Force (The Disciples Book 5), page 21
Blade tells Edge to get a body bag ready.
Axel walks in and doesn’t even look surprised. Ripping the sheet off, I wrap it around the Fed’s head so he won’t bleed all over when they get rid of him.
“Finish this and let’s get the fuck out of here. We’ll make it look like the Russians did this,” Blade orders.
I look at the woman. She’s pale and already dead—you can see it in her eyes. No resolve. No fear, only pain. That should give me peace, but all it does is bring out the protector in me.
“You know who I am?” I demand.
She nods. I reach down to hand her the dress that lay on the floor, but she doesn’t take it.
Broken. Destroyed. And suddenly rage fills me. She doesn’t deserve to die here, and by my hand no less. She doesn’t deserve any of this, yet here we are.
“It’s okay. I know why you are here and I’m not afraid. It’ll be a blessing. I am nothing.” She says all this calmly, almost as if she really does want the bullet to take her pain away.
“Thank you,” she whispers and at last, a tear trickles down her cheek. “This is the second time you’ve saved me. They made me do this.” Her thin white hands touch the man’s blood on the bed.
My head pounds. What the fuck is wrong with me? I need to get this done fast. No witness, no case.
“Why, Daniella?” My voice is gruff.
She looks at her breasts as if she’s only now seeing the blood.
“I want to die. I deserve it.” She looks up at me, past me, her beautiful mind and body abused too many times to handle this world.
“I watched them kill my father.” Her voice holds a slight accent. “Misha. He came and made him put the gun to his head, telling him that he was saving us.” She laughs. “Then after my dad blew his brains out, Misha raped me while my mother and baby sister watched. He told me I had to name you, or he would rape my mother and sister.” She nods. “He took them and left me bleeding on the floor with my father.”
“How did you know or remember where the bodies were?” I demand.
“I didn’t.” She shakes her head. “Misha knew. He gave me a paper and I showed the FBI. I did it so they wouldn’t kill my mama and sister. You must believe me.” She weeps silently. “But Misha lies.”
I hold up my hand to stop her. “What’re their names? Your mother and sister?”
“Olga and Svetlana.”
“You get that, Frosty?”
“Checking. Yeah, that’s them. She’s telling the truth.”
“Daniella, you’re one hundred percent sure it’s Misha Volkov who came and murdered your father and took your family?”
“Yes, it’s Misha. But it’s pointless. They will kill my mother and sister. That’s what they do: rape, kill, steal.” Her voice echoes through the room. “Nobody can stop them, or they die.”
“We’re ready, Ryder.” That’s Edge’s voice in my ear.
I pull out my Glock. Daniella Petrov looks up at me and closes her eyes, and for the first time in my life I hesitate.
My head is at war with my heart. I need to do this, if not for me, then for the club, but this is wrong.
“It’s okay, do it,” she whispers.
I look at her. Twenty-four and so beaten down, death is her only escape. Fuck that.
Lowering my gun, I take a breath. “I’ll rescue your mother and sister, and in return, you don’t testify.”
“They’ll just kill us later.” She shrugs. “I’m dead, we’re dead, any way you look at it, but I will tell the FBI it wasn’t you. I won’t take the stand.”
I lean down to look at her. She’s too young to be haunted and broken. “They won’t be able to touch you or your family, trust me.”
Her big blue eyes are a deep blue, not a clear blue like my Julianna’s, but a dark blue like the deep part of the ocean.
“When the Feds come in the morning, you say the Russians did this as a warning. Tell them Ben was raping you and you don’t know where they took him, you understand?”
She licks her lips and looks around. “You’re not going to kill me?” Her eyes fill with tears.
“No. I’m trusting you to make this right.”
“How will I know when my mother and sister are safe?”
I glance over at Axel who stands with arms crossed at the doorway.
“You’ll have to trust him,” he says. “You make sure you say you were wrong, confused. I don’t care, but you don’t ID him, or I will personally hunt you down, and I won’t have mercy.” Turning, he walks out.
“Time to go, Ryder.” Frosty’s voice breaks into my fucked-up brain.
“Get up. Let me get these sheets.” She nods and stands, her nakedness barely registering with me.
“Was he the only one raping you?” I jerk the bottom sheet off.
Looking at me, she slowly nods. I’m not sure I believe her, but I can’t do much more right now.
“Thank you for saving my family,” she says softly.
“Someday you will be healthy and happy, and that will be my thank you.”
She looks so tired. Who knows how long this abuse has been going on?
My eyes go over the room. The Feds will know he’s dead, but without a body and no DNA, it’s her word against their gut.
“Daniella?” She turns at the bathroom door. “You tell them to do a rape test, you hear me? You tell them the truth. Don’t take a shower.”
She nods, her nails digging into the molding. “Why would you trust me after everything I’ve done?”
“Everyone needs someone to believe in them,” I say. “You’re worth it.” Granted, I’m putting myself and everyone I love at risk for a broken wing, but even the most damaged can surprise you. Tonight I won’t question my decision. I turn and walk out. The only sounds are my boots moving down the hall, the soft sound of the TV, and the ominous voice in my head telling me that this time I may be wrong.
JULIANNA
Present
Malibu, CA
When I open my eyes, I can tell immediately—something’s wrong. I turn, looking around the expansive, dark room. A long white curtain gently blows at my balcony doorway; cool air from the ocean filters in. The waves crash loudly. I sigh, listening to them roll in and out. That has to be what woke me. I should get up and close the French doors I left slightly open, but it’s chilly and I’m snuggled in. I turn onto my back and see him. Bolting upright, I tug the white down comforter with me.
“What the hell, Ryder? You scared me.” I try to breathe. Not exactly an easy feat since my pulse is racing.
“What’s happened? How long have you been sitting there?” Sitting up straighter, I watch him stand like a mighty warrior, my mind flashing back to when I thought he was Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones.
“Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies.” His voice is deep, gravelly, and I reach to turn on the light.
“No light.”
My hand freezes. Something’s wrong, but my brain isn’t functioning yet. My eyes shift up to him, and I’m spinning. He’s here and so hot, so incredibly beautiful, that I want to leap into his arms.
“Okay.”
He removes his shirt.
“You’re my light.” He jerks the comforter out of my hand and the cool night hits my already feverish body.
My breath stutters as he kicks off his jeans and stands staring down at me, stroking his cock. I lick my lips as I watch, a slight shiver going up my spine.
“How did you get in here?” My voice sounds far away. Swallowing, I watch him stroke himself, slow but rough, and my nipples tingle and harden painfully.
“You been a good girl while I was gone?”
“Ryder, it’s been three days. Why didn’t you call? I’ve been worried.” I try not to focus on that velvety magical rod in his hand.
“Ah, Julianna.” The bed dips as the moon hits his body. His muscles seem larger. He seems larger, as if he’s somehow grown.
My skin pebbles.
“I told you I had shit to do.”
My heart leaps and butterflies flood my stomach as he pushes me back, and his incredible mouth latches on to my nipple.
Hard.
He bites at it and I moan, arching up, forgetting my need to find out what’s happened. “You like pain,” he murmurs, then licks my nipple. Our eyes lock, and he sucks on my other nipple, my brain digesting that it wasn’t a question.
“I despise pain,” I hiss, tugging at his hair to pull his mouth off me. He lets me, and I fight the need not to arch back into his mouth.
“I thought we were beyond trying to be things we’re not.” His voice sounds almost bored, but his eyes tell me everything. It’s like looking into a wild, dark storm.
I take a breath and he lets me see him. All of him.
Pain, blood, death, and lust swirl around his golden-brown orbs, causing my core to pulse and ache. Jesus, what’s wrong with me? I’m turned on, yet he might be a killer. Somehow that excites me even more.
“You’re right. I do like it with you,” I say, my voice raspy.
He cocks his head, and this energy we have wraps around us as he brutally takes my mouth, and I let him. I need it.
Our tongues twist, and he lets out a deep growl while he deepens the kiss, forcing my head back. His hand wraps around my neck, and desire spikes up to my temples, the ache turning into a dull pulse.
“You’re mine.” His hand tightens.
Fear of the unknown makes me grip his hand and try to pull it off.
He tightens again. “Stop fighting.”
I blink, trying to stay focused on him. Reaching down, he smiles and rubs my slick, wet pussy with his fingers.
“Good girl. You scared?” He replaces his fingers with the tip his cock, rubbing his leaking tip back and forth across my swollen clit.
“No.” I try to relax enough to gulp some air.
“We shall see,” he murmurs in my ear.
When he thrusts his thick cock deep inside me, black dots dance before my eyes, even in the dark. He groans his approval.
Pulling out, he pounds into me again and grunts, “I’m gonna take you to the edge, my jewel. It’s up to you if you see God.”
And then the world I know ends as my body becomes his. In and out he penetrates me. My nipples tighten and almost painfully rub against his hard chest, leaving me gasping for air.
Blinking, I see everything differently, sense every exquisite way his cock thrusts into me, relish the smell of his skin, spice, and smoke. In his low and gravelly voice, he praises me while my body becomes his. I’m climbing, almost flying, and I know he’s sucked my soul out of me to keep as his.
Closing my eyes, I can feel only bliss, weightlessness, almost like having a cathartic experience.
“Fuck, baby, that’s my girl.” For some reason, he sounds proud.
Is this what happens after death? This exquisite pleasure is too otherworldly to happen in real life.
“Yeah, you got it, my love. It’s yours—take it.”
And I do. I soar. My body jerks, and my pussy pulses and contracts as I come.
Ecstasy.
Nirvana.
None of these words can describe this. I’m reborn, connected with him in the most primal way. His own body lets go.
“Fuck, Julianna.” He freezes, then jerks, his seed filling me as we ride this ultimate wave, between good and bad, life and death.
I think I’m screaming, “I love you” over and over as he holds me, kissing me while I reluctantly come back to this world.
“Shh, you’re gonna wake up Granger’s piece-of-shit security.” He grins and kisses me, then slowly pulls out, reaching over to grab the comforter.
I settle back into his arms.
“You okay?” He holds me tight.
My head rests against his chest where I can feel his strong heartbeat.
“That was, I can’t explain it, except that everything was heightened, and I went somewhere I’ve never been.” I look up at him.
His eyes are almost calm. The storm has passed.
“You’re fearless,” he says, almost in awe. “I felt it, baby. I was with you.” He kisses my forehead. And though I try to stay awake, I’ve experienced the best orgasm in the world and can’t help but let my eyes close while I listen to his even breathing.
Next thing I know, I hear water running. With a groan, I stretch, my eyes swollen as if I’ve had too much sleep or not enough. I reach for him.
Nothing. I lean up on my elbows and look around the room. It’s morning and the water is coming from the shower. Reaching over, I grab my phone and check the time. Eight thirty is not that early in the morning, so I drag myself up and smile like an idiot thinking about last night. That was… intense, incredible. I don’t even have the adjectives to describe it.
I need coffee, but I grab the remote and the TV slowly rises from the foot of the bed. The morning news is on. It’s become a habit for me to check it whenever I haven’t heard from Ryder, and I still do it on instinct. The shower turns off while the newscaster mentions that graphic pictures may be disturbing. Apparently, a bunch of Russians, assumed to be the Volkov mafia family, were gunned down at their homes last night.
Last night. My eyes shift over to the bathroom door where Ryder stands drying himself with the towel.
“Did you see this?” I point at the large TV with my toe.
He walks over and takes the remote from me, turning it off as he reaches down to kiss me.
“Good morning.” He smells like fresh spice, and for a distracting second, I almost wrap my arms around his neck.
“Ryder, those men were Russian mobsters. Did you do that?”
His eyes caress my face. “I told you last night, ask me no questions and I’ll tell you—”
“Stop.” I reach for his mouth. “Was that you?” I hold my breath, waiting, but he tosses the towel and jerks on his jeans.
“Get up, Julianna. We need to go. I’ve got a lot of stuff to do.”
I simply stare at him. Guess that’s my answer.
Oh my God. That’s my answer, whether he admits it or not. I’m not sure I’m more in shock that I saw that on TV, or the fact that after last night he won’t trust me enough with his secrets.
Tossing the covers off, I stand. “Ryder? You can’t expect me to not ask questions, especially when people are dying—strike that—being murdered.” I put my hands on my hips.
He turns and looks at me. “You can ask as many questions as you want.” His eyes rove over my body.
Taking a step back, I hit the stupid bed and look up at him. “But you’re not gonna answer?” I snip.
The look in his eyes instantly heats my body.
“It depends on my mood.”
He reaches for me and tosses me on the bed. I squeal for an instant and try to stay strong. Maybe it wasn’t him. The news said they had no suspects, but why wouldn’t he deny it if it wasn’t true?
Ryder grabs my ankles and jerks me to the edge, getting on his knees.
“Wait, you can’t just distract me—”
“I’m done talking. Now I’m gonna eat this cunt for breakfast. If you keep asking questions, you can stay here.” He spreads my legs and his tongue goes straight for my clit.”
As I swallow the moan that almost escapes me, he reaches up to my breast, and my treacherous body doesn’t even try playing hard to get.
“Ryder, no. I want to know.” I turn my head so I can look at him.
With his tan, strong hand, he rubs my nipple while he eats me, his golden eyes focused on mine. He inserts two fingers.
“Goddamn it.” This time I do moan, loudly.
Lifting his head, he plunges those fingers deep inside me, rubbing that spot. Instantly, I’m almost ready to come.
“Look at me,” he commands, and my eyes move to his. Laying his other hand on my stomach, he holds me still, his fingers, still inside, urge me on. I try not to scream.
“Holy sh…” I grab ahold of his hand, which is stupid and pointless. He’s a billion times stronger and keeps rubbing till my toes curl.
“Yeah, that’s it, that’s my pretty baby. You’re right there, my love, but I’m not gonna make you squirt all over Gia’s sheets.” He smirks as he stops rubbing, and his mouth replaces his fingers. In a moment, I let go, orgasming into his mouth.
He stands and looks down at me. I can barely move. “What’s it going to be?”
“That’s not fair. You know I’m coming. I want you to trust me like I trust you,” I retort, at least as much as I can since the man has got to be a god with those magical hands and giant, thick dick.
“I trust you, but when I say no, it’s done. There are certain things you’re never going to know.” He looks down at me, and I want to argue, but I’ll save it for when I might have a chance at winning.
“I’m assuming that the mafia types were the bad guys?” I lean up on my elbows.
“No. I’m the bad guy. They were monsters.” He turns and picks up his shirt as I let that sit with me.
“Go take a shower. I need to make some calls and I’ll get you some coffee.” His hand reaches out for mine, and maybe I’m crazy, but I take it. Dragging me into his arms, he presses his nose into my neck and inhales.
“I want you to stay with me—that’s as much as I can give you right now.” And for a split second I stop breathing, waiting to hear those magical words that I’ve never had anyone, not even my parents, say to me.
But he doesn’t. It swirls in the air as I pull back and bite the bottom of my lip.
“I’ll stay until I can find my own place.” My voice is tight as if I want to cry, but that’s absurd. He wants me to stay, and for right now, that should be enough, right?
God. I’m a terrible person—more devastated that Ryder didn’t say I love you than by the real possibility that my boyfriend and his club took out the Russian mafia in Los Angeles.
But the truth is I am. Terrible, that is.
RYDER
Present
Malibu, CA
I know what she wants to hear, but with all the crap going on, this is not the time or place for me to decipher my feelings.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I watch her walk to Granger’s guest bathroom. I step out into the hallway. This is not the first time I’ve been at Granger’s. Glancing at the walls, I eye a selection of Gia’s photographs. Granger’s come a long way from basically living in Axel’s garage to become a fucking rock ’n’ roll legend.
