“I don’t want your bloodied hands on me,” I struggled, but he didn’t care. It would only excite him even more if I fought him.
“Fuuuuck!” He roared the word out in frustration before he sat back on his haunches.
I lay still, watching him warily. I wasn’t sure what he would do next, and I was afraid. One moment he could be gentle, the next his rough desperation would seep through and I’d be a goner, lost in his embrace.
"You know who I am, I've never hidden that part of myself from you, so why does it surprise you?"
He was right, although he didn't tell me he'd been watching me, he'd never lied about what his purpose was. But it did surprise me how easy it was for him to think of life as nothing. A hunter on the field looking for blood. And that was what shook me to the core.
"Y-you, you take lives as surely as you would flip off a switch. That's not something one could easily swallow. You're so methodical in that skill, so cold and calculating at performing your duties. It frightens me how someone can remove themselves so adamantly from realizing this is another human being. A person who breathes, who thinks, feels... loves.
“I don’t have time to think about that.”
“But you have time to plan their end.”
His head lowered. “This is all I’ve ever been. This…” he pointed to his chest. “It doesn’t beat correctly. It never has.”
I stared at his chest and sorrow filled me. “Maybe it just never learned how to.”
“This is just who I am,” he whispered hoarsely.
“I don’t believe this is who you really are,” I whispered, looking away.
He lifted my chin, and I once again found myself getting lost in his black pools of turmoil. “So who the fuck do you think I am?” He spat out.
“You’re just a man,” I swallowed. “A man who was forced into a circumstance he didn’t want. Just like me. And there was nothing you could have done to help that.”
“And you are so sure of that?” He scowled at me.
“I know that if you were really a monster, you would have killed me.”
He smirked, sarcasm now helping him barricade his feelings. “I liked the smell of your pussy, that’s it.”
“Liar,” I breathed against his mouth, knowing that his words were just a way of lashing out at me. It’s what I felt when he was inside of me that told me I meant more to this man than a simple fuck. No, this man had feelings for me. Feelings than ran deeper than what he wanted to portray.
“Did you do it?”
He lowered his head, that deep wrinkle lining his brow. “I didn’t kill her.”
“Why not?”
His hands slid up my neck until he cupped my cheeks, his eyes staring deep into mine. “I didn’t fucking do what I needed to do to protect you, because of you. Because of how you’d look at me.”
“And how would I look at you?”
“Like I look at myself. With hate and disdain and I wouldn’t bear it very long. I’d kill myself if I Knew you hated me.”
I stayed quiet, watching as he struggled, yet unable to say anything because he was right. I would have hated him. But I’m more shocked that I don’t. I don’t hate him not one bit.
“Now what happens?”
His tone lowers, and that rawness in his voice incites my fear. “Now every fucker out there is going to come looking for us.”
I wrapped my hands around his, and he pressed his forehead to mine. "I'm just tired. I don't want to think anymore."
His hands swept up the slope of my bare back. I gasped as he gripped the ropes, forcing me to arch my back so he could take one of my peaked pebbles into his mouth, sucking and biting on it. I cried out, my body betraying me as I sank into his arms, loving the feel of his mouth on me. My brain was screaming that this wasn't right, but my body had him memorized. It craved his touch and his roughness. He slid between my thighs, sliding his fingers along the wet crevice of my slit, causing me to whimper.
“Let me worship you, Rose.” I sighed as his tongue swept across me. “Let me offer you myself as a shield. I’ll protect you.”
“At the cost of my life. My body?”
He yanked me down beneath him, his eyes black and dangerous. “You’re life belongs to me now. Don’t you see?” His hands cradled my cheeks. “You’re mine to protect,” his gaze lowered, lingering on my body and heating me up inside. “You’re mine to devour.”
I yelled out as he pulled my hair back, his hard mouth covering my own, his tongue tasted of cinnamon as it tangled with my own. His calloused fingers forced their way between my legs and ran the slippery course of my pussy. My hips responded instinctively pushing against him as his tongue wrestled with mine while he fucked me. And oh, he fucked me so good, lighting my body up in tiny sparks of life, my head fell back as his mouth covered my tits, sucking and biting them while I humped at his hand. I must have looked like a needy whore at that moment, but the thought only excited me.
“That’s my good girl. Are you gonna explode for me, Baby Girl?”
I whimpered as he nipped at my earlobe, biting my neck. “Scream my name as you cum, Princess.”
“Jake!” My body responded, shaking and quivering as his name fell from my lips. I barely had time to register the feeling when he pressed me back onto the bed, entering me swiftly, my pussy easily accommodating him, wanting him.
"Oh, that's a good pussy, baby."
"Jake, please." I wasn't sure what I was pleading for. My dignity, to have my body back, for him to leave me, all while I clawed at him to stay buried deep inside of me. My cunt was hungry for more of his brutal ravaging. He was made from bloodshed and fear, he smelled of freshly cut grass and leather, and he fit so flawlessly inside of me. He was irrefutably my perfect monster.
“Fuck!” I cried out as he started to plunge into my body. His cock was angry and hard as a rock as it took what it wanted from me. My innocence, my morality, my life. Over and over he took and took, giving me every ounce of forced pleasure that he could. Because I liked it. I wanted it more than words can explain. He made me feel everything, shielding me from this numbness that coursed through my veins. I kicked up at him, trying to rut him off and prayed that he’d hold me down. His smirk said it all as he fucked me harder, deeper, one hand around my neck, the other flicking my clit.
“Fucking give me what I want, Baby Girl.”
His lips dragged against mine as my airflow was cutoff. My pussy clenched and convulsed all along his rippling dick, and I did what he demanded. I came so hard and so good, my body resonated in lust. His hands dragged across my heaving breasts, adoring me with his touch, and I gave him what we both needed. I handed over every ounce of my sad soul, for him to do with as he pleased.
13
JAKE
There was only one way to finish this off, and that was by turning my barrel on the one man who held the contract. No one is safe in this world, and the Baranovs had security for a reason. When you fuck around in the black market, enemies exist, and Lyksander Baranov had plenty. I'd read the messages before, the threats that came in daily, wanting his head on a silver platter. They all derived from one place. A place where any of us who were not involved in it, feared.
The Castle.
The Castle was a base for a secret underground Assassin’s ring. They called them The Prophets. Their credo was to chastise the sins of sinners, and the Baranovs were at the top of their list. Being in the Prophets sights meant imminent death, yet I was about to put myself on their radar.
Sending an encrypted message, I waited. I was told never to contact them, that they would eventually find me, but desperate times…I’d played with the idea before, wondering what this elite group of contracted killers had to offer. They were always one step ahead, always ready to pounce at the first disturbance that arose or affected their clients. Clients who were well protected and some even sought after. I didn’t know if they would bite, but I had something they didn’t. Inside intel. I would be able to do what they
wanted without a second glance. All they needed to do for me, was reassure my Rose’s safety.
A message came through a few minutes later, and I knew they’d been monitoring me. The message sent me through several encrypted sites until a phone call came through, the man on the other side of the screen was secluded and draped in shadows, and his voice was distorted.
"Jake Cavanaugh. Age: 35. Nationality: Russian American. Ex-military and works for the great Bratva. It is a pleasure to meet you, Executioner. What brings you to knock on our door?”
My military call sign made my blood run cold. It was given to me by the Commander of my Special Forces unit as punishment for a crime that shouldn’t have ever been committed. The mission I was involved in had gone haywire. Wrong information was given to our unit, and ten innocent lives were taken. I was the one in charge of the communication, first day out on the grounds, and yet he blamed me for not being able to decipher the message correctly. The name had stuck throughout my whole career and now it was being thrown in my face.
But then again, there was no fighting the truth of what I had become, was there?
“I know who you are and what you need. I’m here because I can deliver.”
“And you think you can complete this job on your own?”
“I can. I will. But my price is high and I come with stipulations.”
The man chuckled. “No one places any type of provisions on the Castle. You need us, or did you suddenly have a relapse in memory? Because I will gladly remind you what’s at stake here. And she seems to be safely tucked away for now.”
An image of Rose seated at the airport came onto the screen, and I froze. Of course, they knew. They always knew everything. One step ahead, remember.
“There is a contract on both your heads, we just didn’t care much for it. I could easily have one of my men end her life in this instant, but what good would that do? I’d just have more eyes on my Prophets and I cannot have that. So here’s what we’re going to do. You bring me what we require, and I will bring you under the safety umbrella of The Castle.”
I knew there was going to be a catch, and in truth, I had no other option. “My life for hers, then.”
“Deal. And make sure the media hears about it. I need the client to be satisfied.”
“What about Vadik?”
“The message will go through. He won’t ever set his eyes on you again. If he does, he’ll go down just like his father.”
“And you think he is actually going to listen to you.”
"Those who don't listen must feel." The threat hung heavy as he continued to give instructions. "You have until dawn. Don't disappoint us, Executioner."
I found him seated at the head of the dining room table. Getting into the building was effortless. I’d simply walked past Security as if I were coming back home, I was never questioned or stopped. I knew Vadik well, and he kept as much as he could from his father. I just didn’t realize just how much. I was expecting a fight, but they just let me right in, or maybe they were just turning a blind eye.
When I entered the room, all eyes fell on me. It was a shame I had to disrupt such a fancy supper. When this was over, the gold on the rims of the dinnerware would get splattered in blood and all the fine furnishings ruined. His wife sat to his right, in a rose-colored chiffon dress that probably cost her at least half a million. The man on the right I had seen on several occasions, he was Vadik's godfather, and Lyksander's right hand in all business dealings. He was also the man who had given me my most recent contract. His eyes focused on me and he knew what was about to happen, yet he said nothing. I could only presume, he was The Castle's anonymous client.
Approaching the table, I slowly lifted my gun, pointing it at the man across from me. Lysander was a big Russian. His greed and gluttony reflected in his big belly and the shiny gold chains he wore around his neck. He smirked, looking smug as he pushed back his chair.
“Eh, eh,” I waved the gun. “Sit your ass down.”
“If it isn’t my number one! What are you doing, Cavanaugh? This is so unbecoming.”
“I didn’t come here to have a conversation.”
He crossed his arms around his big belly and leaned back. “Whatever they are paying you, I will double.”
I gave out a sharp chuckle. “What they offer is so much more than you have ever given me.”
His scowl deformed his face into that of the vicious businessman he was. "You think you can come to my house, place my wife in danger, and you will leave here alive?"
I smirked. “No. But I will tell you this. If I am harmed, your son will pay the price, you can blame him for all of this anyway.”
“Vadik?” His smile faded and anger took its place. No one ever dared mention his son, nor did Lyksander forgive anyone who called his family liars or corrupt. He had a very short fuse when it came to things like that, and I was lighting it.
“If it weren’t for him, your fate would have been very different.”
“My fate is that of a Baranov and someone as worthless as you, does not have the right-”
I cut him off. “I don’t need to listen to your empty sermons anymore. I’ve had enough of those in my lifetime. See, now it’s my turn to speak and your turn to listen.”
He started to talk again, and the first bullet went through his shoulder, his wife screamed and I pointed the gun at her, holding her rigid in her seat.
“You take and you take, destroying lives along the way and it astounds me how you think you’ll get away with it. But in the end, there’s always someone more treacherous than you. That’s one thing you did teach me...never trust anyone, and always question everything. Seems like you needed to heed your own warning.”
I glanced over at the man to his left and he simply glanced away. Lyksander raised his head, his eyes full of loathing. “You will pay for this.”
“I’ve already paid my dues. Now, it’s your turn.”
“My son-”
“Your son is the cause of all this! Your son,” I said the word with disgust. “He’s a vile piece of shit who will also pay his dues, and these are the consequences of protecting a snake like him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Castle sends its regards.”
The second bullet hit him in the throat, sending him back a few feet. Crimson blood sprayed across the white sheer curtains. The shrill scream of his wife made me focus on her. Two for the price of one. One swift bullet into her thick skull made the screaming stop. Her blank eyes focused on me, the hole in her forehead gave off a stream of smoke, and ever so slowly, her chair fell back against the floor. Casualties of death occur on a daily basis, but this bitch deserved what she got. She was even more vicious than her husband and on more than one occasion I found her in bed with her stepson, both enjoying the same perversions.
The banging on the door became even more persistent, and I needed to be quick. I walked over to the gurgling Lyksander. Looking over at the man still seated at the table, I nodded at him, and he acknowledged me in the same manner.
Lysander reached out to him. “Vasily,” he croaked, his body convulsing on the floor. Blood seeped into the beige carpeting, and I grimaced in disgust as it seeped through, nearly touching my expensive shoes.
“Vasily is no longer under your leadership, Baranov.” The man stood, throwing the napkin down at Lysander’s face. He stared down at him, disdain in his face. “Your job is done, Prophet. Leave him to suffer.”
“I need to reassure them I’ve closed out the contract.”
“I already have,” he signaled to the phone in his hand.
I looked down at the man bleeding out by my feet and I crouched over him. Slowly, I slid the napkin off his face and watched. There was something about watching a person take their last breath, which always caught my attention. Right before they died, a bluish tint would smear their lips, their eyes would glaze over. Lyksander’s were horror-filled and they were fixed on me. He was terrified of me and that reacti
on gave me the satisfaction that I was searching for. I would be the last person he saw before his soul left its body. He grabbed at my jacket and a strangled plea came out. I shook my head in disappointment, prying his fingers off me.
There would be no sympathy for the wicked. Not tonight.
"You created the monster I am today," I whispered to him. "It's no wonder the monster has now slain the creator."
I threw the napkin back in his face and walked out, never looking back again.
Epilogue
JAKE
The Eiffel tower illuminated the sky right outside our window, and Rose stretched out beside me, her leg propped up around my thigh, her head perched on my chest, hand those soft melodic breaths reassured me of her safety. I’d come home late this evening, sliding into the covers beside her, and she instinctively wrapped herself around me.
Lyksander and the Baranov family made the news that night. It all looked like his bad deeds had caught up with him and the Bratva couldn’t care less. The news had reported a couple died in a car crash along the icy roads, and Rose and I flew out a few hours later without any worries.
I’d left Vadik and the rest of the Baranov excrement in the hands of The Castle. He was well taken care of, and a few months later, thanks to Vasily, he was splattered on the roof of a car one night after his fortune had disappeared. The Prophets would know what to do with the rest. Of course, I had to sell my soul to them, but what did I expect, Rose and my freedom came at a cost, but it was well worth the fee.
She moaned in her sleep and I knew she was dreaming of me. Smiling, I reached down between her legs, and there it was, her heat coated in honey. It was satisfying knowing that she came for me even in her dreams. Her body was so completely aware that I was the only one who could give her what she needed. She rolled her hips, her wet pussy sliding against my hip and I sucked off my fingers, the taste of her made me crave her all over again.
Leave Me Breathless: The Black Rose Collection Page 28
