by J Marie
chair.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” I said quickly, fear now racing through my
veins. I was fully recovered now, which meant Darren could hurt me again if he
wanted to. And he was not one to be shy about it. But all he did was crush me to his
chest in a tight bear-like hug while he sighed heavily. I tried not to tremble, afraid
he might squeeze too hard if I moved. Instead, I rested my hands limply on his hips
and waited. He was breathing heavy but didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and I
wished he had remained silent.
“Jaden, you will never see your family again and to think otherwise will only
bring you pain. Let them go, or I will do it for you.”
I shuddered because I recognized the brutal truth of his words, the lingering
threat that reminded me that my family should be as dead to me as I was to them.
And the truth fucking hurt. I felt the world close in on me, felt the weight of the
tears that promised to fall if I didn’t shape the fuck up. Darren knew where they all
were, and he would kill them for my compliance.
“I know,” I said blankly. “But I doubt you’d give up your brothers just as easily.”
I was bold enough to stare up at him after that statement.
Darren wrapped his hands around my face, pulling me toward him and keeping
me in place. That intense stare of his pierced through me, sending wave after wave
of ice up my spine.
“You are not me,” he said with a disapproving tone. “Stop trying to compare in
hopes I will sympathize. I won’t. You are never to bring them up again without my
prompt. Do so, and I will gladly have one eliminated every day until you understand
that the only family you have now is me.”
My breath caught in my throat as the tears pooled in my eyes. “You say the
sweetest things,” I replied, my voice raspy and broken.
“Don’t I always,” he answered and lowered his face to mine.
Suddenly, I forgot about my need to breathe. His lips melted onto my mine, soft
yet domineering as ever. But as the kiss took form, it was just the push my tears
needed to go right over the edge. They fell down my face, trickling through
Darren’s fingers and wetting my skin. I felt my blood rush as Darren’s lips forced
my mouth open wider, allowing his tongue to enter and conquer. By the time he
was finished, I was hot all over and angry as hell.
That night, Darren fucked me mercilessly for hours, reminding me that I was his
by biting into the tattoos of his name on my wrists so I would feel them later. But I
made sure to bite back. I left teeth marks on his shoulder, scratch marks down his
back, and even a few tiny bruises on his forearms from my grip. I hate fucked him
so hard; even I’d be feeling it for days.
When I woke up again, it was still dark, but the light of a small lamp allowed me
to find Darren packing a bag at his dresser. His broad, jacket-covered back faced
me, but I still managed to see that he wasn’t just packing the bag with clothes, he
was packing guns—lots of guns. I laid there on my stomach under the soft sheets,
my arms stretched out under the pillow while I watched Darren through half
hooded, tired lids. His movements were quick, sharp, and determined. He knew
exactly what he was doing, knowing exactly what he needed. I wondered what came
of this and where he was going.
“Go back to sleep, princess,” he said to me without turning around as he
continued to load several mags of ammunition into the side pockets of his bag.
Once I focused on them, I realized they weren’t just for pistols; there was automatic
ammunition going into those pockets. What the fuck was he up to?
“How did you know I was awake?” I asked through a yawn. I could have rolled
over and easily fallen back asleep, but I wanted to know what was going on.
“I heard the change in your breathing pattern. Now, go back to sleep.”
“Where are you going now?” I asked sleepily, ignoring his order for the second
time.
Darren sighed in annoyance. “You know I won’t answer that,” he replied and
zipped up the bag.
I rolled over and pulled the sheet up to my shoulder. “Obviously some place
where automatic weapons will be needed,” I replied, closing my eyes. “I’d wish you
luck, but …”
But I’m hoping you’ll end up eating all those bullets for breakfast.
“You probably should,” he replied casually as he dropped his bag off at the door.
“Have you never wondered what would happen to you should I ever perish?”
Now, this piqued my interest. I had thought about it many times, but I figured if
he was dead and it was obviously not my doing, it would be easier for me to escape.
His empire and brothers would likely be too busy trying to take control and avenge
him to care about me, and I’d be long gone before they even remembered my name.
Hopefully.
“I guess that would depend on how you died, and whether your organization
thought I did it,” I said slyly. “But either way, I doubt I’d be kept around for long.”
I could hear his smile long before I even saw it. I felt Darren’s large hands grip
my ankles and tug me to him toward the end of the bed, allowing him to lean over
me. He placed his hands on either side of my head, so all I could see was the sinister
look on his face. I guess we weren’t laughing anymore because my stomach
immediately shriveled up in knots.
“You will be well cared for, Jaden. If by some miracle, some lucky bastard was
able to take me down, you will be looked after for the rest of your life. But if you
continue to push, if you continue to misbehave and cause trouble for my brothers,
you will find your life with me was much happier in comparison to the confinement
they will subject you to. Understand?”
I furrowed my brows in suspicion. “You expect me to trust that? How do you
know they won’t go against your wishes and kill me? Or worse, sell me off?”
“Because if anything happens to them, I will honor their final wishes just the
same. My middle brother and his wife are about to have their first child in the next
couple of months, and if something were to happen to him, he has my word that
his family will be well cared for in his absence. Just as they will honor me and do
the same for you. That is our code. ‘Honor the dead by way of the living.’”
What the hell did he know of honor? He’d certainly taken mine and made it his
to defend, but where did he get the nerve to say there was honor in his lifestyle?
Nothing was honorable about the way he killed people, about the way he used
them, sold them … fucked them. He was a monster and monsters had no honor.
“Couldn’t you just let me go?” I asked softly. “If you’re gone, there’s no need for
me to be here anymore. I’d just be an inconvenience for everyone else.”
Darren rose from my body, his jaw clenched and his eyes intense as he scowled
down at me. “No, Jaden. The moment you’re free, you’d go running to the
authorities, and I won’t have you putting my organization or my family in
jeopardy,” he said sharply. And then his eyes settled on the amber of mine, a slow
devious smile curving at his lips, and I felt a twing
e of despair run through me
“Even in death, princess, you will always belong to me.”
Even in death, you will always belong to me…
I felt my heart give out.
15
TRAITOR
A fter fucking Jaden one last time, I finally left her in my bed to sleep off her
exhaustion. I grabbed my bag and left Hank and Preston to wait by the door for
Jaden to wake. Scott met up with me in the hallway, carrying his own black bag full
of automatic guns and ammunition. Someone had attacked one of my warehouses
in Florida last night and left the biggest fucking calling card imaginable.
Apparently, Boris Weldimer, the fat fuck who blabbed about my lovely
redheaded purchase at the auction, had a twenty-three-year-old son, Edmund, and
he obviously didn’t like the fact that I’d beaten his father into a vegetative coma a
few months ago. Boris had it coming, though. He’d been talking a lot of shit lately,
blabbing secrets and starting shit with other syndicates. And now, it looked like his
meddling son wanted some attention. Granted.
The only issue was that the warehouse he’d hit was well hidden within my
organization, and the only way that little fucker could have found the location was
if someone on my side had given it up. A snitch existed somewhere within my
ranks, and I was going to find him and gut him for the rest to see. I fucking hated
rats.
At four a.m., Scott and I wordlessly boarded the plane, sitting at opposite ends,
and discussed the strategy for the thirtieth fucking time. Boris owned a string of
strip clubs, all the while hosting private poker parties in the back, a setup I had
secured for him a long ass time ago. Triguard had been receiving ten percent of
their profits for my investment, and now, it looked like our contract was going to
require a little … tweaking.
Edmund Weldimer lived alone in his father’s house in Naples, Florida, and
though the mansion was guarded well throughout all hours of the day, Weldimer’s
security had nothing on my men. It would be as easy as popping balloons on a
dartboard. And then I was going to show the little prick what happened when you
fucked with Darren Davis.
When the plane landed, Scott and I exited; we swung our bags over our shoulders
as a black van pulled up. The two in the front got out, trading Scott for the driver’s
side and me in the passenger seat. The two got in the back with the remaining two
already there and slid the door shut. Four of my best men sat calmly in the
backseat, dressed in black and combat gear, ready for anything. They had already
been scouting the place for a few days, counting ten armed men on the grounds and
five inside the house. I rolled my shoulders in anticipation. This was going to be
fun.
As we drove, images of Jaden’s beautiful naked body kept plaguing my mind.
Wrapped in those silky dark green sheets—which emphasized the creaminess of
her skin and the lush red in her hair—it just made me want to crawl back in and
lose myself with her all over again. I could kick the shit out of myself for hurting
her the way I had. I would never deprive myself of her body again.
About an hour later, Scott finally pulled the car off on a dirt road and parked us
well hidden in the trees. All six of us exited the vehicle and began to load up. After
strapping on black Kevlar vests, we equipped ourselves with as much ammunition
and as many firearms as possible. I checked every one of my guns, making sure a
bullet was in each chamber and adjusting my silencers before sliding them back
into their holsters. A knife was also in each one of my boots and one at my hip.
After checking the connection on our earpiece headsets, we were finally ready to
roll.
“Let’s go,” I said, my voice unable to hide my excitement.
It was still dark out as we silently headed through the trees, but dawn would be
approaching soon, and I wanted this to be over by the time the sun hit the house.
As we breached the perimeter of the property, we scanned the area for the ten
men patrolling the grounds. The property was wide open with the massive brick
mansion in the back. Four men were up toward the front of the house, four in the
back, and one on either side of the property. Piece of cake. On a silent nod, I gave
the order for my men to split up while Scott and I headed for the house.
In a matter of seconds, all the black walking dots dropped to the ground without
so much as a sound. Aiden and Calvin were my best snipers, and this was exactly
why. On high alert, Scott and I quickly took care of the remaining few stragglers as
we hurried through the grounds with a clean sweep. A few short minutes later, the
three of my men regrouped while the fourth watched from a distance to see into the
house and keep us covered.
“How we doin’ Aiden?” I said into my mouthpiece.
“All clear from here,” he replied.
“Good. Let’s move,” I ordered.
We circled around the house to the back entrance, slipping through the door
undetected. My senses ran amuck as I listened for footsteps and watched for
movement. Nothing. Silently making our way through the house, it didn’t take long
before a barrage of loud footsteps came running down the stairs.
Automatic rifles in hand, we rounded the corner and unloaded into the three
advancing men. The sound of gunfire breached the air while my blood rushed with
excitement as we watched Weldimer’s men tumble down the steps in a bloody
mess.
We began to make our way to the stairs when the sounds of claws against
hardwood broke the silence. Barking and snarling, five large Doberman pinchers
ran in our direction, hungry for blood. Raising our rifles, we fired into the quickly
proceeding pack, but two of the five managed to make it past the gunfire. The
biggest one in the pack had already launched himself at me, his teeth ripping into
my forearm before I had a chance to reload my gun. Pain seared into my arm while I
grabbed my pistol and put two in the big fucker’s chest. I dropped him with a loud
squeal, while Scott put the other one down.
“Kid’s held up in the master suite, last door on your right, two armed guards
left, but I don’t have a clean shot,” said Aiden through the headset.
“Got it. Heading up there now,” I replied, heading for the stairs, my men in tow.
Blood was seeping through my sleeve, but I ignored it as I clutched my rifle,
keeping it tight against my shoulder as we maneuvered over the mess of bodies on
the stairs. Once at the top, I immediately scanned the hallway for threats knowing
full well this kid’s security measures were for shit. But the sound of glass breaking
and a loud thump against the floor confirmed Aiden’s kill.
“One down,” he said as the sound of return fire from the window ensued.
Fucking idiots.
My head ran thick with anticipation as we quickly made our way to the door of
the master suite, guns at the ready. Raising my foot, I kicked the door clean off its
hinges and immediately fired at the remaining guard crouched by the window. He
dropped instantly.
Scott was already moving in on Weldimer, narrowly shooting his gun out of
his
hand with a single shot. Panic washed over his pale, sweaty face, and then he did
something even more stupid. He fucking ran. I didn’t want him dead, so I grabbed
the nearest thing to me, which happened to be a small chair, and hurled it at his
back, causing him to collapse to the floor in a heap.
My men quickly circled him, the muzzles of their guns pointing directly at him
while he fucking cowered on the floor. Shaking like a leaf, he raised his hands to his
head in surrender, staring up at me with fear bleeding from his eyes. I smirked.
“Hello, Edmund,” I sneered.
Edmund’s chest rose and fell at an alarming rate, his eyes wide with fear as he
stared up at me from the floor. His blond hair was dirty and disheveled as he
shivered in his worn sweatpants and food-stained t-shirt.
“Look, man, I don’t know what this is about, but you’ve got—”
“Shut the fuck up, Edmund.” I growled. “What? You thought you could just
attack one of my warehouses, and I wouldn’t find out about it?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about, man,” he stuttered.
“Oh, I think you do. You see,” I said, pulling out the stupid red bandana that
contained his little gang’s symbol and tossed it at him, “one of your guys was kind
enough to leave this behind. I thought you might want it back.”
Edmund positively went green. His shit brown eyes lingered on the bandana
while sweat dripped down the sides of his stubbly unkempt face.
Finally, he gained some courage to speak. “Look, I never gave them the order to
do that. They must have—”
My fist had collided with his jaw before he had a chance to finish his lie.
“You spit one more lie to me and I’ll cut your fucking tongue out. There are
cameras in all of my warehouses, you little shit, and I have a nice screenshot of your
fucking face smiling while you killed three of my men and stole over half a million
dollars of my drugs.”
Blood seeped from the side of Edmund’s lip where his teeth had cut into them,
and it made me want to keep hitting him so there would be more. Edmund had
slumped over onto the floor, unable to hold himself up, until Calvin grabbed him by
the shirt to lift him back to his knees.
“Now, I’ve just eliminated your little security fleet with only five of my men.
