2. Izzy
2
IZZY
I stare at the coffee maker on my kitchen counter wishing it’d move a bit faster. I hardly slept last night. My mind kept me up for hours, thinking about the Hellfire Riders. Their intensity was almost hypnotizing. I grab a mug off the top shelf and fill it up.
“Good morning.”
I jump at Laina’s voice. I’d almost forgotten she slept in my guest bedroom last night. Neither one of us wanted to be alone after what we saw.
“I need to put a bell on you,” I mutter under my breath, walking to the fridge for coffee creamer. We’re both wearing oversized t-shirts and shorts. She gives me a small, pity laugh and sinks into the kitchen chair at the table, dropping her head into her hands.
I set a full cup of coffee in front of her. She wraps her fingers around it and pulls it to her lips.
“When are you going to ask me?” she asks.
“About?”
“The photos! Come on, Izzy! You okay over there? I know last night was intense, but we got some amazing shots.”
“No. I want to see.” I force my thoughts away from the Riders and focus back on the case.
I sit down beside her, and we both lean in to study the images. It’s mostly the victim’s apartment. Unease settles through me when she scrolls through the images of the marionette doll. Even in photos, it looks as though it’s waiting to come alive as the red paint on its chest sparkles through the screen. My fingers curl around the coffee mug, drawing it to my lips.
“I should’ve grabbed some of the Hellfire Riders,” she mutters under her breath.
“It’s best you didn’t.”
She sighs, lazily nodding her head as she takes a long sip of coffee.
“You’re right, you’re right, who knows what they would’ve done.”
I shiver at the thought.
“It was too dark to see, but I’m pretty sure that was the new president.” She shifts in her seat leaning forward.
“How do you know who their president is?”
“A friend of mine went undercover to get close with them after that one was killed by the cops. He grabbed a few pics.”
“How’d that work out for them?” I ask.
“He’s in witness protection.”
“Great.”
“Check this out,” she says, placing her phone down in front of me. She zooms in on the image of a man.
“He’s the one from last night,” I whisper as I stare at the photo. My heart pounds in my chest. The man staring back looks every bit as dangerous and ruthless as I imagined. His face is harsh, eyes cold and calculating even through the grainy photo.
“Who’s that?” I ask.
“Hawk. He’s the new president.”
Tall, drowning in ink that tells more stories than a library, with piercing blue eyes that look like they could cut through steel. Hawk’s hair is a dark and tangled mess, the kind you see on the perfect Prince Charming that you dreamt about as a little kid, except there's nothing gentle about him.
"Jesus," I breathe. "No wonder your friend ended up in witness.”
“He’s a ruthless asshole, and my number one suspect. He’s been on my radar for months. Haven’t had the right information to pin anything on him... until now,” she smirks. “But being at the scene of the crime is pretty telling.”
“What about the others with him?” I ask with hesitation. As though seeing them will change something.
“Glad you asked.” She continues scrolling the next picture, stopping on another man but this one has dark brown eyes and an air of power.
“This one goes by Tank,” she says. The name fits. The man's built like a brick house, all muscle. Sharp, trimmed hair and deep brown eyes that seem to look right through the camera. A jagged scar runs down his temple to the smile where a dark smirk lingers.
“He’s so tall!” I exclaim.
She chuckles, swatting my arm playfully.
“You like this one or something?”
“No! He just seems massive!” Heat rises in my cheeks.
“He is. Six foot eight and all muscle. Tank’s been with Hawk since he started his rise to the top.” She zooms in as she continues her speech. “He’s officially the sergeant in arms for them I think, but really, he’s more like the enforcer. He’s ex-special ops, lost half his team on a mission gone rogue. Guess he found a new place to funnel all that rage.”
“Right…” I mumbled, staring down at my coffee.
“And if you liked Tank, well, you probably like this one,” she scrolls to the next one with a dainty smirk on her lips.
If Hawk is the storm, then this one is the ice that freezes your bones. His eyes are this light, silvery gray that makes you think of winter skies just before a blizzard hits. His sandy blonde hair and lean build might fool you into thinking he's the less dangerous of the trio, but there's something in his stance, a coiled readiness.
“Those were the three that were there last night.” I push her phone rubbing my temples. “Jesus, Laina. How long have you been hunting these guys?”
“A while now. They’re like ghosts, always just out of reach, but I know big things are coming, and I want to be ready when it all comes down.” She leans back in her chair with a smirk on her face. “These guys are guilty, and I’m going to be the one who proves it.”
“You need to be careful,” I say, but my words don’t mean anything. We’ve been told that time and time again by all different sorts of people. It never changes anything. Just because you're told to be careful, doesn’t make you stop and think. I sound more like her old mother than her best friend.
But that’s how it’s always been. Laina charges headfirst into danger, without thought or worry. It’s how she ended being a photojournalist and I took the safe job working with the feds.
“Don’t you worry about me, pretty girl. I can handle myself.” She winks. "Besides, I got you as my bestie, right?”
“Yeah, you do.” I laugh, even though the unease in my stomach has doubled.
So? Laina draws out. “Anything new on the boyfriend front?”
“Laina, seriously? What are we?”
“What?” She grins.
“I would’ve told you if I was getting an inkling of action. You’d be the first person I’d call if a man even looked at my pussy.”
“Izzy, you just don’t put yourself out there. You can’t spend all your twenties not getting you downstairs taken care of.”
“Laina! I don’t have time for a relationship.”
“Who said anything about a relationship? I’m talking about hot, hard fucking. You need one. Desperately. I mean what if your pussy shrivels up?”
I drop my head into my hands, trying to block her out.
“I seriously cannot believe this is what you want to talk about.”
“God. You’re such a damn prude,” she groans. “I swear.”
“I happen to like my prude status just fine.”
“That’s such a lie, Izzy. Come on.”
I shoot her a sharp dare. “Why are you even bringing this up right?”
“I’m going out later tonight and thought maybe you’d want to come. Put on a tight little dress, grind up on some guys and let them sweat all over you.”
“Gross,” I say in a flat voice. “Hard pass. I just need some rest.”
“Your loss.” She jumps up out of the seat, walking toward my front door.
“Promise me, you’ll be safe,” I say to her.
“Oh my gosh!” She swats my arm. “Relax. I’m fine. I’ll text you when I get home, okay?”
“Thank you.”
She pauses at my front door.
“Is it okay if I just wear these clothes home?” she asks, motioning to my tshirt she borrowed for pajamas.
I shrug.
“You always steal my clothes, so I just figured you would.”
“Thank you! I’ll text you later. And you better change your mind about tonight, Izzy.”
I sink deep into my couch, pulling the heavy quilt over my chest.
At least Laina never texted me about going out. I’m very happy chilling inside my home, away from the world for a few hours. I scroll through the movie suggestions until I find some bull shit rom-com to watch.
I can’t believe she tried to lure me by getting laid. As if I can just go out and find some random guy to hook up with. After what happened with my ex, I swore off men for good. My heart couldn't take another blow like that.
Not after I promised him everything, and he cheated on me.
I deserve better, I remind myself, and if better means no one then I’d be fine with that.
The flickering light from the TV dances across the walls, casting shadows that shift with each breath I take. My eyelids grow heavier as I stare at the television screen. I hadn’t realized how tired I am from hardly sleeping the night before, and the exhaustion creeps in.
As I drift off to sleep, my dreams become a jumbled mess of emotions and terror, mixed with the adrenaline.
I sit on the end of my bed, staring out almost blinding dark. At first there is nothing, but then the light of three headlamps appear. I know then the three Hellfire Riders have come for me, their bodies moving like shadows in the darkness. Their eyes glow with an unsettling aura, and some other sensation, one that warms the blood moving through my veins.
I watch them approach, each one wearing the leather vest with the empty skull eyes. Power and dominance drips off their forms. The air around them crackles with electricity as they get closer, their strong arms reaching out for me. Their scents fill my nostrils - sweat, leather, and danger. My heart races wild.
They’re here for me. Am I their next victim?
Their rough hands grab my wrists as they lift me onto the table, pinning me down. One has arms, the other my legs and the third, holds my waist. The eerie silence of the room fills with their heavy breathing. Slowly but surely, they begin to undress me.
Hawk starts by pulling off my blazer, the buttons popping one by one, exposing my bare skin and breasts. My breath hitches with the rush of the cool air brush against my flesh beneath. Tank keeps me still and in place.
I moan softly as my skirt gets jerked up, the fabric rippling with every tug, and Vance exposes my lacy thong. Then in one motion, he rips it off, leaving me completely bare on the table. Vance’s rough hands slide down my legs, stopping at my ankles, then he freezes, studying me with those devious gray eyes.
My heart pounds against my chest, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I try to resist them. But it's no use. They're too strong, too overpowering, and I'm at their mercy.
But it’s not just that. I want all of them at once to devour every inch of me. This is what I want.
“Breathe,” Hawk says in a deep soothing voice as their hands start to roam over my skin, each touch electrifying and possessive. One lands between my legs, another on my neck, my stomach, one gathers a handful of hair, tilting my head back and up to meet Tank’s smoldering eyes.
“She’s too worked up,” he laughs.
“Good,” Vance whispers in my ear. “I want her to set her on fire.”
And they do. Every brush of their skin sets my ablaze with need. I arch my back, offering myself up to them. This is wrong, I know it is, but my traitorous body can't help but respond to their touch.
“Please,” I whimper, no longer sure if the word that escaped my lips was a plea for them to stop or a desperate plea for more. But they smile darkly. Their lips trail a scorching trail down my neck and collarbone.
Hawk leans in closer, his body pressing against mine as he whispers in my ear, “Are you sure you want us? Once we take you, there's no going back."
Their hungry eyes feast on my exposed body. The anticipation is torture, my hips rising off the bed in an invitation for some relief. I know it should terrify me, but I can't seem to care when the only thing I want is all three of them.
I know the weight of my decision. And I know it's wrong. But I find myself nodding. "Yes," I breathe out raggedly, "I want you." Some dark, hidden part of me has wanted this the moment I saw them staring up at the balcony.
As one, they groan in approval, and I know I've sealed my fate. Their lips and tongues kiss and taste my skin, sending me into a delirium of lust. I am on display, a delectable feast for the three most dangerous men in the city. Hawk's eyes burn into mine, his desire for me practically palpable when he leans over me, moving my legs open with his own.
“I go first,” he whispers.
My nails dig into his back as he plunges deep inside me, filling me in the most carnal way imaginable. I let out a cry of pleasure. The sensation is almost too much.
“She’s so fucking wet for us,” he growls, his voice raw.
“Mmm, yes, she is.” Tank purrs in my ear as his fingers trace over my tits. Vance positions himself beside me, his eyes dark and unreadable, drawing my mouth into a long deep kiss. His tongue glides against mine.
My heart races like a hammer against my chest while my hips grind against Hawk in an unspoken request for more.
It's not just a dream. I can feel the weight of their bodies against mine, hear their raspy breaths in my ear. The cool night air brushes against my naked skin.”
“Soon enough, you'll be begging for all of us, won't you, Izzy?” Vance murmurs.
I gasp as my eyes fly open, a shudder rolling through my body, leaving me cold and clammy with sweat. My heart races, my chest heaving up and down as I try to catch my breath. The room spins around me as I jerk upright, staring into the dark abyss of my living room.
The dream was so vivid. It felt real. So... goddamn real. They felt real. Tingles still linger on my skin where their hands and mouths had been moments ago, my pussy throbbing as if just fucked by those three men.
I peel myself off the couch and grab a glass of water from the kitchen.
Standing by the sink, I stare out the window at the dark night.
It’s just the stress from work, I tell myself. I rub my eyes then fill my glass a second time.
The cold water soothes my nerves. All those hours of staying up trying to catch the Puppeteer, being at the crime scene, and seeing the Hellfire Riders are piling on top of me. I rake my fingers through my hair and take a deep breath.
Those men are far from my home and me.
“It’s just a dream,” I whisper to myself. “Nothing more.”