30. Eli

Chapter 30

Eli

T he chill in the back alley bit hard, though the Arizona sun still burned overhead. Doug’s face was pressed into the concrete, his wrists bound with cable ties so tight his hands were already turning purple. His mouth strained around the gag as he tried to speak, but Dimitri had thought ahead. I wasn’t keen to hear him begging before I was ready. Maxim had him by the collar, hauling him around the side of the building and out of Dimitri’s waiting car.

Maxim was already pacing beside me, fingers tapping rhythmically against his thigh, his gaze sharp and unrelenting. This wasn’t just a clean-up; it was an interrogation, and every second of Doug’s cowardly squirming fueled my patience for what was to come .

Dimitri jumped out, expression tense as he took in the scene. "This him?" he asked, nodding to Doug, who looked pale and sweaty.

"Yeah, this is the asshole,” I said, pushing Doug into the back seat. Maxim got in beside him, giving Doug a look that could freeze blood. I slipped into the passenger side as Dimitri pulled out of the alley.

We reached a quiet, empty warehouse—one of the Brotherhood’s safe houses, I assumed. I dragged Doug out and threw him into a metal chair in the center of the room, hands bound behind him.

Maxim crossed his arms, watching Doug’s pitiful attempts to squirm. “You’re a little ahead of schedule,” he said casually. His tone was light, almost friendly. “We didn’t expect you until tomorrow.” He pulled the gag down.

Maxim cracked his knuckles, standing just inches from Doug. "Now, tell us why you’re stalking Reed," he demanded, voice sharp as a blade.

Doug’s eyes darted around the room. "I—I wasn’t stalking her! I just… I was curious."

"Curious?" I sneered, leaning forward until I was inches from his face. "You’ve been chasing her all over California, and now you’re following her to Arizona?”

He looked at me, desperate. "She was just… interesting, you know? She seemed so… out of place at that hotel. I saw her working the desk during one of my trips. She looked tired, and there was something… something about her." He swallowed hard. "I don’t know what got into me, okay?"

Dimitri’s knife flicked under Doug’s chin, casting sharp shadows across his face as he spoke. "That’s not good enough. Why’d you buy a ticket to Arizona?"

Doug’s voice broke. "I just… I thought maybe she’d want to see me."

Maxim laughed, a cold, cutting sound. "See you? Did she give you any sign she wanted to see you?"

Doug started stammering excuses, so I shoved him, tipping the chair slightly. "Wrong answer," I said. “How’d you find her?”

Doug’s shoulders shook. "It wasn’t… I mean, yeah, I checked her posts and her tags. I just wanted to know more about her. She was just a girl I wanted to know. I paid someone, okay. ”

I clenched my fist, the rage creeping up like a wildfire. "So, you thought you’d follow her here unannounced? Who’d you pay?”

Maxim moved forward, crouching down to Doug’s eye level, a harsh glint in his gaze. "You know what we do to men who don’t respect boundaries?"

Doug shook his head, tears spilling over his cheeks. "Please… please don’t."

I glanced at Maxim, and we silently agreed that Doug wouldn’t be a problem much longer.

“Who’d you pay?” I pulled my knife out, idly cleaning my nails.

“Some guy on the web. Spato,” he whined. “He said he knew where she was staying and owed that girl a favor. That it was all full circle.”

“What girl?”

“Some hacker. That’s all I know. I swear.” Snot dripped from his nose, and with his hands tied, he looked pathetic, but Maxim’s face went white at his words, and his eyes widened, shooting to mine.

“Fuck,” I said just as he shoved a blade into the side of Doug’s throat .

“Well, that’s that,” Dimitri said, leaning against the wall. “Newest resident of the local landfill, then?”

“Damnit. We could have asked a few more questions,” I grumbled. Questions circled. What did that mean? Spato owed Veronica or some other hacker … I didn’t get it. Owed could also mean so many things …

“Spato won’t be a problem soon, so it’s irrelevant,” Maxim said with finality.

“I guess.” Still, I wasn’t thrilled with the outcome. Questions still pounded in my head with no answers long after we’d dumped Doug’s body in pieces at the Rio Salado Landfill, letting the morning garbage topple over the bags to rot on top of it.

T he morning had crept up on me. For the first time in forever, I’d overslept with the warmth of Veronica’s body next to me and the familiarity of the house lulling me into a sense of security. Dreams hadn’t even chased me out of the shadows like they usually did. I could hear the shower was running, so Veronica must be up .

I took the small stone out of my pocket that I’d found for her and placed it next to her computer before padding to the bathroom. I peered inside.

Veronica was under the spray behind the glass, washing her hair. Those tits of hers tipped up, making me instantly hard. Shedding my boxers, I opened the door and slid inside, enjoying the gasp she made and the way her eyes lit up.

“Morning. You were sleeping so peacefully this morning,” she said, reaching for me, pulling me against her so that her nipples rubbed against me like the greedy girl she was.

“Morning, angel.”

Spinning her around so my cock settled against her ass, I sucked in an earlobe, nibbling at it the way she liked, and cupped her breasts to tweak her nipples. Her breasts were just over a palmful. I balanced each one, kneading and caressing them gently as I played with her nipples until she pushed back against my cock and arched her neck back against my shoulder.

“How’s my good girl? Were you hoping I’d slide my cock into you last night?”

“Maybe. I’d hoped you had.” She sounded disappointed, but I’d been bloody and tired when I returned the night before. The sticking point had been the coughing fit she’d had last night. She’d gone to sleep after two nebulizer treatments and a long time in the steam of the shower. No way was I risking waking her up just to fuck her.

“If I slide my fingers into your pussy right now, will it be wet for me, or should I wait? Hmm?” My cock slid between the globes of her ass, and I rocked it against her.

“I’m always wet for you, Eli. Always,” she mewled.

Pushing my fingers down to her slit, I found she was indeed slick, my fingers sliding easily over her and pumping first one, then two.

“That’s it. I’m going to make you come this morning, and then I’m going to fuck you a couple of times so you’re full of my cum. “You look so pretty like this — all pink.” Her blonde hair was almost white in the light, her skin flushed and rosy. She was a vision. “Come for me, darling.” I ground the fleshy part of my palm into her clit as I pumped my fingers, letting her rock against them. “Fuck my fingers. Take what you want.”

I watched the orgasm flow over her, lips parted and her eyes half-open to the ceiling. I knew I’d never seen anything so beautiful. Before she could come down from her high, I spun her back around and hitched her up against the wall, and impaled her on my cock. Flexing into her, I pounded into her tight sheath mercilessly. My balls had already been tight when we’d started, but I knew I was close. I lowered my forehead to hers.

“Touch your clit, angel girl. I want to see you come again like the greedy little thing you are. God, look how you take my cock.” Her pussy was stretched wide around me as I stroked in and out. I pulled her legs wider and put my hand on hers. “Harder.” The sensation was almost overwhelming, and the vision she made as the water beaded against her skin stole my breath.

“Eli,” she moaned as she came apart, clenching on my cock.

“Beautiful,” I groaned, the release so hard that I thought my balls were going to burst. Letting her down gently, I put my hand between her legs and slid into her pussy, fingering her slowly. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of this. “You’re dripping now. I like you this way. Come on, let’s go to the bedroom.”

She gave me a hot look as she let me pull her out of the shower, towel-dried her hair, and carried her to the bedroom. I wasted no time putting her on the bed and spreading her thighs so I could lay between them. Pumping my cock I watched the cum dribble from her pussy in abject fascination .

“I’m going to fuck you again. Paint you with my cum. Mark you as mine.”

“I’m yours. You can do whatever you want with me.”

Fuck she was a wet dream. I was already hard again, and I slid into her, pulling her into a sitting position on top of me so she straddled me. Her hips flexed, and from the look on her face, I could see that she was already enjoying this new position.

“You like this?” I asked.

“This feels good,” she groaned, her face scrunching as if she was concentrating. Each movement and grind scraped her nipples against my chest, making her bite her lip. I dipped my mouth to hers and kissed her deeply.

“It does feel good,” I agreed. She ground against me as if she couldn’t help herself, not moving up and down my shaft but rubbing up against the base. It was enough to make me crazy, but I loved that she was using my cock the way she wanted.

“I think I’m going to come again,” she admitted, grinding harder with abandon.

“I know you are. Just like the naughty girl you are. Trying to get all my cum, aren’t you? Admit it,” I demanded.

“Yes.” She lay her head on my shoulder, letting me anchor her hips to me as she ground into me. I spread her ass further, dipping my fingers into the wetness and pulling it between her cheeks and to the tiny puckered hole.

“That’s it, angel,” I murmured before pushing a finger into her hole partway. “You’re nice and full.” I pumped the finger in and out. “I got you a present for this ass of yours since you’re such a naughty girl.” She came hard, crying out as she surged against me, but I held on even though my cock pulsed and throbbed.

I slid out of her, turned her over, and pulled out the small bag that I’d picked up yesterday, ignoring her side glance. Unwrapping the package, I squirted some lube on the butt plug. I’d erred on the side of caution and gotten an extra small one to start with.

“Okay, angel, push out.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“Yep. Stick that pretty ass out and stop back talking.” I squirted some lube on her little hole, enjoying the vision of her leaking pussy. Massaging her clit I leaned into her and waited until she was once again moaning and pushing back into me until I inserted the small plug part way. I worked it back and forth, massaging her pussy at the same time, pumping my fingers in tandem.

Veronica leaned her head forward against the pillow. “This feels …” she broke off.

“Good angel?”

“Amazing,” she confessed as I slid the small plug the way in. She whined as I withdrew my fingers and massaged her cheeks.

“This is going to feel so good. You’re going to feel so full.” I eased my cock into her pussy, stroking slowly in and out of her. “You’re so sloppy wet right now, just how I like it.” I gave the plug a little pump, and she flew apart, screaming my name into the pillow, her walls pulsing. “What a good girl you are, my little goddess,” I crooned. “Such a good girl.” It seemed like I came just as hard as I did the first time, the feel of her tight sheath and the flutters of her orgasm combining with my sudden desperation.

Even later, as we cleaned up and I dried her off, I couldn’t help easing my fingers back into her to make sure some of my cum was still inside her.

“I love you,” I whispered into her neck. She was blow drying her hair, the whir of the device humming, the gardenia perfume swirling. Her light blue eyes met mine in the mirror, and her mouth tilted in a soft smile.

“I love you back.” My heart swelled. I couldn’t remember if there had ever been a time in my life when a woman loved me and never liked this. Surely, my mother had loved me once, but I couldn’t remember her. Veronica’s eyes on mine had my heart squeezing, and I knew that I would do anything to keep her.

I wasn’t sure what Doug was talking about in regard to Spato, but I would protect Veronica with everything I had.