Severance (Entangled Series Book 2)

by C. M. Radcliff

  “Bedroom,” Dahlia cuts me off as she steps into the hall from a room, with the cuffs dangling from her finger. A playful smile plays on her lips as her green irises dance in excitement.

  She walks to me, grabbing my arm and leads me back down the stairs.

  “I fucking love you,” I confess, taking her hand in mine. “What would I do without you?”

  Dahlia stops and looks back at me. “You’d survive.” She shrugs with indifference. “That’s what we do. We’re survivors. We survive.”

  Turning around, she leads me back down to Dexter with her words ringing in my ears.

  She’s right… we are survivors.

  But I wouldn’t survive in a world where she doesn’t exist.

  Dahlia

  Whipping his Aston Martin around the sharp turns, he guns it down the dark winding roads. We drive far away from civilization until we’re pulling off of the paved road. Kai slowly drives down the gravel driveway like he gives a shit about his car before slowing to a stop.

  “Stay out here while I go in,” he demands as he puts the car in park and turns it off.

  He throws open his car door, but I grab his arm before he has the chance to slip out.

  “Fuck that,” I scowl. “We’re both in this, you don’t get to shut me out.”

  Kai drops back in his seat and turns to glare at me. “I’m going to see how much of Stan the rats ate before we all go in there.”

  My hand falls from his arm as I bring it to rest in my lap as I hang my head. Chewing on my bottom lip, I keep my eyes on the carpeted floor of the car.

  “Like I said,” Kai grinds out in annoyance, “stay here while I go in the barn.”

  With my pride nonexistent and having my ass handed to me, I give him a curt nod without looking at him.

  Kai climbs out of the car and leans down, sticking his head back inside. “Pick your fucking head up and pull your tail out from between your legs. Inferiority doesn’t look good on you, bambolina.”

  With that, he swiftly slams the door shut, leaving me alone in the car as it begins to rock back and forth. I’m pretty sure that our surprise guest in the trunk isn’t too happy right now.

  I sit in the dark, listening to his muffled threats and incessant kicking behind me in the back of the car. The trunk is small, it’s a very cramped space and I can only imagine how claustrophobic Dexter’s feeling right now. The sense of all the walls closing in on you is overwhelming and the force of his kicking shows how deep-seated his panic is right now.

  The car continues to move around and I begin to count the minutes that Kai is gone. Five minutes. I’ll give him two more and then I’m going in.

  The door to the barn opens, revealing a fully intact, unharmed Kai. He strides across the short distance and rounds the car, coming over to my side he pulls open the door.

  “You ready?” he asks, holding his hand out to me.

  Placing my hand in his, I let him help me out of the car. “I think our little friend in the back is ready.” I smirk, nodding to the back of the car. “What’s it look like in there?”

  Kai closes the door and walks me around the car to the trunk. “Let’s just say that the rats had quite the feast.” He throws a wink my way and pops open the trunk.

  “WHAT THE FUCK!” Dexter screams as the fresh air hits him. His wrists are handcuffed behind his back and his ankles are shackled together. He thrashes his body around, trying to break free when we all know it’s a feeble attempt to escape. We threw the keys out when we left his house in the Hamptons.

  There’s no way out of here for him.

  The only place he is going is to the barn… to the rats.

  Kai rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest as we watch Dexter struggle as he rolls around in the trunk. I laugh out loud, taking in how fucking pathetic this powerful man looks.

  The power is all mine now.

  I step forward, pointing my gun at him, but Kai grabs my arm, pulling me back to him. “Patience, bambolina,” he breathes in my ear as he wraps his arms around me. “He’ll wear himself out, it will make this a hell of a lot easier for us to get him in there.”

  I give him a small nod, before resting the back of my head against his chest. We stand in silence together watching Dexter as he yells at us and at the universe. He fights against the metal wrapped around his wrists and ankles as if they’ll pop open from his strength. It has the opposite effect.

  Dex rolls onto his side and his thrashing ceases as he stares at both of us with his dead eyes. His breathing is heavy and uneven and he struggles to catch his breath. Blood drips from his wrists and ankles from his struggle against the handcuffs.

  Who’s the weak one now?

  “Kai,” Dexter says quietly. “You’re smart. You’re not thinking straight. You’re thinking with your dick and letting that little cunt control you.”

  Kai chuckles, shaking his head. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve thought of this every day before you pieces of shit ruined Dahlia’s life.”

  Instinctively, I grab Kai’s arm and give it a small squeeze. If it weren’t for them, I never would have met him. He’s my silver lining in the clouded darkness.

  “Your father will fucking kill you,” Dexter growls as his stare grows even harder.

  Kai releases me and steps closer to the trunk and smiles down at Dex. “I’d like to see him try.”

  Dexter laughs as his eyes grow wild with the death breeding inside them. “We all told him that you would be the end of us. Fucking knew this shit was coming.”

  “Oh yeah?” Kai asks, mockingly. “Is that why you were all snuggled up with your mistress, leaving your wife and kids alone? What if I would have went for them?”

  “Meh.” Dex shrugs. “I value my life more than any of them.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Kai scoffs. “You really are a piece of fucking work.” He quickly takes his pistol and jams it right in between Dexter’s eyes. “If she weren’t here, your brains would be scattered in this trunk right now.”

  “But, she is here.” Dex smirks as he casts his eyes at me. “Whatcha gonna do, princess?”

  “Dahlia,” Kai commands, lightly, not taking his eyes off of Dexter. “Come help me get him inside.”

  Dexter opens his mouth to say something as I step beside Kai, but Kai drives his pistol into the side of his head, knocking him out again. Kai grabs his shoulders and rolls him out of the trunk, letting him fall onto the hard ground.

  “I got his upper half, you just grab his feet,” Kai instructs as he crouches down, sliding his arms under Dexter’s armpits. Taking a deep breath, he lifts him up and carries him effortlessly as he rides on the adrenaline fueling both of our bodies. I follow after him, carrying Dexter’s feet as we take him into the barn.

  The electricity doesn’t work in the barn, so we use the light from the moon shining above to guide us. Slivers of light are cast across the barn floor through the broken windows and chunks of the roof that are missing.

  Tiny feet scratch the floor as the rats scurry deeper into the shadows as we walk past Stan’s body. There’s enough light shining on him to show just how hungry the rats were. His insides are showing and a good portion of his flesh is gone.

  He deserved worse.

  We continue to carry Dexter deeper into the barn and slip through the doorway that leads to the room… the room where everything went to shit.

  Chains still hang from the ceiling over the drain in the center of the room. We drop Dexter’s body beside the drain and Kai grabs the chains, wasting no time.

  Taking a step back, I watch as he moves methodically, securing the chains to the shackles around Dexter’s ankles. Satisfied with his work, Kai walks over to the wall and begins to manually operate the hoist. He continues to roll the wheel until Dexter is suspended in the air, hanging by his ankles.

  Just like Daisy.

  And Gavin.

  And Lilly.

  Just like all the other kids who were there before.


  Kai strides across the room and stops beside me as we stand in front of Dex. Reaching into his pocket, Kai pulls out his switchblade and hands it to me.

  “It’s all you, bambolina.” He smiles. “Take back that power.”

  Pushing up onto my toes, I kiss him softly and smile as I fall back onto my feet. Turning my attention back to Dex, I catch his eyes on us.

  “A-plus for creativity,” he chuckles as I walk over to him. “Although, this looks all too familiar. Perhaps you could refresh my memory?”

  “I’m not here to refresh your memory. I’m not here to let you get your last little word in or to give you some grand fucking speech. I’m here to end your fucking life.”

  Before he can get another word in, I press the button on the knife and the blade slides out effortlessly. I slash it across his throat, splitting his neck open from ear to ear.

  Dexter’s body jerks around as he coughs and chokes on his own blood. It begins to pool on the floor beneath him and slowly drips down into the drain. It isn’t long or drawn out. He thrashes around for a few moments and then his eyes roll back into his head.

  He deserved worse.

  “Dahlia,” Kai says softly, as he comes up beside me. He gently takes the knife from my hand, wiping it on Dexter’s shirt and slips it back into his pocket. His hand finds mine and he squeezes it lightly. “Let’s go, bambolina.”

  I glance up at him with a surprised expression. “And leave him hanging?”

  “Yes,” he declares. “We’re done here.”

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and focus on the euphoric feeling still driving my body. I could feel the power leaving his veins and filling mine.

  I’m taking back what they took from me.

  And Kai is making all of this happen.

  I open my eyes, focusing clearly on Kai and smile. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Kai nods, with his smile matching mine and leads me back through the barn, leaving behind both vile creatures inside to rot.

  Kai

  Dahlia’s relaxed in the car as a calmness settles in the air around us. She’s still riding her high from the blood on her hands and the bodies we left behind.

  They say pregnant women have a glow and that there’s nothing quite like that. They have never seen a queen readjust her crown, painted with the blood of her enemies as she picks herself back up.

  That is a glow that you can’t replicate and it shines brighter than the stars that hang in the sky.

  After the night that we left Stan with the rats, Dahlia began to evolve. She stands up a little taller, with her voice a little louder, and despite her impulsivity and impatience, she’s becoming more calculated. The end to her revenge is in sight and a certain sense of resolution and closure comes with it.

  Dahlia is becoming the queen I always knew she would be.

  Pulling up to the motel, I park a few spots away from our door. Dahlia slips out of the car as soon as I kill the engine and she hops onto the sidewalk. She pauses, waiting for me, but energy radiates from her body. The euphoria still courses through her veins and she’s struggling to channel it.

  I follow behind her and she waits as I slide the plastic card into the door and unlock it. Stepping inside, she immediately begins to strip as she walks to the bathroom.

  Standing in place, I watch as she lifts her shirt up and throws it onto the floor. Sliding her hands down the sides of her hips, she pushes down her shorts and steps out of them as they fall to the floor around her feet.

  Her honey-colored curls brush against the top of her ass as she sashays into the bathroom. Her hips sway from left to right with each step and my cock grows in my pants as she taunts me with her delicately sculpted body.

  Bending over, she hides nothing as I catch a glimpse of her pussy as she turns on the faucet. Pulling back the curtain, she looks back at me with a heated gaze and a wicked smile.

  “I’ll be in the shower if you need me…” Her voice trails off as she steps inside, closing the curtain behind her.

  I don’t waste another second, regardless of how pathetic it may seem.

  I need her.

  Stripping out of my own clothes, I leave them in a pile on the floor as I head into the bathroom after her. Drawing back the shower curtain, I step inside, into the steam and stop in front of her.

  With her head tilted back, the hot water cascades down her hair as she rinses out the shampoo. Her eyes are closed and a smile plays on her lips as the water slides down the front of her torso. Arching her back, she tips her head back even farther and pushes out her chest. Her tits are full and perky and her nipples are hard, begging to be teased.

  Stepping into the steady stream of water, I don’t stop until our bodies are flush against each other. Dahlia lifts her head upright and brushes the water from her eyes as her bright green irises take me in. My cock throbs against her slick, wet skin as she wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her tits into me.

  “I knew you’d come,” she murmurs as she presses her body harder into mine.

  The blood on her hands is like cocaine in her bloodstream.

  She’s riding out her high and she dances on the edge of insanity.

  Soon, she’ll be riding my cock and I’m going to fuck her until the world around us disappears.

  Dropping my face beside hers, I drag my lips along the side of her neck and nip her ear lobe. “No, bambolina,” I breathe against her skin. “I didn’t come yet, but we’re both going to soon.”

  Slowly sliding my hands down her slick body with ease, my fingertips graze every inch of her skin. Droplets of water trail down her breasts and drip from her swollen nipples. My hands find her hips and I pull her flush up against me.

  As I claim her lips with mine, Dahlia moans into my mouth as our tongues meet in a bruising kiss. Using her hips to guide us, I spin her around in a rush and roughly push her up against the wall. My hands fall to the back of her thighs and I lift her off her feet as I cup her ass.

  Wrapping her legs around my waist, my cock throbs as I slide deep inside her, fitting like the missing piece of a puzzle. We have no need for any words between us; our bodies speak their own language as our souls melt into one another.

  With every thrust, I take everything she has to give and she gives it all to me, willingly. We dance precariously on the edge of ecstasy until we both fall together, entangled in our heart’s possessions.

  ◆◆◆

  Abandoning our towels, we crawl into bed together naked and get tangled up in each other.

  “I need to call Anthony,” I murmur into her hair.

  “He’s next?” she asks quietly.

  Sighing deeply, I nod. “It’s time.” Leaning over, I grab the phone and quickly dial his number. The phone rings three times before he finally picks up.

  “What do you want?” Anthony’s deep voice sounds through the speaker of the phone

  “We need to talk,” I tell him, cutting out the bullshit. “In person.”

  Anthony is silent for a few moments before his voice breaks through. “My office, 6 PM tomorrow.”

  Without another word, he abruptly ends the call and I drop the phone back down onto the nightstand.

  “He agreed to meet?” Dahlia asks as she absentmindedly traces circles on my chest.

  I nod. He agreed too easily and it throws me off, leaving me questioning him.

  It doesn’t feel right; something is off.

  Dahlia’s hand slowly travels down my naked body as she takes my semi-hard cock into her hand.

  That feels right.

  I’m hard, instantly, and my cock throbs in her hand, ready for whatever she’s going to give me.

  In one fluid motion, she’s on top of me and slowly lowering herself onto me. A moan escapes her lips as I grab her hips and slam her down until I’m fully inside her. We moan again together, as I slide in as deep as I can go.

  Leaning down, her lips brush mine lightly as she passes by my mouth and plants them on my neck. My fingertips
dig into her skin as she tastes mine.

  “Fuck me, Kai,” she growls in my ear. “Fuck me until nothing else matters.”

  Holding her in place, I shift my weight and quickly flip her onto her back and hover over her with my cock still inside her. Dahlia arches her back and moans as my hand wraps around her throat. Pushing her down into the bed, I do exactly as she says.

  I fuck her.

  Hard.

  Until nothing else matters.

  Dahlia

  “So, what exactly is your plan here, Kai?” I ask as he pulls into the parking garage and turns off the car. “It’s daylight and there’re people around…”

  After last night, we spent the greater part of the night and day wrapped up in each other and sleep wasn’t relevant in our world right now. We had each other, we had a plan to carry out, and the rest wasn’t important.

  We waited until the time Anthony had instructed us to arrive, although Kai seemed unclear of his true intentions. Anthony is just as crooked as the rest of the men. He may not have been directly involved in what they were doing and as much as he denies any involvement, I’ll never believe him.

  Kai’s loyal to a fault. Anthony kept his word, he ensured my safety just as he told Kai he would, but Kai didn’t hold up his end of the deal. He came to me when he knew it would jeopardize everything and it did. But who is to say that Anthony didn’t tip them off? He could have easily been the one to give us both away.

  Whether it was to save his own ass or out of spite because Kai left Aliana for me… something was off about him.

  Perhaps our little visit here with him will show Kai and he’ll see just how one sided the loyalties are here.

  Kai glances over at me with his hand on the door handle. “Trust me on this one, okay?” His voice sounds confident, but his eyes tell a different story.

  He has no idea what the fuck he’s doing.

  Climbing out of the car, he shuts his door and walks over and helps me out like the perfect gentleman he portrays.

  It’s not a façade when it comes to us.