Spark

by J Marie

  chair.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” I said quickly, fear now racing through my

  veins. I was fully recovered now, which meant Darren could hurt me again if he

  wanted to. And he was not one to be shy about it. But all he did was crush me to his

  chest in a tight bear-like hug while he sighed heavily. I tried not to tremble, afraid

  he might squeeze too hard if I moved. Instead, I rested my hands limply on his hips

  and waited. He was breathing heavy but didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and I

  wished he had remained silent.

  “Jaden, you will never see your family again and to think otherwise will only

  bring you pain. Let them go, or I will do it for you.”

  I shuddered because I recognized the brutal truth of his words, the lingering

  threat that reminded me that my family should be as dead to me as I was to them.

  And the truth fucking hurt. I felt the world close in on me, felt the weight of the

  tears that promised to fall if I didn’t shape the fuck up. Darren knew where they all

  were, and he would kill them for my compliance.

  “I know,” I said blankly. “But I doubt you’d give up your brothers just as easily.”

  I was bold enough to stare up at him after that statement.

  Darren wrapped his hands around my face, pulling me toward him and keeping

  me in place. That intense stare of his pierced through me, sending wave after wave

  of ice up my spine.

  “You are not me,” he said with a disapproving tone. “Stop trying to compare in

  hopes I will sympathize. I won’t. You are never to bring them up again without my

  prompt. Do so, and I will gladly have one eliminated every day until you understand

  that the only family you have now is me.”

  My breath caught in my throat as the tears pooled in my eyes. “You say the

  sweetest things,” I replied, my voice raspy and broken.

  “Don’t I always,” he answered and lowered his face to mine.

  Suddenly, I forgot about my need to breathe. His lips melted onto my mine, soft

  yet domineering as ever. But as the kiss took form, it was just the push my tears

  needed to go right over the edge. They fell down my face, trickling through

  Darren’s fingers and wetting my skin. I felt my blood rush as Darren’s lips forced

  my mouth open wider, allowing his tongue to enter and conquer. By the time he

  was finished, I was hot all over and angry as hell.

  That night, Darren fucked me mercilessly for hours, reminding me that I was his

  by biting into the tattoos of his name on my wrists so I would feel them later. But I

  made sure to bite back. I left teeth marks on his shoulder, scratch marks down his

  back, and even a few tiny bruises on his forearms from my grip. I hate fucked him

  so hard; even I’d be feeling it for days.

  When I woke up again, it was still dark, but the light of a small lamp allowed me

  to find Darren packing a bag at his dresser. His broad, jacket-covered back faced

  me, but I still managed to see that he wasn’t just packing the bag with clothes, he

  was packing guns—lots of guns. I laid there on my stomach under the soft sheets,

  my arms stretched out under the pillow while I watched Darren through half

  hooded, tired lids. His movements were quick, sharp, and determined. He knew

  exactly what he was doing, knowing exactly what he needed. I wondered what came

  of this and where he was going.

  “Go back to sleep, princess,” he said to me without turning around as he

  continued to load several mags of ammunition into the side pockets of his bag.

  Once I focused on them, I realized they weren’t just for pistols; there was automatic

  ammunition going into those pockets. What the fuck was he up to?

  “How did you know I was awake?” I asked through a yawn. I could have rolled

  over and easily fallen back asleep, but I wanted to know what was going on.

  “I heard the change in your breathing pattern. Now, go back to sleep.”

  “Where are you going now?” I asked sleepily, ignoring his order for the second

  time.

  Darren sighed in annoyance. “You know I won’t answer that,” he replied and

  zipped up the bag.

  I rolled over and pulled the sheet up to my shoulder. “Obviously some place

  where automatic weapons will be needed,” I replied, closing my eyes. “I’d wish you

  luck, but …”

  But I’m hoping you’ll end up eating all those bullets for breakfast.

  “You probably should,” he replied casually as he dropped his bag off at the door.

  “Have you never wondered what would happen to you should I ever perish?”

  Now, this piqued my interest. I had thought about it many times, but I figured if

  he was dead and it was obviously not my doing, it would be easier for me to escape.

  His empire and brothers would likely be too busy trying to take control and avenge

  him to care about me, and I’d be long gone before they even remembered my name.

  Hopefully.

  “I guess that would depend on how you died, and whether your organization

  thought I did it,” I said slyly. “But either way, I doubt I’d be kept around for long.”

  I could hear his smile long before I even saw it. I felt Darren’s large hands grip

  my ankles and tug me to him toward the end of the bed, allowing him to lean over

  me. He placed his hands on either side of my head, so all I could see was the sinister

  look on his face. I guess we weren’t laughing anymore because my stomach

  immediately shriveled up in knots.

  “You will be well cared for, Jaden. If by some miracle, some lucky bastard was

  able to take me down, you will be looked after for the rest of your life. But if you

  continue to push, if you continue to misbehave and cause trouble for my brothers,

  you will find your life with me was much happier in comparison to the confinement

  they will subject you to. Understand?”

  I furrowed my brows in suspicion. “You expect me to trust that? How do you

  know they won’t go against your wishes and kill me? Or worse, sell me off?”

  “Because if anything happens to them, I will honor their final wishes just the

  same. My middle brother and his wife are about to have their first child in the next

  couple of months, and if something were to happen to him, he has my word that

  his family will be well cared for in his absence. Just as they will honor me and do

  the same for you. That is our code. ‘Honor the dead by way of the living.’”

  What the hell did he know of honor? He’d certainly taken mine and made it his

  to defend, but where did he get the nerve to say there was honor in his lifestyle?

  Nothing was honorable about the way he killed people, about the way he used

  them, sold them … fucked them. He was a monster and monsters had no honor.

  “Couldn’t you just let me go?” I asked softly. “If you’re gone, there’s no need for

  me to be here anymore. I’d just be an inconvenience for everyone else.”

  Darren rose from my body, his jaw clenched and his eyes intense as he scowled

  down at me. “No, Jaden. The moment you’re free, you’d go running to the

  authorities, and I won’t have you putting my organization or my family in

  jeopardy,” he said sharply. And then his eyes settled on the amber of mine, a slow

  devious smile curving at his lips, and I felt a twing
e of despair run through me

  “Even in death, princess, you will always belong to me.”

  Even in death, you will always belong to me…

  I felt my heart give out.

  15

  TRAITOR

  A fter fucking Jaden one last time, I finally left her in my bed to sleep off her

  exhaustion. I grabbed my bag and left Hank and Preston to wait by the door for

  Jaden to wake. Scott met up with me in the hallway, carrying his own black bag full

  of automatic guns and ammunition. Someone had attacked one of my warehouses

  in Florida last night and left the biggest fucking calling card imaginable.

  Apparently, Boris Weldimer, the fat fuck who blabbed about my lovely

  redheaded purchase at the auction, had a twenty-three-year-old son, Edmund, and

  he obviously didn’t like the fact that I’d beaten his father into a vegetative coma a

  few months ago. Boris had it coming, though. He’d been talking a lot of shit lately,

  blabbing secrets and starting shit with other syndicates. And now, it looked like his

  meddling son wanted some attention. Granted.

  The only issue was that the warehouse he’d hit was well hidden within my

  organization, and the only way that little fucker could have found the location was

  if someone on my side had given it up. A snitch existed somewhere within my

  ranks, and I was going to find him and gut him for the rest to see. I fucking hated

  rats.

  At four a.m., Scott and I wordlessly boarded the plane, sitting at opposite ends,

  and discussed the strategy for the thirtieth fucking time. Boris owned a string of

  strip clubs, all the while hosting private poker parties in the back, a setup I had

  secured for him a long ass time ago. Triguard had been receiving ten percent of

  their profits for my investment, and now, it looked like our contract was going to

  require a little … tweaking.

  Edmund Weldimer lived alone in his father’s house in Naples, Florida, and

  though the mansion was guarded well throughout all hours of the day, Weldimer’s

  security had nothing on my men. It would be as easy as popping balloons on a

  dartboard. And then I was going to show the little prick what happened when you

  fucked with Darren Davis.

  When the plane landed, Scott and I exited; we swung our bags over our shoulders

  as a black van pulled up. The two in the front got out, trading Scott for the driver’s

  side and me in the passenger seat. The two got in the back with the remaining two

  already there and slid the door shut. Four of my best men sat calmly in the

  backseat, dressed in black and combat gear, ready for anything. They had already

  been scouting the place for a few days, counting ten armed men on the grounds and

  five inside the house. I rolled my shoulders in anticipation. This was going to be

  fun.

  As we drove, images of Jaden’s beautiful naked body kept plaguing my mind.

  Wrapped in those silky dark green sheets—which emphasized the creaminess of

  her skin and the lush red in her hair—it just made me want to crawl back in and

  lose myself with her all over again. I could kick the shit out of myself for hurting

  her the way I had. I would never deprive myself of her body again.

  About an hour later, Scott finally pulled the car off on a dirt road and parked us

  well hidden in the trees. All six of us exited the vehicle and began to load up. After

  strapping on black Kevlar vests, we equipped ourselves with as much ammunition

  and as many firearms as possible. I checked every one of my guns, making sure a

  bullet was in each chamber and adjusting my silencers before sliding them back

  into their holsters. A knife was also in each one of my boots and one at my hip.

  After checking the connection on our earpiece headsets, we were finally ready to

  roll.

  “Let’s go,” I said, my voice unable to hide my excitement.

  It was still dark out as we silently headed through the trees, but dawn would be

  approaching soon, and I wanted this to be over by the time the sun hit the house.

  As we breached the perimeter of the property, we scanned the area for the ten

  men patrolling the grounds. The property was wide open with the massive brick

  mansion in the back. Four men were up toward the front of the house, four in the

  back, and one on either side of the property. Piece of cake. On a silent nod, I gave

  the order for my men to split up while Scott and I headed for the house.

  In a matter of seconds, all the black walking dots dropped to the ground without

  so much as a sound. Aiden and Calvin were my best snipers, and this was exactly

  why. On high alert, Scott and I quickly took care of the remaining few stragglers as

  we hurried through the grounds with a clean sweep. A few short minutes later, the

  three of my men regrouped while the fourth watched from a distance to see into the

  house and keep us covered.

  “How we doin’ Aiden?” I said into my mouthpiece.

  “All clear from here,” he replied.

  “Good. Let’s move,” I ordered.

  We circled around the house to the back entrance, slipping through the door

  undetected. My senses ran amuck as I listened for footsteps and watched for

  movement. Nothing. Silently making our way through the house, it didn’t take long

  before a barrage of loud footsteps came running down the stairs.

  Automatic rifles in hand, we rounded the corner and unloaded into the three

  advancing men. The sound of gunfire breached the air while my blood rushed with

  excitement as we watched Weldimer’s men tumble down the steps in a bloody

  mess.

  We began to make our way to the stairs when the sounds of claws against

  hardwood broke the silence. Barking and snarling, five large Doberman pinchers

  ran in our direction, hungry for blood. Raising our rifles, we fired into the quickly

  proceeding pack, but two of the five managed to make it past the gunfire. The

  biggest one in the pack had already launched himself at me, his teeth ripping into

  my forearm before I had a chance to reload my gun. Pain seared into my arm while I

  grabbed my pistol and put two in the big fucker’s chest. I dropped him with a loud

  squeal, while Scott put the other one down.

  “Kid’s held up in the master suite, last door on your right, two armed guards

  left, but I don’t have a clean shot,” said Aiden through the headset.

  “Got it. Heading up there now,” I replied, heading for the stairs, my men in tow.

  Blood was seeping through my sleeve, but I ignored it as I clutched my rifle,

  keeping it tight against my shoulder as we maneuvered over the mess of bodies on

  the stairs. Once at the top, I immediately scanned the hallway for threats knowing

  full well this kid’s security measures were for shit. But the sound of glass breaking

  and a loud thump against the floor confirmed Aiden’s kill.

  “One down,” he said as the sound of return fire from the window ensued.

  Fucking idiots.

  My head ran thick with anticipation as we quickly made our way to the door of

  the master suite, guns at the ready. Raising my foot, I kicked the door clean off its

  hinges and immediately fired at the remaining guard crouched by the window. He

  dropped instantly.

  Scott was already moving in on Weldimer, narrowly shooting his gun out of
his

  hand with a single shot. Panic washed over his pale, sweaty face, and then he did

  something even more stupid. He fucking ran. I didn’t want him dead, so I grabbed

  the nearest thing to me, which happened to be a small chair, and hurled it at his

  back, causing him to collapse to the floor in a heap.

  My men quickly circled him, the muzzles of their guns pointing directly at him

  while he fucking cowered on the floor. Shaking like a leaf, he raised his hands to his

  head in surrender, staring up at me with fear bleeding from his eyes. I smirked.

  “Hello, Edmund,” I sneered.

  Edmund’s chest rose and fell at an alarming rate, his eyes wide with fear as he

  stared up at me from the floor. His blond hair was dirty and disheveled as he

  shivered in his worn sweatpants and food-stained t-shirt.

  “Look, man, I don’t know what this is about, but you’ve got—”

  “Shut the fuck up, Edmund.” I growled. “What? You thought you could just

  attack one of my warehouses, and I wouldn’t find out about it?”

  “I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about, man,” he stuttered.

  “Oh, I think you do. You see,” I said, pulling out the stupid red bandana that

  contained his little gang’s symbol and tossed it at him, “one of your guys was kind

  enough to leave this behind. I thought you might want it back.”

  Edmund positively went green. His shit brown eyes lingered on the bandana

  while sweat dripped down the sides of his stubbly unkempt face.

  Finally, he gained some courage to speak. “Look, I never gave them the order to

  do that. They must have—”

  My fist had collided with his jaw before he had a chance to finish his lie.

  “You spit one more lie to me and I’ll cut your fucking tongue out. There are

  cameras in all of my warehouses, you little shit, and I have a nice screenshot of your

  fucking face smiling while you killed three of my men and stole over half a million

  dollars of my drugs.”

  Blood seeped from the side of Edmund’s lip where his teeth had cut into them,

  and it made me want to keep hitting him so there would be more. Edmund had

  slumped over onto the floor, unable to hold himself up, until Calvin grabbed him by

  the shirt to lift him back to his knees.

  “Now, I’ve just eliminated your little security fleet with only five of my men.