The Nines (The Nines #1) (19 page)

We all wait in silence just staring at the monitors. And we wait…And wait…The air in the small office seems filled with electric anticipation. Just when we all seem to take in a collective breath it happens.

An ear piercing alarm goes off. As the guys file out of the front and back of the house they look pissed. Just wait a few minutes. They’ll really be livid.

“Count them,” I urge the guys and Roxie.

We all take count of the frat boys as they wait anxiously outside their house for the alarm to subside.

“I’ve got forty,” Julio says.

“Me too,” Hector confirms.

“They all appear to be outside,” Roxie adds.

I take one more final count just to be sure. Forty guys all outside. I send a quick message to Xiang Yuan. “All clear.”

Then it happens. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. 

Four bombs detonate and the frat house bursts into flames. The fire rages so fast there’s nothing anyone can do but watch as the building burns to the ground.

“Why did you wait until they were all outside?” Julio asks. I’m surprised that he sounds a little disappointed.

“Because dying is easy,” I tell him. “There are fates worse than death.”

I sit down at the keyboard and do some typing. “And now for Round Two,” I announce. “I’ve had this in the works for a while, but now is the perfect time to release the rest of the retribution.”

Roxie, Julio and Hector finally take their eyes off the monitor and stare at me. 

“Forty DOGs with forty fathers in forty very high levels of business and politics. Forty fathers with forty websites in business and government. Forty websites that have now been hacked by THE NINES.”

“Who are THE NINES?” Hector asks.

“We are now,” I reply.

“How did you come up with that name?” he continues.

“Anonymous was already taken.”

“Not funny,” Hector chides.

“It’s a little bit funny,” I reply.

“It was on the invitation.” Julio says. The secret sorority party was called THE NINES. The girls had to
dress to the nines
to get into the party.” 

I stand so they all can get a better look at all of the websites I’ve taken over as they flash on the screens. They’re still shots from the rape room videos with only the males being exposed. I used facial recognition software to garner the identity of each rapist and then I tied them to their fathers’ businesses or organizations. Now websites from Fortune 500 companies to the State Superior Court are plastered with still shots of their sons raping women and headlines like:
Your Son is a Rapist and No One Stopped Him So We Took The Law Into Our Own Hands – The Nines.

Nine

Roxie

“You were the victim of a bombing and now you’re the perpetrator of one.” I place a hand on Alexander’s shoulder. “Isn’t that a little ironic?”

“Maybe poetic justice? I’m not sure. I haven’t taken any English classes yet so I’m not sure of the precise definitions.”

“Maybe karmic justice?” I suggest.

Alexander shrugs. “I’m not sure.” When he turns away from the computer monitors I notice how tired he looks.

Julio and Hector looked even worse before I suggested they go back to their dorm room to get some rest.  Alexander wanted to continue to watch the live feed, just to be doubly sure that no one was inside the frat house when the bombs went off.

He pats his leg so I’ll take a seat on his lap.

“Is it bad that part of me wanted to kill them? Or injure them so severely that they wished they were dead.”

His words cut me like a knife. “Do you still feel that way? Do you wish that you had died in the bombing rather than have to deal with your injuries?” 

As he looks into my eyes a realization seems to cross over his face. It’s almost like he’d been playing the same song over and over for so long he forgot there were so many other songs he could be playing.

“Not anymore.” He takes in a breath before he continues. “I thought being burned was the end of my life. It was the end of my old life. I’m definitely not the same person I was before the bombing. I just didn’t realize that it would be the beginning of a new life. I didn’t realize it until I met you and you wanted to be with me. The new me.”

“I love you.” I place a soft kiss on his scarred cheek.

The way he’s looking at me, so warily, I’m not sure he believes me.

“I love you,” I repeat.

“You do?”

I can’t help but laugh. “Of course I do.”

He grabs me and pulls me into a tight embrace. Then he kisses me. Not softly, or sensitively. His kiss is hard and possessive. “You have absolutely no idea how much I love you. To the sun, the moon, to the stars and other planets, that doesn’t even quantify it.”

I shake my head. “That’s got to be the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard.”

He bites his bottom lip. “How about this? My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep…”

“Nope. Quoting Shakespeare won’t cut it either.”

He smiles. “Tough room.”

“Tired clichés and bad lines will get you nowhere with me.”

“It works in romance novels.”

I frown. “Do I look like the romance novel kind of girl to you?”

“Not in any way.”

I place my arms around his neck. “Good. Now try again.”

“Okay. I love you more than my morning coffee.”

I give him a quick kiss. “You’re getting closer.”

“I love you more than my computers.”

I scrunch up my nose at him. “You don’t really love them, as necessary as they may be to your existence.”

“You’re right. What else?” He cocks his head to one side clearly giving the matter his utmost consideration.

“How about this?” I suggest. “Do you love me enough to give up wearing your mask?”

I can feel every muscle in his body tighten. I finally hit a nerve. The one thing he’s not willing to give up. The thing he thinks he can’t live without.

When he doesn’t respond I wonder if I should let him off the hook. He actually looks pained.

“It’s not important,” I say finally. As I go to remove my arms from around him he holds them in place.

“It is important,” he says.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do just to please me.”

“I don’t wear the mask for myself. I wear it for other people. I know a mask is weird and people still gawk and stare, but it’s better than the looks of horror and disgust that I get when people see me without it.”

“But I don’t look at you that way. You don’t have to wear the mask when you’re with me or around your own house. If people don’t like it they can leave.”

“Okay,” he agrees.

I don’t waste any time removing the mask from his face and tossing it onto the desk. Then I kiss every part of his face ending on his wonderful lips.

“We should let Luci know what’s been done,” I suggest. “I don’t think she’ll have to worry about those guys coming after her anytime soon.”

Alexander nods. “We will. But first there’s something I want to show you in the bedroom.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Really? What’s that?”

He gives me a sexy grin. “You’ll have to come with me to find out.”

***

When we enter Luci’s hospital room I’m not surprised to see that Van has the chair he’s sitting in moved up super close to Luci’s bed and he’s holding her hand while she’s sleeping.

When he sees us he startles and quickly removes his hand from hers, which wakes her. The two look at each other, clearly embarrassed. They shouldn’t be. I’m happy for them. And when I glance at Alexander, he’s trying hard to stifle a grin.

“How’s it going, Van?” Alexander asks.

He nearly flies from the chair and stands at attention. “Things are fine. It has been all clear. No issues to report.”

“Good. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about anyone coming after her again.”

Van looks a bit deflated for a moment. “She will not need me to guard her?”

Alexander shakes his head. “Nope.”

“I still need a guard,” Luci says quickly. “I’m still scared.”

She doesn’t appear to be afraid at all. I have a feeling she just wants Van to stay with her.

“I have something to show you.” Alexander removes his smart phone from his pocket and shows her some video footage from the bombing.

Her eyes go wide as she watches the explosion. “Is that the frat house?”

Alexander nods.

“Were they inside?” she asks.

“No.”

She deflates a bit. “Oh.”

“There are fates worse than death,” he assures her. “Like spending the next twenty years or so in prison for rape, which is where all of those guys are going.”

“All of them?”

Alexander nods. “All forty are going down. The cops have already arrested them.  

“Good,” she says as she hands him back his cell phone.

“They’re no longer a threat,” Alexander says. “So Van’s work is done.”

When Luci and Van both look at each other almost panic stricken I can’t help but feel a little tug on my heartstrings. I give Alexander a little nudge and a
do something
look.

Alexander clears his throat to get their attention. “On second thought, maybe Van should stay and guard Luci until she gets out of the hospital.” He doesn’t even bother to give a reason. We all know it’s a sham so they can be together.

Van nods. “I am happy to do this work for you.”

“Good. I’ll negotiate the pay with our mutual friends.”

When I look over at Luci she’s actually smiling.

Coming Soon

UPCOMING BOOKS in THE NINES ROMANTIC SUSPENSE series:

Brooklyn Justice (Julio’s Story)

Blood Sings (Hector’s Story)

Bite Hard (Ash’s Story)

Big Empty (Ivan’s Story)

About the Author

USA TODAY
Bestselling author Dakota Madison is known for writing New Adult and contemporary romance with a little spice and lots of heart. She likes to explore current social issues in her work. Dakota is a winner of the prestigious RONE Award for Excellence in the Indie and Small Publishing Industry. When she’s not at her computer creating spicy stories Dakota likes to spend time with her husband and their bloodhounds at their home outside Phoenix, Arizona. Dakota also writes under the pen names SAVANNAH YOUNG, SIERRA AVALON and REN MONTERREY.

Where to Find Dakota & Sierra

Where to find DAKOTA...

Blog:
http://karenmuellerbryson.tumblr.com/

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Would you spend ten days traveling the country with someone you despised if he promised to pay off your student loans?
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