fuck would I kill you now? Things are just starting to get interesting. Or maybe it’s me you want killed.” He fell to his knees next to me and I looked away, not wanting to see the crazy in his eyes. Demanding my full attention, he gripped my chin, pulling my face to his. “Maybe you want to hold a gun to my head and feel what it’s like to pull the trigger. Maybe you wanna see how good it feels to be in control of taking someone’s life. Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  I swallowed hard, unable to acknowledge his taunts.

  Reaching for his Glock behind his back, Dominic took my trembling hand and wrapped it around the grip, both his hands encasing mine. Holding the Glock to his forehead, he looked more amused than ever. “Now’s your chance, sweetheart.”

  The idea of destroying the crazy motherfucker like he had Blaze was beyond tempting. The problem was, I wasn’t a monster like him, despite desperately wanting to be one in that very moment.

  “Pull the trigger and you’ll get your wish,” he cajoled.

  Dominic crawled on his knees until his body forced mine to the floor, all the while keeping the barrel of the gun dead center on his forehead.

  “We could end it all right now, baby,” he said, straddling my waist. When I didn’t respond, he dug his fingers into my cheeks until I squealed.

  His brows furrowed. “You have the perfect chance to put a bullet through my brain, to get revenge for your friends, to make me pay for all I’ve done to you, but you can’t. Why is that, little Lucy?” Dominic backhanded my cheek, coercing me into his game.

  When I recovered from the sting, I turned to face him. “Because killing you with a single bullet to your brain would be far too quick and far too kind for what you deserve.”

  He smiled gleefully. “There she is.” Dominic released my hands and slid the Glock across the floor toward his desk. He lowered his lips to my ear, his erection pressing hard against my belly. “See, you’re just like me.” Unclasping my bra, he watched as the cups fell away revealing my breasts. “Do you know why I’ve never fucked you, Lucy?”

  How was I meant to answer that? If I said the truth, that yes, I was shocked since he’d come so close to raping me on many occasions, then it would come across that I wanted it. If I said no, he might think I need a reminder. So, I chose silence.

  “You see, some toys are meant to be played with,” he said, tracing a finger over my breasts, leaving my skin tingling in its wake. “They get used and abused and eventually, you lose interest because they’re no longer shiny and new. Other toys are made as collector items. They’re made so rare and so different, you don’t even want to remove their packaging. They’re to be kept high on a shelf and admired, so interest and their value are never lost.” He lowered his lips to my neck and kissed a passionate trail. “They’re never to be touched. Never to tarnish.”

  Dominic helped himself to my panties, taking what he’s always said was his. His knuckles bruised my inner thighs in a fight to slide his fingers inside me. I panicked, but I couldn’t will my body to rebel. It had given up the fight and Dominic was taking full advantage it.

  He pushed deeper, internally invading me. I squeezed my eyes closed against the sensation as his lips continued trailing down my neck. Angry and humiliated, I found the last bit of fight I possessed.

  With Dominic’s face close to mine, the temptation was too great for me not to act. I kissed his cheek like I meant it. The sudden demonstration of affection caught him off-guard and he seemed momentarily confused. Never had I voluntarily made a move or responded to his advances, a level of distrust evident in his questioning eyes. Caving to his weakness, Dominic played along, kissing me passionately and for the first time ever, I accepted his tongue. I returned the gesture, hips rising to meet his, my legs spreading further apart so he could settle between.

  “I want to fuck you so bad, my cock aches like a motherfucker,” he murmured against my lips, unwillingly showing me a moment of weakness. He kissed me hard, groaning against my mouth, and I waited for the perfect moment. A moment where he was so lost in the world he’d created, he wouldn’t see it coming. He kissed his way over my face and it was then I stole my chance. I bit down hard on his cheek, holding until I could taste his blood. It made me thirst for it, for his pain.

  Once again, he hit me where it hurt, pressing his thumb into the bullet hole. I released him and he pulled away from me, ready to strike.

  Dominic swung, backhanding my cheek until I saw stars. “You stupid fucking bitch!” he seethed, a satisfying amount of blood weeping from his cheek. He touched two fingers to his face and pulled away to inspect the thick blood coating the tips. “You think you can play me for a fool?”

  I laughed. Not because I found what he said particularly funny, but because I’d reached a point of no return. I’d reached a point where I was losing my mind, and no matter how much the monster tried to break mentally and physically, he couldn’t. There was nothing else left to take because I no longer cared if I lived or died.

  “The fuck are you laughing at?” he asked, incredulous.

  I laughed harder, the tears I cried coming from my heavy heart. Is this what it feels like to give up?

  Another backhand, this time it was fully loade
d with spite and contempt. My mouth filled with blood, his and mine, mixing together as a cruel reminder of how our lives were so sordidly infused.

  “Just kill me already. Kill me just like you did Blaze,” I said, using his words against him. “Put the gun to my head and pull the damn trigger.”

  Dominic placed a hand either side of my face and stared deep into my tortured soul. “I fantasize about killing you as much as I do fucking you.” He let the weight of his words sink in. I knew the reality of it. The way he stared told me it wouldn’t be a quick death. It would be torture and he’d revel in every second of it. “It gets me hard thinking of how my hands around your throat could steal your last breath. It makes me cum just hearing you beg me to take your life, like your existence depends entirely on my actions. Yeah, I wanna kill you bad, Lucy. But once I do it, there’s no turning back. And I have no intention of throwing out my rare collector’s item.” He smiled and stroked my bruised cheek. “Not just yet anyway.”

  Chapter 10

  NOW

  “Give her something, I don’t care what. Just get her fucking coherent.” Dominic barked his order while once again pacing the room, this time like an agitated caged zoo animal.

  Momma G huffed in annoyance. It didn’t help that she had quite the task in not only concealing my cuts and bruises, but also the large bite mark on Dominic’s cheek. She was shaking knowing the night carried with it a big deal to seal, and still terribly shaken from everything she’d witnessed during the week.

  “You watching her the way you are isn’t fucking-well helping. So why don’t you fuck off and give the girl some peace?” When he didn’t move, she continued, “She doesn’t wanna see your ugly mug. So, go.”

  Dominic threw his hands up, exasperated by the situation he was responsible for. Instead of leaving the office, he sat on the table’s edge and faced away.

  “Yeah,” Momma G mumbled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “That’s much better.”

  I hadn’t slept in three days, too afraid to close my eyes because every time I did, I saw Blaze and Jonny, both their faces smothered in blood, both caught in a zombified daze, and both asking why I didn’t do more to help them. My grief had turned to hysteria, and hysteria had turned to nonsensical rambling. I was legitimately going crazy. My mind was trapped in a world where I could only see darkness, and the more Dominic was in my face about it, the more I retreated deeper into the dark abyss.

  Momma G continued to rub my back, in slow, rhythmic circles while I rocked back and forth.

  “Why don’t you find another girl to take tonight,” Momma G asked. “You have a whole club full of them. Why Lucy and with the state she’s in?”

  Dominic resumed pacing. “If I wanted to take just any whore, I would. This meeting has been months in the planning and if I want the deal over the line, I need the right girl. I need someone to not only charm the fuck out of these cunts, but to also get them hard enough that they’ll want more.”

  “She’s gonna be real fucking charming if you present her like this.”

  Dominic swiped angrily at the desk lamp, sending it careering off the table and smashing into the wall. The bulb exploded in a flash of light before dimming the room. Momma G jumped and then again when Dominic himself blew up. “So give the bitch something to fucking settle her down. I need her coherent and looking alive.”

  “Perhaps you should have thought about it before—” Momma G stopped herself before she landed in trouble. Her nostrils flared in frustration. “Dominic, you’re a real piece of work sometimes. Now you listen to me and listen well.” She waved her finger at him, just like a momma would. “You’re going to have to be real gentle with her tonight. You roughhouse her even just a little bit and the stitches will pull wide open again. Next thing, you’ll not only have a rambling crazy girl, but a bleeding one at that, and that’s not gonna secure any deal. So keep your fucking hands off her, do you hear me?”

  “I won’t touch her,” he conceded, flatly.

  “And I don’t know the type of men you’re dealing with tonight, but don’t let any of them touch her either. No doubt they’re just as criminal as you.”

  “Jason,” I muttered.

  Momma G turned to me. “Sweetheart, what was that?”

  “Can you find Jason?”

  “I don’t know who that is,” she cooed, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

  Dominic’s eyes narrowed at my sudden request.

  I didn’t know why I was even speaking at all. Nothing in my head made sense and it made even less sense coming from my mouth. “In VIP,” I implored attempting to stand. If I stayed, I was dead. The only thought running through my mind was that I needed to find Jason. I swayed unsteadily, Momma G grabbing both wrists and settling me back down.

  “Where are you going?” Momma G asked, confusion knitting her brow.

  “To find the white knight.”

  “I don’t know who or what that is. Sit down, baby, you’re not well.”

  “For fuck’s sake.” Dominic exhaled heavily, losing his patience. “Give her something already and make it quick, we’re leaving in twenty.”

  “This is not a good idea, Dom.” Momma G unlocked a small toolbox and rifled through it until she found what she needed. Unwrapping a syringe, she jabbed it into a small vile of clear liquid, then pumped it until some spurted out. She wrapped a black cord around my arm and waited until she could see my vein. I’d never done drugs at any stage of my life, and while I saw it all the time with the other girls in the club, it was never something I wanted to get into. Being alert and present while Dominic stalked the shadows was always my priority in order to survive him. Now, however, I wasn’t going to refuse. I needed something. I needed something before I completely lost my mind.

  Momma G was gentle, and as the drug coursed through my vein it was like a heavy, wet blanket was lifted off my soul and was no longer suffocating me. It made the hurt almost seem bearable, even if it would only last for a few hours. Momma G removed the tie and I fell back into the chair, Dominic watching with keen interest as my whole demeanor changed.

  “She’s going to be dazed and a bit spacey but at least she won’t be rambling. It’s enough to numb her, but not enough to have her fall asleep. And as far as lively, intelligent conversation goes, that won’t be her strong point tonight.” She turned to Dominic, a small smile playing on her lips. “She might even like you for a few hours.”

  He smirked. “I highly doubt that. Get her down to the car and I’ll be out soon.”

  Momma G wrapped an arm around my waist and heaved me up. I was surprised at how light I felt compared to the heavy grief of the last few days. I was able to walk by myself even though Momma G held tight. When I reached the stairs, I came to a halt, my stomach churning. The steps seemed to move back and forth, swayed like the ocean.

  “Why are they moving?” I asked, confused as to where to put my feet.

  “They aren’t, honey. Just put one foot in front.” She guided me down, slowly and carefully, and somehow we ended up outside by the SUV. Roy was smoking under the light of the street lamp when I climbed into the backseat, leaving me alone with Momma G. When she reached around and strapped me in she whispered close to my ear, “I know exactly what a white knight is, baby girl, and it will do you a world of good if you kept it to yourself. Don’t let Dominic inside that head of yours and for God’s sake, don’t mention any names. You understand?” She leaned back to see my face, and I nodded although I didn’t understand why she had brought it up. “Lucy… can you see me?”

  I shook my head because although I could see the shape of her, I couldn’t see any features. I blinked hard, but still my vision remained blurred.

  “Shit! This is a bad, bad idea,” she muttered under her breath.

  “I feel sick,” I admitted, feeling like I’d been food poisoned on a rocking boat.

  “Let’s go!” Dominic yelled from the darkness as he approached the SUV, but Momma G seemed reluctant to let me go. When
she did, she pulled Dominic aside and the two spoke in hushed tones, both occasionally looking at me.

  When the pair finished their discussion, Dominic rounded the car and Momma G whispered in my ear, “Remember, baby girl. There’s to be no talk of what’s happened.”

  I nodded, resting my head against the seat, the roof of the car spinning like a stormy sky.

  Dominic remained silent next to me for the whole journey, his mind on the deal he needed to ensure went smoothly. When we pulled into a basement what could have been an hour later, he leaned over and pulled my face to his.

  “I brought you here because you’re the whole package, Lucy,” he said, taking the gentle approach. “The men I’m about to do business with only expect the highest quality and that’s you. If they touch you, let them. If they want a private dance, give them the best show they’ve ever had. Understand?”

  I nodded the best I could given he was holding me in place.

  “Tell me you understand.”

  “I understand.”

  “No fuck ups tonight, Lucy.”

  “No fuck up,” I repeated.

  The truth was, I didn’t want to fuck up. Why would I? I was about to thrown into a room of dangerous mobsters and a cold-blooded killer for a boss. Now was not the time to fuck up.

  Dominic inched closer, his lips lingering on mine before he finally committed, giving me a soft, gentle kiss that again, was in stark comparison to his normal style. “Good girl. I knew you were the right choice.” This time my gut churned, but it wasn’t from the drug.

  Roy opened my door and helped me out until Dominic took my arm in his. The two of us, along with armed guards provided by the men we were about to see, rode the lift to the sixty-sixth floor, the sudden rush causing a wave of light-headedness. Dominic tightened his grip, casting me a sideward glance.