She continued to whimper, not from pain, but from a heightened level of excitement. She was in her own moment of rapture, tossing her head back every time my palm smacked against her naked skin.
I could barely contain myself, spanking her long and hard, tingling all over. What in the hell had I become? Maybe the question to ask was what had she allowed me to become? The answer no longer mattered.
After several additional swats, I pulled her against me, rubbing my hands down her chest and cupping her breasts. There were still no adequate words, no promise that had come to mind. Sadness crept into my mind, slithering into every muscle in my body like a disease rapidly spreading.
My need to possess her, to keep her in a gilded cage was strong.
And I was disgusted with myself for the thought.
Monster…
The roar of gunfire shattered the quiet night air.
Lorenzo
Gunfire.
“What is that?” Sierra yelped as she clung to me. The sound had echoed in the bathroom, but I had the feeling the assailant was taking random shots in an effort to draw the inhabitants out of the cabin.
“That is the sound of betrayal. Our location has been compromised.” I jumped out of the shower, turning off the water, tossing a towel in her direction before grabbing one for myself. There was no time to waste. “Listen to me carefully. Get dressed and hide in the closet. Don’t argue with me. I don’t have any time.” There was no way of knowing if the shots were a distraction, meant to buy time for others to break into the house.
“Jesus. Please be careful. Don’t you dare die on me.”
“I have no fucking intention of it.” I raced into the bedroom, poking my head around the corner. The bedroom door remained closed, with no sign of entrance. Goddamn it, I was pissed at myself.
I heard a single pop, a lone shot from inside the house, then another round of firepower coming from likely fifty yards away. Whoever was positioned outside had no way of knowing how many people were in the cabin. Dante had followed his training in hiding his vehicle. Only mine was out front, a clear indication that I was inside. I’d been careless once again.
I’d either been followed or the location of the cabin compromised. I’d figure the shit out later after I killed the sons of bitches. I heard her ragged breathing as she attempted to get dressed, anger rushing into my system. I struggled into my clothes, grabbing both guns before pointing toward the closet door then placing my finger over my mouth. I had difficulty pulling away from her. We were sitting ducks in this location and there was significant reason to worry. The game of cat and mouse had been escalated.
The shooter wouldn’t stop until I was dead.
While my father believed in various old methods, refusing the majority of new technology, I’d learned early on that guns weren’t the only tools of the trade. I jerked open the closet door, pulling down a duffle bag. I had the exact same one at the house, another in the back of the truck. What I was needed was a way to cut their advantage. Night vision goggles would do just that.
She moved toward the closet without hesitation, glancing at me before I walked out the door. What gave me strength was that there was no fear in her eyes, merely a resolve stronger than I’d seen before. So much had occurred in a few days and no end was in sight.
I crouched against the wall as I eased downstairs. All the lights were off, only a slight glow of the remaining embers providing any light. Although it would be dawn soon, the darkness was our friend at this moment. Dante had cracked open one of the windows and was positioned on the floor.
“What do we have?” I asked, crowding beside him although I had my back to the wall, scanning the area of the downstairs that I was able to see. I knew all the doors and windows were locked, but it remained to be seen just how far the assailants were going to go.
“At least two, but there could be more. They came from the front. I thought I’d noticed a flashlight about twenty minutes ago so I waited, perching here. Shots came from the right, but if they’d wanted to hit a target, they missed and my guess is intentionally. Shots seemed to go into the air.” Dante kept his voice low, but I could hear the anger in his tone. Being ambushed was the last thing we needed.
This could simply be another scare tactic, a warning to leave things well enough alone or a sample of Movino’s firepower. There was also the possibility they were attempting to lure the occupants outside. Whatever game the asshole was playing had reached a pinnacle. I knew that in my gut. I thought about what to do next. “Stay here.”
“Where are you going, boss?”
“Around back. I need to see what we’re dealing with.”
I’d purchased this particular cabin for the location, a thick two-mile forest of dense trees located on three sides making travel difficult. Given the weather, while the group could fan out, the direction they’d come was apparent.
“I should be the one to do that, boss. You have Sierra to protect.”
I grabbed the Glock in both hands, moving to a standing position. “If anyone breaches this house, shoot to kill.”
“Damn it, Lorenzo. You have too much at stake. Let me go.”
“Not a chance. I’ve been the fool all the way through this. I’m going to finish this shit beginning right now.” I moved toward the back door, peeking around the blinds before unlocking it. “Lock this door behind me. You’ll know it’s me when I return since I plan on killing the assholes. And trust me, that’s exactly what gonna happen.” After donning the goggles, I eased outside, listening for sounds of anyone approaching. There was near absolute silence. No animals. No wind. No voices.
I crept to the side, sliding around the corner, staying low. When I reached the front, I peered around. There was no one in my immediate sightline, but I sensed they were close. Hunkering down, I ran silently into the woods, moving close to where the gunshots appeared to have been coming from. Then I waited, a perfect view of the front door. One or both would eventually show themselves.
While I certainly had little patience, a hunt of this nature I had no problem waiting for. Five minutes passed by then ten. Nothing. Suddenly, there was a single snap of a twig. I shifted onto my knee, placing the cabin in my line of sight.
I wasn’t surprised the single individual had made a dash forward, remaining in the forest for as long as possible. As soon as the assassin cleared the trees, I took aim. A split second before the Glock went off, there was the sound of a second shot coming from within the house followed by a loud crashing sound. A growl pushed up from the depths of my being, shoving all the air out of my lungs. I threw back my head and roared, racing toward the front of the house. I was able to tell the single bullet had hit the attacker between the eyes, killing him instantly.
I swooped down, grabbing his assault rifle before kicking open the front door. Dante and the second assailant were in an intense struggle. Dante reared back, punching the asshole in the gut and breaking the connection just long enough for me to take a kill shot.
Bam!
The man’s body went down with a hard thud.
“Fuck. Me,” Dante hissed, bending over and coughing. “The prick came out of nowhere. Must have broken in through a window.”
The cat and mouse had been played well, a tactic used by the military.
“There’s another one of the assholes thirty feet away. Dump his body onto the front porch and find something to barricade the front door with while I sweep the rest of the place.”
“Will do, boss. I’ll check on the jerk outside, seeing if I can find any identification.”
“Neither one of them will have any. They’re professionals.” I stormed toward the second man, gazing at his body. His clothes were indiscriminate. I lowered down, grabbing his weapon, this time a handgun and from the looks of it, a Beretta. His duty was much more up close and personal. I hissed at the thought. The plan had been well laid out.