The Hit Man (9 page)

Laura

I woke the next morning having slept better than I had in years. I looked over to see Miller was already gone. I stretched much like a lethargic cat awakening from a nap. I could definitely feel the effects of the playtime that we had partaken in the night before.

So this was what it felt like to be dominated. No longer did I have to wonder why the woman that I’d spied on with binoculars looked so sated. Now I’d experienced it for myself, and I liked it. I couldn’t ever remember coming that hard. I enjoyed what my lover had subjected me to. I couldn’t wrap my brain around why, but for once I didn’t care to deduce why. I had enjoyed someone else holding my destiny in their hands—I enjoyed being out of control.

I’d tormented myself trying to control every facet of my life since the death of my child. I’d operated in a state of fear for so long that I was willing to do anything to be free of it. Miller had done just that, he’d freed me from my obsessive, compulsive behavior by taking the reins of control from my hands and having his way with me. For the first time in years I felt something I hadn’t been able to experience—peace.

I forced myself from the bed and made my way into the shower but not before I snuck a peek at my backside in the full length stand up antique mirror that graced my bedroom. Boy he hadn’t been kidding, I was marked. But for some reason I took pride in the fact that the man I was quickly becoming enamored with, had been the same man who’d introduced me to the lifestyle of kink.

He was my first and as far as I was concerned, my last. This would be a sacred thing we would share with only each other. I had a gut feeling that Miller was only sleeping with me and he would prove to be faithful to what we had. Unlike my dirt bag of an ex-husband who’d used and abused me in more ways than one.

I would never allow a man to treat me like that again. He had been able to do it because of the breakdown I experienced after my daughter’s death. I was strong now and I never planned on allowing myself to be at any man’s mercy. I was nobody’s punching bag—physically or emotionally.

I allowed the warm water to wash over my sore muscles and welcomed the loosening of my tight joints. For the first time in years, I was happy.

Mark

I sat at my desk in a state of panic. My life was becoming more and more out of control with each passing day. Once again I found myself pushing away thoughts of just sticking a gun in my mouth and blowing all of my problems to smithereens.

Suddenly a new thought entered my head, why should I do anything to myself when it was my ex-wife who posed the problem? I needed her dead and if nobody else wanted to do it, then maybe, just maybe, I was the man for the job. I quickly grabbed my suitcase and made my way out the door. I would need to make my move before that crazy boyfriend of hers got moved in. Yes, this was the answer to all of my problems. I would do what I had done in the past, use Laura as a scapegoat…

Laura

I made my way out of the shower and ran a comb through my hair taking one last look at my marks of Miller’s ownership before I threw on a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. I would take the time he was using to finish packing up the last of his items to bring here—to get some much needed work done. I was ashamed to say I had neglected my blog during the time that Miller had been staying here.

I booted up my computer and waited a moment for it to open all the files I needed. A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. That was odd, I wasn’t expecting any deliveries. Since Miller had been here he had been really good about running all of my errands for me.

I got up and made my way through the penthouse to look through the peephole. I was shocked when I saw Mark standing at the door. I wasn’t afraid of him and I thought nothing of letting him in. He probably just had a check from the last bank account we’d shared together. I knew enough about his gambling habits to know I had better get the money while I could, before he pissed it away gambling.

I opened the door and immediately lit into him. “I assume you’re here to pay me the money you owe me. There is certainly no other reason I would want to see your ass.”

I was caught unaware when he grabbed me around my throat and began choking me. I kicked and screamed as loudly as I could before I felt the prick of a syringe in the side of my neck. The last thing I remember was looking into the eyes of a desperate man and wondering why I was more afraid of him than I was Miller. Even though I knew Miller to be much more dangerous. I gave into the drug that coursed through my system.

I could only hope that this man who had at one time promised that he would love and protect me in sickness and in health, would have mercy on me. It was evident that his desperation had driven him to do things he was never capable of when we were together.

True, he had been cruel and emotionally abusive but he had never physically assaulted me and I most certainly never imagined that he would accost me and kidnap me from my own residence. It wouldn’t be me who would have to worry about being hurt when Miller came back and found me missing. I could only hope that he would find me before the desperation took its final toll on Mark and he killed me.

Right now I wasn’t mentally assessing my situation or the outcome of it for those involved. Right now I was drugged and was being shoved into a large suitcase on wheels to be carted out to a location that I was unaware of.

Yes, he would be successful wheeling me out of my condominium right in front of the doorman on duty. I would find out when I awoke and found myself chained and at my ex-husband’s mercy that the doorman was in on it. He had been giving Mark my schedule for deliveries and any information about who was coming and going from my residence…

Miller

I tossed the last of the items that I would need to take over to Laura’s into a suitcase. I had gone so far as to set up a complete office with an extra computer so that I wouldn’t have to worry about things being moved back and forth. Regardless of where I spent my days or nights, I would have everything I needed to be a fully functional private investigator/hit man.

Laura still wasn’t aware that I killed people for a living and I wasn’t crazy about the idea of her finding out. I didn’t want to do anything that would risk her being with me. I couldn’t imagine my life without her. Even though we hadn’t been together that long, it seemed as if she had always been a part of my life. Losing her wasn’t something I even wanted to think about.

I would wait to reveal who I was and what I did. Unless telling her became a necessity, I would just keep that part of my life separate from her. The less that she knew about me, the safer she would be. Not only would it keep her safe from the reprobates I was subjected to in my line of work, it would also keep her safe from law enforcement including her in any line of questioning if they ever came after me. She couldn’t tell what she didn’t know and she would also be able to pass a lie detector test if she wasn’t put in a position of having to lie for me.

I made my way into the parking garage and grabbed my bags. I still hadn’t confronted the little shit of a door man who had been working for her ex. I wanted to wait until the time was right before I dealt with him. In my line of work timing is everything.

Laura

I woke up to feeling like my head was in a vice grip. A surge of panic set in as I looked around and discovered I was in a dank, dark basement. A flash of memory washed over me and I remembered letting Mark in and then everything had gone black.

I began screaming as loudly as I could to try and get anyone’s attention. I pulled at the chains that had me bound as I screamed. It was only a matter of moments before I heard the large metal door scraping its way against the concrete opening. Surely I could talk some sense into this idiot ex-husband of mine.

“Mark, why are you doing this? What have you gotten yourself into? What have you dragged me into?”

“You are my ticket out of debt.” He leered at me as if he loathed the very site of me.

“Let me go before you get yourself in more trouble than you already are, or worse yet before you get yourself killed.”

“By who, that boyfriend of yours?”

“Yes, he is crazy enough to do it, if you have any sense at all, you’ll let me go before this escalates to the point of no return.”

“I was at the point of no return when I got into debt with Glazov. Now I’m at the point of simply not giving a fuck. Either you die so I can collect on your life insurance or I put a bullet in my brain to end it all. Honestly I would much rather watch you meet your demise.”

“Have you always been such a prick and I just didn’t have sense enough to know it?”

My head slammed against the wall as he backhanded me and a new level of pain coursed through my head as I fought passing out.

I was in a position of utter helplessness. After all I had done to secure my safety, I still ended up being at the mercy of this asshole. No one knew where I was and there wasn’t a chance in hell on me being rescued. Was this how my life was going to end? After all that I had done to get away from my abusive husband, was I still going to die at his mercy?

Miller

I grabbed a luggage cart as I scowled at the day shift doorman. I had every intention of confronting him but now wasn’t the right time to do so. I pulled the cart behind me as I warded off thoughts of crashing the little twerp’s head, face first into the desk. I had too much going on right now to deal with him and there were too many people in the lobby for me to discreetly kick his ass. When I got my hands on him I wanted the freedom to teach him a lesson he would never forget.

I made my way to the penthouse and unlocked the door. As soon as my feet graced the doorway I knew something was terribly wrong. The lamp on the end table had been shattered and the glass and lampshade were lying on the floor giving silent testimony to the fact that there had been a struggle.

I pulled my glock from the holster I wore and shut the door behind me. I made my way around each corner and even though I knew no one was here, I didn’t take it for granted. Assuming things in my line of work could get you killed. When I was certain no one was in the penthouse I quickly made my way to my office and booted up my computer.

My blood ran cold as I watched my woman’s abductor drug her and shove her into a suitcase like a piece of trash. An emotion that I couldn’t remember feeling since I was a child permeated my being—pure terror. The thought of him killing her and never being able to see her again absolutely terrified me. Whether I was able to rescue her or not, he was going to die for this and before he did, I was going to make sure that he felt the same all-consuming terror I was feeling at this moment.

I changed clothes and put on clothing that would hide the many weapons I would be carrying. A black fitted t-shirt, black jeans, shit kicking boots, and a leather jacket.

I wore a holster, which carried my glock of choice, and stuck a backup firearm in one of my boots. The other boot would house a knife that I had every intention of using on my enemy. The first thing I needed to do was go down to the lobby and confront the little shit who had put my woman in danger.

I zipped my leather jacket up halfway to conceal the firearm I carried and made my way to the elevator. I could already feel the adrenaline pumping through my system, but this time, it was due to anger and not excitement. I was pissed and anybody who had been in on having my woman kidnapped was going down. Today.

I exited the elevator and headed straight for the little shit who was working the desk. I reached over the counter squeezed my hand around his throat and pulled him halfway up onto the counter forcing him to look me in the eye.

“Motherfucker, I want to know where that bastard took Laura, and you’ve got one chance to tell me something I want to hear.”

“I don’t know man, he didn’t tell me where he was taking her. He just rolled her out of here in a suitcase.”

“And you let him?” I growled, as my fist connected with his nose shattering it into a mass of blood and busted up cartilage. Normally I would have stayed to watch him scream out in pain but I didn’t have time for that right now. I was glad that the lobby had emptied out and there were no witnesses.

The heavy thud of my boots could be heard as I made my way down to the parking garage. I had no choice but to go and stakeout Mark’s place of employment. Having to sit on a stakeout wasn’t something I cared to do right now, because it meant that it would take time to get the information I needed, and right now, time was not on my side.

There was no question this guy had plans to kill the woman I loved. The only question that remained was whether or not I would be able to get to her before he did.

I made my way to Bradley Enterprises. This was one of the hardest things I could ever remember having to do. For a man who is accustomed to being in control, waiting was not something I did well, especially when the life of my woman was in another man’s hands.