Knox Brotherhood
Page 152
Sobs was all Bull heard then. He held her close to his body and his heart shattered as he put the pieces together. Pieces of a tragedy that never should have happened. He turned his head and brushed his lips on the top of her head. Gently, he rocked her back and forth.
“No mommy, you have to wake up now.” He heard the little girl whisper. “Please wake up now mommy. Mommy I need you, please wake up now. The bad man is gone. He can’t hurt you anymore. Wake up now Mommy.”
As he listened to her soft cries, Bull realized Charlie had been there the night her mother was murdered. She might even have seen the murder take place. Some bastard had broken into their apartment and while she was hiding, her mother had protected her child by giving her own life for hers.
Bull felt Charlie’s tears soak his chest as he held her close. Finally, after a long time she moved her head and peeked up at his face. In the low lighting, he found her soft turquoise eyes staring back at him. He brushed his lips against hers.
“I remembered it didn’t I?’ she whispered softly as fresh tears ran down her face.
Bull nodded. “Yeah honey, you remembered.”
“Oh god,” she wailed. “He killed her, the bastard killed her!”
“Hush now.” Bull tried to sooth her but there was no soothing Charlie, not now.
Her hands curled into fists and she pushed him away. “That bastard killed my mother!” She cried out as she beat on Bull’s chest. “He wrapped his swarmy, hateful hands around her throat and he wouldn’t let go. He hit her too. Knocked her down but she kept getting up again. They were both yelling and screaming at each other. He hit her over and over and I couldn’t help her. At some point in their fight, she ripped his shirt and that’s when I saw the tattoo on his chest. That’s how I knew it. I’d seen it before. She said part of the game was to stay hidden no matter what I heard I had to stay in my special place until she told me I could come out.” Her hand flew to her mouth as she gazed at Bull. “It was my fault she didn’t wake up. I didn’t stay where I was supposed to. After he left, I crawled out of my hiding place and I tried to wake her up but she wouldn’t wake up.”
“No sweet Chartlie.” Bull held her close. “That’s not why she wouldn’t wake up. She couldn’t open her eyes again. She was already gone.”
“Oh god Bull,” she cried out as she fell into him sobbing. “The bastard killed my mother.”
“I know baby. I know.” He just held her as she sobbed new tears.
Without moving the rest of his body, his eyes scanned the room and he found five pairs of eyes staring back at him and Charlie. Five pairs of eyes that held sympathy and horror at what they’d all heard tonight. One by one, each head nodded and they laid back down on their own beds.
Finally, the tears were done and a calmness took over Charlie’s body. Bull felt the difference but he didn’t break the silence they were held up in. Charlie lifted red rimmed eyes to his. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Bull was astonished. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Red fused her cheeks. Dipping her head low she murmured, “I’m sorry for crying all over you. You didn’t need to hear all that shit.”
“I’m just glad I could there for you when you needed me,” Bull told her. “Is that one of your nightmares?”
Charlie shook her head. “No I’ve never been able to remember anything like that before. It was like all the bad stuff was locked away behind a closed door. Tonight the door was finally opened and that’s what came out.”
Bull held her for a long time before he said, “It sounded like you were there the night your mom died. Were you?”
Charlie nodded. “Yes.”
“Did you actually see the murder or just hear it?”
Charlie began to tremble. It took a few minutes but she finally told him, “I could see and hear everything that happened that night. My hiding place was the closet. It had a louvered door. I was supposed to hide in the back and cover up with whatever was on the floor but that day I didn’t. I watched through one of the slats on the door.”
“Oh god baby,” Bull crushed her to him as the rest of his heart shattered at her admission. “I’m so sorry.”
Charlie took a deep breath and let it out with her words, “Don’t be, it’s good that I can remember it. I needed to relive the actual event to remember it. It let me remember my mother again. I’d forgotten what she looked like, how she always smelled so good. I forgot how she laughed and how her eyes were the same color as mine and how they sparkled every time she laughed. I’d forgotten all of that until just now.” She snuggled into his side. “Now I remember my mother again.”
A long time later Bull asked, “Do you know the man who hurt her? Who was there that night?”
A few minutes later Charlie nodded slowly. “Yeah, I know him and so do you.”
“Who is he?” Bull asked.
“His name doesn’t matter at this point.” Charlie’s voice got hard. “He’s a dead man anyway. If you don’t kill him I will.”
Bull was surprised at the venom in her voice. He could feel the hate emanate from her warn soft body. It came in waves and each wave got stronger and stronger until he could almost taste it. At first, Bull didn’t know how to react. This was a new and not so good Charlie. He always knew she could be tough, she’d already survived more than most but never like this. He snapped his head level to hers. “Who is he Charlie? I don’t want you anywhere near the man who could do something like that.”
Charlie’s eyes were hard and unforgiving as she stared back at him. ‘You won’t be able to stop me. He’s a dead man walking at the moment but not for long. I will live long enough to send that man to hell on a one way ticket. After that, my life can be over but not before. Not before I blow that man to hell.”
“Who is he Charlie?” Bull demanded. “What’s his name?”
Her lips curled into a sneer. “His name? You want his name? His name is Conrad Bane, or Amir Hussian, or maybe you like Adhir Malik better. I recognized the tattoo on his chest from the picture you showed me earlier. It doesn’t matter what his fuckin name is. He’s a dead man.” She stared at Bull for a long minute, her eyes still hard then she broke. “She called him my father. Before he killed her she told him he had a kid and that she named me Charlie.” She lowered her head back to Bull’s chest and sobbed, “Why Bull? Why did he have to kill her? Was he there that night looking for me? Would he have killed me too? Why?”
“Hush now.” Bull tried to sooth her. “I don’t know why he did what he did and I don’t know if he would have killed you too that night. No one can know what’s in another man’s heart or mind. Conrad Bane is a true bastard and you were right, he doesn’t have a soul. I don’t think any of them do. His brother Salim was the same way. I don’t know, maybe it was the way they were raised. He’s still got two more brothers back home. I can’t imagine they are any different.”
“I suppose this just justifies Judge’s hatred of me,” she whispered in the dark. “Now everyone else will hate me too.”
“No.” Bull shook his head. “This doesn’t change anything. Judge is just being an ass. He’ll either accept you or he won’t. It doesn’t really matter to me but I accept you for who you are. Right now, this very minute.”
Charlie shook her head. “But it does change things and you know it. I know it too. When Judge finds out Conrad Bane is my father, he’ll want to put a bullet in my head and I can’t say that I blame him.”
Bull sat up and leaned over the top of her. Looking her in the eyes he told her, “No one is going to put a bullet anywhere on or near you. You’ve have nothing to do with Bane your whole life and finding out he’s your father doesn’t give you a magical connection to him. You hate him almost as much as we do. You want him dead almost as bad as we do.”
Charlie smiled faintly and raised her hands up to wrap around both sides of his face. Leaning up she brushed her lips against his gently. “You know that and I know that but the only thing Judge will see if
that Bane is the man who fathered me. And in the long run that will make all the difference in the world to him. The fact that Bane’s blood is my blood is all that man will see. You know it and so do I. And when he puts a bullet in my head to him it will be just like killing a piece of the man who took your friends away from you. He won’t care that I’m an innocent that I never asked to be born of his blood. None of that will matter. All he will see is that another small piece of the Malik line is gone.”
“I won’t let him do it.” Bull snarled.
“Hush now.” Charlie calmed his ire. “Lay down with me for a few minutes will you? I want to feel safe again.”
Bull laid down beside her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close to him. “I make you feel safe?”
Charlie nodded as she laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. “Yeah, you make me feel safe. I never knew I was missing that. I never realized just how alone I was until I met you.”
“Well, you aren’t alone anymore,” he whispered. “Wherever you go, I’ll be right there standing in front of you. I got your back now and I’m not giving it up.”
Charlie patted his chest. “Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep,” she whispered low. “None of us know what each day will bring. Conrad Bane is looking to spill the blood of both of us. He won’t stop until someone stops him.” She turned her head. “Besides I don’t want you in front of me I think I’d want you standing beside me.”
Bull smiled in the darkness surrounding them. “Go back to sleep babe. You need some real rest. Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”
“What are you going to do tomorrow? Your time will be up and he’ll send his Ratz after you.”
“You let me worry about tomorrow.” Bull commented. “I’m not giving up or giving in to that bastard.”
“He will kill you,” Charlie whispered. “I don’t think I could watch him take another life right in front of me. Once was one time too many.”
“He’ll have to find us first and besides, I’m not that easy to kill.” Bull assured her. “Salim found that out the hard way.”
“Conrad is not Salim.” She reminded him. W
hen she didn’t say anything else Bull assumed she had gone back to sleep. After a few minutes, he let his own eyes close and as he fell asleep, he turned on his side and snuggled in with her.
When she heard his gentle snores, Charlie knew Bull was asleep. Very slowly, she extricated herself and slowly made her way to the second level. She went over to the refrigerator and got herself a bottle of water. Going to the corner of the room that would allow her to watch ever open area, she slid down the wall pressing her back to the stone brickwork.
Charlie zoned out after a few minutes as she thought about the events of that night. Remembering how her mother had been acting days prior to that night she realized her mother had known, she’d always known he would come after her.
It would be one reason why she’d taught the hiding game to Charlie. That way if Conrad caught her, Charlie would still be safe. Charlie brought he knees up and wrapped her arms around them. Tipping her head down, she rested her forehead on her knees.
Her eyes were burning as she realized she had no tears left to cry. She realized her mother had protected her the best and only way she could. She got up and went over to the cabinet where she had put the file Bull had given her on her mother, the one from Conrad’s flash drive.
Taking the papers back to her spot, she sat down again and began reading. She was very weary when the light outside began filtering through the dark hours of the night. When she heard the soft echo of footsteps on the stairs, she didn’t even raise her head.
Then someone sat down next to her and wrapped her in his arms. Charlie smiled slightly as Bull pulled her into his embrace. She felt his lips brush against her forehead.
Finally, she lifted her head and stared at him. “Will you do something for me?” she asked.
“If I can.”
“Will you make love to me? I want to feel you inside me just this once.”
Bull froze. “What are you asking of me?”
“I want to feel what it’s like to be a part of something bigger than my own self. I wouldn’t ask anyone else to do this, so please don’t think badly of me but I trust you. I even think I care for you but this once, I’m going to be selfish and ask for something I want. And I want you.” She paused to search his face for whatever feeling he might be having. When she found none she whispered, “Please.”
Bull didn’t hesitate instead he got to his feet and pulled her to hers. Grabbing her hand, he led her to a door off the back end of the kitchen. Opening the door, he pulled her into a small room. Then he turned and closed the doo,r locking it behind them.
The room was a storage area that held shelving units filled with extra blankets, pillows and dry goods such as soaps, and towels and row after row of canned foods. “I’m sorry it’s not a bed but this is the best I can do.” Bull ran his fingers over his head and looked around with a glare.
“It’s fine. We can make our own bed. Look, there are blankets and pillows we can use.”
Moments later, she had fashioned a make shift bed. When he joined her, she was on her knees in front of him. Bull wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he whispered to her.
Charlie closed her eyes and melted into his embrace. “Yes, god yes.”
Bull pressed his mouth to hers. His lips devoured hers and she grasped as the heat from his possession warmed her. Charlie moaned as his hands began roaming over her body. When his hand slid under the t shirt, she wore and touched her bare skin Charlie hissed. Never before had a human touch given her so much pleasure.
He pulled the fabric up to expose her chest to his eyes then broke the kiss they shared to pull the shirt over her head. When he saw her breasts, Bull took a breath. They were larger than he thought even though he’d seen them once already when he cut her shirt off before. Now he took the time to appreciate her attributes. Her breasts were snug in her bra, the tops bulging over the top a bit. Bull reached around her and unsnapped her bra. Nudging it out of the way his eyes filled with wonder as her breasts popped out. Her nipples were a darker color and his mouth watered as he leaned forward to taste them.
Charlie hissed as she felt his lips tug on her nipples. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as the sensations swirled around her. Colors exploded behind her eye lids as pleasure filled her body. She didn’t realize Bull was undressing her until she felt the cool air on her skin but by then it was too late to care as his hands roamed freely.
Her small hands touched his heated skin, his shoulder, then his chest. She found her fingers tangling in the soft carpet of chest hair and she loved the smooth silkiness covering his chest. Then her fingertips found his male nipples and she just had to taste them like he’d tasted hers. He seemed to find pleasure in the act and she wanted to seek that same pleasure.
Bending close to him her tongue licked the protruding flesh. Bull hissed and one of his hands went to the back of her head. He didn’t stop her from moving but instead, pushed her a tiny bit closer to her goal.
Pulling his nipple into her mouth, she flicked it with her tongue, just as he had done to hers and Bull groaned. But when he would have pulled away he held her close to him. She spread tiny kisses across his chest over to his other nipple. As her tongue licked and sucked, her hand dropped down over his rock hard belly to find his pants open and pushed aside.
Her fingers brushed the coarse hair around his cock before she found what she wanted. His cock was long and thick and at the moment very hard. Her hand gripped and fondled his length. She wanted to look but she wanted to taste him more.
Breaking her hold on his nipple, she began licking her way down his body. She could taste his slightly salty skin as his flavors burst in her mouth. She kissed the layers of muscle making her path downward. The smell of his arousal was driving her nuts.
“Oh dear lord,” he moaned as she took more of his flesh into her mouth.
Charlie grasped the base of his cock and took him deeper. When he hit the back of her throat, she groaned.
Bull hissed and thrusted his hips again before he pulled out. He couldn’t leave her opening all the way but even moving a little gave him pleasure as he mimicked the in and out motions in her mouth. Then he couldn’t take it anymore. He was close to losing his load down her throat and that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to come inside her beautiful pussy.
He pulled out of her mouth altogether and laid her back on the blankets. His mouth and teeth found her nipples again as he sucked and licked. Lifting his mouth, he sucked and nibbled on her neck, finding her sweet spot just below her left ear.
Meanwhile, his hand slid down her belly to the apex of her thighs. The closer he got to her sweet spot the more heat he felt. When he finally reached her pussy he grinned at how wet she was. Warm, slippery flesh met his fingers and she almost screamed when he slid two fingers deep inside her.
“You want me as bad as I want you, don’t you?” he whispered.
“Yes. Please don’t make me wait any more.”
Bull grunted and lowered his hips between her thighs. The tip of his cock brushed her outer lips and then he was pushing inside her wetness. In one hard thrust, he buried himself.
Charlie froze at his intrusion. For a moment, she felt none of the pleasure and all of the pain then she relaxed and allowed her body to accept him. He was so big, she just felt shocked for a moment. She wrapped her legs around his hips and wouldn’t let him go. “Please don’t stop.”