TWENTY THREE
“P ick up the phone, Noelle.”
Hudson reaches, grabs the device, and places it in my shaky hand. His eyes are filled with amusement as he continues to observe me. His hands grip my thighs and push them further apart before he gets down on his knees in front of me.
I’m sitting on his kitchen counter and before Hudson kindly commanded me to ditch the stove and spread my legs, I was planning to finally leave his damned house. It’s nearly impossible for me to leave.
With unsteady hands, I pick up the call, staring at the man between my legs. He bites my inner thigh, grazing his teeth on my sensitive flesh, eyes locked on mine with a look that promises nothing but trouble.
I press the phone against my ear. “Hello?”
“Noelle! I’ve been trying to reach you. Where are you? Is everything okay?”
My heart flutters at the sound of Jane’s voice. Lately, I’ve been too damn busy to talk to her, and we’ve only exchanged a few texts here and there. Her voice radiates happiness, but it’s mixed with worry.
I don’t get to focus on the swelling in my chest. Hudson’s tongue starts to tease me, going further up but not quite where I need him the most. My body chills at the teasing sensation, burning with desire.
“Sorry about that,” I breathe out. “You know how busy it is. How is everything on your side?”
Jane takes a deep breath. “The change has been… overwhelming. Not in a bad way. I’ve made a few friends, and the boarding school is really cool. Everyone’s been nice to me, so I guess I don’t have anything to complain about. But I miss you and Niko. So much.”
I hum in response, biting my lip when Hudson sucks on my clit. I throw him a glare, but he only beams in response.
“How is that family treating you?”
“Good. I see them once a week for dinner at the Kalashnik castle. The oldest son is around my age, I think. He’s really terrifying. His name is Aleksei, and he either shouts and screams or doesn’t speak at all.”
“ Oh .” A throaty moan slips my lips. I reposition the phone between my ear and shoulder, trying to push Hudson’s head away. He doesn’t budge, just focuses on picking up the pace, sucking, and licking. It’s dangerously alluring and addicting.
A laugh vibrates through his chest, his eyes glistening with amusement.
“Um,” I fumble over my words. “If there’s any issues, let me know immediately, and I will handle it.”
“Are you okay, Noah? You sound out of breath.”
I shoot daggers at Hudson with my eyes, who only presses his tongue roughly against my clit. He traces patterns over my thigh, slowly going inward until his finger reaches my entrance. He’s circling it, teasing me, and it makes me go wild.
“I’m just at the gym, sorry. Can I call you back later?”
I don’t wait for her response before I cut the call short and immediately grab Hudson’s hair, yanking him closer to me. My legs wrap around his shoulders, ensuring he has nowhere to run.
He doesn’t. In fact, he only chuckles against my skin before adding a finger in me, thrusting and curling it on the inside. He’s constantly touching the sweetest spot, and all I can hear are my loud moans and the rapid beating of my heart bursting through my ears.
“Just like that.” I tilt his head to the side more, and he inserts another finger. My head falls back, and my lips part when he lightly uses his teeth on my swollen clit. He groans against me, his hot breath sending electrifying sensations down my body.
“You taste so fucking sweet, baby. You’re my biggest vice.”
My teeth clatter together when he adds a third finger, my mind going into a state of no return. When Hudson looks up, I can see the entire universe hidden behind those gorgeously dangerous green eyes.
Hudson is staring at me like I’m his entire world.
And that throws me over the edge. I clamp around his fingers, gripping his hair as I grind on his face, riding the wave of my orgasm. My heavy breathing fills the room, my eyes fluttering closed for a moment as I try to regain my breath.
Hudson licks up every little drop before I release his hair.
The next thing I do happens involuntarily. My body acts before my brain, and I’m unable to prevent it. I cup Hudson’s cheeks and bend down, placing my lips on his.
Immediately, he grabs the back of my neck, pulls me closer, and stands up. My legs wrap around his torso, his groans sending my mind into oblivion. I taste myself on his tongue, and I never knew how good this could feel.
He sucks on my bottom lip, grazing it with his teeth, before pulling me even closer. My chest is touching his, the warmth of his body transferring to me. His free hand goes under my shirt, caressing my side. His touch is possessively rough, yet tender and gentle at the same time.
Slowly, I break the kiss, panting and gasping for air.
“I should leave now.”
Hudson distances himself from me, very obviously aroused. “Now?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s been a week, Hudson. An entire week of having sex, eating, and barely sleeping.”
“Why are you complaining? It’s not like you didn’t enjoy it.”
“I enjoyed it.” I bite my tongue to prevent another embarrassing statement from slipping. “But now it’s time for me to leave. I have work to do.”
“It can wait another day. Well, just an hour.”
“No.” His offer is too tempting, and I need to reject it firmly before I change my mind. “I’m supposed to meet Lucas in a few hours.”
Hudson’s jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing at me. His nostrils flare, and he takes a deep breath as if he’s trying to calm himself down. Why is he suddenly angry?
“Is that the boy with the tattooed head?”
“Yes, why?”
He lifts a shoulder. “Just asking. And out of curiosity, where are you meeting him?”
“We have a secret meeting place. We built an underground bunker in our university days, so that’s his main base, too.”
“Mmm,” he hums with a nod. “And the location?”
It’s my turn to stare at him with suspicion. I raise a questioning brow and cock my head to the side. “Why are you so curious? I’m not taking you with me.”
“As if I’d go,” he snorts with an eye roll. He folds his arms in front of his chest, and my eyes are immediately glued to his amazing muscles. “For the record, I think it’s dangerous for you to be wandering around all alone. That… motherfucker is suspicious.”
The time has finally come.
For the past week, I’ve been holding off on asking questions. A part of me hopes that my thoughts will be proven wrong, unbiased, and completely off. Yet the other part of me is certain that my instincts aren’t wrong.
I’ve been too scared to ask the question.
No.
I’ve been too scared to hear the answer.
“Hudson.” I clear my throat to hide the crack in my voice. “Why did you kidnap Dylan?”
Hudson sits on the high stool, leaning on the kitchen aisle next to me. His eyes no longer hold any amusement; they’re now filled with distaste—even a little hatred. However, it’s surprising that it’s not directed toward me.
“Because he’s been acting suspiciously.”
“What did he do?”
Hudson frowns. “What do you mean? He was being suspicious.”
It’s my turn to frown. “You mean to tell me that you only had a feeling that Dylan was acting suspicious, so you kidnapped him and had him locked in your basement?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Any proof to back up your claims, or is it just a gut feeling?”
He grunts in displeasure. “A mix of a gut feeling. Somehow, I thought that he was connected to the bullets that your friend pulled out of me, and then there’s the fact that I cannot stand the motherfucker. Mainly the latter, though.”
“The two of you do not have any single thing connecting you. Why the hell can’t you stand him?”
His mouth opens, then closes like a fish. His jaw is clenched, and a small vein pops on his forehead. It doesn’t last long because he takes a deep breath and collects himself.
“My gut feeling has never been wrong before. It only made me not like him. What’s up with the twenty questions?”
“No reason,” I quickly respond. Almost too quickly. “It’s just that… I don’t condone what you did to him.”
He rolls his eyes. “I didn’t starve him on purpose. I just… forgot to feed him.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what are you talking about?”
“Why did you torture and whip him?”
Hudson looks at me as if I’ve grown a second head. He blinks a couple of times, brows shooting up to his hairline. Then, a laugh of disbelief fills the deadly silent room, his eyes locked on mine.
“What? Do I really look like the kind of guy to fucking whip someone? I mean, I’m not above that, but I do have more creative ways. Besides, when I wasn’t with you, I was studying.”
“Studying? What for?”
He blinks. “Uh, I’m still in university? My exams are soon?”
“What?”
It slipped my mind that Hudson is younger than me. I also seemed to forget that he’s studying business as his major. With a little laugh, an image of Hudson with glasses, sitting behind a desk with a book in his hands forms in my head. It sends waves of electricity right to my lower stomach, but I’m forced to ignore it.
“Ah, right,” I add. “I forgot. Sorry. So why did you let him go, then? If you thought that he was somehow connected to the attack on you and was acting suspiciously?”
“That’s the thing.” Hudson swallows. “I didn’t. I don’t know how the motherfucker got out. I had him chained to the damn walls.”
I open my mouth to speak, but Hudson is quicker.
“Listen, Noelle.” He sighs. “I understand that he is your fiancé, but he is far too shady. There’s something odd about him and until I can clear those doubts, be careful around him.”
Hudson is absolutely correct. But I can’t tell him that I agree. It means that Dylan is completely blacklisted in my mind and that there is something ugly going on with him. It also means that years of partnership and friendship will go down the drain, and I have yet to gather concrete evidence.
So, I don’t say anything. I’m too afraid of letting go of the familiar; too scared to admit that Dylan would have to die if my suspicions are proven correct.
I push the thoughts to the back of my head and grin at Hudson.
“Oh my.” I laugh. “It almost sounds like you care about me.”
Hudson stands from the chair and appears in front of me in the blink of an eye. I’m still sitting on the kitchen island, and he cages me between his arms, gripping the marble counter until his knuckles turn white.
He gets nearly too damn close, his breath fanning my lips. There’s a hint of hope glistening behind those hunter eyes, threatening to swallow me whole.
“So? What happens if I tell you I do care about you in some sort of fucked-up way?”
A knot forms in my throat, and the wind gets knocked out of my chest. I feel my lungs start to collapse, the brazen confession replaying in my head on repeat. Slowly, I lift my chin up, staring at him with no trace of emotions on my face.
“I’ll have to kill you then.” My words come out in a hushed whisper because I’m too afraid of uttering them. “Because that would be both of our undoing.”
“Why don’t you let it be our undoing, Noelle? Why are you so terrified of dancing on the edge of the abyss?”
“Because it can’t happen. You’re the man I’m supposed to hate more than anything.”
“Supposed to?”
“The man that I do hate the most.”
Slowly, he closes his eyes with a light nod of his head. He pushes himself away, making distance between us. Finally, I’m able to breathe freely, ignoring the burning sensation in my chest.
“Then I guess it’s good that I don’t care about you. I need you, but that’s a different story. Now, go get ready and get the hell out of my sight.”
His cold demeanor and harsh words make my heart sink to my feet. I’m frozen for a couple of minutes, processing what the hell just happened, when my phone buzzes. It breaks me out of the trance, and I quickly comply with Hudson’s wishes.
As I’m getting dressed, something wet slips from the corner of my eye. I stare at myself in the mirror, laughing like a maniac at the sight. Tear after tear falls until my cheeks are fully stained, dripping down my chin.
Why the fuck am I crying?
I sniffle and wipe the salty liquid with the back of my palm before slapping myself as harshly as I can. My handprint remains on my cheek as a reminder of how much of an idiot I am.
Why the hell did I get my hopes up, even a little?
I don’t like Hudson, at all. He’s obnoxious, annoying, and irritating. Yet all my mind chooses to focus on is how he makes me feel. It’s like I’m the only girl in the world, desirable and needed.
He got me addicted to the feeling and is now refusing to take responsibility. Well, it’s not like I gave him a warm opening either, but I’m not supposed to open up first. Not to him, and not about those twisted desires and needs that swarm my body, mind, and soul.
It’s for the best.
At least, that’s what I tell myself as I leave his house, quietly closing the door behind me and leaving a piece of me in the bedroom I spent the past seven days in.
I fucking hate the entire world. Everyone can eat shit and go to fucking hell.
I cannot believe that I’m currently going through the fucking sewers of New York.
Willingly.
Again.
It reeks, my boots are ruined, and I think at least four rats have run over my feet in the past couple of minutes. The dirty water dripping from the stained walls can only be described as shit, food that’s been expired for the last century, and rotten intestines.
I gag, trying to suppress the urge to vomit all over my clothes. By now, I smell like showers are a foreign concept. I took a full bath with self-care two hours ago, yet now I’m looking like one of the rats.
“I cannot believe this,” I mutter to myself once I reach the destination.
The gigantic, metal door is in front of me. My hands are covered with leather gloves, so I don’t feel nauseated when I push it open. It closes behind me, silently, as if it doesn’t weigh as much as a whole fucking car.
“You need to fucking relocate,” I announce, slightly screaming as I toss my coat, gloves, and hat to the ground, wincing at the smell. “I’m never coming here again.”
“You say that every time, yet here you are,” Lucas says before laughing at my state. I throw him a glare, and he clears his throat, his lips still tilting upward. “Anyway, why are you so pissed?”
“Because rats and I have become one.”
He rolls his eyes. “You chose this spot because it’s the most convenient and the hardest to track.”
“And nineteen-year-old Noelle deserves a beating.”
“What got your panties in a twist?”
I slump into his comfy couch, laying my head on the fluffy pillow. I look at him and just take a deep breath. The need to relax is overwhelming; my muscles are too tight, and I’m barely functioning properly.
“Nothing,” I mumble. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I nod lightly. “Why did you call me here? Did anything happen?”
“Aside from being unable to reach you for ages, no. And that’s exactly the problem. It’s been too quiet. No more dead women showing up and no new girls going missing either. It’s good, but it also means that they either changed their game, or they have enough people for now.”
“Both scenarios are equally as terrifying.”
Lucas nods. “Right, which is why I’m trying to take a different approach. I have someone in law enforcement to help me out.”
“Of course you have someone in law enforcement,” I mumble, my eyes slowly closing. “What are you looking for, exactly?”
“Anything and everything. I’m trying to find information dating way before your aunt died. Speaking of which, have you told Hudson about it?”
My eyes snap open. “About what?”
“Your misjudgment of the late Franco De Santis.”
“Why in the world would I do that? That secret dies with me.”
“Do you not feel any remorse? Guilt for killing a man who had nothing to do with your aunt’s death and then keeping it from his brother, who, by the way, you need right now?”
I pause to think.
Not once did it cross my mind to confess Hudson. Telling him would result in a nasty fight and him potentially trying to sabotage this whole operation out of spite. I can’t afford that, and I don’t need him up in his feelings and misguided.
“Not really, no.”
“Not even a little bit?”
I shake my head. “Not everyone feels guilt easily, Lucas.”
“Why are you bragging about that?”
“I’m stating a fact. It’s either because I’m too accustomed to death or because I genuinely do not care. One less De Santis to worry about.”
“I don’t know why I’m even trying,” he sighs out in disbelief. “Anyway, the bullet maker was found without a head. I’m assuming that’s your work of art.”
I beam. “I’m very proud of that one. Should’ve cut his dick off, too, and hung it in my living room.”
Lucas gags, then pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Do you make it a hobby to cut off men’s dicks and keep them as a souvenir?”
I immediately stand up. Right there is Hudson, leaning against the door, arms crossed in front of his chest and dressed in all black. He has the same Dr. Martens as me, and it’s almost as if we’re matching.
I grit my teeth. “Provoke me a little and find out.”
He pushes himself off the door frame and closes the door behind him with a soft laugh. He’s glancing around, staring almost in awe at Lucas’ equipment. The walls are filled with monitors, he has at least eight keyboards around, and a wide desk spans the walls.
“How the hell did you get in here, and how long have you been here?”
Lucas speaks. “Oh, he’s been here almost since you got here. I’m actually surprised your keen senses didn’t notice him.”
I frown.
“I’m too damn tired. I barely slept for the past week.”
Hudson grins like an idiot. “Sorry about that.”
I throw him a glare with a sneer. “Shut up, asshole. You’re on thin ice as it is. Why the hell are you here?”
He shrugs. “I had nothing better to do, and I did tell you to be careful. Someone could’ve killed you. You’re not paying attention to your surroundings.”
“I wish someone did, so I wouldn’t have to put up with you anymore.”
“That’s harsh, considering I spent the past week eating your pussy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
You could’ve heard the silence in the room.
Lucas drops the pen he had in his hands, his mouth dropping open with a look of pure disbelief on his face. His cheeks get pink because he knows he’s not supposed to be hearing this.
I feel heat reaching my ears; undoubtedly, they’re as red as a tomato. My face mirrors the sudden wave of embarrassment, and I can’t utter a word. Hudson manages to leave me speechless too often, and I don’t like it.
“You… you…” I mutter, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Hudson’s grin only widens. “Yes?”
“Does that mean you saw and heard everything?”
If he heard us talking about his brother, it could be troublesome. I’m not quite prepared for that mess, and it will take a lot to calm him down. If that’s even possible, given the situation.
He shrugs. “I’m not sure what you mean. Do you mean how you tripped over a pile of shit, or how you were talking to the rats?”
I almost sigh in relief. Hudson is not the type of person to hold in his anger. If he heard us talking about Franco’s murder, he would’ve been on top of me with a gun pressed to my temple.
I grab the pillow and throw it at him, and he dodges it with ease. It’s followed by a rumbling laugh from him, the biggest grin of satisfaction on his face.
“Again.” I take a deep breath. “What do you want?”
“Always so rude,” he mutters. “Let’s get to business, shall we? The auction is soon. Do you have a plan?”
“Yes, of course. You’ll be coming with me, and I might have to do something you don’t like.”
“Go on.”
“The person I’ll be going as is someone who always has men on a leash.”
“Absolutely the fuck not.”
“I got you a matching muzzle, too.”
His eyes almost fall out of their sockets. “You fucking bought it already?”
“Uh huh,” I state matter-of-factly and sit straight on the couch, sleep still lingering around. “Listen, I can’t force you to do it. I can always have Dylan go with me. He’ll do it, no questions asked.”
“I’ll do it.”
I raise a questioning brow, slightly confused at the sudden change of heart.
“You answered that one too quickly, my brother.” Lucas pats his shoulder with a loud laugh and walks to the other small room, giving us privacy.
“You will do it?” I repeat with disbelief coating my words.
“Don’t make me regret it.”
“May I ask why the sudden change of heart?”
“You may not.”
“Fuck you.”
“You did. For a whole week, might I add.”
“Would you shut up about it?”
“Why are you embarrassed? It’s not like we committed a crime.”
“A crime? No. A sin? Yes.”
“Come on, you liked our sinful week.”
“I may have enjoyed it, but is that all you’re here for?”
Hudson rolls his eyes. “Changing the topic, are we? But that’s fair, I guess. I’ve come to tell you that you should really contact your family.”
I tilt my head to the side. “Are you their messenger now?”
“God, no. But apparently, you have your father, mother, and brother blocked, so now I’m here to deliver the message. Ray says to get your ass back home before he comes to get you.”
I blocked them because they were getting on my nerves. Constant texting and calling is beyond irritating. Niko is trying to play mind games, Kalina is too damn nosy, and Ray thinks he still holds authority over my head.
“Message received, loud and clear. Now, get the hell out of here.”
“No.”
“No? What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“I mean, you’re coming with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere wi—hey! What the hell are you doing?”
Hudson picks me up, holding me as tightly as possible. No matter how much I thrash, squirm, and hit him, he doesn’t budge or even show a sign of being affected. He carries me out of the bunker and back into the damn sewers.
“What is the meaning of this? I thought you didn’t care about me.”
“Ah, are you acting more bratty than usual because my words hurt you? Sorry to break it to you, Noelle, but I do need you right now. And you’re functioning on no sleep. You’ll get yourself killed, and what am I supposed to do then?”
“I don’t know. Celebrate?”
His chest vibrates subtly, his mouth quirking up in a soft smile.
“Or get revenge on the people who killed you.”
My heart thumps against my chest.
“Why would you do that?”
He’s quiet for a moment.
“Who knows?”