CHAPTER 12 – Ink
The truck was ready to go, the NIM hidden in the plastic asthma inhalers, as Trigger had said. If I weren’t so appalled by what we were about to do and worried about Gracie, I would have given a moment to admire the ingenuity of Jebediah’s hidden drugs. The truck was an old army issue vehicle, colored in camouflage, the back tray hidden behind a thick, canvas cover.
Trigger glanced my way as he walked by, a nervous look on his bruised face. I lifted a chin in greeting, and he didn’t hesitate to nod back. Although I was worried about him, I wasn’t worried he’d have my back. We’d been through so much shit together, our bond was unbreakable.
Henry, another of the Liberty soldiers I trusted implicitly, was already sitting in the back tray of the truck, his long legs outstretched around one of the containers packed with NIM. He glanced my way, deep-set, dark eyes caught mine, and he called out an “Evenin’ boss.” He was armed with only a small knife hidden in his boot. As were myself and Trigger.
The tall and wide man who sat across from Henry was Jigger, one of Jebediah’s soldiers. He was a barrel of a man with a wide, square jaw, close-cropped crew cut and pressed fatigues. Definitely military. He was armed, a rifle over his shoulder and I had no doubt more weapons hidden on his body. He was an unyielding beast, his facial features set in a permanent scowl as he watched Henry with distrust. I hated having one of my men so close to the enemy while we were so defenseless.
When I climbed into the front passenger seat of the truck, I hesitated when I found Jeze already sitting between Trigger and me. She was dressed in her standard too tight camos, and a form-fitting zipped up jacket. Her long, dark hair was pulled into its usual tight ponytail, making her sharp cheekbones seem more defined. She completely ignored me as I sat beside her, which was fine with me, the bitch made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I hadn’t yet worked out her deal, and I wasn’t sure on the dynamics between her and Jebediah. It was clear Jebediah was running the show, but Jeze had some sort of power, I just didn’t know what it was yet.
Trigger started the truck and glanced my way.
“Let’s get moving so we can get this shit over and done with.”
He nodded and put the truck into gear pulling away from the barracks and navigating around the garage toward the large open steel doors at the front entrance. Grace stood a safe distance away from Jebediah’s men, Fury hovering not too far behind her. She didn’t wave, we’d agreed we weren’t saying goodbye because I was coming back to her as fast as I could. We simply watched each other as the truck rolled through the gates. The compound doors began to close behind us and the feeling of dread I’d been battling for days grew more intense. I felt anxious and sick.
Something was off.
Deep in my bones, I knew this would be a trip I’d live to regret.
***
The drop off spot for the NIM was as Jebediah had described, a shitty old truck stop that a strong wind could easily blow over. Smashed glass windows ran the full length of the long, narrow structure before us, the building no doubt raided by terrorists or American citizens in the early days of the war for Freedom. Part of the roof had been torn off. The sign which had only three visible letters left on it was partially ripped from its foundation, swinging ever so slightly in the breeze, making an eerie as shit creaking sound as it swayed from side to side. There were four petrol bowsers, two of which were lying on their sides in the dirt. On all the trips we’d made out to Nelson, the closest town to Liberty, we’d never come along this road. There was nothing here for us, there was nothing here for anyone except a truck full of NIM.
As I stood beside Trigger, feeling naked with only a switchblade shoved in my boot, I watched as Jeze, Henry and Jigger helped three scruffy looking fuckers unload the containers of NIM from the back of the truck. A back-pack of what I assumed was full of money was strapped to Jeze’s back, and there were six large boxes of supplies waiting to be loaded back into our truck once the NIM was moved. Money and goods, just as Jebediah had promised.
Two more disheveled, scrawny men stood before us, watching Trigger and I with distrust—the feeling was fucking mutual. Neither of them carried a visible weapon, but I was confident they’d be armed in some way. If they so much as blinked at me wrong, I’d take them out. I knew several ways to kill a man, armed or not.
The morning sun was resting above the tree line, and I enjoyed its warmth. It hadn’t snowed during the night but it had been pretty fucking cold, and I’d sat comfortably within the heated cabin of the truck. Henry the poor fucker was practically blue when we finally stopped.
My gaze moved back to the dirty thugs standing alongside our vehicle. Their faces were covered in thick beards, their clothes tattered and torn. I wondered how these ratty looking fuckers could afford to purchase NIM. The bulky looking one who talked with Jeze was dressed a little better, but they weren’t what I’d been expecting. A fact that was laughable because I genuinely had no idea what to expect.
Once the exchange had been made, we watched a bus with blacked out windows, followed by two roaring bikes leave the demolished truck stop, the sound of their vehicles fading into the distance. The tension in my body didn’t leave, but it certainly decreased the further away the drug dealers drove.
I needed to talk to Jebediah. If we were doing this again, I’d be doing it with a gun. Or better yet, there would be no next time. I’d take the insane prick out before next month was up. I’d gut the son of a bitch and make his crazy sister watch, then I’d take her out too. We had begun to work on a plan to take over the barracks that housed all of Jebediah’s men, not to mention the weapons and drugs he’d stockpiled in the basement. But we needed more weapons to carry out any sort of plan to take back our compound, and some way to keep the people of Liberty safe while we executed it.
Turning my back on the men who had finally vanished from sight, I found Jeze standing before me with a brilliant smile on her face. It was the first sign of emotion I’d seen from her, and the vision caught me by surprise. It made her look softer, although the crazy glint in her eyes couldn’t be washed away by something as simple as a smile.
“We need to talk, you’ll ride with me in the back,” she said, her voice a husky murmur.
What the fuck was she up to?
Glancing at Trigger, he shrugged, clearly as confused about this as I was, but headed toward the cab of the truck, Henry and Jigger following him. Guess I was riding with the crazy bitch. Jeze nimbly climbed into the back, and I followed, taking a bench seat directly opposite her. The truck came to life, vibrating like a beast under me as we began to move. Jeze’s face was once again a picture of stoic perfection, no emotion playing across her features.
“What does Jebediah want with money? There’s no use for it out here.” Figured if I was stuck with her for the next several hours I would get some answers.
“There is a use for it in the cities. New York, Washington and California are beginning to prosper again, infrastructure is almost back up and thriving. Buildings have been rebuilt. The money that vanished with the war is gaining the power back it once had.”
I was surprised she answered me and also surprised at the advancements the cities had made. Seven years in the wilderness, hearing nothing but rumors and hearsay had me well out of the loop. While I knew progress was being made, I had no idea they were that far ahead.
“So, what’s the plan? Jebediah’s going to sit out here and make his money off NIM then move to one of the cities? Maybe buy a Cadillac? Live in a penthouse suite?”
The corner of Jeze’s mouth quirked in what I think was supposed to be a smile, though more like a tight grimace.
“He’s going to sit out here and make money off his NIM, then he’s going to buy the New York Underworld. The newly formed government is looking to privatize the prison system in the not too distant future.”
The revelation slammed into me hard. No wonder he had a fixation on the Underworld, he wanted to own it, literally. Under his leadership, the brutality that had been extinguished with the removal of Kinsley Duke would be back in play. Harrigan was the leader of the rebel forces, and I wondered if he knew what the government had planned.
“He thinks he’ll be able to buy the Underworld from a few sales of NIM?” I asked incredulously.
“Jebediah and I already come from wealth. We have the money to purchase the Underworld, and he’s already put in an offer. This… ” she said pointing to the bag, “… this will go the government officials we need to bribe to make this happen.”
Fuck, the wheels were already in motion. I needed to get word to Harrigan, and soon.
“What about you, Jeze? Are you just along for the ride? Or do you have big plans, too?”
Her stony façade cracked a little with another tug on her lips.
“Jebediah needs someone he can trust at his back. No one loves him more than I do. Jebediah may be the king in this plan, but trust me, Ink, I am the king’s blade.”
I didn’t doubt that for a second, the woman was dangerous. She was one of those ‘seen but not heard’ types you didn’t want to fuck with. If I wanted to take Jebediah down, I realized I needed to take Jeze down first. There were plenty of other questions sitting on the tip of my tongue, but my mind was still trying to wrap around Jebediah’s plan to buy the Underworld prison system.
Exhaustion was also pulling at me since I’d stayed alert the entire night in the cab of the truck. Falling asleep in front of Jebediah’s sister was not something I planned on doing, and while the rocking of the truck didn’t wholly relax me, it helped take the edge off. Jeze sat across from me, her eyes shut, arms crossed over her chest and ankles linked on outstretched legs. Her defenses were down, and she knew I wasn’t going to attack her. I couldn’t, not while they had Gracie back at the compound. They had me on a leash.
“Relax,” Jeze murmured, not opening her eyes. “If I wanted to kill you you’d be dead already.”
Her arrogance fucked me off, but I wasn’t about to be drawn into an argument about who’s dick was bigger. Crossing my arms, I watched the passing scenery. With each mile under our tires, my eyes grew heavier. My mind began to wander, and I thought about Gracie. I hoped she was okay. Knowing Fury was watching her, and that she had her own skills to defend herself, was the only reason I wasn’t a nervous wreck. Fury would lay down his life for Gracie, he’d protect her with everything he had, which was a lot of violence and brutality. That’s if Gracie let him. She was an independent woman who balked at the idea of having a babysitter while I was gone. Explaining it was for my sanity rather than her protection was the only way I’d won the battle to have Fury stay with her. Her stubborn nature and fierce independence would frustrate the heck out of Fury.
I could just see her standing up to him, arms crossed over her chest, eyes flaring with anger as she told him she didn’t need protection. It wouldn’t matter, she could argue until she was blue in the face, he was officially her shadow while I was gone. The thought brought a smile to my face. Unexpectedly, I felt the warmth of a body standing too close, and my eyes snapped open as something was jammed against my face, a sharp, tangy odor invading my nose.
“What the fuck,” I shouted, as I jumped to my feet and pushed Jeze away with a hard shove which sent her tumbling to her ass.
In her hand she held an asthma canister, a sick smile playing on her lips. Taking a step in her direction, my vision swam, my head spun, and I stopped, my arm reaching out to grab the bar that ran around the truck’s tray.
“What did you do?” I spat out.
My pulse was racing, my skin tingling. I knew she’d hit me with a shot of NIM, but for the life of me I couldn’t understand why.
“It’s all part of the game, Ink,” she murmured as she stood and took cautious steps toward me.
The movement of her body caught my attention. Her slow, calculated steps were seductive and beautiful. As my eyes prowled over her features, I noticed a soft sheen of light glowing from her skin. She looked like an angel, and the light dancing off her was an ethereal beauty which had me completely entranced. I itched to drive my fingers through the long hair that had fallen over her shoulders. That long hair reminded me of someone who remained just outside the fringes of my suddenly foggy memory.
“So pretty,” I confessed, my mind swept far away from what I knew was right, and completely uncaring. Reaching out, I ran my hand down her cheek, my fingers reaching for her hair that felt like water shifting over my skin. “So soft.”
The curious blurring of my arm dragged my attention away from the angel, and I watched as I waved my hand about in front of my face. Did I have one hand, or seven? My eyes moved to the cuff of my jacket, and it was then I noticed the stiff, rough texture against my skin. I hated it. And I was hot—too hot. My flesh was burning with heat as I unzipped the offensive fabric and tossed it aside, then proceeded to pull off the long-sleeved shirt I wore underneath.
Looking down at my now naked arms, I watched the tattoos on my skin as they moved over my flesh. That probably should have scared me, but it didn’t. I felt alive, pulsating with energy. A tugging at the belt of my cargos drew my blurred gaze downward, and I watched as lithe hands removed my belt, then began to slowly unbutton and unzip me. A firm hand wrapped around my dick, then I noticed the sound of foil tearing before something cold covered my cock.
“You feel good, Ink?”
That voice, so far away but still too close. It didn’t sound anything like Gracie’s voice.
Fuck! I missed her. Gracie.
My mind snapped back to reality for a moment, and I tried unsuccessfully to push this stranger away who was touching me in ways I didn’t want to be touched. Not by her. It was Gracie’s touch I longed for, Gracie’s hair I loved. My movements were slow and clumsy though, my body no longer my own to command.
“You’ve taken such good care of me, Ink, you’ve looked after me since I was a little girl. You deserve a prize.”
I paused in trying to fight off the touch. “Gracie?” The voice wasn’t quite right.
“Yes, Ink, Gracie,” she purred.
Lifting my head, I was for a moment confused by the dark-haired beauty who was pumping my dick with enthusiasm. She was stunning and naked. She wasn’t Gracie, but she looked so good, so soft, and my mind was losing the battle to stay present.
Slipping away would be so much easier.
Her tits were perfectly round, and I wanted nothing more than to touch them. Unable to stop myself, I leaned forward and took a supple nipple into my mouth. She tasted so fucking wrong and so fucking right at the same time. Suddenly, hands pressed down on my shoulders, and that touch alone caused my skin to tingle with heat as I sunk heavily to the bench beneath me. I was on sensory overload, the feathered touch across my chest magnified and filled with prickling warmth and the promise of pleasure.
“Watch me, Ink.”
I hadn’t even realized my eyes were closed and it took plenty of force to lift my heavy lids. Once again I was shocked by the unfamiliar beauty before me. She wasn’t Gracie, but the longer this went on, the less it mattered. With my eyes glued to the woman, I watched as she straddled my lap. The need for her was fierce, but it wasn’t a need for her it was a need for something else, someone else.
Whatever was happening to me felt so fucking good, but it was so fucking wrong.
When I pushed the woman on my lap aside, her hand wrapped around my dick again, and I was lost once more. Full, warm lips pressed against my chest, my neck, my jaw, pulling and sucking at my skin. My cock was enveloped in warm wet heat which made my mind explode with stars. It was too much and yet at the same time, not enough.
“So fucking good,” I slurred, my voice not coming out how it was supposed to.
The woman gracefully rose and fell on my dick, riding me hard, the glow of her body moving around us, warming me from the inside out. My hands followed the glow around her tits where I stopped to play with the yielding flesh for a time.
“Say my name, Ink,” a husky voice murmured.
Her name? What was her name?
“Say my name.”
“Gracie.” The name felt right, but the vision before me was all wrong. I wanted to reject her and the magical touch she was torturing me with, but my body was no longer mine to control and my mind was swept away. Her skin felt so cool against my burning flesh, and I leaned forward and licked her collarbone, needing to take that coolness inside my body.
“That’s it. Feel me around you, feel me possessing you.”
When I pulled my tongue away and glanced into her beautiful face, it began to morph. Those dark eyes deepened and became more exotic, her cheeks concaved and made the bones in her face sharper, her lips red with what looked like blood. Her forked tongue snaked out, and I flinched.
This wasn’t my Gracie.
Gracie was pure and innocent, this was something else entirely.
“What are you?” My words were garbled and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get them to come out right. The woman in my lap laughed, her head thrown back as an awful grating sound came from those luscious lips.
“My name is Jezebeth, Ink. I’m one evil bitch, but I’m also really, fucking good.”
I shook my head, my eyes closed trying to toss away the image of the demonic woman bouncing before me, trying desperately to find the woman in my mind who was my savior, my heart.
“I’m ruining you, Ink,” a husky voice whispered in my ear. “I’m ruining you for her,” she went on.
I wanted to care about what she was saying. I wanted to stop what she was doing. Somewhere deep in my mind I was screaming, and yet my mouth continued to taste her, my hands kept moving over her body, and my dick remained buried in her wet heat. Even though my mind was ensnared in a haze of fog and disconnect, I knew she was ruining me.
She was ruining us.
And I’d fucking kill her for it.