Branded (Strand Brothers Series Book 1) (35 page)

The text read:
I found a positively sinful device while shopping today. Can’t wait for you to try it out. Yours, M.

Attached was a photo of what looked to be a leather condom with metal spikes all over it. For a moment I didn’t understand, then the image I had made it all too clear. The condom—for lack of a better word—was meant to be used as a torture device.
Debauched little whore
. Question was: did I use it on her or someone else? Funny, because I knew I had told her before I couldn’t usually have sex with my playthings. Well, she would be disciplined for her lapse in memory. Even though I couldn’t stop the grin spreading across my face, she would like that as much as I would. And
there
was my answer—time to go home and wait for a better opportunity to present itself. Aimee couldn’t avoid me forever. Her death would come in due time. Patience was just one of the traits I had in spades—
if I do say so myself.

*****

I made it back to the cabin with no complications, which put a genuine smile on my face. Marissa liked pain and perversion as much as I did. Therefore, when I found her bound and waiting for me—
now that’s priceless
—I came instantly. And then I railed, “Just look at what you’ve made me do.”

“Do tell,” she whispered huskily before she licked her lips.

I approached her spread eagle legs and thrust my fist inside her. She bit her lip from the intrusion, arched her hips up and begged, “Again.”

I noticed the blood from where her teeth had just punctured her lip. It was the only evidence that my fist had caused her any discomfort whatsoever. Damn. The woman simply didn’t have a pain threshold. Huh…maybe it was time to find it. As fast as possible, I yanked my clothes off and then went to the closet to grab a thick leather belt. When I walked back into the bedroom and made eye contact, she began to writhe. “Oh, yes, Master. I’ve been soooo naughty.”

“Hell, yes, you have,” I agreed.

After thoroughly lashing her body, I had to be inside her. She was covered in welts—some angry and bright red. Her face was tear-streaked, and her wrists, along with her ankles, were raw from pulling against the restraints with each blow to her delectable body. Pain was her aphrodisiac. And I had every intention of seeing just how much she could endure. I licked her swollen, bruised breasts and then latched onto her nipple, biting down hard until she screamed. “Yeah, just like that, whore,” I approved before I repeated the action, over and over, until my mouth was smeared with her blood.

When our gazes met, I could see the lust in hers. Holy hell, she was amazing. She glanced over to the bedside table where her newest purchase set. Uncertain if I should try this particular brand of torment at the moment, I inquired, “Are you sure, Marissa?”

“Please,” she pleaded, “Rip me apart.”

I nodded as I donned the condom with the wickedly sharp spikes. There was going to be some extreme damage. I stared down at her and affirmed, “I happen to like this cunt.” I pinched her folds tightly, bringing forth a groan of agony. “Don’t you dare refuse me later, due to infection or healing wounds.”

“I won’t,” she vowed.

As I entered her slowly, she let out an earsplitting scream. Her body in complete paroxysm, therefore, I held still and let her move when she was ready. She begged, “More.”

I refused her request. “No.” I explained, “I have no intentions of killing you.”

I pulled out of her and released the restraints with every intention of mounting her again, sans torture device. So when she yelled, “Bastard!” I was shocked.

“Come again?”

She then proceeded to strike me with her fists, again and again, as she wailed, “How dare you! I told you what I wanted. You refused.” I held her wrists so she couldn’t hit me anymore. She spat out, “You’re spineless. All you think about is your revenge on Aimee. Not to mention your damn Rachel. Who
you
refuse to accept is dead and gone. ”

That did it! All I saw was red as I hit her, over and over, until my rage finally subsided. In my haze of fury, unfortunately, I had latched my hands firmly around her tender throat—which effectively killed her.

To this day, I didn’t remember the precise moment she gasped her last breath.

*****

To dismember a body wasn’t anything new to me, though it was unbelievably messy. Not something I relished doing. That was more up Joe’s alley. As the fire roared, I sat quietly and watched the last of Marissa’s body go up in flames. There were no tears, just silent commiseration for a woman I had thoroughly enjoyed. Where would I find another like her? Did I want to? At the moment, I wasn’t completely sure if I did or not. What I was sure of; Aimee was to blame for the whole damn thing. And she would pay for it. Dearly. For that, I could ensure.

Chapter Forty

Nik

Excitement filled me as I made my way to Lake Tahoe. Alex as well as Even had voiced their opinions, loud and clear, about me returning to this place. Although I understood their concerns for me, I was insistent that I would be the one to locate Aimee. Emotions ran high while I drove along the familiar road. My first and foremost thought was to tell Aimee how
much
I loved her. She had to hear me out and comprehend beyond a shadow of doubt that I
needed
her.
My
key
to survival
was
her
. She meant the world to me, as if she were the very air I breathed. There was no other option than for us to be together. Forever.

A cold chill of foreboding ran up my spine as I traveled the fateful highway. Damn, I really hated this road! I tried with all my might to keep the past from colliding with the present, so I focused on my surroundings. Did I just see…? Wait! Was that smoke? No! It couldn’t be. Surely that was not the same ominous tree. Even when I glanced around to ensure I was definitely at the same curve, my brain just couldn’t quite wrap around it.  Until I recognized the car that fit the description, to a T, of the one Aimee had rented. The only misstep she had made since she left me nearly two weeks ago—instead of cash, she used a credit card. No one was more grateful for that than me.

Alright, Nik. Pull your shit together here, buddy. If that’s your wife in the car, she needs you. You’re a man, not a pussy;
I reminded myself when my legs trembled beneath me as I got out of the vehicle. Holy hell, was there a white SUV parked down the slope? Not that I had time to contemplate what it meant if it were. Now was the time for action. Even if it wasn’t Aimee wrapped around the tree, whoever was in there needed help. Fast.

I made my way down the snow covered slope. My breathing accelerated as I gazed upon the wreckage before me. My God, it was a complete reincarnation of what my truck had looked like all those years ago. As I took in the sight, for the first time, I realized how I had walked away and Rachel hadn’t. The entire passenger side of the car was coiled around the huge tree, almost as if they were embracing. I got down on my haunches to peek inside. What met my eyes took my breath away. Blood was everywhere. The beloved face of Aimee was hardly recognizable against what was left of the air bag. Her grayish-green eyes stared into the unknown. My knees gave out, then and there, as my mind raced to keep up with all the images flashing through it: Rachel telling me she loved me before she took her last breath. The haunting dream I had of Aimee dying, which seemed to be a premonition as the current situation played out. I would never survive losing another woman, another wife, I loved this way. No, that was just too damn cruel. Even for a bastard like me.

I attempted to pull myself together—yet failed miserably—and placed my head in my hands. If I lost it now, there would be no coming back. I stood on the cusp of sanity, barely holding on. Then, over the high-pitched sirens, there was a faint moan. At first, I thought it was my imagination—wishful thinking—until our gazes locked. Tears slid down my face as reality hit with the force of a freight train.
She’s alive!
Aimee had survived the crash. I crawled towards her, not aware of the glass shredding my knees, and breathed, “Lille.” Then louder, “Hang on. Help is on the way.”

When she reached for my hand, a sob of elation broke free. There was suddenly horror in her eyes as she looked over my shoulder. “What is it?” I asked while glancing back; however, I couldn’t see anything to cause such alarm. Yeah, there seemed to be a shadow, but, honestly, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. A man, maybe? Of course, that didn’t make any sense. If someone were there, wouldn’t they offer to help? I shook my head to clear it, grasped her hand and assured, “It’s okay. You’ll be out of there in no time.”
God, please let my words be true.
Granted, I’d stayed mad at
Him
for years, yet, at the moment, prayer was all I had.

The smell of gasoline was ripe. And yes, I was aware you’re not supposed to move an injured person; therefore, I began to pray more fervently, promising to take my sorry ass back to church if
He
would help her.
I will do
anything
, even die in her place
, I avowed. As long as she was all right, I really didn’t care about the particulars.

I was taken aback when Aimee groaned, “Stop that.”

Crap. I hadn’t realized I’d spoken aloud. “Those weren’t words for your ears.” I half-smiled.

She snorted, “Then you probably shouldn’t’ve been talking so loud.”

I shrugged and asked, “How can I help?”

When she tried to lift her head, she cried out, “Get me out of here. It hurts, Nik.”

Fuck the not moving her rule. I began to tug on the door, but it wouldn’t give. Next I reached into the car to see if there was a chance, I could pull her through the broken window. No such luck. The steering column held her in place. Visibility was poor due to the setting sun; therefore, I couldn’t tell if her legs were crushed. The thought caused a grimace to cross my face. She hadn’t missed it, either. “What?” Her voice was full of panic. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Shock would set in soon, so I calmly stroked her jaw where there was no injury. “Hey. Hear that?” I announced, “They’re here.”

All of a sudden, we were blinded by the bright lights that shone down on us. Someone yelled out our location. Then several uniformed people made their way down to us. Thankfully they silenced the shrieking sirens. The entire scene was covered in a myriad of blue, red, and yellow flashing lights, which made it a mishmash of abstract horror. As I leaned in, I gently pressed my lips to her head and declared, “I’m not leaving you. But I need to get out of their way.”

“Please,” she appealed, “I just want to hold your hand.”

I looked up at the firefighter assessing the car. “For now,” he approved.

Soon EMS was checking Aimee over; consequently, I had to release her. “No!” she screamed, “Don’t leave me!”

The terror in her voice froze my heart.

The medic addressed, “Ma’am, he’ll be right here. Let’s get you out of this mess.”

She finally agreed by nodding her head, yet her eyes held mine. Every ounce of pain she endured I could see in her gaze. Even though it about killed me to watch her go through it, I never lost eye contact. She needed me. And I’d be damned if I would let her down.

Once she was freed from the wreckage, they placed her on a stretcher to get her up the steep incline. I approached the ambulance when an officer stopped me to ask the required questions. Afterwards, they let me ride with her to the hospital. She had lots of cuts, but seemed to be all right—all things considered. However, I would feel better once a doctor confirmed that.

*****

While the doctors and nurses worked to patch Aimee up, I called my brothers to inform them of what had happened. They loved her, too, and their concern was a balm to my soul. We agreed they would be there in the next twenty-four hours.

Aimee was eventually moved to a private room. When I entered, she was asleep. So I sat in the chair next to her bed and held her hand. A nurse came in to check her vitals. I had already been apprised of her condition by one of the ER doctors. There were lots of bruises and lacerations, along with a few stitches in the deep gashes, in addition to a mild concussion. Otherwise, she would be sore for a while, but fine. They were holding her overnight for observations. As long as she did well, I could take her home. I knew she wouldn’t be up for traveling any time soon. Besides, E had agreed to let us stay at his home here at the lake. He kept it since snowboarding and rock climbing were his two favorite sports. Well, actually, sex was probably at the top of that list, but my brother’s erotic tastes were none of my concern. I was grateful, yet again, that one my brothers had come through for me. What they did in private flat out didn’t matter to me. They were good men, even better brothers. I loved them, demons and all.
Huh, wonder if that’s how they feel about me?

There was a squeeze on my hand that effectively pulled me from my musings. I looked up and met Aimee’s gaze. “Hey,” I greeted. “How’re ya feeling?”

She licked her dry lips. “I’ve been better.” I glanced over at the water glass on the bedside table and reached over to get it for her. She drank the entire thing greedily.

“Easy, lille,” I cautioned. “You don’t want to make yourself sick.”

When she bobbed her head it brought about a wince, along with a frown, and then she cried out, “Ow!”

“Yeah, you have a couple of stitches on your left eyebrow,” I imparted.

“Oh,” she gasped. “Do I have any more?”

Softly, I stroked her cheek where a burn from the airbag left its mark. “Yes. You have a few on your right bicep, compliments of flying glass.”

She half-smiled. “I see.”

“All in all, you’re in pretty good shape,” I apprised.

She attempted to sit up as she said, “Good. Then let’s get out of here.”

I pushed her gently back against the pillows. “Not so fast,” I warned. “You have to stay tonight for observation.”