Nicklas: The Vendetta Brotherhood Book One: Social Rejects Syndicate

by CR Robertson

I shrugged. “I tend to run when I have too much in my head.”

  “Why don’t I take you for a drive instead? That way you can see some more of the island.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to divert my attention while your men go hunt Mario down?”

  His smile bordered on feral. “Let me assure you that the only person who will be hunting that disgusting pervert down is me. He will answer for every one of his crimes before he leaves this world at my hand.”

  “You’re such a romantic.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his jaw.

  “Uh-huh. Come on, and I’ll take you out for the day before you drive me crazy with text messages.” He pulled me to him with an arm around my shoulder, to press a kiss to the top of my head.

  His bright shiny red car sat outside waiting for us. Just getting in and closing the door made me feel better. It wasn’t running, but the air blowing through my hair had the same effect and allowed me to think.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “I thought we’d go on a nature walk in Cienfuegos to see a waterfall. It’s not running, but the trek should get your heart pumping and the fresh air helps me when I need to think. Then, if I remember correctly, I promised you Hemmingway mojitos.”

  I squealed, scooting across to hug him. The car swerved, and he threw me a disapproving look but tucked me in beside him as we drove along.

  El Nicho Nature Park was a beautiful distraction from the ugliness of recent events. Nicklas pointed out some local plants and had a wealth of knowledge about them and the wildlife we saw.

  “I could get you a job as a tour guide,” I teased, nudging him with my shoulder.

  He rolled his eyes. “I tend to come here when I’m stressed and have encountered the guides over the years. They like to chat with people who are interested.”

  The Jungle Basin Trail was covered in a canopy of trees that ran alongside a sparkling river. Makeshift bridges were built across it, reminding me of a scene from Indiana Jones. Nicklas laughed at my antics of walking across them and back again, pulling terrified faces while he snapped some memories.

  Small pools of cool water had people lounging in them, enjoying the sunshine. We stayed in the shade of the tree canopy and wandered along hand-in-hand without a care in the world. He was right, I needed to get away from everything for a while. The birdsong serenaded us and for the first time in forever, I realised the strange feeling in my chest was happiness. Being with Nicklas made me happy. I didn’t have to pretend to be the daughter my father expected, or not too much of a hassle for the security details, or a model student, so that no attention was drawn to me. Right now, I was just Sofia out for a walk in the jungle with her boyfriend.

  Everything was perfect.

  The path we were on rose steeply and I felt my heart pounding as we neared the top. A lookout greeted us with a magnificent view over a lush green horizon of trees.

  “It’s beautiful,” I breathed, leaning into Nicklas’ strength.

  “Hmmm…” He wrapped his arms around my waist and put his chin on top of my head.

  We stood together far from our problems with nothing else in our world but the two of us. There was no need for words or sentiments, just his arms holding me. Only now that I was safe, did I realise just how scared I’d been the past few years, constantly living on the edge.

  “What a beautiful sight.” An older man and woman reached our destination. “Do you want me to take a photo of you two?” The woman smiled at us as Nicklas handed her his phone.

  We kept our pose, and she took several photos to ‘get the view behind us.’ She handed Nicklas his phone back. “I remember when we were young and in love. Take the advice of an old lady, remember moments like this when your troubles feel insurmountable.”

  Young and in love…

  Nicklas intoxicated me and I didn’t want any other man in my life but him. Was that the same as love? Mama said she knew from the first moment she met Papa. Nicklas had swept me off my feet, and not in the literal sense. From that moment, no other man had even appeared on my radar.

  “We’ll leave you to enjoy the view,” Nicklas said, threading his fingers through mine to tug me into walking. I waved, and the woman smiled at us before she turned to admire the view.

  The waterfall started as nothing more than a faint rumble in the distance amid the birdsong. The air temperature dropped, and the leaves were damp as if they were perspiring. The rumble progressed to thundering as we emerged from the trees to the sight of the cascading water that left our bodies coated in a fine mist of cold water.

  It poured into a plunge pool of icy blue. Tourists swam in the water and took pictures beside the waterfall. Without me having to ask him, Nicklas handed me his phone since mine was in our bedroom.

  The water was freezing cold even though the sun shone through the trees. We didn’t have swimming costumes, but that didn’t stop us from finding a rock to sit on so we could dangle our feet into the water.

  My gasp turned into a fit of giggles at the look on Nicklas’ face when he plunged his toes into the icy depths. I splashed water at him with my fingers, laughing harder when he grabbed me and threatened to throw me into the pool.

  My arms wrapped around his neck and my knees braced me on either side of his hips. “Please don’t drop me,” I pleaded as I snuggled closer, shivering slightly as the cold water permeated my body.

  “Come on, Princess, before you freeze.” He easily lifted me as he pushed himself to his feet. “When we come back, make sure to wear a swimming suit under your clothes. Swimming close to the waterfall is amazing.”

  I clung to him like a koala bear and waved at the couple we’d seen at the lookout earlier. We made our way back to the trail, but I refused to let go for a while until the terrain got rougher. Maybe this was what love felt like. Perhaps that’s why he made me feel better when earlier I’d been descending into darkness. No one else had that ability.

  Hotel Ambos Mundos was pink. I hadn’t thought about what it would look like, but the quaint 1920s hotel on the corner didn’t fit my expectation in a good way. A fountain flowed in the lobby, with turtles in the pool. Nicklas tipped the elevator man to take us up in the metal contraption that belonged to a bygone era. Looking down at the architecture of the hotel, it inspired me to want to re-evaluate some of my designs.

  “They say Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls here,” Nicklas said as we were shown to a table. The rooftop bar overlooked the old city and the harbour. A menu sat on the table awaiting us.

  “Can we have some mojitos?” I asked since we were in Cuba and who wouldn’t try the local favourite?

  The main heat of the day had passed, and the cooler breeze of early evening settled as I studied the buildings from up here. “Look at the rooftops,” I said. One day, I would love to design something like this.

  Nicklas handed me his phone and watched in silence as I snapped some photos.

  “You do realise you have a phone?” he teased.

  “I never remember to lift it since I’m not allowed to call anyone.” I missed chatting with my sisters and sharing my new adventures with them. For the first time in my life, I was doing something on my own, and it turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to me.

  “Do you want me to try to get Kris to organise a secure line?”

  “Honestly, I want to chat to Catarina and Lucrezia because no matter where I’ve been in the world, I phoned them every day. But at the same time, Cuba belongs to me and I want to savour it. Does that even make sense?” I groaned and covered my face with my hands.

  The mojitos had arrived while I’d been taking shots of all the architectural gems that I would feast on when I was alone. I took a refreshing sip and collapsed back onto the huge sofa. “That is the best mojito I’ve ever tasted.”

  Nicklas lifted his glass in a silent salute before he pressed it to his lips. In the light up here, he had the appearance of being dark and dangerous. His sunglasses shielde
d his eyes, he hadn’t shaved for a few days, and his hair was messed up from my fingers in it earlier. Our relationship had been primarily about sex and passion, but today had proved to me that we fitted together on another level. Nicklas was someone I wanted to spend time with, and not just in the bedroom.

  His brow wrinkled in a frown. “What?”

  “Huh?”

  “You were staring at me.”

  My lips spread into a grin. “Then stop being so sexy.”

  He shook his head, but his lips twitched as he took another drink.

  Another mojito later, and I curled myself beside him to watch the sky burn over the horizon. It was in this moment that I grasped that I didn’t want to leave Cuba. The country, the people, and the way of life suited me. Most of all, Nicklas was the missing piece in my life that made me whole.

  “Did you want to visit El Floridita today?” Nicklas asked.

  “No, I’m happy here.”

  His arm tightened around me, and I knew that I’d found what Mama tried to explain to me so long ago. Home wasn’t a place; it was a person.

  ***

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Nicklas

  My ass was numb from sitting in this position too long. The ground wasn’t a great seat, but I was holding vigil and waiting for Mario to emerge for the early morning run he took every single day. Today would be the last day he embarked on it.

  Inside me there was a bubbling furnace of hatred and rage that burned for his blood. The thought of Sofia drugged and helpless while he tried to violate her sent violent desires through my body that would only be satisfied by the spilling of blood. She’d been bruised by his frustrated attempts at sex, hurt both physically and emotionally.

  He would atone for every sin he had committed.

  When she couldn’t sleep, she told me about how lost she felt, the unexplained bruises, the missing items. All she asked was that she could be there when it ended. It was the least that I could do for her. A vendetta blood oath had been issued and I would ensure it was fulfilled.

  Sofia would have her vengeance.

  Mario ran the same route every single day. He hadn’t changed it once in the week I’d been watching him. At exactly seven thirty he emerged and ran a five-mile route before returning to the house.

  Sloppy. Very sloppy.

  This morning his routine would be disrupted, and his nasty existence would come to an end. I never claimed to be anything other than a criminal lowlife, but there were lines that I refused to cross. That piece of shit destroyed those lines until there was no decency left.

  He sought to claim what didn’t belong to him, to take what had never been offered, and to steal what was mine.

  Sofia was the only woman who could see inside my worthless soul and find something of value. She made me want to be a better man. I now believed that she’d been created only for me. Mario would have destroyed her beautiful soul and made her a shell of her former self. I never wanted her to be anything other than who she was.

  The sky lightened in the distance and my heart rate picked up.

  Mario emerged from the house, stretching his legs to warm up. The fucker sang to himself when he plugged his earphones in. His distraction was part of my plan. Two mornings ago, I threw something into his path, and he didn’t even react.

  He linked his fingers together and stretched his arms above his head, twisting from side to side. I watched from my hiding spot as he took off on his run. Since I knew his route, I doubled back to wait for him at the four-mile mark.

  The heat of the day started as the sun got higher in the sky. Mario’s footsteps pounded in the distance as he relaxed into the home straight. My position meant that Mario wouldn’t see me because of the tree line and the sun in his eyes.

  Just as he passed me, I stepped out, my arm wrapping around his neck. He struggled, his self-preservation kicking in. Every one of Lucas Black’s men were highly trained, but Lucas personally trained me to become a fighter. The needle sank into Mario’s neck, which spurred him into action as he fought to free himself.

  I stepped back, knowing that the drugs would stop him before he got more than a few steps forward.

  His hand grasped the spot that the needle had pierced. He spun to face me, his mouth gaping open, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

  “Good morning, Mario. I’m here today because Sofia asked me to fetch you.”

  “Sofia?” His legs gave way, and he slumped onto his knees.

  I knelt in front of him. “Yeah, she’s had a few revelations about the past and wanted to speak to you.”

  “My Sofia…”

  I removed his sunglasses and glared down at him. “No. Sofia is mine in both body and soul. You had your chance and abused it. Now let me show you what happens when you hurt her.”

  He opened and closed his mouth, his eyes drooping.

  There was little point in him fighting it. The drugs I used were tried and tested and used routinely when we carried out heists around the globe. They left little trace afterwards and the person unharmed and just a little confused.

  Mario collapsed back with his eyes closed. I rolled his body over and pushed a sheet of plastic under him before dropping him back onto it. I hauled his body back to the jeep I had waiting just off the road. The asshole was a massive lump that took me several attempts and a few bumps to his head to get in the jeep. I wandered back to where I ambushed him to ensure that I’d covered my tracks and left no evidence.

  We’d watched the assholes from the Council standing over the body of Colin Davidson from the covert cameras, contemplating what had happened to him. An email was sent about an hour later telling their boss that he’d been found outside with his dick in his hand, dead. They determined he died from a heart attack and they later buried him in a shallow grave not far from the house. The pathologist was on my payroll, so it would have been the cause of death, but they saved me a phone call.

  Mario groaned when Sam and I lifted him into the metal manacles that hung securely from the wall. His feet were attached to the special ankle cuffs that were cemented into the ground. Since he was safely where no one would look for him, I returned to the house with a spring in my step.

  Sofia still laid sleeping in a ball, hugging my pillow that I gave her before I left. A few weeks was all it took before neither of us were able to sleep without the other in our bed. She wrapped her arms and legs around me every night, and I slept, holding her as close as possible. My own personal talisman against the darkness that existed inside me.

  I rolled her onto her back, and she stretched under me, as if she sensed my presence even in her sleep. Her body felt warm and relaxed, her hips arching when I woke her up with my tongue between her legs.

  She purred, her fingers combing through my hair, and her legs widening. How many times had that perverted fucker tried this and her bruises revealed his frustration? I wanted to eradicate every one of his touches to her golden silky skin.

  My tongue flicked against her sensitive clit, my finger rubbing her g-spot until she spiralled out of control and shuddered under me, screaming my name.

  “Good morning.” I crawled over her, seating myself fully in one thrust.

  Her hands gripped my ass to haul me closer. “Morning.” Her voice was still husky from sleep, but her body was wide awake, clenching around me.

  My lips crashed into hers and she responded instinctively, meeting every swipe of my tongue with hers. The shy virgin was long gone and, in her place, resided a vixen with a ferocious sexual appetite.

  Sofia responded to sex at any time of the night or day, but she told me more than once that she loved to wake up to sex so that part of it felt like a dream. Most mornings, I rolled over when I was still half asleep to wake both of us up with an orgasm.

  “Nicklas,” Sofia moaned, her nails digging into my ass. “I’m going to die if you don’t move soon.”

  “Maybe I just want to stay embedded in you.” I kissed a trail down her throat. I rotated my
hips and her head slumped back and mouth fell open.

  “Just there.” Her legs widened and her nails nearly flayed me. “Oh, god, please.”

  I could watch her falling apart in my arms all day. Every reaction fuelled me and made me want to be the man she believed me to be, not the monster that existed. I sat back on my knees, dragging her ass up and holding her by her waist. She moaned when I thrust hard and deep, hauling her up to meet me. Her magnificent breasts bounced, and her arms fell above her head in complete submission.

  This image saved itself in my mind for all time. The sun highlighted her body as she moved under me. I finally admitted that this tiny woman owned me. There was nothing in this world she could ask for that I wouldn’t try to give her. My worthless heart belonged only to her. I hated the word love because it was fickle and easily brandished about. What I felt for her was so much more than that.

  My flesh burned and perspiration rolled down my back, but I didn’t stop. The need to imprint myself on her transcended the physical. She arched her back and whimpered.

  “I’m going to explode, baby,” she muttered, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. “I need to feel your body on mine.”

  Immediately, I lowered myself over her until our bodies were a writhing mass of skin. Her breasts rubbed my chest and her nails scraped down my back in assured ownership. I groaned when her teeth sank into my shoulder. Every mark she left on me told me that she wanted me as much as I needed her.

  Sofia stiffened, her pussy clamping around my dick as she came hard. “Nicklas!” The way she screamed my name into my ear was pure ecstasy.

  Wildfire danced down my spine as my balls tightened, erupting deep inside her womb. A spastic shudder shook through my body until I felt weak, numb, and completely helpless, collapsing over her in euphoric defeat.

  “Good morning.” She kissed my shoulder, her hands running up and down my sides in a gentle caress. “I want to wake up like this forever.”

  Sofia made me want what I wasn’t allowed. I promised that I wouldn’t find peace until I avenged the death of my foster parents.