Where's Molly (Cat and Mouse, #2.5)

by H.D. Carlton

And it can burn with the rest of this house, for all I care. I hope to God another girl never finds this journal. That would mean she replaced me, and no one—no one—should ever have to experience the horrors of this house.

“Get out of my face. Now. I sure as fuck hope you know what you're doing, because I'm not helping you, nor will I save you if you're caught.” Relief explodes in my chest, stealing my breath away. “Thank you. I won't forget you, Rio.”

My heart pauses, and a distinct part of my brain is blaring an alarm. I've heard thousands of women’s voices over the years, but that voice—I swear it’s familiar.

She has big emerald green eyes, a gap below her irises that's always given her a naturally seductive stare. And right below the right one is a permanent white, slightly raised bite mark. A full mouth of teeth scarred into her olive skin. How she got it—I still don't know. But it's evident it's not a pretty story. She's older but doesn't look much different, only more mature. However, the light brown freckles that are smattered across her cheeks and the button nose soften her features. Nine years ago, I told myself I'd count them, but I never got the chance to finish. I intend to remedy that.

Except, Molly isn’t like the other clients I’ve had. Mainly because I fucked her thoroughly before I gave her a brand-new identity. Then, she disappeared on me—just like she was supposed to. And it fucking enraged me. Now, she stares at me like a tiny rabbit caught in a trap, squealing to be freed. She escaped me once, and I let her. I won’t allow it a second time.

It's been nine years since I last saw him, though I recall all too well how hard he made it to breathe. I clear my throat as if that's going to remove the anxiety clogging it. Then, I stiffly turn to the first corpse on the table.

Legion is an underground organization run by an elusive no-face man named after his company, who employs hitmen to take out whoever they deem necessary. They specifically target those who frequent the dark web, and much like their sister organization, Z, they go after pedophiles. While Z focuses on the trafficking rings and larger operations, Legion was formed to focus on the smaller fish—the psychopaths who lurk in plain sight, fitting into society as the blue-collar working class or with their corporate desk jobs, all the while wreaking havoc on innocent souls when they clock out.

It sets me aflame, like a fever ravaging my insides. I'm short of breath, my palms are sweaty, and my knees are weak. I'd love to pretend that it's because he makes me sick, but my tightened nipples and the faint thrum between my thighs speak otherwise. He holds my body beneath his thumb, ready to betray me when my head demands control.

The sudden knock on the door causes me to jump out of my skin, nearly sending the wine in my glass splashing in my face and on the fantasy novel from Adeline Reilly that I’d been reading.

“Can’t say I’ve ever gotten that look before when showing up at a lady’s door. I must be losing my charm.” Then, he clocks the gun in my hand, and the other brow joins the first. “That’s also new. You gonna use that on me, little ghost? I don’t mind joining you in the afterlife.”

“At one point in our lives, we don’t know our soulmates at all. But that doesn’t make them any less of one. Sometimes… sometimes you just know.”

The girl with haunted eyes and a perpetual frown, who carried a sadness so deep that it permanently altered the shape of her lips. I spent the night tracing my tongue along her Cupid's bow until I remolded her mouth to fit against mine. Because as long as I was inside her, her sadness would be powerless to my obsession. And there would be no part of her that wasn't made precisely for me.

The fire in her green eyes is captivating. Fuck, I'm so enthralled. “You're breathtaking,” I murmur. She blinks at me, taken aback and speechless for several moments. “W-what? Why would you say that?” Because staring into her eyes is the only thing I needed, to convince myself she's everything I'll ever want for as long as oxygen invades my lungs. I knew it deep in my bones the day I met her. Even back then, my soul immediately recognized hers as its other half.

The material parts to reveal heaving breasts covered by a thin, white tank top. She shrugs out of it, the oversized gloves effortlessly falling off with the yellow suit. Then, it falls down her legs completely, revealing tiny black shorts and toned, long legs. She’s tall, at least five-ten, and has the most delicious curves. She’s fucking perfect for me. Every little facet of her was designed just for me.

“We're all hungry, baby. Who are you going to feed first?” I ask wickedly before gliding my tongue across my bottom lip. I'm fucking starving.

A dangerous man at my back demanding to see what I'm made of. The honest answer is trauma, sadness, and scars that I can't bear to look at. But I still feel them.

A quiet moan leaves his throat, a sound that I'm instantly swallowing as I crash my lips against his. I know the breath was knocked out of his lungs, and I don't intend to allow him to have it back.

The sounds coming from my throat are raspy and broken with pleasure. If my body was a kingdom, he'd be waging a celestial war against me where I'd easily crumble beneath his forces. The gods within have grown tired, and it's a relief to succumb to an inferno the devil created just for me.

“Stand up,” he rasps, anticipation gleaming in his eyes. He doesn't seem inclined to stand with me. Instead, he props up on his elbows and reclines back on them. He stares up at me with a reverence that can only be captured by the human eye. Nothing—not even our own hands—could recreate that image and do it any justice.

The butterflies in my stomach become volatile. They’re unable to handle Cage eating me alive—whether it’s because they're frightened that they'll be devoured next, or if it's because they know that by the time he's done, I’ll be in ruins and there will be nothing left of me. No home for them to live.

“I need more,” he rasps. “You can have me,” I whisper. Dangerous words to say to a predator, but it’s been so long since I’ve felt this alive.

“I have a feeling you shouldn’t be alive. Yet here you are.” His stare is affectionate, though it borders on obsession. “And I’m so fucking lucky that you are.” I don’t know if I’d ever consider myself lucky, but at this moment, I think I feel the same.

“I love how easily you bend for me.” “Just don't expect me to break,” I counter breathlessly. He hums, as if that's yet to be determined. “But that's my favorite part,” he croons against my lips.

“I know you can do better, baby. Let me see you take my cock like a good little slut.” A sharp moan pours from my throat, followed by his name. Once more, he's licking along the seam of my lips, as if to taste his name on my tongue. Just as his mouth covers mine, I feel a warm liquid splatter against my chest.

The pleasure is like a disease, shutting down my nervous system and taking control. I'm a puppet to the infection, and there's nothing I can do but succumb.

“Baby, if you keep playing hard to get, I'll fucking move in. Now, let's clean up and shower before I decide I'm hungry again.”

“I didn't know Cage had a new lady friend!” she exclaims warmly, pulling away only to capture my cheeks between her soft hands. “Oh, the beauty of you! Your eyes are quite sexy, you know that? And that bite mark, dear Lord, it must have come from a horrible person. But, dare I say, it makes you look very edgy, my dear.” My mouth drops. Cage sighs.

“They say that people who have eyes like yours are destined for a tragic death.” There's a slight pause to her gait, but she pushes forward until she's a foot away, only a counter between us. “Sanpaku eyes,” I clarify. “When you have a gap below your irises.”

“Yes, please. Every single room. Until you're fully booked and don't have a single fucking one to spare.” “Uhm, okay. Sure.” Once that's done, I proceed to call every hotel within a thirty-mile radius and book them out, too.

I'm not much of a sweets person. Unless, of course, it's Molly's pussy.

“You think I need an anniversary date to put my baby inside you?” I don’t recognize my own voice anymore, but I do find that little gasp familiar.

If she wanted me to fall in love with her, she only needed to tell me. Now, she has no choice in the matter. Though, I suppose she never really did. Turning my head, I stare at her until she meets my eyes. “I will chase away all your nightmares until they grow wary of returning. They will fear me, my little ghost. But you never will.”

Hi, excuse me, can you put your dick inside me? I'm not sure if I’ll like it, but let's find out together.

Never in my life have I ever felt this way. Never has my core felt so… empty. He's silent as he stalks toward me, but I'm positive my escalated heart rate is audible.

The kiss is short, but primal and entirely too explosive for only a second. It’s nothing like those pecks I've seen on TV, and I can't imagine they felt the pure fire that's raging between us. He watches me for half a second before he crushes his mouth back onto mine, evoking a volcanic eruption that’s melting me into a pile of ash. Yet, he holds on to all the pieces of me and gathers them against his chest until there is no me and him. Only an us.

And like a greedy little puppet, I eagerly open for him. He tastes the smallest of gasps on his tongue as it glides against mine, which seems only to invigorate him. It transforms from a passionate kiss to being devoured whole, and the only thing I can do is submit. I'm a slave to him, and it's the first time I'm happy to be one.

He places an open-mouthed kiss on my jaw, ending it there. “Let me hear your words,” he purrs. “Do you want me to kiss these pretty tits? Or I can kiss your sweet pussy. I'll fucking feast on her if you want.” “Yes,” I moan. “All of it.”

“I will claim every part of you, Molly. And that includes the pieces of you those fuckers tried to take from me.” My brows pinch. “From you?” I repeat dumbly. Deliberately, he places a kiss over the bite. “Don't be fooled, little ghost, I will own you even after you've disappeared. You may vanish, but your soul will always be mine.”

“If you're asking Him to save you, then I will nail Him onto that fucking cross again. You will be my ruin, but only I will be your savior.”

“I’ll feed my cock into your pussy nice and slow, okay, baby? I’ll make sure you’re so fucking full, then just when you think you can’t take any more—” His lip pulls up into a savage snarl. “—I’ll go deeper.” That’s not just a promise, but a threat.

“It’s a natural reaction, baby. Most men just aren’t patient enough to wait for a woman’s pussy to invite him in,” he explains tightly. I didn’t know that was possible, but he’s pushing his hips deeper, and I no longer care. I’m too focused on learning how to breathe again, yet it seems like a futile effort. Just as he promised, he feeds his cock into me until I’m on the verge of bursting. “Ohhh, ngg, th-that’s so good,” I mewl, my eyes threatening to cross from the pleasure overtaking me. “Look how fucking greedy your cunt is, baby. You see how badly it wants my cock? It’s practically begging for me to fuck it.” He spits the words through gritted teeth, his body coiled with tension, veins pulsating throughout his arms and hands. “Is that what you want, Molly? For your little pussy to be fucked?”

There's no control over a natural disaster. Only allowing it to wreak havoc and bracing yourself for the outcome. The storm building inside me is catastrophic. It'll be devastating, and I'll be in ruins.

“Let’s see how tight that pussy can hold on to me,” he growls. “Show me how a dirty little slut milks my cock.” “Fuck you,” I choke out, starbursts beginning to explode behind my pinched eyes. “You are, baby, and fuck, you’re doing such a good job,” he whimpers in my ear before drawing my lobe in his mouth and sucking.

“What has he done?” “Nothing!” I exclaim. “Don't kill him, please.” “Is this because he's in love with you? Or because you're in love with him?” I slap my hand over my face. None of this is going to plan. “That… No, neither,” I stutter. “Are you lying?” “Legion,” I groan. “I just think it's best that Cage and I no longer work together. That's all. Nothing personal.”

“You’re being incredibly disrespectful right now,” she snips. My stare drifts to those plump lips that are just begging for me to bite them. “I haven’t even begun to disrespect you yet, baby. But my God, how I look forward to it.”

I pull away, catching her heavy-lidded stare. “Tell me that you’re mine.” Her brows furrow, a small frown tipping down her swollen lips. “Since walking into your store, I don’t think there was ever a time that I wasn’t, Cage.”

“Wow,” I choke out, completely overwhelmed. “I think I love you even more now, but I'm also not sure ’cause I didn't think that was even possible.” That's the first time I said those three words out loud, which is also a lot of emotions to deal with. Specifically as his eyes flare, and now he's watching me as if I'm the food. “You got anyone else on that hit list of yours? I'll kill as many people as you want if you keep telling me you love me.”

“I hear you’re good at making people disappear.” The deep, male voice is jarring and not what I was expecting. I pull the phone away from my ear, checking the number. It’s unknown. “Who is this?” “Most know me by Z. But you can call me Zade.”

So, you decided to stick around, huh? Here’s your reward…

In response to my comment about Zade’s height, Cage turns to me with a what the fuck? look on his face. “Baby, he’s only, like, two inches taller than me.” He points a thumb to his chest. “I’m tall, too.” I glance at Zade. “He’s… scarier.”