Chapter 13
N odding my head slowly, I accept my place before him on my knees exactly where he wants me. I may not know this man at all, but I feel our connection on a soul-deep level, and I know I would give him whatever he asked for.
His stunning blue eyes stare down at me and once again I’m caught in his web, unable to pull away. Even when he drops his hand from my face and backs away, I don't drop my eyes at all. I watch his every move.
Stepping over behind Ethan, he leans down and grabs the top of his hair, pulling his face off of the ground. The poor bastard's face is covered in blood, sweat, and tears. He hisses, squeezing his swollen eyes shut, from the quick motion.
“If you want to live through this night, you will pay close attention from here on out, understand me?" he asks, leaning down into Ethan’s ear, making the pitiful man sniffle and attempt to nod his head.
My eyes narrow into slits at his words, and my anger surges to the top. I want to jump up and scream. Van needs to realize this is not his show. This has nothing to do with him. Ethan is going to die tonight. No one…and I fucking mean no one…betrays me the way he did and gets away with it.
I will let Van play out his big boss in charge of the show thing with Ethan. I like his dominant side and would love to explore that a little more as well, but he still needs to understand what happens here tonight, it's all about me.
“Good boy. Now you're going to watch everything like the good little bitch you are. Keep your eyes on my woman’s face. Got me?”
Once more, he attempts to nod, but Van wrenches his head back harshly, making Ethan yell out from under the tape again. “Fucking answer me," he growls out.
“Mm- mot- moo," he stutters out from under the tape still over his face and mouth, but the sweat has allowed part of it to pull away from his skin just slightly in one spot.
Van tugs Ethan onto his ass by his hair, pulling him backward until he has him up against some boxes. Throwing him onto his side, he stands in front of him as Ethan struggles to sit up straight.
Van grabs the helpless man by the shoulders, roughly correcting his position, then he squats down in front of him, with his elbows on his thick thighs.
“Here’s the deal…” Van says, glancing over Ethan’s dirty state.
He lifts up his dirty shirt off his chest between two fingers, then drops it.
After shaking his head, he wipes his fingers off on his jeans.
“I’m going to show you exactly who she belongs to, and after that, you will never contact her again.
You don't breathe her name. You don't even think about her again. If you do…I will fucking gut you. Do I make myself clear?”
Ethan lifts his eyes to meet Van’s. Only because I know him as well as I do, I can see the stubborn asshole’s vehemence and contempt in his eyes. He nods slowly.
Another reason he needs to die tonight. He may be agreeing to exactly what Van wants to hear, but I can see it in his eyes, he won't let this go. Not one little bit.
Van hits the side of his face with several hard slaps. “Good boy. You might live long enough to bury your bitch,” Van says with a smirk. I can hear it in his voice, making me smile as well.
The dumbass, still fucking tied up and gagged, surges forward with a growl, making me snicker.
First of all, Van has at least 3 inches and probably 50 pounds of pure muscle on him.
Van’s reflexes are super quick and he grasps him around his neck with one of his large tatted hands before he could even get near him and slams him backward into the boxes.
By Ethan's reaction, his eyes slamming closed and the squeak leaving his mouth from behind the tape, I would say Van is crushing his trachea, which makes me laugh even harder.
“I could kill you right now…But I'm giving you the opportunity to earn your right to live,” he says, reaching behind him and pulling out the gun he held on Jackson earlier. My eyes go wide because he’s not allowed to kill him. That's my job. This is my kill.
Van points the gun between Ethan’s eyes, but before he does anything else, I move to stand up from my kneeling position. "Van… “ I growl low.
He swiftly turns his face in my direction, giving me a tiny shake of his head with a stern look. My eyes narrow as I glare back at him, but settle back down on my knees when he slowly looks back in Ethan’s direction.
Ethan’s eyes are comically wide, staring at the dangerous man in front of him. Ethan knows how ruthless and savage I can be, but I think he's just now realizing Van here might be just as menacing, possibly even more so due to his size.
“Do you want to die right now? I have several ingenious ways of killing someone…and every single one of them is more painful than the last,” he says, tilting his head in dramatic fashion. Making Ethan think he actually has a choice. "What will it be?”
Ethan’s eyes move back and forth between Van and the gun.
Every time his eyes focus on the 9mm semi-auto between his eyes, they go crosseyed.
Making his decision, he settles his back against the boxes he’s sitting in front of.
Van, biting down on his bottom lip, pushes the muzzle of the gun even harder into his forehead, making my ex wince.
“Good little bitch boy,” Van says, pulling the gun away and finally standing up.
Walking backward, he doesn't tuck the weapon away like I thought he would.
He holds it in his right hand down by his leg, with his pointer finger lying next to the trigger, ready at a moment's notice.
"Pay close attention. You might learn a little something about how to treat your woman.”
Van glances over at Vicky’s bloody corpse still lying on the floor, her eyes still open but unfocused. He shrugs as he smirks, making me giggle. “Okay…maybe not your woman exactly.” Ethan’s eyes narrow and a lone tear slips out, running down his cheek.
Fucking pussy. He wouldn’t be going through this right now if he had only been loyal to me from the beginning. But no. He betrayed me and in the worst possible way, and this is what it gets him. The lesson of all lessons.
Van steps up in front of me, and I look up at him from my place on the ground, still on my knees. He towers over me in this position, and his dominance radiates from him in waves. With the connection we seem to have, I wonder if he will realize my masochistic needs.
So much we need to learn about one another, but I’m here for it. Day one of learning everything there is to know about each other. And if he’s willing to kill for me, speaks about wanting to claim me…what else would he be willing to do for me?
“Are you ready, Sweetness?” he asks. All I can do at this point is nod.
“Good girl. Will you trust me?” That’s a loaded question, seeing as we just met tonight.
I don’t trust easily, and Ethan is a very heavy reason as to why.
Every man I’ve trusted has betrayed me. However, taking into consideration, every man I’ve been with hasn’t been anything like me.
Van, on the other hand, seems to be a lot like me.
Looking up at him through my lashes, I decide to give Van the benefit of the doubt. I will give him trust until he proves otherwise. But I hope he understands that if he betrays the trust I’m going to be placing in him…I will add him to my list. And he will die right along with all the others.
He tilts his head, patiently waiting for my answer. I’m sure he knows how difficult this is going to be for me. “I will trust you. I hope for your sake…you don’t betray that trust.”
The smile that lifts his lips is gorgeous.
He cups my chin with the hand not holding the gun as he leans down and softly kisses my lips.
“I promise if you place your trust in me, Sweetness, I will never betray you. It’s not in my nature,” he whispers against my lips for only me to hear.
“Let’s give him a show…” he says and leans close to my ear to be sure Ethan doesn’t hear him.
“Since it’s the last thing he will ever see. ”
His words make me smile. He gets it. Van was giving him false hope. Ethan thinks that if he sits there quietly and enjoys whatever show Van is going to put on, he will live. He actually thinks we will just walk away for good.
After everything he’s done?
Not fucking likely, dickhead.
Van stands to his full height, separating his booted feet slightly as he looks down at me. My eyes stay glued on his, and when he’s in position, all emotion drops from his eyes, and his face is completely stoic once again. This is the man we first met.
Lifting the 9mm gun, he presses it to my temple. I don’t flinch, nor do I show any emotion whatsoever. I told him I would trust him. And he already said…this is a show we’re putting on.
“Take off my belt and pull my cock out,” he orders.
I immediately react, but with slow, precise movements.
First, removing his belt, but I don’t take it out of the loops, just leave it loose and let it dangle.
Unbuttoning and unzipping his pants is a show all on its own.
When I see how hard he already is, I lick my lips.
My mouth is salivating at the thought that I will be tasting him soon enough.
I see a small wet spot where precome has leaked out, soaking a small place on his black boxer briefs.
Looking up at him through my lashes, I give a slow, seductive blink before I let the tips of my fingers slowly pull down the stretchy hem, freeing him from the confines of his shorts.
When the cool air from the basement hits his cock as he juts out right in my face, Van hisses.
Taking his heavy length in the palm of my hand, I sneak my tongue out, flicking it against the bulbous mushroom head, tasting his precome still there.
The entire time, making sure to keep eye contact.
Humming in appreciation of the taste, I lick my lips, moistening them, getting ready for whatever he has planned.