Ford: The Dudnik Circle Book 1 (5 page)

The older guy in the corner, sitting on a chair speaks up. “Fuck her good, show that fucker of a father what he did… See that, fucker? Your daughter is now the one who’s being used, want us to videotape that shit? Fuck no, we’re not like you, asshole.”

Then it’s all gone, his hands, his grip, he’s gone. Just as quick as he had me pinned and bared, he leaves me hollow and broken.

…My heart is pounding as though trying to break free of my chest. I’m panting hard until realization hits that I’m not stuck in the past. I’m in my own bedroom, sucked into an old memory triggered by the man who just entered my life like he intended to enter my body all those years ago.

Anger burns in my veins. The need to kill him. Looking down, I see my fists buried tight into the robe. Sliding the fabric from my fingers, the pain eases. Pain. The memory always ends the same. Abrupt. Like he caught himself before making a mistake…

Not entering…

Jumbled images flash through my mind. The way he came inside me when he had me tied up on his bed. Then left without a word, leaving me there. His shocked face in the mirror. Did he know? Did he remember who I was? Sometimes he kills the women he takes. He didn’t say… No, wait. What did Ford say to my dad when he had me pinned to the table? ‘
That’s what you said to her, your last fucking words. The last she heard… The last your fucking daughter will hear.’
Why would he say that to my father? My father said that? To who? When?

Confused, I find myself hugging the robe when I see a note.

“Please hear me out before you kill me. I owe you that much.”

Fucker. I grab the bundle of rope and almost let my mind travel to the pleasure he gave me. Ignoring my sore pussy that serves as a double reminder, I see something hidden in the rope. When I unwind it, there’s a new phone in my hands.

He probably thinks it’s a nice gesture to replace the one he stole. Or threw away or, whatever. My annoyance and anger get the best of me, and without thinking I hit the call button for the only number that’s programmed in the list of contacts. I freeze the moment the call connects. For a few long moments, neither one of us speak. Each of us is holding our breath. Waiting.

Another few seconds go by before I hear him swallow and croak, “I’m glad you called.”

Brought out of the moment, the only words I throw into the phone are, “You said… He said,” My voice turns into a whisper when realization hits. “What did my father do?”

“I won’t tell you over the phone, miles away. It’s not something… I can’t, won’t. I need to face you and look you in the eye when I tell you my side of the story.
Please
.”

Why does he get to me? He takes, he demands. He’s ruthless. He has a reputation that makes a grown man shit his pants. Yet this guy says please to me with the emotion like he’s on his knees, offering his soul.

“Tomorrow. Noon. Old building on Gavinstar Road, you’ll get five minutes. Bring only one other person and I will do the same. You will leave when those five minutes are up, whether you’re finished or not. I don’t fucking care.”

“I’ll only need two.” His voice turns husky. “Those other three I’ll use to be deep inside you again.”

The fucker hangs up before I can kill the damn call or him for that matter.

Mind set on revenge.

***Ford***

Water rushes over me, just like the memories of me taking her right here in the shower. So fucking sweet. I still don’t understand why the hell I said that last part before I ended the call. Fuck. That just slipped out of my fucking mouth. I wanted to be honest and direct, but not that fucking direct. Dammit. Building trust by throwing up sexual promises isn’t the way to go. Except, in my mind… it’s the fucking truth.

We need this talk and yeah, it’s either fuck or fucking get killed. I’ve got my mind set on the first option, knowing it’s just wishful thinking. If she chooses to go for the second… my soul is ready to surrender and pay for my sins. I can never ask for forgiveness when I can never forgive myself. I just hope we can get past this, that she understands what… ah, fuck. No one can understand, I can’t even… She just needs to know.

Getting out of the shower is as cold as the reality that hits me. The tiny shred of hope I get to fill her up while her inner walls clamp down around my cock slides away like the water on the floor… going down the drain.

Instead of the suits I usually wear, I chose to go with black cargo pants and a black tank. I grab one of my favorite hoodies and zip up my Magnum US Viper Pro black boots. Ready for any kind of action, I make my way to the living room.

The guys I trust the most are all gathered, and I’m sure they are here to talk me out of it. Yegor speaks up first. “Are you sure about this, Boss?”

One by one, I meet the eyes of each man for a few seconds to be sure I’m fucking clear. “Yes. I’m more than ready for what’s about to go down. Yegor, you’re coming with me. If things don’t go as planned, you’ll be the one in charge. None of you will retaliate. Am I fucking clear?”

Between curses, I hear a reluctant chorus of, “Yes, Boss.”

That’s enough for me. I make one last trip to the basement and when I get to the foyer, Yegor is already waiting for me. Reaching into my pocket, I wrap my fingers around my keys. When I toss them to him, he snatches them out of the air in one clean sweep.

“Why in the hell am I driving?” he says with a hint of awe in his voice. “You never let anyone behind the wheel of your monster.”

I shrug my shoulders before answering. “Might as well get to know the monster before it’s passed on to you.”

“Fuck, man. You can’t be serious. Look, I know you feel deep down like you need to do this or some shit, and maybe she got to you, but fuck… Snap out of it, Ford. You’re top of the line; everyone shivers and bows at your feet.” His voice rises with every word he spits out.

“There’s a reason why you’re coming along, Yegor. Just calm the fuck down and listen when I explain it to her. Then you’ll understand. Or not, I don’t fucking care. It needs to be done.”

I stroll out the door, not caring if he trails along. I’m fucking sure he is though, since he always has my back. Even now, when I’m voluntarily walking into my own death.

The ride takes a little over ten minutes. The only thing I do is stare out the fucking side window while my mind travels back in time. Even for me it’s hard to relive that dark moment from my past. My body shivers with the thought of voicing that shit.

Yegor parks the truck in front of an old building. It looks rundown, like everything else in this part of town. Although the moment we step inside, everything looks new. The solid steel door slams shut behind us. There are two guys who look like buff baboons standing beside it. Without a word, one of them waves a hand, indicating we need to go upstairs.

Taking the steps two at a time, I’m not even panting as I reach the top. Yegor, however, is. The fucker likes his food. He might exercise, but that belly he’s got  sure blocks his six-pack from ever showing.

Chuckling, I slap him on the back. But before I can make a comment, I hear a throat clear.

“Enough with the male bonding. Step inside or the clock starts ticking right now.” I can feel the anger rolling off Justice before I turn to face her.

Holding out my hand, I say, “By all means, lead the way,
Angel Moy
.”

Yeah, I totally breathe the name I gave her all husky and sweet. Not just to ruffle her feathers, but to ease my heart that beats in a whole new pattern as soon as she’s in my presence.

Her eyes narrow before she spins on her heel and her tight ass gives me no other option than to follow it.

The room looks like an interrogation room. There is a table that appears to be bolted to the floor with four chairs around it. One chair is different than the other three and that right there confirms my suspicion.

“Start talking.” She doesn’t even bother to sit down.

Her second-in-command closes the door and stands in front of it. Yegor does the same and keeps an eye on them both.

I saunter to the table and take a seat. My eyes turn hard as I meet hers. She gets my unspoken demand. She draws a deep breath and then huffs as she places that tight ass in a seat across from mine.

“Since you didn’t give me a lot of time, I’ll make it short but give you most of the details.”

She quirks an eyebrow at my statement. “You will give me all of the information and details before I tie you up and finish you.”

Damn if my dick didn’t just harden at the promise in her voice. “Now, Angel. That’s not yours to demand.”

She opens her mouth, but before words leave those lush lips I manage to snap them shut by telling her, “You’re not allowed to speak.”

Yegor chuckles. One glance and even his breath halts. That’s fucking right. I’m in control.

“I will not permit one word. When I’m done, and only when I’m done, will I grant you permission to speak.”

Again with the one eyebrow. Her pupils dilate and the submission in her gaze shoots straight to my groin. Dammit, I need to focus. Focusing on my sister, hurt squeezes my heart as my thoughts are forced back under control.

“As you know, all of this happened back in Russia. My sister was seventeen when she was murdered. The cops took forever to make a case. It’s like they didn’t even try. My mother was crushed; she couldn’t live with the loss of her daughter. Cops were standing in front of my house when I got home one day; told me my mother had committed suicide. The cop who stood in front of me was the same fucker who handled my sister’s case and I could just see the fucking pity in his eyes. That was when I decided to find out for my fucking self what happened. I didn’t have one soul left on this earth to take care of, and the need to hide the desire to kill the person who took my sister’s life and drove my mother to suicide was gone.”

I close my eyes as I focus on my breathing. The anger slices through my body as my chest burns for every gulp of air that enters my lungs.

I swallow hard before I continue, “I knew I wouldn’t stand a fucking chance to get revenge by myself, so I went to the biggest gang in the area. I was very lucky they let me join. Mainly because I told them my reasons and was shocked to find out they were after the same fucker as me. Turns out there was a Japanese gang who kidnapped young girls for…”

My hands ball into fist on the table, and my eyes close yet again to gain some semblance of control. The softest touch envelopes one of my hands. Opening my eyes, I see her fingers covering mine. Slowly, my gaze trails up to see she’s studying me. With a slight nod, she nudges me to continue.

“Snuff movies. They kidnapped my sister. A man raped and tortured her before he sliced her throat and continued to fuck her sprawled over a table. Pumping from behind while the blood pumped out of her body until there was none left… I…I saw the video.”

My throat clogs with anger at the memory of those images, forever etched into every cell of my body.

“We tracked down the guy. It really wasn’t hard, considering his fucking face was on the video. He was wearing a mask at first, but my sister fought so hard she pulled it off so we had four seconds of clear image. It was your father, Justice.”

The hand that was covering mine pulls back as if my touch burns her skin. “No,” she whispers, though her voice radiates yes.

Fuck, that was hard enough to lay on her, but what comes next will be even worse.

“My boss at the time left the tape for your father to find, except… your mom came home early and watched it… I wasn’t at the stakeout when it happened, so I only know what they told me. The head of the gang set up a team in an apartment across the street to keep an eye on your place. When your father entered the house…they watched through the window while they were on the phone with the boss, deciding how to handle the situation... before they could intervene, your father had snapped your mother’s neck. The boss told them to wait till I got there so we could collect your father and bring him to the warehouse a few miles out of town. They watched him tuck her in a closet and then you came home.”

My breath catches in my throat. I don’t have to finish the story since we were both present when she and her father were taken to the warehouse. She was there when I lost control and wanted to make her dad experience what I felt when I saw my sister die. When I wanted his daughter to feel what my sister must have felt; the horror right in front of his face. How fucking wrong revenge is. I should have just killed the fucker.

My left hand goes to the side of my leg, where my ever-present knife is fastened. Unbuttoning the clasp, I take out my knife and place it on the table in front of me, and slide it toward her.

“Do not pity me for the events leading to the scars I branded your life with. Take what is rightfully yours
…
Reckoning… Make it quick,
Angel Moy
.”

***Justice***

A knife. On the table. Yet I feel as though I’ve been stabbed straight through my heart. My father. My own father. My mother…I just assumed those guys killed her…instead it was my own dad, he was the one who killed my mother and Ford’s sister. It all makes perfect sense. It’s like pieces of a puzzle falling together, showing me the complete picture. The truth reflecting in Ford’s eyes is undeniable. I knew my dad was off track when he started to beat me, but this…

My focus drifts from the knife to my second-in-command. Afon’s soft gaze carries pity and hurt. With a slight nod, he gives me the answer I silently asked. He agrees that Ford is telling the truth. Who knows, maybe he and my uncle knew all along and kept it from me to shield me from more excruciating memories. Let’s face it… what I went through was enough.

When Ford released me from his grip back then, they just let us go, and we walked right out the door without another word. But once we were on the street, the first car that passed put a bullet in my father’s head. Problem solved, right? My uncle had people put me on a plane. I left Russia and became a prime member of the Rybin Gang with my mind set on revenge.

All I have to do is pick up the knife, and I’ll have  the vengeance I’ve craved for so very long. Except…my father killed his sister. Not only that… he raped her. Humiliated her. His mother took her life because of it. All those years ago…he was about to take revenge by doing the same to me, what my father did to his sister… except Ford couldn’t… he didn’t… Understanding hits yet I can’t find complete forgiveness. My fingers curl around the knife. In one clean swift move, I lodge it deep into the table in front of Ford, right between his hands.

Without a word, I get up and leave the room.