“I don’t rape women and I don’t kill them either. Get over yourself, Adele, and you might survive yet.”
He walked out and slammed the door after him. Adele felt ill, her whole body tensing as if it was about to explode. She looked about desperately and saw the covered plate on the table.
She shuffled over to it and removed the lid, staring down at steaming strips of chicken breast and vegetables. Taking the plate, she emptied the food onto the tray and smashed the plate against the wall, breaking into three large pieces. Crouching down, she studied them and selected a triangular piece which had the sharpest edge.
Adele let her body fall to the floor and sat up against the wall, bringing her forearm up and staring at the veins in her wrist. Strangely, she felt no horror or fear as she made the first quick slash. The pain didn’t bother her as much as seeing how weak her attempt had been, barely drawing more than a deep graze.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed the edge right in and dragged it down. Just as the door opened again, she saw the cut fill with thick, dark blood.
Dylan snatched at her arm. “You fucking little bitch.”
Adele was hauled up, dragged to the bed and thrown upon it. Dylan straddled her body, but she put up no fight, and could only stare as he ripped a piece from her pillowcase and seized her arm. She watched silently as the strip of cloth was wound around her wrist, gasping a little as it bit tightly into her skin.
Dylan got off and glared down at her. “If you were trying to incite my temper, you succeeded. I’m going to tend to that and get you bandaged properly, and then I’m going to give you something else to cry about. Now get up.”
Adele got off the bed, her head hanging. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it, for me to see myself for what I am? Are you really going to punish me for not wanting to live with myself?”
“Your life is mine,” he told her. “Until I decide what I want to do with it.”
“I understand now,” Adele nodded. “You hated me too much to allow me to die with my parents. You knew keeping me alive would bring you far greater satisfaction, watching me die a little bit every day. So, don’t dare tell me that you’re not judging me, you self-righteous prick.”
Dylan arched an eyebrow. “Well, I did come back to take you outside, but now you’ve hurt my feelings.”
Adele frowned at him, and then shook her head in confusion. “I didn’t know… I didn’t mean to…” She broke down again.
“Fucking women.” Dylan opened the door and looked at her. “Stop your bawling and get moving. Keep that arm up.”
Adele shuffled forward and nervously left the room. Dylan strode past and she followed him through another door until they were in the wine cellar.
“What is this place?” she asked.
“My home.”
Adele was aghast as they stepped into a large kitchen with marble benchtops and tiled floor. She had to squint her eyes as they were met with a burst of sunshine streaming through the window.
She turned away. “It’s too bright.”
“Wait there.” Dylan went through an arched door into a lounge room, where he pulled the curtains shut. “Come though. Your eyes will get used to the light soon enough.”
Adele was stunned to see the furnishings in the room and chandeliers hanging from ornate ceilings.
“This is your home?”
“Yes.” He took hold of her arm and peered at the blood soaking through the material. “I don’t think you hit the vein, but you’re still going to need a couple of stitches. This way.”
It was out in the main hallway, that Adele was stunned by the cathedral window and marble statues. Dylan led her through another door.
Adele stopped a few steps in. “This is like a doctor’s office.” She swallowed nervously as she spied a stainless steel table with nylon restraints and the gynaecology stirrups near it. “But you’re not a doctor.”
Dylan grinned. “I like to pretend. Get up on the table and lie down.”
Adele timidly shook her head. “I’m sure my arm will be alright.”
“You can get on the table, or I can put you on it.”
Adele couldn’t look at him. “Do I have to remove my clothes?”
“You can if you want to,” Dylan frowned. “But it might be a bit distracting when I’m treating your arm, unless there’s anything else that needs looking at.”
Her face heated with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean that. I just thought…”
“You think too much, Adele. Just do as I’ve told you.”
For the next half hour, Adele remained wary. Dylan tended to her wound as skilfully as any doctor, and with a gentleness that surprised her. His proximity allowed her to study him closer and for the first time she had to admit he was attractive.
She was still uncertain why he hadn’t made any sexual advances on her. It should have been a relief, but Adele wanted to know if his restraint was due to his dislike for her.
“You said you were going to give me something to cry about.” Adele breathed deeply. “What exactly will that be?”
Dylan glanced up at her. “Forget it. Force of habit. The last thing I need is you bawling again.”
“I used to think I was tough, being in a male-oriented profession and dealing with criminals. You’ve really held a mirror up to me these past few weeks. I didn’t realise how much strength I drew from my…” Adele pursed her lips tightly, desperate to not cry again. “I think I’ve always been afraid… to go it alone. I guess that’s something I’ll have to get used to.”
Dylan silently bandaged her arm.
Adele breathed deeply again. “Please talk to me.”
“You need sunlight and fresh air. I’ll take you out in the garden in a moment, but don’t even think of running off, because I will catch you.”
“And give me something to cry about,” she added with a smile.
Dylan gave her another glance and she saw the slightest hint of a grin.
“What is it that you do? The photography… that doesn’t buy you a house like this.”
“I mainly mind my own business,” he replied.
“But you came after me, because of what I did to Mairead. Is she… I mean, she has some unusual habits, and...”
“Mairead is my friend,” he told her firmly. “And I care what happens to her.”
“Of course,” Adele nodded. “And after what I have done to her… the very least she deserves is to see me go to prison. That doesn’t terrify me like it did. I suppose it’s because I’m not leaving anything behind now. There’s nothing left. Maybe in fifteen or twenty years, I might be able to face the world again.”
“You’re done,” Dylan said, tossing some scissors onto a tray. “Let’s get you outside.”
Adele sat up and looked at her bandaged arm. “Thank you.”
“Don’t do it again.”
Adele slid off the table and teetered as her vision fogged over. Her legs gave out and she might have fallen if not for Dylan’s arm catching her. She gave a little laugh as he held onto her.
“Good catch.”
Her hand gripped his bicep and she felt the hardness of thick muscle. Everything about him was strong and disciplined. As her head cleared, she shuffled closer to him, expecting any moment to be pushed away and rejected. She could only see the curve of his chest under his t-shirt, not daring to look up to his face. She was trembling as she slowly rested her cheek against him and put her arms about his waist.
His body stiffened and she heard his deep, impatient sigh, but she clung on, breathing him in. She felt a moment of panic when his arms went around her, but she soon relaxed as she knew he was doing nothing more than holding her. There were no harsh words as her tears spilled over and she sobbed into his chest.
He held her silently until her cries had settled into shuddering sighs of breath and then he lifted her to sit on the table to face him.
“I know you’re hurting,” he said. “But if you want to earn any respect from me, then you�
��ll harden up, face what you did and learn to live with it. I plan to find the men who killed your parents and I’m going to make them suffer for all the lives they’ve taken, but I can’t do that if I have to look after you.”
Adele gasped. “You’re going to kill them?”
“Yes, because that’s what I do.”
“Then why do I get to live?”
“Because you’re right, I started this. Sooner or later, they would have come for me, one way or the other. The world is getting smaller every day and hiding from it is becoming impossible. So this ends now.”
Dylan walked over to a bench and returned with a box of tissues. “Clean your face and let me take you outside. I want to show you something.”
Adele nodded and snatched a fistful of tissues. Dylan lifted her down from the table and frowned down at her.
“If you’re still feeling unsteady, hold onto me.”
Adele smiled and gratefully clutched his arm as he led her from the room. She was once again awed as they walked through the stately house, but it was a whole new experience as he led her outside.
The air was sweet with the aroma of flowers and the view before her took her breath away. They walked beyond the gardens and out onto an overgrown lawn where Adele slowly turned to look about at forests and distant mountains in the peaceful silence. Dylan pointed to a wrought iron bench under a giant oak.
“Go and sit down. The sun will be going down in about hour. It’s quite spectacular to see. In the meantime, I’ll go get you another meal.”
Adele stared at him. “You’re going to leave me out here alone?”
“I told you,” he grinned. “If you run, I’ll catch you, and then I will tan your arse.”
Still stunned, she watched him walk back to the house and go inside. Her immediate thought was to run, but she dismissed it just as quickly. She had no idea of finding her way out of this place, and she didn’t doubt his capabilities of finding her or carrying out his threat. It was a pointless exercise, unless she wanted to find herself upended over his knee with her backside bared for a spanking. Adele laughed softly at how horribly embarrassing that would be, if not extremely painful.
Besides, her stomach was rumbling for food and her grief wasn’t feeling so brittle and harsh. There was nothing but peace and beauty around her, and Adele savoured it as she thought about what Dylan had told her.
She had never known a man so unemotional, with a presence that seemed constantly on the brink of eruption and yet capable of the tenderness he had demonstrated. If he did release her, there were so many people that she would have to face that wouldn’t be as kind, not that she deserved it.
The sky was golden when Dylan returned with a tray of food that astounded her. There were egg sandwiches cut into small triangles, a chicken salad, an apple and a bowl of lollies and chocolate.
“You’re spoiling me,” she smiled.
“You need to eat and get your strength,” he replied. “You’ve got another mess to clean up in your room yet.”
“I will,” she nodded. She gazed at him. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want you to kill those men who murdered my parents, and I know how hypocritical that makes me.”
Dylan stared out at the mountains. “Every man I’ve ever killed has had a family, or someone who loved them and I’ve destroyed that for them. I’ve tried to convince myself that I’ve never broken the rules, because I haven’t harmed a woman or child, but I’ve left behind a lot of widows and orphans.”
“And yet here you are,” Adele smiled. “With all this.”
“When you take a life, something dies inside of you, which you never get back. You tried to take a life and you failed. Be very thankful you did. Do your time, Adele, and you may find you’re able to live with yourself again. Pay for your crimes, but know your parents’ death wasn’t one of them.”
Adele choked with emotion. “You’re very kind to say that.”
He grinned at her. “And the next time you want to find me, put an ad in the paper.”
“I will,” she laughed softly. “So where do we go from here?”
“I’ll let you know later tonight. Right now I have work to do.”
She went to pick up the tray. “I’ll bring this inside.”
“No, stay out here for a while and come back in when you’re ready.” He smiled as he gazed out at the scenery. “It’s really quite beautiful.”
Adele watched him go as she took a bite from a sandwich. Over the next hour, the air grew colder as the sky went from gold to a musk pink and turquoise blue. As the first stars became visible, Adele suddenly felt terribly alone and looked towards the house, wanting to be with him again.
Her heart was thumping as she headed back, but it wasn’t being with him that worried her. It was wanting to be held by him again and feeling his body against her.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The room was twice the size of the entire one bedroom apartment Eddie had been assigned on his release. The furnishings were antique, with a four poster bed wide enough for five men. The carpet was soft against his feet and there was a slight scent of lavender in the air. As he continued to explore, he felt a boyish excitement for the luxury before him.
A built in wardrobe had an array of clothes, suits, and shoes, all in his size and with the smell of newness to them. Eddie chuckled that anything so fine could be his. There was so much space with an adjoining bathroom which was his to use alone. Wandering to the window, he stared out at the beautiful view of trees and gardens.
He imagined bringing Lena to this room and enjoying her awe. Like him, it was unlikely that she had ever experienced such wealth. His smile widened as he thought of her pretty face and remembered how she had giggled. She was so youthful and it had pleasantly surprised him that she had accepted his offer of dinner.
Eddie knew he couldn’t read anything into it. He was far too old for her and Lena knew nothing of his past, or the kind of man he was. It was for the best that she would never find out, though he regretted not being able to have that one last time with her. It would have been preferable to what he would be doing that night.
Taking up the folder Yuri had given him, he sat himself in an armchair and began to peruse the file on Mairead Vaughn. Reading her extraordinary background was as fascinating as it was entertaining. He stared at a photo of her in a miniscule costume, clinging to a pole with one arm outstretched and a radiant smile.
He had to wonder how she had ever got involved with a man like Jahn Zaleski. From what he remembered, Jahn had never been one for socialising, unless it was with a few women in his bed at the same time, and then with little conversation. That was something Eddie had envied about him, the way women were drawn to him.
Perhaps when all this was over, when Zaleski was dead, he could explore his relationship with Lena. Maybe she really did have a thing for much older men. His cock was stiffening just thinking about her, holding those beautiful big breasts in his hands, while his mouth sucked her nipples to hard little pebbles. He imagined grabbing handfuls of her fleshy bottom and thighs while he sunk his face into her plump, furry cunt, breathing in her musky, feminine scent.
Somehow he had to see Lena again tomorrow and change their plans to another night. Hopefully, she would accept his excuse, until he knew what the next weeks would hold for him.
Eddie looked back at the file in front of him. Two nights from now, this girl would be in front of him, terrified and helpless. They would hurt her badly to get what they wanted and he would be expected to be part of that. Hopefully, she would be able to tell them Zaleski’s whereabouts and wouldn’t try to hold out, but then again, it probably didn’t matter anyway. A girl like that would be passed around to the men to be used in every way imaginable. He felt sick, thinking about it.
How the fuck had his past caught up with him? He’d had twelve years to envision an entirely different life and now they had found him again, opening old wounds and stirring up fears and memories he would rather forg
et.
Killing Barry Underhill had been his first kill in years, and it hadn’t thrilled him, other than ridding the cell block of a prick. Barry hadn’t suspected a thing when Eddie had wandered into the shower room. He had been too busy intimidating another man and hadn’t noticed that the room had mostly emptied out. Three swift brutal punches to his kidney had been enough to drop him to his knees, and once Eddie had his arm around his throat, there was no removing him until Barry had blacked out.
The other man had stood there naked and trembling as Eddie smashed Barry’s temple into the taps with enough force to cave his skull in. For a moment he had stood over the body, before calmly turning the taps on, rinsing the blood from his hands. Not a word had been spoken, but the other man had nodded his understanding.
In his adolescence, Eddie’s brothers had nicknamed him udav, boa constrictor, and the name had stuck, with his ability to hold on and choke a man to unconsciousness or death. For many years before Barry, he hadn’t considered himself any more dangerous than a grass snake.
He preferred to see himself as Lena saw him, a harmless old man with a kind heart. Perhaps it was best not to see her again, and leave her with that impression, but she deserved better than that. At the very least, he could say goodbye, while he still didn’t have an innocent girl’s blood on his hands.
Tossing the file aside, Eddie got up and wandered over to the monstrous bed and for a moment imagined Lena in it, giggling and clutching the sheets to her naked body. His reverie was interrupted by a firm knocking at the door.
It opened, and Eddie scowled silently to see the weasel enter with a young girl at his side. He approached them cautiously. Leo was grinning, but the young girl beside him was cowering and her eyes were red and glazed. She couldn’t have been much older than fifteen, dressed in a white, satin nightie.
“I thought you might want some company, before you head back,” Leo grinned, keeping his arm around her. “This is Kelsey, our newest addition, primed and ready to spread her legs for you.”
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