The Butcher of the Bay 2 Page 2

  I grunt in reply. Sounds exactly fucking like her, too.

  "She called me and told me she was vouching for you, anything you needed I should give you and square with her later. If she trusts you then, fuck it, I guess I'll give you what you need without the fucking lip... even if it does make the job fucking boring."

  The kid is too fucking good to me, I swear to God. "I'll pay my own way, don't ever ask the Wolf for payment for my shit. She can vouch for me but I'll fucking gut you if you ask her for shit, Coyote."

  He sniggers under his breath at me. "Fuck man, what the hell is with that girl’s pussy that you're all panting after it?"

  I sling my jacket over my shoulders and take the stairs down to the garage three at a time, ignoring the dead assholes in my apartment. I should call for a clean up but that would take time I’m not willing to fucking waste right now. "I'll call you if I need anything else, keep your phone close. Oh, and Coyote?"

  He grunts at me and I wait until I'm in the car before I say, "You ever disrespect the Wolf like that to me again and I'll give you a whole new meaning of the word fucked, you hear me?"

  Chapter Two

  Odie

  The moon is hanging high in the sky, shining down on us and illuminating the apartment so I can see the room clearly. The smiling man at the door has four men with him but I know exactly which of them is in charge. The thick black lines tattooed on his face make the smile look even more terrifying, the grin is something savage on his handsome face.

  My heart starts to pound in my chest, the sound deafening in my ears. There's a gun tucked under the pillows on the couch, mon Monstre had told me to always have one close. I'd thought he was being overprotective but now I'm so thankful to have it there. I'll only have one chance to grab it, one opportunity to grab it and kill these men.

  The smiling man speaks, my skin crawling at the sound, "I guess I can see why he's so caught up on you. You're hot and I guess Johnny-boy always was a tits man."

  He knows mon Monstre but the way he speaks... even without the threatening entrance I'd know he was not here as a friend. No.

  He's here for me.

  He's here to hurt Illi through me.

  After everything he has done for me, all of the love and tenderness he has given me, there is no way I will ever allow him to be hurt through me... not if I can help it anyway. I want to make him proud of me and I know that protecting myself, not just killing these men but doing it to keep myself safe, nothing would make mon Monstre happier.

  So I stand there in silence, not speaking a single word, and I wait until the smirk on his face drops away. He doesn't find my silence amusing. I'm sure he was expecting me to scream and cry but I won't ever give him that satisfaction. He flicks a hand out in my direction, his men moving as one to grab me.

  I dart forward to the couch, shoving my hand under the pillow and getting the gun in a firm grip. The training Illi has given me kicks in and I have the safety off and the gun aimed true in a split second. None of the men falter, though they smirk at the sight of me. I'm sure I look weak standing there, paint splattered and my legs bare.

  I aim for the one staring at my exposed legs lecherously first. Three shots in his chest, no hesitation as he roars and goes down in a spray of blood from the exit wounds.

  The other men come to a halt.

  "Ah, look. There is some fire in you! I was a little disappointed to begin with, whore. I thought Johnny-boy had lost his balls over some pathetic little piece of ass. At least you'll be fun to play with."

  Absolutely not.

  Never again.

  Illi and the le Loup had taught me enough that I'm not going to just be taken, there's no way I'm going to be a good girl, complacent in my own kidnapping. Not ever again.

  Two men rush me at once and I get a shot in, blowing one of their faces off until there's blood and brain matter all over my canvas and paint supplies. I swing around to the other guy but he catches my arms as I move. I fire again but the bullet hits the ceiling uselessly, and my legs are taken out from under me. I roll like Lips taught me, kicking out and catching the man in the back of the knee. He goes down a little easier, less anger but he's quick to punch me, the blow too much for my already damaged brain.

  I see stars and my stomach roils, bile climbing up my throat.

  The gun is knocked out of my hands and when the man moves to straddle me, I vomit. There's no way I can stop myself from losing my stomach contents.

  "Fucking disgusting. She might know how to shoot but she's definitely fucking broken. Pathetic."

  I don't catch anything else he says as the man punches me again and I lose consciousness.

  I come to in the back of a car. My clothes are all still firmly in place and I'm not sore anywhere, thank God. The smiling man is sitting in the back with me, a blond man sitting next to him with blank eyes. His face is nice looking but I've learned that lesson already. The devil can wear kind eyes and a cutting tongue.

  The smiling man looks me over and then says, "Look, it's nothing personal. I don't give a fuck about pussy at the best of times and used up pussy? Nah, not for me. It's just you've fucked with my friend and that's not part of my plan. He's a little... lost at the moment. He's not on the right path, I need to get him back to where he belongs, in the cage and working for me."

  The words take my sore head a moment to decipher, translate, and understand. I swallow roughly, my mouth dry and my head pounding. I straighten up in my seat and look out of the windows. We're on a highway, I don't recognize anything around us.

  "I'm tempted to try you out, you know? Tempted because of the prices you keep getting at auction. I don't know how the fuck the Vulture pitches you to his buyers but, fuck, they're hungry for whatever you've got for them. Blondes aren't really my thing, though."

  My stomach clenches again, a fine sheen of sweat starting up in my brow. I must look ill because the smiling man suddenly looks more dangerous, the smile dropping away.

  "Vomit in my car and I'll make you clean it back up with your tongue. Fuck, I'll film it and send it to Johnny, make him see some fucking sense."

  I swallow again, clutching at my stomach. He laughs, a manic sound.

  "Good to know you can speak English. I don't really give a fuck if you can understand me but it would be fucking weird to be sitting here talking without you understanding me. Wouldn't it, Luca?"

  The blond guy pastes on a grin, the look of it thin and fake. "Sure would, Boss."

  I let my eyes fall shut again as my head pounds and my stomach clenches violently. I must not vomit. I will not suffer that humiliation on top of everything else I've been forced to endure.

  Thankfully, the car slows to a stop and that helps the sick feeling in my gut more than anything else. The house we've parked in front of is small and rundown, bullet holes in the outside walls. Luca holds my elbow, gently but firmly as I trip over my own feet. The pounding in my head only gets worse. I start to wonder if I'm going to have permanent damage this time.

  I get taken to a bedroom and my entire body begins to shake and tremble. I can't do this again. I can't have another man touch me, not after mon Monstre has taught me again what it means to be touched and worshiped once more.

  "Chain her to the bed." The smiling man snaps, stalking out of the room.

  I back up into the corner and try to remember exactly what I was taught by Lips but everything is a little sluggish and foggy. Luca grimaces and glances over his shoulder, quietly shutting the door and walking over to me with his hands raised. "It's okay, Odette. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm trying to get backup and to get you out."

  I blink at him.

  He knows my name.

  He nods slowly. "Look, I need to tie you to the bed so the Jackal doesn't know I'm trying to help you but... I can stop anyone from hurting you. I can get them to leave you alone until I can get you out."

  I blink at him.

  Maybe my brain is too damaged but that makes no sense to me at all, the chanc
es of a decent man being the right-hand man to that nasty Jackal... it just doesn't make any sense.

  He blows out a breath and slowly moves to guide me to sit on the bed. He doesn't actually touch me, just motions at me until I am where I need to be and then he cuffs one of my wrists to the bed frame.

  He leaves my legs alone. That helps me to believe him a little more.

  "Are you friends with Illi?" I murmur.

  He shakes his head and glances over his shoulder at the door again. "That man hates me but it doesn't matter. I'm not helping you because we're friends... I try to help whichever of the Jackal's victims I can. It's... a long story and I can't tell you half of it. Just know that I'm trying to get you out."

  My heart thumps in my chest. He sounds so sincere, so gentle and kind, that there's some part of me that doesn't want to trust him at all. He sighs again and nods, walking back to the door swiftly and opening it sharply.

  There are three men waiting there, one of them with his hand raised like he was about to shove the door open himself.

  Luca's back tenses and one of the men in the door adjusts himself suggestively, cupping himself. I squeeze my eyes shut. I need to prepare myself to fight back if one of them tries to touch me. I have to remember all of the things le Loup taught me.

  Aim for the weak spots. Try to get hold of a weapon. Never stop fighting.

  "Get the fuck outta here, Reggie. Did the boss tell you to fuck her? No? Then leave."

  My eyes snap open again at Luca's words. He's shifted his stance and now he's blocking the doorway completely, his arms hanging by his side. I can see the weapons he has under his jacket, something I've gotten good at thanks to watching Illi get ready each evening.

  Reggie doesn't like that answer,. the sneer on his face shows his yellowed teeth. I can smell the cigarettes from here on the bed, as if he chain smokes and never brushes his teeth. "Boss always lets us sample the goods, don't be fucking greedy."

  I do not want that man anywhere near me but I prepare myself in case Luca lets him. I'll aim for the eyes.

  Luca doesn't move an inch. "Get your ass outside and keep watch. I'm not having us hacked to fucking pieces by the Butcher because you're too busy being balls-deep in his favorite toy. Move. Your. Fucking. Asses."

  All three of them mutter under their breaths but at the mention of Illi and what he'd do to them they start moving. Clearly he really is as infamous as he says.

  It doesn't make sense that the Jackal would still want to betray him... to take me away as if mon Monstre would just forget about me. He would never forget me, I know that the same way I know the sun will rise again in the morning, no matter what happens to me.

  The sun will rise.

  I sit alone in the room for three hours.

  I know this for sure because there's a clock on the small bedside table, the flashing red lights meaning I'm sure the time isn't correct but it shows the passing of time all the same. The door is open and I can hear the men moving around the house, laughing and joking with each other. The little snippets of their stories that I hear chill me to the bone, the things they say are so horrifying... I don't understand why Luca is with them at all. Does he stay so he can help people? Would it not be better to take out the Jackal than to clean up after him?

  It makes no sense.

  I think about this the entire time I'm stuck there watching the minutes tick over. My head hurts enough that I want to sleep but I force myself to stay conscious. Finally, when I'm ready to scream in frustration, the Jackal walks in again. The pleasant mask he keeps over his features has slipped away and the evil that lurks underneath shows now he's not smiling at me. His eyes are soulless, utterly evil.

  Luca follows him in, his eyes anywhere but me as they talk between themselves.

  The Jackal motions at me dismissively. "I found a private buyer, easier to offload her that way. I'd get more selling her through the Vulture but doing it privately, Johnny won't find her until she's dealt with and he'll finally get his head back. That's more important than money."

  Luca nods carefully, his hands slipping into his pockets. "Where am I taking her, Boss? I'll do it now so we can get back to the Bay. Don't want to waste the entire night with this bullshit, do we?"

  The Jackal chuckles under his breath and I can still only see the evil man, the smile is something out of my worst nightmares. I find myself praying it will be Luca who takes me because I'm starting to think that he won't really take me. The other men, they would try to hurt me, but Luca... I think he'd try to get me home safe.

  I honestly think my luck is the worst in the world.

  A phone rings and the Jackal pulls it out of his pocket to answer it, his face getting more and more evil. It's like watching the sunset, the darkness growing and growing until it's pitch black and you're swallowed by the blackness. I swallow back the fear that swells in my stomach.

  “Something has come up. The Wolf has been threatened.”

  Luca curses under his breath, running a hand through his hair. "The cartel? Or the mafia? I heard Giancomo was pissed about some of her work.”

  The Jackal looks over at me. “She didn’t say who the threat was from.”

  Clearly, he's guessing the wrong man.

  Illi would never harm the Wolf… not ever.

  He steps towards the bed and his eyes narrow at me. "Johnny knows about my interest in her but I never thought he’d interfere. He never has before. Do you think he'd betray me like that, over some little broken pussy? Hmm? Maybe I should try it out, see if it scrambles my brain the way it has the infamous Butcher’s."

  Luca takes a deep breath, silently and where the man can't see it behind him. "He wouldn't do it, boss. He's lost his head but he's not fucking stupid, no one would do the Jackal of Mounts Bay like that. Besides, broken pussy? Not good enough for you."

  The Jackal's eyes narrow at me even more, like he's thinking that through, testing how the words sound and deciding for himself if they fit his own narrative. He clearly thinks a lot of himself because the smirk slides back over his lips.

  "I guess Giancomo has been making noise about her for a while… makes sense I guess. Fucking inconvenient timing. You're with me Luca, I'll leave the whore here for pick up. It's not like she can go anywhere chained to the bed like that... not unless she bites through her own fucking wrist. Maybe I'll leave a camera, just in case. That would be a sight to see."

  My stomach drops, but at least he's leaving and taking his men with him. I... I don't think I could do that to myself but maybe...

  Luca shakes his head at me, motioning for me to stay quiet. "I'll set one up for you, Boss. It would be something to see, right?"

  They both laugh and the Jackal leaves, calling out to some of his other men as they all start to move around the house and collect their weapons. Luca helps clear the room then takes out a camera. Once the sounds of the other men have cleared he keeps his eyes on the open doorway and says, so quietly I have to stop breathing to hear it, "I'll send help. I don't know if they'll get here in time but... I'll try."

  Tears start to stream down my face again, gratitude and relief that this man would even try. I have no doubt of what the Jackal would do to him if he found out... I need to keep that information close to my chest for now. Close enough to keep him safe the way he's tried to do for me.

  It might all be for nothing.

  But I can hold onto the hope blooming in my chest, I can take hold of it tightly to keep me going until I'm back in the arms of mon Monstre.

  The loud bang of the front door closing again is a relief.

  I wish I could have a little rest to ease the pounding in my head but it's too risky. If the sleep is too deep I could be caught unaware by whoever makes it here first. I need to remember everything le Loup has taught me.

  Trust no one. Aim for the weak spots. Try to get hold of a weapon. Shoot straight. Never stop fighting.

  Less than five minutes after Luca and the Jackal leave I hear the sounds of cars and I pray,
I pray so hard, that it's mon Monstre here to get me or le Loup. Anyone, someone I know, anyone but another rapist.

  I know the second I see him that he is no friend of Illi's. The gleam in his eye... no, he is definitely not here to save me. There are dozens of men with him, all of them packed with weapons and smirks on their faces. My head begins to pound again.

  "Ah, there she is. Utter perfection! Devareux will be so pleased to see her in such good shape."

  I must have done something terrible in a past life.

  Chapter Three

  Illi

  The kid gets back to me the minute I hang up from the Coyote but I don't hesitate in getting the car on the road again. "Odie's gone."

  She swears under her breath. "Cartel?"

  "D'Ardo."

  She groans and curses viciously under her breath, the kid has the mouth of a true Mounty. "Where are you? I'm out on a job but... I can... I can call him. I can distract him while you find her. It might stop him getting his hands on her. Fuck."

  Fuck me, I don't want to ask that of her but I’m definitely a monster of the worst kind because I’ll take it. I’d take anything to get Odie back. I can’t get my hopes up that she hasn't been touched but fuck me if this doesn't feel like my penance. I should have never fucking trusted that arrogant little cunt.

  "Distract him how? Word is he's taken off with her, across state lines. He's not going to come back for you, kid."

  I run every red light I come across, none of them even registering to me though there's horns blasting around me like I'd give a fuck.

  She clears her throat. "I know something that he would come back for, no question. It'll buy you a few hours, just watch out wherever he turns around from. The Coyote—"

  "He's tracking her. Thanks, kid. If there were any other way—"