Nicki stepped silently from the shadows. She only had a few minutes at most before the others disabled the guards she knew had to be lurking around – Benny always had plenty of protection – and made their way up to her. But Benny was hers, and hers alone.
Nicki knew she must have been quite a sight to behold. Dressed from head to toe in form fitting black, her hair unbound and flowing over her shoulders, her pale gray eyes glowing luminously, she must have looked like an avenging angel.
“Benny,” crooned Nicki as she held a gun to Benny’s temple, the soft click letting him know what she was about to do. “Long time no see, huh?”
Benny’s eyes widened as his brain processed the figure before him. “Nicolette,” he said, paling. “I thought you were dead...”
Nicki smiled showing perfect white teeth. She was no longer the helpless young girl at his mercy, afraid that if she ever refused him he’d kill her brother. All those years, she’d let Nick believe she’d done all those things to protect their mother. That was only partially true. If it had only been Charlene she’d been worried about, if she didn’t think Benny would use his considerable resources to make good on his threats, she would have taken Nick up on his offer to run away.
No, Benny had discovered her real weakness. The bastard made sure that Nicki always knew Nick was one refusal away from an unimaginable fate.
But she held all the cards now. Benny would never hurt her, her brother, or anyone else ever again.
“I could say the same of you, Benny. We must have Guardian Angels, you and I.”
Benny licked his lips, regaining some of his poise. Such arrogance. Obviously, he had no idea the monster he’d created all those years ago.
His lecherous gaze ran the length of her body. “Black suits you, Nicolette. It brings out the darkness in you.”
“You know all about darkness, don’t you, Benny? Selling drugs. Whoring out kids. Torturing and murdering people.”
Benny’s brows creased in confusion; for a moment he didn’t seem to know what she was talking about. “Ah – you mean the boy who tried to steal you from me? Yes, I remember him now.” Benny actually chuckled. “Such romantic notions. I had to teach him a life lesson, Nicolette.” His eyes hardened. “Fairy tales are for children. And no one steals what belongs to me.”
Nicki found herself momentarily speechless with his callousness. “I never belonged to you, you rotten piece of shit.”
He waved it off. “I bought you. From your dear, devoted mother herself.”
“You can’t buy children!”
“Of course you can. It is done all the time. Do you think there are not still places today where families barter their children for food, shelter, other necessities? Then there are people like your mother, who do it for drugs and sex and the freedom of not having to care for you anymore. Don’t kid yourself, Nicolette. Naivete doesn’t suit you.”
Naivete? Nicki couldn’t remember a time in her life when she was ever naïve.
“You had a better life because of me,” he continued. “Fine food, your own private room, and beautiful clothes.”
“I was fourteen.”
“Old enough.” He shrugged again, without even a glimmer of remorse. The man was truly delusional.
“Are you still buying kids, Benny?”
Benny grinned. “Jealous, pet? Actually, you were always my favorite, Nicolette. Dark. Fragile. Intensely sexual.”
“Two out of three, Benny.” Muffled thuds sounded through her earpiece, though Benny could not hear. Fisher and Brookes were taking care of Benny’s henchman even more efficiently than usual, and she knew why. They wanted to get to her before she did something... irrational.
“So tell me, Nicolette, why you are here. Surely you must have expended a lot of effort to find me.”
She had. Benny had covered his tracks very well, but once she’d heard his name come up the year before in a raid, she knew she wouldn’t rest until she tracked him down and hunted him like the rabid animal he was. It probably would have been much easier if she’d been able to use her team’s resources, but this had to stay personal. Only Taser knew the gory details of her past; even now, she was sure her partners knew only the bare minimum.
“I did, but you know what, Benny? You’re worth it.” She reached into her cat suit and pulled out a small dart and a blow pipe. She loaded and fired the poison-tips into his legs.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he roared, loud and clear enough to be easily heard on the first floor.
“Immobilizing you,” she said matter-of-factly. The fast-acting toxin was already numbing his legs. Nicki was a big fan of them. Completely organic, used for centuries by African tribesmen, wouldn’t show up on any normal autopsy. No one knew more about untraceable poisons than Nicki, and in her opinion, there was nothing better. Two more, one in each arm, quickly followed.
Fisher’s voice sounded clearly in her earpiece. “First floor’s secure. Brooks is calling for a clean-up crew. Nix, hang tight, we’re on our way up.”
She was running out of time. They would never permit her to draw out Benny’s fate as she wished, as she’d dreamed of doing all these years. The paralytic was fast, but not that fast. Still, she had no choice. She might be robbed of meting out her vengeance in its entirety, but she would not be robbed of this.
Grabbing Benny’s robe, she ripped the sash out of it and promptly stuffed it into his mouth. A searing pain slashed through her abdomen. She looked down to see a blade in Benny’s hand. She cursed herself; she was better than this. She knew Benny always kept one or more weapons within reach. Ignoring the pain, she grabbed the dagger-like blade from his fast-softening grip then reached behind him, extracting a small handgun as well.
Footsteps were clearly audible on the stairs now. Judging by the triumphant look in Benny’s eyes, he thought they were his guards responding to his shout.
Nicki pushed open Benny’s legs and settled herself between his knees. Looking into his face, she let him see the near-maniacal gleam in them. “You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of this,” she whispered. With one hand she grabbed his manhood; the other held the blade she had taken from him.
Benny’s muffled screams were like music to her ears as she took one effective swipe.
Fisher broke through the door first. “Jesus Christ!” he yelled, freezing as he tried to process the scene before him. Nicki barely moved as if transfixed, holding Benny’s severed member in her hand, covered in blood. She was only vaguely aware of his presence.
“Fucking hell! Nix, Nix, sweetheart, look at me,” Fisher commanded. She did. She turned her head slowly, seemingly oblivious to Benny’s anguished, choking screams. Her eyes were silvery, like the moon; her expression, completely blank.
“She’s in shock, Fish,” Brookes said, pushing past him. He took two steps before Nicki dropped the blade and Benny’s appendage and picked up the gun.
“Whoa, Nix. It’s me, Brooksie, remember? Darlin’, we’ve got to get you outta here now, feel me?”
Nicki blinked. Then she picked up the gun, pointed it right between Benny’s eyes, and fired.
* * *
“Holy fucking shit, Nix. Remind me not to piss you off,” Brookes said as he drove away from the quiet residential neighborhood. By the time the cleanup crew was finished, there would be no indication of what had occurred. A For Sale sign would appear on the property within the week and the neighbors would believe that the reclusive owner had simply decided to remain in his second residence down in Florida. All of Benny’s assets would be discreetly, untraceably liquidated.
Nicki was shivering in Fisher’s arms, despite the fact that Brooke’s had the heater blasting and Fisher had wrapped his coat around her. “You’re scaring me, Nix. You’re really fucking scaring me.”
Her eyes shone against the abnormal paleness of her face. She blinked once, twice, and Fisher was stunned by the pain he saw there. Nix was the toughest agent he’d ever worked with. Cold. Precise. Une
rring. The woman he held in his arms now was not the one he knew.
Brookes pulled into the motel parking lot, keeping away from the lamps illuminating most of the area. Fisher bundled up Nicki and guided her through the shadows and into their room. Without hesitation he pulled off the coat and carried her into the shower where he held her under hot, steamy water until she started to come around.
He breathed a sigh of relief when she finally pushed away from his chest and looked up at him. “Gee, Fish, we were always naked in my fantasies. And you looked a lot more like Hugh Jackman.”
He laughed and kissed her head as relief flooded him. “Welcome back, Nix. You okay?”
“Yeah,” she smiled wearily. “Nothing a six-pack, a pizza, and a good night’s sleep won’t fix. Now get the fuck out of my shower.”
For once, Fisher didn’t argue.
* * *
“And bring me my shit,” she yelled after him. Nicki knew by the burning across her stomach Benny had managed to get in a pretty good slice, but thankfully, no one had noticed it. Benny’s emasculation had been so bloody no one thought twice about the copious red stains on her abdomen.
She peeled off her clothes, making a mental note to burn them later, and took a look. Damn. The force and heat of the water directly on the open wound made her hiss, and she quickly turned her back to it. She exhaled heavily. Stitches would be required, but at least no vital organs had been hit.
The sound of a bag being dropped on the floor preceded Fisher pulling open the shower curtain. Fisher’s eyes immediately locked on to the ugly gash still seeping crimson.
His eyes turned angrier than she’d ever seen. “Perv,” she said, attempting to lighten the mood, but he just ground his teeth and glared at her. “I knew it,” he said, letting out a string of oaths that surprised even Nicki. “Brookes!” he called, and Nicki almost shivered from the power of it.
Normally Josh Fisher was an easy going guy. Nicki was one of the few people who knew that despite the fact that everything about him screamed “boy scout”, he could be just as merciless and deadly as she was. Though this was the first time he’d ever turned that persona on her.
Brookes was there immediately. He said nothing as Fisher wrapped Nicki in a towel and tugged her out to the bed. Brookes got out the med kit and was already preparing the sutures. Without a word, Fisher helped Nicki into panties and a T-shirt, his movements quick and efficient. At one point she started to protest but a single glare from his eyes – which were now as black as onyx – and she thought better of it.
She remained quiet as Brookes stitched her up, refusing to acknowledge the pain of the wound or the treatment. Brookes said nothing, though his eyes occasionally lifted to meet hers, his expression unreadable. When he was finished, he covered the wound with a self-sealing pad and announced he was heading out for food.
Fisher stood in the corner of the room, ever watchful, his eyes burning into her. He stayed there, silent and unmoving, several minutes after Brookes cleaned up and left the room.
“You lied to me,” he said finally, and the weight of the anger and the betrayal in his voice was almost suffocating.
“I didn’t,” she said, but she avoided meeting his eyes.
“Bullshit. You withheld crucial information.”
“That’s different.”
“No, it’s not.” Fisher got up and began to pace the room. “That was no standard assignment. It was personal for you. Beyond personal.”
Nicki’s eyes followed him. She didn’t deny it. Fisher paced the room a few more times. When Brookes came in with a pizza and a brown bag with two-six packs, Fisher stalked outside.
“Give him some time to cool off,” Brookes said, twisting the top off of a beer and handing it to her. She took a long pull and eyed the pizza. Suddenly she didn’t have much of an appetite.
“You know, then.”
He regarded her thoughtfully. Brookes had warm brown eyes and sinfully long lashes, an old-fashioned cowboy in a modern world. “Yeah.” He was a man of few words, but that one told her that all the intel on her history with Benny had been shared, at least the highlights. No doubt Fisher had pulled a few strings when he saw how Nicki had lost it, and had felt the need to dig into the how’s and why’s. He was fiercely protective of both her and Brookes.
“You hate me too?”
“Hate you?” His lips quirked as he sat back in the chair. “Fish doesn’t hate you, Nix. He only wishes he could have ripped the man’s dick off himself. Knowing him, he would have choked the son of a bitch with it, too.”
Nicki almost smiled.
“We love you, Nix. You’re one of us. You’ve got to know that.”
She nodded, and blew out a breath. She loved them, too. They’d been her family when she had no other. They’d saved her life as many times as she’d saved theirs. She tried to imagine what it would feel like if she learned that someone had done something so vile to either of them. Felt the answering roar burning through her gut.
“There’s something else that’s got him all worked up, though.”
Nicki looked at him questioningly. Brookes stood up and carefully removed the bottle from her hand, moving it to the table and well out of her reach. Nicki narrowed her eyes, waiting for it.
“You’ve been suspended until further notice.”
Nicki dropped her head and blew out a breath. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. At least they hadn’t fired her outright.
Suddenly Brookes was beside her. He eyed her warily. Seemingly satisfied that she wasn’t going to break the bottle and slit his throat with it, he handed the beer back to her along with a flash drive.
“What’s this?” she asked, palming the drive.
“Directions to a safe house. Taser says you need to chill for a while, stay off the grid, get your shit together.” He paused, pulling out a beer for himself. Then Brookes sat back and closed his eyes, stretched out his long legs as he raised the bottle to his lips.
“Where?”
“Don’t know. Drive’s flagged N2K.” Need to know.
“And you didn’t look?”
Brookes smiled without opening his eyes. “Of course we did. But it’s encrypted.”
Chapter Seventeen
The mountainscape changed as she travelled down I-81 south through Maryland and into Virginia. It was more angular; the peaks were sharper and the valleys more severe. They made for a beautiful view against the horizon. Piles of snow along the side of the road dwindled down into patches, then occasional puddles, then nothing. Along the highway she spotted big farms, horses grazing peacefully within the confines of split-rail fence as far as the eye could see. Large, well-kept homes sat atop rolling hills, and Nicki couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy for a life she would never have.
At least she was free now. Her mother was gone. As hard as it had been, Nicki was glad she had made her peace with her before she died. The nurses said Charlene never regained consciousness, but Nicki knew in her heart that Charlene had heard her. More than once her mother’s eyes had moved beneath closed lids, the cadence of her breathing had changed slightly in response to her daughter.
Nick was going to be okay, too, despite his most recent lapse in judgment. Something told Nicki he wouldn’t be repeating that mistake again; there was no reason to. With Charlene and her out of his life, he wouldn’t feel the need to.
It had been great to see him again. He was such a man now. All grown up, but still retaining enough boyish qualities to save him from complete darkness. He had his own life, was in a good place. Pine Ridge was a nice town. There were decent people there, and he had a good job. She smiled. It wouldn’t be long before he found someone and really settled down. She would miss him – she would always feel as if a part of her was missing – but it was much easier to move on knowing he was surrounded by good people that would be there for him.
Benny was gone. Really and truly gone. He would never hurt anyone again, would never ruin anyone else’s life. While hi
s demise had been necessarily quick, she had made it as painful as possible, being sure to concentrate on those areas of him that had caused her the most grief. Castration had come first, for all that he had raped and used her, then the bullet right between the eyes. She’d had the pleasure of seeing the naked fear in his eyes, and that alone was worth a hundred suspensions. To see that rotten bastard know true terror, that eased her heart somewhat. Oh, she’d never forget the pain she’d endured, or that of her brother’s, but there was definitely some closure in the knowledge that he would never, ever do that to any child again.
She probably should have felt horror over what she had done, but she only felt a strange kind of numbness. She had brought a lot of people to justice over the last eight years or so, but she had never done so with such extreme prejudice. Maybe, just maybe, if it had been only her life he’d ruined she would have been satisfied with some other retribution. But it hadn’t just been hers. And for as long as she lived, the eyes of all those other young girls and boys she’d watched him destroy would haunt her.
Nicki threw her head back and let the breeze whip through her hair. The damp coolness of the predawn hours felt cool against her skin as she opened up the throttle and shot forward.
Eventually Friendly’s became Shoney’s. Wawa’s became Flying J’s. She’d kept her quasi-Ducati; that was her most prized possession and she could not bear to give it up. She hadn’t bothered to change her appearance that much, either. She’d traded in her leather and chains for blue jeans, soft cotton tee-s and hoodies, comfortable shit kickers and a plain leather jacket.
She felt almost lost. For the next three months she had no role to play, no persona to assume. It felt strange. She wasn’t even quite sure who the real Nicki was anymore.
She hadn’t fought too hard against Taser’s direct orders. He was right, as usual. Now that her mother was gone, Nick was on a good path, and Benny was delivered back into the pits of hell, her motivation had become somewhat cloudy. Her life’s goals had been realized; all her “wants” obtained. What was left?
Seeking Vengeance: Callaghan Brothers, Book 4 Page 16
