6. Storm

Chapter 6

Storm

T he violent urge to shoot down the cockpit door, hold my gun to the pilot's head, and demand for him to fly faster burns so hot my fingers twitch toward the metal on my hip. My Sunshine. My tiny precious, perfect Sunshine was taken, and I can't fucking believe I let my father convince me to leave two years ago. I know leaving him was a mistake. He needs me, and he's mine. But my father hadn't given me a choice.

He promised me my Sunshine would be protected, and I made myself believe that.

Biggest fucking mistake ever.

I'm the only one that can protect my Sunshine. I'm the only one who can care for him and give him everything he so desperately needs. If he gets hurt because I listened to my father and left, I know the last grasp I have on my sanity will snap, and I will kill everyone. I won't feel an ounce of regret and will smile as they all suffer. No one, not my dad or even Marry, will be safe from my wrath.

"Fasten your seatbelts. The plane will be landing soon," the pilot says over the intercom, and I click the belt into place. The small private jet my family owns is nice and is usually staffed with a flight attendant who serves food and drink, but my father must have known how I'd be feeling because there isn't one on this trip. I'm all alone, stewing in my fury.

The jet lands and I'm up and moving for the door before it's fully stopped. I tap my foot, my chest rumbling with anger as I wait for the door to open. When I step off the jet, two black SUVs with dark tints are already waiting for me on the tarmac. The first is full of my father's men, but I head for the second. Without a word to the driver or the guard holding my door open, I climb in the back seat and pull out my phone, trying to focus on anything other than the fury and fear battling inside me. Thankfully, the men are ones I recognize, so they know better than to try and start small talk with me. The guard settles into the front seat silently, and within minutes, we are taking off down the busy streets, heading into the city.

I pull up the security feed, a tiny sliver of my anger fading when I see my father's men surrounding the building and hovering outside Ashby's apartment. I know my dad will do whatever he can to find Ashby, and having his men there to get a start on the search will keep me from being a step behind.

A call from my father pops up, but I send him to voicemail and pull up the video of the kidnapping. Whoever took him knew what they were doing, letting me know this was a professional attack. They managed to block the cameras in Ashby's hallway and even the elevators but didn't remove the alley camera. It wasn't connected to the other camera security system, so they likely didn't know it existed.

It caught just a quick flash of Ashby with a white bag over his head, his small body being shoved roughly into a white van, and the door slamming closed before I can see how many men are inside. I know from the footage that three men went in, and at least one was driving the van, but they all wore masks, so I couldn't get a positive ID on any of them.

Dad calls three more times in the twenty-minute drive to Ashby's, but I ignore them all. It's his fault Ashby was vulnerable—his fault I wasn't there to protect him.

HIS FAULT.

I will let him help me find Ashby because I'll do whatever it takes, but once he's found, my dad will hear from me. There's no way on earth I'll ever allow him to keep Ashby and me apart ever again.

We pull up outside the building and I jump from the car without a word to the driver. The lobby is like I remember from the few times I… visited. There are couches off to the side, plants dotting the space and a large front desk with a marble countertop. The man behind the desk looks flustered, and my face scrunches with distaste as I take him in.

"Who the fuck are you?" I growl, and the man jumps, a startled yelp slipping from him.

"You scared me," he pants, clutching his chest, and I snarl.

"I don't give a fuck. I asked you a question. Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?" I punctuate each word with a tap of my gun on the counter in front of him. His eyes flare wide, and sweat breaks out along his temple.

"I… I'm Ma… Matthew," he stutters out.

"What are you doing here?"

"I work here, sir. I am the new front desk attendant. I've only been working here a few months," Matthew says, flinching when I scowl at him.

"Who hired you?" I ask, confusion and frustration filling me. "Never mind. I don't have time for this shit. My name is Storm Rossi." His face seems to pale at the mention of my name. "I own the building and should know everyone working here. I will find out who hired you without speaking to me first later."

I tuck my gun back into my waistband and leave Matthew, heading for the bay of elevators. I pull out my knife, needing something to keep my hands busy and use the tip of the blade to hit the button for the elevator and smile when it opens immediately. I twirl the blade in the air, staring daggers at the numbers on the screen as they move impossibly slowly.

The blade is sharp, but I've spent my entire life training with my dad's men, learning to handle every weapon under the sun. It's my destiny to take over when my dad dies or decides he is ready to step down. My mother wasn't a fan at first, but when it became clear I had an appetite for violence and was a natural with weapons, I think she realized the training was the best thing for me. It channeled my anger, gave me an outlet and allowed me to act on those violent urges in a controlled space.

Finally, the door dings open, and I barrel out. I pause to take in my surroundings. Two of Dad's men stand outside the single white door in the hallway. Ashby's apartment is the only one on this floor. There are no other doors except for the emergency exit, which stays locked unless there is a fire or disaster. Ashby has a key, but I've never seen him use it since moving in. All the other floors have three apartments, but when Ashby started searching for an apartment, I made sure he came here. I'd set up an email for this condo and for the realtor selling it to offer it to him at a steal, telling him the previous tenants were in a hurry to move and just wanted to sell. He'd taken one look and fallen in love just like I knew he would.

"Storm," the voice of my dreams and obsessions calls. I watched videos of him nearly every day we were apart. I told my dad that if he didn't send me updates every night, I would come home, get Ashby, and take him with me. Like the smart man, he believed me and kept his word. Some videos and pictures were from a distance, as if he was being watched. Some were posed, like the family photos his mother insisted they get professionally done every six months.I also checked the security cameras multiple times a day to watch him coming and going. When the distance became too much, I found myself sneaking back to get a closer look, never allowing myself to fully step out of the shadows to see him.

"Storm," my Sunshine calls again, snapping me back into focus. My head jerks towards the sound of his voice, my heart thundering in my chest with enough force that I fear it might burst through my ribs. "What are you doing here?"

I blink at the vision in front of me. He looks perfect. Not a scratch on him. His blue eyes are red-rimmed, and he has bags under them. His golden curls are unruly, and his clothing is rumpled, but he's here. Standing in front of me.

"You're here," I whisper in disbelief.

"Of course, I'm fucking here. It's my fucking house," he growls. "What are you doing here?"

There's a hardness in his voice that I've never heard before. I know it should worry me that he sounds so angry, but my dick grows incredibly hard in my jeans, the material pinching me, and I have to reach down and adjust it. Ashby tracks the movement, and I see the shiver he tries to hide.

"Storm," he nearly shouts, and I prowl forward. He steps back as if he thinks he can run from me, and my smirk grows.

"Where do you think you are going, Sunshine?" I ask, my body pressing flush against his, pinning him to the wall. His cheeks heat, and I lean forward, licking up his neck and along his cheek. He whines quietly, his head tilting to the side to give me more access. I bite the tender flesh, but before I can do more, he pulls away and pushes me. I step back, giving him space even though my entire body screams at me for the distance.

"You left me," he blurts angrily, rubbing at the small bruise already forming on his neck. My dick aches to see my claim on him after so long. "You left me." My heart cracks as his voice breaks and tears flood his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you back," I rasp, fighting off the urge to pull him back into my arms. The desire to merge his body with mine so he can never be apart from me again overwhelms me, and I tuck my hands into my pockets.

Ashby releases a choked sound. "Get me back?"

"I thought you were taken," I answer, and his face falls, a single tear spilling over. I track it as it rolls down his cheeks, wishing I could lick it away.

"Oh," he whispers. "So, you're only here because you thought I was kidnapped." More tears fall, and I swear my heart shatters. "Not because you wanted me back. Not because you missed me or needed me."

Fuck.

Giving into my instincts, I grab Ashby and smash his body to mine. He lets out a startled huff, but he instantly melts into me. "I came back for you. You're mine. You'll always be mine. I never should've left in the first place, but I wasn't given a choice. When I heard you were taken, it was the worst moment in my entire life. The fury and fear I felt were beyond anything I'd ever thought I was capable of feeling. I got on the jet immediately and flew straight to you." My breath ruffles his hair as I speak into his ear, my hands rubbing over his body, reassuring myself he is here with me.

After a moment, Ashby pulls back just enough to look at me. My gaze is drawn to his pretty pink lips, and my cock twitches in my pants. He opens his mouth, and I attack, sucking his bottom lip into my mouth, biting the flesh roughly. Ashby moans, and I swallow the sound, tangling my tongue with his; the taste of his blood hitting my taste buds makes me groan and grind against him.

"Why did you leave me?" Ashby pants, eyes heavy-lidded as he looks up at me.

"If you're finished, we have a lot to discuss," my dad says before I can reply, and I turn my head, keeping Ashby pinned between me and the wall. I snarl at him, knowing Ashby's blood is staining my lips.

"We're not," I growl, and Dad hesitates, the look on his face letting me know he heard Ashby's questions and doesn't want me to tell him. But I'm done letting my father control me.

"Well, hurry the fuck up." He signals for his men to follow him inside and slams the door behind them.

"How did you know I was kidnapped? Did your dad call you?" Ashby asks when I turn back to him. His voice is soft, and I can hear the faint tremble. It makes me want to murder someone. But I caused that pain. The person who needs to suffer is me. And I will.

"Well," I say and pause, trying to decide how to explain. Honesty. My sunshine has always been stronger than people gave him credit for. He can handle it. "I own the building and have been watching you through the security cameras," I explain, running one hand over his chest while the other grips his neck, forcing him to keep his eyes on me. I watch a series of emotions flicker across his face. Anger, confusion, lust, excitement, frustration.

"So, you have been watching me?" he asks, face pinched and a flush heating his cheeks. "What else?"

"I have, on occasion, snuck down to… watch you," I say cautiously, unsure how he will take that revelation.

"So, you're telling me that for over two years, I've been grieving, confused and broken, wondering why the love of my life left me after promising forever, only for you to stalk me and keep tabs on my every move?" His body starts to tremble, and his eyes water with angry tears. "I was alone and suffering while you kept tabs on me all this time. How is that fucking fair?" His voice rises until he's yelling the final words, his fury palpable. "You're the one that left me! You abandoned me after promising forever. You broke me and didn't even have to suffer like I did!"

"I'm sorry, Sunshine!" I say, grabbing for him, a pained sound ripping from me when he pulls from my reach and walks away from me. "I didn't have a choice! I didn't want to leave you, but our parents forced me."

He stills, every bone and muscle in his body seeming to freeze solid. "What?"

The word is spoken so softly that I almost don't hear it.

"What did you say?" he asks, turning to look at me over his shoulder.

"They saw your bruises and decided I was abusing you, and we needed to be separated. They said I either left to work with my uncle, or Dad and Marry would send you away. I tried to fight my dad. I told him we would run away together, but he reminded me about all our enemies. How dangerous it would be for us to go out on our own without the protection of the family," I explain, hoping he'll understand. "They said they would send you away if I ever came back without their permission. They had all these plans in place, ways to keep us apart. I tried to find a way to defy them, but there was nothing I could do. I didn't want you separated from your mom or out from under my dad's protection, so I chose to go. I was going to say goodbye to you but again they refused. They believed I was hurting you. That I was a danger to you. They thought they were doing what was best for you."

"But you weren't abusing me. I like it when you hurt me. When you mark me," he whispers, and I heave a sigh of relief when he lets me hold him again.

"Yeah, you do. But they don't know that." I kiss him softly and continue. "I made him swear to protect you. I told him if he didn't send me a daily update, then I would come home and kidnap you, fuck the consequences. I left, but I never once stopped thinking and caring about you. I was gone, but you were still mine. You will ALWAYS be mine. No amount of time apart will ever change that."

Ashby shivers in my hold, pressing his lips to the bare skin of my chest, just visible between the open buttons at the top of my shirt. "Now that you know I wasn't the one that was kidnapped, are you going to leave me again?" His hands fist my shirt tightly, and I hear the fabric tear.

"No, Sunshine. I'm never leaving you again, I swear it."

He heaves a heavy sigh of relief and blinks up at me, his big blue eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Good, because I need you." His words make my cock swell so fast my head spins. I know he can feel it pressing into his ass. He moans and grinds against me before freezing. "No, wait, I didn't mean like that. We have to find Atlas."

I grumble and yank his head back, exposing his neck and making him look at me.

"Are you saying you don't want me?" I ask, moving my free hand to brush over the very obvious bulge tenting his sleep pants. "This tells a different story." I circle my thumb over the head of his cock, humming in pleasure when the pants grow wet and Ashby moans. He pushes up into my hand, his mouth opening and closing without any words coming out. "Oh yeah, you want it. You try to hide it, but I know what a little slut you are for me, so desperate for my touch."I slip my hand inside his pants, growling when I find him bare beneath. "Oh baby, you're already ready for me. You better not have been getting hard for someone else."

"No, Storm," he whines, and I squeeze him tight. "I... I promise. There's no one but you. Only you. Always you. But…"

"That's right," I cut off his protests. "You. Are. Mine." I stroke him with every word, loving the way his breathing grows ragged. "Fuck, it's been too long since I've held your pretty perfect cock in my hand."

Before I left, we had played with each other, just two kids learning about our bodies and how to please someone else. It never went beyond mutual masturbation, hand jobs and, my personal favorite, frotting. The first time we'd done that, rubbing our cocks together until I'd come all over our shafts and belly, it woke something inside me, something primal and dark. Covering him in my marks and my scent became a must after that. Every chance I got to cover him in my come or bruise his pale flesh, I took it. His neck always held at least one visible hickey or bite, but the skin beneath his clothes was dotted with so many marks I knew why our parents would have been concerned.But they would have to fucking deal with it. Because I was staying, and I would make sure everyone knew he was mine.

"Two years is too long for you to be walking around without my mark on you. Did you miss the feel of my come coating your skin? Did you miss looking in the mirror and seeing all the signs of my love for you?" he gulps loudly, his eyes bulging, and a burst of precome spills down my hand. "God, I forgot how hot that makes you. You need that, don't you, baby?"

He whines and buries his face in my neck, his warm breath against my skin making me shudder. It's been so long since I've had him in my arms that I allow myself a single moment to enjoy it, to soak it in and remind myself what he feels like against me. I left to protect him, but it was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm not strong enough to ever do it again.

"Give me your neck, Sunshine," I demand, and he groans, his head falling back instantly. I lick down the column of his throat, nuzzling the space where his neck meets his shoulder for a breath before biting down hard enough to break the skin. Ashby screams, his body convulsing as come sprays over my fist. I moan, sucking on the flesh held between my teeth.

The door across from us slams open, and my dad and two of his men rush out into the hallway, guns raised.

"What's wrong, Ash? Are you okay?" Dad yells, eyes going wide and face flushing when he sees us pressed against the wall, Ashby's neck still held in my teeth. Ashby tries to turn to Dad, but I bite down harder, holding him in place. I meet Dad's eyes, staring him down for a moment before releasing my hold and kissing the rapidly forming bruises and teeth marks. The flush on my father's face grows darker, the vein in his forehead pulsing, and I smirk.

"No, all good out here. We were just getting… reacquainted after my long absence. There was a lot of catching up to do," I retort, the anger and blame clear in my voice. Ashby trembles against me, a mix of aftershock from his orgasm and, I'm sure, a little bit of embarrassment at being caught by Dad. But I refuse to hide that he's mine. Our parents need to see that this is serious, that we're real, and no matter the distance they force between us, we will always find our way back to each other. "Don't worry though, we're done… for now. We'll be inside in a moment," I say, dismissing him.

Dad grumbles but tucks his gun away and goes back inside. He leaves the door open this time, and I know it's a subtle jab at me, so I'll hurry. I consider staying in the hallway and continuing this fun, marking the rest of Ashby's body, but he pulls back. I slip my wet hand from his underwear and lick my fingers clean. Ashby's cheeks heat as he stares.

After a moment, he shakes his head roughly, his eyes clearing. "Atlas. We need to save Atlas."

My heart stops. "Who the fuck is Atlas?"

"He's my…my best friend," he cries. "I finally convinced him to come for a sleepover. He has been struggling so much lately. I hacked into his work schedule and got him some time off so he could come stay over. I left him for five minutes to go and get the pizza. It's all my fault. They were here for me, but they took him instead. What if… what if…" He gasps, his breathing growing ragged, and I grasp his cheeks in my hands.

"Stop, Sunshine. Breath. Deep breathe in with me," I demand, placing his hands on my chest. "Follow my breathing. That's good. One more."

"Thanks," he whispers, his shoulders slumping and exhaustion settling over his whole body.

"Let's go inside, and you can explain exactly what happened. I will find who did this, I promise."

"You'll make them pay? If they hurt Atlas, I want them to suffer. If they kill him…" He chokes on the words.

"I know some very creative ways to make a person suffer unimaginable pain without dying for weeks. I can draw out their pain for as long as you want. They won't get away with this."

"Thank you," he says and kisses me softly. I moan, my cock aching at the tender brush of his lips. "I'm so fucking happy you're back, Storm. I missed you."