Chapter Nine
Peter
A Few Months Later
Sliding my blade into the neck of the man who’d wandered into Pickle Quest, I had recognized him immediately. He’d tried the whole damaged car trick to gain information. For his unlucky day, I was the guy he got to ask for directions, and then of course, he asked me if I knew of a Niamh Byrne.
This guy had to have been an amateur. I was not a trained bounty hunter, but I knew a thing or two about killing people, and you didn’t go in all guns blazing, nor did you start by asking a whole heap of questions. That just didn’t happen.
Killing this bastard had been easy, way too easy, but if one had finally arrived, it was only a matter of time before more did.
Once the man was dead, which didn’t take very long, I stuffed him into the trunk of the car, climbed behind the wheel, and drove. I’d already put the call to Ivan that I was going to need a clean-up crew, and gave him the location to come and pick up the car and the dead body.
It took me less than ten minutes to arrive to the spot, and I climbed out, slammed the door, and felt the rage consume me. Danger was getting close to Niamh.
If I hadn’t been on my way back to the gym after dropping her off at the diner, he’d have found someone else to give him Niamh’s location. One of the locals wouldn’t have thought twice about laughing off the inaccuracy of her last name, and saying they didn’t know a Niamh Byrne, but they did know a Niamh Long.
This is why you had to change your first fucking name.
I didn’t have to wait long for Ivan to arrive, but I was surprised he wasn’t alone. The fucking Butcher was there, at the front of the car with him. Since when did they become such close pals? I was pissed off.
“What the fuck?” I asked, the moment Ivan got out of the car.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” The Butcher said.
She wore a hat, a pair of jeans, and a blouse, making her appear like an ordinary woman, when I knew she had a lot more kills under her belt. She was a professional killer. No one knew her story. In all honesty, this was the first time I had truly met her.
No one knew her name. She was a butcher. Her and The Beast’s identity had remained a mystery. I’d tried to find more information about the two, but there was nothing.
They killed and took care of business, and they were rivals, that was all. However, time to time, they would partner up to deal with whatever problem had arisen. Is that what was happening now? Ivan needed both to take over section six.
“He in the trunk?” The Butcher asked.
“Yes.” I waved my hand at her.
“You’re going to need to get yourself cleaned up,” she said. “Everything you need is with Ivan.”
I had blood on my hands as well as my shirt.
I turned toward Ivan who held out a duffel bag.
“Here you go, son,” Ivan said.
I wasn’t in the mood for Ivan’s playful mood.
“We need to take Niamh in,” I said. I was done playing this game.
The Butcher went to the back of the car and opened the trunk. “Nice,” she said. “You did this?”
“Do you see me with a fucking partner?” I asked, irritated.
Niamh was back in town, and I had to get back to her.
“Have you gotten her pregnant yet?” Ivan asked.
I had intended to wait to see if that first time we were together would take care of it, but it hadn’t. Also, it would seem Niamh had a little more power over me than I realized. There were only so many times I could deny her, but the moment she looked at me with those eyes, almost pleading, and said “please,” I couldn’t say fucking no. I’d never had a woman say please, or even beg me.
Niamh wasn’t trying to take from me. It was the strangest feeling, kind of heady as well. Niamh wanted me for me. There was no second play. But, she wanted the lie.
The Peter who was a personal trainer, who worked at a gym, who was helping a friend, and on paper, looked to be a nice guy.
I was not.
It’s all a lie, as the dead body in the trunk of the car could attest. It wasn’t even my greatest work. Death didn’t bother me. Nor did torture. I’d experienced my fair share on both counts, being tortured and torturing. I’d become quite good at it as well. Kind of like an unknown art, one I did enjoy exploring.
“No, but did you see how close that fucker had gotten?”
“To the trunk of his car?” Ivan asked.
“For fuck’s sake, if I had been one moment later, he’d have already gotten to Niamh.”
“We’re taking care of the rest. This sneaky little bastard was already on my radar. If it makes you feel any better, he never takes his target on the first try. He tends to wait, kind of like a hunt. He’d have watched her, and trust me, he’s not subtle about it. You’d have gotten to him,” The Butcher said.
“And that is supposed to make me feel fucking good?” I was losing my temper.
The Butcher shrugged her shoulders and then got to work dealing with it.
I turned my attention back to Ivan who was waiting for my dirty clothes.
We were going to do this outside in the secluded open. I knew it didn’t make sense. It was a secluded spot out in the open.
There were wipes, and a change of clothes, and some other shit. I was angry as I wiped my hands, cleaning off the blood.
The Butcher, the sick fuck she was, hummed to herself.
“You know you’re going to push too far,” I said, looking at Ivan. “It has already been a couple of months with the bounty hunters. One finally made it into town.”
“So you better get back to town and do as I instructed.” Ivan glanced down at his wristwatch. “Time is ticking.”
I’d never wanted to punch Ivan more than I did in that moment. I liked Ivan. More often, I understood his reasoning but when it came to this situation, I was at a fucking loss. I didn’t get it.
The other women for the other Brigadiers were in different positions. They weren’t lied to, manipulated, or forced to carry a child. Niamh was being put in those positions.
I was changed and Ivan took my dirty clothes along with the duffel bag.
“You know, maybe you should start asking why this is bothering you,” Ivan said.
I glared at him. “I know exactly why it’s bothering me, and so do you.”
Ivan laughed. “No, no, there is something more to this and you know it, but we can play the pretend game if that makes you feel a little better.”
None of this made me feel any better.
“This is not a game.”
“Oh, but it is. You see, our very life and existence are a game. Once you realize that, maybe it will be time for you to play.”
I wasn’t a child.
“Some of us get bad rough hands,” Ivan said. “Some of us get shittier-than-shit rough hands. Rarely is there a silver lining. Then there are some that don’t deserve the … crap they’ve been dealt, and even though day in day out, they are worn down, stomped down so much that for most people that would make them a shell of their former self, there are a rare few that lose the spark that makes them different. It makes them good. Then there are some that persevere no matter what life throws them, one shit hand after another, and all you can do is travel that bouncy ride to the bitter end.”
I had no fucking clue what he was talking about. I got it. Everyone got dealt different hands. Some of us had it shittier than others.
“Death is the final chapter in every person’s life, Peter. Birth and death, the journey is what we all make it.” He glanced past my shoulder and I turned to find The Beast arriving in another car. “Here is your ride. Get the job done.”
And with that, I was dismissed like a fucking child.
I didn’t even know what the fuck Ivan was talking about and now I was even more angry than when I had arrived.
Niamh might be pregnant. She had missed her last menstrual cycle, and I should know. I’d documented when she was last on hers, and it was over five weeks ago.
The last person I wanted to ride with was The Beast, but I needed to get back to town, and riding in a dead man’s car was not an option. Clearly, Ivan wasn’t going to drive me into town.
Slamming the door closed, I couldn’t help but wonder why Niamh was so different. I was made aware of Ivan’s constant meddling in the other Brigadiers’ lives. He was a constant presence, talking with their wives, getting close to them. Being more like a friend and possible brother to them.
Yet, Ivan was nowhere to be seen when it came to Niamh.
Why not?
Why was he keeping his distance while at the same time protecting her?
This made no sense to me. The Beast didn’t talk.
I wasn’t about to ask him questions. Ivan might trust these two killers, but I wasn’t going to trust them with anything, not until they had earned it, and right now, they hadn’t earned jack shit.
The Beast pulled up on the sign outside of town, and parked the car. I was about to reach for the door handle when The Beast finally spoke.
“Can Ivan Volkov be trusted?” The Beast asked.
I turned toward the man.
The Beast was as big a mystery as The Butcher. Only, The Beast was tall and looked like he could kill anyone. The Butcher, on the other hand, didn’t look quite so capable, although I had heard she’d gutted many men and had even removed limbs, penises, and plenty other horror stories, all of which I didn’t want to think about in that moment.
“Yes.”
“You’re not even going to ask me why I’ve asked?” The Beast asked.
“No, I’m not interested in knowing why you’re curious.”
“Ivan Volkov is a … mystery.”
I shrugged. “There is no mystery. Ivan Volkov is a loyal man. He’s scary as fuck, and the shit he can do, well, don’t get on his bad side, it doesn’t end well for you. Of course, there is also that pesky rumor that he’s immortal and he can’t die.” He might have faked his own death once. “Ivan has his own ways of dealing with stuff. We don’t always know why he does the things he does, or his reasoning, but when he’s ready for you to know, it will be revealed to you. It always is.”
Which is why I knew I had to wait. Ivan had his reasoning for not coming to see Niamh, for not meddling. One day, I would find out the truth, and when that happened, all would be revealed.
****
Niamh
I should have left town. Each day I planned to tell Peter that it is time for me to move on, we’d start kissing, and then I’d forget what I meant to say.
Then of course, the kissing lead to, well, more kissing, which lead to us being naked, and then sex. I liked sex. The first time had been incredibly painful. I’d even expected the pain. The second time had been much better, and now I’d lost count of how good it was.
Several of the women in town couldn’t stand me. They didn’t like that I’d won Peter Shadows and they hadn’t. They hadn’t stopped trying, though. Peter told me regularly of some of their antics, but he was already well-prepared for them. I could imagine that pissed them all off.
Stepping out of the diner at a little past eight, I turned to find Peter leaning up against his car, a smile on his lips.
When we first met, he rarely smiled, but now, as I stepped toward him, he opened his arms. He embraced me and I felt … safe. This is another reason I hadn’t left. For the first time in my life, I felt safe. I was in Peter’s arms. Nothing bad could happen. But I knew I was a fool. My father would kill this man without a second thought, and I didn’t want to be responsible for killing him.
I liked him and I was a little afraid I might even be falling in love with him. Which had to be crazy. I’d read the stories of love at first sight and all those other tales of meeting “the one,” at the perfect moment. They sounded like the perfect dream, only to me that was the fantasy, because of my father.
Yet, we’d known each other a few months, and I had developed feelings for Peter. Was it love? I didn’t know, because I didn’t know what love was supposed to feel like. I’d never known love.
“I’ve been waiting for that all day.”
I smiled. “Me too. Did you have a good day?”
“It’s getting better.”
He moved away from the car and opened the passenger side. I slid in, and Peter surprised me by reaching in and securing my seat belt. I smiled at him as he closed the door. He seemed a little distracted tonight.
“Bad day at the gym?” I asked.
“You could say that.”
He was being vague.
I couldn’t help but wonder if one of the women had tried to come on to him again. A couple of the women had tried to tell him he was making a mistake in dating me. Kind of rude, but they had their opinions, I had mine.
He clearly didn’t want to talk, so I stayed silent as he drove us back to his place. I’d only been back to my apartment to change clothes, toss out the spoiled food, pay the rent, and that was pretty much it.
Peter insisted on us being at his place. I got the feeling he didn’t like my apartment, but he’d also not asked me to move in. I was grateful he hadn’t asked me, because I would have had to say no.
Strange, I just realized that in my twenty-five years, Peter was my first-ever boyfriend, and I felt that hit of guilt, because I was already lying to him. This was not a relationship.
I needed to leave. I’d already stayed longer than I should have.
Pickle Quest was a nice town, but the only reason I stayed was for Peter, and that was a bad reason. My father could be out looking for me. So far, I’d not seen anyone who might be working for my father. That could all change, though. I had to leave to protect Peter. If someone started asking questions, Peter could get hurt.
We arrived at his place and he parked the car. I turned toward him, about to tell him I’d be leaving soon.
Peter started to talk. “I’d like you to move in with me.”
Okay, now that was a surprise. I was a little taken aback, seeing as that was what I was just thinking about. But I had to leave.
“Move in with you?” I asked.
He pointed toward the house. “I’ve been wanting to ask you for a couple of weeks now, but, I didn’t want to scare you away. I kind of like having you around.”
This made me smile, although this was now the last thing I wanted to tell him.
“I, uh, I’d love to but … Peter, I’m going to have to leave soon,” I said. The moment I said those words, I knew I didn’t mean them. I didn’t want to leave him, and once again, I couldn’t help but hate my dad.
“I know. You’ve said before that you don’t intend to stay in Pickle Quest, but how about, until you leave, we kind of see where this goes? You never know, when you’ve got to leave, I might just go with you.”
This surprised me. “You’d come with me?”
“Yeah, why not? Nothing is keeping me here. I know my friend can get another person to take care of this house. It’ll be fun.”
I reached across and kissed him.
He’d be willing to give all of this up for me. It seemed crazy. I couldn’t let him do it. If he came with me, that was the guarantee of a target on his head. I didn’t need to leave right away. Moving in with him, trying this out, could be fun. Dangerous, but also fun.
“I would love to move in with you,” I said, and it was strange how good that felt to say.
Even though I was terrified of my father finding me and of the consequences of anyone learning who I was, this was something I wanted to do.
I’d run away from my father to have my own life. To live how I wanted, and stop being afraid of whenever there was a knock on the door, yet, I’d been living my life like I expected that knock. I didn’t even know if my father was around, if he was close, if he even cared what I was doing.
Peter pulled away, opened his car door, and I saw that look in his eye. I’m no expert when it comes to men, but I knew what that look meant, and I didn’t hesitate to remove my seat belt, and join him out on his front driveway.
Within minutes we were inside his home, and it didn’t take us long to start tearing each other’s clothes off. In our desperation to get naked, we didn’t make it upstairs, and much to my surprise, we were in his sitting room. The curtains were already drawn closed and he pressed me over the long edge of the sofa. He spread my legs and I couldn’t contain my moan of pleasure as he cupped me between the thighs. One of his fingers slid knuckle-deep inside me, and I cried out, hungry for more.
He growled my name against my neck as he’d leaned over to tease where my pulse was. Whenever he played with my neck, I struggled to contain my arousal.
No matter what I did, even if I gritted my teeth, I had to moan, I had to do something because it felt so good, and I didn’t want it to stop.
“Please,” I said.
The two fingers that were inside me moved, slid up toward my clit, and he began to massage my nub, and I felt so close. It always embarrassed me, because Peter lasted a long time through sex. Just a few seconds of Peter’s magical touch and I was ready to orgasm. It never took long for me to be ready, and sure enough, brief moments later, I screamed his name as an orgasm tore through my body.
It felt so good.
I didn’t want it to stop.
Not for a second.
And he didn’t let it stop.
He prolonged my orgasm, teasing my clit, but he took his time stroking me, allowing me to get accustomed to the feel of his touch. I wanted it all. So hungry. So desperate for everything he was doing to me.
Before long, he’d sent me into a second orgasm, and the sheer force of it took me by surprise. This time, my release hadn’t even finished, and I felt Peter stop, and the press of his cock as inch by inch, he began to sink inside me.
I moaned for more.
Peter put his hands on my hips, and slammed the last couple of inches inside me, making me scream in pleasure. My whole body felt on fire and not in a bad way. It was heady. I loved this part.
The hands on my hips didn’t stay there. Peter sat to the hilt inside me, and he slowly ran his hands up my body, sliding beneath me, cupping my tits, and playing with them. Tweaking the nipples which sent a pulse right between my thighs, startling me.
It felt so good, and then he moved down, going back to my hips to hold onto me as he started to pull out until only the tip of his dick remained. Then, achingly slowly, he started to fill me.
His strokes began slow, and he’d been doing this for some time, allowing me to get accustomed to the feel of him inside me. It always felt too good to be true, and as he worked that impressive length, I didn’t know if I would be able to stand it much longer.
Then, he picked up the pace, and the sounds of our bodies slapping together filled the air. I cried out, the pleasure taking me by surprise, and there was no pain. I knew Peter wasn’t capable of causing me any pain.
There was that pesky little though t— I knew in that moment I was in love with this man. How could I not be? He’d done everything for me, and he’d be willing to leave with me as well. Coming on the road, traveling with me, it seemed so strange to think he would do that for me. That anyone would care enough about me to come with me.
And yes, I had fallen in love with Peter Shadows, and I wanted to hold onto these moments for a long time.