My foot felt like a brick as it pressed itself into the accelerator. The engine offered heavy hums as I sped through the Atlanta streets. There was a burning in my chest that felt like literal flames. They lapped at my heart as it pounded with seething rage.
I couldn’t even turn to look at Val. The fact that some asswipe’s handprint showed so clearly on her face, made me absolutely sick. She was quiet for once, but I think she knew I needed the silence right now.
Lorenzo’s mansion came into view, the sparkle of his porchlights erupting vibrantly through a sea of trees. Cole’s Scion was parked out front, right next to a luxury Range Rover that I had half the mind to just ram directly into.
Luckily, I realized that I spent a fuckload of hard-earned money on this beast of a car and I wasn’t prepared to damage it simply because I disliked someone. I parked directly behind it, though, thoroughly blocking him in.
“Cain, you don’t need to go in there,” Val pleaded, her hands moving to clasp around one of mine.
I glanced over to her, intent on listening to her reasoning, but the bruise that was turning colors on her jaw sent more shocks of anger through my system.
I stared at her for a moment, taking in how she looked.
For a split second, I debated doing this at all.
To just turn around and drive home. But then I saw that mark again, and the rage took a hold of me again. I reached across into the glove compartment and retrieved the pistol. It was unmarked and untraceable.
The sound of a single, shaky breath escaped from Valentine’s lungs as she looked to my hands, tears building in her eyes, “No… no! Cain, I hurt him… It was reactional!” She pulled her hands over her jaw, covering the mark, “Please… let’s just go back. You know you’ll be outnumbered in there.”
I slid open the magazine of the gun and checked that it was loaded before arming the safety and holstering the weapon in its holster beneath my jacket. My eyes locked upon hers. Puffy and red from the tears she had yet to shed.
She was so beautiful.
I always thought that seeing her genuinely happy was one of the most beautiful things, but to see the raw emotion on her face… The desperation in her words… She was stunning.
My heart pounded in my chest, so I made a leap of faith.
I leaned across the car, the act pinning her to her seat.
She was so fucking beautiful.
The thrum of my heart grew so loud that I could actually feel the shaking of my ribs as the organ beat against it.
“Do you remember what I told you ages ago?” I asked, hovering inches from her face.
She blinked at me, confused.
“I would show up for you… That I would protect you. Whether it was my job or not.”
“I will never break that promise.” I stared into her eyes for a few seconds, but ones that felt like an eternity… and then… I crashed my lips against hers.
Part of me worried that she would push me away, but as I leaned into her soft lips, she beckoned me closer and deepened the kiss. This insane burst of courage filled me to the brim, and I felt like I was walking on air.
She was mine, and absolutely nobody was going to fucking take her away from me.
As I pulled away from her, I opened my eyes, and I witnessed her in all of her raw beauty.
Her forehead beaded with sweat as her brown eyes stared at me, hungry for more. Her shoulders moved up and down slowly with each heavy breath as she stared me in the eyes. I cupped her cheek gently and whispered, millimeters from her lips: “Do you trust me?”
Her eyes darted past me toward the house, and I can’t lie when I say that I looked over my shoulder too, if only for a millisecond before they fell back to her once more. She nodded softly, resolve growing in her face as she lessened the grip on her face.
I moved my hand to brush a strand of her blonde hair out of her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. “You are so, so beautiful, Becca.” I muttered, pulling away from her slowly to sit properly in my seat. “If I don’t come out, don’t leave with anyone other than Cole.” I said softly.
A pang of grief struck my core as I thought about never seeing her again…
But, if this was the last time I’d ever see her, I wanted it to be the best. I turned to look at her one more time and smiled at her kindly. “Keep the car running. When I come running out, we need to be ready to go.”
She nodded once, affirmatively, and I reached over to squeeze her wrist.
“You’re my pain in the ass, now, don’t you dare forget that.” I grinned.
I took a deep breath and climbed out of my car, walking toward the front door. I felt like I could run the world right now. The warmth of her lips still lingered on my own. I hope this works.
I stepped forward and lifted my knee high before delivering a swift kick to the front door, smashing the lock and sending the door flying open. Crappy American plywood. The realization of how easily I could storm a castle was thrilling.
As I emerged through the entryway, a figure approached me quickly, running before skidding to an immediate stop, curly brown hair bouncing against his forehead. His eyes widen as he realizes who the fuck I am.
“Hey,” I said simply, offering no threat to my friend.
Cole nodded once, with a stern narrowing of his eyes, “Hey.”
I smirk, “Look at you with your gun drawn.”
He chuckled and spun the pistol in his hand before holstering the weapon, “You know I’d never shoot you.” He chuckled with a light-hearted grin, “Where the hell have you been and why did you kick the fucking door in?”
“Oh, Zo didn’t tell you he was expecting guests?” I asked, a cheeky grin growing on my face.
“No, actually.” Cole said matter-of-factly, “In fact, he said that you fucked off and weren’t coming back.”
I chuckle, “I’m sure that’s what he hoped would happen.”
Cole’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he touched the grip of his holstered pistol, “Is that so?”
My head bows in a slow nod, “Yeah… that is so…”
I took a step towards him, waving my hand dismissively toward his gun, “I didn’t come here to get shot by you, though. You may actually wanna fucking hear what I have to say.”
Cole’s eyebrow raised and he relaxed, turning to walk at my side, “Is it about the new guy who has been set with your girls?” He asked.
I laughed, shaking my head lightly, “Oh my dear friend, you have no fucking clue.” The din of laughter and conversation grew louder as Cole and I approached the dining room.
Lorenzo spotted me at the very same time that I spotted him, a mixture of fear and entertainment growing in his eyes. He snorted, rapping his hands across the table with a joyous laugh as he motioned to me, “Fucking, Cain.” He said audibly, “I wondered when your sorry ass was going to come crawling back for your job.”
I felt my blood run cold as I noted the faces around the table. Other drivers. Some who had been in the business far longer than I had. They knew Lorenzo better than anyone else. But there he sat at the head of the table; legs outstretched like a mediocre monarch. My eyes fused to him in a menacing, burning stare.
“Nah, nah, Zo. He ain’t here for you.” King smirked, pushing himself from the end of the table and standing upright with a boisterous stretch, “This motherfucker is mad because I slapped his bitch.”
Lorenzo looked between us, his eyes settling on me for a moment before he leaned back in his chair. Amusement scratched onto the faces of everyone else in the room as King sauntered his way around the table.
“You slapped Valentine?” Cole inquired, his brown eyes widening with anger.
King smirked, “Hell yeah I slapped Valentine.” He spat, and then stepped closer to me until our chests touched.
“She runs into you and then suddenly she doesn’t wanna put out anymore. She grabbed my dick and dug her big fucking fingernails into it. So yeah, I slapped her. Real good too, my hand still hurts.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as my eyes narrowed. This piece of shit deserved every second of the hellfire I was about to reign down on him, but I wanted him to sing. Sing like a fucking bird. Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.
“And you know what, Cain,” King said, shoving me backwards once, I let myself step back, “Until you showed your sorry ass yesterday, she used to beg me to fuck her until she screamed. You should have seen what I did to her. We’d get high and I’d send her to fucking sleep with my dick, and then once she was asleep, I had even more fun with her.”
My eyebrow twitched, hands tightening into fists as I stared him down with just as much intensity as I when I walked in. This fucking piece of shit was going to pay.
King pressed his hand to the center of my chest and grinned widely, “And you think you are gonna get somewhere? Coming in here? With my boss at my back? You think you’re gonna fucking win this fight?”
That one got me, the pure absurdity from his cockiness.
I laughed.
I rolled my head back in a massive fucking howl.
He narrowed his eyes, shoving me back again, “What is your fucking problem, dude?” He snarls.
I laughed again, allowing myself to step backwards once more.
“But you see…” I clapped my hand over my forehead, “It’s just that… you seem to be under the impression that a single one of these fuckers actually gives a shit about whether you win or lose.”
King’s eyes narrowed and he looked at Cole, then back at me.
Then it happened, in an instant. I sank my hand into the leather of my jacket and withdrew my firearm.
Safety off.
One quick shot, straight to his kneecap. The scent of sulfur and smoke filled the air as the pop of the barrel echoed through the room.
King hit the floor, a resounding wail escaping his mouth as he swung one of his tree-like limbs in my direction. Blood spewed from his knee, and his arm still very narrowly missed my stomach as I whipped around and collided the butt of my pistol with his temple.
Flat out.
King’s unconscious body struck the floor, and I rolled my eyes.
“Go get me some rope, Cole.” I snapped, stowing one swift kick to King’s ribs. I looked up at Lorenzo with an annoyed scowl, “Sorry you’ve lost two fucking drivers in a year. Maybe you should hire someone that isn’t a fucking dickhead next time.”
Lorenzo smirked and waved me away dismissively, “He hit my best girl. My punishment would have been far worse.” He said with a look of languor, “Just get him out of here before I realize I liked him.”
I smirked and turned to see Cole returning with a bunch of bungee cords. His signature. I retrieved the bindings and dipped down to tiethe giant of a man. “Grab his feet,” I instructed my friend.
“You could say fucking please,” Cole grumbled, but he was smiling as he bent down to grab King’s feet. His shoes were luxury. They had once been white but were now stained red by the blood that pooled out of his eviscerated kneecap.
I signaled a pause, then walked over to Lorenzo’s dining table and snatched one of the thick napkins from it. I returned and quickly wrapped his bleeding knee. No fucking way was this motherfucker going to bleed all over my trunk.
“Okay, grab his feet, please,” I felt the hiss of the ‘s’ on my tongue as I enunciated the word. Cole nodded resoundingly and we both hoisted the huge man from the ground. We managed to carry King’s limp body toward the Charger outside.
When we emerged through the door, I motioned to Valentine to pop the trunk, and she moved to do so without hesitation. Cole and I stuffed the unconscious body in the back and realized that he was beginning to rouse once more. So, I delivered a decent punch to his temple, which arguably could have roused him faster… but luckily it did not.
Cole laughed and clapped his hands together to dust off his imaginary dirt from the incredibly arduous feat, “What a fucking dick! I hated this guy.”
“He is still alive,” I reminded him, slamming the trunk’s lid closed with a resounding thump.
“Yeah, but not for long.” Cole smirked, his eyes shifting to glance through the deeply tinted windows of my car. It hummed softly in the evening air, “he deserves it. Sasha quit because of him.”
My nerves flare, how had he destroyed my team in such a short time? “Thank you for your help, ass-hat.” I said, clapping his shoulder with a heavy hand, “Meet me at the safehouse tomorrow?”
Cole nodded quickly, and a sly grin appeared on his bloodthirsty face. There was a reason that Lorenzo kept him around…
Cole was a talented butcher by trade.
The human trade.
We started at the same time under Lorenzo, but Cole was always so much more sadistic than I was.
That is why I needed him.
I acted out of anger.
He… well Cole acted out of pleasure.
“I’ve got an appointment with our old friends, the Sharpe’s, tomorrow. It’ll have to be quick and easy,” Cole smirked as he turned back towards the path.
I stepped past him before sinking into the front seat of the car, he turned briefly to wave, and I returned the gesture.
Securing my seatbelt, I turned to look to Valentine. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes avoided me.
The sight broke my heart a bit, and I reached out to take her hand into mine. She accepted it with no dispute, tangling her small, well-manicured fingers between my tattoo-ink-covered digits. I delivered a gentle squeeze and pulled the car from the driveway.
Even as I drove, I kept a gentle hold of Valentine’s hand.
Her silence was normal to me.
It was welcome.
Eventually, we arrived at the safehouse that I mentioned to Cole, and I pulled to a slow halt in front. I turned to her to see the worry painted on her skin.
“Is he dead?” she muttered, her eyes glistening from a film of tears.
I sent a gentle squeeze to her hand, “No,” I said truthfully. “I won’t kill him, I give you my word.” I brushed my thumb across her knuckles, “But he is going to learn a very valuable lesson. Would you mind helping me take him inside?”
Her eyes narrowed, but she glanced at the door of the house. It looked normal. Like any other house. She nodded strongly, unbuckling her seat belt.
I popped the trunk and the pair of us… mostly me… hoisted King from the trunk and into the building. There was a distinct emptiness to the building. Nothing but a chair in the center of the main room, and a door that led to a cell. I directed Valentine toward the cell, and she placed his feet down on the end of a mattress, the only piece of furniture in that room.
Val stepped past me quickly, standing in the doorway of the cell as I secured King’s loosening bungee cords. I stood and joined her outside before closing the door and securing the lock. Cole and I were the only cleaners with access to this safe house. Lorenzo made sure that partners stayed loyal to one another. It doesn’t matter how insane he is, there’s good reason as to why he is still in business.
I turned back to Val and smiled, extending a hand to brush a hair out of her face, “Shall we go back to mine?” I asked.
She leaned into the touch of my fingers, and I could feel her warmth travel down my hand into my wrist. The stain of black beneath her eyes from her smudged eyeliner was so alluring and beautiful. I wanted to make her eyeliner run like that from pleasure…
I secured the front door of the safe house and drove back to my apartment, sliding into the garage and returning Valentine to the safety of the duplex.
She stepped through the threshold of the garage to the living room and placed her duffel bag on the floor beside the coffee table.
I stared at her from the doorway, watching the way her leggings gripped her curves. My erection was solid in my trousers, as she dipped down to grab a pair of pajamas from the bag. Her hair fell over her face as she turned back from her position to look at me, her cheeks flushed with light embarrassment and she stood once more, pulling the folded clothing against her chest.
“Not like you to be sheepish,” I chuckled, closing the door to the garage.
Valentine smiled timidly, brushing a strand of hair from her face as she stepped towards me, “Not like you to be so forward.” Her feet pattered lightly with precision, swaying her hips perfectly. She stopped in front of me, an arm’s length away.
My eyes deepened and I hungered for her, desperately.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?” she asked, rocking on her feet.
I tilted my head, “What did I say earlier?”
A million things crossed through my mind as I searched her eyes for hints. She teased me, biting her lip and standing on her toes to grip the lapel of my jacket. “You told me I was your pain in the ass.”
I smirked, “Yeah?”
“Did you mean it? Am I yours?” she coaxed, lingering near enough to tempt me.
I nodded once, a deep, lusty sparkle in my eyes, “I absolutely meant it, Val.” I groaned lowly, dipping my head lower.
Her face brightened and she seemed to sway on her tiptoes, but the joy on her face shifted to mischievous as she leaned back to stare into my eyes, “Then prove it.” she said breathlessly.
My eyes widened and I felt my erection twitch painfully against my zipper. I leaned over and pressed a deep, passionate kiss onto her lips, pulling her body as close to mine as possible.
I wanted to breathe her in and hold her deep inside of my lungs. I wanted to feel her course through my blood. As our lips crashed together, I slowly guided her backwards toward the couch, where she pulled from me and shoved me down upon it. I gasped at first, but she was quick to straddle me, and I felt all my reservations begin to fade away.
The pressure of my cock against the tight denim of my jeans was growing unbearable, especially as Val started to grind lightly over the surface, her lips falling into mine with a ferocity that felt unreal. I wanted her so badly that it was hard to put into words.
I felt the passion in our kisses soften and Val pulled away, peering down at me with an excited smile, a blush now wide across her face.
A chuckle rolled from my chest as I stared at her, “I’ve never seen you smile like that,” I muttered softly.
The red on her cheeks grew darker, and she pressed her palm to my chest, “I’ve never felt like this after someone kissed me before,” She admitted bashfully.
My eyes widened slightly, and I reached up to cup her cheek. She leaned into my palm again and I felt my heart flutter in my chest. I don’t care what I have to do in this life, but I’ll be damned if I ever let this gorgeous fucking woman out of my sight again.
“Becca…” I muttered, holding her gaze, drinking in the honey brown of her irises.
She responded wordlessly, a soft flutter of her eyelashes as she leaned in closer, pressing her chest to mine and sealing her hand between our ribcages. “I am so… so unbelievably sorry for how I treated you that night.”
Her eyes deepened and she pressed her head into the crook of my neck. I wrapped my arms around her to hold her close, “I can’t believe I let Lorenzo and his stupid games, turn me against you.”
She giggled and then nuzzled my chest lightly, “You’re a pain in the ass,” she muttered and pushed herself from off of me. Her hand moved to press lightly on the couch cushion beside my head, “I forgave you when you picked me up dressed like your sexy alter-ego tonight.” She said with a grin.
I felt relief lift from my shoulders and I clapped a hand to my forehead, “I really wish I had taken you on that date.” I told her softly.
“Me too,” She admitted, then teasingly rolled her hips against mine, “But you can make it up to me by taking me out on one tomorrow.” She smirked.
Tomorrow. Shit… Tomorrow was Tuesday. I have work… and I have to take care of King… It looked like that would be a four-a.m. job.
I smiled at her, moving a hand to her hair and watching as my dark ink disappeared and sank into her bright blonde waves. I searched for the back of her skull where the scar from her roommate’s attack had since healed. I felt my heart thud at the thought of him still being out there somewhere.
She giggled and peeled away from me, standing up. The look of disappointment that I had must have been explicit, because she giggled and leaned down to press a quick kiss to my lips, “I need a shower before I feel comfortable letting you touch me. I’ve got to put Valentine away.
I nodded softly and smiled, “Shall I put Cain away as well?”
She turned back to me with a sly grin, “Hmm, I like Cain. Just lose that horrible fucking beanie.”
I let out a laugh and peeled the knit from my hair, throwing it in her direction. She squealed and dodged.
“There we go,” she teased, “Now he can stay.”