Julian
two
H e raped her. I know he did. I’ve heard the rumors about Mr Howard Shaw.
How he creeps on all his female staff, how he abuses them, smacks them around, sexually assaults them.
I swear if he has touched Natalie I will kill him .
I don’t care if he is the richest man in town and he’s related to the police chief.
He. Will. Perish. I’ve lived in this town for most of my adult life, and that is one man I always try my best to avoid.
He creeps me out with his sadistic smirk and the way he leers at women.
I saw him do it to my woman once and I wanted to smash his teeth in.
He was lucky it was a crowded street and I wasn’t wearing my mask that day, I wasn’t even meant to have seen her that day.
It was supposed to have been her day off so he must have called her in and I had to run into town for some errands.
I have made sure to keep my mask on me since, always hidden in my inside jacket pocket just in case .
“What the hell was that about man?” Dante questions as he turns the corner to where the van is waiting.
I hope my treasure gets back home safe.
“Julian.”
But if she did decide to fuck the old man, I will kill her.
“Hellooo?” Dante tries to get my attention once more, and again I ignore him. Why won’t he get the fucking hint that I don’t want to talk to him about this?
No, she wouldn’t touch him, she wouldn’t cheat on me, she told me I’m the only one she feels safe with. That I’m the only one she trusts.
“Julian.” Dante shoves my shoulder.
“What?” I spit, having had enough of his attempts to speak to me. Why was she fucking crying like that, unless Howard did rape her?
“What the hell was that? Why were you scaring her like that?” Who does he think he is questioning me like this? “Come on man, anyone could have seen you. Just be grateful it was me and not Bull or Peacock, she would have had your balls for breakfast.”
“Dante, you may be my best friend, but stay the fuck out of my love life.” I put a stop to any more questions and open the door to the waiting van. Bull is in the driver ’ s seat, his mask on his lap rather than his face.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” I snarl through the divider as I take my seat in the back of the van.
“Geez, you were taking too long man, I was just taking a breather. Chill out would ya.”
“Don’t tell me to fucking chill. Now put your mask on, we don’t want to be caught because you’re a little too warm.”
Don’t be mad Julian. Not at these guys.
“What the fuck is your problem dude?” Bull whines while sliding his mask back over his face.
“Women trouble.” Dante quips. I glare at him under my mask. What does he know? “So don’t piss him off.”
“Let’s just go and get this over and done with.” I huff and slump back on my seat. Bull turns the key in the ignition and we get going. Peacock chuckles to herself beside me. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, boss.” She shakes her bunny masked covered head. “Nothing at all. I honestly thought you were going to be celibate for the rest of your life, so it’s nice to know you have a girl. When are we going to meet her?” She turns to face me, leaning her head in one of her palms. “Is she nice?”
“She is the best woman I have ever met, and as for you all meeting her. That is never going to happen.” I can’t trust them not to tell the big boss. He’s already scared away any potential previous girlfriends. So I won’t give him the chance to scare off Natalie.
“Awww, boss doesn’t like his property being around other men.” Bull laughs.
“Just,” I sigh, “just drive. And this conversation is over.”
I wash the blood off my hands from the wife beater we’ve just taken care of. Peacock did most of the damage as usual, she can’t stand anyone touching a woman against her will.
Dante was right when he said that she would have had my balls for breakfast; because she is damn scary.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as psychotic as I have when it comes to a man hitting a woman.
She really goes for it. Maybe I can send her Howards way?
Bull is the same, he’s one crazy mother fucker, terrifying one too.
He taught me everything I know. From how to dispose of a body, to drawing out someone's suffering. I would have been caught a long time ago if it wasn’t for this man. I owe him more than my life.
“Okay, another job well done.” I tell my team as I come out of the bathroom of my warehouse.
Which is the place I call my home. It should be home for all my treasures, but it’s not right to bring her here.
I can’t bring her here. Or maybe I should, I should if it keeps her safe.
As they all leave, ready to lay low for a few days like always, I grab my jacket and mask getting myself ready to find out what the fuck happened tonight.
After every ‘job’ we keep our heads down so as not to raise suspicion.
It’s worked for years - just over a decade in fact.
On my first job when I was nineteen, I was a mess.
Could barely pull the trigger without shaking like a leaf, Bull had to finish the job after I missed the targets chest and instead hit him in the shoulder.
That almost cost me my life, not by the target, but by my boss.
Or the Big Boss as my team calls him. I had the beating of my life for letting the target's brother get away. But then again, if he hadn’t come after me almost five years later and run me off the road I would have never met my Natalie .
My woman should be here with me, and I would have brought her here years ago if it was up to me.
Unfortunately with that bastard still out there.
I can’t risk it. Not here. Not when he knows I live here.
I have had menacing letters being delivered in the middle of the night, animal blood smeared all over the door.
One day he looked straight into the camera and started mocking me.
He must know when I’m not here. Fortunately, he has never been seen near Natalie's apartment building.
If he had, I would have moved us both away from here.
She is safe at her house where I have every room camera’d up and have the younger members of my team in every other apartment of the building, the perks of being the new owner .
Plus, the younger members know not to question me unlike the others.
God if Pea knew I had a whole other team looking out for one person she would be questioning me all about Natalie.
“What does she look like?”
“Is she nice?”
“Have you guys fucked yet?”
I swear she is one nosey bitch, but she has one hell of a shot.
I guess being an ex sniper in the military helps.
Then she was dishonorabl y discharged for beating the crap out of a fellow marine for putting his hands on one of the nurses patching him up.
When the big boss found out he gave her an offer she couldn’t refuse - payment for killing men who hurt women and kids.
She was hired the same time as me and Dante and despite her being twenty-eight - the same age as me, it's like she is an annoying little sister . And for some reason, the big boss put me in charge of the other three. However, they still have to report back to him. That’s why I had to find my own people to keep an eye on Natalie , I can’t let him find out about her .
I can’t.
I can’t risk losing her. Not again. I failed to protect her once, I have to save her this time.
“Fuck.” I groan to myself. What should I do?
I don’t have time to d well on it now. I have to go and find out what the fuck happened tonight.
The note addressed to ‘Mr Stalker’ sits where she usually leaves her notes.
I normally laugh at the nickname, but tonight is different.
Tonight I scared her, I felt her fear. When it comes to my victims, the more fearful they are the more joyful I feel.
However, when Natalie told me I was scaring her, my heart broke.
She is the one person I didn’t want to feel like that, not of me .
I promised to keep her safe and I failed.
Picking up the note, I sit on the sofa- which has been my bed the last few years - and open the paper.
Come and wake me up. But only if you promise not to scare me again. I want my old protector back, the one where I feel protected by him. Please. I need to feel at least a little safe tonight, Mr Stalker.
Sighing, I stand and look between my shoes and jacket left by the front door of her apartment, and her bedroom. I can’t promise I won’t scare her again, I have a pretty bad temper. But I also don’t want to leave her alone. I rub the back of my neck and look between the two doors again.
What should I do?
What should I do?
What should I do?
Fuck it. I stride to her bedroom door. I’ve only ever opened this door when I hear her crying in her sleep to keep an eye on her, but never entered .
That is a boundary I would never cross. She has given me permission though.
Hovering my hand over the door handle I hesitate.
Sweat starts dripping down my face. I have worn this mask for way too long today.
Turning away from the door I head for the bathroom instead.
Locking the door behind me I slide off the mask and splash some cold water on my face. What the fuck am I thinking? I can’t enter her room, I won’t be able to control myself.
God damn it Julian, she was probably raped tonight and you’re thinking of your own fucking feelings. Get a grip!
The whole place smelt like bleach as soon as I entered. I just thought she might have done some cleaning, but in the bathroom the smell hit me hard. Looking around I notice the bottle of bleach sitting beside the bathtub, some water still sits in the tub, I slide my finger through and smell it.
She bathed in bleach.