Killing You Softly

by Khara Campbell

  Cage clears his throat before walking further into the bedroom. “Point taken.” He sits on the edge of bed watching me as I go into the closet. “What’s with the sexy get-up?” His eyes zoom in on the black midi dress now in my hands. It has a high slit on the side and when on, will mold perfectly to the curves of my body.

  “I always dress to impress when I’m on a mission.” I close the door to the closet to shield myself from Cage, then quickly pull the dress on over my head. I slip my feet into the red stiletto pumps I had already chosen for the outfit, then walk out of the closet.

  Cage’s mouth drops open when I step out. “Now you want to make every man that sees you sin.” He runs his hand over his head.

  Get over it, baby. I’m dressed to kill. Literally. I pull the scarf off my head placing it on the dresser I’m now standing in front of. I work my fingers to unravel the two strand twists I applied to my hair the night before. “Is there anything else we need to go over before we leave?” I’m happy with my twist out hairstyle. I just need to apply a little makeup and ruby red lipstick.

  “Other than you finding another outfit? No.”

  “I’m not changing, babe.”

  He grunts. “Didn’t hurt to ask.” I watch his reflection in the mirror as he gets up from the bed and walk towards me. His arms encircle my waist. His nose nuzzles my neck. “You look and smell so good.” He kisses my neck which sends a shiver down my spine. “And I love the effect I have on you, because you’ve got the same effect on me too.” His teeth sink into my flesh. Rockets of desire go off inside my body. My eyes shut as I try to compose myself by regulating my breathing. Then he steps back quickly. My eyes blink open, looking at him breathing heavily. “We head to the command center in twenty.” He turns and briskly walks out of the room.

  I look into the mirror, down at my neck where he bit me, and see a red-purplish mark left behind. Did he give me a hickey, marking his territory? Not like he had to because I’m definitely all his. I smile wide like a lovesick teenager. God, I love that man.

  Now finished with unraveling the twists in my hair. I quickly apply eyeliner, mascara, and my favorite ruby red lipstick on my lips then a spritz of perfume to my wrists and behind my ears.

  I check myself out in the full-length mirror near the closet. Perfect. Time to take care of business.

  ***

  It took some time but Cage’s geek squad found a way to hack into Vic’s new security system. The break came two nights ago, and since then we have been strategizing our best way of attack. Which led to tonight.

  Time to take Vic out!

  Cage and I met up with his team at their command center. The plan was pretty solid, but we all ran through it again, even going over alternate plans in case the unexpected pops off.

  Now I’m sitting in the passenger seat of one of Cage’s, heavily tinted, black company SUV’s. We’re near the back entrance of Vic’s property, away from the main roads and lit streets. Three similar SUVs are parked discreetly close by. A crew is already on Vic’s property, taking out his security team.

  I feel for my trusty knives, strapped to my thigh. I’m eager like a kid on Christmas.

  “You need this too, babe,” Cage says placing a Glock onto my lap.

  “Thanks,” I accept it, giving him a warm smile.

  “Security down, Cage and Cass can move in.” I hear Rick’s voice in my ear through my inserted earpiece.

  Cage hops out of the truck, and being a true gentleman, comes to open my door.

  Moments later, my red stiletto pumps are clicking loudly on the entryway of Vic’s marble floors as I make my way to the grand stairway that leads to the bedrooms. My love, Cage, is close behind me. Rick and a few others aren’t far behind. Others in the crew are canvassing the rest of the property to ensure all guards are subdued. Beyoncé’s song “Sorry” is the soundtrack in my mind, easily feeding my need for revenge. I ain’t sorry for what’s about to go down.

  The thing about high-tech security is one can become too dependent upon it, consequently lacking in enough manpower, which leaves room for security breaches, and having your property overtaken easily.

  It took Cage’s men thirty minutes to override Vic’s security system and takeout his men. None were killed. They don’t deserve to die, even though they are employed by the devil. They’re all sleeping peacefully with their hands tied behind their backs, ropes around their ankles, and tape over their mouths. Even Sten’s life has been spared.

  I leisurely take the stairs. At the top of the landing, I turn right towards the master bedroom. My feet halt on the carpeted floor at the moaning and grunting sounds coming from inside the bedroom. I put my hand on the door handle, turn it down, then softly push the door open.

  “Well, isn’t this cute,” I announce from the doorway. The two people that have been trying to kill me are screwing each other. Elena is on top of Vic in a reverse cowgirl position – a position I once held – literally.

  Talk about being caught with your pants down.

  I hope they both came – hard. Because what’s coming next will be anything but euphoria for them both. This is a two for one special because I wasn’t expecting Elena to be here – though her days were numbered, Vic was my top priority.

  At the sound of my voice, Vic Automatically pulls his gun from under his pillow and has it raised, pointed at me, while he sits up on his elbow. “Cass…you’re alive?” The shock and awe on this face at this moment – priceless. He obviously sees Cage and the others behind me. And yeah – he really thought I was dead.

  Elena dismounts him and clutches the covers over her naked body.

  “Do you both want to finish while we wait? Because I doubt you’ll get the chance again,” I tell them.

  “Cockblocking, bitch!” Elena spits. Chick got some serious nerve. It’s like the reality of her current situation doesn’t faze her. “I should’ve just killed you when I had the chance – ahh!” She hollers when one of my knives embeds into her left shoulder, inches from her heart, drawing blood.

  Then Elena surprises me by jumping out of the bed and charging towards me, naked and all. I draw my arm back and punch her right in the nose when she’s close. A loud crunch can be heard seconds afterward. She hollers again. Her blood warms my knuckles. Her hand shoots up to her face, feeling the damage.

  “You broke my nose!” She says to me, then she turns to Vic who is apparently still in a daze about seeing my ghost. “Kill this black bitch!” She tells him.

  I hear Cage grunt his anger behind me. I love that he’s allowing me to take care of this myself especially since he’s an alpha male.

  I really had other plans for Elena. Plans to torture her until she begged for mercy. That comment just brought her life to immediate expiration. Seriously, did she have to throw the word black in there like the color of my skin makes me some varmint? I lift the Glock Cage gave me, point towards Elena’s head, pull the trigger, and watch her naked corpse drop to the floor. Bye, Becky!

  The thud of Elena’s body dropping to the carpeted floor seems to snap Vic out of his daze. Out of the corner of my eye, I see his gun lifted again and pointed at me. A loud gunshot rings out. “Mother f— Oowww!” Vic exclaims in pain. The gun he was holding was shot out of his hand. He reaches for the bed sheet, ripping off a piece of the expensive material and wrapping it around his bloody hand. His naked body still on display but his junk is covered with the sheets.

  “Raise a gun to her again and the next shot will send you to meet Elena in hell!” Cage growls at Vic from besides me.

  “Thank you, baby.” I step closer to Cage and kiss him at the corner of his mouth.

  I turn to face Vic.

  “Isn’t this the ultimate betrayal. My wife in love with her bodyguard. If it wasn’t for me you two wouldn’t be together, yet you break into my home, and what? Come to kill me?” Vic swings his legs off the bed, resting them on the floor then, with his uninjured hand, reaches to pick his pajama bottoms up off the carpet, and p
ulls them on best he could with one hand. “Ungrateful, sons of bitches!”

  In two long strides, Cage is at the bed with his big hand wrapped in a death grip around Vic’s throat. “One, she isn’t your wife! Never was. Two, I’m going to enjoy watching her kill you.”

  Vic sneers, even with the tight grip Cage has around his throat. “Thought you weren’t fond of her doing dirty work.”

  “Oh, this will be the last of it, I assure you!”

  I move to stand next to Cage. He loosens his grip on Vic’s neck then steps back. Immediately, Vic starts gasping for air. He hunches over, breathing erratically.

  Cage yanks Vic by his arm, pulling him roughly from the bed and pushing him onto the arm chair nearby. He pulls rope out of his cargo pants pocket and begins tying Vic to the chair. Vic is still too busy trying to catch his breath to fight back.

  “You don’t want to kill me,” Vic says lifting his head to me. “I’ve got a lot of money I’m willing to share with you. We can have an amicable divorce…”

  I laugh bitterly. "Oh, Vic, I'm not going to kill you.” I run my fingers through his hair. "But you're going to wish I put a bullet through your head."

  “We can let bygones be bygones. I gave you to Lucius only because he threatened to bankrupt me. And you fell for Cage. We’re even.”

  “Oh, we’re not! Not when you did nothing to stop Elena from trying to kill me and sent Akira to take me out. So, forgive me if I find it hard to believe that we can let bygones be bygones. You see, Vic – you being the devil, are the true definition of lies and deceit. Nothing about you is true. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…”

  I pull one of my knives from the strap on my thigh, then drive it into Vic’s good hand, strapped to the chair arm. He screams, a high pitch that just doesn't seem normal coming out of a brute of a man like him. The sound of him crying in pain, oddly enough, turns me on. I know I'm going to need to speak to a shrink after this is all said and done.

  Until then – I’mma act crazy… no insane. Because there’s different levels of insanity between both.

  I yank the knife out of his hand. Blood is pouring from the wound like lava. I must have punctured a vein.

  “This is for all the lies you’ve told me!” I draw the knife back, then slash it sharply across his mouth. His cry of pain is garbled by the blood forming in his mouth.

  Cage’s men standing outside the door of the bedroom and in the doorway, must really think I’m some deranged woman. But I’m totally lucid. Fully aware of the torture I’m inflicting on Vic.

  “Damn, the government needs to hire her to torture terrorists,” I hear someone say behind me.

  “And this is for sexing me with your lies–”

  “No!” Vic screams sending blood and spit flying onto my dress and pumps.

  My hand holding the knife, is suspended in the air, inches away from his crotch.

  “You won’t have much use for that, where you’re going – trust.” Vic’s cries are heard before the knife pierces his prized possession. "And about me not killing you... I lied." I take the gun from Cage, sending a quick bullet between Vic’s eyes.

  Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins. Cleanse my tainted soul.

  I pivot on my feet, Cage’s crew parts like the Red Sea as I make my exit.

  Chapter 37

  CASS

  It’s our wedding day. I’m wearing white and I’m getting married in a church. No, I’m not a virgin and I sure have committed a multitude of sins in my thirty-four years of life – today, not only am I getting married to the love of my life, I’m being reborn. I’ve pulled myself out of hell and I want to usher in my new life of redemption in the house of the Lord.

  God, I’ve been living a bleak dark life for so many years – just about all my life. I deserve this. I deserve Cage. I deserve a normal, happy life. I didn’t turn out like my parents and siblings. Drug addicts. That alone is a blessing. And I stopped Vic from turning me into a heartless killing machine. His puppet. And stopped him from ruining other lives. Stopping Vic wouldn’t have been as easy as going to the authorities, the only way to deal with a man like Vic is death. And he will be my last kill. That life is behind me now.

  I stand up straighter, smoothing my hands down the front of my simple, white wedding gown. My nerves are starting to get the best of me. The doors of the sanctuary open.

  “Ready?” Drake asks. He’s dressed debonair in his black tuxedo and purple tie. I look up at him, giving him a smile. He’s giving me away. It’s not like I can find my dad to do the deed. In the back of my mind, I make a vow to look for my family. Hopefully, I can get them the help they need, if they’re not dead already, God forbid. And, hopefully, they want to get clean. For many years I’ve pushed my parents and siblings in the far recesses of my mind and heart. Now it’s time for me to face my past and maybe, just maybe, I can have some semblance of a decent relationship with them. So much I need to forgive.

  “I’m ready,” I tell Drake. He lifts my arm and drapes it over his muscular one. I clasp my hands together, holding my bouquet of flowers in various shades of purple in front of me. “Take me to my man.”

  As we step toward the entrance, onto the purple runner, I first take in the attendees. All of them are dressed nicely for our special today. The floral decorations are so beautiful, I fight back the tears of joy threatening to spill from my eyes. Then my eyes take in Cage. My breath hitches. He looks like an angel, my angel, standing at the front of the church dressed in a stark white tux with a purple bowtie and hanky and white dress shoes. God, he looks…yum! And I’m about to become his wife.

  Then the music starts. Drake steps forward and I follow suit. From the corner of my eye, I see a tall, slim man, holding a mic, singing Tevin Campbell’s song “Brown Eyed Girl.”

  “…Brown eyed girl now do you know?

  Brown eyed girl that I love you so?

  My whole life through I've been waiting for a girl like you

  Someone I can give sweet kisses to

  Brown eyed girl

  Brown eyed girl…”

  The singing sounds so familiar…so much like. I turn my head to the left and I actually stop, causing Drake to stop as well. My mouth gapes open. The man singing is really Tevin Campbell. He’s not the young man I remember seeing on TV when I was a kid, he’s all grown up, yet his boyish looks are still there. Still handsome. This is, oh my God! I turn my eyes back to Cage, he’s smiling, beckoning me to continue towards him as Tevin sings one of my favorite songs.

  I practically skip my way towards my man. When I reach him, I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him hard on the lips. I hear our guests whooping with cheers.

  Someone clears their throat. “Ahhh, we haven’t gotten to that part yet,” I vaguely hear the minister speak.

  Cage pulls away first with a smirk on his face. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ve got plans for you tonight,” he whispers in my ear.

  And I melt. I squeeze my thighs together to suppress the desire coursing through my body.

  Cherese steps in front of me and quickly reapplies my lipstick and checks to make sure my makeup is still intact. “Slow down, fast tail; me and your guests don’t need a preview of you and Cage’s wedding night,” she grins.

  “Thank you,” I reply, my cheeks flushed with blushing.

  Minutes later, Cage is sliding my wedding band on my finger. It’s a simple diamond and white gold eternity band. His is similar to mine, just slightly thicker.

  “I now pronounce you, husband and wife.”

  Before the minister finishes the declaration, Cage’s mouth is latched upon mine. I moan into my husband’s mouth. For some reason, his lips and tongue tastes even sweeter than I remember. All too soon, Cage’s lips are pulled away from mine and I whimper like a wounded animal.

  “I better stop now before we get arrested for indecent exposure, and in the church no less,” Cage says huskily with his forehead pressed against mine.

  I nod, stepping back.r />
  “I love you so freaking much!” The expression in his eyes ring true to his words.

  “Not more than I love you.”

  “Doubt it.” He takes my hand and clasps it together with his. We turn to face our guests. “But I’m glad that you think you do.” He gives me a wink and the butterflies go wild in my belly. I hope he always has this effect on me.

  ***

  I feel like a virgin about to have sex for the first time – and I love it because it will be with my husband! I bought so many skimpy lingerie for tonight and was given even more during my bachelorette party. As I go through my suitcase trying to decide on the perfect one for my wedding night, I can’t make up my mind. And it’s too late because I hear Cage making his way toward the bedroom suite.

  He steps into the doorway. We are wearing similar attire - nothing. His eyes take in every inch of my exposed body and I shamelessly do the same to him.

  "Baby, I've been waiting on this moment for too long. So, I'm going to bend you over and ram my cock viciously into your sweetness a few rounds before I can take it slow and make love to you."

  I gulp with excitement. "Okay!"

  "Dresser," he barks. I quickly walk over to the dresser, leaning over it with my backside up. Anticipation is bubbling inside of me.

  I feel him behind me. Cage's fingers sink into my hair, tugging, drawing my neck back as he leans forward. His hungry mouth and teeth clamp down hard on my neck, sending a jolt of desire crashing through my body. He enters me with a hard thrust, causing my legs to buckle from the sweet pain, but he keeps me steady.

  "You're mine to have and to hold until death do we part..." He grunts into my ear.

  Happy married life to me!

  Epilogue

  CAGE

  Nine months later…

  “Ahh, baby. Either you peed your pants or your water broke.” I sit up quickly in the bed and lean over Cass lying on her back. Her huge stomach sticks out like a camel’s hump. Her eyes are squeezed tight which causes my concern to rise. “Baby, are you having a contraction?”