Distilled Duplicity

by Louise Furley

  Duce ordered, “Hold your hand out.” When she just stared at him in confusion, he barked, “Now!” She raised her arm, one brow arched in question. He grabbed her wrist, slammed her palm on the counsel and yanked a small emergency ax off the wall.

  “D- Duce?” Melonie tried to pull her hand away, he held her fast. “Wha-” Duce whipped the ax down and chopped off half her pinky. It rolled, she screamed, Duce grabbed it, muttered, “I didn’t say which sister.”

  Jerking Kiri to her feet, using her as a shield, he dragged her to the side of the boat and set the finger on the broad edge. With her hands behind her back no one could see that it wasn’t her finger he’d chopped off. He traipsed back to the phone, his arm around Kiri, gun to her head.

  Smiling at the phone, he said, “Okay, gypsy boy, get your scope out and see what I put on the ledge. Your precious girl’s finger. I have nine more to go, then I start on the toes.” Inside the bridge, Melonie rolled on the floor screaming, holding a towel around her bloody hand. It was all Kiri could do to not lose her lunch.

  “Stop caterwauling Mel, and get us the fuck out of here,” Duce demanded. When she just scrunched up wailing, he warned her, “You want to go to prison, just lay there like a wallowing sow.”

  Her face white as a sheet, Kiri cried, “Duce, please, oh my God, what is wrong with you? Stop this madness!”

  “Delducci!” Naithon’s voice shouted from the phone.

  Duce moved back to it, staying ducked just inside the bridge. “Yeah? I don’t see anybody moving away out there, thug, do I need to go for another finger?”

  “I’ll leave as soon as I see that Kiri is all right. Bring her out!”

  Melonie curled into herself, writhing and wailing on the floor. Making an impatient sound, Duce pushed Kiri back to her knees, trod to Melonie. Bending, he grabbed her arm and wrenched her to her feet then roughly hauled her to the wheel and shoved her violently at it. “Get this bucket of bolts going, Mel, before I think I’m better off without your useless ass.”

  She fell onto the counsel, her face banging on the counter. She had to grab at the wheel to keep from falling. Sobbing, she wrapped the towel back around her hand and put her shaking fingers to the key.

  Pulling Kiri up on trembling legs, curling his hand around the front of her throat and the gun to her head, Duce pushed her to the door. He threatened, “You run, girl and I’ll shoot you in the back. Now, don’t fight me.” Nudging her through the narrow doorway first, he had to move the gun to the side so he could still hold onto her and step sideways out the door.

  Just as he fully cleared the doorway, Kiri was suddenly torn from his hand and thrust aside. Her hands bound behind her back, she eeked a tiny squeal as she stumbled against the side of the bridge then fell to the deck.

  Stunned momentarily into a statue, Duce gripped the edge of the doorway to quickly pull himself back inside.

  Too late. Naithon drove his fist smashing upwards into Duce’s nose. Bones cracked, blood gorged, Duce howled. One hand on his broken nose, Duce swung the gun around to shoot him, Naithon caught Duce’s arm and slammed it down on his knee. The loud crack sounded as his arm broke in half.

  Duce dropped to his knees with a wail, and folded over clutching his injured arm, blood gushed from his nose.

  Wet blond hair sticking to his forehead, Naithon clamped his fists together and brought them down on the back of Duce’s neck, another crack, Duce face planted, legs sprawled, and stopped moving. Naithon gave him a brutal stomp on his back, more cracking, then stepped from the door.

  Kiri had fallen, landing sideways when Naithon had grabbed her and threw her out of the way. She balanced on her elbow, legs curled, hands still bound. Naithon rushed to her, crouched down, pulled her into his arms.

  “Baby, baby,” he groaned against her neck, hugging her fiercely. He sat down and moved her between his crossed legs.

  “Naithon,” Kiri sobbed into his shoulder, “you came for me,” she gasped, “you came for me.”

  Hugging her tightly, he murmured in her hair, “Did you ever doubt I would?”

  She shook her head, sniffed, whispered, “No, never.”

  “It’s always you, you fucking bitch,” Melonie snarled from the arch of the bridge. She held a gun aimed at them. “For the last time,” face twisted in an outraged grimace she ranted, “the last time you come between me and my men!” Her finger moved on the trigger- Naithon curled his body over Kiri.

  “Good riddance you bitch!” Melonie shrieked, then she gasped, uttered a cry of pain, dropped the gun and crumpled to the floor. A knife stuck out of her shoulder. She lay writhing on the deck, screeching for help.

  Naithon looked over and saw Mazonn grinning cheerfully at him, he smiled back, “Always the good timing, Maz.”

  Maz nodded happily, then strode to where Melonie lay screaming. Kicking the gun out of her reach, he crouched on his haunches, yanked his knife out, wiped the blood on his jeans and shoved it in the sheath in his boot. He clutched Melonie’s arms and rolled her over on her belly then cuffed her wrists.

  “Oww,” she wailed, “my finger, my shoulder- you stabbed me you fucking asshole, get these things off me!”

  Maz clamped the cuffs tight. “Shut up, honey, or I’ll gag your filthy mouth.”

  “You stabbed me! You’re a murderer!” she shrieked, kicking her feet.

  “Ah, just a tiny prick. The hole in your arm I mean, not you,” he joked. “You’re lucky I have excellent aim, coulda missed your shoulder and gashed your black heart. Now, quit whining, you’ll thank me later. I got your finger on ice. They may be able to reattach it, eh? Be a wicked scar, but a great reminder of your fabulous vaca here on the yacht.”

  He grinned at Naithon, shaking his head, he tut-tutted at his friend. “You allowed yourself to get distracted again by the chickadee, let the bad guys get near.”

  Lines from boats tossed on board, men swarmed the yacht. They trolled over the entire boat searching for anyone else that might be hiding. Vlad and Teo cuffed Duce, who was conscious, but lay unmoving, too much in agony to do more than whimper weakly.

  “Here, baby.” Naithon moved Kiri so he could untie the cord around her wrists. Tossing it aside, he cupped her face, and frowned miserably. His thumb brushed above the cut on her lip. His gaze lowered to the bite mark that was bruising on her breast. “Kiri, meu Dio, what did that animal to you?” He set a palm over the bite. Then his head turned towards Duce lying groaning in mind boggling pain.

  Naithon made to get up, finish the bastard off. Kiri caught his arm. “No, leave him. Brutality in self-defense is okay, cold-blooded, no,” she shook her head. Her eyes filled with tears.

  “It’s called vengeance,” he responded fiercely, but he allowed her to hold him back. Gently cupping the back of her neck, he turned her to search for more injuries. “Baby, are you hurt anywhere else?”

  Her head shook. “No, I’m okay, now. Just…relieved that it’s over. And happy to be with you,” her soft smile cooled the rage burning in his chest. He gathered her back in his arms. She leaned back a smidge. “Um, Naithon, what are you wearing? You’re wet.”

  His chuckle rumbled as he pressed her head against his shoulder. “It’s a wet suit. Or more accurately, a dry suit for the cold water. I knew we could only get the boats so close to this yacht before Duce would retaliate. I distracted him with the phone call,” he wriggled his eyebrows at Maz, who grinned back at him.

  Melonie cursed, Maz pressed her face into the floor on the cold tile that was roughly abraded to avoid sliding, and she quieted.

  “I don’t understand,” Kiri said, nestling in Naithon’s arms as his men scoured the ship and paramedics hopped aboard to work on Duce and Melonie.

  Cradling her jaw, he tilted her head up and kissed her softly, avoiding her cut lip. “I brought the boats as close as I could, then donned the dry suit, flippers, snorkel, and slid into the ocean. Maz impersonated me on the phone keeping Duce distracted while I swam here. We have the same accents, d
eep voices, close enough to fool Delducci.”

  Her head angled back, his hand still holding her gently, her lids fell half-mast, her smile curved sweetly. “I knew it wasn’t you, but I didn’t know what you were up to.”

  “While Duce spoke with Maz, and butchered his sister, Maz talked him into bringing you out on the deck. If you stayed inside the bridge with him, he could have hurt you before I could get to him. I had already climbed aboard the yacht and was waiting behind metal casings,” he nodded to the side of the bridge. “You know the rest.”

  She raised her wrist, the gold watch glinted in the diminished sunlight. “Duce said you put tracers in my watch and earrings. But we were pretty far away for something like that to work, weren’t we?”

  Naithon agreed, “Ja, that’s true. What Duce hadn’t figured on was that since I knew he had a boat, and you were dining on the water, that it was likely he would be using the sea to his advantage.”

  “Okay, so?”

  “So, I had boats at that nearby marina ready to fence him in if he tried to do anything on the water. Problem was, some idiot tourists came in from boating all day and fully blocked the channel, thereby obstructing my boats. By the time they got out and Teo swung by the restaurant to pick me up, you were already fucking gone.”

  The fear and frustration of that moment, standing helplessly on the deck watching Duce’s yacht grow tinier than an ant disappearing into an anthill while he waited for his own boats to get into action, gouged lines of anguish around his eyes that would stay for days.

  Heaving a settling breath, he said, “But, because we were on the boats and heading in the direction Duce fled, even if we couldn’t see you, we eventually got close enough to pick up the trace. I also had a handful of choppers searching the entire radius from the restaurant and out. There was nowhere he could hide from me.”

  Kiri smiled meekly, ducking her head. “I guess you get to say I told you so, that you warned me I could be putting myself in grave danger. You were right.”

  His mouth flattened into a grim line. “Honey, I’d rather not ever have to say that to you. I could have lost you forever today, it’s not something I want to joke about.” He climbed to his feet and gently drew her up, his arm still around her. “Let’s go home, baby. Okay?”

  Her head nodded wearily against his shoulder. “Yes, Naithon, I’m ready to go home, to our home,” her head dipped back, she smiled up at him, “with you.”

  “Good.” He pulled her in tight against his strong body. “When we get home you can show me how sorry you are for not listening to me.”

  “Naithon,” she was going to rebuke him, then she shrugged. “Okay, you can tell me what I can do to show my repentance.”

  He grinned down at Kiri, hugged her and said, “Now that’s a plan. I have many ideas. By the way…” he trailed off.

  “Yes?”

  “I told you so.”

  Epilogue

  Naithon lay on his side, his hand curled over Kiri’s breast. Fondling the soft, firm flesh, he bent and nipped her nipple, goose bumps rose on her ivory skin and the nipple hardened into a tiny pink bud.

  Kiri giggled as he played with her body. “Naithon, we’ve spent all day in bed, aren’t you ever sated?”

  “Never.” He licked her breast, squeezing it, he chewed on her nipple. “I will never have enough of you, baby, I’ve told you that.”

  She sighed and relaxed into the mattress and let him play.

  An hour later, Naithon rolled off the bed with a grunt, traipsed into the bathroom, cleaned himself then came out with a warm wet towel and cleaned Kiri while she giggled.

  Chuckling at her, he dropped the cloth and sat on the edge of the bed. Brushing her hair off her face, he asked, “Are you happy, my lamb?”

  Smiling easily, she responded, “Yes, Naithon, I am very happy.”

  “Will you stay with me?”

  Her brow furrowed. “I’m pretty sure you’ve always said I have no choice.”

  “What if I gave you that choice?”

  “You mean you would let me go? Set me free?”

  Sadness palled his rugged face, he replied, “I love you, Kiri, more than life itself. I would die inside if you left me, but,” he sighed sadly, “yes. If that’s what you really, truly wanted, like the caged bird that sings songs of lost freedom, I would…let…you go.”

  Kiri sat up. “Do you mean it?”

  His shoulders slumped, he nodded glumly. He slipped his hand around the side of her face, thumb caressing her satiny cheek. “I love you, Kiri. That means I want what makes you happy. If that’s what you want, we’ll find you a house, you choose it, I’ll pay for it. I insist on buying you a car, you take your wardrobe, jewelry, I’ll buy you a studio.

  “I would…like it if you can, finish the mural…with me, at the distillery and the decorating of the tasting room. It’ll never turn out right if you don’t do it.”

  She nodded slowly. “Yes, sure, if that’s what you want.”

  Naithon looked so sad, dejected, miserable, Kiri thought he was going to cry. He moved off the bed and pulled his jeans on. Looking away from her, he murmured, “Okay. When do you want to…go?”

  “Naithon,” she said softly. He stood with his head turned. “Naithon, please, look at me.” He did, his lips pressed firmly together, jaw working. One brow lifted over a sad eye.

  Kiri asked, “Do you want me to leave?”

  His mouth fell open. “Of course not. Are you insane? Have you not heard me repeatedly tell you I want us to stay together, forever? Do my words just bounce off your skull?”

  Her smile twitched. “Uh, yeah, kind of hard not hear your declarations. But, that’s lust, Naithon,” she turned serious. “That’s not strong enough of a thread to hold a couple together. We’ll grow old, I’ll grow old. You’ll be surrounded by young, gorgeous strippers that will throw themselves in your lap until you die. You will not want me then.”

  His face crunched in pain. “Baby,” he picked her hand up and kissed her fingers. “Sometimes you can be a dense as a rock.”

  At her frown, he said, “Listen to me, I. Love. You. I don’t want, will never want another woman. I can’t wait to grow old with you. Together. Raising our children. Even when we die and move on to the forever realm, whatever that is, we’ll still be together however it works. Our energy will stay entwined, baby.”

  Dropping her hand, rifling his fingers through his thick hair, he sighed. “But, I told you, if you want to go, I won’t stand in your way. Don’t expect me to do fucking cartwheels over it.” Mouth turned down desolately, he stared at her like he wanted to imprint her in his brain. Her lovely naked body, gorgeous, soft face, glowing green eyes.

  Rubbing his palm over a muscled pec, he muttered, “How, ah,” his voice hoarse with loss, he asked, “when do you want to go?”

  Kiri climbed to her knees, Naithon drank in her hot naked body like rain on parched earth. “Ah, pigeon,” his grin twisted bleakly, “you kneel there like that with those gorgeous chubby tits,” his gaze slid down, “tiny waist, tight tender sex,” the gaze could heat fire on a stark winter day.

  Air tore from lungs constricted in despair, he said, “I, ah, need to go. If I look at you for one more second, I won’t be able to let you go.” He pivoted to walk out of the room.

  “Naithon,” her voice a lilting purr, he stopped dead in his tracks. “Come here, Naithon.”

  Murmuring, “Babe,” he shook his head without turning around. “I can’t. I can’t watch you leave me.”

  He started walking, her voice a sexy hush, she spoke, “I said, come here, Naithon.”

  His bare feet stopped, toes dug into the plush carpet. “Kiri, please…”

  “You get your fine ass over here right now, Mr. Adranokov.”

  His shoulders rippled with a chuckle, he said, “Hmm, sounds like someone is itching to feel my big hand smacking her round little bottom, ja?”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Adranokov, I can’t hear what you’re saying.”<
br />
  Slowly he turned, a half-cocked smile on his rocky face. She was still on her knees with a sultry little grin; hands clasped behind her back, displaying her perfect, naked body.

  “Pigeon.” He started moving back to the bed. “I get there, and you’re still sitting like that, I’m gonna grab those tits you’re shoving at me, and crush them, grind them in my hands and bite those nipples until you scream. Then I’m gonna slam you on your back, dig my face between your thighs, use my fingers and my mouth to make you scream some more.”

  A few steps away, she didn’t move, her grin grew sultrier.

  Still approaching, he told her, “Then, baby, I’m gonna climb up your body, plunge inside that tight silky channel of yours until you’re shouting my name, and I’m yelling yours. Then I’m gonna flip you on your hands and knees and do it again. Harder. You hear me? You have half a second to tell me to back away.”

  Her head tilted to the side, beguiling him, Kiri cupped her breasts, provocatively squeezing them. Her bare hips swiveled, she licked her lips- and he was on her.

  Naithon flattened her with his body, she squealed and squirmed under him giggling. She bit then licked his flat nipple.

  A shudder whorled like a corkscrew of fire through his body, making his already hard erection thick and heavy. “Hey, quit it,” he groaned, “I want to be inside you when I come.”

  He moved up on his elbows and smiled down at her. “You are the sexiest vixen I’ve ever seen,” his expression stiffened. “What’s going on, Kiri, you can’t tease me then walk away. What is this, one more fuck before you go? One for the road?”

  Raising her head she licked his chin. “I never said I wanted to go, Naithon, I only asked if you loved me enough to let me go. You do. Baby,” she stroked his face, her caress loving.

  Lowering his head, he kissed her, long, slow, seductive. Drawing his head back, he said, “Are you saying you want to stay, with me? For…how long?”

  Both her hands stroked his face. “Like you keep saying, Naithon, forever. You see,” she lifted her head to kiss him then laid back down. “I love you too. Heaven knows why. You’re a dominating bully, over-protective, sexist, chauvinistic, hotheaded, bossy as all heck-” He seized her mouth, kissed her until she was drunk with passion and quiet.