by Ellie Jean
Walking toward the elevator, I glance at the door my life walked through holding another man’s hand. Fuck… I need a clear head. They will be safe here. “I’ll mention to C, to secure Lace.”
“Time to plan a war if that’s what it takes to keep our girls safe.” Slate breathes in a deep breath as we get out of the hospital.
Rage is coursing through my veins. I curl my fists. My girl is inside with her best friend who was shot at and run down. She’s feet from the fucker who wants inside her panties, but at least she’s safe. I will have to be content with killing some motherfuckers instead.
“Liza’s going to wish she had never stepped into our world.”
“You’re telling us, you have no fucking idea where your boss lady is?”
Blood was dripping on the concrete floor from his mouth. Purple bruises were starting to darken around his eyes and his head hung from his shoulders. After meeting at the casino, we decide to go hunting for our prey, which led us straight to Liza’s refuges. Heavily armed, we burnt it to the ground, the place they held Crystal and Kyle captive. We didn’t go in, instead using some explosives that were quick and efficient. We needed to eradicate as many weasels as we could tonight. We would make Liza suffer.
An explosion shook the ground. Survival would be nil. We drove on to the next location and the next until we had most of her safe houses erupting in flames.
Targeting the gambling houses where her employees frequented, we found five of her soldiers. Slate shot one instantly since they were wearing black leathers similar to the biker who ran Emerald down and the others were piled in the van. Caden drove them back to our apartment block, where we threw them into the room we use to extract information from enemies.
Strung up on the wall by iron cuffs, three of the men were out of breath and quickly running out of blood. Lace had been working with Caden and his knife skills. From the handiwork he displayed tonight, issuing slices that caused pain but a slow stream of blood loss, Lace was a good teacher. The last one was strapped to a chair; Ocean was getting our prisoner familiar with our tools.
My hand punched the stomach of the guy who refused to say a word. A breath bursts out of him, but no words. “We will find her.”
“Not if she doesn’t want to be found.”
Bang.
A bullet drove into the fucker’s head. Red oozed from his skull and his body was completely limp. Slate was growing impatient.
“Make no mistake men, we will find this woman. If you help us, we might spare your families.” Slate watches each of them for any signs that they will talk. I had to give it to them, they were loyal. So far.
“You know anything?” Ocean growled at the man in the chair. Shaking his head, his body was trembling.
“She doesn’t tell us shit.”
“Maybe this will help you remember?” Ocean takes a pair of shiny cutters and places it on the guy’s pinky finger. The chair starts to move as the blades slice through his flesh. Liquid hits the floor and his finger drops next to it. Pissing one’s pants is a reaction of the weak. These aren’t soldiers, they are mice. Low-level scum. The screaming ricochets off the grey lifeless walls, feeding our destruction.
“Are you sure you haven’t any ideas?” The cutters move to the next finger and Ocean continues until he has cut four fingers off. His clothes are sprayed with blood, a wild glint in his eyes. The guy passed out on the fourth one, making it futile. Slate uses the silencer and blows his head apart, coating Ocean in flesh.
“Shit. Could’ve waited ‘til I moved.”
“I could have but didn’t.” Slate was losing his head and we needed to keep things straight.
“You two go and clean up, Caden and I can finish this.”
Slate lights a joint and rests against the wall, watching the two intently. Their feet were bound, their bodies slack from the beating they sustained on arrival.
Ocean stands and flicks parts of scalp from his shoulder. “I will meet you up in the office in twenty.”
The two left on the wall didn’t move with the gunshot, but their whimpers were loud.
“Either of you going to talk?” Usually torturing gave me a high, but these four were fucking depressing me. They knew nothing to give.
Silence echoes through the room.
“Make it fifteen, O.” Caden slit both of their throats in seconds. We couldn’t wait any longer. Hours had past and we were getting nowhere. The fires would make Liza move and go farther underground, but it was the risk we had to take. Anyone associated with her knew we were coming for them and then her.
Death was inevitable.
Tanner arrived at the hospital close to midnight. Visiting hours had come and gone, but obviously they didn’t apply to Kyle and I. Kyle had left three hours ago once he spoke to Emerald who had woken not long after we arrived in her room.
Flowers adorned the space, balloons and treats arrived in the room as well. True to his word, no one came in to visit Emerald except for a nurse who was verging on retirement. She was slow but methodical in her treatment of Em, dumping gifts on the shelves around the room. Which I’m sure wasn’t one of her usual duties. Sleepy-eyed, wrinkled around the edges with pronounced creases on her neck and forehead explained she has seen her fair share of emergencies in this hospital and was ready to leave.
Strained and quieter than normal, Tanner kissed me briefly when he arrived to pick me up. The smell of something rotten clung to him. And that’s how the next six days played out. Tanner would take me to the hospital so I could talk the day away with Emerald who was in good spirits despite her broken leg. She easily tired, so I drew dresses while she kicked back being fed painkillers and food that wouldn’t excite a vulture. Lace came one of the days, helping to relieve the boredom of her being held captive in their apartment. There was only so much fucking she could do before her pussy was ravaged raw by her man.
I understood that completely.
Tanner’s sex drive was insatiable and by the candid chitchats we had while held up in the room, the other men’s were the same. Not that I was complaining. But since the attack on Emerald, a flick had switched in Tanner. He was broody and there was an outward wildness to him when he took me. It was almost on the verge of being aggressive but after each nightly marathon, I’d be cuddled into his chest when he would kiss me gently, worshipping my lips like the previous unrestrained hour or two didn’t happen.
He was battling a war on the street and struggling with an internal one as well.
All I could do was be there for him.
“Slate said Emerald’s coming home tomorrow about midday.”
Tracing his ink always fascinates me. I could do it for hours if I didn’t fall asleep after being pushed beyond limits I didn’t know existed.
“That’s excellent news. Except, she has my stash of raspberry marshmallows in her room. She’d better remember to bring them with her.”
He smirks, but I’m deadly serious.
“I’m sure she will. She knows they’re your lifeline.” Three and a half bags that could effectively go to waste. Not on my watch.
“You and Slate can devote more time to where you need to be.”
A rumble floats up his throat. “I need to be here, taking care of you. Not trying to find some fucking demented woman who is hell-bent on taking over our area and hurting our women.”
“You will find her,” I sigh, because I know it’s consuming him entirely.
“You are my main priority, Crystal. You know that, right?” I couldn’t doubt a word he said. The sincerity in his eyes burned brightly and my heart fluttered against my chest.
My lips take this opportunity to eat his. “I wish I could do more to help you. If using a sewing machine would bring her down, I would be the woman to call, but unfortunately, I’m not good at much else. No hidden knife skills like Lace.”
“Being here when I get back from the darkness is what I need most.”
“You know I will be.” His heart beats steadily under my
ear and his arms tighten against my rib cage. There’s peace and calmness between us.
“I have a fight tomorrow night.”
My heart rate spikes instantly. The peace and quiet didn’t last long.
“What do you mean? A fight?” There was still so much to learn about my guy.
“An arranged cage fight. It’s been on the schedule for a month, I have to fight.” He’s using the soothing voice which puts me on high alert. My lips dry and I take a steadying breath.
“I don’t understand. You fight for fun? I thought you used your skills for your work.”
“I do both.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Fighting is something I’m good at, it brings me clarity and focus, which assists my work.”
“Is it legal?” I’m so idiotic. Everything they do is illegal, why would this be any different.
“No, Tiger it’s not.”
I try and wiggle my ass out of his hold. I need space but he doesn’t let go of his hold.
“What difference does it make?”
“For one, you have rules and authorities to keep you alive.” Hysteria is creeping into my voice and I try to tone it down. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Slate, Caden, and Ocean will be there. They watch the rounds and keep everyone in check. I know you wouldn’t believe it, but a lot of people would like to see me battered to death in the cage.”
My stomach rolls and I’m sure I must turn green. “I have to go to the bathroom.” The image of Tanner laying in his blood without breath in his lungs is too much for me to handle. I jump up and head straight to the tap. Splashing water on my face, I stare in the mirror and see a normal blue-eyed girl. A girl who has fallen head over heels for a man who is anything but normal. My legs are quaking, and my hands shake.
This is who he is. This is probably the most sedate part of Tanner. I close my eyes and throw more cold liquid on my face.
A firm hand grasps my throat while the other gently pushes my ear to my shoulder.
My eyes flash open.
Warm, tender lips nip at my neck while his eyes drag up and down my chest reflected in the mirror. My nipples ache and my pussy tingles.
“I’m tired.” Crap, I can’t fucking believe I said that.
This man infuriates me to the point of insanity. We both stare at each other in the mirror. Chocolate brown orbs flicker, but his mouth drops back to my neck, tasting my skin. A large knee runs up the side of my thigh, lifting my red lace nightie until it’s rubbing against my clit. How am I supposed to stay strong around this man?
My pussy grinds on his leg and I watch his abs in the mirror tense. Holding on to the vanity for support, I watch like I’m watching a movie, expert fingers reach around to my chest, ripping the shiny material in two, exposing my swollen tits. I flush and my breathing turns shallow.
“Tanner.” I don’t know whether to yell or worship him. Closing the gap between me and his chest, his cock prods me in the back. Fingers catch my nipples, teasing them and pinching them, flooding my pussy and making my skin come alive. Throwing my head back, I search for his full lips to suck on. As my nose runs across his cheek, my lips catch his as our eyes connect. They’re full of fire and lust and burn a hole into my cortex. It is needy and blazing and the connection jolts us.
One of his hands drops to my folds, sliding through with ease, smoothly circling each nerve ending. My stomach quakes and my knees weaken. With a quick pull on my shoulder, my body spins and he quickly hoists my ass up on to the cool vanity. Nudging in between my legs, he drops to his knees and expertly guides his tongue to the spot that there is no return from.
My ass rears up, trying to get his piercing on the exact spot I need to forget anything to do with the impending fight. Holding my thighs still, he shakes his head and greedily continues. My nipples ache with pleasurable pain. Tugging and pulling, massaging and stroking them, I’m buzzing internally, struggling to get the air into my lungs to keep me upright. He’s literally eating the life right out of me.
“Fuck…” Looking down at mussed up brown hair, eyes look up at me without a break from the suction on my pussy; he grins and inserts two fingers in. Flicking his steel piercing over my jewel, I curl one hand around the basin and the other in his hair, pushing him down. Fingering me perfectly, my ass squeezes and then my entire body clenches, riding out the tidal wave surging through me. Laying my head back, absorbing the shocks wracking my body, I jerk forward. Tanner rams his dick into my channel, pulling my ass toward him. A lightning bolt strikes between us, my skin is burning and my pussy is scorched.
Squeezing his shoulders, I try to breathe through my nose, because the screams escaping my mouth is keeping that area busy and I need oxygen to keep up with this dominating man. My legs wind around Tanner’s waist and I’m speared over and over on his cock.
“You’re my only saving grace in this wicked world, Tiger.”
My arms strangle his neck and I bite his neck as the next wave crashes into me. Clenching around his steel rod brings him to a halt before jerking back and forward a few more times, emptying himself completely inside me.
The warmth of his cum slides down my thighs. My mind is floating in the Bahamas, feeling the heat and calmness of a summer’s day. A million sparklers have been lit internally. “This is a first.” My eyes are heavy, and Tanner walks slowly back to the bed.
“Hmmm?” Tanner is dead on his feet after the business requirements of the past weeks.
“Cum dripping down my thighs.” I smirk. He releases me on the bed and looks at me like I should be in a museum.
“Holy fuck…” A sense of panic spreads over his face. I run a finger up my inner leg, swiping up the thick liquid, placing the finger in my mouth slowly. I swirl my tongue around, licking every last drop from it.
“Not bad.”
“Crystal.” He grabs a shirt from the floor and wipes my legs. “This is a first for me too. How the hell did I forget the condom?”
I take the shirt and toss it on the floor. The feeling of him still being inside me is beautiful. “I’m that mind-blowing perhaps?”
Hands grab my chin. “More, Tiger. You’re everything.”
“I’m on the pill.” I should have told him that first, I guess, but I don’t get the chance to mess with his mind at the moment since he’s out all day and most of the night.
“I didn’t care if you weren’t. We’d make it work.” Our bodies sheen under the side lamp and I watch our chests rise and fall in unison. A finger circles my nipple, tingling the skin.
“I’m scared you’ll get hurt beyond repair.” There, it’s out which is totally irrational considering he deals in guns, drugs, and criminals on a daily basis.
“I may get bruised. A broken bone or two. I could be laid up for a few days, but that’s the extent. Nothing can really hurt me.” He looks at his finger and then back into my eyes. “I lie.”
My hand rests on his heart and my brows dip in confusion.
“One thing can hurt me.” My fingers press into his skin. “Never seeing you again. That would cripple me. I couldn’t resurrect myself from that.”
That’s not going to happen if I have my say about it and I usually do speak my mind. My breathing regulates and I unclench my jaw. “Lucky for you, I don’t see that in my future taro readings. You’re stuck with me and my loud mouth.”
Reaching to turn off the lamp before we get into the bed, I drool at the sight of his abs stretching out. I will never tire from looking at his masterpiece.
“There was never any doubt on that.”
“He’s fighting in a few hours.”
Emerald and Lace looked as worried as I felt inside. They’d joined me in Tanner’s apartment for dinner to take my mind off the fight.
It wasn’t working.
“I didn’t know he boxed,” Lace says as she has a shot of tequila.
“And you’re obviously not pregnant,” Emerald states as she uses her crutches to leave her apartment across from Tanner’s. I plan
ned to take dinner over for the three of us, but she had wanted a change of scenery. Five days held up on the couch was slowly driving her mad.
“Nope.” She pops the P and takes another shot. “But, practice makes perfect. I hope it takes a while before the swimmers find the perfect egg. I’m enjoying his cock too much.”
“You can have sex when you’re pregnant, you know.” The woman at the office had been discussing how they would use being pregnant to stop having sex. They clearly weren’t being fucked by gods.
“I know that, but Caden’s already said that he will have to go easy on me when I’m carrying his child so he doesn’t damage the baby with his rough ways.”
“Oh girl, you will have to get some of the sexy lingerie, or new toys. He won’t be able to resist you.” Emerald takes a gulp of cider.
“None of them can resist our charming ways.” I laugh out loud and the others join in. “Our wicked ways have them falling at their knees for us. Except for tonight.”
I slam back a tequila shot which is helping me stay numb.
“So, boxing?”
“No, cage fighting.” My feet are under me, and I continue painting my nails a deep crimson. “Illegal fighting.”
“You know they do worse for work, right?” Emerald stabs me with her glare and I know she thinks I’m completely nuts worrying about this. “At least there’s a cage and no weapons.”
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. “Yeah, yeah.” Moving to look at my nails, my back aches. Probably from the stress of this freaking fight. “Times like these calls for heavy artillery. I need more marshmallows. Anyone want something else?”
“A new leg?” Em’s voice is muted through the wall.
“No can do, plus Slate would murder me if I chopped that one off. And then Tanner would murder him. It would be a bloody mess.” Holding a cider for Em, I toss the bags of candy onto the lounge and open her bottle. Laughter rings through the apartment and I join in.
