Broken Promises

Chapter 4

            He watched her silently. They'd worked out a plan, and now all they had to do was go about putting it into motion. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, and he watched, fascinated, as she plaited it into a long braid down her back and fastened it.

            "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly, unable to mask the concern in his voice. Her eyes met his in the mirror, surprise flickering over her features for a short moment before she nodded slightly.

            "It's the best we could come up with," she returned. He nodded slightly, but wasn't eased at all. He didn't want to put her at risk like this. No telling what was going to happen, no matter how many different scenarios they planned for. He had to admit it – he was nervous.

            In all honesty, it was a really good plan. Cassidy was going to meet the contact and up the price, after calling to say eleven thousand wasn't enough for such a tough hit. Riddick would be hiding in the shadows somewhere, just in case, and it would all go smoothly. The contact would be killed, and nothing would go wrong in the process. It would be perfect. Right? He sighed, and she turned slowly, watching his hand reach out and envelop hers. Their eyes met and held for a few moments, before he shook his head and tugged at her, pulling her against him. He planted a kiss on her forehead.

            "Don't do anything stupid," he whispered. She smirked.

            "Ditto." He smiled down at her. She shook her head. "You're nervous, aren't you?" He shook his head and snickerd.

            "C'mon. Me? Nervous?" Her eyebrow rose, and he shrunk a little, clearing his throat. "Okay, maybe just a little, but I don't want anything to happen to you."

            "Everything's gonna be fine," she promised. He nodded. She leaned up into him, kissing him lightly and quickly before sliding past him into her bedroom. He heard the closet door beep and then her pull it open, and he went to check out her stash. Several guns, a good collection of shivs, but not quite what he'd expected. For some reason, he'd expected an arsenal big enough to arm a small militia. She had enough to do the job, with enough accessories for every scenario possible, and nothing more. They loaded up as much as they felt prudent, and finished the final plans. They left together, and he fell behind and disappeared a few blocks before the meeting place. She'd be a bit early, but that would give him time to find a good spot to make sure everything went as planned.

            Cassidy looked around the abandoned warehouse. She'd known it'd be the perfect place for this. She just hoped she had the guts to follow through with what needed to be done. She knew Riddick was in the shadows somewhere nearby, but not exactly where he was. It would be safer that way. She couldn't glance in his direction if something unexpected happened and blow his cover. She heard footsteps and took a deep, calming breath. No turning back now.

            Riddick hid in the shadows, still able to see the expression on Cassidy's face. When the sound of footsteps entered the warehouse, a flash of fear, and then nothing but cold-blooded killer. He couldn't help but smile. His little protégé. And a damn hot one, at that. A shadowed form, and Riddick's brow furled. The conversation began, taking the course they'd planned out.

            "I didn't expect a woman." Riddick's stomach lurched. Neither did I. Cassidy had been the only female he'd met in Slam. He'd assumed that whoever the contact that hired them to kill each other had been from Slam, since that's the place they had acquaintances in common.

            "Neither did I," came Cassidy's response. The woman standing there seemed oddly familiar to Riddick, but he couldn't place her and couldn't see her face. A nagging feeling in the back of his mind, but nothing more. Nothing telling. And it was bothering him.

            "I was actually quite surprised you wished to meet," the contact continued. "The plan was for payment after completion."

            "Eleven's not enough," Cassidy said firmly. The woman's eyebrow rose.

            "That was the agreement."

            "That was the offer," Cassidy corrected. She was bold. No denying that. "It's not enough."

            "May I ask why?" the contact pressed. Cassidy feigned exasperation, running a hand through her hair. She was really beginning to tire of this twit.

            "I'm sure you're aware of Riddick's history. He'll be a hard man to track down, for one, and a hard one to outsmart." The contact nodded.

            "I'm sure you can manage," she stated. Cassidy fought to keep from killing the twit right then. Stick to the plan.

            "Not for eleven. It'll cost more than that to track him down and make contact," Cassidy lied. The contact shook her head, a sly smile spreading across her lips.

            "What do you suggest then?" Cassidy paused, her eyebrow arching slightly.

            "Twenty-five." Riddick cringed. Too high.

            "Twenty," the contact returned. Cassidy shook her head.

            "He was too good in bed for that," she spat, her eyes narrowing. This chick was not going to take advantage of her talent. The contact took a step back.

            "My research led me to believe you'd lost contact before he broke out of Slam," she said quickly. "I wasn't aware you'd had a relationship with him. Is that why you want more? You need more motivation to follow through?"

            "I have enough motivation as it is. I hate him, plain and simple. But twenty's not enough. You're wasting my time." Cassidy turned to leave.

            "Fine." She paused without turning back around. "Twenty-five it is." Cassidy smiled and turned to shake hands with the contact, but found herself staring at the barrel of a gun. She'd turned her back, and now she was paying for it. Where the fuck was Riddick?

            "You're going to kill me before I get the job done?" Cassidy asked quickly.

            "Don't cross me, Cassidy Hodge," the contact seethed. "Twenty five it is, but don't you fucking cross me."

            "You do know about the down payment, right?" Cassidy asked, hoping her eyes played honest.

            "You can make an exception," the contact spat, pulling back the hammer of the gun. Cassidy nodded.

***

            "She'll just go somewhere else, Riddick. Once is enough." Cassidy's voice was agitated. She'd been stressed to the max today, and she wasn't putting up with any shit from him.

            "No one else is going to take them, Cass," he pressed. Her eyes met his.

            "I know people that would." He paused. "Trust me."

            "Why didn't you just do it then?" Cassidy shrugged.

            "Something didn't seem right, Riddick. There's something really weird about this whole thing, and I don't like it," she admitted, a shiver running over her. He reached out to smooth her hair behind her ear and plant a kiss on her cheek, watching her eyes flutter closed for a second.

            "I know, baby," he admitted. "But we're both in too deep to back out now." She nodded. He was right and she knew it. He pulled her against his chest and she listened to his breathing, even and steady. She took a breath and paused, thinking before she asked.

            "Where were you?"

            "What?" he asked quietly.

            "When she pulled a gun on me." She pulled out of his grasp. "Where the fuck were you?"

            "You can handle yourself, Cass. You've already proven that. I was ready to step in, but there was no sense blowing the whole thing just because she pulled a fucking gun on you. It turned out fine." She sighed.

            "I'm gonna take a shower." She stood and paused. "Go home." His eyes met hers, questioning her. She shook her head. "You can't stay here anymore."

            "Just tonight," he whispered. She wavered, and with his simple "please," gave in with a heavy sigh. He closed the gap between them and ran his fingers through her hair. Her hands pressed against his chest, fighting him feebly, but she was too tired to invest too much energy in rejection. She wasn't sure she wanted to reject him again anyway. Too confused, too confused.

            The sensation of his teeth closing on her earlobe pulled her back into coherency, and she drew in a sharp breath, hissing quietly before smashing her lips into his. His hands settled on her hips and lifted, slamming her against the wall and pinning her there, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Her fingers ran over his stubbly head, and she smirked, wrenching her lips away from his to bite at his neck and whisper "you need to shave." He chuckled and tore her shirt from her head, their clothing flying all over the apartment, leaving a trail to the bedroom.

            He flung her onto the bed, sliding onto the comforter next to her, his fingers following the curve from her waist to below her hip. He took his time just taking her in, every freckle and scar. She shifted next to him, uncomfortable now under the scrutiny of his stare. He sensed that, and pulled her to him, planting kisses everywhere reachable. His eyes met hers, and he held them for a moment.

            "You're beautiful," he whispered. She just stared back at him for a moment.

            "I don't feel like it," she admitted quietly, watching his brow furl. His hand slid absentmindedly up her thigh and over her hip, resting on the small of her back. He shook his head.

            "But you are," he insisted.

            "But I don't feel like it." He sighed. She thought he was giving in, but before she knew what was happening, he had her on her back, her arms pinned above her head. His lips planted a slow, torturous trail of kisses down her body and back up. When he returned to her lips, she was trembling in anticipation, and his fingers played over her cheek in an affectionate display.

            "Every inch of you," he whispered, "is beautiful." He punctuated the second half of the statement with his entry, feeling her arch against him.

            "Are you going to make me keep my eyes open this time?" she whined. He smirked.

            "I didn't make you last time," he retorted. Her eyebrow rose, and he twitched inside her. Her hips ground up against his, pleading with him to move, but he didn't give in. He was perfectly content where he was – for now.

            "Quit fucking with me, Riddick," she demanded. "If you're gonna do this, you better start soon or I'll—"

            "You'll what?" He grinned down at her. "You can't go anywhere." She huffed, grinding against him again, trying everything she could to get him going, but he was having none of it. He was just enjoying her begging him like this.

            "I swear to fucking God, Riddick..." She trailed off with a grunt as he punctuated his dominance with a single, hard thrust and was still again. She gave in, her eyes meeting and holding his. "Please," she whispered. "Make me feel like you mean it." He shook his head slightly.

            "Like I mean what?" Her lip quivered slightly, and she lifted her head so she could take his lips. He responded to her, letting her arms go. They fell around his shoulders while she kissed him. He broke the kiss, still waiting for an answer. She swallowed.

            "That you love me." He blinked a few times, frantically trying to think of when he'd told her that. She instantly regretted that, watching him search her eyes for explanation, waiting for more from her. She couldn't give it. It was just a feeling she had, a hunch that told her he loved her. She let her eyes close, waiting for the empty feeling she always got when he wasn't there with her. He let his body collapse against hers, his head falling to the pillow under hers.

            "I don't know how," he admitted.

            "How to what?" she asked. The room was too quiet.

            "Make you feel that way." She shook her head, the tears threatening to break. "You just have to trust me on that," he finished. Her eyes met his, and he looked as scared as she felt. He shook his head. "You're amazing, Cassidy." If she said anything, she knew she'd cry, so she just lay there, feeling him throb, watching him sort through this. "Show me how to love you so I don't lose you again," he begged.

            "You already know how," she said quietly, her voice shaking. He shook his head, burying his face in her neck. Her hand went to his cheek, and she pulled his face away from her so she could look at him. His eyes searched hers for reproach, and found nothing but the emotion returned. She pulled his lips to hers, whimpering against his lips as he moved against her. He was slow and deliberate, wanting this moment to last forever, never wanting it to end. Her hips met his halfway, her hands sliding up and down his back, her moans urging him forward. He'd never gotten so close so fast, but he had to slow down to make sure she got there as well. "Don't stop," she whispered, her voice urgent in his ear. Her lips found his, her hips setting the pace. He wasn't sure he could last long that fast, but she was there the same time he was, their moans intertwining, breaking the silence. He felt numb all over, tingly. She couldn't keep her eyes open. They fell asleep in each others' arms, still clinging to each other, still joined.