Page 27 of Vicious Punks
“You did good, but the question remains: why you didn’t flinch when he threatened controlling you with rape?” Nicky leans down close enough that I can see the green and gold specks in his eyes, making it easy to focus on something to stop a flashback before I’m dragged under.
“Sometimes there are worse things than being threatened, when compared to it actually happening.” I subconsciously rub the scar over my shoulder and clear my throat when I notice he’s watching me intently.
He lifts his arm, his hand sliding to my shoulder and around my shoulder blade while staring me in the eyes. I barely breathe, feeling trapped in his gaze and knowing he’s going to feel the bumps of the scar.
“I-I, we should go.” I desperately look for a distraction but his fingers glide over the raised letter C and pause.
“He did this, didn’t he? Cruz.” His jaw tightens as he whispers the name that gives me nightmares, looking angry on my behalf, but that doesn’t make sense.
Why would he care?
“They say when the devil makes an appearance, he leaves a mark so he can always find you. Everyone knows who you belong to,” I say in a raspy voice, swallowing thickly as I turn my head away from his gaze.
“There are worse things than the devil, Tillie, and you're looking at him. I said you’re mine to do with as I please, so that means you're ours. No one else can have you.” He places a finger under my chin to direct my gaze back to him.
“The scars on my body say differently. I’ve already been branded and no matter how much I cover them, they still tear through my flesh to remind me.” I push at his chest and he shakes his head slowly, like I’m wrong, but I’ve lived it, I know better.
“You’ll see. There’s no escaping us, even if you're taken from our side. It will only be for a little while before we come to collect you. Now, get dressed, your clothes are on the chair. Time to see if you're a traitor. I almost hope you don’t die tonight.” He points to a lounge chair near the window and stands up, walking to his dresser.
I sit there stunned, watching him step out of his sweats with a pair of tight boxer briefs hugging his muscular ass. He takes his time getting ready. I’m sure I turned into a statue, by the time he turns back around dressed in a dark charcoal suit and raises a brow at me. I shake my head and slide out of bed, moving over to the chair. I hold up fishnets, a short velvet dark maroon dress, and a black leather jacket in confusion.
“You want me to wear this? Aren’t we going to a warehouse?” I turn to him and see his serious expression.
“If you're going to die, you might as well look sexy.” He shrugs with his arms crossed and nods his head for me to put it on.
These men confuse me. He starts off with you’re a spy, we are going to murder you, but hey, let’s give you pleasure and call you our girl. With a long drawn out sigh of frustration, I slip the dress over my head, shivering at the erotic feeling of it sliding down my body. I step into the fishnets, admitting whoever picked this outfit out knew what they were doing… It looks good hugging my curves in all the right places.
Grabbing the jacket, I shrug it on and look around for my combat boots. I turn to Nicky to ask where my boots are, but I find his gaze is roaming up and down my body as he strokes his thumb back and forth over his bottom lip. He looks up into my eyes, crooking his finger at me. I slowly walk over to him, and if I’m admitting it to myself, I add a little swing into my hips.Seduce him, my mind screams. Get your revenge and leave, but I’m being pulled in another direction too.
It sucks how they stare at me as if I’m wanted. Body and soul. It messes with my head.
“Turn around,” he orders, spinning his finger.
I spin on my feet and face away from him, wondering what he’s going to do. Why does that get my heart racing when he approaches me from behind? He slides his hands through my hair, my head tilts back at the feeling, seeking more. I could fall asleep with this slight pressure on my scalp, and I consider begging him to never stop. He starts gathering my hair and puts it in a ponytail, as if he’s done this before.
“I have a little sister, remember?” he whispers in my ear at my outspoken thought and stays there for a second before drawing back. “Your shoes are downstairs, let’s go.” He leaves me there, feeling a little frazzled as he walks out of his bedroom.
“Don’t fall for it, Tillie. It’s a trick. You don’t need anyone. Focus,” I mutter under my breath, and quickly catch up to him just as he walks out the front door.
Does he expect me to follow him around like a lost puppy? He’s not even bothering to check if I’m behind him. I slide on my boots and take my time walking to his car as he drums his fingers on the steering wheel in annoyance. That’s right, fucker. You're on my time. I’m no one's dog. I slide into the passenger side and he takes off before I fully have the door closed. Soft music plays in the background as he drives us, the silence between us giving me time to think before we arrive at the warehouse.
I’ve seen how people like them take care of their enemies. It’s always the same. People are going to die tonight. Blood will be spilled. You betray once, you don’t get a second chance. It’s part of the code.
Before I know it, we’re arriving at a warehouse with a chain link fence surrounding the property. In the industrial part of L.A. near the run down neighborhoods, I would think this place was abandoned if I was passing by. Guess that’s a way to keep people out. I bet the neighborhood knows to stay far away, knowing who owns the building. Nicky parks and gets out without saying a word. I follow after him warily, tugging down the hem of my dress as I glance around. It’s extremely silent, the only sound is a light wind that kicks up the dust in the lot. I shiver, crossing my arms, and quickly walk behind Nicky as he approaches a steel door on the side of the building.
He opens it only to reveal how dark it is inside. He disappears into the building as I stand there, wondering if I should just make a break for it. I don’t care if my face is plastered all over the news, I can’t walk into the dark. It’s just like the basement. I can’t.
A hand reaches out, catching me by surprise and dragging me in by the wrist. I squeeze my eyes shut and bump into something hard as I stifle a scream. I won’t make a noise, won’t give Payne the satisfaction of my fear.
“Hello, sugarbutt. I know this isn’t the ideal date, but I’m hoping by the end of the night we are going steady.” A dark chuckle sounds next to my ear, the hard object I seem to have plastered myself to vibrates against me.
“Tey?” I ask in a shaky voice, trying to move closer to him as I grip his biceps.
“Don’t tell me you're afraid of the dark? Out of everything…” He starts walking backwards, dragging me with him step by step.
“We all fear something, don’t we?” My breathing picks up the farther we walk into the building, trying to focus on the person in front of me.
“I guess that’s true. If anyone hurt my unicorn, I think I’d go on a murdering spree.” His body shudders as if he really fears that and I shouldn’t be surprised, even crazy ones like him hold something dear to his heart.
