Beyond Redemption (Marked Series Book 2)

by Jesse Lorenzo

  Clutching the desk in front of her, Susan tried to steady herself as her whole body shook. She’d always been uncontrollably petrified of this immoral monster. He starred in her nightmares. Still holding the secretary prisoner with his entrancing black eyes, Giddeon growled out at the equally shocked detective, “Get out! Give me the room. And no matter what you hear… Do. Not. Come. In.”

  The already petrified girl’s eyes widened. Panicking, she looked to the detective with pleading eyes. Shaking her head back and forth, her fear crippled her ability to speak. Dominick’s natural instincts were to serve and protect. It showed in his hesitation to leave. The marked man whipped his head around to his partner. Already dangerously close to the edge, Giddeon bellowed out when he didn’t move fast enough, “Get the fuck out of here, Detective! This is what I do.”

  Dominick gave him a warning glare of his own that said, ‘better not hurt her’. Hesitantly, he forced his feet to move out of the office. The sound of the heavy mahogany door clicked closed, sealing the girl’s fate as she was left alone with a monster. The sound echoed around the room, giving it a sense of finality. Giddeon knew that she would feel it in the depth of her bones.

  Without pause or warning, the murderer she’d feared all these years charged at her with startling speed. The only sound that made it out of her petrified form was a screeching cry. Backing away from the expansive desk, she tripped several times on shaky legs. A weak attempt on her part at putting distance between them.

  The sinister man jumped the desk all too easily, with the poise of an Olympic hurdler. Once over, he threw the heavily carved captain’s chair out of his way. With nowhere else to go, Susan flattened herself against Dalton’s massive bookshelf. Tears made a trail down her powdered cheeks.

  Giddeon caged her like a hungry beast trapping its prey. He knew Dalton kept her loyal by using his favorite method: fear and leverage. Susan had a mother in a nursing home who needed round the clock care, and a little brother in a special needs school—both of which were fully funded by Dalton. She had a lot to lose… And they both knew it.

  “Who did Dalton use to put that woman in the hospital? The one who’s now in a coma? Who is he using now that I’m out of the picture?” His anger grew after each question remained unanswered. His voice rose higher and higher. The girl cringed as he bellowed out one question after another. When her mouth opened and nothing came out, Giddeon snapped.

  Grabbing her neck, the cold-blooded man applied pressure, squeezing callously. “Tell me! Or, so help me God, I’ll tear them into pieces that you’ll never find.”

  She gurgled inaudibly, so he loosened his grip a fraction. “They are both the same man... the man he used before you. Let me go and I’ll get all I have on him… from over there.” She pointed in the general direction of the desk. “But, he isn’t one who can be found unless he wants to be. Without so much as a phone call from Dalton, he knew you were caught somehow. He just showed up out of the blue. He knew everything already, and just like you, this man truly enjoys what he does.”

  Giddeon hated the man already. He immediately wanted to take him on. It sounded like it’d be a challenging fight.

  Grabbing the choking girl by the hair, he dragged her over to the desk. “Get it! Quickly!” Susan knocked over several items because of her trembling hands, and the rest of her body shook uncontrollably as she fought to keep herself upright. She reached out to a cigar keepsake box on his desk and pulled out a key from its false bottom. She opened it slowly, and Giddeon found himself leaning forward to see what was inside.

  There were dozens of pictures of Ellora inside.

  “Sick fuck!” He snatched the pictures out of the box and flipped through. Each one was creepier than the last. There were several of Ellora working on the job here at a pretty young age. There were more of her loading groceries into a cart. The last one looked like it was taken outside a window, looking in. The dark-haired girl was sprawled across the carpet in her room with papers around her… homework possibly.

  This guy had fucking problems. He let himself wallow in guilt for the briefest of moments for what he’d done to her, for what he’d almost followed through with. He almost dragged that poor girl back to this crazy dipshit. He didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened to her if he’d succeeded. A moment of realization came to him. Eva had said that the more you confess your sins out loud, and listen in on the problems of others, your mind starts to recognize the addictive habit, and you could stop yourself from continuing the pattern.

  Giddeon didn’t want to hurt Susan, not like he used to enjoy hurting people. That level of cruelty was now reserved for Dalton... and, of course, his parents’ killers. Even though Susan stood in his way of getting what he needed, and he’d still do anything to get it, Giddeon didn’t want to hurt her. She, too, was a victim of Dalton’s greed, manipulations, and unlimited connections. Just like everyone else, she was stuck in his web and couldn’t find her way out. Susan did what she was forced to do in order to survive under his punishing rule.

  Grasping the keys with unsteady hands, Susan walked over to an industrial-sized filing cabinet with a keyed lock. Jackpot! It took her well over ten minutes to find the right file and hand it to him. The dark man took hold of her chin as gently as he was able, which wasn’t that gentle at all as anger still coursed through his veins. He forced her head up to meet his eyes. “You understand why I’m doing this, don’t you?”

  The frightened girl shook her head ‘no.’

  “He blackmails and manipulates us all. He has ruined countless lives, and uses people like us to do all the heavy lifting for him. No more! This all ends. Soon. I promise.” She nodded just to pacify him. He let her go and stalked toward the door. “If I were you… I’d pull all the files on those who’ve mysteriously gone missing under his employment, then get ready for a career change, sweetheart. The detective will be back to pick them up when you least expect him, so have them ready.”

  “Yes… Yes, Giddeon. I will,” she stuttered, still in utter shock by his threatening presence and having her whole world dragged down around her. She may not know it yet, but Giddeon was doing her a solid favor. His old self wouldn’t have given her a chance; he would’ve just choked the life out of her so she couldn’t tell anyone of his plans, and walked away.

  Which reminded him… Giddeon turned on his heel and quickly launched himself at her once more. “I swear, Susan, if you tell Dalton anything, or let on about what’s been done… I will torture your little brother, force him to watch me kill his mother, before I force you to watch me kill him. Your death will give me endless hours of fun as I drag it out. Maybe a few days. Weeks. Not a word uttered. Do. You. Understand?” Giddeon had no intention of following through with this threat, but he wanted to make sure Susan wouldn’t stray from their plan.

  She was now a blubbering mess after hearing his malicious threat. Her tears streamed down her face and neck like a running faucet. “Yes. Yes, I will do whatever you want. Just, please… Don’t hurt them. I won’t say anything.”

  “Good girl.” Giddeon walked out the door, meeting a worried Dominick in the hallway. Slapping him on the shoulder, he handed him the file and walked right past him. “All right, Detective, you’re up. Start detecting.”

  Behr looked over as the movie came to an end. The glow of the flat screen softly cast rosy shadows across Ellora’s porcelain face. She was still very shaken up by what she thought she saw earlier, and what she sensed deep down in her gut. It took several hours to help calm her nerves. Curling up beside her in bed, watching a b-rated romantic comedy did the trick.

  Leaning in, he cherished the sight of his love as she yawned long and hard, gesturing her need for sleep. He couldn’t explain why, but he was compelled to remain by her side. The thought of abandoning her for the night to sleep in his own bed had a knot twisting in his gut; it was overwhelmingly wrong. After her expressed fears over the phone, and the way she leapt into his arms at the warehouse, a sinking fe
eling dwelled deep inside him. Behr never wanted to leave her there all alone to begin with, but didn’t want her to think he was suffocating her. This time, it was different.

  After watching Giddeon attack her in that very same building, he’d had to fight the need to stay by her side every waking moment from that day forward. Whenever she was frightened, his protective instincts took over. In fact, the only time he ever felt out of control was when she wasn’t by his side. He squeezed her soft, petite body in the protective cage of his strong arms. Softly laying kiss after kiss on her neck, he thought about how he would risk his life again and again to keep her safe.

  Half-heartedly, Behr untangled their limbs. His plan was to tuck her in, make sure all was well, and leave, just like every other evening. But, he longed for just one night, just one night to sleep soundly wrapped in each other’s arms. It would probably upset her if he asked, because he knew she wasn’t ready. By the way Ellora was settling impossibly closer into his arms, however, he guessed she wanted him to be close to her just as much. Deciding against it, Behr reluctantly placed a soft kiss on her adorable pouty lips. “Good night, my love. I’ll let you get some sleep. See you t’morrow morn… I love you.”

  Ellora quickly stopped him before he got up. “No. I want you to stay with me.”

  Behr gazed at her for a moment, gauging her response. “If at any time t’ night, my being ‘ere makes you uncomfortable…”

  “I need you. Please, don’t go.” Her pleading was his undoing. There was nothing in this world he wanted more.

  “Aye, your wish is my command, love. Let me remove my shoes and ready myself for bed then, a’right?”

  Ellora couldn’t help but watch the impressive man as he rose from the bed that they’d been tangled up in moments ago. The cold absence he left behind affected her the instant he left her side. An overwhelming ache spread throughout her trembling body as she waited, needing to feel his arms wrap around her once again. Behr turned, facing her as he kicked off his shoes and removed his socks. The soft light from the lamp posts on the pier outside trickled through the window, illuminating beautifully all around him.

  Behr raised once more, immense and imposing, his keen eyes exploring the exquisite beauty that lay sprawled out… waiting for him. He was the most fortunate man on earth that she’d stumbled into his life and chose him. Clutching a fistful of fabric, Behr pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it aside. When his eyes found hers, he was astonished when longing burned hot and bright in Ellora’s eyes as she gazed up at him in the most intimately vulnerable way. That expression nearly pushed him over the edge and had his head spinning. He wanted her in the worst way.

  Ellora’s temperature rose higher, burning her slowly from the inside out as she beheld the glow of the lights outside splashed across his broad, naked chest. Every dark shadow outlined his perfectly cut body in the most breathtaking way. Helplessly drawn to him like a moth to a brilliant flame, Ellora peered up at him through her thick lashes. She made no move to hide her brazen study as her eyes roved over him, examining the impressive build of the magnificent man who gazed down at her as if she were made of precious gold.

  Little by little, Behr dragged his pants zipper down its track, letting them fall open in a painstakingly slow fashion, as if testing her level of comfortability, but succeeded only in heightening the tension that hung thick and heavy between them. Ellora’s mouth ran dry as she watched him gradually pull them down his well-defined thighs before stepping out of them.

  There he stood in all his glory, wearing nothing but the thin fabric of his formfitting boxer briefs, putting to shame any statue ever carved of the powerful Roman gladiators. Ellora’s heart pounded inside her chest in anticipation. The fluttering of butterflies inside her stomach left her both anxious and nervous as he made his way back to her. The bed dipped under his impressive weight when he crawled over to her.

  Behr hovered over his raven-haired girl, carefully gauging her reaction to his close proximity. Seeing his hesitation, Ellora pulled him impossibly close, desperately needing to quench the overwhelming need to have his arms wrapped around her.

  He dragged his nose up the side of her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent that had been driving his senses wild all night. His throat vibrated as he hummed in approval, the deep pulsating gyration causing Ellora’s body to tremble with pent up desire. Behr ran his work-roughened hands up and down her quivering back, trying his best to sooth her.

  “I’m right ’ere, love. Always right ’ere by your side. Nothing can keep me from you. I’m yours for the night.”

  Behr slid underneath the covers, smiling when she let out an adorable mewling noise as he sidled up next to her and wrapped his arm securely around her waist. He chuckled quietly as the adorable girl nuzzled into him, humming her appreciation. She fought against the pull of sleep as she lay peacefully in Behr’s arms, while he placed kiss after kiss along the soft skin of her graceful neck. At his contact, she smiled ever so slightly, then curled up on her side. She drifted off to sleep in no time, her mouth slightly open in a small o.

  Behr was lulled to sleep by the sound of her peaceful breathing. The best sound in the world.

  Dalton waited until he was sure they were both completely asleep. He quietly crept out of the shadows of his hiding place. He had been waiting there for the last few hours, watching, biding his time, to finally catch a moment alone with Ellora… waiting for the bastard to leave so the eager man could do to her what he had dreamed of since arriving in this town. To do exactly what that deplorable man was lucky enough to do right now.

  His need to feel her soft body pressed against his, to savor her full lips, made his desperation escalate to unbelievable heights. He thought for sure after the movie, that the fucker would finally leave, but instead, he’d settled in for the night. Settled in her bed… right beside what belonged to him. His obsession was clouding the reasonable side of his brain, the thinking side. He had an overwhelming craving to slit his throat while he slept, but the thought of staining her porcelain skin with his repulsive, filthy blood stopped him from going through with the task.

  Dalton would enact Behr’s inevitable downfall soon enough. He would have to reconfigure his plans and come to Ellora on another night. The next time, he would definitely be alone with his emerald-eyed beauty. The smell of her delicate perfume beckoned to him, drawing Dalton closer to the vulnerable young girl.

  He needed to test her lips before he left. It would hold him over for a while. He needed this. Just one caress from her delicious mouth and he’d leave. The snake crawled out from the protection of the shadows and inched his way closer to her sleeping form. He stealthily stalked across the old wood surface until he hovered over her bed.

  His sinister smile grew as he stared down at her tempting body and curled, still form. That smile faded when his eyes adjusted on the ingrate’s arm wrapped around the woman who belonged to him. It took all of his willpower not to rip the ape’s arm off the object of his desire. Dalton kneeled down, settling a mere inches from her face.

  His nose lightly skimmed down her cheek, neck, and collarbone. Ellora jumped a tiny bit at his touch. Inhaling the scent of her heated flesh, he shuddered as he blew the breath out. The whimper that escaped her lips almost pushed him over the edge. He wanted to hear her noises while he mounted and claimed everything her perfect body had to offer.

  “Soon, my love. Very, very soon, I will feel the heat of your body wrapped tightly around mine.” Ellora froze. Even her subconscious sensed when he was near. Dalton really liked that he had that lasting effect on her.

  Slowly, he leaned in closer and brushed a feather-light kiss on her flawlessly enticing lips. “I’ll be back for you. I promise.” His tongue darted out to get a taste of her before he slithered back out the way he’d come in. The floor boards gave a haunting squeak, echoing in the quiet room as he left.

  Ellora shot up, screaming. The vile sensation left behind from her frighteningly real nightmare still
lingered on her trembling mouth. But that was impossible. Frantically looking around the eerily still room, her eyes glanced over her shoulder. Ellora did several double takes, shocked to see Behr reaching for her. To say she was relieved to see him was an understatement. That was some nightmare.

  Ellora’s breath was pumping in and out of her lungs rapidly, as she worked hard to regulate her erratic heart. “I swear, it was so real… I can still feel him here. I must be losing my mind.”

  “It’s a’right, love. I’m ‘ere. Nae another soul. You’ve just had a terrible nightmare. You’re safe with me,” he promised. Cupping her face in his hands, her protector stroked her tear stained cheek with his thumb. Ellora’s eyes fluttered at his tender touch.

  The frightened girl laid her head down on Behr’s solid chest. Draping her hand over the impressive ridges of his sculpted abs, she blushed scarlet when she realized their limbs were still intimately entwined together. Gasping, she looked up into his eyes. “I fell asleep on you… didn’t I?”

  “Nae, love. You fell asleep, aye. But nae on me. Just think o’ me as your own personal nightmare body guard.”

  The fear she experienced still lingered in the back of her mind, but faded away the longer she was in the presence of Behr’s impossible to ignore pull on her heart. Ellora’s shaking slowed down as she laughed weakly at his attempt to lighten the mood. “You can’t defeat my nightmares, Behr.”

  He shook his head in disagreement. “Aaah, but I can, my love. I can chase those terrible dreams away for you.”

  Her fear faded away as she lifted a challenging brow in the dark. “Oh yeah? How can you do that? Inquiring minds want to know.”

  Hovering over her, Behr captured her bottom lip between his teeth just as her sentence ended, delighted to hear her gasp in surprise when he gave the plump flesh a good nip. The rumble of his laughter vibrated against her chest, awakening an urgent and deep seated need to have him closer, to have him possess her. All of her.