7. Victoria
7
VICTORIA
A wild bonfire roars in the scrap heap of a backyard—these idiots won’t stop adding branches and trash. I’m waiting for someone to go for the gas can next to the shed.
I sit a ways back from the flames, watching Liam drink beer like it’s his job. Loud metal music blares from a Bluetooth speaker and I’m surprised one of the neighbors hasn’t started bitching about it yet.
Meanwhile, I’m on alert, watching for anyone who may come up from behind me, next to me, or in front of me. In total, besides the weirdo dude who’s been here all day, there are only three other guys, but they match the vibe of their friend. They’ve been passing around joint after joint for the last hour. One of them popped a few pills earlier, but thankfully they’ve left me alone so far.
It looks like my luck has run out—the guy who took something harder than a hit off a joint strides over with a cocky swagger. My body tenses as he gets closer, but I keep my chin lifted, trying to act as if I’m not worried.
“How’s it going over here, princess?”
My nose immediately scrunches up. I hate that he just used the same pet name for me as Dante. It reminds me how I’m waiting for him to get here, to find me. How I’m hoping he does so soon, before Liam makes his next move. Before it might be too late.
I don’t answer the guy, but he isn’t discouraged. Instead, he creeps closer.
“What’s your name?”
“Not interested,” I reply, poised to jolt from my chair if he tries to touch me.
He lifts his hands in silent defense. “No need to be all shitty. I was just tryin’ to be polite.”
I’d apologize, but I’m not actually sorry. I’m not sure how much clearer I can be: I’m not in the mood to be bothered.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
How stupid does he think I am? Like I’d take anything from a stranger. Especially when I can see his pupils are blown and I know he has more drugs on him. “No, thanks.”
“You ever say more than two words?”
“Not really.”
He smirks, then calls over his shoulder, “Hey Liam, what’s up with your girl?”
Liam flicks a glance at us, looking uninterested as hell. “Eh, she just needs a good fucking. That’ll get rid of her little attitude problem.”
“Yeah?” The guy perks up, a smarmy gleam in his eye. “How much?”
“Excuse me?” I sneer, but no one acknowledges me. The asshole in front of me is too focused on my ex, and my ex is too curious for comfort.
“For what?” Liam presses, head cocked.
Hell no. We’re not doing this.
I’m not doing this.
Rising from the chair, I get ready to bolt, which unfortunately gets Creepy Dude to focus on me again. “To fuck your girl. I got two grand.”
“Fuck you,” I snap. I’m not a fucking toy for Liam to loan out. This dude has some balls, thinking he can just toss some cash around to get to my pussy. “I’m not for sale, asshole.”
“That’s up to your man.”
I cut my eyes towards Liam, and if looks could kill…
If he so much as nods, winks, or twitches to give this douchebag the green light to touch me, I’ll make sure to put a bullet in his damn head the first chance I get.
Liam stares back at me, giving nothing away. He’s an entitled prick, so I’m counting on his greed. The idea of sharing anything is a foreign concept for people like him.
“Make it three,” Liam states, clear as fucking day, “and you got a deal.”
“Done.” The dude leans forward and snatches my wrist, yanking me forward.
I dig my heels into the ground and yank back, twisting my arm left and right to try and loosen his grip.
“Fuck off , asshole,” I shout, wrestling with him, determined to escape.
“C’mon, baby,” he taunts, reeling me closer. Still holding my wrist, he traps my other arm between us and uses his free hand to grip my hip. “You be nice to me and maybe I’ll be nice to you.” His words are accompanied by a stomach-turning grind of his dick against me.
Quickly, I pull my knee into his junk, making him hunch over. His fingers keep their punishing grip on my wrist, but at least there’s now some space between our bodies.
“Damn, feisty, aren’t you?” The words lose a bit of their menacing impact when gasped out between shallow breaths.
I struggle to catch my own breath, looking for a way out. I can’t see my opponent clearly and I’m struggling to think, too scared and wound up to concentrate on my surroundings. “Get the hell away from me, douchebag. I’m not?—”
“For three grand you sure as fuck are,” he retorts, straightening and lunging forward to grab me. He looks ready to throw me over his shoulder and I pull back on my arm, making myself as difficult a target as possible. “I’m going to fuck you so damn hard—” Something warm splatters across my forehead and the dude drops to the ground in front of me, what’s left of his head bouncing sickeningly on the ground.
I stumble backward, trying to get away from him…the asshole…the asshole’s body …and that’s when I trip over the freaking chair.
Tangled up in the metal and nylon, I keep pushing back from the blood pooling over the dirt. I hear the guys start hollering from around the bonfire, their frightened and angry voices rising over the heavy metal music, and then…silence.
Dead silence.
I pause, breathing heavily and blinking, trying to get some idea of what’s going on. When I see two figures walking toward me, a scream rises in my throat.
I bite back the cry and try to stand, but my brain and body aren’t in sync. There’s some sort of disconnect, a delay, and my limbs aren’t mine to control.
It’s not until I see one of the bodies fall to the grass with a thud that I realize it’s Liam.
The other man reaches down, gripping Liam’s shirt in a tight fist to pull him up before delivering a square punch right to his face.
I don’t know what’s happening, whether we’ve found ourselves in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong or something else. Shadows are creeping in at the edges of my vision, but I can’t pass out right now. Can’t afford to be at the mercy of this newcomer.
Especially since the shadowy figure is now pulling me off the ground like a weightless doll.
He has one large arm wrapped around my waist, and he lifts me in the air so that my toes can’t touch the ground. I curl my hands into fists and pummel his shoulders, the only act of resistance I’m capable of. “Put me down right the fuck now! Get off me?—”
“Princess.” I cock my elbow back to throw my own punch, but my captor stops it in mid-air, wrapping his rough fingers around my hand. “ Victoria. ”
The sound of my name…that tone…it resonates through my bones. I blink back tears.
Dark hair and rough stubble.
Straight nose.
Deep, chocolate eyes.
Dante.
My lips tremble and a broken sob breaks free from my chest. Dante slowly lowers me, letting me find my feet before he pivots sharply.
My body lurches forward, chasing his as he wrenches Liam from the ground and steers him forcefully into the house.
But not before gently grabbing my hand and taking me with him.
Inside, Dante leaves me by the kitchen counter as he shoves Liam into one of the empty dining room chairs, almost sending him and the furniture toppling backwards.
Liam catches his balance, steadying the chair, before barking out, “What the fuck are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be—” Dante coldcocks Liam and the shock of the blow shuts the prick up.
Then my husband pulls some zip ties out of his back pocket, cinching them tightly around Liam’s wrists. “Move,” he warns, “and I’ll fucking kill you.”
“No, you won’t,” Liam taunts carelessly, spitting blood onto the floor.
“No?” In the next second, Dante’s palmed a gun from a holster tucked under his arm. Two shots follow and blood blooms from fresh holes in each of Liam’s thighs.
My ex hollers out in pain, curling in on himself before he begins to rock back and forth, continuing to wail. “You piece of shit ! I’m gonna kill you for this!”
“Should’ve hired better hitmen,” Dante returns, holstering his gun. “I can’t tell you how easy it was to notice them.”
He did it.
Liam actually hired men to have Dante killed?
My brain spins into overdrive imagining the danger Dante’s been in. How did Liam even manage to find someone willing to commit murder? But my mind screeches to a halt when my husband turns me and I take an instinctive step backward as the full weight of his attention lands on me.
His eyes are filled with dark emotion, and anger and violence are pouring off him in waves.
If Dante notices my hesitation, he doesn’t acknowledge it. He ignores Liam’s panting as he sucks in air and growls obscenities, instead focusing on my body, lifting me by my hips and setting my ass on the edge of the counter.
His large frame wedges between my knees, forcing my thighs wide, and he cups my face. I can’t help the hiss of pain that escapes me, and his grip instantly gentles even as his brows lower with fury.
“I need you to do something for me,” he says, low and deliciously sweet, while he stares deep into my eyes. Despite the brutality of his actions, his gaze centers me. This man came after me, saved me. Whatever my husband has done today, he’s done for me . “It’s important, princess.”
“Anything,” I whisper, not even pausing to consider what he could need from me. His eyes shift, and I glimpse worry mixed in equal parts with the rage.
I can’t believe he’s actually here. It’s like a dream, something I can’t quite trust to be real.
“Grab my gun.” I hesitate, but he lowers one hand to pull mine to the holster cinched across his chest. The last time I touched a gun didn’t end well for me. Still, I trust Dante. “I need you to keep it on Liam no matter what, okay?”
Both our asses are on the line, and Liam has been the furthest thing from a kind kidnapper. He not only abducted me, he tried to attack me, tried to sell me… All that to say, I don’t trust Dante’s nephew as far as I can throw him. So, with a bravado I’m not really feeling, I tighten my fingers over the butt of the gun and slide it free. I can do this.
“You got him?” Dante asks, staring hard at my right cheek before lightly skimming his fingers over my scalp. He seems to be cataloging every bump and bruise marring my skull.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Good girl.” He returns his hands to my face, his thumb hovering over my cheekbone, barely brushing my skin with an almost heartbreaking tenderness. And then Liam starts spewing his bullshit again like the reckless idiot he’s always been.
“You really think she’d shoot me, Uncle D?” Liam snarks, clearly choosing to ignore the fact I’ve already shot him. Just this afternoon, actually. “You’re a fuckin’ idiot.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” Dante murmurs into the shell of my ear. The light puff of his breath sends goosebumps down my arms. “He moves, and what do you do?”
“Shoot,” I reply, steel in my voice. This isn’t a game. Dante has his back to Liam—the enemy—and he’s trusting me to keep him safe.
“Fuck you , Vee,” Liam snarls, his face twisted in hateful rage.
“Even towards the door.” I swallow at Dante’s words. The only reason for Liam to move toward the door would be to escape. He wouldn’t be trying to hurt us. “He’s a threat, princess. Even if he runs. I don’t want to have to chase him down.”
I turn my focus on Liam. I don’t want to disappoint Dante. Protecting us is my mission now. “Okay.”
Dante quirks a brow, his lips lifting in a small smirk. “Okay?” I bob my head again, keeping my attention on Liam. Not that I think he’s capable of making a break for it. Not with his hands bound and a bullet in each leg. “Perfect.”
His fingers slide from my face and find the waistband of my leggings. Then he rolls the band down, lifting my ass just enough to pull my leggings free.
My eyes fly to my husband. “What are you doing?” I gasp.
Dante jerks his head toward his nephew, his eyes not moving from my core. I flush, feeling a deep pull in my belly in response to his unwavering focus. “Watch him.”
I obey, following his orders as Dante removes one of my legs from the cotton fabric, leaving the other covered as he uses one hand to undo the button of his jeans.
“Dante—”
“I’m sorry, princess,” he murmurs so tenderly that it makes my skin tingle all over, the goosebumps spreading from my arms down to my toes. “I failed you again.”
I shake my head, my eyes still on Liam as he glares back at me. “You didn’t. You can’t be everywhere.”
“He touched you.” His grip on my upper thighs suddenly tightens, his fingers digging into my flesh. But I don’t wince, welcoming the claiming of his hands on my body. “He hit you.”
“I’m okay.”
Not really. It hurts, but I refuse to give Liam the satisfaction of knowing he’s managed to cause me pain. I don’t want him to know he’s had any effect on me, even though I’m sure I’ll have plenty of nightmares about our little road trip.
“Yeah,” Dante growls, the word almost a curse. “You’re going to be.”
And then he savagely yanks my panties to the side, guiding himself to my center and thrusting into me without any preparation. I gasp with the shock and pleasure of it. I’m more than simply damp for him and my eyes snap shut at the wet slide of his cock through my soft core. Stilling inside me, Dante’s voice pulls me out of the haze of lust.
“Eyes open, princess?—”
“You’re gonna fuck my girl right in front of me?” Liam bellows, jumping from the chair. But his legs are unable to bear his weight and he collapses to the floor almost as quickly as he stands.
I freeze in fear, but Dante’s voice is an ocean of calm washing over me. “Now. Show him.”
Lifting the gun, I squeeze off a shot, but I’m unprepared for the hard kick of the weapon in my hand. My shot goes wide, hitting the ceiling, and Liam and I both jolt.
“Don’t move,” I order, surprised at the strength of my voice.
“ Fuck you,” he spits, acting like he isn’t sprawled out helpless on the floor. “Stupid fuckin’ whore. You didn’t let me fuck you, but you’re gonna let this old man?”
“Tell him,” Dante whispers in my ear before lightly nipping at the soft lobe of my ear, tugging it between his warm lips. Slowly, he begins pumping his hips. “Tell that motherfucker everything.”
“You’re a piece of shit, Liam,” I manage to get out as Dante thrusts faster, pounding me harder with each stroke. “And you’ll never touch me again.”
“Why?” Dante presses, his ragged breathing filling the room. “Who do you belong to, princess?” My lips part, my body wet and welcoming for Dante. Pleasure battles with the residual fear and apprehension in my gut, making for a confusing and intoxicating chemical cocktail in my blood. “You better fucking tell him before I’m fucking you so hard that you can’t talk. Before I’m fucking my wife ,” he punctuates the words with a hard slam of his hips, his balls slapping against my pussy, “while all that piece of shit can do is watch and listen to every little moan you give me.”
“He’s my husband,” I pant. “I only want him .”
“Him, huh?” Liam leers, wincing as he tries to rearrange his legs. “You stupid bitch. He’s going to dump you on your ass the moment you get that money. You think he’s gonna save you?”
“Like what you were planning on doing?” I snap, anger momentarily drowning out my libido. “No, fuck you , Liam. I’d rather trust him with my life than you. He came to rescue me from you.”
“So that he could get the money!”
A sob mixed with a mirthless chuckle catches in my throat and I barely recognize the hysterical bubble of sound that finally breaks free. “Then so be it. I’d rather die by his hands than give you the satisfaction.”
Dante’s mouth falls to my neck as he begins to cover my skin with torturously slow, wet kisses. Maybe it’s his way of assuring me that he’d never do it. That he’d never betray me.
“I can’t wait to see you fall, Vee,” Liam tells me. “You’re gonna be begging me to save you.”
Yeah, right.
The only begging that he’ll hear from me is me begging Dante to fuck me harder.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” I say, wrapping my arm around Dante’s waist. “All I want is for my husband to make me come so you finally realize that I’m not yours. I never will be.”
“Oh, you’ll definitely get to come,” Dante assures me, pausing in his efforts to pull my shirt lower to expose my breasts before covering my chest in kisses. “And then we’re getting out of here.”
Being in his arms, having him here, is more than I can describe with mere words. The hours I’ve spent with Liam have been harrowing and hopeless. Not knowing what might happen to me or just how far Liam might go was beyond awful, making this one day feel like the longest week of my life.
But now, with Dante surrounding me, filling me, everything is back to how it should be.
It’s safety and a strange, bone-deep comfort.
It’s home.