Serial (8 page)

“I’m just trying to figure out why you’re here.”

“I’ll answer that question, but I prefer you not ask too many more of me. I don’t like answering to people.”

His tone of voice was suddenly harsh, a thin razor edge cutting over each of his words.

“What I’m willing to tell you is not to leave this room because it can be detrimental to both my personal and professional life.”

I nodded, even more confused now than I was before he started speaking.

“I have a
habit
. It’s not something that controls me, but is part of my form of celebration of a job well done. Your boyfriend, Billy, was my supplier.”

I flinched at Billy’s name.

“I’ve been coming to your house to purchase blow for the past couple of months. I had no idea you lived there. I’m still struck with the odd coincidence of this entire situation. Regardless, I had a successful business venture yesterday and decided a celebration was in the plans for that evening. When I stopped by to purchase what I needed, I heard you scream.”

A tear escaped my eye, not from pain of remembering what had been done to me, but because this man…this beautiful and powerful man…had witnessed it.

Billy’s actions couldn’t crush my soul like the disappointment of another person being present. Especially this person – he’d been my escape. No, I’d lived through Billy’s abuse for too many years to allow it to fracture my spirit more than it already had. However the crashing together of the two worlds, my hell and my fantasy, that sliced my soul in two effortlessly as a sharped blade though paper.

“I entered the house and saw Billy on top of you. You didn’t appear to be enjoying what he was doing. Considering the injuries I saw on you, I punched the son of a bitch, knocking him unconscious and removed you from the house.”

“Why?” It slipped from my mouth before I could stop it. Why would a man like him go through so much trouble for me?

“What have I told you about questions?”

I blinked before swallowing hard. His voice was so dark on those last words that I was afraid he was angry because I’d interrupted him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just remember what I tell you in the future.”

The tension in my body caused more pain to radiate from my injuries.

“As I was saying, I’ve decided to keep you here for safety. Word on the street is that Billy is looking for you. I knocked him out before he saw me so he doesn’t know to look for me. Either way. It won’t be safe for you to return home or to work. Especially in your condition.”

“I could call the cops. Report Billy, for fucking once.”

He was silent for a moment before saying, “Yes. And they could put him in jail, he could get bailed out and you’ll be dead within hours. You could get a restraining order, but what good is a piece of paper when you’re up against a fist?”

He leaned into me and I swear I could feel the heat of his body against mine.

His voice was softer than it had been before. “You’ve lived life in the gutter for some time now. Do you really think the cops will be able to protect you if Billy wanted you dead bad enough?”

He was right. Nothing would be able to help. Women living in the center of the poorest area of town weren’t exactly high priority.

“So, I can stay here?”

“Yes. You’ll be staying here.”

I felt torn apart, confused as all hell about what happened, but slightly relieved to know I could just stay in this bed and recover. It was as if the fantasy had become real, but that couldn’t be true. It was never true.

Not in this case, either.

“I have to go to work. I can’t afford to lose my job.”

“You won’t be working there again.” He paused, speaking quickly to add, “It’s not safe.”

Panic erupted inside me. Where would I go when he asked me to leave? Where would I work to support myself? It was like my entire life had been ripped apart in the course of several hours. I had no home and no money. Not even two dimes that I could rub together.

“I’m going to tend to your injuries now that you’re awake. I want you back in perfect health as quickly as possible.”

“No.” I jumped away not able to let him touch me while I was like this. I felt dirty and disgusting and I was sure he would notice. “Just – Can you bring me some medical supplies so I can tend to myself? When you’ve been beaten for so many years, you become an expert at first aid.”

I thought he was going to argue, but he simply answered, “I can do that.”

Standing up from the chair, he crossed the room, placing his hand on the knob before turning back to me. My vision was still fuzzy, but I could still make out the strong cut of his jaw and the way his dark hair contrasted against the light blue of his eyes.

I felt naked in front of him, despite the shirt. I was ugly, beaten, swollen and bruised, and he was standing there as polished and perfect as ever.

“There’s a bathroom through the door over there. I’m sure you’ll like it and appreciate that it has a separate shower and bath. While I’m gone, you should get cleaned up. There are clothes you can wear in the drawers in the closet.”

He opened the door, walking through and was gone when it closed behind him.

The sound of a lock sliding shut could be heard, throwing me deeper into a state of confusion than I’d been before.

Chapter Eight

Jude

She was here, she was mine.

At last, she was here with me.

I felt like an inexperienced schoolboy who had just told yes, the hottest girl in school would go to the prom with him.

I wanted to do the old fist pump, but couldn’t bring myself to act so undignified in front of…Ronnie….no, Pet.

She was so confused. I thought it was best to leave her for the moment. Her weakened state and ethereal beauty have had a strange effect on me.

I wanted to kill, fuck, maim, hurt…but I wanted to love, only her, but I wanted to make love to her, touch her softly and speak kind, whispered words to her.

I wanted to make her happy, and this was entirely new to me.

I shut the door behind me, left her to clean herself up and ponder her new existence. I hated using the base excuse of cocaine being the reason I was at her house, but the truth would have sent her into a panic and who knows how I would have reacted?

I turned around and leaned against the door, felt the cool wood on my forehead and listened to the soft shuffle of her moving around inside.

My cock was throbbing with need and my hands were clenching and unclenching as if by their own will.

First aid supplies. She needed first aid stuff. I was thinking bandages, creams, painkillers, and whatever else I imagined a person would need after a trauma like that.

She was so composed about it though, I admired that. Her strength went perfectly with her beauty.

First aid supplies. I forced myself to focus on getting her healed before I did anything with her. To her.

I changed out of the clothes I was wearing and put on jeans and a simple black tee shirt. I took the pick up truck and brought my kill kit. I knew I was just headed out for supplies, but that red heat had taken up residence in the back of my head and seemed to be controlling my actions.

I drove to a twenty-four hour pharmacy and picked out the few items I thought she’d need.

The clerk raised her eyebrows at me when she saw the medical supplies.

“It’s a work thing,” I said, “guys have been stealing from the first aid box, can you believe that? I’ll need a receipt.”

“Shitty,” she replied and looked too bored to question my authenticity. I paid cash, she handed me a couple plastic bags with my stuff and I headed to the truck with every intention of going home.

Although…I did have my kill kit with me. It would’ve been prudent to swing by the storage place and leave it there. The farther away I keep it, the safer Pet will be.

The problem was that the storage place was in a bad part of town; a lot of whores walked that area looking for an easy fix and fast cash. And I had this redness trying to run the show…so I should’ve probably just gone home, taken Pet her bandages and pain killers and maybe curled up behind her and held her as she slept.

But I didn’t.

I cruised slowly through the darkened neighborhood. It never made much sense, to put so few streetlights in the worst parts of towns. It was conducive to criminal activity; it was almost a fucking dare to do bad things.

I inspected them all, like a buffet of human flesh, and settled on one that looked nothing like Pet. I was deliberate in this choice at least; the hot red rage hadn’t completely taken over.

She was young, but short and dark with a thick midsection and small breasts. Her hair was spiked in a punk cut, short and sassy she probably thought, but it was more like mannish and trashy.

But under all that makeup and curled sneer was a beautiful girl. A fragile creature with the weight of the world pressing down on her. She craved relief, she needed it and I could offer it to her.

“Hey,” I said when I rolled down my window. She crossed the street towards the truck, a dim hunger in her eyes. She was an addict, but she was fresh to this lifestyle. The drug hadn’t chewed her up and spat her out just yet.

“Hey you,” she said and nods her chin at me. A defiant gesture, but full of nothing. It was obvious I had the upper hand in this.

“Whattya doin?”

“Just hangin out, you?”

“Not much, lookin for fun.”

“I’ve got fun, can I get a lift?”

“Hop in, sweetheart,” I said and she ran around to the passenger side. I glanced back and forth, but the street was almost deserted. A couple seasoned pros were gossiping on one corner and a lone woman walked aimlessly across the street. I couldn’t tell if she was a junkie or a whore, probably a bit of both.

“You got a place?” she asked and wrapped her arms around herself, warming up in the heat of the truck cab.

“I know a place, but first I have to drop something off at my storage locker, if that’s ok with you.”

“Sure, whatever man, but I might charge you extra for my brilliant company along the way,” she smiled, and I note that her teeth were still nice. I liked good teeth.

“Not a problem,” I said and drove ten minutes to our destination. Her final destination if you would.

I had a tarp there, plastic wrap and drop sheets covering all my things. Once again, the red heat had planned ahead for me without me being completely conscious of it.

My head was throbbing and I had to force myself to make small talk with her. Her name was Coral, she was apparently twenty and going to school online for dental hygiene. Hence the good teeth I supposed.

She had hit a rough patch and didn’t usually do this kind of thing.

Sure sweetheart, I thought and made the appropriate noise of support but knew she was a fucking liar. She was too rehearsed for this to be new to her.

We got to the storage place and it was deserted. They had one camera at the front entrance, but I had disabled that days ago. It was still not working, the wire hung uselessly but tucked out of sight so nobody else caught on.

“You want to take a look at some cool things I’ve picked up?” I asked her when we got there.

“You want to do it here?” she asked back, eyeballing the storage locker with equal parts disgust and boredom.

“Sure, I guess,” I replied, “I guess it’s as good a place as any.”

“Do you have a blanket or something? It’s kinda…sterile.”

“Let me see what I can find.” I shuffled through the items I had packed in boxes. There wasn’t much to be used, so I dragged a tarp out and opened it on the floor.

“You’re joking, right?” She rolled her eyes and sneered at me. A flare of anger rose in the back of my head, but I reined it in.

“Not at all, sweetheart.” I crossed the room to her in two long strides, jerked her head back and kissed her. She struggled momentarily, and then melted against me.

I was good looking, I was passionate, and I knew I kissed with something they assumed was sincerity. It got them every time.

She moaned and raised her hands against my body. She fluttered her fingers across my muscular chest, tracing the wrinkles of the shirt I’m wearing.

Her touch grew urgent and she started to sink down in front of me. I grabbed her by the waist and said, “Not so fast.” I took a couple steps back and pulled her with me. I needed to be closer to my case; it was sitting on the other side of the tarp and had my knives in it.

“You want a BJ or not?” she asked and looked mildly perturbed.

“I do,” I replied and applied pressure to her shoulders, indicating she needed to drop then, there. I unzipped my jeans, pulled out my cock and waited for the usual reaction.

“Holy shit, you’re a fucking donkey,” she exclaimed and looked up at me, licked her lips and opened wide.

I crammed myself down her throat. She was good for a relative newcomer to that particular industry. She swallowed my dick and moved her throat against it, drank me down and breathed heavily through her nose.

I closed my eyes, grabbed the top of her head and envisioned Pet on the end of my cock, Pet’s blue eyes widening with surprise the first time she takes me inside of her, and Pet swallowing my cum, sucking me deep and accepting my offering.

“Wait,” I said and pushed her off. She fell to the floor and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.

I straddled her and looked down, her legs were splayed and she was bracing herself with one hand behind her back. She was starting to clue in that I was more dangerous than I had first appeared and I could see fear rising in her eyes.

“What…what do you want now?” she asked and moved away from me, scooted her ass along the tarp towards the case.

I dropped to my knees, one on either side of her, and looked her intently in the eyes. I said, “I simply want to fuck you.” I smiled, but I wasn’t sure it was a friendly smile, given the pounding in my head and the wash of hot red flooding my brain at that moment.

“Ok, I can do that,” she whispered, her voice quivering, “but that’ll be fifty extra.”