Chapter 17
Saint
“What were you going to do to her?” My hot breath whispers across Caleb’s flesh as he continues to struggle in my hold. “Because I think I’ll do the same to you.”
Reaching for the knife that Lake abandoned before leaving with Luther, I trace it along his cheek. A red line marks his flesh, but I don’t want him bleeding just yet. He needs to feel and understand Lake’s fears over the years.
“Nothing,” he croaks out the pathetic lie.
“What do you want to do here, Saint?” Bishop asks from behind me, where he holds onto Craig, so the little fucking worm doesn’t run.
“Rip their fucking heads off. Crush their skulls between the palms of my hands. I want to bury them in a shallow grave, so the swamp creatures tear them apart.” I also want to tear their limbs from their bodies after cutting out their tongues and crushing their larynxes.
“Sounds like a good time,” Bishop chuckles as the two men tremble in fear—only an ounce of what Lake felt that night and each one after.
Inhaling deeply in Caleb’s ear, a chuckle escapes when he whimpers. He finally begins to understand the trouble he’s in.
“It will be,” I taunt with a menacing growl while sliding my free hand down the front of Caleb’s body until reaching the buckle of his belt, nestled in the loops of his cheap black dress pants.
“For me.” Caleb’s resistance amplifies while Craig pisses his pants, realizing the trouble they’re both in.
“We’ll have some fun here before dropping them in the dungeon and heading out to locate Jeremy and Holt.
It’s not fair that they miss out on all the fun we’re going to have. ”
“Please don’t do this,” Craig pleads, not bothering to fight Bishop’s hold the same way Caleb is with me.
“I bet Lake said that to you once.” His face blanches. “I bet she said it more than once. Begged for you to stop and leave her alone. Cried for her daddy, for me, for anyone to help her.”
I jerk Caleb back and forth roughly, his head flopping all around, and his arm whacks the counter hard enough to elicit a cry. “Yes,” he sobs, “she did.”
“And what did you do?” The fucker’s head drops to his chest. “Laughed! You fucking laughed at her pain.” Shaking my head and breathing deeply, any restraint snaps when he begins crying and mumbling a prayer.
I lean into his ear, my voice remaining gentle despite the fury pulsing through my veins, and whisper, “I bet she prayed too.” With a grip on his chin and the back of his head, I twist until I hear that satisfying snap, and his face turns towards his back.
“Oh God!” Craig hurls all over the floor before passing out. Bishop lets him crash to the ground, cracking his head off a stool before landing in a heap next to his foot. Blood from the wound begins streaming freely.
“Well, alrighty then. Didn’t have it in you to wait, huh?” Bishop smirks as I drop Caleb’s body. “I’ll give Nolan and the twins a call. Isn’t your sister landing in a few hours?”
Glancing at the stove clock, I see there’s still enough time to discard these bodies before getting cleaned up and leaving for my parents’ place.
Staring down at the dead man at my feet and the unconscious one a few feet away, I feel nothing for either man. No…that’s not true. I regret not taking more time with Caleb. Torturing him would have been better, but I’ve still got three others to have some fun with.
The darkness within is nothing new for me. It shouldn’t be for anyone who knows me. But with Lake counting on me now, I can’t get lost in the abyss the way I would have a year ago. For her, I need to maintain my sanity.
“Hey,” Bishop says, and I raise my head to him. His brows are furrowed, and he keenly watches me. “I got this covered. I’ll get this shit to the dungeon, then we’ll split up to grab the others before they figure out they’re in trouble.”
“Call Castle from Deviant Sinners, see if they’ll snag Jeremy in Montgomery.” We’ve been working well together for a couple of years now. I have no doubt he’ll do me this solid.
“On it, I’ll get the twins to head down to Destin. Lord knows Scotty has been dying to meet Aria’s little man.”
The women in our family have always been inseparable, so he’s probably right.
With one last look at Lake’s attackers, I go catch a quick shower. I’m sure Mom has convinced Dad to pick everyone up from the airport just so she can get her hands on the kids before anyone else does.
Before I leave, I call Luther to find out where he took Lake first so I can pick her up if need be.
“Saint,” Luther’s gravelly voice punches through the line.
“Tell me one thing.” I don’t respond, knowing he doesn’t need me to.
“Are they still alive?” Everyone has been itching to get their hands on the men who hurt Lake, so they’ll be shocked to learn I haven’t slaughtered them all yet.
“One is.”
“Good enough. We’re at your folks' place now. They’ve gone to the airport to wait for Scotty’s flight to land. I’ve also ordered a ton of food, so no one has to worry about cooking.”
“Be there soon.”
The ten-minute drive feels like an hour because all I want is to have Lake in my arms. She was supposed to be safe in my home, on my property, and those fuckers found her.
I don’t know how, but I’ll damn well find out.
I’m pissed she spent even a second in fear there.
All because of a meeting with Seven and Severo to plan a trip to Mobile with a mother and son who need to be relocated.
Never did I believe I’d be in the smuggling business, but the more people we remove from dangerous situations, the more I know I’m doing something right with my life. Saving these people, their children, it absolves me from being unable to protect the one person I was always meant to.
Lake would hate that that’s how I think of this. She’d be angry that I blamed myself, but it’s true. From the time I realized she would mean the world to me, I vowed to protect her from men who wished her harm. I failed. Tremendously.
As I drive onto my parents' property, I see the woman in question looking apprehensive as she gets to her feet on the front steps and waits for me to get out.
“Lake.” Her name slips out with a possessive growl, and she shocks me by smiling and running into my arms. Her legs wrap around my waist, while her arms hold my shoulders, and she doesn’t hesitate to lay her lips across mine.
“You saved me,” she whispers against my mouth, nibbling my bottom lip before pushing her tongue inside and slowly fucking me with it until I lose control.
Spinning, I pin her back against my truck and kiss her as I desire. Controlling the angle by pulling her head back by the hair, squeezing her ass cheek in my meaty paw, and grinding my dick between her thighs.
“Tonight, Saint,” she gasps when I release her mouth. “Tonight, I want to be with you. I want us connected. I want to feel you moving inside of me.”
Drawing back, I study her face as my cock throbs, ready to release a big fucking load in my pants right now. “You have to know something first.”
“What?” she pants, eyes piercing me to my soul.
“I killed him.”
Her breath catches as her eyes close, and for a minute, I’m afraid she’ll push away and run from me. Instead, she leans in and presses her lips to mine, and whispers, “Thank you, Saint.” She moans, then shocks me further by requesting, “Now kill the rest.”
I’ve never fucking wanted her more.