31. Chapter 31
Three Months Later
I turned my hunt for Gregory Ivanov into a vacation.
He had escaped with his family to Willemstad, Curacao.
I took Thomas and Annie with me, dumping them at a high-end resort while I went off to kill Ivanov.
Thomas insisted he come with me, but I didn’t want him ‘ processing ’ again if he saw what I had planned for the man who hurt my Thomas.
No. It was better that he stayed by the beach, drinking daiquiris, and getting a tan.
Annie and Thomas each had their own bungalows because I wanted to fuck Thomas when I was done with this job without trying to keep him quiet with his sister around. I needed his sex noises as much as I needed to breathe. They kept me satiated.
Annie and Thomas had finally moved in with me. While Thomas, living with me was perfect, it was an adjustment to have the energetic and frequently temperamental teen. She was often difficult to deal with. But I couldn’t have him without her.
We had to fight their father on that because she was a minor, but I pressured the man, making it abundantly clear that I didn’t trust him to take care of his children.
When he fully got his shit together, then he could think about spending more time with them, though I knew Thomas tried to see him at least twice a month.
So far, his father had stayed away from gambling and still maintained his job. It was a start.
I sat in the open-air bar, sipping a virgin pina colada, watching Ivanov have a late mid-day meal, biding my time, waiting for that perfect moment to end him finally.
As much as I wanted to mutilate the man, that would have been too messy.
I needed to do this, so his death looked natural, keeping the island authorities away from me.
Murdering someone on an island such as this was too risky, especially since his private home housed his family and several guards.
As long as he was dead, I would have to be happy.
Ivanov took his time eating and drinking some type of frozen cocktail, overlooking the turquoise waters and small waves lapping at the shore.
If my plan didn’t work, I would need to follow him back home and kill him with the knife I had strapped to my thigh underneath my boardshorts.
I glanced behind me as someone called out to him.
He turned around, smiling. Luck was finally on my side when he stood and walked over to the bar.
I unscrewed the cap from the vial, pocketed it, careful not to spill the contents, and walked over toward his table, keeping a close eye on him and the other man.
The place wasn’t crowded, with most people swimming and sunbathing, giving me some breathing room and allowing me to remain undiscovered. I quickly passed his table, dumped the contents of the vial into his drink, and walked straight to the restroom in the back, where I thoroughly washed my hands.
I dumped enough oleander poison into this drink to kill three horses. It was tasteless, and most doctors wouldn’t test for it, since it mimicked a heart attack. That was the goal to keep law enforcement off my tail.
When I came out, I checked the area to be sure no one was watching me, sat back down at my table, and ordered another drink.
As much as I wanted to get back to Thomas, leaving immediately raised too many red flags.
I also had to stay to make sure he drank it all.
It would take a couple of hours for the poison to kick in, so I planned to keep my eye on him to make sure he finished his drink, and then I could leave.
Generally, it would take most of the day for the poison to kill, but the dosage I gave him would make it faster.
It would start with stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. Then he would grow dizzy, and his heart would beat irregularly. Eventually, he would suffer respiratory paralysis and fall into a coma. Death would soon follow.
As I sipped my coconut and pineapple faux cocktail, I watched him finish his drink and order another. I smiled, knowing the man had no idea he was now a ticking time bomb. His death was soon at hand .
With that, I paid my tab and left to spend time with Thomas and Annie.
When I headed over to where I parked the moped, I texted Layla on the burner.
Me: I have to leave now.
Layla: I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure Dad gets
better.
Me: Has there been word on our brothers Maverick
and Khai?
Layla: Yes, Maverick has reached out. He’s been off
the grid, and Khai has been with him. He has news
for us, but hasn’t told us what.
Me: Keep me informed.
Even though our texts were encrypted, we were careful with what we said. She planned to hack into his system and monitor Ivanov’s condition. If he lived through it, I would have to find other means to kill him.
I frequently asked about Maverick and Khai.
I hadn’t seen either man since hunting down Thomas.
We believed Maverick had been licking his wounds, but it had been more than that.
His vanishing made us all anxious, and I was pissed that we had someone else just leaving without a word. I considered Maverick a friend.
When I returned to the States, I assumed I would learn why both men had vanished. My assumption was that they went together because they were together, in a relationship .
I drove through the colorful town of Willemstad, with the Dutch homes built close together. The streets were crowded with tourists. But all I cared about was getting to Thomas and telling him his tormentor would soon be dead.
When I arrived at the resort we were staying at, I walked straight to the beach, but I didn’t see Thomas anywhere. Where was he? My instincts went on high alert. He was supposed to stay put. I didn’t like not knowing where he was.
I scanned the water to see if he was swimming, but instead, I found Annie, wearing a pink and white polka-dotted bikini, wading in the water, her blonde hair even fairer from the sun.
As I headed in her direction, I watched a man approach her and start hitting on her. Hell no. I walked through the hot white sand toward Thomas’s sister with fisted hands, itching to twirl my blade. He was chatting away, and she was smiling. They needed to be separated immediately.
I treaded the water toward them, and when I reached them, I fisted the man’s hair, yanking him back. “Get the fuck away from her,” I hissed. “She is too young for you, pervert.”
She was bitching at me, but I ignored her.
The man shoved me off, and I let him go. He was definitely too old for her, looking roughly in his mid-twenties. “Fuck off, asshole! Fucking psycho. I was just talking to her.”
“No, you were hitting on her. She’s only fifteen. Go before I call the cops on you for soliciting a minor.”
“Jesus… Whatever, man. Fucking freak.”
Annie slapped my arm. “What the hell? He was just talking to me! You had no right. So what if he wanted to talk to me? He was hot. ”
She pushed her sunglasses higher on her nose with her middle finger at me. Jesus.
“You’re being a brat. If he touched you, he could be arrested for statutory rape. And if he raped you, I would have to kill him. Is that what you want?”
She deflated and shook her head. “No. It’s just that I feel… so old, but I’m too young to do literally anything.”
I said nothing other than awkwardly patting her bare back, not knowing what to say to that, assuming it would reassure her, if only to calm her down.
“Sorry,” she finally said. “You’ve been taking good care of us. You took us to this pretty island. And you were just protecting me. I know I sound ungrateful, but… I appreciate you. Things have been really hard after what happened, but this vacation… it helps.”
Perhaps now she would stop complaining and acting out. “It’s fine. Where’s your brother?”
“Tommy went to get us some food.”
Right on cue, he walked up behind us. “Food’s here.” He paused and scrutinized us. “What’s going on? Why are both so stiff?”
“A man too old for your sister was trying to hit on her. I dealt with it.”
“He physically tried to rip the dude’s hair out,” she huffed.
“Thanks for watching over her, East. And Annie, don’t let those guys talk to you.”
She growled, back to her bratty self. “I don’t need another lecture. I get it!” With that, she walked deeper into the water and dove under .
“Sorry, she gets cranky sometimes. And she’s still dealing with shit. Annie really needs therapy.”
I shrugged. “I read about how to talk to teens a couple of weeks ago, but it’s useless so far. And Sid is still trying to find someone we can trust.”
Thomas wrapped his arms around me. “Have I told you how sexy you look? I like the unbuttoned shirt with the boardshorts.
I instantly relaxed at his touch, my taut muscles untangling. “Thank you. You look like you’re getting too much sun. Are you wearing sunscreen?”
“I am. So… how did it go?”
I looked around to make sure no one could overhear us. “It went according to plan. Although I hate that I won’t get to watch.”
“As long as he suffers.”
“He will. Layla will text me when it’s done.”
After sunning, we headed back to our rooms to shower and get ready for dinner. Annie was in the next room as I lay on my side in the bed, still naked after my shower, letting the fan overhead dry me. I watched Thomas dig in his suitcase for some clothes to wear.
“Come here,” I said.
Thomas, also naked, walked over to me, grinning.
“Turn around,” I ordered. “I want to see it again.”
He chuckled. “Never get tired of looking at it, do you?”
“No. I can’t think of a better gift.”
Thomas turned around so his ass faced me, and right below the small of his back was a tattoo which said, ‘ This Ass Belongs to Superman ’ with an arrow pointing down.
It sat low enough that even wearing only swim trunks, no one could see it.
Only when he was naked was it visible. It was meant for my eyes only as I fucked him.
And I did fuck the hell out of him when I first saw it. He was so raw that he couldn’t sit the entire next day. I had to admit it was thrilling and arousing to see Thomas literally give his ass to me.
I traced my fingers over the words and along the arrow. I kept moving it down and slid between his crease, feeling his tight hole. He shuddered at my touch.
“Turn around and face me.”
When he did, his cock had turned hard and flushed with the blood rushing to it. I fisted it and gave it a few tugs. Thomas sighed contentedly. I always enjoyed his responsiveness. It gave me a rush and made me feel like the Superman he always called me.
I scooted closer and took him into my mouth.
His hands rushed to my head and carded through my still-damp hair.
He gently thrust into my mouth, whimpering and moaning as he bit his bottom lip.
I never took my eyes off him, wanting to watch him orgasm because of me.
I especially enjoyed having that sort of control over him.
It didn’t take long before he spilled into my mouth. I popped off him and drank down his load gathered on my tongue.
He looked at me with a glazed, blissed-out face. “What was that for?”
“I don’t know. I wanted to.”
He dropped to his knees and reached for my cock. “Your turn.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t say no, but that was for you. ”
He smiled sweetly and kissed my nose. “You’re always giving me things.”
“Because I want to keep you.”
“You have me, no matter what, for the rest of our lives.”
I bopped his nose with my finger. It wasn’t like me to be playful, but Thomas brought it out of me, teaching me to play in different ways, especially primally. “And you will always have me.”
My burner phone suddenly buzzed. I climbed out of the bed and padded over to where it was charging on the nightstand. I swiped it open and read the text.
Layla: Your father was rushed to the hospital, but he
didn’t make it. I’m sorry for your loss.
“It’s done,” I told him. “Gregory Ivanov is no more.”
“Good. Now, we’re free.”