Pan's Salvation (15 page)

Natasha is here…immediately.”

“Why don’t you come with me?” Lark asked.

The woman’s clothing hung off her. Her eyes were dead and her hair looked ragged and

unkempt. She knew an addict when she saw one. The large, dark circles underneath her eyes and the glazed expression said she was still high.

“Because I’m going to stall,” Chase whispered.

“No,” Lark hissed. “You come with me or we both stay.”

Chase glared at her.

“I know addicts and this one, is high off her mind and entirely capable of anything. Please come inside with me?”

Chase sighed. “Fine.”

They ran for the door and stumbled inside.

“Demon.” The blood-curdling scream just outside the doors made them flinch.

“Lock it!” Lark urged.

Chase complied.

The crowd parted like the red sea as Demon strode up the center barking orders. The

children were shepherded to another room. Bullets flew through the door. Chase cried out and fell to the floor. Her blood splashed Larks shirt. She gasped at the sticky heat seeping through her shirt. She stared down at Chase, relieved to see the bullet had only gone through her leg. Two more shots fired, knocking out the lock. The door was thrown open and Lark was knocked to the ground.

“You ruined my life. I want my kids!” Natasha wailed as she swung the gun around.

Lark watched in slow motion as Demon pulled a gun from the small of his back, aimed and shot her point blank in the head.

Her head popped like an overripe melon.

The squish of brain matter, fluid and blood would be something she’d never forget. Bits of gray sponge plopped onto her shirt. A series of screams went up in the air.

Pan knelt in front of her and cupped her face. “You’re okay, Lark. You’re fine.”

At that moment, she realized the screams came from her.

“How’s she doing?” Demon asked.

Pan shook his head. “Hard to say, Doc says she’s still in shock. It would be better if I could get her out of those clothes.” He shuddered thinking about what the smudges on her shirt actually were.

“You think she’ll keep it together?” Demon rubbed the back of his neck.

“She won’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m sorry as hell about the way all this went down. I knew I hadn’t seen that last of that bitch.” Demon growled.

“Hey, no one could’ve seen this coming.”

“How did she know we would be here, though?”

“All she had to do was watch, man.” Pan suggested. “Who knows how long she was out

there stalking your every move? She knew the hang outs,”

“Yeah.” Demon nodded his head. “I still want to beef up security for a while. Not a

lockdown, but something.”

“I hear you, brother,” Pan said. He glanced at the make shift medical room where an ex

Corpsman from the navy they called Doc, was tending to Lark. They called in the professional doctor they had on payroll to tend to Chase. “How’s Chase.”

“Big mouthed, hard-headed and lucky as fuck. The bullet passed clean through. She’ll have to stay off her feet to heal, but it could’ve been a hell of a lot worse. There’s a lot of main artery in the legs.”

Pan nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He ran his hands through his hair. “This isn’t exactly the

introduction to my family I was hoping for.”

“Fuck…it’s the truest test. It doesn’t get much worse than this shit,” Demon said.

“Yeah.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.

Lefty walked up. “Everyone else is gone. The owner has been handsomely refunded and we

got a doorman on his way out to fix things. There’s no one around this place for miles and there are no cameras inside, so we’re square there.”

“Just make sure the bitch is never found,” Demon sneered.

“Trust me, there’ll be nothing left to find.” Lefty nodded. His lips peeled back in a

gruesome facsimile of a grin that chilled Pan to the bone.

“Get a prospect to get Pan’s old lady some new threads will you?” Demon said.

“Yeah, what size?”

“Twelve,” Pan answered. “Look I’m going to get back there to see if she’s doing okay.”

“Yeah man, take care of your woman,” Demon said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Pan spun on his heels and walked back to the small room, feeling like he was going to see a jury. Her verdict would determine if they had a snowballs’ chance in hell of continuing as they were. In the light of the current situation, he could only expect a no. He rapped on the door.

“Yeah?” Doc called.

“It’s Pan.”

“Come on in, man.”

He stepped inside and found Lark dozing on the couch. “How is she?”

“Given what happened like three inches from her, I’d say she’s doing pretty damn well. I understand she recently suffered another traumatic event about a month ago?”

“Yeah.” Pan nodded.

“You should watch her. Make sure her moods don’t fluctuate. She may experience a period of insomnia or depression. This might trigger a backslide into grief. All of that would be normal.”

“You think she needs a head shrinker?” Pan asked.

“It couldn’t hurt.”

He made a mental note of the doctor’s suggestions. “Anything else?”

“Get her home, keep her calm and be patient. Minds are fragile, complicated things. Too much pressure and they can snap. Go easy and walk lightly. This ain’t her world. I sense she’s on the edge of reeling out of control.”

Maybe she’d be better off without me. Look at what I laid at her feet, trying to introduce her
to my family.

Lark stirred on the couch.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Doc said.

“Hartley?” Lark whispered.

“I’m here, little bird.” He sank down on the edge of the couch beside her and took her hand.

“I want to leave.”

“We will. We’re getting you some new clothes to wear okay. You can go out like this.”

She sat up and he could see the minute she remembered. Panic flooded her eyes. “I need to get them off
now
.”

“Okay baby, I’ll help you.” He moved back as she sat up, then helped her shrug out of her shirt. “Lay back, I’ve got you.” He unzipped her pants and pulled them down as she wiggled back and forth. The red streaks made his stomach hurt. She deserved more than blood streaks, bad memories and instability. He didn’t want to break her so badly she couldn’t be fixed.

“God, it’s all over me,” she whispered.

“Hey, we can clean it off.” He gripped her chin.” Look at me, Lark.”

She met his gaze.

“I need you to keep it together for me. Can you do that?”

Lark took a deep breathe. “Yeah, I’m good. I can do this. Is Chase okay?”

“She’s going to be fine. The bullet went clean through. As long as she keeps it clean and stays off her feet, she’ll be good as new.”

“I don’t know if I can do this, Hartley.”

“Do what?” His heart raced in his chest.

“Any of this.”

“This isn’t our normal. People don’t show up every day blitzed out of their mind and hell bent on some twisted version of revenge.”

“No, but hypothetically speaking, it could, right?”

He scowled. “What kind of question is that? I can’t tell you yes.”

“But you can’t say no.”

“It’s a hypothetical question, Lark. What do you want me to say?”

“The truth. That was our deal, right? Honesty.”

“Yes, but you’ve been through some fucked up shit. Now’s not the time to get too deep

about anything.”

A knock came at the door.

“Yeah?” he barked.

“Clothes.”

“I’ll be right there.” He ran his thumb over Lark’s cheek, stood and hurried over to the door.

He took the pile of clothes from the tall blonde. “Thanks, Racer.”

“No problem, Pan.”

He closed the door, walked over to the bathroom in the corner and wet some paper towels.

The room felt heavy with things unsaid. He felt grateful for the silence because he knew he didn’t want to hear what she had to say. Right now, she had leaving in her eyes.
I need to change
that.
He wiped her down, gently removing the traces of the bloodshed.

Her eyes appeared to be fixed on a point over his shoulder.

Pan knew she was lost in her own mind.
If only I could cleanse her mind as easily.
He worked his way up to her breasts and cupped the left one to cleanse of the streak.

Lark moaned.

He latched on to the first positive response since the shooting. He squeezed her breast and she whimpered. “Let me take your mind away from this and put it on to something much more pleasant.” He latched onto her hardened nipple and finished his cleaning job. He tossed the napkins aside and massaged her.

She gasped as her head fell back and her eyes grew glossy.

He bit her nipple. She cried out. Her back arched off the couch. He leaned back and pulled her stiff peaks. The whimpers that spilled from her lips were delicious. This was one of her erroneous zones. Her breasts swelled. They were firm and heavy. He wanted to suck them back into his mouth, but first he needed to see her get lost in the sensations he provided. They fell into the familiar roles. She yielded and he guided. He bit his tongue, to keep the words he longed to say down. He didn’t dare take her out of the zone he’d placed her in. He released her nipples.

Needy, she mewled like a cat.

Don’t worry, little bird. I’m not finished with you yet.
He palmed her upper thighs and massaged the muscles as he spread her legs. She glanced down and he held her intense stare as he leaned forward and flicked her clit through her panties. She lifted her hips and he continued his teasing touches through the silky material that acted as the sole barrier between them. He slid her the black silk to the side and touched her with his tongue. She cried out and slung her legs over his shoulders. He dove into her pussy like a mad man, nudging her swollen bud with his nose and touching every inch of her, he could with his tongue.

Lark rocked with him and buried her fingers in his hair, pulling him even closer. He

hummed and she bucked. They came together with an air of violent desperation. Neither of them wanted to lose what they’d manage to carve out.

He circled her walls and she flexed her muscles. A fresh gush of cream and her trembling limbs told him she was close. He increased his speed and she locked around him, spasming as she flew over the edge. He continued to pamper her pussy as she came down. He placed a kiss on her lips and leaned back, massaging her jerking legs. “How are you feeling now?”

“Completely spent and numb.”

I’ll take it.
“Then let’s get you dressed and back in our bed, so I can make you feel again.”

She sat up. “Say it again.”

“Say what?”

“Get me back to where?”

“In bed?”

“No…say what you said.”

He realized his folly. “
Our
bed.”

She closed her eyes and hummed. “I like the sound of that.”

“Still?” He mentally winced at his almost desperate tone.

“I don’t think I have much of a choice now. You burrowed your way inside me when I

wanted to shut out the world and now, you’ve become a part of me. Maybe even the best part.”

“Not possible. I owe everything I am now to you. You’re the first person since my mother who made me want to be a better man.”

She placed her hands on his face. “I just hope I can live up to your expectations. You’ve been my rock. The thought of letting you down makes me sick to my stomach. You’re the last person I want to hurt.”

“That’s a part of being in a relationship. Do I look like the type of person who expects to be swaddled in bubble wrap?” He moved his head and kissed her hand. “Let’s get you dressed.”

Despite their momentary relief, the air felt heavy with things unsaid. He persuaded her for now, but he didn’t feel like they’d landed back on solid ground.

Demon pulled the trigger.
The bullet moved in slow motion. It sank into the woman’s
forehead. Blood and brain splattered all over her. She opened her mouth and screamed.

Gasping, Lark opened her eyes. She struggled to suck air into her lungs. Her gaze darted around in the darkness.
I’m home. It was only a dream.
Sweat coated her skin. Her stomach gurgled and saliva filled her mouth. She tossed back the cover and stumbled from bed. She hadn’t gotten a decent night of sleep since the incident two weeks ago. She made it to the bathroom in time to drop to her knees and empty her stomach. Tears rolled down her face. Little by little, she was coming undone. She was grateful Pan was on a run. He didn’t need to see the mess she was becoming. She’d always thought of herself as a strong woman, but that theory was being put to the test. The dry heaves subsided and she flushed the toilet.