Indebted

by J. L. Beck

  Laughing softly he says, “Just try and relax. Once we get where we need to be, I’ll let you know.” I nod and return to my thoughts. All sound is non-existent in the SUV except for Zerro’s soft breathing and a small amount of radio noise.

  I watch out the window, afraid if I close my eyes that I will relive the scene over and over again. I killed someone. I fucking ripped him from his family and friends without even knowing it. I know nothing about him, and yet I put a bullet in his head, ending his life.

  I don’t even know who I am anymore. I don’t know why, when Zerro’s hand was slipping from mine, that it hit me. That maybe, just maybe, me being around had gotten to him. It is as if in that split second, we had reversed roles. I know for a fact that if I would have let his hand slip from mine, he would have been gone, dead to the world. As much as I wanted that to happen, a part of me didn’t want it to happen.

  So I pulled the trigger. I shot the man who was trying to end his life. I saved Zerro. He doesn’t realize it yet, but he saved me too.

  “Get some cloth and water,” Jared orders from the bedroom. I am in the kitchen pacing like a maniac. He is just going to take the bullet out, clean it like a God damn scraped knee, and stich it up. Something about that doesn’t sit well with me.

  Filling a small bucket with water, I bring it to him. Zerro is just starting to come around.

  “Get this fucking bullet out,” he growls at Jared. He is thrashing back and forth on the bed as Jared uses a pair of tweezers to dig around in his shoulder. A hiss leaves his lips as his eyes seek mine out.

  “Whiskey…” Jared asks, pulling me from Zerro.

  “Whiskey?” He didn’t ask for whiskey, did he?

  “Yeah, I need it to clean the wound.” I get up, running to the kitchen again. I have no idea where the whiskey is kept here, if it has anything to do with Zerro, it is probably all drank.

  I search the many cabinets that line the kitchen walls only finding plates, food, and silverware. I pull on a small drawer only to discover it is filled with guns. Then it clicks. Maybe he has some at the small bar he has in the dining room that I noticed earlier. Closing the drawer, I run to the dining room, my feet slipping on the wood floors. My eyes search the small bar shelf from a distance. BINGO. My eyes land on the bottle of bourbon. Zerro’s favorite I assume since it is the only one I ever see him drinking. He will hate to see this go to waste.

  Hurrying back to the room, I hand the bottle to Jared. “Took you long enough…” Zerro almost screams at me. His eyes are soft, and I understand his words aren’t meant to be mean. He is in pain.

  “This is going to hurt…” Jared mumbles and then pours a liberal amount onto the wound, his hands, and tweezers. Zerro lets out a loud scream as large amount of curse words follow. Sweat forms on his brow as he clenches his teeth. I watch as Jared digs around in his shoulder some more.

  Zerro doesn’t move or make any more sounds. His face is full of agony, and I feel badly for him. Yes, I feel badly for him. I have watched this man shoot and kill people. I have felt his hands around my throat, and yet looking at him now, I feel nothing but pain for him. I know, deep inside, that my reaction stems from more than just a sense of compassion.

  Three minutes later, Jared pulls away from Zerro smiling. “Got it. Strong fucking little slugger,” he says, dropping the bullet into a pan I have brought him.

  “Thank fucking God. I was about to get my gun out and shoot myself in the other shoulder,” Zerro mocks. I smile at him as he attempts to sit up.

  “No way. Don’t move the fuck around. I need to get you sewed up. You’re lucky that it didn’t hit anything important,” Jared orders, moving back over to Zerro. I get up from the bed, not sure what I should be doing. I am stuck here as much as Zerro is. Not that the safe house is bad. We have internet access, TV, and it is a cozy little cabin. Except knowing what we are here for is what makes it seem like my own personal jail cell.

  “Come hold him down!” Jared yells to me. I move to the side of the bed slowly. I am not sure where Zerro and I stand after everything. I saved his life, and he saved mine. I am sure the debt had been paid now.

  Sitting down on the soft comforter, I ask Jared, “Where do you need me?”

  “Just hold his arm on that side. Zerro, quit fucking moving. This isn’t your first rodeo.”

  “Yeah, well, the first fucking rodeo didn’t hurt as bad.”

  My mouth gapes open. I know he is a mafia man, king, whatever you want to refer to him as, but I didn’t know he had actually been shot more than once.

  Placing my arms against his skin, I hold him securely.

  “You’ve been shot before?” I ask, my face mere millimeters from his. His brown eyes warm as they pass over my face and then down to my lips. I know what he is thinking. He wants to kiss me, devour me until there is nothing left of me. I know it because that’s how I am feeling.

  “Yeah. I was shot in the leg when I was seventeen. Drug deal gone wrong.” The way he refers to it makes it seem so nonchalant.

  “Yeah and I saved his ass then too…” Jared cuts in, sliding the needle and thread through his skin.

  “You didn’t save me, fucker, you just patched me up,” Zerro growls as if thinking of someone else saving him doesn’t sit well with him. If that is the case, things between him and I aren’t going to go well. I won’t rub it in his face that I saved his life, but if he tells me he can’t let me go, I will remind him that he is standing here because of me. That is if I can even walk away from him.

  “Shut up and stop moving,” Jared shoots back, and Zerro’s face turns to mine once again. I get the feeling that Jared and Zerro go way back. Not that Jared told me a lot about himself on the ride here. Aside from the small questions he had asked me, I know nothing about him.

  “Are you okay?” Zerro asks, his voice is as smooth as butter. His hand that I am pressing against his abdomen strokes across my skin. My insides turn to mush, and though I am a mess… I still want him. He has that effect on people.

  “Yeah, I’m fine…” I barely get out without a moan. I don’t want to make Jared uncomfortable, and I don’t really think that Zerro will be up for sex so I just keep it to myself.

  “Are you sure?” He is pushing his physical pain to the back burner. Why is he so concerned with me? Worry marks form on his face as he frowns at me. He thinks I am lying. I really am okay. I am shaken up a bit, and I will forever feel guilty for ripping someone from their family, but I will move on. I have too.

  “I’m…. I’m okay. Really.” I answer, smiling at him. This is something I haven’t ever seen in him. I have never seen him be gentle or kind. He is always dark and crude. It is as if a switch flipped within him. Before Zerro can say anything else, Jared interrupts.

  “You’re good to go, King. No rowdiness.” He picks up the buckets and cloths and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him. Is it that obvious that we need a moment alone?

  Silence passes between us as he stares at me. I can’t read him. I used to be able to tell what he was thinking or at least what kind of mood he was in.

  “You saved my life,” he says softly, pulling me down towards his lips.

  “Yeah, I did. Does that mean the debt is paid?” My own feelings are starting to come forward. If he tells me I can leave, will I? Will I ever be safe without him or am I as damned as much as he is?

  Anger flutters just under the surface. His mocha colored eyes turn dark as his hand reaches up into the back of my hair, holding it tightly, holding me tightly.

  The sting of pain, as my hair pulls, makes me smile. “That debt is never going to be settled, Piccolo.”

  The smile is wiped from my face, as dread settles deep into my bones. It has to be settled! We have to be even now. I saved his life!

  “Why?” I cry out as he pulls me closer to his mouth. His hot breath is against my face, and he smells like bourbon and man. Sweat still lines his brow, and blood seeps through the cloth on his shoulder.

 
“Because now it is I who is indebted to you…” It dawns on me that he hasn’t said that I had still owed him. I am just about to pull away when his lips crash against mine. The kiss is full of passion, hate, and anger. He holds me in place as I softly paw at his chest. His teeth nip at me in a way that has me parting my own lips.

  “You were impossibly fucking hot when you shot that gun,” he groans against my lips. I smile, not sure what all this means. Does this mean that he owes me? That I can leave…

  “I’m glad you think it’s hot, but I feel really bad about killing that man. Even if he was going to kill us.” Sadness forms on my face and can be heard in my voice. I don’t want to hide the fact that it bothers me that I had killed someone. Zerro knows how I feel about death, about taking someone else’s life. It isn’t fair.

  “It was you or him. I’m certain he wouldn’t have given a shit about you if you died,” Zerro says as if he is angry that I feel badly.

  “That’s what Jared said too. I know he wouldn’t have felt badly, and I know that if I didn’t kill him, you would have died, but it doesn’t make what I did any easier.” Tears prick behind my eyes. I don’t want to cry. I haven’t cried through this whole thing so I don’t know why I feel the need to do so now.

  “Sometimes you have to pull the trigger, Piccolo. Sometimes it’s not about you and them as people. Instead, it’s about survival. You kill or be killed, love. That’s how this works.” His voice is so soft it feels as though he is wrapping me in a blanket of kindness. I feel myself leaning down to lie on him, my head on his chest. We have never done such a thing, performed such an intimate act.

  Kill or be killed. That is his moto.

  “If you’re indebted to me, what does that mean you owe me?” I ask quietly as I place a soft kiss against his chest. His muscles constrict, and I run a finger over the dips.

  “It means I owe you your freedom. You’re free to go whenever you want. Your father’s debt has been paid in full.” The way he says it makes it seem as though he doesn’t want it to be true.

  “What if I don’t what my freedom?”

  “Then you’ll be mine,” he growls, moving me so he can see my face. His dark eyes and hair have my pussy clenching with all kinds of wicked wants.

  “Yes.” I say bending down to place my lips against him. As if I was ever really anything but his? If I ran where would I go anyway?

  Alzerro

  I roll over in bed, accidentally moving my shoulder. Fuck. Sharp pain shoots through my arm and deep into the bone. I clench my teeth, holding back the growl that desperately wants to escape my lips. I don’t want to wake Bree, though. She’s been more than a little concerned with what is going on with my shoulder, and I don’t want to stress her out anymore, especially since we are basically in the middle of a war between the mafias.

  I look down at her. Her skin has small bruises and scratches on it, and I can’t help but run a finger along one of the marks wishing my touch can simply make it disappear.

  A soft whimper escapes her beautiful lips, and I feel my dick growing hard. I know that I shouldn’t be messing around. I know I need to save my strength, but I survived because of this woman. I had considered her a weakness, but she is the strongest fucking thing, even stronger than I.

  Sitting up slowly, I move to my knees. She is on her belly, which is fine with me. I slowly wiggle out of my night pants. Pulling up the hem of her night shirt, I notice all she has on is a thong. I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat. She is sexy as fuck… I imagine how her ass will look rosy red as I smack it repeatedly. Will her skin glow red as I pound into her from behind? Will she purr and moan, begging for more of me?

  I pull myself from my thoughts, as I slowly stroke my cock which is sitting at full attention, ready to take her as its next victim. Spreading her legs and pulling the thong back and to the side, I bend down and begin licking deeply. Her ass cheeks move as I nip at her entrance.

  “What the…? Ah… Ah….” Her questions turn into moans and pleas for more. She humps my face as I deliver lick after lick. She tastes delicious just as she always does. I pull away, entering her deeply with one finger.

  “More… Fuck me,” she begs. I smile against her skin. She won’t be getting off that easy.

  “Ride my hand, baby,” I growl, gripping her by the back of the neck. She arches her back, her pace picking up. I watch as her pussy slides over my finger over and over and over again. If I don’t stop her, I am going to come just from watching her.

  “Stop,” I gently command, releasing her and pulling my finger from her entrance. She whimpers, but only slightly, as I situate her face down, ass up. Her legs are on the outside of mine, and her pussy is saturated with need. That need is for my cock.

  She presses back against me as I use my good arm to grab her hip and hold her in place. I smile. My Piccolo is very eager for my cock…

  “Is that pussy hungry for my cock?” My voice is just on the verge of slipping into animalistic territory. I want her so badly, I’m just not sure what part of me wants her more - the evil side of me that says keep her forever, or the newer side of me that says let her do what she wants. Either way, in this very moment, I know nothing will stop me from fucking her like I own her. She is mine and always will be.

  I slam balls deep into her. She clenches around me holding me in a vice that is so tight, I almost pass out. “Every time I slip inside this tight pussy, it’s like heaven—you’re like heaven.” She makes no attempt at speaking, she merely moans and pushes back against my cock.

  I slip out of her and back into her with ease, her tight pussy taking every inch of me. My hand bites into her flesh, and I can’t stop myself. Even if my shoulder will hurt later, it will be worth it. I grip her by the back of the neck again, making her fall to her stomach and arch for me.

  She whimpers as I hit deeper than I ever have before.

  “Who owns this pussy?” I ask between clenched teeth. I have no ownership of her. Not anymore. But I still want to hear her say it. I still want her to say I own her.

  Her eyes close, and I grip her neck tighter, plowing into her deeper. My lips are on her ear as I whisper the words again, “Who owns this tight cunt, piccolo?” A shudder runs through her as I plow into her again and again.

  “You do. You… Do…” she barely gets out in between breaths. My chest is heaving and my balls are burning. I want to come so badly, but I know doing so will be the end of our bodies being one, and I can’t handle the separation yet. Except, the pleasure is too great, and with one last push to the end of her wall, I come. Her walls clench around me as she cries out, meeting her own orgasm.

  Releasing her, I collapse onto her back. I pull myself from her and roll to my side right away, dragging her with me. Her eyes are closed, and her face has this content and blissfully-gone look on it. I smile knowing it is I who has given her that look. It has only be a day, but I feel closer to her now than I had before. I still haven’t opened up about anything, and we haven’t talked about what happened, but words aren’t needed when bodies can do the communicating.

  A sigh comes from her lips as she peers up at me, finally opening her incredible eyes. I am certain I will never get used to looking at something as beautiful as she. She has taught me that in the blink of an eye, life can end. Without her there yesterday, I would be dead right now. Even though I have killed many people, and I probably deserved to die, I am alive and am grateful for it. I am not saying I am turning over a fucking new leaf because I’m not, but when it comes to her, I will try to be a better man.

  “You’re such a dirty talker…” she whispers breathlessly. I smile, laying a kiss against her forehead. She has no idea. In that moment, when my cock met her pussy, there was nothing else that I can say. The words I spoke, though dirty, were true.

  “Dirty talking is just another thing I’m good at.”

  Her deep brown eyes roll as if to say shut the fuck up. I know I am cocky, but when you’re me, you have a reason to be. />
  “We shouldn’t have done that. If Jared finds out you were getting rowdy with me, he’s going to be pissed.” Her concern for me and my safety over Jared has me laughing. She doesn’t know Jared like I do. He is a friend, a very close friend, who I met back in grade school before I knew I had responsibilities, before I knew I would be the king of a mafia. That was back when I was normal, when I had a mom and did things that were normal.

  “Jared isn’t the big, bad wolf, Bree. He’s just an old friend who also happens to work for me. He couldn’t kick my ass if he tried.”

  “Oh really, asshole?” I hear Jared’s voice on the other side of the door just before he walks in. I pull the covers up over Bree who is still blissfully happy with her post orgasmic face.

  “Call me sir, douchebag,” I smirk at him. He comes to sit in one of the chairs by the door.

  “I called Mack. He said he will be up in a few days. He wanted to lay low since you caused a complete shit storm. They were raiding every part of your house looking for you and her.” My blood boils as I look down at Bree.

  They are looking for her and going through all of my things. My personal fucking things! The very things that I have earned, that make me the person I am are probably destroyed. The fucking nerve of these people! Luccio deserved to die. He was going to kill me, so it was either him or me. When it comes down to a bullet, I will always choose to put one in the other person.

  “I didn’t cause a shit storm,” I proclaim, pulling myself from the bed, and pulling on my sleep pants. Bree is about to doze off again, and I don’t want to cause a bunch of fuss.

  I get up, and Jared follows behind me, closing the door. We head into the kitchen where I rummage through the fridge for the juice. Once I find it, I pour a glass and take a long drink from it.

  “What the hell happened? I thought you were doing the right things? You had me driving you all over the place. That girl in there told me that you found out who killed your mom. When did you start claiming women? What the fuck happened?” Jared rambles, obviously stressed and confused by what is going on.