The barrel which pressed against my temple was cold and as unsettling as a gun held against your temple could be. I swallowed slowly, closing my eyes and wondering what exactly had gone wrong where.
Two days after my breakup with Morelli I was still in a weird mood and what upset me most was that I wasn't sure why really. Maybe it had been just out of habit and the fact that for the most part of our lives we always had been more or less in the other one's live.
Cal reoffered to let go of some of the aggression by sparring or kickboxing with one of them, but I wasn't entirely sure. With my luck I'd end up hurting myself to a point that tied me to a bed or a laying position for the news few weeks. And that was something I didn't want or need really.
When RangeMan heard through some contacts that one of Vinnie's FTAs had been spotted and I had read the file I figured I might have found my outlet if I really needed one. With three Merry Men as sidekicks and backup nothing could have gone wrong. Or so we thought.
The gun placed against my temple was speaking a different story.
The recon and checking out the place where Marky Nicholson was hiding out seemed clean cut and easy to penetrate – according to the guys. I took their words for it since I clearly didn't have enough experience to be able to judge. What hadn't made our radar was the fact that inside the house was a second FTA we had been looking for but weren't able to locate and who was currently holding the gun and leering at me.
If I hadn't been busy worrying about my life and the fact that his hands seemed to have a slightly nervous twitch occasionally I would have shuddered at the way he was looking at me. And not in a good way. Disgust and repugnance were still rather nice words for what I was feeling right now.
We had a really good plan and the fact that I wanted to be part of the operation wasn't questions, but meet with agreement. And the fact that two more guys were added to the operation. So now I had five sidekicks and still found myself in a situation I really would have liked to avoid. The four of us entered quickly, swift and quietly. And right into a trap that we had no idea had been put in place days ago when we had been watched unbeknownst to us by them.
The fact that all Merry Men had at some point been higher up in the military and been taken out by the people inside the house within seconds told me in how much of a crappy situation I was in right now. From the few operations I had been part of before I knew one of the principles for success was to never get separated. Well, that worked out great really. Since that was pretty much the first thing that happened. Or simultaneously. I was dragged after Marky while his army of men we hadn't even imagined because we hadn't seen anyone except for our actual FTA for days, took care of my Merry Men.
"Are you the best they could sent?" Marky commented almost amused. Instead of answering I decided on remaining silent and come up with some sort of a plan. Though my options were limited.
My hands had been tied to the radiator and though the stuff he tied my hands with were more provisional and could easily be ripped apart by me, the trigger of the gun in his hand was most likely going to be quicker pulled than I would have managed to escape my ties.
"After I'm done using you for my needs and fucking the living daylight out of you, I'll use you to send a message. Your dead and bloody body will sent quite a nice and clear message to all the tough bounty hunters who think they'll get me. And I'll definitely enjoy fucking you."
As if to make a point he moved the gun away from my temple and let the barrel glide down my cheeks, chin, neck, between my breasts and further down. I swallowed again, not really sure how I should be able to escape. I could try and ram my knee between his legs and take it from there, but… there was a possibility he could once again shot me and I really liked staying alive.
If he really meant what he said and was planning on having his way with me, I guess I could somehow work with that sort of distraction. In order to do what he wanted, he would have to get his trousers unbuttoned and mine as well. Which meant a small window of a few seconds when he was distracted. Even if he should make me unbutton him he would e distracted for a few mere seconds. But the thought of getting close to a situation where he could have sex with me was frightening and something I'd like to postpone for as long as possible. And even if I did manage to somehow get out of this situation, there was still the FTA I was here for initially outside the room I was currently in. As well as several tough guys and my tough guys that right now were unconscious and hopefully not dead yet. The backup of the other two needed to regroup and come up with a plan immediately in order to stop this operation from being more of a clusterfuck than what it already turned out to be. I figured a good plan for them was to call in for half of RangeMan, but we were so far out of Trenton it would take them a good half hour to hour depending on traffic to get here.
"Don't you have anything to say bounty hunter bitch? Not so tough without your army of men, are you?" I heard him snarl. And I had plenty of things to say, but for once I figured keeping my mouth shut would save initially my life. Or at least increase my chances.
"Fine, then I'll do the talking for both of us," Marky went on and as long as he was talking he wasn't pulling the trigger. Or raping me. That was good I guess. "Duke said you'd pull shit like that. Shit where you come and try to be all tough with a bunch of ugly thugs. The moment I heard that Duke's file ended on your desk I knew I finally had a chance of revenge. Revenge for the last time when you and that stupid nigger bitch came after me."
Up until now I hadn't been aware that Marky and my way had crossed before. But since he was talking about what I assumed was Lula and me, I wondered what he had been wanted for the last time. Since Lula and me usually only went after lower bonds and people there weren't representing a big risk to society it can't have been much what he had been wanted for before.
"I'm sorry you feel this way," I commented in a more or less sympathetic manner but knew I failed when he started yelling at me.
"And when I realized you are Manoso's bitch the deal just became so much better. I have some unfinished business with that bastard as well. Since I can't really get even with him I'll kill two birds with one stone by… well, killing you. After I had my way."
"What did I do?" I asked bravely, figuring the longer I kept him talking the more chances I had in staying alive and escaping – or getting rescued.
"You stupid bitches shot me in the left leg."
That sounded in all fairness a lot like Lula. Not that I tried blaming someone and using that argument in my favor since right now I'm almost certain that didn't matter. Unfortunately throughout the years a few of my skips had been shot in various body parts, so his explanation didn't help jogging my memory.
"Sorry you got shot," I offered and felt slightly ridiculous. But maybe it might make things better? One look at his face and I knew that it didn't.
Instead of a reply I heard an odd whimpering-growling and looking at the source of unexpected sound I saw something that made wonder whether I was about to slowly lose my mind. A puppy wasn't really what I had… expected.
"Shut the fuck up, you stupid mutt," Marky shouted towards the direction where the puppy was sitting. "This goddamn dog," he snarled a moment later and I was wondering first of all why I hadn't noticed a puppy before as well as what the dog was doing here. Judging by Marky's remark it wasn't his. "I told Duke he needed to get rid of it and I wasn't a fucking dogsitter. Now I'm stuck with some doe eyed puppy and a bounty hunter bitch, who I could be fucking right this moment. Why on earth he got that thing I don't understand."
After several moment of silence on our part, more whimpering-growling on the puppy's part and Marky losing more and more of his patience with each passing second, I figured I needed a plan quick. The quicker the better. Especially when it realized that my initial idea of Marky being distracted when it came to unbuttoning his trousers didn't really provide much of a distraction as I was about to find out. He had taken a few steps back to undo his trousers. So even if I just freed myself of my restraints it wouldn't help much since he'd have me shot by the time I made it to him. When he gag me with some piece of cloth he found my chances of getting out of this at all slimmed by the second. By the sheer force of how he had dragged me after him I knew strength wasn't going to be on my side either.
When he walk towards me with one of his two hands placed at a very male part of his anatomy I knew I was screwed. This was not going to work in anyone's favor except Marky's. He straddled me a moment later, pining me effectively down with his entire weight.
"Be a good girl," he mumbled into my ear and I felt a shudder down my spine. Not because his mumbling was doing anything for me. The only thing I actually felt was fear. A fear I had never felt in my life before.
When I felt his hand on the front of my trousers I took a deep breath. I needed to keep a clear head. If I started to freak out now I would never get out of this. And as long as I had a chance even smaller than one percent, I'd grab it. He ripped my trousers and his hands found my lacy underwear. I stilled. Maybe if I didn't show any sort of reaction whatsoever and didn't even participate in any way at all he'd lose his interest. Maybe he was getting off on me fighting him. Maybe if I did nothing whatsoever he'd not get as excited and let go of me. The chances were slim, but what else could I do right now? Talking? Telling him to let me go? That hadn't worked earlier and most likely wouldn't work now.
His hands found my breast, grabbing them roughly and seeming to get more excited by the moment. So me not doing anything at all wasn't going to work either. I was still trying to think quick and just… come up with anything when I heard more and more of the puppy. The noises were louder than before and kept getting louder.
"How the fuck am I supposed to get hard when you goddamn mutt won't shut up?" Marky snarled angrily towards the dog, before getting up from me and stalking towards the source where the noise came from.
For a second I let out a breath of relieve. If I'd ever make it out of here I'd be buying that puppy Filet Minong just for the few moments he managed to postpone what was by now probably mostly unavoidable.
The dog kept whining more and a moment later I saw Marky kick it hard, flinging it against the wall of the corner it sat in. He was still yelling at the poor dog when I decided I didn't care if he'd shot me in a second. I'd be dead soon anyway so I might as well try my luck. I pulled with all my strength against my restraints over again and over again quickly, seeming most likely like a lunatic. I was surprised to realize that the chains and the pipe I was tied to didn't hold up for long. One hard and strong pull and I was free and ungagged myself.
"You stupid, stupid bitch," Marky almost laughed, pointing the gun towards me. "If that's how you wanna die…"
While I was not restraint any longer and was not gagged anymore either, I had only managed to get up as far as kneeling and Marky's gun was directed right at my head. This didn't look good and when I saw his finger on the trigger move slowly it was like my whole life flashed before me.
I closed my eyes out of what I assumed was a reflex of some sort and heard the gun being shot as well as a loud yell from Marky. I didn't feel pain or anything that would indicate I had been hit anywhere at all. Opening my eyes, I saw two things: the puppy biting Marky in the left leg and the gun sliding across the floor towards my general direction. I grabbed the gun and shot at Marky. I hit his right leg.
"Now I shot your left and right leg," I yelled and pointed the gun towards him just to make sure. Reaching behind me I grabbed the piece of cloth that had been used as my gag just a few moments earlier and threw it towards him.
"Use this to stop the bleeding. Or die. It doesn't matter to me in all fairness and-" I started and was interrupted when the door opened loudly. Pointing the gun away from Marky and towards whoever would walk in now I was relieved to see an army of Merry Men.
There was a wild mix of "Bomber", "Bombshell" and "Stephanie" and the guys looked a moment later at the situation at hand. I pointed the gun once more towards Marky just to be sure.
"Are you okay?" Vince asked, walking towards me while I saw Hal, Ram and Junior securing Marky with a lot of maybe unnecessary force for the fact that they were three and he was shot. But I didn't care. Vince stood in front ne, still looking me over sporadically and the whole situation all of a sudden registered. I let the gun fall to the ground and threw myself more or less into his arms, because this was a fucking close call. I started crying and sobbing and heard shushing and soothing soft sounds coming from him.
"Are you hurt? Did he do anything at all to you?" he asked and I shook my head between sobs.
"No, he… he was about to…to …." I sobbed, pointing with my hands around and probably not making any sense.
"Shhhh," he shushed, wrapping his arms even tighter around me and stroking my hair with his hand. "Let's get you out of here, Bomber and we'll make a stop at the hospital to get you checked over and taken care of."
I nodded almost paralyzed and without really registering what he had been saying but let him guide me out of the room and hopefully out of this fucked up operation. We made it slowly outside the room I had been in for god knows how long when I heard an almost familiar whimper again. Turning around I all of a sudden remembered the third occupant in the room and also registered Vince' surprised look. I kneeled down and petted the puppy who looked up at me with his big, deep eyes. A moment later I cradled him in my arms and got up to eyelevel again.
"He's coming with us. If it wasn't for him I'd be… well, things wouldn't be like they are right now."
Vince accepted that as an explanation and we went on with our way out of the barely lit place.