Blackness Within (56 page)

Roman’s brow furrows when he sees my dog and then he stands up and spins as Sully lands a brutal blow with his fist across Roman’s jaw. Sully’s a man possessed, swinging and roaring. Roman tries to defend himself, but it’s pointless. Sully’s come to save me and nothing will stop him.

Roman takes a wide swipe at Sully’s cheek and Sully allows the blow. His head snaps to the side and a small trickle of blood appears at the corner of his mouth. He smiles at Roman before attacking him with more vigor than he was before. He’s going to kill him. I’m so confused about who Roman is and what happened. I don’t know that he deserves to die. I don’t want Sully to kill him. I’ll lose him. I can’t lose him.

I try desperately to get my voice to work. Nothing comes, not even a vibration. Sully has Roman on the ground now, beating his face in, smashing his head into the floor. Stop. Please Stop.

Then the room is filled with men carrying guns and wearing tactical gear. Sully rises to his feet with his bloody hands above his head. His crazed face is splattered in red as he quakes with adrenaline. I need him to look at me. To see the love in my eyes. Finally, he moves his gaze from Roman beneath him and looks into my grey tear-filled eyes.

I love you. I’m okay.
I communicate with as much intensity as my paralyzed body will allow.

“Natasha?” a man questions walking to the end of the bed.

He yanks his black mask off and I see Nick Cooper looking at me in horror. He sweeps the room with his gaze quickly and spots Sully.

“O’Sullivan? Shit. Put down your weapons,” he orders gruffly and the men in the room obey immediately.

Zeus is still growling and attacking Ben as two men try to make him stop.

“O’Sullivan get the dog,” Nick barks, coming to the bedside and leaning into my face.

“Zeus, off,” Sully commands and Zeus begrudgingly halts.

He swings his head to me and looks worse than Sully covered in blood and bits of flesh.

“This one’s gone,” a man near Ben’s body announces.

“Agent Roman Knight?” Nick asks.

“No.”

Nick leans down next to the bed to check Roman and Sully watches his every move. Waiting to hear if he just murdered a man. His fingers interlaced behind his head with his eyes trained on the back of Nick’s head.

“He’s alive.”

As Nick stands up another man comes racing into the room.

Igor.

My level of confusion hits an all time high as he rushes to Roman on the floor and calls out, “Knight!”

“He’s good,” Nick assures the massive bald man.

“Cooper, get me somethin’ to wipe this fuckin’ blood off so I can get Grey,” Sully snarls.

Nick reaches across my paralyzed body and drags the quilt over me, handing it to Sully. Sully scrubs at his skin vigorously before dropping the quilt. Then he’s on me. He lifts my limp body and cradles me to his panting chest.

“She’s completely fuckin’ limp, Cooper. He did somethin’ to her. Fuck, Grey! I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” Sully mutters into my hair.

“Wash the dog off in the tub,” Nick commands as I feel exhaustion and comfort dragging me toward unconsciousness. It could be the drugs taking their toll on my system, but listening to Sully’s heart, I feel safe. He saved me. He always saves me.

O’Sullivan

“I’m not leavin’ her side. So say what you gotta say,” I grunt at Cooper.

Natasha’s sedated while we wait for the drugs in her system to be flushed. She was fighting so hard to try to make her body move that her blood pressure was sky rocketing, a common side effect according to Cooper. The doctors in the emergency room decided it was best to sedate her after they figured out what motherfucking Ben dosed her with.

Blake’s sitting across the bed from me, scowling and raging for his sister. He deserves to hear whatever Cooper’s about to tell me.

“He’s one of us. I can’t give you much more than that. Officially, Vojtech’s dead. Died in the fire. You did a number on him O’Sullivan. I don’t think he’ll be speaking for a while. His jaw’s wired shut. Tonight wasn’t him. Ben Horowitz did this. We’ve got footage from Overland Park Regional. He took her from the parking garage. Roman let Ben take him too. He was tryin’ to save her,” Cooper explains from the end of the bed, shifting his troubled eyes between Blake and me.

“I got the call that an agent had activated a tracker and assembled a team for the grab. I didn’t know, O’Sullivan. I had no idea he was DCA. I’m sorry, man.”

“She said he never hurt her. That’s why. It makes since,” I grumble, cradling Natasha’s hand in mine.

“This job…” Cooper trails off.

He knows. He was undercover for a decade as an enforcer in a crime family. He knows the blackness it requires. I don’t give a shit if Roman whatever his name is didn’t hurt Natasha. I don’t care that he tried to save her. I don’t give one flying fuck about him.

He stole her from me. He crushed her. Her mutilated her soul for this fucking agency.

“So nothing happens to him,” I state as opposed to ask.

Roman won’t pay for he did to Natasha. It was part of his job. That makes him untouchable.

“He’s payin’ a price, O’Sullivan,” Blake whispers.

I look into his sad grey eyes.

“He lost her,” he explains further.

I nod.

“He’ll be moved as soon as we can get it set up. You want me to call the family?” Cooper asks, moving to the doorway.

“Just give her time to wake up and get this shit outta her system. She doesn’t need to be bombarded with all of us as soon as she comes to. You’ve still got Zeus?”

“He’s passed out in my car. We’ll have to wait for dental records to identify Horowitz. Zeus didn’t leave anything.”

“Any idea why he did this?”

“Just piecing shit together at this point. We found fake passports for Horowitz and Natasha, airline tickets to some tiny island in the Pacific, roofies, more of the nerve agent, shovels, duct tape, a Taser, plastic tarps and a shit load of money. We’re still looking into it though. It’ll take some time to get the complete picture,” Cooper finishes with a huff of frustration.

“You did good, O’Sullivan,” he assures me before leaving the room with a sad smile on his face.

“I’m so fuckin’ lost,” Blake groans. “Vojtech’s some super soldier undercover? Her nerdy ex-boyfriend is some hacker wacko? What the fuck?”

“Sounds like you’ve got a good handle on it,” I say through a snort.

He snorts back.

“She’s not comin’ back to stay with you. I was gonna ask her to move in tonight. I need her with me, Blake. I’m not takin’ your sister from you. If you wanna crash at my place, you’re welcome any time. If you wanna move back in, I’m down. I’ll do whatever you need to make you comfortable, but I need her with me. I can’t spend another night like this,” I whisper the finish.

Blake studies me for a while, considering my words. He knows I love his sister. But letting her go like this, it’s a big step. His lips part to respond but it’s not his voice that speaks.

“Okay,” Natasha croaks.

Blake and I dive at her simultaneously, almost banging heads as we land on her shoulders. She lets out an oof and we let off on our pressure.

“Love you, Tosh,” Blake mutters into his sister’s cheek. He sits up after kissing her skin ten times and holds her hand tightly.

“Grey, can you hear me?” I whisper into her ear.

She nods minutely.

“I love you. I love you so fuckin’ much. I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. I’m sorry,” I sob into her neck.

Here’s the moment where I crumble. She’s safe. I don’t have to hold it together anymore. I sob and sob until her hand squeezes mine and I sit up to look into her stormy greys.

“I’ve got you,” she breathes out.

I wipe my tears away and flash her a broad smile.

We’ve got each other.

“Put it down,” I growl and Natasha rolls her eyes at me.

“It’s been a week, Sully. I’m fine and you’re being ridiculous,” she huffs.

I snag the box from her hands and kiss her crimson lips as I do.

“Stop pickin’ up heavy shit,” I mumble against her mouth.

She scowls at me as I pull away from her.

“What am I supposed to do then?”

“Sit back and enjoy the show, Grey,” I purr, running my hand down my sweaty naked torso while rolling my hips.

Natasha’s jaw drops at my moves. She doesn’t know I was a stripper in law school. A private show is in her near future. She’s shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, trying to alleviate the ache I’m causing. Fuck yeah.

“Private dances only happen in the champagne room,” Kav grunts as he stacks up more boxes.

His naked chest is a blazing Celtic swirl with our clover at the center. He pops his pecs at Natasha before heaving her shit out of the apartment.

“You’re gonna have to quit staring at my dick if we’re gonna get this done,” I chide her weakly.

“Well stop…doin’…stop movin’…just stop.”

I love it when she gets so flustered she can’t speak.

“Go sit down. We’ll be done soon,” I respond sweetly, letting her off the hook.

“I’m not helpless,” she continues to argue.

I drop the box and cup her face in my healing hands.

“I didn’t say that you are. You’re so fuckin’ strong. No one would ever think you’re helpless. But please don’t fight me right now. Not after this last week. Just let me take care of this shit so I can get you home. To our home, where you belong. I’ve got you.”

Then I kiss the ever-loving shit out of her. Her nails dig into my biceps as I tip her head to the side and slide my tongue across hers. She moans into my mouth as I release her face and cup her ass. She’s wearing jogging shorts that allow my hands to easily travel beneath the hem and I get two handfuls of the greatest ass known to man.

I plunder her mouth as my dick strains against the jersey of my shorts, causing a tent ten people could live in. I nibble and suckle her bottom lip and then dive in for more of her. Her tongue tangles with mine as her hands leave my arms and sink into my damp hair, tugging and fisting. Hard nipples rub against me and I growl deep in my chest. It’s time to kick the door shut and pull those pale pink tips into my mouth.

“Ah! My eyes!” Blake screams at the top of his lungs.

Natasha jumps in surprise and rips her mouth away from mine to search for her brother. We both find him leaning against the wall one hand covering his eyes while the other clutches at his six-pack like he’s going to puke.

“I can’t unsee that shit, Tosh,” he grumbles.

I release her ass, reluctantly before adjusting my seriously disappointed dick.

“Knock it off, Blake. It’s not like we were having sex.”

“Unfortunately,” I say under my breath.

Natasha shoots me a look that says shut up so I do. I kiss her forehead, collect the box I dropped and walk over to Blake. I slap his shoulder once and he drops his hand from his eyes.

“Be sure to knock when you visit.”

He gags and starts complaining to Natasha as I saunter out of the room. I know he’s sad that Natasha’s moving out, but he’ll be happy to have the space to himself.

“Hot chick alert,” Cal informs me when I pass him in the living room. “Two of ’em unloading a U-Haul next to ours.

I walk outside to see a familiar ass and legs. This time I can place the person attached to them.

“Liz!” I shout as I descend the stairs.

She jumps and squeals as she spins to face me. Her dark hair is in a messy bun on top of her head and her honey-glazed eyes are scowling in my direction as she shields them from the sun with her hand on her brow.

A strawberry-blonde bob pops out of the back of the U-Haul as Liz asks, “Brian?”

I beam a smile at the two of them and drop the box on the sidewalk as I get to their moving truck.

“No help today?” I ask with a bit of a scowl.

Angie huffs, “My husband, Jeff, and his friends are meeting us here. But this one won’t wait for the muscle.”

“I’m not helpless,” Liz grunts.

I bark out a loud laugh, tipping my head back.

“Sully?” Natasha’s unsure voice calls out from the balcony.

“Come here, Grey.”

She plods down the stairs slowly, staring at Angie with daggers in her grey storms.

“Angie. Liz. This is my girlfriend Natasha,” I introduce, pulling her under my arm. “Angie and Liz were at Flannigan’s the night I had a little scuffle.”