8. Wilder

Chapter 8

Wilder

T his girl is gonna run, I can feel it. Her eyes scan the inside of the house just looking for an exit. She ain’t gonna find one though. “If I set you down, you gon be a good girl an do as you told?” Silence. I sigh. “I didn’t tink so.”

I head to the back stairs leading to the second floor. She needs a good shower and something clean to wear until Ollie gets back with whatever clothes she brought with her. My boots thud against the old wooden steps, echoing through the quiet house. Once we hit the second-floor landing, I take a left and push open my bedroom door.

“Is this where I’ll sleep?” Her eyes darted to my bed, then around the rest of the room, then back to my face. “With you?”

I consider her question. We didn’t think about it. Ollie and I sleep in different rooms, so would she rotate rooms or have her own?

“I ain’t sure ’bout dat yet. You can shower 'ere, and den I’ll get you some’in to eat. Den you can sleep 'ere for tonight.” I point to my king-size bed. “It’s comfortable, and I jus changed the sheets yesterday.” Crossing the room, I take her into the washroom. The clawfoot tub sits against the back wall. I close the door behind us and sit her down on the toilet seat. I reach into the cabinet and pull out two fluffy towels and a washcloth.

I turn the knob for the shower, and the water spurts out ice cold. “Give it a minute an it’ll get hot. Despite what da house looks like, everyting works real good.”

I hand the towels and washcloth to the girl. “Go on an get undressed.” She hesitates. “I’ll be down in da kitchen while you shower. Dere ain’t a way to get out other dan da door. And if you try an run, I’ll catch you and tan your hide so bad you won’t be able to sit for a week.” She reluctantly nods and starts undressing.

I exit the washroom and make my way to the kitchen, leaving her to shower. Opening the fridge, I search for something to prepare for her. Finding some leftovers, I heat them in a pot and set the small breakfast table. I want to make her feel comfortable and welcome, despite the circumstances.

I head into the downstair washroom, pulling my pants down I grab a washcloth and a bar of soap, lathering it up. I give myself a little whore’s bath, cleaning away the dry cum. I don’t wanna fuck her with her stepmama still on me. After I’m done, I chuck the towel in the bin, and make my way back upstairs.

After a few minutes, I hear the shower turning off. I grab a clean set of clothes from Ollie’s room and head to my bedroom. The girl steps out of the washroom, her wet hair clingin’ to her shoulders. I hand her the clothes and point to the bed.

“Put on dese clothes and make yourself comfortable,” I say, gesturing towards the clothes. “I’ll leave you ta get dressed, and den we can eat.”

She nods silently and changes. I let her have privacy, then go to the kitchen to check on the food. As I wait, I can’t help but wonder how all this is gonna go. Ollie and I have always been real good at sharing, but we never shared a woman. Thoughts of her changin’ in my room ignite a myriad of illicit fantasies.

Is she a virgin? What does she sound like when she cums? How inexperienced is she ?

Soon, the girl joins me in the kitchen, now dressed in clean clothes. She seems calmer, but doubt remains in her eyes. I motion to the chair, serving her the warm bowl of gator stew, and take a seat across from her.

As we begin to eat, the silence between us is heavy. I can tell she’s still wary of her surroundings, unsure of what’s comin’. I remove my mask and try to break the tension by making small talk.

“So, your name Lowe?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

For a moment, she debates answering or not her eyes fixated on my face. Ollie and I aren’t ugly by any means, so I wonder what she is thinking now that she sees me. Finally, she speaks softly, “It’s Marlowe.”

“Well, Marlowe,” I reply, offering her a small smile. “I know dis might be a lot. And while you got ta see da bad side of us right away, jus know we wouldn’t ever hurt ya like dat.”

She looks up at me, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and uncertainty. I can see that she’s still tryin’ to process everyting that has happened.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” she whispers.

I nod understandingly, knowin’ that her trust will take time to earn. “I can see why you’d be hesitant ta trust us, what wid how we did your family an all. Ollie done promised your brother we’d take care of you. And like I said, we need you.”

We continue our meal in silence, the atmosphere slowly becoming more comfortable. While Marlowe eats, I can’t help but notice how delicate she seems. Not like these deep backwood women. She grown up in a comfortable home, probably went to a fancy school, and had all the good things life offers.

Ollie and I struggled to make sure we got an education. We worked as much as possible to ensure our parents could pay the bills. Life was hard with parents who couldn’t hold jobs because of their reputations. Mere, being the daughter of a preacher, having babies out of wedlock, then marrying our Pere, a drunkard who came from a backwood family who was known for killing people. Made life hard for us. After they died, we were alone, and we done been alone for a very long time. This girl being here now is just what we need.

I send Marlowe back upstairs, and once I tidy everything up in the kitchen, I make my way back to my bedroom. Marlowe is sittin on the edge of the bed, her gaze fixed on the floor. I sit down next to her, givin’ her some space.

“You wanna know anythin’ about us?” I ask gently.

She looks up at me, biting her lip before speaking. “Um, well…I guess I just wanna know why. Why’d you pick me? Did you have to kill Ethan and my dad?”

I reach out and place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She quickly shrugs it away. I’m a patient man despite being a cold-blooded killer. I won’t force my touch on her just yet. “Like I said, we need you. Ollie seen you out wid your brother hiking an he knew right away dat you was the one.” I take a breath and continue. “As for your family. It’s unfortunate and wheder you believe it, I’m sorry it had ta go that way.”

Tears fall down her cheeks, and she lets out a few staggered breaths.

To console her, I offer her a tissue, but she declines the gesture by waving it away, opting to use her shirt to wipe away her tears instead. “I just... I can’t believe they’re gone,” she says, her voice trembling. “And now I’m here, with you, and I don’t know what to do or how to feel.”

I sit there in silence, allowin’ her to process her emotions. The weight of her loss hangs heavy in the air. “I understand dis is overwhelmin’ for ya,” I breathe. “It's a matter of survival, and not resorting to even more horrible t'ings.”

Marlowe looks up at me, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and anger. “Oh, so instead of you going out and being a serial rapist, you just rape one girl forever?” she scoffs. “Makes perfect sense.” She throws her arms up in defeat. She cries hysterically. “You are taking away every opportunity I had and slaughtered my family. And now you’re making me your… sex slave!”

I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain our actions. Shit, I don’t even know how to explain what we done. This girl is all I need. I need her so badly it’s hard to keep myself from not touching her. “I know it’s hard ta see it now, but we didn’ have a choice.” She snorts, but I keep going. “Da world hasn’t been kind to our family. People like us have enemies, and townsfolk jus like to talk shit. Anytime we’d try to court a girl or woman, someone’d come and ruin it. How’s a man supposed to have a family if people constantly cockblockin’ him?”

Marlowe’s expression softens slightly as if she’s starting to understand. “But why me?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper. “Why did Ollie think I was the one?”

I take a moment to gather my thoughts before answering. “My brother is da brains outta da two of us. You’d t’ink he was the older twin,” I chuckle. “But I came six whole minutes before ‘im. I suppose when he saw you, he saw some'in special.”

She looks at me skeptically, her eyes searching for any hint of deception. “And what if I don’t want to be a part of this? What if I just want my old life back?”

I sigh, knowing that my words might not be enough to convince her. “Marlowe, I get dat it’s a lot. We’re jus tryin’ ta survive in a world that’s stacked against us. Dis is your life now. So why don’t you try ta get some sleep and da t’ree of us can talk in da mornin’?”