Текст книги "Atlas"

Автор книги: Alyne Roberts

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

XXIII

Stella

I woke up sore. Everything hurt. My legs ached, my skin was raw and my heart was broken. My brain felt scrambled. A familiar fog settled over me much like the one after losing my parents and brother. That feeling of unbelieving and sadness was swallowing me.

A heat was wrapped around me. Atlas. When we got back from visiting my old house, Atlas brought me to my room. For the first time since he started sneaking in, he fucked me without the ropes. It was also the only time he had ever stayed. It was his way of distracting me, keeping away the bad memories that were threatening to take me under.

His heat reminded me I was alive and still breathing. Still fighting. I had fought the fog off before. What kind of person would I be if I let it back in? I was raised better than that. I was stronger than that. Atlas clung to me and held me to his chest. I was safe for now. With open eyes, I recalled my trip home. I remembered the way he fucked me, hard and unrelenting when we returned to the lake house.

I closed my eyes and dug into the dark spots of my mind. The places I never dared to go. They were the parts of my memory that only came out at night. Shadows disappeared in the dark. In the darkness lie my demons and greatest fears. It was there that the memory of the night I saw a murder was hidden. That was where I would find the man who shot my mom and dad.

"You're shaking," Atlas said in my ear. He could have been screaming but I barely hear him.

My brother's written words replayed in my mind. He told me to trust my gut because I had the "Harlow intuition." Ace said he loved me more than anything and never to stop fighting. His letter warned me that he sent a friend to come for me, but I found it too late. His parting words ripped a hole in my heart.

"Stella!" he was shouting. "Come back to me."

"I can't" I said as I threw myself from the bed.

Memories played in my head like a movie. Unlike every other time they bubbled over, I didn't fight them. I embraced them. I saw the dirty dishes from dinner stacked on the counter. I could see the floral pattern of my mom's robe. The lines on my dad's face looked so real in my mind. I even saw the man who was about to take their lives.

Atlas grabbed me as I crawled on the floor. He tried to grab my hands, but I fought him. I needed them. I needed to draw.

"I can draw," I said. "The man who came into my house and killed my parents."

"You can draw his face?" he asked, trying to understand my shaking words.

I answered with a nod.

"Why would you do that now?" he asked.

I knew that it was my last bargaining chip. It was the only piece that kept me alive this long. I just wanted it all to end. Not just for me, but for everyone involved.

"Pen. Pencil," I rasped. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks and saw Atlas notice them too.

He listened though and found a pen in the pocket of his jacket that he had tossed to the floor earlier. Using my teeth, I pulled off the cap and crawled to the wall. Quickly, perfectly and quietly, I drew the face I hated to see. I drew his eyes that held only evil and pain. I drew the lips that lifted into a smile as he pulled the trigger. I drew the scar on his chin that I was sure he had deserved.

I worked without interruption, forgetting I was naked. If Atlas tried to talk to me, I didn't hear him. I was lost in my nightmares. Lost in my past. At some point, I broke the pen and used the spilled ink for better shading. By the time I was finished, I had taken up most of the wall. I stepped back and dropped the pen.

"Stella." The voice was gentle in my ear.

I turned and Atlas stood behind me. He had pulled on pants at some point and held a robe out for me. Feeling a sudden chill, I turned and let him slip my arms through the sleeves. He stared back at me. All ink and flat, but real to me nonetheless. This man didn't just kill a cop and his wife in their kitchen. He killed their daughter who was left alone and unprotected in their absence. The Stella they raised was buried with them, leaving someone else entirely in her place.

"You should shower, Little Star," Atlas said, forcing me to look at him.

I looked into his eyes and saw my own anger and hate reflecting back at me. I saw the thirst for revenge and justice. I recognized the hunger for truth and blood. I saw a part of me in Atlas. Or did I see a part of Atlas in me?

We went to the bathroom where Atlas helped me under the hot water. Shedding his clothes, Atlas washed me, using his hands and lips to erase the memories. As his fingers glided over my skin, it warmed me and brought me back. His lips breathed life back into my lungs. His voice pulled me from the fog. When he dried us both, he wiped away the guilt and fear.

"That's him?" he asked when we stepped back into the bedroom fully clothed.

"Yeah," I growled.

"I'll find him," he said forcefully.

"Do me a favor," I said. Atlas looked down at me with a questioning look.

"Make him beg for his life before you end it."

After a quick nod, I pushed past him and out to the hall without an ounce of regret for my request. I could hear Atlas following and I knew he would keep the promise. I didn't feel bad. My dad said sometimes you had to hurt people to save others. The man belonging to the face on my wall needed to be hurt to save others. There were probably more who needed to be hurt to save lives.

Atlas opened the door to let Sal and Tony come inside. They stood staring at my depiction of a killer. Their faces were hard and I saw Tony clench his fists. The three men whispered quietly while I waited numbly. There was nothing left for me to do at this point. I gave them all they needed so my job was done. I was useless.

Tony and Sal left the room looking like men on a mission. I looked up to find Atlas watching me with an angry glare. Swallowing, I felt resigned. I knew a long time ago that this day would come. I didn't know why I had even bothered running in the first place. My brother's trouble would have caught up to me eventually.

"Come on," Atlas said roughly, pulling me up to my feet.

Atlas pulled me out of the room and down the hall. He didn't take me the direction of the office or kitchen. We went the direction I had only gone one other time. My heart pounded loudly in my chest as he pulled the basement door open. Forcing me before him, I descended the stairs into the darkness.

It was silent when our footsteps stopped. I couldn't see or hear Atlas behind me anymore. I spun around, searching in the darkness for him. I knew he was there. I could sense him somewhere. Willing my eyes to adjust and reaching into nothing, I was still blind and lost. Alone.

"I can hear your heartbeat," said Atlas in a calm and even voice.

I spun around, trying to pick out where he was. His voice was everywhere, but nowhere at the same time.

"Are you scared, Stella?" he asked.

My breathing was heavy and my hands shook as I reached out, searching for him. I wasn't sure if I was looking for safety or the very thing I needed saving from.

"Answer the question," he whispered in my ear. Turning around quickly, he was already gone and out of reach.

"Yes," I admitted.

My answer was met with more silence. I could only hear my own pounding heart and short, shallow breaths.

"What are you afraid of?"

I tingled with awareness that he was near, but I feared how close he could be. Or how far. I couldn't even tell anymore what I was so afraid of. Alone in the pitch black, I was exposed and vulnerable. A familiar panic started to grow and my palms started to sweat. Just when I opened my mouth to let out a scream, I was thrown back

My scream was cut off as my back slammed into the wall. I could smell Atlas as he pressed against me, stealing away my air. Then I felt something hard and cold against my neck. A knife. My gasp pushed my skin into the sharp edge and a chill washed over me.

"Are you afraid of what I will do to you?" he asked. His voice was a low growl, sending shivers over me. "Answer me!"

"Yes!" I shouted, careful not to move enough to cut myself.

"Do you think I'm going to kill you?" he said and I felt the whisper in my ear, warming my face.

I nodded and waited for his next move. Would this be how it ended for me? In this dark basement in the middle of nowhere after fighting all this time?

"Stella," he said, running his fingers over my lips. "Remember this fear. That dark feeling in your heart that you feel because you think you are moments away from death. Hold on to it."

"Why?" I asked, needing to know why he felt the need to do this to me.

"Because, Little Star," he said, his lips now touching mine, "you feel this fear because you don't want to die."

Atlas pulled away from me and cold air took his space. I gasped for air and slid down the wall to the floor.

"Remember this fear the next time you think about giving up. Don't you dare fucking forget that you want to live. Others didn't have that choice, so don't take it for granted."

The sounds of his footsteps echoed as he walked away from me and up the stairs. I was alone and I could feel it around me. I hung my head between my knees as I sucked it up and calmed my breathing.

Atlas was right. When faced with dying, I was scared. My parents didn't get to just give up. They wanted to fight but it wasn't enough. Ace went out fighting and I would be a disgrace to do anything differently. If they were watching me now, and I truly hoped they weren't, I wanted them to be proud.

I slowly stood and walked to the stairs. I didn't know what stood on the other side of that door, but I wasn't going to hide anymore. Tomorrow could bring more pain and danger, but I would try to make it through. Holding the feeling Atlas had just given me in the darkness, I stepped outside and into the light.

XXIV

Atlas

From the safety of my office, I watched on the surveillance stream as Stella left the basement and headed to the kitchen. She moved around my house freely like she had all the freedom in the world. I smiled to myself while I put the finishing touches on the final stages of our plans. Now that Stella had snapped out of it, I would have one less thing to worry about.

I let her sleep that night without interruption. It took all my control to stay away. It was at night that I finally felt relief. Tying her up and controlling her was how I kept myself sane. Without the release, I was feeling on edge, angry and more than ready to rip someone's head off. When Tony came in the office, he was the perfect target.

"What the fuck took so long?" I asked as soon as I saw his face.

"Is that a serious question?" Tony asked with a glare. "I said days. We are back within a day. Don't be a dick."

I rubbed my face and felt the stubble there from being too busy. I didn't even know how many days I had been here anymore. A quick stay at the lake house turned into so much more. It became a turning point, a battlefield, and a command center.

"How did it go?" I asked, leveling my voice.

"Your dear daddy is back in Miami, so it went better than expected," he told me with a wide grin.

I stood and brushed the wrinkles from my suit jacket. Slowly and methodically, I buttoned it up and straightened my tie. I never liked to meet people looking less than perfect. It intimidated them, made them feel inferior. As I left my office, I became focused on one thing only.

"Get the girl," I said.

Everything went black and white as my mind cleared. The familiar feeling of zoning in on a target filled me. I entered the living room and took a deep calming breath. The open space was perfect.

"Atlas?" I heard her behind me. Stella's blue eyes went wide when she saw what caused us to haul her out of bed in the middle of the night.

In the center of the room, a man kneeled on the floor. His head was hung low and his shoulders heaved with his heavy breaths. Tony stood behind him, a gun pressed to the back of the man's head. Sal held Stella firmly as he pulled her into the room. She looked panicked and confused.

"What’s going on?" she asked, her eyes pleading with me.

I stepped forward, pulling out my own gun. I traced the pathetic excuse for a man's face with the barrel, forcing him to look up at me.

"Look at me," I spit at him.

His dark and empty eyes met mine and I had to step back to keep from pulling the trigger. I had seen evil, but this man was sick.

"You recognize him, Little Star?" I asked her.

Stella stepped forward and Sal let her. Her body was tense as she looked down at him. I saw when she finally got a good look at his face. A sound of pain escaped her mouth and she jumped away from him.

"It's him," she whispered. She was between breaking down and breaking out in a fit of anger. Which one would win out?

The fucker on his knees had the nerve to laugh. "You are dead, little girl."

The blunt end of my gun smacked into his skull, shutting him up. His didn't flinch or even make a sound as he glared up at me.

"You would go against your dad for this piece of ass?" he asked with blood dripping down his forehead.

I had had enough. I steadied myself and put my gun right between his eyes. He showed no fear, just amusement. I pulled back the safety, the click echoing in the room.

"No!" Stella cried, grabbing my arm.

In surprise, I looked down at her watering eyes. Our victim started to laugh.

"I want to do it," she said quietly, effectually shocking everyone in the room. Dead silence.

"What?" I probably didn't hear her right.

"It was my family," Stella said with an even voice.

Stella's cold fingers slid down my arm and wrapped around my fingers that were holding the gun at a man's head. She gave it a gentle squeeze to remind me to let go, so I did. Her hand fell with the unexpected weight, but she corrected quickly. I stepped back while she squared her shoulders and faced her family's killer.

Stella was taught to shoot. She and her dad had frequented a shooting range as their own way of bonding. I'm sure he felt he was teaching his little girl a skill to protect herself that she would never need to put to use. I was sure he never imagined his little girl using those skills to get revenge for his death.

Stella raised her arms and held the gun at his head. She moved her thumb so she was clear of the safety and held her feet slightly apart for balance. I could see the slight tremor in her body. She was scared but fighting her fear. Her beautiful eyes held so much pain and hate as she looked at the guy she was ready to kill. I looked over at Sal who stood next to me, his gun also aimed and ready.

"Do it," I said.

A gunshot pierced the air, followed by a hollow thump. Stella's gasp echoed in the room and could be heard over the ringing in my ears. As the thin cloud of smoke cleared, I could see the red puddle growing on the hardwood floor. Stella still stood with the run raised, ready for the shot. Sal lowered his weapon and I gave him a nod in thanks.

"I . . . I didn't," Stella stammered.

"I know," I whispered, coming for her and taking my gun from her shaking hands. "You didn't need to."

"I wanted to," she admitted, looking up at me with fear in her eyes. She was afraid of that part of her that wanted to take a life. Stella had never had to meet that dark side of herself before.

"I know. It's done."

Stella looked back at the body in my living room. Instead of screaming in terror like when Hector was in my hallway, she looked thoughtful. Sal and Tony started to bag the body as I pulled her out of the room.

"Why did you that?" she asked me as I led her back to her room. "I would have done it."

"I know you would have, but I didn't want you to," I answered.

"Why?" she asked once in her bedroom.

"You aren't like us. You're a good person, and though you wanted revenge for the people you loved, you wouldn't like taking a life. I didn't want you to have to feel that guilt."

Stella sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at her hands. Those hands could have killed someone tonight. I wasn't entirely sure if she would have pulled the trigger. I told her I thought she would have, but I wasn't sure. She had never taken a life and, if she had, I wasn’t sure she could have lived with herself afterward.

"Leave the killing to the real monsters," I told her.

"Is it over?" she asked me.

I never had to really deal with women and the hidden meaning in their words. I never kept them around long enough or really cared what they meant. I was smart enough to know Stella was asking about more than the search for the man who killed her family. She meant more than the war I was starting with my family by having his body delivered to my father's beach house in Miami.

"There's more," I told her before I took her lips with mine.

Stella's hands came to grab my shoulders as I leaned over and pushed her to the bed. I never pulled my mouth off hers as I took off my jacket and shirt. She ran her soft fingertips over my chest and back. My tongue fought hers as I pulled her pants down her legs and thrusted my hand up her thin tank top.

Stella's head dropped back with her moan as I pinched her nipple. When she looked at me, her eyes were wild and clouded over with want and need. I would make it all disappear for her. I could erase it all with my body and mouth if she let me. She would let me. She always did.

I picked her up and threw her up higher on the bed. As I crawled back up, I pushed my pants down and pulled her legs apart to make room for me. Nestled between her thighs, I pushed her tank top over her head. Stella was bared for me and her chest was pink with the rush of blood.

Taking a nipple in my mouth, I cupped the other breast in my hand. I earned a long and low moan from her that made me want to bite down on her skin. I held back, the restraint making me tense and grow hot. With all the adrenaline rushing my veins, I wanted to unleash on her. I wanted to use up all my energy until I was spent.

"Atlas," she moaned as I licked down her stomach. "Tie me up."

"I can't," I said honestly. I couldn't hold back with her held down and mine for the taking.

"Please," she begged. "Tie me up. Let it out."

I looked up into her eyes that were full of need and fire. Something else lingered behind the want, something deeper. Understanding.

"You have no idea what you are asking of me, Little Star. I will hurt you," I warned her darkly. My dick was rock hard and pressing against the panties that I could feel soaking through.

"No you won't. Please, tie me up."

I broke with her words. Climbing over her, I grabbed the ropes on the headboard and quickly tied her wrists. I pulled the ropes so tight she hissed when I was done. Stella squirmed as I pulled back to look at her. She was open and helpless to whatever I wanted to do her. Tearing her panties off, I pushed her legs apart.

"So fucking wet," I whispered, running my fingers over her.

Stella arched off the mattress and I stroked my dick, watching her lost in the feeling. Neither one of us would think about anything outside of this room tonight. I would make damn sure of that. I held her thighs apart and lowered my face between them. Using my tongue, I licked and sucked until she came so hard I thought she would pass out from screaming.

Taking my dick in my hand, I pushed into her. Her pussy was still convulsing from the orgasm my mouth gave her and it squeezed my dick. I let out a low groan as I pushed as far as I could. Stella gasped when I pressed even deeper, pushing harder and deeper than I ever had before. It probably hurt, but she asked for it and I was giving my all.

I took a leg and hitched it over my shoulder, wrapping the other around my waist so I could get deeper. I watched as her chest rose and fell quickly, letting it urge me on. The effect I could have on her never got old even though I kept waiting for her to get boring. Without an ounce of control, I thrusted into her, making her bounce off the mattress.

I repeated the movements. I fucked her so hard I couldn't tell if she was crying out in pain or pleasure. Her pussy squeezed and milked my dick so I kept going. The headboard banged against the wall loudly as I used every ounce of energy on Stella. I leaned down, going even deeper and biting her neck as I did.

"Is this what you wanted?" I growled in her ear, finally losing all control.

"Yes!" she screamed.

She clenched down on my dick and screamed my name. My balls pulled tight and an orgasm wracked my body. Every muscle went hard and tight before I burst open into her. Her screams kept me going as I pumped us both empty. Sweat dripped down my body and hers when I collapsed on top of her.

Stella got her wish. I let it out on her until I couldn't keep my eyes open.