Page 24 of Damaged
Yes, baby! Give me that fire. I want to see exactly what you are capable of!
“Why do you have a gun pointed at Jackson?” she asks, just as she stops. She’s two steps from the bottom floor landing, which is where I’m standing. Her glare is on me, but now, even with our height difference, we are eye to eye.
The woman she still has a hold of continues whining and crying behind the tape. The way she’s looking up at me, it appears she’s trying to appeal to my good nature, which I have none of. I think she’s trying to beg me to help her.
She’s barking up the wrong tree here.
If my darling beauty wants you dead…you’re going to die.
I will make sure of it.
“Shut the fuck up,” Kata growls out, shaking the girl by her hair, making her scream from behind the tape again. Kata doesn’t break our eye contact, and I feel the electricity of this connection all over my entire body, down to my nonexistent soul. I’m literally vibrating from it. I know for sure now, it was the right call coming after her.
My entire body is screaming…Mine…Mine…ALL FUCKING MINE!
“I need to talk to you,” is all I say through gritted teeth, stepping away from the stairs, moving closer to…Jackson, was it, so that she can step down fully off the stairs. Jackson takes a small step back.
“We can talk when you stop pointing your fucking gun at my friend.”
“I can’t do that just yet, sweetness. Let’s go down to the basement and finish what you started…” her eyes jump from mine to Jackson’s, and he does the same. “…then I will decide what to do with my gun.” Her jade green eyes are so fucking mesmerizing, and I hate when they are no longer on me. As her eyes finally come back to mine, she speaks again.
“Fine,” she says, storming past me. She bumps her shoulder into me, jostling me on her way by, making me chuckle. The woman she has in her iron grip stumbles along beside her, tears and snot falling down her face like rain. As she walks by Jackson, she motions with her head, and he follows along, as do I with my gun still pointed at the back of Jackson’s head now.
I’m sure my darling little beauty is a threat all on her own, but right now, the only threat that could stop me from talking to her is Jackson. Hence, the reason my gun is still on him. Because any attempt to keep me from her…will get him a bullet in his skull.
“What the fuck, Kata?” Jackson whispers into her ear, side eyeing me as they walk to the door leading to the basement.
“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. Let’s just finish this,” she replies, trying to sound calm, but I can see she’s anything but. Turning the corner and stomping down the steps, we all move into the cold, damp basement.
The light is swinging slightly, but I’m sure Jackson turned it on when Kata left him down here by himself with the other guy. Once I hit the cement floor, I see the man still lying unconscious, but now his hands and feet are tied with some kind of electrical cord.
Kata swings her arm, tossing the woman on top of the guy, making the bitch grunt and scream from behind the duct tape. The sudden movement has the guy starting to wake up as well. Kata tosses a roll of duct tape that I’m just now seeing in her other hand at Jackson, who catches it flawlessly.
My eyes narrow at how coordinated they are. They must have known one another for a while now. And instantly, I’m jealous of what they have together. Regardless of whether it’s romantic or not, I want that with her. I need to know more about her.
My darling beauty turns on me as Jackson steps further away, casually leaning his back against the wall next to the stairs. I keep my weapon trained on him. As Kata approaches me in all her five foot something savagery, I see the boy toy cross his arms over his chest lifting one foot to rest the sole of his sneaker on the wall while he smirks at me. He’s the epitome of relaxed now, which just pisses me off.
My focus is immediately on my gorgeous girl now, who stalks over to me. Her jade green eyes flame with the fire I need to know so badly. Stopping right in front of me, she crosses her arms over her chest and cocks her hip out as she looks up at me with a face of intense indignation.
“Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?”
“Look…I will explain everything as soon as we’re out of here. Okay?” I say, trying to get whatever she has planned for these two over and done with.
“Not fucking okay!” She raises her voice, then jams her pointer finger into my chest. “I can’t concentrate when you are pointing that thing at my friend.”
“How about this, beautiful. I will put my weapon away if you agree to sit down and talk to me when we’re done. And he,” I emphasize the word, tilting my head toward Jackson, “doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Depends on what you classify as stupid,” he mutters, laughing.
Kata looks over her shoulder at him with a smirk on her face, shaking her head at his antics. “Not helping, Jackson,” she scolds him. He lifts his hands in surrender, but never loses his relaxed position and his smirk never falls.
When she looks back up at me, she drops her arms to her sides and looks a bit more relaxed. “Are you here to take us back?” she asks. “Because that is not fucking happening.”
I’m sure the confusion on my face is evident. My brow is furrowed, as my gun slowly drops to my side. She keeps her eyes trained on me, as does Jackson, waiting for my reply. The tension radiates off both of them in waves. Even if he is trying to appear nonchalant, I can see he’s worried about my answer.
“Take you back where?” I ask, honestly confused, tilting my head.
Time seems to drag on as she watches me. Probably searching for a lie, which she won’t find. Her beautiful, bright green eyes bounce between mine, then she takes a small step back with a short affirmative nod.
