Chapter Fourteen
Tyson
So fucking adorable, and all fucking mine.
All morning, I’ve been discretely watching Malory through the kitchen windows, digging around in the dirt by the front porch, unaware of my hovering presence.
She usually gets all flustered, her cheeks turning the most mesmerizing shade of pink whenever she catches me staring, yet something holds me back from interrupting her in her happy place.
That’s why I’m trying to be subtle about my lurking but fuck, even her doing the most mundane tasks, covered to the elbows in mud, is making my dick hard.
My girl is so fucking precious, nothing a person like me should own, much less get to touch with hands permanently stained with blood.
Nonetheless, I wouldn’t change anything about what I had to do to get Malory here, maiming and slaughtering until I found her. So, there’s really no point in dwelling on it.
Nothing in the world could convince me to let her go. She ’s all that matters to me now.
And it’s not like she’s an entirely unwilling participant in this, but somehow that keeps bothering me.
How much of her feelings are real and not just the outcome of being forced into this? And why the fuck do I care?
I have everything I ever wanted right in front of me, so why can’t I shake the uncomfortable tightness gripping my chest.
Malory has managed to worm her way deep under my skin, slowly but surely cracking the walls that no living being has been able to breach.
Not even me.
The emptiness inside kept me protected for most of my life, my hardened core keeping me from breaking apart.
Since Malory decided to go digging in those dead parts of me, she’ll have to bear the consequences.
Ownership and submission were all I aimed for going into this. Not me willingly divulging my past and for her to want to know me, truly know me.
I never planned on telling her about my childhood in the first place, but the words just kept flooding out of me. Her comforting touch felt so good it made me fucking snap.
The tiny being keeps pushing me at every turn just like I wanted to push her.
There’s something about her that breaks me a little more with every stolen touch, every heated look. And I don’t know how to deal with the sensation spreading through me by merely thinking about her.
This isn’t just possessiveness or the raw need to own and dominate anymore.
She is fucking tearing me up inside.
I throw open the front door, Malory’s head instantly perking up at the sound of my combat boots clunking against the wooden boards.
“What are you planting, little one?” My voice softens around her.
“I’m not sure yet, not a lot will survive in this soil.” Her tiny, heart shaped face scrunches up with baseless worry, making me want to kiss the frown off her lips.
“Do you want to look for something at The Garden Center ?” I suggest nonchalantly, gauging her reaction.
She’s been getting restless here and it’s only a question of time before Malory’s mental health starts deteriorating again. Things have only recently staring looking up and there’s no way I’ll let her slip back into her old shell.
Her eyes widen, mouth falling open before she quickly recovers.
“You’d let me come with?”
“Sure.”
“Really?” She blurts out and I can’t blame her for not believing me.
I’ve kind of been acting out of character since that kiss in the hammock.
My thoughts drifting back to her soft lips and dainty fingers tangled in my hair every time I look at her. Every time I close my eyes, I can feel her in my arms.
Her small, pale hand fitting perfectly into my scarred one. So different on the outside, but on the inside, she’s the only one who could truly understand me.
“When have I ever not been serious?” I raise an eyebrow as Malory jumps to her feet, brushing the dirt off her hands in excitement.
“Are we leaving now?”
“Yeah, anytime you want. Though I’m guessing you’ll want to change first.”
Her cheeks flush as my eyes rove hungrily over her body. The tight tank top and cotton sleep shorts leaving barely anything to the imagination.
Seeing the desire burning in my eyes, Malory rushes past me, darting up the stairs before I can bend her over the railing. And here I thought I was being subtle.
Five minutes later, she emerges in one of my black shirts I left in her room after our bath last night, the oversized fit tucked into white linen shorts accentuating her slim waist.
A grunt of appreciation rumbles from my chest at seeing her dressed in my clothes, at laying claim on her in public.
She halts in the entryway, looking up at me with those huge, green eyes brimming with anticipation that makes something vital constrict within my ribcage.
Unhooking my old trucker hat from the wardrobe, I set it on her head before pulling out a pair of aviators.
“Keep this on the whole time and don’t take it off. Not even inside.” Nodding, Malory expertly twists her chestnut locks into a low bun that peaks out from under the cap with a few messy strands framing her beautiful face.
“You’ll stay by my side. No talking to anyone, understood?”
Compliant as always, she dips her chin in agreement.
?I need you to say it, little one.” I lower my voice to a drawl as her pupils dilate, remembering the last time I had a similar request.
“Y-yeah. I got it.”
When we at last step outside, I make sure that she sees me tucking a gun into the waistband of my pants, an added incentive not to run.
Not that I’d let her.
Placing my palm on the small of Malory’s back, I lead her to the waiting truck before opening the passenger door.
A delicate shiver going through her petite body as I hoist her up by the waist and buckle her in, relishing in the way her breath hitches every time my touch lingers longer than necessary.
Satisfied with my work, I round the car to stuff my tall frame into the driver’s seat.
Despite it being the biggest model money can buy on this whole fucking continent, my knees keep continuously bumping against the steering wheel.
Apparently, there are downsides to being a massive fucker that don’t just involve having a bigger target on my back and a cock that could split my little girl in half.
The engine roars to life as I floor it down the dirt road, leaving the cabin behind.
And for the first time I’m not alone.
I keep sneaking glances at Malory who’s eagerly watching the landscape pass by, her whole face lighting up with wonder.
Being the selfish bastard that I am, I can’t resist resting my hand onto her knee, drawing her attention back to myself.
It works immediately because I feel her muscles tense in surprise before she relaxes, unconsciously leaning closer, seeking my touch.
“What changed your mind, Tyson?” She asks hesitantly, probably thinking that I’ll come to my senses and turn the car around at any moment.
“You aren’t a prisoner, even if it doesn’t seem that way right now.” I sigh, tightening my hold on her. “I want to take you everywhere your heart desires, Malory. But with your father’s men still out there looking for you, it’ll have to wait.”
Besides watching my baby girl sleep, my nights have been filled with keeping tabs on John, having every man he hired to find his beloved daughter gradually eliminated.
I didn’t bother leaving a message when I took her, her drugged mother and missing belongings serving as enough evidence that his little princess has been taken from him by force.
It’s the uncertainty whether she suffers, whether she lives or dies that’s meant to drive him off the edge.
A man like John Hayes doesn’t deserve physical punishment, that’s an easy way out. However emotional torture is another thing entirely.
“I will slaughter everyone last person who tries taking you away from me. Though I’d rather not have you witness it.” I vow through gritted teeth.
“I’ll do anything to keep you by my side, little one. And if that means laying low for a while for your own safety, then so be it.”
Sliding my palm up her thigh, my pinky grazes the hem of her shorts. Malory doing her best to keep her focus on the road ahead, and yet I don’t miss her subtly opening her legs for me.
Fuck me.
I can’t just pull over in the middle of the day and give both of us what we crave without risking exposure.
While I fight to keep my dick somewhat under control, the traffic around us grows denser, setting me on edge.
We keep to the outskirts of San Francisco instead of going into the midst of the city where the chances of someone spotting us are exponentially higher.
My intel confirmed that John hasn’t contacted the chief of the SFPD to file a missing person report.
There’s nothing that would kill his career and reputation faster than a scandal, so out of desperation he decided to take things into his own hands and seek help elsewhere.
With the fucking Russians.
Sooner or later, this involvement with the Bratva will get him killed. No hardened mobster would be dumb enough to do business with the likes of him and the old Pakhan is no fool.
With them doing my dirty work, all that remains is for me to lean back and have some patience.
That’s one thing I’m certainly good at since by some miracle I managed not to fuck Malory’s sweet, tight pussy for two fucking years.
Either way, the point remains that he isn’t getting her back.
One lesson I’ve learned at an early age is that you can’t depend on anyone, trust anyone.
The only person I can rely on is myself.
No one else gets shit done right and keeping Malory for myself has turned into so much more than I initially anticipated, making me want to fight for her all the more ruthlessly.
Whether it’s because of the tension in my jaw or how white my knuckles are around the wheel, Malory’s hand ghosts over mine on her leg where it stays for the rest of our ride, our fingers intwined.
When we finally pull up into the nearly empty parking lot in front of The Garden Center , I leave the engine running, scanning our surroundings.
It’s still early so not many people are out in the streets, for their own good.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to run.” Malory turns to me as she squeezes my hand, making it easier for me to take the next breath.
Leaning over the center console, she places a light, soothing kiss on my shoulder in reassurance.
Fuck.
Before she can pull back, my hand shoots out, grabbing the back of her head as I crush my lips to hers, sliding my tongue in.
My girl melts into me instantly, eagerly giving in as she opens up to be conquered.
I growl into her mouth, tightening my hold as I bend over her. Dammit, this truck is fucking small.
Malory’s needy whimper echoes through the cabin, and I have to reluctantly let go before I’ll wrestle her onto the back seat in plain sight.
Besides, I need a moment to calm my raging hard-on. Again.
She’s fucking intoxicating. An addiction clouding my senses until there’s nothing left but her.
To my consolation, Malory looks equally out of it, still trying to catch her breath as she clumsily fumbles with the few strands I ripped out of her bun.
“Ready?” I push open my door with one last look at her swollen lips.
With a nod, she stumbles out of the car and I’m immediately at her side, clutching her delicate hand.
It’s not until she gently strokes her thumb over the top of my palm that I realize how firmly I’m holding onto her, like she might disappear any second now that we’re out in the real world.
I scan the perimeter one last time for possible threats as we enter the shop hand in hand.
Filled with all kinds of plants imaginable, every aisle looks like an exotic jungle, making Malory’s eyes widen at the sight. I swear I can see sparkles in those green orbs.
Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Completely undisturbed, we spend at least half an hour browsing through the aisles of the nursery.
No one daring to approach us since people usually keep their distance in my presence, their self-preservation instinct telling them to back off.
With one tiny exception.
“You’re scaring people off.” Malory observes and all I can do is shrug.
I’m used to the way people react to me.
They avert their eyes from my imposing form before they can even notice the gun holster or switchblade tucked in my boot.
It’s better that way.
There’s no one I want in my personal space besides the little plant-obsessed fairy who’s now dragging me along to get a cart.
Malory is almost skipping down the rows of plants, mindlessly brushing her fingers over the leaves we pass and I find the muscles around my mouth twitching at the view.
“What can we get?” She asks over her shoulder as I watch her perky ass sway in front of me.
“Anything you want. If it doesn’t fit in the car in one go, I can always return after dropping you off at home.” I’d rather gnawn my own arm off then spend a minute without her but as long as it makes her happy…
At that she whirls around, confusion written all over her beautiful face. “Huh?”
Walking up to her, I press her small body to mine, looping an arm around her waist protectively.
“I’m not your parents, Malory.” I tilt her chin up to make sure she understands. “You’ll fill this cart with all the plants you want and then some. Don’t think about money or whether I’ll like it. This is your thing, little one.” I murmur into her ear.
Her slender arms wrap around my middle, squeezing me in a tight hug, as she buries her face in my chest.
My dead heart swelling as she looks up at me with teary eyes before coming up on her tiptoes, gently pecking my lips.
I grunt with the need to deepen the kiss but as if reading my mind, Malory untangles herself from my embrace before dashing off.
It’s fascinating to watch her sort through all varieties of plants that don’t mean anything to me.
Her passion is what’s truly captivating. Lost in her own world as she looks for the plants that have the highest chance of survival in our conditions, checking their requirements for watering and sun exposure.
I even let her use my phone for research while standing behind her with a possessive hand on her hip, her back flush against my front while I keep an eye on the screen.
And to my surprise, she doesn’t try using the bit of faith I’m putting into her against me. That’s my girl.
By the time we make another round through the store, the cart is overflowing with greenery.
With the brightest smile that knocks the breath out of me, Malory holds up a different kind of succulent in each hand.
“Which one do you want?”
“Your choice.”
“I choose the one you like best.” She insists, making my eyebrows rise as I cock my head at her.
“I know you want me to be myself and you have no idea how much that means to me. But as you like to remind me all the time, you’re now part of me too. Your opinion matters to me.” Something within me breaks a little at hearing those words.
“You’re not trying to restrict or control me like my parents did. I see that now.” Then she adds with a teasing grin. “At least not when it comes to decorating.”
With a kiss to her forehead, I take both plants out of her hands, placing them into the only available space left.
If this matters to her, it’s important to me as well.
And that she’d want my opinion, seek my approval no matter how small, causes a wave of warmth to spread to my very core.
Beaming up at me from below her long lashes, the top of her head barely reaches my chin.
Malory is objectively small in relation to the average human but compared to me, she’s the tiniest little thing, fitting perfectly in the grove of my body.
Trapping her against the cart, I drop my head, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss that leaves her breathless, her small fists tangling in the fabric of my shirt.
“You’re so fucking adorable.” I groan through clenched teeth, the ability to contain my want for her hanging on by a thread.
Unable to stop myself, I grab her by the throat for another deep kiss, swallowing the needy moan that escapes her. Fucking hell.
I tear myself away before some dead man can hear the delicious whimpers that are meant for my ears only.
“You’ve got everything?” I rasp with a glace towards our haul.
“Yeah, let’s go.” Seeing the same intense desire reflected in her eyes, I rush to get us out of here.
The cashier’s fingers tremble under my death glare which has gotten a lot harsher after Malory offered him a polite smile.
Normally, my cold mask doesn’t falter but right now, the only thing holding me back from putting a bullet between the guy’s brows is imagining how it would feel to dig my fingers into his eyes, hooking them into his skull and ripping out his eyeballs with a steady stream of blood running down his face.
A small hand curls around my bicep, bringing me back as I realize that my fists are balled and my muscles pulled taunt, ready to lunge.
What’s fucking happening to me?
I’ve never blacked out in rage like this. Control and numbness have been my constant companions for most of my life, making me brutally effective at what I do.
I never let emotions cloud my judgement.
Yet being around Malory, it’s like sanity completely leaves my body along with the last trace of rational thinking.
After the pain in the ass is done checking us out, I push the cart with one hand while holding onto my girl with the other before unloading it all.
Malory leans against the truck, watching me with a playful smile while I wrangle an indoor bamboo, trying to fasten it onto the backseat.
“I hope Nero’s going to be okay with this.” She nods towards the plants filling the entire trunk.
“He’ll be fine.” I grunt, “Unless he decides to have a nibble.”
“Don’t worry, I checked whether they’re all harmless to animals.”
I can only shake my head in astonishment at her compassion, her gentleness.
In that moment, I know that I’ll do anything to protect it. To protect her from the darkness of our world.
Except my own.
I want her to know every fucked-up piece of me, bind her to every single part of my being, to my very soul.
Half of my body is still hunched over in the car when another truck pulls up right next to us, the grinding sound of its failing combustion coming to a wheezing halt.
“Nice ass, gorgeous.” A gruff voice sounds somewhere behind me and my muscles tense. A wave of unbridled rage gripping every cell of my body as I straighten to my full height.
The driver who’s back is turned to me, seemingly unaware of my presence is eyeing Malory like a piece of meat, making her squirm uncomfortably under his unwanted scrutiny.
That motherfucker has a death-wish I’m only too eager to grant. When her panicked gaze meets mine over his shoulder, I snap.
“The fuck did you just say?” I barely recognize my own voice, low and lethal, void of any shred of humanity.
The guy freezes visibly before turning to face my wrath.
He can’t be much older than I am with his scrawny build and receding hairline. No one who’s worthy to breathe the same air as my girl.
Fucking mine.
“Hey man, I didn’t mean to…”
My fist collides with the fucker’s face with an audible crunch, breaking his nose as I throw him against the side of his vehicle. My hand squeezing his neck in a bone crushing grip, pure sadism brewing in my veins.
His struggle is futile, it’s like squashing a worthless cockroach under my boot.
He’s nothing. A weak piece of shit.
“You dared to fucking look at what’s mine!” I seethe, watching his face slowly turn from red to purple as he fights to pry my hand off his throat.
“Tyson...” The softest voice breaks through the black haze clouding my vision. “Please, Tyson…”
I don’t let up, eager to see the life drain from his eyes.
“I don’t want to lose you.” She whimpers and I finally jerk back, letting the asshole drop to the ground where he desperately sucks in a ragged breath while holding his bleeding nose.
I narrow my eyes as the asshole pathetically scrambles to his knees, coughing as he crawls away.
“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” Malory tugs anxiously at my sleeve, pulling me towards her warmth.
When we’re back in the car, I rip off the cap, loosening her hair to bury my face in her neck, my nose flooding with her sweet scent.
Taking a few deep breaths, I clutch her head tightly to mine.
She belongs to me.
No one else.
Her earlier words come back to me, words I never expected her, or anyone saying to me. Words that brought me back.
“You’ll never lose me, baby girl.”
“I will if you get yourself arrested because of shit like this.” I breathe out a choked laugh at hearing Malory swear. Her concern, even if it’s unfounded, soothing the gaping hole deep inside me like a balm.
“No one’s able to shackle me, little one. Except for you.” I squeeze her hip in reassurance, earning myself a low whine.
“I’m serious, Tyson. That creep has probably called the cops by now.”
I feel my girl starting to pull away, but I don’t let her, refusing to allow even an inch of space between our bodies.
“How many people do you think I killed?” I bite out.
I dreaded having this conversation with her, but Malory needs to know, deserves to know everything there is about me.
Just like I want to know everything about her.
Reaching for my face, I’m not sure what she finds looking back at her. Yet hers doesn’t reflect the disgust or fear I expected.
“I’m assuming it’s a lot.” She breathes, but there’s no judgement in her tone.
“Countless.”
I never bothered to keep all my hits neatly documented in a notebook like a fucking psychopath.
It’s just business, not something I particularly enjoy, but something I’m damn good at. And I have to admit that putting a bullet through someone’s head, it does offer a certain form of release, a small orgasm for the brain.
“This was different, Tyson.” She clutches my jaw between her dainty hands. “You lost control, your eyes...”
I don’t want to know what she saw in my eyes, unhinged and bloodthirsty. Not so dead anymore.
“This is what you do to me, Malory. This is who I truly am.”
“No, it’s not.” Her voice breaks, lacking conviction and I know that we’ve come to a breaking point.
“Are you scared, little one?” I growl lowly, fisting the hair at her nape as I look deeply into her big, forest green eyes rimmed with unshed tears.
“Never.”