Nick: Justice Series (12 page)

As she rode his mouth, he freed his cock. He was painfully hard, and when he fisted himself, he moaned against her pussy and nearly came. Christ, he’d never been this hard in his life, and he pulled away from her to move up her body.

Standing up, he watched her slide to the middle of the bed. Nick held his cock and cupped his balls while he waited for her. It was that or hurt more. When she opened her thighs and put her hands over her hard nipples, Nick couldn’t wait any longer. Letting himself go, he moved up the bed. But he had a few bites of paradise on the way up.

Her hip tasted of dew. Her navel reminded him of deep waters in the oceans, mystical and beautiful. When he licked her nipple, then took the tip into his mouth, all he could think about was suckling until he came on her, but her hips came up and her heat scorched his cock. Holding his cock while he continued to suckle at her breast, Nick entered her slowly.

Nick buried himself to his root and stilled. It was that or come right then. When she wrapped her feet over his calves and moved upward, taking him deeper still, he kissed her, moving his tongue within the dark sweetness that was her. He finally moved, slowly at first and then more as she rolled her hips up to meet him.

Cupping her ass, Nick brought her to him. Hard strokes…he had to have her, had to come deep within her, and right now. When she dug her nails into his shoulder, he felt her tear into his skin and knew that she’d drawn blood. When he felt her tighten around him, her body bow upward and every part of her tense, Nick watched her face as she came again, screaming out her release that had him marvel again at her beauty. When she screamed again, telling him that she was coming again, Nick let himself take his own pleasure, pounding hard into her until his cock simply exploded his release deep within her.

As she came a third time, her hands pulling him to her, Nick kissed her again, fucking her mouth with hard sure strokes like his cock was doing to her pussy. When his balls tightened again, heralding another powerful climax, Nick threw back his head and roared. He felt his release all the way from his toes to the top of his head as he emptied himself inside of her again.

Her slight giggle had him using what tiny little bit of strength he had to lift his head. Nick wouldn’t have believed it possible, but he was sure that she was more beautiful now than she’d ever been, and he fell in love with her again. Kissing her on the nose, he rolled them to his back and held her.

“What was all that about Kari?” He knew that Addie had nearly been asleep, but it just occurred to him what she’d said earlier. “You had to bring her up just then?”

“I was trying to think of a way to slow me down. All I wanted to do was just come right then, and I wanted to tease you more.” She lifted her head from his chest and frowned. “She really is a panther. I mean, I saw her and everything, but she scared the shit out of me.”

“I should have told you. Or one of us should have. She really was changed against her will, and Steele has found her a teacher to guide her through some of the things she wasn’t trained on.” Nick thought of the pretty little panther that he’d seen a week ago and wondered if Steele had had any luck bringing the little cub to the house. “When you walk the grounds, be careful of the cub, the little panther that is roaming the grounds. I don’t know if she’s wild or not, but she’s a little thing and scared to death. I meant to ask someone how to tell, but it wouldn’t matter since she runs when I get close to her.”

“I was watching her when Kari came up behind me. I thought for sure she was her mother, but Kari told me that she’d been tracking her for days and that was the first time she’d been close enough to her. She’s a panther, not a shifter. Kari told me.” Addie laid her head back down on his chest. “Steele told me that you guys are going to the house tomorrow to confront Ellen. I would like to go.”

Nick wanted her there too, if for no other reason than he wanted her close to him. But she had little to no experience dealing with the dead, much less a living monster, and thought it was a good idea that she and Kari stayed here. He told her that and she nodded.

“Do you want to live here for a while, or did you want to find us a place close to here? I know that your grandmother has decided to buy. She even told me that she’d like for us to live with her and Bentley until we get us a house.” Addie sat up over him again. “I don’t care where we live so long as I’m with you.”

“I’ve missed her.” He nodded. He wasn’t close to his own family and never would be, but he could see the love that the three of them, Bentley included, had for each other. “I know that this house is huge and all, but I’d really like our own home. With Grandmother.”

“Then we’ll tell her.” Addie laid her head back down and he held her. Nick had never been one to cuddle much, but he loved having her so close that he could touch whenever he wanted. When her soft breaths slowed, he knew she was asleep and closed his eyes. But sleep didn’t come to him easily. Tomorrow he was going to confront his stepfather, and he was terrified about it.

The dream, if that was what it was, started out slowly. He and Addie were in a limo. Nick had no idea where they were going, but the sudden appearance of his stepfather made him think this wasn’t a normal nightmare.

“Hello, shit head.” Nick held onto Addie, knowing for some reason Dane was there to get her. “I will, you know. Get her I mean. And when I do, you’re going to do just what I tell you to do. Even going so far as killing that fucking killer.”

“Who would that be? You? Gladly. Ellen Wooten? Again, I’d gladly kill her for you. And we will.” Dane reached for him, but it was as if he’d been blocked. Even he looked surprised by his inability to touch him. “Any last requests, Dane? Like, I don’t know, maybe you could have me tell Mom and Ana how sorry you were for ruining all our lives.”

“You think I’m sorry for that? Nope. What I’m sorry about is that I’d not killed you when I had the chance. And I did, boy, and you know it.” Dane leaned back on the seat, and that was when Nick saw his hand. It was burned. Right where he’d been blocked, his hand was burned badly. “You and me, we’re going to have us some fun now. You just wait and see. And that woman of yours? I cannot wait to get me a piece of her too.”

Nick felt a calmness settle over him just as he was ready to lash out at Dane. He had no idea how she was doing it, but he knew that it was Addie. Putting his hand over his heart, he felt her there. Not her hand but her love, and it calmed him more.

“You’re not going to touch her. Do you want to know why?” Dane looked confused and Nick loved it. It was the first time in all his life that he wasn’t afraid of the man. “Because I know how to beat you now. All of you. And we’re going to.”

“You think so?” Dane didn’t sound so sure now. His voice, always so strong and loud, sounded slightly nervous to Nick. “We’ll just see about that. But you know this. I’m going to get you here with me, and not a day won’t go by that I don’t fuck you in that pretty ass of yours like I used to.”

“Never. Never again.” Nick smiled. “Be gone from me while in this place.” When he was gone, Nick closed his eyes again. He knew that for now, rest would come easy to him. And for the first time in longer than he could remember, Nick felt at peace with himself and the world.

Chapter 12

The house looked like it had before. The yard was slightly more overgrown and there were still newspapers on the front porch, but so far as appearances went, it looked like no one had lived in this house for a long time.

Steele didn’t move right into the yard. He wanted to wait, to see what he could find out before he did that. The police were itching to go in and take Ellen out, but he knew as sure as he was standing there that it would not end well for the police, no matter how many guns they had.

“She in there?” Steele looked over at Landon and the cop who had been following them around for the last hour. “He’d like to be able to send in the troops.”

Steele didn’t answer either man. Landon was pissed off. The cop was making them all nuts, and the cop had his hand on his gun like it was going to do him a bit of good on the rest of the monsters in the house. Instead of standing there and telling him again that they needed some answers first, he went to find their contact, Sergeant Perrier.

Madeline Perrier was the most laid back cop he’d ever worked with. Not only had she risen to the rank of sergeant in a relatively short amount of time, the townspeople in her little burg wanted her to run for mayor as well. Steele had no doubt that she’d do a fine job of that too.

“Steele? Everything all…?” She glanced over his shoulder, and he knew that the cop was hot on his heels. “He is going to shoot his fucking dick off if he doesn’t calm now. I’ll take care of him. Anything else I should know?”

“Billy and two more are looking inside. I’m waiting on them before we go in with our heads on a platter for her.” She nodded and Wonder-Cop came up beside him. “When I have it, you’ll have it.”

“I was thinking that we should send in one of them drone things. You know, with a camera on it.” Wonder-Cop smiled and started nodding as he continued. “My kid has one of them. Does a fine job of seeing all kinds of stuff in the room you normally wouldn’t be privy to.”

“What a fine idea.” Both Steele and Wonder-Cop looked at Perrier when she spoke. “You go on back to the station and get ours. Tell Mavis that I said it was in the locked room in the sublevels of the jail. The box is marked tromper.”

Steele watched the cop leave them, and he turned to Perrier. She was laughing pretty hard as she waved the moron away when he drove by them in a cruiser. He cleared his throat and looked at her.

“Tromper?” She nodded and told him what it meant. “Ah. So he doesn’t speak French, I guess, and has no idea that you’re telling Mavis that he’s a fool.”

“I’m pretty sure she knows that anyway, but it’s code for her to keep him there for me. We’ve used this ploy before.” Perrier shook her head. “I might take the mayoral job just to get away from fools like him.”

Billy prevented him from telling her she should take it anyway. He looked…well, nauseous, Steele thought, and wondered what sort of things were going on in the house. Steele excused himself and walked to where the rest of his group was.

“She’s been busy. I mean…Christ, you should see what she’s been up to.” Billy looked away, then back at them. “I never seen the likes of it, Steele. Never. But she’s been taking out her frustrations on the men that she’s lured there. Three of them I think. It’s bad.”

Steele had talked to the others, ghosts that were loyal to him, and had them working the yard. None of them had reported that anyone had gotten by them, but he knew that their way of doing things wasn’t perfect. Three men. Steele asked him if that included the pizza boy that had come up missing a few days ago.

“I can’t tell.” Billy looked at Carlton, who had come to stand with them. Nick was on his cell phone and he could tell that he was upset, but he had no idea why. As Billy continued, Steele sent his sister to Nick. “The blood is just everywhere. She’s been using the table in the kitchen as her lab, I think.”

“There are four bodies in the house. All dead and all have been tortured not just by her, but by Glass’s troops as well after they are dead. Steele, I have never seen such a bloodbath before. And the dead are needing to move on. They’ve suffered enough.” Steele nodded and looked at the house as Carlton continued. “I’ve sent young Donny home. There is no reason for him to be here. He’s…I know that he’s been gone from this earth for a while, but he’s much too young to see this.”

Steele told him it was a good idea. And when his sister came back to him, Steel knew that something else had happened. Before she could tell him, however, Nick came to him. He looked like a man that had been run over.

“Evie is gone. Bentley was taking her around to houses and was in an accident. I don’t…I’m not sure what happened yet, but Bentley was taken to the hospital and he is worried to death about Evie.” Nick’s phone rang again. “That’s Addie. She was headed to the hospital with Kari, and I told her to call me when she got there.”

Steele was afraid now. He had no idea if the accident had anything to do with what they were doing here, but he had a gut feeling that it didn’t. He looked at Perrier and told her what was going on.

“I just heard. I’m sending out my best men now.” Steele thanked her. “Do you think that the woman in there…you think she had anything to do with the accident and disappearance?”

“No. I don’t know why, but I don’t.” She nodded, and her mike at her shoulder screamed some information at her. Steele let her walk away to deal with it and looked for Hugh. After telling him what had happened, Hugh said he’d go.

“I’ll take Carlton with me, and Billy. Unless you think they can help you with this?” They couldn’t, so Steele told him to take them. “I’ll keep in touch. Just let me know what I can do if you need me.”

By the time Hugh was gone, Nick seemed to calm. The man had been so different lately that he wondered if he knew why. Steele knew. It was love. It had the same affect—a thought occurred to him.

“Nick, where is Addie?” He told him she was on her way to the hospital. “Tell her to come here. I think…I have a feeling that I know what the book was telling us. And tell her to bring Kari. We’re going to beat these odds right now.”

It took them twenty minutes to get there. The more he thought about it, the more Steele thought it would work. Nick had two of his own friends go to the hospital to keep an eye on Bentley as the rest of them decided on a course of action. It was then that Aster came out of the house with an infant in her arms.

“They need help.” Steele nodded and watched her return to the house only to come back with two more. They were tiny, much smaller than a newborn, and he knew they were the children that Summer had told them about. The third time she came back, Aster looked like she’d been crying. He asked her what it was. “She’s found them. I’m not sure if one of Glass’s men found them or she did. Ellen can see the others, so she might be able to see these little souls as well.”

There were nine in all. Most of them were no bigger than the palm of his hand, but all of them had been hurt. Steele had never worked with someone so young before, and wasn’t even sure how to proceed. But Aster came back to him with the last child, and he knew that he had to do something. This baby had been used up, was all he could think had happened to her. He picked up the first one and held it to his chest.

He saw it then…what had happened to it. The little boy had been the result of an abortion. The house, it seemed, had been used for illegal acts such as the one preformed on these children for months before someone had come in and killed the doctor. Steele looked at Ray when he came to stand beside him.

“Can you feel it?” Steele told him that he could. “That monster is trying to suck their energy out of them even from here. We have to send them on. Know how?”

“No. Do you?” Ray took the small child from him and held it up. Steele watched as he prayed, something he’d ever seen the man do before. Then when his wife, Betty Hancock, showed up, Steele realized it wasn’t a prayer so much as a plea for help.

“Hello, darling.” Steele watched them together. Ray and Betty had always been such a loving couple. Steele wished that he’d known her before she had died. He was sure she was even nicer back then. “I’ve come to help you. All of you. But the babies will need to be taken too.”

“You can help them?” Betty looked at Steele and smiled. “Thank you, my lady. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“You have been a very good boy, young Steele. We’re all very proud of you.” She turned and handed the child she’d taken from Ray to a woman behind her. “As soon as they’re free of this place, we’ll help you.”

Once the babies were gone, all of them cradled in the arms of elderly women who were talking to them as they disappeared, Steele saw his own wife coming toward him. Kari was talking a mile a minute to Addie, but stopped and looked at him when he softly said her name, as if she might have heard him. When she leapt into his arms, Steele held her to him. This was his world.

“I was just telling Addie that her grandmother is fine. If she wasn’t you’d know it.” He looked at the other woman who was being held by Nick. “You haven’t heard from her, have you? I mean, she’s still with us, right?”

“I’ve not heard from her.” Kari nodded and put her head on his shoulder. “We have to finish this, and you and Addie are going to help us. I have a plan.”

“I’m sure you do.” Her giggle told him that she was joking with him, but he also knew that she trusted him. He told her and Addie what the plan was and they both nodded. He just hoped this worked.

~~~

Addie knew that she was holding onto Nick’s hand much too tightly, but she was terrified. Not for being where she was but for her grandmother. To come all this way in her life, only to have this happen to her the moment that the two of them were about to embark on their lives as a family. Whoever did this was certainly going to pay when she found them.

“Well, well, well. Look who the fucking bastard brought me.” She turned and looked in the direction of the voice. Addie had to concentrate hard on bringing him into focus, and once she did, she gripped Nick’s hand all the tighter. She thought perhaps it was the screwdriver that was sticking in his head that gave her strength, but she was sure that Kari and Steele coming into the room with her helped too. “Real nice of him to bring you to me so I don’t gotta go out and bring you here. Damn, but you’re a fine piece of ass.”

“And you’re just an asshole.” When he stood up, Addie lifted her chin at the man. It was then that she realized how small he was. Not just short, but small. And mean. “You’re nothing to me. And Nick and I have each other now, so you’re nothing to him either.”

“You think so? I bet I can still make him wet his pants. Did he tell you that? That I’d only have to come into his room to get him and he’d piss himself? Big baby.” She laughed and Dane smiled. “You want more stories about that lover of yours and I got them. Got me a whole mess of them.”

“When you came into his room to rape him, you mean? Or would it have been when you came for his sister?” Addie had no idea where her strength to stand up to this man was coming from, but she felt empowered by it. “I really think you should just back off. You’re not going to get to him anymore. Not so long as I’m around.”

“We can take care of that for you. I’d like nothing better than to take you down to my little fun shop and cut you up. Did you know that I’ve had nobody here to play with for so long? Dane tells me it’s because somebody has been very naughty. Was it you?” Addie turned and looked at the woman who spoke. “Oh yeah, you’re going to be fun. I bet you’ll hold out until the very end without screaming. But I have news for you, they all scream in the end.”

“There will be no screaming today. At least not any from us. As for your victims not coming around, that would be because of me.” Several of the ghosts backed up when Steele spoke. For such a young man, she realized how much power he had. When he lifted his hand up to his mouth—the one curled around Kari’s hand—and kissed it, several of the other ghosts screamed. “You aren’t going to like what I have to say to you, Ellen Margaret Wooten.”

Ellen cringed from him. Steele didn’t move, but Addie could swear that he got bigger, the glow around him got just a little brighter. When a noise to her right made her turn, Addie looked at Dane just as he reached for Nick.

“I don’t think so.” Addie felt herself being pulled back to Nick. A strong force seemed to be sucking her to Dane, and Nick pulled her back. As he looked at his stepfather, Addie could see a newfound calmness in Nick. He didn’t seem to be as terrified of him as he had in their dreams. She knew it was true when he spoke to Dane again. “I have no idea why I’ve let you rule my life. But it ends here. I have a life, a love, and I’m not going to let you rule it again.”

“You think so?” Nick laughed and nodded at Dane. “Well, I’m the fucking boss of you, you fucking moron, and what I say goes. I got me a good crew now and we’re going to bring you to our side.”

“No. No…you’re not going to do that.” Joel stepped in front of her and Nick and put his arms over his chest. Joel looked right at Dane as he continued. “I’ve been out looking for my own crew. And I’ve…so you know, I’m not going to take your shit any more either.”

“You think…. You sure have grown a couple since you ran away.” Dane turned to the three men left and laughed. The others, the only men left in what had been a group of ten, looked like they were ready to bolt too. “Ain’t he the shit? Here he is telling me what he thinks he’s going to do. We got us something new for him, don’t we? Show him boys.”