Page 39 of Rugger: The Huntress

Instead of trying to dissect any of it, I accepted the drink I was handed and made my way out of the bar. I didn’t head upstairs. The time had come and it had passed me by, but I wouldn’t miss the next opportunity.

Slipping. I reminded myself for the second time in less than twenty-minutes.

I didn’t dwell. I took a seat in the lobby. The first sip from my glass was comforting. The second sip made me forget everything that had possibly gone astray with the plan I’d set in motion over the last seventy-two hours.

Patiently, I waited.The innocent. Their presence kept me planted in my seat. I removed the cellular device from the depths of my pocket. I scanned the blurry images of four young men, all of whom were on the way to the pits of hell.

Done.

I replied to the text that had been sent, confirming the capturing of their souls. A response was garnered almost instantly.

Funds deposited.

There was a follow up seconds later from the same sender.

Pleasure doing business with you.

Had I known the severity of the situation, I would’ve handled the job free of charge, but the payment was already in motion when the details were released. The heights the wealthy went to maintain their smudge-free identity never surprised me, but this wasn’t the case.

An innocent sleepover at a friend’s house was the only plan for the twelve year old son of Adam Jamerson. When he returned home unable to sit down on his behind, stand upright, or take a step without wincing in pain, his father understood what had happened.

Though furious, he knew there was only one solution to the problem that had presented itself. Yelling, getting authoritiesinvolved, or taking the older brothers and friends of his son’s best friend to court wasn’t it. He wanted blood. And, I couldn’t say that I blamed him.

Once his son was seen by their private physician and suspicions were confirmed, he nursed his son back to health and gave him a safe space to submit any details of his assault he was willing to. When he began spilling, he didn’t stop until his skin was bloodshot red, nose was running, and eyes had nearly swollen shut.

The information Adam retrieved was passed along to me. Four young adults. One pre-teen who had been awakened from his sleep at approximately four o’clock in the morning and assaulted for three hours straight.

He only had an hour to gather his bearings before his family’s driver fetched him at eight. Adam’s worst nightmare was staring him in the face when his son walked into the door.

The only time he’d let his guard down and decided a night at his son’s best friend’s home wouldn’t be the end of his world, his son was violated in the most heinous crime that had ever been committed against their family. Adam never mumbled a word about the assault. The odds of it happening was the reason he kept his children close.

It tore him to pieces watching his vibrant young son become a mere shell of himself. Four months passed before he made a call to someone who made a call to someone who put in an order. The line of communication ceased once it reached me.

I removed the SIM card from the phone in my hand. With both thumbs pressuring the plastic, I split it in two.

I sucked the skin of my teeth, contemplating revisiting the office I’d just left to make sure they all had a closed casket, but I kept my ass planted firmly in the seat and shoved the broken SIM card in the imitation mulch that covered the large, faux greenery.

See you motherfuckers in hell.

Bend the rules, I concluded.

Just as the thought was finalized, the elevator parted across the lobby.

Time and all else stood still as the slightly disheveled vixen strolled out of it. The phone intertwined in her fingers, pressed up against her ear made her look four inches taller, ten degrees hotter, and so much sexier than I remembered.

I had every right to hem her fine ass up and shake her down for details about her involvement with lames, but would bet my last dollar she wouldn’t utter a word. She was paid to keep quiet, keep secrets, and keep their dicks hard until their extracurricular fare ran low.

Sex work. My nostrils flared at the thought of her willingly giving her body to someone other than me. It hardly mattered that she didn’t know me, had never saw me, and didn’t know the first fucking thing about me but my name.

She’d imprinted on me. Sooner rather than later, she’d know everything she needed to know about me. I fully intended on bending the rules. Even if only for a little while.

Slowly, I lifted my body from the loveseat and planted my feet on the rug underneath me. My eyes were still trained on her. Momentarily, she paused, taking me all in.

It wasn’t long before she was in stride again. I cut my losses prematurely and headed in the direction from which she’d just come.

I’d made myself abundantly clear less than an hour ago and the ruling still stood.

Any man that touches you from this day forward is a dead man, my love.

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