Tied: Owned 2.5 Read online

  When she pulled the trigger, the kickback pushed her into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and Vera dropped the gun like it was a snake. Cruz Zeros’ body fell to the ground, blood pooling around his head like a halo, probably the only halo the guy would ever wear. I rubbed Vera’s arms, now covered in goose bumps, and fuck if I wasn’t hard. We’ve already established that I was a sick bastard, still, that awareness didn’t stop me from getting turned on by her first kill.

  “Nice.” Seven’s voice trickled into our bubble. “There’s not enough room in the McLaren for everyone. You’ll find a way back, I’m sure.” Seven gave me a pat on the shoulder and sauntered out. For a moment I thought I would get away, but that moment was short lived. Seven’s icy tone drifted back like winter wind.

  “You owe me.”

  * * *

  Cleanup wasn’t a big deal and neither was the fact that Seven had left us without a ride, they were just minor annoyances. I always had a guy on standby for cleanup, and the same person who stocked my safe house dropped a car off, calling himself a cab. The problem was Vera. I had her now, but she had no reason to stay. Cruz Zeros was out of the picture.

  I drove back to the house, wondering if I should drive slower to prolong the drive. About the same time that thought popped into my brain, I began to wonder when I’d become such a pussy.

  Vera was just a girl.

  I didn’t get hung up on girls.

  As the thought left my mind, I knew it was a lie. Vera wasn’t just a girl, she was the girl. There was no way I was letting her leave. I turned my gaze from the road and to Vera. She was staring at her hands with a blank look on her face. The first kill I had made was in the Navy. I knew I wasn’t like the others right away. For them, it was hell. It was a bit easier because Uncle Sam took some of the burden, but still the guilt wracked and destroyed parts of them.

  Not me.

  I liked it.

  It had unleashed a part of me that would have made my mother weep, had she not already drowned her soul with alcohol.

  “You okay?” I asked, turning my attention back to the road.

  “Is it wrong that I…” Vera looked out the window. “Never mind.”

  “Tell me.” Vera would need what the soldiers had needed: therapy, consoling, and the like. Not me. I was the worst thing for her.

  “Is it wrong that I liked it?” I snapped my head to her.

  “Liked what?” I knew what she was talking about, but I had to hear her say it.

  “I liked killing Cruz.” Vera licked her lips, her gem-flecked gaze pinning me. I was hypnotized. A car honked and I spun away just in time to avoid a head-on collision. I kept my eyes on the road the rest of the way, but I could feel Vera’s on me.

  She liked killing. Well, that changed everything.

  10

  VERA

  Charlie pushed the door open with our bodies, his hands tangled in my hair.

  “Fuck, you’ll destroy me,” he said, biting my lip and dragging it out. “But I’ll gladly walk to my destruction.”

  I pulled back, briefly endin’ our kiss, and said, “I love you, Charlie.” It was the first time I’d ever said the words and meant it. Excitement and terror filled my gut, but I needed him to know where I stood. No more runnin’.

  When I pulled the trigger on Cruz, I expected to feel guilty or remorseful. Instead I felt liberated. When the bullet left the chamber, I realized I’d effectively murdered myself. Vera Araya had been dyin’ a slow death for years, though; I’d just ended her misery. Before, I’d kept trying to fit other people’s molds. First Mama’s Catholic Latina princess. Then Hollis’s bride. Then Cruz’s bitch. Each time had slowly chipped away the original: me.

  It took meeting Charlie to finally see who I was.

  Charlie gripped me on either side of my head, pullin’ me into a long, heady kiss. “I love you, Vera,” he whispered against my lips before pullin’ me back to him. The kiss broke me and put me back together again. His lips were hot and greedy, takin’ everything I had to offer and more.

  We fell to the floor in a needy heap, tangled in more ways than just our bodies; our souls twisted and wrapped around each other’s. Charlie undressed me quickly, ripping off his shirt as if it was hot to the touch.

  “Wait,” I said as a thought popped into my head. Charlie either didn’t hear me or didn’t care, because he kept kissin’ me, movin’ from my lips to my shoulders to the tops of my breasts. I groaned, losin’ the will to speak. “Wait, I haven’t showered… I’m dirty…” The last place I’d been was the warehouse with Cruz. I probably didn’t taste very good.

  Charlie thrust a finger inside me. It was so quick and sudden that I didn’t have time to prepare, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t ready for him. I was already wet clear down my thighs. Charlie removed the finger almost as quickly and I sighed, missin’ him already.

  Charlie licked the finger that had been inside me and practically grunted, his voice was so low. “Taste good to me.” He resumed his assault on my body, kissing every inch of my skin. No part of me was left untouched by his lips. “Taste fucking great, actually.”

  I lost myself to delirium. Charlie and his lips, his tongue, his touch, was all I knew. I couldn’t even appreciate it when he stripped off his shirt, I was already so far gone. I thought I might go mad, driven insane by pleasure. Was it possible to feel too good?

  Charlie flipped me over, forcin’ me to be on all fours. He palmed my round cheeks and said, “I’m going to fuck you in the ass.” It wasn’t a question. I craned my head to look at him, black hair cascading in waves ‘round my shoulders. He held me flush against his cock and from my angle he looked magnificent. Like a god. Would I ever get used to his strength and beauty?

  “You are?” My lips lifted in a grin.

  “I’ve already had your cunt.” He paused, a small smile on his lips as if remembering the memory. “And you can bet I’ll have it again and again, but now I want your ass. I want to fill you in every way, Vera. I want there to be no doubt who owns you.”

  * * *

  My cheeks darkened at the thought of him filling me up, but I replied, “No.”

  “No? It wasn’t a question, baby girl. I’ll have your ass now, whether you like it or not.” Charlie inserted a finger inside me and I groaned, backin’ up against him. Dammit, but he had all the power in this situation.

  “I want to see you first.” I moaned, grindin’ myself against the finger he held inside me. “All of you.” I shot a pointed look at his still covered leg.

  Charlie shoved my head against the carpet but I heard him unzip his pants. There was a long, painful silence where nothin’ happened. He didn’t move the finger, he kept my head pinned, and I groaned, needin’ some kind of release.

  Charlie pulled me back against his chest and thrust another finger inside me. “Take it,” he growled as he pounded into me. The orgasm curled and burned inside me, ripping pleasure all throughout my body. Even though I didn’t close my eyes, my vision blackened for a minute. I swore I saw stars. When I came down, I noticed somethin’.

  Charlie was completely naked. He’d removed his prosthetic and all that remained was Charlie. He’d shown me a bit of himself before, but never without the prosthetic. The way he was now was uniquely beautiful and utterly Charlie. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, as Charlie hadn’t made one himself, yet I was so honored he’d shared himself with me that tears welled on my lids.

  “Enough of that,” Charlie said, pushing me back down. “I show you mine and you show me yours, remember?” Grinning wickedly, Charlie placed himself before my entrance. I felt his head at my ass, the pressure a rare mixture of pain and pleasure. Balling my hands into fists, I cried out when he finally entered me.

  “You’re mine, understand that?” Charlie growled. “Whatever life you had before is over. You don’t get to run away any more because you’re home. I will take care of you. I will protect you. You are my missing limb. I’ve found you.”

&nbs
p; Charlie wasn’t my missing limb; he was my missing self.

  I nodded. “I’m yours.”

  Epilogue

  Grace was sittin’ at a little cafe eating french fries and ice cream. She always looked so innocent, but I knew better. Like me, Grace was haunted. Across from her sat a big, hulking man with a skull-shaved head. I recognized him as the man who’d stolen her heart. Months ago I’d walked in on ‘em havin’ sex, but left them to it. I smiled to myself, happy that they had worked out whatever had been keepin’ them apart.

  Even though he was big, he was the complete opposite of Zero. His skin was dark as night but the real difference was in his face. He had a great big smile and the way he was lookin’ at Grace, you could see real love. True adoration.

  I nearly turned around, not wantin’ to interrupt them. I shifted on the balls of my feet, watchin’ the two of them eat, when Grace caught my eye. She dropped her fork and her vision zoomed in on me. I gave her an awkward smile.

  Grace jumped out of her seat and it fell to the ground. People started lookin’ at her but she didn’t pay them any mind. She sprinted toward me, her hands in the air. I thought she was goin’ to run me down, but she stopped just short of me.

  “Oh my god!” Grace said. “Vera is that you?”

  “Yeah…” Gracie was the best friend I’d ever had. I felt so weird bein’ there with her, knowing I had to leave in less than an hour.

  Grace pounced on me with such a big hug that I nearly toppled over. “Are you here? Is this really you?” Grace pulled back, putting me at arm’s length so she could examine me. She put on a serious face, looking me over for any signs of bruisin’, I was sure. Gracie was like a second mama to me. She looked out for me. Hell, she’d saved my life.

  “I’m really here!” I laughed. I swatted her away and said, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

  “I can’t believe you’re here. Are you okay?”

  I thought about Charlie, waitin’ for me in the car. “I’m more than okay, Grace. I’m wonderful.”

  “I was so worried when I heard you were taken by Zero. I haven’t stopped thinkin’ about you. Are you sure you’re okay? Are you back for good?” Charlie had filled me in on everything. He’d told me all about Grace and her family, how she was connected to Zero. In the end, I was even happier that Zero was dead.

  Still, that was another reason I felt like shit. She was my best friend and I wasn’t comin’ back. Grace had gone to extraordinary lengths to save me. She truly was an amazin’ person and how did I repay her? By disappearin’ with a man.

  But Charlie wasn’t just any man.

  “I’m not comin’ back, Grace.”

  “What?” Grace exclaimed. “Why? You’re not staying with Zero, are you?”

  “Zero is dead,” I replied.

  There was another palpable pause before Grace said, “Good.” She added, “So why aren’t you comin’ back?”

  “I’ve found the love of my life, Grace.”

  Grace glanced back to the man she’d left at the table. He was givin’ us a real stare-down, but he hadn’t stood up yet. “I suppose that’s as good a reason as any,” Grace replied. “You promise it’s not Zero?”

  “Cross my heart and hope to die.” I grinned, making an “x” motion across my heart.

  “I’ll miss you,” Grace said, eyes downcast.

  “I’ll miss you more,” I replied. “I’ll call you and I’ll visit, Gracie. You have a piece of me.”

  “You have a piece of me, too,” Grace replied. I pulled her in for a hug before she could see the tears that had formed on my lids. We hugged for a good five minutes and then separated. I didn’t say goodbye, because it wasn’t a goodbye. I’d see Gracie again. After all, she had a piece of me.

  * * *

  We were on the Amalfi Coast. Never in a million years had I dreamed I’d end up there. When I’d imagined gettin’ out of Louisiana, I’d thought of places like Tennessee or—and this was my biggest dream—New York. Now here I was with the love of my life, wearin’ a gorgeous red dress that he’d bought me, and sippin’ on wine while starin’ out as the sun set over a brilliant blue ocean.

  It was heaven.

  “You’re rich,” I’d said when I’d discovered Charlie’s secret.

  “Yeah, does that change anything?” he’d teased. “You suddenly more attracted to me now?” After I’d visited Grace, we’d driven for a few hours and then stopped outside a small airport. We’d driven right onto the tarmac. Charlie had refused to tell me anythin’ about what was happening, but I’d kept tryin’ to guess.

  Every guess was so wrong.

  I never would have guessed he was goin’ to take me on a private plane and then to a yacht where we would sail around the world. How could a small-town girl like me guess that?

  “If anythin’ I’m less attracted to you,” I’d responded. “Crap, you got a lotta rules I need to follow now? Like, I probably have to use a special fork and everything. Probably got a nice family I need to impress too, family who is gonna be sorely disappointed when they see my poor ass.”

  “My parents are dead,” he’d said simply, holding out his hand for me to take as we ascended the stairs into his private jet.

  “Oh, that’s good,” I’d muttered. He’d laughed then, and I remembered thinkin’ how wonderful it was to have someone who understood me so well. Now he was sittin’ in the captain’s chair, gettin’ ready to sail the boat to our next destination. I had no idea where we were goin’, but it didn’t matter.

  I wrapped my arms around his back, snugglin’ my face into his neck. Charlie grabbed my wrist and flipped me around, pullin’ me onto his lap so I faced him. I looked up at his hardened jaw, his face shadowed by the glow of the sunset behind him. He almost looked celestial. When he’d rescued me, I’d thought the same thing.

  Charlie cupped the back of my neck and pulled me in for a hard kiss. His tongue snaked into mine, claiming me inside out.

  “What are you thinking?” he growled, pulling away slowly.

  Resting my head on his tough shoulder, I answered truthfully. “I was thinkin’ how when you rescued me, I thought you were an angel.”

  Charlie threw his head back and laughed. “Sorry to disappoint.”

  As Charlie pulled the boat out of the marina, I didn’t respond. Safe in Charlie’s stony countenance, wrapped by his thick arms, I relaxed as we sailed into the purpling horizon. His free arm wrapped tightly around me and I glanced up once more, getting one last look at the man I loved before his features disappeared into the shadows of night.

  Charlie thought he was all hard edges and lines and that I was soft and vulnerable. He thought I needed savin’, and he was partly right on that front. He was wrong, though, in that he thought he was the demon who’d turned me dark. I knew better. The devil was an angel once, and I’d spend the rest of our lives proving that.

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  “Take me instead,” she said, voice unwavering.

  “And what will you offer?” His voice was low and gravely. It was cruel.

  “My life for his.” With eyes the color of cold water, though her face didn’t move, the pools of her irises rippled like a river. She was frightened.

  Good.

  “The Beast,” as they called him, was going to kill her father. He’d racked up a series of unbeatable debts. While some were to banks, most were to unsavory types like him. Her father’s debt was past payment. It was past broken kneecaps and threats. There was no way he could pay it off, and if he couldn’t pay it, he would die.

  That was the agreement Antonio Notte had made months ago when he’d taken money from the Pavoni Family.

  The Beast walked around the small New Jersey home touching things as he went. He didn’t normally go on routine collections. He w
as past his cracking skulls days. Now he wore suits, no longer bloodying his knuckles. Earlier that day when the Beast stared out the glass of his Tribeca penthouse, he hadn’t felt luxury. He’d felt like a caged bird. He’d called Arlo and asked what his next appointment was then found himself in New Jersey at the feet of this cowering man.

  And his daughter, who refused to cower.

  Beast turned his head away from the window. Nothing in the house was new. Everything was old and yellow. The linoleum was peeling. The fake wood on the cabinet was coming up like paper. It smelled faintly of old earth.

  Clearly Notte hadn’t used the money to redecorate.

  The Beast had come expecting whining, blood, and splatter. Instead he received a girl with long curling, chocolate hair. Her collar bone protruded gently from honey skin. Beast walked closer, placing a single finger on the protruding bone. She swallowed as he ran a finger down the bone, feeling the smoothness against his rough skin. One of his brood laughed, but the Beast raised a hand that quickly shut him up.

  She swallowed again and smacked his hand away. The Beast smiled, but only a fool would think it was anything other than chilling. The smile was lazy and crooked, his teeth pearly white. Something in that smile betrayed pure wickedness, an evil born and not beget.

  “My life for his,” she repeated.

  “Belle!” Notte protested, though it was limp. As the old man said the words, he still remained in his corner.

  “Belle?” The Beast murmured just as Notte reached for Belle’s arm. Maybe the penniless fool realized if he did nothing save sit in a corner while his daughter traded her life so he could live, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.