Master A-0002

M arriage was a partnership. It was about love. Support. Georgie needed her space. She needed to vent and release. What did that mean for me? It meant what it had now for almost two decades. Fucking compromise. My wife had been molded from youth as a killer. An assassin of sorts. Some of the wives were. At least the ones of higher rank. But it was by choice. None were ever forced into their role at the Jane Doe Foundation. Why would they be when their predecessors were legends? Heroes. With Georgetta's mother as the overseer for the foundation, she naturally had fallen into service there. And her secret had never been kept from me. During our late teens and twenties, I hadn't liked her job or training, but even I had my own role. Our lives were fixed, just as our future, and I accepted that. I always had, even if at times it was hard to step back and let her deal with it the only way she could. That didn't mean I liked it. It didn't mean it was easy. Seeing her now…I wasn't sure what to do. She was getting worse, and I couldn't deny I was on the edge of stepping in. I wasn't the only one noticing her destructive behavior. Hadn't Elec mentioned something to her at the last auction? I'd gotten angry about it then, but now…now I was starting to see he might be right.

"Three. Three fucking crows."

The word was pushed out as a whisper between clenched teeth. "If we get beat by Kelvin and Percy, I'm giving up my gun."

I laughed under my breath. "No you won't. You heard the shots. You heard what they said over the radio. It was two slaves together. That could happen for any of us. The game is far from over."

Georgie kept quiet, glancing up at me. We were even now. The terrain had cleared out, opening enough for us to walk side by side as the guard trailed behind. I should have continued giving Georgie her space, but I'd done too much of that lately, and that was the problem. She didn't need distance, she needed me . She needed structure. To know she wasn't alone. We weaved, moving more towards the middle, following a trail, but staying still on our side as well.

"I've been thinking." She paused. "I'm not sure this game is going to be enough for me this time. It's just… I'm enjoying the hunt, but…"

At her pause, I gripped her bicep, easing us to a stop. "Do you want to head back and buy a slave before it's too late?"

"No. I mean." Her shoulder dropped in a cross between a pout and confusion. Maybe even a little impatience. "We have slaves here. Not the typical ones, but a crow could be fun."

"Fun for what? What exactly do you want to do with them?"

Silence. Georgie eased out of my hold, continuing forward as she scanned the surroundings.

"I think I want to go up against one."

My lips parted. Surprise and rage collided with a truth that hit home. One I could no longer escape. Elec was right. "You mean to fight?"

"I wouldn't even call it that. You act like they're a threat. They're not even trained." Her attention came back to me but disappeared just as fast as she moved in front of me, weaving between two boulders that were level with her hips.

"Georgetta, you're not thinking about actually fighting one of these criminals, are you?"

"I am." She slowed as she waited for me to move in next to her again. "I need to blow off some steam. Some real steam. This," she said, raising her arm to show her gun, "is easy. Too fucking easy. I need a challenge. I need?—"

"Your ass spanked good and hard. More than that. We just talked about this. Did you forget we're trying to have a child? You could be pregnant right now."

Even though I couldn't see her eyes, I knew she'd rolled them. She did every time I mentioned there being a chance.

"I'm not pregnant, Jack."

"Are you on your period? Have you had it lately?"

"Well…no, the medication keeps me irregular. I?—"

I cut her off again. "Then you don't know."

" I do know . We both know it's not going to happen for us. We know that, Jack. It's not in the cards."

"So, you're just giving up."

It wasn't a question, and from the anger in my tone, Georgie knew it.

"Don't give me the spill on how I'm not a quitter, and how this is so important to me. That I'm masking the pain. Just don't."

"You're not a quitter," I emphasized. "And this is painful for you. It is for both of us."

"Then let's not talk about it."

"It's exactly why we need to."

"Jack, you don't understand."

"I don't? You're not the only one who's going through this. I'm hurting too." Her head whipped over to me. "That's right. I know I don't talk much about my feelings, but I want this for us, Georgie. I want us to have a family. I want us to experience being parents and watching our child grow."

Her lip quivered. For a moment, she reached for the night vision goggles but stopped herself from taking them off.

"I think we should start talking about what to do if it doesn't happen. Jack ." Pure agony masked her voice as she said my name. "I don't think we can. Something is wrong with me. I take the pills. I do everything the doctors say. I get the shots. It's hopeless."

"No. It's going to happen."

"And if it doesn't? What then?"

My sound of aggravation collided with the fury that surfaced at her words and pain, but I was already jerking my arm up at the movement creeping through the trees not far away. It was a man. One not much older than us. Puffs of smoke left his mouth from the cool air, and he was shirtless and covered in ink. He had longer hair and a good-sized beard on his face. His hands were reaching forward, feeling along the trees as he moved through them. My finger jerked back on the trigger as I aimed for his shoulder.

Bang!

Her head whipped in the direction just as the man fell into a far tree, rolling and crumbling to the ground. Blood was splattered on the bark, sending dark hues onto the rough surface. I didn't wait. I let my anger take over as I put my gun in my holster and stomped to the man who was crying out, crawling along the ground as he tried to find his footing.

"What are you waiting for, Georgetta? You want to hit someone? You want to beat someone senseless? This is all you get, baby."

"We were talking. You didn't answer my question."

I ignored her, ripping the man up to stand. "Five seconds or I finish him."

The crow jerked to the side, and I let him go stumbling. Georgie's eyes tore from mine, and she didn't wait. She pulled off the helmet and goggles, dropping them on the ground as she ran at him with everything she had. She tackled into his side hard, and they went rolling along the loose leaves and limbs.

My stomach flipped, and my teeth bit into each other as I pulled my knife free. I knew I didn't have to worry. Georgie could take care of herself but…there was always uncertainty. Fear. Maybe it was pointless. I wasn't taking any chances.

"Fight," she yelled, rearing back and slamming her fist into his face. "Fight!"

The convict tried deflecting her blows, even managing to roll her to her back for the smallest moment before she got the upper hand again. One hit. Two. Georgie was vicious in her swings. The impact was solid, sending him grunting. Fingers tangled in her hair, trying to dislodge her from the death grip her legs had around him as he thrashed and swung. A loud cry erupted as she squeezed her thighs along his ribs, arching her back so that she'd break them. They scattered through his painful crawls. When they fell to the side, Georgie easily deflected his blows, throwing her head forehead to connect right with his nose. Crimson poured free as he went to reach for his already battered face. One of his eyes was already swelling. Blood covered his mouth and chin.

I saw the moment his anger shifted. He spun them once more, rearing back right for her. The gun jumped at my pull of the trigger, and the crow's body stiffened at the impact to his hand. I didn't stop as I aimed for the back of his head.

Bang!

The hole in his scalp oozed blood, and I barely managed to make it to them as he began to fall right on her.

"I'll tell you what happens if we can't get pregnant, Georgetta. We get a surrogate, or we adopt. It's simple. There's no shortage of children in this world. We will be a family, and the child we take in will be ours." I tossed the man's dead body to the side, pulling her up. My free arm gripped around her waist. Leaves and twigs mixed in her hair, and I reached for them, taking them out as I eased my tight grip. "Give us two more years. Elec is close to coming up with a solution. He gave his word he'd make this happen. I believe him. I need you to believe him too. Stay positive about this. I know it's hard but try. For me ."

Deep breaths left her. So many emotions were flickering on her face. "Alright."

"Say it, Georgie. Tell me you're going to start taking this seriously. I let you have your fun. No more risks. No more episodes. Even though you don't believe it, it could happen at any time. Let's protect our baby as best as we can. That means you. You have a job to do. Maybe the biggest one you've ever had. From this moment on...we need you. Protect our baby, okay?"

"I don't want to let you down. I know I'm going to ."

I unlatched my helmet, letting it fall. My lips had no trouble finding where they belonged. Georgie's fear and her pain over the situation had her pulling at my shirt.

"You could never let me down. Especially not concerning this. You are my wife. My world. You are the reason for every decision I make. Yes, having a child of our own would be amazing, but it isn't a prerequisite for our happily ever after. That will come regardless. A baby is a wonderful addition, but I happen to think our love for one another is pretty damn wonderful on its own. Don't you?"

"You really do love me."

The awe had me laughing. "You don't see that yet? Baby ."

"Keep a lookout."

Georgie's words were directed to the guard who watched over us. She didn't have to say more. Her hand grabbed for my belt, jerking at the leather to unfasten it. Branches crunched under the guard's feet as he shifted behind us. I had Georgetta's pants unfastened and pushed to her knees before she could get in mine. For weeks her ghostly presence haunted my every thought. I needed her like I needed the darkness that was ingrained in my bones. Something had to change. Something…something…

Having her was never enough, where my love was almost too much.

Bang!

Georgie didn't react to the gunshot in the distance. She let me turn her to face away, moaning as I curled around her back. The pads of my fingers added pressure over her clit, and her sigh of pleasure had me sucking against her neck.

"There's a tree a little in front of you. Bend over and hold to it." My head turned to the side so my voice was directed to the guard. "If you let any of those crows close to us, it won't be them I'll be shooting. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Such a dangerous game you play, Mr. Collins. Weren't you just talking about my safety?"

"You're safe, Georgie-baby. I can promise you that. If you think I'd let anyone hurt you, you don't know me at all."

She gasped as I shifted, using my other hand to trace over her wetness. The moan was like music to my ears as I slid a finger inside her pussy. Georgie was leaning over now, holding onto the tree I'd seen in the night vision. Weight pushed back against me, becoming more urgent as I slid another finger inside to thrust deep.

"You are so fucking wet. You missed me. A lot ."

"Don't make me wait. Show me how much you want me."

I obeyed, jerking open my pants and pushing them down to free my hard cock. The heat that met my tip as I eased my head into her pussy had my jaw flexing through the tightness.

"Jesus. Fuck." I held her hips, gripping hard as I withdrew, pushing even deeper. "You were smart not to be in our room when I arrived. We would have never left. I should take you back right now and torture you for hours. You torture me. Every second we're not together I suffer. I hate it."

"We once talked about running away together."

A squeal of pain and surprise left her as I plunged forward, pulling her back so that I was buried as deep as I could go.

"Now it's you that's playing a dangerous game. We swore to never talk about that again. It's forbidden to leave, Georgie. At least for us."

"But think about how much fun it would be. Living on the run. Killing those trying to track us down and bring us back." She moaned. "Keep fucking me, Jack. Let me fantasize about our escape. I want to pretend we never get found. We weren't meant to be apart."

My palm wrapped around the front of her throat as I arched her body so that her lips could meet mine. I kept my length inside her, only pulling back enough to push impossibly deeper. Her words were a dream—they were our death. Maybe that was where the temptation lied. Our roles in this world were sealed with blood, and our romanticized sins were mixing with a fate we dared not tempt. One we truly didn't want to leave, even if we loved to flirt with the idea.

"Where are we, baby?"

Even as I said it, my grip to her neck tightened. Bark broke off, falling to the ground at our feet as Georgie made little whimpering sounds.

"A tropical forest near a beach. It's beautiful, Jack. Alive and warm. The sounds are soothing. The waves are calm. It's nothing like the north…cold and dead."

"Is death not beautiful?" I bit my lip, sliding my hand up from her hip to push under her shirt and squeeze her breast. "The shades of falling leaves. Winters, brisk and invigorating. You love watching the snow fall."

"I like the waves more right now."

"Then you'll have them. This time I promise. You want the beach?"

Her head turned as I nuzzled my face against hers, keeping my thrusts slow.

"You're teasing me. You're referring to my parent's house in the Hamptons."

"No." My other hand nestled back between her legs as I rubbed over her clit. " This is teasing." At the rotation of my fingers, she cried out, sucking in air. "I have an idea."

"What—"

I rubbed over the sensitive nerves, cutting her off. More bark fell and Georgetta's hips arched as she took me in even more. I thrust hard, slamming into her as my mind spun with a memory not hours old. Insight. Dawning. So many possibilities…

"Jack. Jack, please. Just like that. Jack ."

I pounded into her even harder, not caring how loud we were starting to become. I let go of her breast, pushing my fingers in her hair, squeezing as I drew her head back. Georgie's moan urged me on. Harder. Harder. Loud cries filled the space, but I saw nothing but what I was blinded to from the dark. I knew every inch of her body more than I knew my own. An eternity could have passed, not just minutes, but these moments would have been the same as my memory. Her. Me. Her full lips would be parted through her bliss. Her lids would be slightly opened, aware of her surroundings, yet she'd be deep in her fantasies. The trembling of her body was building by the second as her orgasm walked the razor's edge of ecstasy. I could feel the tightness gripping to my cock. I could hear how close she was in her labored breathing.

"It's time, baby. I'm about to come all in my pussy."

At the shift of my fingers, her legs jerked, and I slowed to almost a torturous pace. I ground deep, losing all sanity as she clutched around me, jolting through her release.

" Jack. Jack ." She moaned as spasms left her shaking, but I held on tight, pumping into her, filling her with every ounce of cum I could.

"Just like that. Yes." She reached back, holding to my thigh as my throat rumbled with a possessive sound. Georgie twitched, breathing hard as I slowed and kept myself inside of her. I smiled, not because I was in heaven, but because I had a feeling I was about to be. I had to be right. I had to find out more.

"Jack…that was… God ."

"Tell me about it. I've been dying to have you, and I'm far from done."

"Good, because we have some catching up to do. But what were you saying before? The beach. Are you really going to get us a place near one? A new home?"

"You'll like this better." I pulled out, moaning in both pleasure and sorrow. Home. No structure was worth that title. With her, in her. Georgie was the only home I'd ever wanted to be part of.

"I don't understand."

She pulled up her pants, the clicking from her metal belt sounding as she fastened it closed.

"Think back to earlier, love. We have a new previous Main Master at the Gardens. I've heard of an island very much like this place, but they say it's paradise. Red Island, that's what you called it. Blood Island. " I smiled. "If you ask me, I think we should talk to your cousin about this place. What if it's not too far away? What if instead of being here one weekend, we could go there? Does a beach where we can spill blood not sound like the perfect vacation for you? What do you say?"

I reached down, grabbing the helmet and sliding it on. Her hand flattened on my chest as I flipped the night vision on and took in the surroundings.

"I say, I love you, and a million times, yes . I want to go to this island."

"Then you will. Elec holds the answers, and if anyone can get us in, it's him."

"I can't wait. I hope we can pull it off. I need this . God, I do, Jack." She paused. "But first…let's say hi to our new friend. I was going to shoot him, but I can think of far better ways for us to spend our night."

I glanced around, confused.

"Friend?"

I looked around, not seeing anything. Georgie took her helmet from me, putting it on.

"Up, Jack. Look up ."