Ride The Wind
"As a horse runs, think of it as a game of tag with the wind." Tre Tuberville
Chapter six: Black Suede
Part one
"Go get some clean water, rags and surgical gloves. Hurry." He stated flatly. Even in the military he hadn't hated the enemy. Killed, yes, he had killed, but never hated like the hate that surged through his body now. He wanted to leave, to be sick.
Olivia left instead, he took her place on the bed. He detested what had been done to this woman, this was deliberate brutality. She flinched at his touch but didn't cry out. Her skin was soft, delicate. His fingers roamed over her back, above the damage.
Olivia returned, setting the bowl of fresh water down, she handed him a pair of blue latex gloves. He took the gloves, pulling them on. "Small scissors...and two sets of tweezers. Quickly."
Taking the scissors, he cut what remained of her panties off, dropping the bloody objects in the trash. Removing the satin cloth from the cuts wouldn't be easy but it needed to be done. He wanted to leave the clean up to Olivia, he was on the King's detail, not the Queen's. He sighed with relief that her panties had been satin, not cotton; the lint from cotton would have caused an infection. He worked slowly, methodically, holding a gash open with one set of tweezers, removing the pieces of material with the other.
It had taken the better part of an hour, three pans of water and rags beyond number. He dropped the last gory rag on the pile of other bloody rags. "Do what you can for her. I'll be back in three, maybe four hours."
^^J/C^^
Every town has at least one, an area of shadow, even in bright sunlight. There was no sunlight now where Joseph walked. It had taken an hour to arrange the meeting. The vision of what he'd observed haunted him, would continue to haunt him for a long time if not for an eternity.
"Joey! Long time." A man stepped out of the dark. Weak, dirty streetlights gave off a yellowish glow; the man avoided even this meager light. He walked with a cane at his side.
"You got what I asked for, Marcos?" Joseph stopped, standing with his feet spread. His arms hung loosely at his sides.
"You're still wearing black, Joey? You got the money?"
"It fits my mood, Marcos." Joseph pulled an envelope from his leather jacket, laying it on the ground then stepped back. "The agreed amount. You can count it if you wish. Plus..."
"Friends should trust each other. You have any friends you can trust, Joey?" the man limped forward, bending from the waist to pick up the envelope. He placed a shoebox where the envelope had been.
"Plus?"
"A little extra, in case I need more." The man hobbled away, back into the dark shadows.
"It's Joseph, Marcos." Joseph spoke into the dark, walking forward to retrieve the box.
"You should have left me, Joey. It would have been better if you had."
^^J/C^^
"Olivia, listen carefully. I was never here, understand? You never asked me for help, never approached me." He handed her a bottle. "One tablet every six hours. Not five, not seven, six." He handed over an alabaster jar. "this will help with the...injures. It contains something to ease the pain also."
^^J/C ^^
It had taken a month of surveillance to pinpoint the victims movements. Security was a joke here in this forgotten part of the Royal residence. The assassin bypassed the elevator, taking the stairs to the sixth floor. The man knelt in front of the window, extracting the weapon from his shoulder bag. It was assembled in forty-five seconds. Ten seconds more to attach the scope. He took a sighting, adjusted the range then settled into a comfortable position to wait.
The King and Queen always walked in the garden after dinner before retiring to their suite for the night. The Queen walked gingerly, favoring the hip that had also been injured. The scope brought her into the room, so close the assassin might reach out and touch her. The cross-hairs centered her head.
The assassin knew Clarisse wouldn't walk far because of her hip. As if on cue, she placed her hand on the King's arm. He couldn't hear what was being said, it didn't matter. The King watched his wife walk away, favoring the wounded hip. The cross-hairs remained fixed on Rupert, moving from head to chest, known in certain circles as the kill shot.
The man took a deep breath, expelling it slowly. A slight pressure on the trigger...
The hammer fell...
^^J/C^^
Part two
Present day
Joseph jerked awake, bathed in sweat. The nightmare hadn't returned in a long time; not long enough.
Quickly, he rose, careful not to bother Clarisse sleeping beside him. He went into the suite's bathroom, turning on the shower. He stripped out of his black t-shirt and boxers, willing his breathing to return to normal.
He placed his hands against the wall, letting the water hit his head, cascading down his back, washing the sweat away. The glass door opened, Clarisse stepped in, standing in front of him. She reached up, caressing his cheek.
"Was it bad, this time?"
He could only nod as she took the soap and cloth, working up a thick lather. She began to wash his chest. "Do you know why I fell in love with you?"
"I've often wondered that very thing." He moaned as her soapy hands drifted downward.
She took his hands in hers, moving them behind her, placing his hands on her bottom. "I've wondered why you love me. I was marked, deformed and it didn't matter to you. You loved me in spite of my ugliness."
His hands cupped her bottom, pulling her flush with his body. "You knew, didn't you?"
"Not then. I knew Olivia wasn't alone. But I knew when we were 'officially' introduced."
He spun her around, pressing her against the wall. "How did you know? You've always been beautiful to me." His hands cupped the underside of her breasts, his thumbs teasing the tips to puffy hardness. One hand floated down, fingers combing through wet curls, making her moan.
"Black...Suede..."She parted her legs, groaning when his finger found the little bud.
"What about it?"
"The scent...was there...that night...again...when we 'met'. It's so...you."
He entered her in one smooth motion of his hips making her throw her head back, accepting him fully.
"Ah, Joseph!" She moved with him, as the water ran between their bodies, the coil began to tighten.
God, what he did to her. There was no wind for her to ride but she was flying none the less. How high could he take her? She was about to find out. She pulled his head up, looking into those wonderful loving eyes. He slowed his movements; moving in and out of her.
"I love you." He said in a whisper, feeling her control weakening, slipping away.
"I love you so much, Joseph. Ride the wind with me!"
Her scream of ecstasy was enough to make him lose control. He slammed into her one last time, joining her on the wild wind, going higher and higher...together.
TBC