by J. L. Beck
Death was coming for us.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jared
I couldn’t get enough of her. The way her eyes drifted closed when she came all over my cock. The darkness in them when she bit her lip and looked up at me with desires she didn’t even understand. She was innocence and danger all wrapped in one. She was alluring at best.
Isabella held a powerful spell over me, one that could easily take my heart on a frantic roller coaster ride. One could say I was falling for her, but if I were honest, I had already fallen for her. Alzerro was right, she was beyond worth letting go of my fears and worries.
As the days passed, I felt myself growing closer to her, as she seemed to be growing further away from me. Not in a sense that she was distant, but I could tell there was something festering in her mind. My cock was hungry for her at every passing glance, so much so I had fucked her three different times in the past twenty-four hours. However, now I sat awake in the chair across from the bed in her bedroom while she slept under the lights I had hung up for her.
She looked so small in the bed under a sea of white blankets. Her hair was a dismantled mess of blackness and her lips were parted ever so slightly as if she were fully worked over. I bet she was having the best sleep of her life.
I leaned back in the chair, the beer in my hand cool and heavy. I had forced myself through the ringer, never living a life that was all that satisfying. I was fake. Ever since I found out about Bree years ago. I lost touch with things, with people and with my feelings. Isabella brought back those feelings. She made me aware of what I was missing in my life.
I took a drink of my beer, my heart pounding in my chest.
The last woman I had ever truly loved left me.
My fists clenched as sweat formed on my brow.
Stop. Don’t think about it.
I ran my fingers through my hair, my head in my hands. Don’t think about the past. Don’t allow it to take you under.
I watched as she walked away from me. I watched as she went to the car. That was the last day I ever saw her. Her smiling face turned toward me as she got into the car and drove down the driveway. I should’ve been with her that day.
“Stop…” I whispered helplessly to myself. I couldn’t relive the past when I had so much to live for in the future. I lifted my eyes to Isabella. I had her. I had this life.
“Jared?” I could hear her voice as if it were real—as if she were truly here with me. I knew she wasn’t though—I knew that because she was dead.
“You’re not real.” I pushed the voice away, not wanting to hear what it had to say. I just wanted it out of my head.
“I want you to know that I loved you more than life itself. That when I passed over, my only thought was if you could make it without your mommy.” I squeezed my eyes closed. No, no!
“Life has a way of changing things, people really. My death should’ve made you stronger, not weaker.”
I placed my hands over my ears.
“I love you, Jared, but it’s time to let go. Let the past be the past. Find love and happiness with someone else. I want you to love with all your heart and never let go. I want you to love as if you have no fears, nothing to live for but the heartbeat of the person next to you. Remember where you came from and tell your father I love him. He’s done an excellent job of raising you.”
“It’s not real, it’s not real,” I repeated it in my mind, yet I could hear her voice over my own thoughts.
“Please…” I begged, wanting it to stop.
“I love you, Jared,” she whispered into the air, the feeling of mist against my cheek surged through my body.
When I opened my eyes, my beer bottle had fallen to the floor, my head leaned against the wall behind me, my eyes focusing in on the ceiling above me. There was wetness against my cheek trailing down my face, so I lifted my hand and wiped it away.
Tears? How could I be crying—better yet, why?
“Remember me…” The wind howled outside the window. Memories of my mother invaded my mind, and without warning, I found myself going into the living room to pull out old photo albums from our time spent together.
Blowing the dust off them, I opened the first one. An old picture was on the front page, worn from the years. It was one of my mom, dad, and me. A smile had formed out of nowhere and my heart swelled, filling with so much love.
I flipped further through the album, my fingers moving of their own accord. From my first steps to my first lost tooth to a picture of my mother and I walking into the sunset. Through the pictures, I traveled back in time.
Tears fell from my eyes without hesitation.
Tears from a funeral I never cried at.
Tears for a mother who I had lost all too soon.
Tears for a man who spent years being someone he wasn’t.
I continued to flip through the photos, watching every memory I had with her come to life right on the pages. It was when Isabella’s hand rested on my shoulder that I realized just how caught up in the memories I truly was. I hadn’t even heard her enter the room.
“I’m sorry for waking you,” I said gruffly closing the photo album and wiping away any remaining tears that had stained my cheeks.
“Shhh…” Her voice caused my eyes to drift closed. She crawled up onto the couch next to me, her body molding to my own. Her warmth enclosed me, causing the darkness inside of me to brighten just a little bit.
I smiled knowing the reason I was changing had everything to do with her. Still, a new fear was finding a way to the surface. I could feel her pulling away from me and I wasn’t sure why. Every time I asked if something was wrong, she had said no.
“I think…” I started to talk and then stopped. Was I ready to tell her I was starting to fall in love with her? Or that I was already in love with her? We hardly knew one another. At least we hardly knew the good in one another. We knew all the flaws and the damage that had been done, but we didn’t know any of the good.
“What?” She blinked, staring up at me. She was beautiful, full lashes, plump lips and a face that didn’t need makeup to enhance its features.
“I think I’m in love with you.” The second I let the words out, I could see the wheel inside of her head moving. What was she thinking? Did she feel the same way? Only our breathing could be heard as she sat beside me, unmoving. I wondered if she was going to speak or if her heart was feeling the same anxiety mine was.
“Jared, you make me feel something I never have in my entire life. You make my heart beat faster than it ever has, and you make me feel normal. Whole. Not only that but loved. To me, you’re the home I never had.”
Tears formed in her eyes. We were two halves of a whole set out on a journey to find one another through the darkness of life. It didn’t matter that our paths were littered with different things, obstacles, or struggles. All that mattered was we had found one another at the end of the tunnel.
“You’re mine,” I whispered to her as I pulled her body into my own. It had taken me a long time to realize this, but she was the one thing I never knew I wanted.
To me, she was everything I had ever needed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Isabella
We wake the next morning to a loud buzzing noise. I could feel vibrations against my back, but I ignore them, snuggling deeper into Jared’s chest. God, I don’t want to wake up yet. I could lay in his arms forever.
“Fuck!” He groaned against my neck, his scent already doing crazy things to my body. I could feel my lady bits grow to life with the sound of his voice.
“We could…” I suggested smoothly, rolling away from his body just a little bit. He smiled pulling me back into his warmth while grabbing his phone. He had an incoming text for another job, the same man we had picked up yesterday but at a different location.
My insides churned, my body grew cold, and I pulled away without thinking. I wasn’t sure I could keep up the quietness. The need to confide in Jared was growing stronger as
I couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was going to happen, and this man would be the cause of it all.
“Hey, you come back over here…” Jared wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back toward him. I squealed as his hands rubbed against all my ticklish spots.
“Stop!” I protested while laughter spilled from my mouth.
“Do you promise to stay in bed with me?” He smirked, an eyebrow raised and his hand ready to attack at any second. I nodded my head yes, allowing him to release me. It was then I made my move jumping from the bed and running from the bedroom. I could hear his footsteps behind me, my laughs filling the air.
All fear went out the window when I was with Jared.
“Oh, no, you don’t…” he yelled right before he gripped me by the hips and threw me over his shoulder, my stomach landing hard against his shoulder bones.
“Let go of me!” I ordered.
“No. You lied. Now you must face the consequences.” He could hardly say a word without his own laughter interrupting him. The moment he put me down, I made another run for it only to be picked up again and bent over his knee. He wasn’t going to do what I thought he was, was he?
“You better not!” I growled, attempting to move off his lap.
“Oh, I will.” He smirked just as his hand landed hard on my ass. Three spankings later, and I was ready to murder him. He was lucky he had released me and ran away to get breakfast ready because if he was still in the room, bodily harm would have occurred. I slipped into a pair of jeans Taylor and Bree had bought me, combed my hair, and headed out into the kitchen where I could smell eggs cooking.
“How’s that ass of yours feel?” Jared teased. I turned my head sideways to him.
“You want me to Hulk slam you through the floor?” I raised an eyebrow in questioning. He might be bigger, but I was sneakier.
“Try me…” He laughed as he placed a plate of food in front of me.
“I already have, and if I could, I would get my money back.” I stuck my tongue out at him. We were acting like a bunch of kids, but I didn’t care. Being able to do things as we were was a sign of freedom, something I had never been able to experience before.
“Oh, no, you didn’t…” He growled at me from across the island, which only made my laughter grow more. Giving him a smile, I dove into my food as he sat down with his. We ate in peace, stealing glances here and there.
After breakfast, our charade of laughter continued, joking and flirting back and forth until we made it to the pickup spot. It was there when I clammed up, becoming quiet as a mouse. My belly filled with anxiety as the door opened, the man’s scent filling my nostrils.
“Thank you for once again coming on such short notice.” His voice caused shivers to go down my spine. I was on high alert, my palms sweating as I gripped the side of the seat.
“Not a problem, sir,” Jared responded his eyes on me, taking in my reaction, I was certain. He moved the Tahoe from park to drive, heading out toward the interstate. When the car hit sixty, my heart started to pound in my ears. Every mile taking us further from where we live had my nails digging deeper into my palm. I know if I don’t stop, blood will be drawn, but the anxiety has already taken root.
“Turn here, please,” the man in the backseat ordered. I turned my eyes to Jared to see if he saw anything wrong with his request. He just sent me a smile following his orders as if it wasn’t a big deal, yet I couldn’t help but feel something was about to happen.
“Drive ten miles ahead and then pull over,” he told Jared once again. This wasn’t part of the route so why was Jared not reacting to it? A million and one thoughts took over my mind.
We traveled further down the road, no cars passed by on the other side, which just pushed me that much further over the edge. Just when I didn’t think I could take anymore, I hear the man’s voice again, this time speaking Russian.
“будь готов.” I’m ready? Ready for what? My head pounded as Jared slowed down, pulling off to the side of the road where the man requested to be dropped off.
“Thank you,” he said. I swear time slowed down as everything seemed to flash right before my eyes. Jared turned around to reply, the mystery man leaning forward, the metal from the gun shining. Then I watched as he nailed Jared upside the head, his mouth wide open, but no words came out. I didn’t think—I just react as my body shook in fear.
“Noooo!!!” I cried out, trying to reach him before his head smashed into the steering wheel.
“You’re finally mine.” His voice, his smell, it all came back to me. He is the man I was sold to. Panic seized me as I turned in my seat, but it was too late and I’m too slow. He gripped me by my hair, causing the back of my head to collide with the headrest as he reached around my front.
“You tried to run. You tried to deny me something that was rightfully mine.” His hand went to my throat, fingers digging into my flesh as the air slowly stopped entering my lungs.
“Now I will deny you the right to breathe.” He leaned forward and even with the seat separating us, he still managed to get close enough so his lips were against my ear, his nose rubbing against my throat. I flailed in my seat, oxygen deprivation taking over. I could feel the life leaving me as the light behind my eyes grew darker.
There was no light bright enough to make us invincible to survive the injustice he will bring. After all, there was no fighting the inevitable. I’m indebted to him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jared
“Wake up.” My mother’s voice said. I felt as if I were floating, my body caught between the clouds and the ground. I want so badly to float upward with her, but something was holding me back. Something was forcing me to stay where I was.
“Be strong, son.” Her words soothed me as her fingers glided over my head. I could feel her warmth caressing my skin.
“What’s happening to me?” I asked, but I could only hear my words in my mind. This must be a dream.
“Be strong, son. Be strong,” she whispered, and it felt like her voice was cradling me.
“Get the fuck up,” someone growled. I could feel wetness against my skin as I swallowed, my mouth feeling as if it had been filled with cotton balls. Confusion took hold and the world seemed to be spinning around me as I tried to gain ground on what is happening.
“You thought you could take her, fuck her, and be her lover without me knowing?” Blinking my eyes open slowly, I realized I was no longer in the car. Instead, I was in what looked to be a basement of some sorts. The days past came back to me, and as I tried to digest what had happened, fear took over.
“Where is she?” my voice cracked. Blood filled my mouth, but I didn’t care. Pulling my hands, I tried to move from the position they had me in. I needed to get to her, wherever she was.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” A man with a ski mask settled down on his heels in front of me. I turned my head away from him not giving one shit about what he had to say. None of that mattered. Isabella was all that mattered and I needed to get to her.
“Let me fucking go,” I yelled fighting against the chains they had wrapped around my body. I could feel wetness dripping off my face and onto my shirt. My eyes caught the sight of blood dripping, and I wondered what had taken place.
“No can do. See, you took something very important to my boss… And now…” I could see the gun in his hands, the sliver of it glistening off the small overhead light above us.
“Now what? You’re going to kill me? People will come for me,” I taunted, narrowing my eyes. The chains were biting into my flesh as I pulled against them once again. I knew better than to let my guard down than to appear hopeless in this situation. If you are taken, never allow them to break you or make you feel helpless. Zerro’s words echoed throughout my mind, things he once told me when I worked for him. Things I’m sure he tells his team now.
“No one is coming for you. Are you kidding me?” He laughed loudly and right in my face. “You’re a nobody. In fact, once my boss come
s in and tells you the news he wants to personally deliver, I’ll be able to kill you.” His voice was sick and twisted. Dark and distraught. There was no saving someone like him. Death would be his only saving grace.
I flexed against the restraints wanting them to fall to the ground in pieces. The creak of a door opening across the room startled me, forcing my attention to it.
“Sir.” The man in front of me stood at attention as if he hadn’t just been smarting off. I knew who to expect once the man stepped into the light. I also now knew the whole thing had been a setup. I should’ve been paying attention. I should’ve realized what was going on. Now I knew why Isabella was acting so strange.
“Welcome back. I thought the hit you took to the head might have taken you out altogether, but it is nice to see you coming around.” He smiled, his white teeth glowing. His eyes were dangerous and evil, his body clothed in the same suit he had been wearing when I picked him up. Nothing seemed out of place on him.
“Give her to me!” I growled. They could kill me if they wanted too, but there was no fucking way I was letting them get out of here with her. Rage was about to take hold and I didn’t know if I would make it out of here alive with her if I allowed it to take over.
“You seem to think I give a shit what you want.” He removed his jacket, and the two men off to the side stepped forward, pulling on the chains that imprisoned me, forcing me to come to a stand.
“No, I know you don’t give a shit. I’m just telling you if you think you have a shot at getting out of here with her, you’re fucking wrong.” My blood boiled as they pulled the chains tighter. With his sleeves rolled up, he swung at me. The momentum from the hit forced my cheek to turn, the knuckles of his fist scraping against my ear and cheekbone. Blood filled my mouth as I clenched my jaw.
“I own her, she is my property!” he yelled, gripping me by the throat.
“That’s the funny thing about this…” I could see the frustration in his eyes mounting. He was ready to blow.
