Page 26 of Dima's Vision
“I see you met the Landry brothers, Vex, Omen and Saint.”
“Already on a first name basis, dude. They have those handy name tags,” Kristie answers, pointing to their cuts, ignoring the look on the Landrys’ faces as she calls their patches name tags.
“So, where’s this package? Gretch is starving and she needs her noms,” Omen says, changing the subject.
I move to my trunk, popping it. I lean in to wrestle Glenn’s dead weight out of the back, slinging him over my shoulder to take him closer to shore, dumping him on the ground.
“I love when he does that manly stuff,” Kristie says out loud, not even fazed by the laughter and jeers coming from the men, offering to show her what they can do. She ignores them all.
Pulling the knife from my boot I slice open the black plastic Glenn is wrapped in, before moving to take Kristie by the hand, leading her to the platform with the rest of the MC sans the Landrys.
I get her settled then stand behind her, pulling her into my chest. She stiffens for a moment, then relaxes into me, her small hands covering mine over her soft belly.
“You ready?”
She nods, her dark hair tickling my nose.
Omen lets out a whistle, he and his brothers working in tandem, doing something at the water’s edge. There’s a splash to the right and moments later Gretchen pulls herself from the water, lumbering onto the bank.
“Wow, she’s beautiful,” Kristie whispers.
“Come on, Gretch, we have your noms,” Saint coos, and the gator falls for his velvety tones, walking right up to him and letting him stroke her on the nose.
I feel Kristie’s head tilt a little, so I lean forward to whisper in her ear. “The Landrys rescued Gretchen when she was a hatchling. She’s incredibly gentle and tame.” I press a kiss to her temple and she melts even further into me.
Gretchen makes her way further up the bank, making a beeline for Glenn’s corpse.
“Buckle up, fuckers! It’s show time!”
Kristie
She’s breathtakingly beautiful. Dangerous and yet gentle with those she loves, I think she might be my spirit animal. She moves with grace, powerful and steady. She stalks Glenn for a moment, moving this way and that, her tail swishing in the long grass, studying her prey.
“Not long now, boys,” one of the MC brothers behind me says.
I don’t know which one, and I don’t want to turn around to find out either. I’m locked in place, safe on the platform with Dima’s arms around me. My eyes glued to an animal that I feel more in common with than any human I’ve ever met. Gretchen and I are death bringers who were lucky enough to be saved by people who saw our worth.
She stalks her prey much in the same way I like to stalk mine. Circling, watching, waiting. I jump slightly when she lunges, large jaw open wide before latching onto Glenn’s chunky leg. She thrashes him around to the cheers of the MC behind me, their voices sounding far away as my whole focus is on Gretchen as she drags Glenn into the water with her.
There’s splashing, flailing and before I know it dark red colors the murky waterway.
“Damn, she must have been hungry. She usually plays with them for longer,” Vex says, hands on his hips.
“Speaking of, we got food at the clubhouse so let’s round up.” The Pres circles his finger in the air, jumping down off the platform, the brothers following him.
“Come on,Ved’ma moya,” Dima says gently.
I look at his handsome face over my shoulder. “Do you mind if I stay for a bit?”
His eyes search mine, as if looking for something. He must find it because he tips his chin before pressing his lips to my forehead. The loss of his warmth is immediate, causing my gut to clench but the stubborn side of me refuses to follow him. InsteadI sit on the platform, dangling my legs as I gaze out into the water, waiting for glimpses of Gretchen.
It’s almost meditative, eyes glued to Gretchen’s feeding ground, slivers of scaled skin making appearances here and there. I watch as she slowly disassembles a man that was so evil he deserved everything that brought him to his end. My only regret is not knowing about Gretchen earlier. If I did I would have given him to her live and kicking.
My mind drifts to Dima, the man with the piercing blue eyes that see too much. The man who from just being him has broken down more walls than I thought possible. He makes me feel things. Warm. Safe. He has me wishing for things that I’m not sure I can have, and that sucks harder than a $2 hooker on a Sunday.
A throb begins behind my eyes, and I screw them shut, holding them tightly closed for a moment before blinking them open, my vision slightly hazy. I screw them shut again, repeating the movement, hoping that the throbbing isn’t the onset of a migraine. Or worse, a stroke. Typical. I get halfway through my little side quest and I have a fucking stroke.
My hazy vision clears a little, but I’m not looking at the water waiting for glimpses of Gretchen. I’m looking at a mansion house, large white columns on either side of the front door. Dima is there, staring at something in the front yard. Following his gaze I see a woman in a white gauzy gown running, from what I have no idea. Turning back to Dima his blue eyes meet mine, softening as he smiles gently at me. Movement over his shoulder catches my attention and there, in the shadows, is a face I know well. Or, a partial face I know well. It’s off, not quite human, more like a mask of a face I know well.
