Page 8 of Dangerous Vengeance

“No, please. I—”

“I’m sorry, Carl.”

“I’ll give you the password,” he blurts out and for a moment I think of offering mercy.

“What password?” I watch him as he fumbles for words. Sweat beads on his forehead as he pulls a pen out of his pocket and uses a piece of mail lying on the end table to scribble something.

“It’s my log-in to the system. It works on my computer too. You’ll see she shared nothing with me or anyone else at the paper. At least not over our private system.” He holds the torn envelope out to me with a trembling hand. I snatch it and shove it in my pocket. I hear the wife in the basement consoling the kids who are crying.

“Such a shame your kids won’t have a father anymore.” I point the weapon at his head and shake mine.

“Please, you don’t understand. My kids need me.”

“Hmm, I’m sorry to hear that. I guess you should have thought of that before you double crossed us.”

Without any remorse or hesitation, I pull the trigger and blood peppers the wall behind him. Carl’s lifeless body reels sideways and his head smacks the ground with a sickening, hollow thud. I stand over him for a second, watching the blood pool around his rotund body and then I let myself out. The music of the closing scene of whatever animated film they were watching seems eerily out of place as it resounds out the door following me to my car.

Not only is the boss no longer a threat, but I have a way to access his files and confirm he was telling the truth. A man that close to death always tells the truth. It’s often his only leverage against dying. Dominic will like this.

5

NATALIE

Iate the food last night. It was good. Then I sat around waiting for Matty to come back like he said he would and grill me about my knowledge of his family. Instead, some unnaturally blond-haired man came to take my tray. He was silent and stoic, not at all like Matty. It’s just as well. I have no intention of giving up information to him. He’ll have to kill me first. When he does and my body turns up, Sheffield will turn my computer over to the authorities who will sift through it for the evidence they need to put this family away.

Until then, I just have to wait it out. I’m not afraid to die, though I would rather not do so. The thought has occurred to me too that I may yet escape. The calmer I keep myself the better I can think. If I learned one thing from Uncle Hal’s death it’s that these people have no remorse, no heart. They take what they want and kill whoever gets in their way. As long as I look like I’m not in their way, that I’m not a threat, I prolong my life.

Is that why I fucked him then? Or am I really just that turned on by how aggressive he is?

I push myself out of the warmth of the bed and hobble to the bathroom. I didn’t realize how much that sex affected me. My lower back and pelvis are tender from how hard he fucked me; it feels like my insides are bruised. And when I sit on the toilet to relieve my bladder, it causes searing pain in my pussy. I Kegel so hard I think I’ll burst a blood vessel in my eyeball straining, but I manage to stop the flow of urine.

It stings and aches. My pussy is torn from how rough and large he was. I dab toilet paper on it to dry it, then spread myself and examine the tear. It’s probably not abnormal for a woman to tear like this her first time but fuck if it doesn’t hurt like hell. And God, I have to pee. I whimper as I use a finger to cover the tear and let the piss drain from my body. It brings tears to my eyes, and it doesn’t get any better the longer I urinate.

When it’s over, I go straight to the shower and turn the water on, stepping in to clean myself. I’m not stupid enough to use soap on my vagina. No one is. The pain is bad enough with just clean water. Matvey Gusev may also be the world record holder for largest dick, or maybe that’s just my perception since I was a virgin, and he was so fucking demanding.

I wash myself from head to toe, my body slowly adjusting to the aches and pains. When I lather my crack and my finger brushes over my ass, I remember his finger there. Wow! That was too amazing. Why did he get in my head like that? How could he make me so horny? I shake my head and rinse my body, realizing I have nothing clean to wear. After he ripped my skirt and panties off, then left me in a heap of pleasure, I got rid of the shirt and bra too. No sense wearing a top with no bottoms at all. So, I guess my wardrobe now consists of bedsheets and towels.

I turn the water off and dry off, returning to the bedroom with dripping hair, and I hear a click at the door. Someone is there unlocking. My stomach rumbles. I hope they’ve brought food; I’m starving. I stand hesitantly by the foot of the bed, the towel wrapped around my torso and tucked into itself. Matty will think I’ve done this just for his viewing pleasure, but it’s not like my skirt is going back on me any time soon. I don’t have a sewing kit and I’m not a seamstress.

The door pushes open and Matty walks in carrying a tray of food again. Toast and what looks like coffee. It makes my mouth water. I show my weakness by licking my lips, but I can’t help it. Everyone has to eat, right?

“Good morning,” he says as he sets the tray down. He turns and nods at the door and whoever is there shuts it behind him. I don’t hear it lock, but I also don’t hear that person walk away, which means I’m being guarded. That explains why he never locked it last night either.

I say nothing, watching him set the tray on the corner of the dresser. It’s a very kind thing for him to feed me when I know he will just kill me the way someone in his family gunned my uncle down. Hal was just getting a few sundries for my parents, and he never came back. I’ll never forget the shock of having him torn from my life like that. I have to remind myself of that as Matty turns and runs a hand through his dark waves, because seeing the way his eyes drink me in makes me remember something else. Something I need to push from my thoughts before I have a mess between my legs again.

“Looks like someone slept well.”

“What do you want?” I swallow hard, clinging to the foot railing on the bed with one hand. Only now do I see that it isn’t just a tray of food that’s been brought in. On the armchair next to the door there is a long stick and a rope. What on earth he thinks he will do with those, I’ll never know, but it frightens me a bit.

“I thought we could chat over breakfast.” He gestures at the toast and coffee. I like mine with cream and sugar, though I see none of that. It’s black and it’s probably bitter, like my soul. I want nothing to do with it.

“I have nothing to say to you.” I stiffen, reaffirming my inner resolve to hold my tongue. I can’t give him the satisfaction. Hal needs to be avenged, and his family needs to be held accountable.

“I think you must misunderstand what I’m saying, Natalie.” Matty advances on me, hands calmly at his sides. He touches the strands of dark hair dripping down my chest and curls them around my ear. “You don’t get a choice. You are going to tell me everything you have on us, or you are going to be taught your second lesson.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” I repeat, knowing he fully intends to back up what he’s saying with action. Especially when he draws a line down my chest to the towel and pulls it loose, letting it fall to the ground. I shiver, the cold air making my nipples hard.

“Ah, so you want to learn the hard way that I will not be ignored?”

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