Guns n' Boys: Swamp Blood (Book 3) (gay dark mafia erotic romance)

by K. A. Merikan

  A call from Dana came not long after dark, and Dom hoped it wasn’t any more gator news. He picked it up while browsing through his giant hand of cards in yet another round against Seth. “What is it?” he asked, holding the phone between his head and shoulder as he chose the right cards.

  “Mark’s gone. I thought he went out to pee or something, but he hasn’t been back for a few hours now. I’m worried he might want to rat us out to the bikers.”

  Domenico gritted his teeth. “Fuck!” He tossed the cards on the blanket, and the rotten cogs in the depths of his brain started moving. “Don’t you have both the car and motorbike? What the hell’s going on there? You let him pee for hours?” Suddenly, a cold feeling spread through his muscles. “Did you kill him?”

  Dana groaned as Seth sat up in the bed, trying to listen in on the conversation. “I didn’t! He’s an annoying shit, but I wouldn’t kill him. I was surprised you didn’t after he put Seth in danger.”

  “Don’t you try to turn that on me,” hissed Domenico, getting to his feet. “It’s bad enough that you can’t keep an eye on one kid.”

  “Well, I don’t have maternal instincts,” she huffed. “What do you want me to do?”

  Domenico laughed, even though his gums were itching with rage. “I don’t remember asking you to give him a tit to suck. All you were supposed to do is make sure nothing weird happens. And now he’s gone, and you’re telling me this hours later.”

  “He was sulking all day! I just thought he wanted to sit around alone. He’s a teenager. Why do you care? He’s out of our hair now.”

  “Don’t fuck up anything else,” said Dom and ended the conversation, biting into the silicone case of his phone as soon as he was done. “Fucking fuck.”

  Seth looked up at him, searching for an answer in Dom without even asking the question.

  Domenico dropped his hands. “The kid’s gone. She let him get away, and he’s been missing for hours now.”

  “What do we do?”

  Domenico slid into the chair, feeling somehow queasy about the whole thing. He didn’t believe for a second Mark would rat them out, but nevertheless, the kid would get in trouble again, that Dom was sure of. And even after all the bad blood, and maybe even because of it, the disappearance felt like a waste after Seth risked his life to save Mark.

  Domenico exhaled, feeling much better when he made his decision. “You’ll have to entertain yourself while I’m gone.”

  Mark wasn’t sure what was worse, complete darkness of the woods with the added soundtrack of insects and animals he didn’t dare imagine, or turning on the flashlight and actually seeing what was there. He didn’t know how long he’d been walking for, but the drive to town took half an hour, so if he hadn’t taken a turn in the wrong place, he had a chance of getting there tomorrow. At least he’d bought pants with the money Dom had given him for groceries earlier. He tried hard not to get nervous, but he could hardly see where he was going and stumbled several times on his way as he followed the shallow dip in the ground made by tires. He tried to keep one arm up, in case yet another young branch wanted to smack his face good-bye.

  He was not about to stay where he wasn’t wanted, and Dana made damn well sure he understood just how much he wasn’t wanted. Mark spent too much time doing nothing anyway. He needed to get to Fred’s house and start a new life, not attach himself to a bunch of criminals. He hadn’t stayed home for the abuse his parents dished out, and he wouldn’t take it from strangers. He didn’t even know if Dom and Seth were legally in the US. The last thing he needed was to be taken by the police as well, or accused of assisting illegal aliens. Clearly, Domenico had something to hide. Sure, when they told him the dramatic story of their love, he was feeling for them. He was enamored with the way they touched each other, and putting Seth in danger made him feel like the biggest idiot, but the truth was that he wasn’t really wanted in that strange group.

  Dana clearly despised him, Domenico had hit him more than once, and even Seth seemed to treat Mark like a charity case. He’d been wrong to include himself in their family, and Domenico had showed him exactly what he thought about that.

  After a long time of walking through the dark woods, with plants constantly slapping against him like stray snakes, Mark was shocked to hear a low roar ahead. Was he getting close to the asphalt road already?

  Before he saw the headlights, there was a white glow penetrating the forest and making all the narrow trees look like black thorns. When a truck emerged from behind the hill and moved toward Mark, it felt as if he suddenly woke up in some kind of artsy animated movie where armies of cars and tanks trampled over every living thing, leaving behind a burned wasteland. Mark swallowed hard and stepped to the side of the road, giving up on the idea of catching a lift, as the car was driving in the opposite direction.

  But then it stopped, just a few steps ahead of Mark, blinding him with the headlights.

  He covered his eyes and squinted at the dark silhouette of a tall man emerging from the driver’s seat. Mark took a few steps back when he realized the stranger was carrying a gun and then another few when the man stepped into the light and revealed himself as Domenico. This was not good at all. Had Dana been right? Was Dom just waiting to be out of Seth’s sight to dispose of Mark?

  Domenico shook his head, looking even more powerful with the bright background, like a villain from a serial killer movie. “I’m surprised nothing ate you on the way,” he said coolly.

  Mark crossed his arms on his chest, even though all his joints were frozen with fear. “What do you care?” He eyed the gun and took a step to the side. He’d be less of a target between the trees.

  Domenico exhaled and waved the gun toward the car. “Get in.”

  Mark crossed the road and started walking toward the asphalt road to town. He’d had enough of being told what to do and then getting nothing but shit in return. At least when he sucked dick, guys loved it.

  Domenico turned toward him and the metal clang that followed had Mark’s heart freezing. The safety was off. “I changed my mind about you,” whispered Domenico.

  “How come? You don’t like anything I do.” Mark watched Dom, slowly taking steps back, into the darkness of the forest.

  Domenico shook his head, and his hair had a halo in the bright light of the headlights. “Now that you put Seth out of commission for a while, I think I might have a use for you.”

  “What kind of use?” Mark didn’t like the sound of this at all. The hot air was choking him just like Domenico’s gaze.

  Domenico stepped closer but stopped when Mark moved back to maintain his distance. “What kind of use could I have for you? You made it clear you’re just a cumrag.”

  The cruel words hit Mark harder than a bullet ever could, and he was not about to wait and find out what exactly Dom wanted him around for. He was a sexy guy, but this was not what Mark wanted. Not like this. He froze for just half a second before he turned around and ran faster than ever before, straight into the forest. He kept tripping, branches hitting his face, and he didn’t even know whether he was heading into the jaws of another gator, but he didn’t care at this point. Cold fear had him dashing in a zigzag pattern as he hoped to lose Domenico far behind.

  He had no idea how long he ran, but when he finally slowed down, there were no sounds of hurried footsteps to be heard. Mark allowed himself a second to catch his breath. He’d seen Dom wrestle an alligator and shoot a bottle in his lover’s hand. He would not hesitate to—

  A large hand grabbed Mark by the back of the neck, and he was shoved face-first into a tree. All and any words were stuck in his throat when the cold barrel touched him behind the ear.

  “On your knees,” whispered Domenico, but it didn’t even sound like his voice. It was cold, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Nothing like when Seth was around.

  Mark squealed in panic, but followed the order, unwilling to become gator feed just yet. “Please, don’t… I won’t tell anyone about you two. I’ll just dis
appear.”

  “So you thought you’d get away?” hissed Domenico, poking Mark’s head with the gun over and over, as if he expected it to finally give a hollow sound. “Rat on us? That’s how you wanted to buy your safety?”

  “No, I was scared. I’m so sorry I put you two in danger.” Mark whined as cold sweat dripped down his back and his heart rattled in his chest.

  Domenico groaned, and Mark was shocked when a small packet of Milky Ways dropped by his knee.

  “Then what? You wanted to find this Fred guy? Be his bitch?”

  Mark looked at the chocolate bars unsure what to think. “I’m not going to be your bitch for sweets!”

  “What about money then?”

  “You’d need to pay me a lot.” Mark’s breath hitched uncontrollably. It felt as if the whole forest were reaching out with its branches to grab him and squeeze the air out of his lungs. He had no skills. Sex was all he had to offer.

  He flinched when Domenico switched on a flashlight, but moments later, breath pumped out of his lungs when a thick wad of hundred-dollar bills landed on top of the Milky Way bag. The silence was unbearable, and Mark was surprised that with all the shock and fear, what hurt him most was that Domenico’s devotion to Seth was fake.

  He slowly picked up the money to see if it was real. He’d never seen so much cash in his life. It had to be thousands of dollars. Who was Dom to have this kind of money in cash? Did Seth even know about this? And was all the love between them just for show when more sex was on the table?

  Beggars couldn’t be choosers. “And… what would I have to do for this?” he whispered, turning around to look straight into the barrel of the gun, forcing himself not to look away from the blinding light of the flashlight shining at him from above.

  Domenico’s face was partially hidden in the shadows, and the sharp scent of rotting leaves made the situation even more surreal. His voice sounded as though it came from some kind of underground tunnel. “A fantasy of mine. It’s hard to find someone willing to go with it.”

  Mark could only imagine Domenico’s fantasy being cruel and twisted if he wouldn’t subject his fiancé to it. He swallowed. “And what’s that?” he whispered.

  Domenico slowly sank into a crouch in front of Mark. The smile on his face was enough to send a tingle of fear down Mark’s back. “Lick the barrel, and I’ll tell you more.”

  “Put the safety on,” Mark whimpered, wishing he could just disappear, vanish from the face of the earth, and never meet another man. Or woman for that matter if they were all like Dana.

  Domenico shook his head. “No. I need to know if you’re worth it first. Come on, give it good head.”

  Mark looked into Dom’s cold eyes, but they were like a reptile’s. So frightening he quickly gazed down to the gun and kissed the cold steel without thinking much. His insides did a twist, and he didn’t even want the Milky Ways anymore.

  “That was pretty lousy,” muttered Domenico. “I thought you wanted that money.”

  Mark could barely breathe when he opened his lips for the gun. He did want the money. He wanted the freedom that would come with it. He could rent a room somewhere and live on delivery pizza for a year. Or two. Or five, depending on how thrifty he’d be. He could fuck people he liked, maybe even date someone, and he wouldn’t be forced to drift anymore.

  Domenico put one hand on top of Mark’s head and slowly pushed the thick barrel between Mark’s lips. It was so cold, and the weird smoky scent of gunpowder made Mark’s stomach clench as the cock replacement moved back and forth. He dropped the flashlight to the ground.

  “Yes, that’s more like it. It’s the risk of it that turns me on most,” whispered Domenico.

  Mark waited for Domenico to let him back out, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. What risk was it to Dom? The risk was all Mark’s. His toes curled and he wished for it to be over. What was even the most horrible discomfort if he could have a better future? He would endure, even despite his body shaking and his teeth rattling against the gun.

  “Think of it, I could pull the trigger now, and your brain would be splattered all over the place. And just for a split second, you’d know you are about to die,” rasped Dom, looking at Mark intently as he pushed the gun in so deep the metal clanked over his front teeth and dug into his soft palate, like a strange parasite ready to rush into his brain.

  Mark panicked and pulled back, but then he thought that the sudden movement could have Domenico pull the trigger, so after the first impulse, he froze still, whimpering and not even trying not to cry anymore. Tears fell from his eyes and slid down his cheeks as Domenico withdrew the gun slightly and pushed the tip of the barrel against the inside of Mark’s cheek, moving it back and forth.

  “Good. I will fuck your ass like that, and you will cry for me,” Domenico whispered.

  Mark took a deep gulp of air as soon as Dom pulled out the gun. “You’d have to pay me more!” he whined with snot running down his chin. This had to be the most evil man he’d met to date. The mere thought of having that loaded steel up his ass had Mark needing to hug himself. He felt sick.

  Domenico grabbed his throat and pulled Mark’s face into a spot with more light. “Don’t test me. I will pull the trigger on the last day of our agreement!”

  Mark broke down sobbing. His mind melted into a chaos of misery. “Please, let me go. I’ll suck your dick if you want, I’ll suck the gun, just let me go.”

  “What’s the worst thing you did so far, just to get money or whatever else you wanted?” asked Domenico, holding him in place, but he lowered the gun.

  Mark couldn’t stop sobbing, too overwhelmed, too trapped. “I let a guy pee on me,” he uttered. It had been disgusting back then, yet now, in comparison to the gun fuck, sounded like a funny fetish.

  Something clicked right next to Mark’s head, and he cowered, for a moment certain Domenico would put him down now and leave his body to be ripped apart by animals, but instead, it was a loud shout straight into his ear that sent him on his hands and knees, vomiting as his stomach revolted.

  “Are you fucking insane, kid? You’re sixteen! You’d let me—anyone—do those things to you for a lousy few thousand?”

  Mark threw up even more before being able to look up. “I don’t know! I don’t have anything!” His body was shaking, and he wheezed while crying and spitting out the bitter taste of bile. He’d never experienced such a visceral meltdown. And did this mean Dom didn’t want to kill him after all?

  Domenico grabbed Mark’s shoulder and shook him. “Clearly, you don’t have any respect for yourself either. You’re walking on such, such thin ice kid...” Domenico trailed off, and for once, his face lost its sharpness. “You will die if you don’t change. Someone will hurt you, cut you up with a chainsaw, and dump you somewhere. No one will ever hear of you again.”

  Mark’s teeth clattered. He couldn’t believe someone would fool him like this, make him humiliate himself so badly just to prove a point. “I thought… that if only… I had money…” He could barely catch a breath to speak.

  “And what? How long could you live like that? You won’t be young and pretty forever.”

  Mark looked at his trembling hands where they curled into the muddy ground. “I’d go back to school if I had money. I wouldn’t have to worry all the time. I could be free.” He sniffed loudly.

  “And you would never forget the things you did. Your body might never be the same either. Don’t be stupid, Mark. You can’t just regain self-respect after you throw it off the cliff.” Domenico pulled him close until Mark fell into the warm embrace that smelled faintly of sweat and the hospital.

  Within seconds, Mark hugged him back so hard he could feel his nails digging into Dom’s back. And for once, it wasn’t a sleazy attempt at feeling him up. Mark just needed a friend. At least one person in his life who wasn’t by his side because he wanted to pimp him, fuck him, or steal something.

  Domenico exhaled and patted his back. “You’r
e so fucking stupid. I can’t believe it,” he said, but this time, there wasn’t any malice in that statement. “Come on, you need to eat something.”

  Mark let out a long breath and could barely stand on his shivering legs. So Domenico still wanted him around? He rubbed his eyes. “Is Seth feeling better?”

  Domenico helped him up and started walking back toward the light coming from the road, leaving Mark to pick up the chocolate bars and the wad of cash. “He’s fine, but they want to keep him in hospital for a few days, just in case.”

  Mark spat out the taste of vomit and couldn’t wait to wash it out with some water. “Will he be able to cook when he comes out?” He loved how much care Seth put into the food he’d made for them before.

  Domenico chuckled as if he hadn’t just made Mark nauseated with fear, and he climbed the small slope ahead of them. “Getting hooked already? He always cooks.”

  Mark gave Dom a glance from the side. He wasn’t even sure how to talk about what had happened just minutes ago. His heart was only slowly going back to its normal rhythm. Domenico was surely not some average antique dealer. Mark washed out his mouth with a bottle of water he found rolling about on the mat underneath the passenger seat and sat down, strangely numb. Would he really let a guy fuck his ass with a gun for money? Was this who he was? Who he wanted to be?

  Domenico was there to distract him. “There are chocolate chip cookies in the glove compartment. Feed me,” he said, maneuvering the car back and forth on the narrow road. He was trying to turn back toward town.

  Mark frowned at the four different packets he found and chose chocolate chip in the end, passing it to Dom slowly, as if he were feeding a shark.