He was in total control and took his time teasing me by dipping his cock in and out. I looked up at Axe, his face strained, a bead of sweat on his brow. With one last thrust, his body tensed. Axe looked down at me and moved a stray hair from my face. “God, I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, Axe.”
~26~
Van
Most of the men in America are honest and can be trusted. Unfortunately, I don’t fit in either of those categories. It was for that reason that I was in my current position—hiding out—completely hidden from the rest of the world. My only connection to the outside was an unregistered computer and a burner phone—both of which were untraceable.
Daylight was my enemy because I couldn’t afford to be seen by law enforcement authorities or anyone else wanting to get to me. Luckily for me, I wasn’t the only person who preferred handling business at night.I had learned over my 45 years that not all means of killing were pleasant. Some were just necessary, and I had had my fair share of them. Not only as a soldier, but also as a civilian. Thankfully, the alleys were empty at this time of night. A light rain had been falling all night and had long since turned into nothing more than a mist. It coated the streets with a thin film of moisture and kept people indoors, away from the thin fog that silently crept up from the ground and cloaked the city in darkness.
I hurried along the mottled black pavement, keeping my face covered as much as possible. My objective was The Ritz, where I knew River would be asleep at this time of night. I knew he would be there because he didn’t know I was coming for him. I just couldn’t believe that he was dumb enough to stay at the same hotel where I nearly killed him. In all reality, I had no intention of shooting him. If he had only let me take Kenzi, he wouldn’t be nursing a gunshot wound to the gut.
Getting to River would have to wait, for tonight, I had a much bigger plan—Kenzi. Zipping my hoodie, I walked past The Ritz and headed to The Regency, which was about a five-block walk. Having a connection inside Davian Cross’s empire couldn’t have fallen into my lap at a more opportune time. I just hoped I wasn’t putting myself out there by trusting him. West McBride was a good kid—a decorated soldier. He might have held me down and caused my arrest, but he also helped me escape. Of all the men in Davian’s so-called “society,” he was the last person Davian would suspect in double-crossing him. It’s just too bad that Levi had to go snooping around and agreed to a plea deal to lessen his sentence. I really could have used him, too. I had to make sure West never found out the truth behind his death.
Well hidden in the entrance of a mom-and-pop shop across the street, I kept my eyes glued to the entrance of The Regency. I hoped Axe and Kenzi would show up soon. I was down to my last two cigarettes, and I hated the feeling of craving what I didn’t have. If Kenzi and Axe didn’t show up before long, I would have no choice but to leave my post to purchase a pack and risk being recognized.
I stared at the smoking tip of my cigarette while pondering what to do. I had been waiting for a little over an hour, and a shiver rippled down my spine. The wet and dewy air wrapped around me like a cold blanket. I stood up from my crouched position and threw my cigarette butt on the dew-covered concrete and watched the small white cylinder burn. When I looked up, the fog from the dew had gotten thicker, but it didn’t obstruct my view of The Regency’s entrance. A gray Volvo pulled up to the door, but my eye was on the vehicle that pulled up behind it. It was one of Davian Cross’s black Escalade SUVs. The driver's door opened, revealing that Axe was the driver as he exited the vehicle. I watched the valet walked toward Axe, standing near his vehicle. They stayed in conversation while Kenzi walked toward the entrance. My eyes fell to the fawning look in her eyes as she glanced over at Axe. Her eyes were cast on him as he walked toward her, displaying a sense of awe that I could never understand. I had never experienced the kind of love they seemed to share with each other. They both seemed to know something that made them oblivious to their surroundings. It was like they had their own bubble. I was so close to leaving my position to get to her. It would take only one bullet to kill her. I placed my hand over the butt of the gun holstered at my waist.
A cold shiver exploded through me and crept down my spine before settling into my gut like a rock laying on soft ground, weighing me down so that I knew there could be no turning back now. That moment hurtled me forward toward my plan for revenge against Axe and Kenzi… there was no turning back. But, for now, their future would have to wait. Lighting up another cigarette, I took a couple of puffs before heading back to my hideout. If I wanted to succeed in taking out Kenzi, I had to have a plan in place—a bulletproof plan. I chuckled to myself over my sense of humor.
If it weren’t for Crosby McCall, I wouldn’t have anything more than a string of kills on my record—a record to be proud of if I was still in the military or signed up for the law enforcement program, but not so much if you were a killer for hire. I could take them both out so no one would know what happened or who did it—or who wanted them dead—if anyone found their bodies. It was an interesting thought. On the other hand, taking out McCall would bring me enough money to live comfortably for years to come, which meant I wouldn’t need another job for a long time. There were enough people in his circle that wanted him dead. So why didn’t I do it? I could put to rest McCall’s agenda to eliminate everyone Davian Cross cared about and focus on my own revenge.
Who was I kidding? The idea was insane. It would be like trying to attack an armored vehicle with a spear. But what would happen to the shark without its armor? Or the crawdad without its carapace? I was a small fish among sharks. Killing McCall would secure my own death. The thought of climbing into McCall’s steel belly and killing him while surrounded by his soldiers was absurd, even suicidal. He was too well protected, even in his six-by-eight jail cell. There was no way I could get to him. He had connections far beyond the four walls of his cell. It was how he took out Levi.
“You’re a dead man if you ever cross me!”McCall’s voice played over and over in my head as I walked the five blocks back to my hideout. He had more power than God. Everything he demanded he got. He was a man who regularly went to bed with expensive whores. A man who had killed several people in the past and ran a profitable illegal business. A man obsessed with his youth, his fast cars, and fast women. A man who had hundreds of people on his payroll. A man whose power and influence were unquestioned and far-reaching. If I wanted to stay alive, my best bet was to follow through with McCall’s request, regardless of what that meant for me. There were only 10 more deaths I needed to add to my resumé. Once the last one fell, I was done.Who was I kidding?
“Fuck.” I was totally screwed.
