Gator (10 page)

Gator

Mia is on the
balcony when I arrive. At the sound of the door closing, she hurries to me. My
whirlwind of emotions demands an outlet and the warmth in her expression causes
my control to slip.

When I lift
her into my arms, she gasps at the roughness of my touch. Instead of flinching
away, she touches the scar down my face. The feel of her cool fingers eats away
at more of my control. Quickly, I have her on the bed with her shorts and
panties on the ground.

Mia stares at
me, half afraid, half enthralled. She only caresses my face while I struggle to
undress her. My fingers find her barely aroused. I want her now and know she
won’t complain if I take her when she’s unprepared. Only the memory of the
freak I killed and how she never complained for him either prevents me from shoving
my cock inside her.

As I struggle
with her bra, a giggling Mia plays with my hair. I don’t think I can wait much
longer. Shoving up her shirt and bra, I grip her tits too roughly. Mia doesn’t stop
me. Instead, she twirls my hair in her delicate fingers.

When I suck
hard on her soft nipples, Mia gasps and her fingers tighten on my hair. She
makes a strangled sigh then I feel her feet up around my hips. I know she wants
me closer, but I can’t tolerate the heat of her pussy. She’s not ready and I’m
past waiting.

Her nipples
respond even to such rough stimulation and I press the head of my cock against
the soft wet flesh between her legs. She stares wide-eyed at me and I pause.

“Say the
words,” I growl, barely in control.

“I’m yours.”

My hands hold
her throat as I stare into her eyes and beg her to understand. “The other words.”

Mia’s eyes
flicker around my face. I don’t think she knows what I need until she says them
in a voice like the wind.

“I love you.”

My control
snaps and I shove myself into her until she can’t take more. Mia gasps, but her
fingers still play with my hair. Sighing, I rest on top of her and try to
explain. The city eats at what good remains in me. I need to leave this place,
but my works isn’t done. Afraid and angry, I know only she offers me a
reprieve.

Smiling, Mia
wiggles her hips under mine. She’s ready, but I don’t know if I could stop even
if she wasn’t.

A man
possessed, I prop my body over hers and stare into her eyes as I thrust. Mia
holds my gaze while her hands grip my forearms. As I fuck her, I’m less man
than a beast. An animal with only one need. I take and give her nothing. Even
mesmerized by her fair eyes, I can’t offer her anything. No words of warmth. No
pleasure either. I fuck for me and she is only my outlet. The only outlet that
will satisfy.

The small
part of me still a man cares for Mia and notices the way she stares. Her eyes
are so big like she’s amazed or horrified. Not afraid though. I don’t blame her
if she is. Her body can’t keep up with the way I fuck and she only holds on
until I’m done.

Barely sated,
I need more. I need everything she has to offer, but I fear her reaction. No
longer the hero, I’ve become the monster she fears in the dark.

“It’s okay,”
she whispers as I catch my breath while still propped over her. “You’re safe.”

Once my lips find
hers, Mia’s arms wrap around me immediately. She understands because she’s
mine. It makes no sense and I don’t care. She knows my heart and mind. She sees
the darkness inside my heart and still smiles like basking in the sun. Mia is
my savior and I need to free her from this city and the evil wanting to swallow
us both.

“I killed
your mother,” I whisper.

“Some people
need killing.”

Staring into
her eyes, I force the words free. “I love you.”

“You’ve never
loved anyone who hasn’t hurt you. I won’t hurt you, Jake.”

My fear fades
a little at how quickly she embraces what I’ve told her. “Your love is good.”

“So is yours.
You saved me.”

“I need to
get out of here.”

“Then, let’s
go.”

“I need to kill
Carz first.”

Mia cups my
face. “Then, kill him. Nothing is keeping us here. Wherever you are is where my
home is. Let’s just do what needs to be done and go.”

I smile at
how simple she makes it sound. She’s right too. Carz is a weak man and I am
not. I need to finish this job and leave the city before it destroys everything
good inside me and leaves nothing for Mia.

Mia

As we arrive
at the alley where Vic last licked his lips, I crawl into the backseat like
Jake wants. He’s edgy, but my mind is on Disneyland. When he said we would stop
there before flying to Nicaragua, I cried with excitement and started making
plans. One of them is to get Jake to wear a Mickey Mouse hat with the ears.
He’ll complain, but the little boy inside him needs that silly hat.

“Stay down
and hold this just in case,” Jake says, handing me a gun.

“I love you.”

Jake frowns
at me. He wants me to be quiet while the killer in him does what he does best.
I’m not supposed to love that part of him, but I do. The killer part destroyed
Rodent and freed me from hell. I think I might love that part of Jake the most.

“If shit goes
south,” he said, glaring out the window, “you kill whoever you have to and get
out of here.”

“Carz is a
loser. No way does it go south.”

“He’s paranoid.
It’s why he wants you dead.”

“Do you love
me?” I ask and he rolls his eyes. He likes to act angry, but I see him relax a
little around the shoulders. Angry is easy for him. A man in love is trickier.
I don’t care. I still want to say the words.

Jake climbs
out of the car, slams the door, and leans against the hood. His gun sticks out
of the back of his pants and I look at the one he handed me. It’s big and I
know it’ll have a kick. Jake showed me how to load the Ruger, but we never
practiced firing it. As I hide in the backseat, I suspect I’ll find out about
the kick today.

The passenger
window is open and I look out of it as Carz arrives in his big red car. He has
a new bodyguard with him. I assume the old one is dead and I’m glad. The old
one was a jerk. I bet the new one is too.

“Gator,” Carz
says, rubbing the wrinkles out of his red track suit. “You got the job done as
usual.”

“Where’s my
money?”

“You come
alone?” Carz asks and I know he’s up to no good. Jake knows too.

“If you
didn’t bring my money…” Jake says without finishing his threat.

The new guy
tries to look bigger to intimidate Jake. It’s no use. The new guy is super
muscular, but he can barely move with his bulk. Jake’s muscles are leaner. He’s
fast and strong. I can tell the new guy is worried and he should be.

“I don’t like
loose ends,” Carz says, grinning like a fool from behind his big sunglasses.
“You understand.”

Showing no
sign he understands, Jake glances at the new guy. “If you kill him, I’ll let
you take over his business. You can get rich while I dump his body and
disappear. Or you can wait until you’re the loose end.”

When the new
guy glances between his boss and Jake, I point my gun at him. I hope he’ll be
smart and kill Carz. Instead, he pulls his gun on Jake.

I fire once
and the kick nearly causes me to drop the gun. The bullet tears open the new
guy’s stomach and he staggers back. Jake pulls his gun and fires again into the
wounded man’s face. Just like that, Carz is alone with a paid killer he planned
to screw over.

Acting like
he wants to disappear, Carz stays quiet. I remember the many times I was at the
mercy of stronger people. Being as quiet as possible, I’d pray they forgot I
was there. Now, Carz knows what it’s like to fear.

“Mia, come
out,” Jake says, holding his gun at his side.

Carz doesn’t
move for a weapon, instead thinking of how to talk his way out of trouble.

“I have the
money,” he says as I climb out of the SUV. “It’s in my car.” When Carz sees me,
he smirks at Jake who remains stony-faced. “I didn’t realize you were a sucker
for blowjobs.”

Jake finally
moves and kicks Carz’s chubby legs out from under him. The bastard falls while
Jake holds out a hand for me to join him. I walk to where Carz glares at me.

“She’s
playing you, Gator. Did she pull the stupid routine? It’s a con, man.”

“What the
fuck is with everyone calling me ‘man?’” Jake growls and I almost laugh.

“She’ll kill
you next,” Carz tells Jake who steps behind me.

“This piece
of shit,” Jake says, “is every man that ever hurt you. He’s every time you went
to bed hungry. Every time you cried. Every time you suffered. It’s time to get
your revenge.”

Jake slides his
gun into my hand and lifts it to point at Carz’s face. I know what he wants.
While I’d be happy just to leave the city and live my life with Jake, he needs
vengeance.

When I pull
the trigger, I don’t think of me crying and suffering. I think of Jake as a boy
alone in a dirty place where no one loved or cared for him. I imagine him
desperate for a hug, a meal, anything good in his otherwise miserable life. I
pull the trigger and give Jake the vengeance he needs.

Gator

Mia and I
return to the hotel to pack for our flight out of this shithole. We’re heading
to Anaheim where we’ll enjoy Disneyland. I’ll also pick up Mia’s new paperwork.
A birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, everything she needs to be Mia
James.
Idget Gidget is dead.

“How did you know
I would shoot that man and he wouldn’t shoot you first?” Mia asks, having
packed her precious snow globes in a special box the concierge provided.

“I didn’t,” I
say. “If you didn’t get to him in time, I would have. I’m just that fast.”

Smiling, Mia
adds her doll to the bag. She doesn’t carry it as much now. The days of having
only a toy to comfort her are over. Mia has me now.

“I love you,”
she says, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Gator and Jake and anyone else
you might be. I love you and I’m glad you love me too.”

She’s an
angel in my arms and I can’t help smiling. “I love you and I’m never letting
you go.”

Mia lifts up
on her tippy toes to kiss me and my hunger steals her breath away. Instead of
carrying her to bed, I walk to my phone and search for a song. Finding Sammy
Davis Jr. singing
I Dream a Dream
, I rest the phone on the desk. Mia
watches me like she always does. Like she’s been in the dark too long and I’m a
light beckoning her towards freedom.

“Devil Doyle
talked me into taking a dance class,” I say, spinning around. “Said it would
help with my finesse. Said killing was more than being a tank breaking down
walls.”

Much like
back in the classes, I feel like a fool when I dance. As soon as Mia smiles, my
embarrassment is worth it. Her eyes shining, she watches me slide and spin
towards her.

“I can’t
dance.”

“You’re the
girl,” I say softly while taking her hands. “All you need to do is look
pretty.”

Mia looks up
at me and I know the chains of my past are finally broken. Leaving the swamp
never truly freed me, yet now I feel the weight of the past easing off my
shoulders.

Taking her
hands in mine, I tell her to place her bare feet over my booted ones. I move
slowly around the room, spinning her gently so she doesn’t panic. She relaxes because
I’m in control. My woman trusts me. For the first time, I know she should.

“When we get
to Nicaragua, you’ll be overwhelmed,” I say as she stares into my eyes. “It’ll
be so different from what you’ve ever known. You won’t know the language and
you’ll feel like an outsider. I know you will because I did too.”

Mia’s gaze
reveals her fear of the unknown. Still holding one hand, I use my free hand to
cup her face.

“You and me
can be anyone there. I’m no longer the swamp rat. You’re no longer the child
whore. No more Gidget. No more Gator. We can be Jake and Mia and have anything
we want.”

I kiss Mia as
gently as I can and she smiles while our lips touch. She believes in the dream
too.

“You’ll learn
to speak the language,” I promise her. “I picked up some stuff quick because
it’s all I heard. People will think we’re different because we’re foreign. Not
because of what our parents made us. Only you and I will know the truth and
that is all in the past.”

Mia uses her
free hand to caress my chest. She’s smiling like the past is releasing her too.

“Our days
will be spent in the warm sun. We can look out at the ocean and it’ll swallow
up the pain of what came before. Everything will be new. Our new home, together
in paradise will give us rebirth. It’s why I found you now. I’m ready to start
again and I need someone to go with me. Someone who understands what I am, but
loves me anyway.”

“I do love you,”
she whispers, her eyes as clear as a spring day.

“We’ll make a
new life and we’ll never bow to others. Never bleed for them either. Our lives
will belong to us and we’ll be free.”

“Together,”
she says, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head where her hand
once caressed.

“You’re mine
and I’m never letting you go,” I say, believing my words more each time I say
them.

Sighing, Mia wraps
her arms tighter around me. “I didn’t wake up from the dream. This is real and
I’m really yours.”

The song ends
and a new one begins, but we hear none of it. We’re no longer in this horrid
city. Our hearts dream of the paradise waiting for us and our minds follow.