Uncle Randy’s nose was nowhere to be seen.
“Excellent.” Dustan congratulated me but still kept his hands off. “Again.”
I repositioned. The feel of the gun firing in my hand quickly became second nature. Dustan had had me fire off four magazines a day since he’d started my lessons. The kickback didn’t startle me anymore, and the loud pop of the shot became background noise.
I squeezed off another round, and another until the last bullet left the chamber and the magazine was empty. Only then did Dustan step forward and touch me. He placed a hand on my shoulder to get my attention then offered another loaded magazine.
I took it, reloading the gun how he’d shown me and racked the slider back to start again. Once I was positioned, he tapped my shoulder.
“Not the tree.” He pointed to the left of it. “There’s a deer.”
I swallowed. “You want me to kill the deer?”
“It won’t go to waste. We’ll take it with us, and I’ll drop it with someone who’ll use it.” His brows lowered.
I tapped my teeth together, thinking, letting the idea rattle around my brain. A life. I’d be taking a life, and I needed to get my heart used to the idea.
I nodded and moved my aim toward Bambi. My target lined up with its chest. Would that do it clean? Or would I have to hit it twice?
My heart hammered; my breath picked up no matter how much I tried to slow it down. The deer’s ears twitched while it munched down on some grass.
The sound of my own panting deafened me as moments ticked by without movement from me. I touched the trigger, pushing myself to do what I needed to do. To get through this test. Because that’s what it was. If not for Dustan, for myself.
The deer raised its head and turned toward us, still chewing. I swallowed. My aim moved now to the head. A cleaner shot. Faster death.
“Fuck!” I moaned and dropped my arms. The deer trotted off unscathed and unknowing of how close it came to death.
“It’s okay.” Dustan removed the gun from my hand and released the slide. “Let’s get some food before we hit the road.” He tugged on my arm.
“I can do it, Dustan,” I said again, angry with myself and with him for doubting me. I could sense it. I knew it was lingering in his mind that I didn’t have it in me.
He stopped walking and lifted my chin with his fist. “Still didn’t say you couldn’t,” he said.
“You think it.”
“I think you’ll do what’s right when the time comes. It’s who you are. Doing the right thing.”
“I’m not that good,” I defended.
He laughed. “I never said doing the right thing was a good thing.”
“You confuse me.”
He brushed a kiss over my lips, soft and tender, muddling my tense thoughts even more. “Good. You’re cute when you’re confused.”
“And when I’m scared?” I asked quietly, the small ball of fear for the next day bouncing steadily in my stomach.
“When you’re afraid of me? Of what I’m going to do to you, how hard I’m going to fuck you or spank you…you’re sexy as hell.”
The ball of fear rolled off to the side, and desire built up in me. No number of touches from Dustan were enough, I always craved another.
“And right now?” I asked, narrowing my eyelids.
“Right now, I’m going to feed you a sandwich and strap you into the car.” He winked and stepped back. “There’ll be enough time for the rest when we get to the motel tonight.”
I took a deep breath and tried to play like his teasing didn’t affect me. But I should have known better.
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, earning a sharp smack to my ass. When I spun around to him, he grabbed my shoulders and kissed the snark right out of me.
I softened beneath his strength, pressing my hands to his chest, feeling his muscles, his tension, and melting into it. A hand wrapped around my neck, holding me firmly when he pulled back.
“You’re going to be fine. You’ll do fine, and if at any time you need me—you ask. All right, darlin’?” His questions were rushed, like if he didn’t get them out fast enough, I’d change topics on him.
“Yeah, Dustan. I know.” I nodded, curling my fingers into his shirt.
“Good.” He kissed the tip of my nose, the gentlest gesture he’d ever given me, and smacked my ass again. “Sandwich.” He let me go and walked ahead of me to the house, not looking back to see if I was following.
He didn’t need to.
He already knew I would be only a few steps behind him.
Following where he led.
Dustan
A heavy cigar smell clung to the air in the motel room, but Cherise didn’t complain. Her nose scrunched up when we walked in, but she kept her opinion about it to herself. She’d been quiet nearly the entire drive.
“I need a shower.” She dropped her bag on one of the queen beds. “A hot bath would be amazing. Do you think there’s a tub?” she asked, rolling her head from one side to the other.
I peeked inside the washroom, standard tub and toilet. Clean. “There’s a tub, but not sure how relaxing it will be.”
She heaved a sigh and dug out a T-shirt from the bag. Her nightgown. I intentionally hadn’t gotten her any pajama-type clothes, but apparently, she was used to sleeping in T-shirts because she never questioned it.
“Hot shower will have to do.” She balled up the shirt in her hand.
“I’ll order some food,” I offered, picking up the local take-out menu left by the telephone.
“I’m not really hungry,” she said and breezed past me into the bathroom, shutting the door softly once inside.
Not hungry. She had barely touched her sandwich before we left and hadn’t eaten anything while we were driving. Her nerves were getting the best of her. Tomorrow was going to be a dark day in her life, and I knew dark.
I ordered a small cheese pizza with a side salad and some sodas then checked on Cherise. I pushed the door open enough to hear the water running and her gentle hum.
Satisfied she’d be occupied for the next few minutes, I pulled up the contact information Arthur sent me a few hours ago and dialed. A rough-sounding voice answered the phone.
“I have it.” The gruff voice answered my question before I asked it. I went to the window and pushed the curtain to the side with my fingers, checking the parking lot below.
“Good. You know where to bring it?” I asked, eyeing a car pulling into the lot. A grey minivan parked two spots down from our door, and a gaggle of kids dressed in soccer uniforms and laughing bounded out the side doors.
“Yeah. Send me the time, and I’ll be there.”
A man looking proud and worn out climbed out of the driver’s side, and he motioned for the woman to come around the car. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to his side for a kiss before following the kids off to their room.
“Will do.” I clicked off the call. I leaned forward a bit, trying to catch another glimpse of the couple, but they’d strolled beneath the walkway out of sight. As tired as they both looked, when he’d touched her, she’d lit up for him. A simple kiss to her head, and they’d both seemed to have melted into each other.
“What’s so interesting out there?” Cherise’s soft voice carried through the motel room. I dropped the curtain and faced her, taking in her sweetness.
Droplets of water clung to her shoulders from the ends of her hair brushing along them. I walked to her and grasped her chin, eliciting a small gasp. She was even sweeter when I caught her off guard.
I turned her face. “This bruise is finally starting to fade.” I ran my thumb over the discolored flesh. I didn’t regret my actions—at the time they were warranted, but I didn’t like seeing the evidence of it every damn time I looked at her.
“Turn around so I can see your ass.” I knew I was being rough. I couldn’t help it when it came to her. Gentle didn’t suit her, and it sure as fuck never suited me.
I spun her around, r
ipping the towel from her body as she moved.
“Dustan.” She put her hands up against the wall when I pressed her to it; she twisted to look at me over her shoulder.
I flattened my hand between her shoulder blades, keeping her against the wall so I could get a good look at her ass without any interruptions. The welts had eased, and only two small yellowish-purple splotches remained as evidence of her prior whippings. My fingertips skated across her skin, her perfectly smooth, creamy skin.
The image of the couple popped into my mind. I tilted back to look up at her, to see her expression. Her tongue touched her top lip. Her pupils large and round, knocking out the milk-chocolate coloring of her eyes. She was lit up. For me.
I smacked her ass, grinning at her little jump of surprise. “On the bed,” I ordered and released her. She scrambled onto it, not bothering to grab for the towel that lay at her feet.
She scooted on the mattress until her back pressed against the headboard; her gaze roaming over my body as I moved toward her. I stripped out of my clothes, not being smooth or seductive about the affair. I just needed my skin against hers.
I slid onto the bed, grabbing her ankles and jerking them toward me until she was flat beneath me. Stretching out over her body, I pressed myself against her.
Fuck, she felt good. Warm and right. This woman felt right.
I propped myself on my elbows, looking down at her face. Her eyes were wide and searching me, but she didn’t speak. I wiped away the wet strands of hair from her face and kissed her cheeks. I planted kisses on the bruise I’d given her, the closest to an apology she’d ever get for me on that topic. Then I took her mouth.
Her arms wrapped around my back, holding me tight to her. She nipped at my lip, and I licked her back. Pure animal instinct drove us.
I slid my hand over her body, down to her hip then between us until I found her pussy. Hot and wet, ready for me. Such a good fucking girl. I thrust two fingers into her, taking her cry into my mouth when I curled them, finding that secret button of hers.
“Fuck, Dustan,” she muttered against my lips.
“Soon, darlin’. First, I want you to shatter for me.” I thrust again, harder, and used the heel of my palm to rub against her clit.
Her fingers dug into my shoulders, and she arched her back, pushing her hips up at me.
Her eyes slammed shut; her mouth dropped open in the perfect gasp.
“That’s it, darlin’, give me what I want,” I whispered in her ear, licking her earlobe before biting down.
“Fuck!” She moaned with the little bite of pain and panted harder when I thrust a third finger inside her tight, hot pussy.
“So good for me.” I kissed her cheek. “So good.” I bit down on her neck.
A shudder ran through her body. I felt ever bit of it, every little tremble, every jerk of her muscles as her orgasm built.
“You want to be good for me, right, darlin’? You want to be my good girl?” I grazed my teeth along her jaw.
“Yes—” Her words cut off with her scream. I thrust my fingers harder into her pussy.
“That’s it, good. Good girl.” I cheered her on, knowing she was too wrapped up in her orgasm to hear me. Her pussy clenched around my fingers, but I continued to fuck her with them until the tension eased away from her body and she was left panting and soft beneath me.
“Fuck. That was gorgeous.” I kissed her and slipped my hand from between her legs.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she found my gaze. A soft-pink hue covered her cheeks.
“Such a pretty blush.” I kissed her again. “Let’s see how red we can make that pretty face of yours.” I moved over again, covering her with my body as my cock easily found her entrance.
“You’re going to come again for me,” I instructed her and lifted her right leg beneath my arm, hooking it and raising it higher.
“I don’t think I can.” She shook her head, but it only made me more determined. She really should know that about me by now.
“Then you will.” I thrust forward. I grunted, unable and unwilling to contain the animalistic sound. Her pussy gripped my cock.
I rocked hard into her, taking her little gasps and cries into my mouth as I fucked harder and harder still. I cradled her face with one hand while my arm pulled her leg up higher.
“Fuck, you’re so tight,” I groaned.
Her hands roamed over my shoulders, my chest as I continued to thrust into her, each stroke harder than the last.
“Oh!” She gripped my arms, and I knew I had her. Grinding my hips into her with each stroke brought her to the edge with me.
I looked down at her, at her wide eyes, her full lips. So many words crossed my mind, so many things I wanted to say to make the moment last longer, but I pulled them back.
“Dustan!” she screamed out and bucked up at me, her orgasm tearing through her again. Her pussy gripped me harder, the pulsation of her release triggered the loss of my control.
I plowed into her, harder and without any resolve. One stroke then two then I lost myself in her. Our cries of release mingled in the air in the same fashion our bodies melded in the bed.
I pressed my forehead against hers, catching my breath and needing her close to me. I released my hold on her leg and let her stretch beneath me as I slipped from her body. I pushed myself up, sitting back on my heels, and spread her legs wider, watching my seed slide out of her pussy.
“It’s okay. I have an IUD. I can’t get pregnant,” she said.
I shook my head. “It’s not that.” I ran my middle finger through her folds, collecting the fluid and smearing it over her thigh. “You’re mine now, darlin’. Good and truly mine.” I reached down from the bed to grab my shirt. “When this is done, we’ll figure out the next step, but you’re not alone anymore.” I wiped her clean, except for her thigh. I wanted my mark to stay on her.
“Dustan,” she sighed, but when I looked up at her, she paused a beat. “Come to bed. I’m tired.” She pulled the covers down on the empty side of the bed and maneuvered herself between them.
There was a knock on the door.
“Pizza.” I pulled on my slacks. “You’re eating before you’re sleeping,” I ordered and went to the door.
* * *
“Who was your first kill?” Cherise asked just as I took a sip of my beer.
“What?” I laughed.
“Your first kill. The first target you had. Is that right? Am I saying that right?” She nibbled on the crust of her piece. Having eaten the cheese first then the dough, she was finally at the crust.
I cleared my throat and leaned back in the chair. She’d thrown on a shirt after the pizza was delivered, but she was still naked beneath. Just because she threw some cotton fabric over her body didn’t mean I couldn’t see it, or feel it, or imagine it.
“Yeah, you said it right.” I nodded, tapping my fingers on the beer bottle. Thankfully, the shopette in the lobby had beer. Not the best, but it would do.
“So?” She took a bite. “Who?”
I inhaled slow, studying her. “My dad.” Her eyes widened. “And my mom.”
“Why?” she asked, taking another bite of crust. The surprise was there, lingering in her gaze, but she’d kept it out of her voice.
“The marks on my back, the ones you asked about are from them. They took me and my sister camping one summer—or at least that’s what we thought. It turned out they were hiding from some loan sharks. My dad was hammered, so drunk he could barely stand. He dropped the metal roasting stick he’d been using into the campfire. I made a joke about it.” I paused a moment. “I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I pissed him off. He picked up the damn thing and hit me across my back with it. The burns left scars.”
“How old were you?” she asked.
“Twelve.” I sipped my beer. “My sister was only five. They were too out of it to take care of her, so I did it most of the time. I was able to keep my dad away from her when he was drunk, but when we got older
it was harder. I had to pick up a job to help pay the rent so we wouldn’t get evicted again, so some nights I wasn’t home. She was smart enough to stay out of their way when they got into a fight though. She’d hide in her room until I got home.”
“And then you went into the military?” she asked, but not with the accusatory tone I would have expected. If I’d stayed home, things would have been different.
“Yeah. I shouldn’t have. I should have been there for her, but I was going to take her with me after my first tour. I was going to set her up on base with me, and we’d be good to go. But—” I closed my eyes and took another pull of my beer. “That didn’t happen as planned.”
“So, your parents were first.” She drifted over the topic of my sister’s suicide.
“Yeah.” I laughed. “It’s how I got my spot in the organization, too. They owed a lot of people money, fucked over a lot of people with power. I’m not really sure how bad it all had gotten, only that they’d gotten themselves in Arthur’s crosshairs.”
She moved out of her chair and settled herself in my lap, touching her fingers to my forehead.
“And you took the job,” she said with a nod.
“Yeah, something like that. After that, I went with him. There’s no going back from that.” I remembered that night. The blood and the satisfaction. Breathing came easier after I’d pulled the trigger on them, a weight that had been shoving me to my knees my entire life lifted.
“Do you regret it?” she asked wiping her hand along my jaw.
“Only that I didn’t do it sooner.” I looked up into her eyes, expecting to see a hint of fear but saw nothing.
“Do you regret not killing me in that alley?” she asked, looking down at her lap.
I grabbed her chin and jerked her face toward mine. “That’s a fucking stupid question.” My voice hardened, as did the rest of me with the words coming from her mouth.
“It’s a valid one,” she said, not pulling away from me, but meeting me glare for glare.
“I wasn’t going to kill you in the alley. Or at your apartment.” I gripped her chin harder. “Even if you had gone to the cops, the whole thing would have been handled. I don’t kill innocents.”
Valor: Cavalieri Della Morte Page 13
