I told Omar everything. Well, almost everything. I didn't have to finish before he summoned his two most trusted goons. I had already sent Julian to Yasmin's, so I drank glass after glass of vintage wine while I waited for him to call. I wasted more than a swig of 1960 Malbec by jumping when the phone finally buzzed.

"Hello?"

"I got him."

"Oh, thank God."

Omar asked. "You sure this spot good for another month?"

"Yeah, the stop work order is in place until I approve the new plans. No one is allowed at the site until I give the all clear."

"Cool, and Lisse, good looking out."

"Of course. Be careful, and I'll see you when you get home."

I disconnected the call, then sent a text to check in on Yasmin and Julian before gong to bed. It was one A.M. when the alarm went off. My phone buzzed again, this time the security company was on the line.

"My life for his."

The representative confirmed the passphrase and asked if I needed the police sent to the house. I walked around, checked the doors and windows, then denied assistance. After disconnecting the call, I downed another glass of wine then returned to bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, my mouth and nose were covered from behind.

"Yeah, bitch. I got you now."

I kicked, fighting with all of my might, but despite the effort, I was yanked from my bed and punched in the back of the head. When I woke, the room was spinning, my vision blurred as four figures stood around me.

My head ached, but with my hands bound, I wasn't able to reach it. Their ramblings started off as echoes until I heard Kavon's voice.

"I should've fucked this bitch."

"Shut the hell up."

That... was Omar. As my vision began to clear, it was the man I love's face I recognized first.

"What's happening?" I mumbled despite the throbbing of an aching jaw..

"Damn, Lisse, you brought this on yourself. I told you to straighten the fuck up and you didn't listen."

Whimpering, I asked. "What have they done to me?"

"They." He replied. "They haven't done shit. It's me you have to worry about."

Glancing around the space, I ignored Kavon, then made eye contact with Omar's other longterm flunkie. He lowered his head while stepping back into the surrounding darkness.

Then, there was Declan. It was the first time I saw him in sweats and a tee. There was the thug hiding behind corporate connections and executive payouts. He blew me a kiss, then grinned.

Omar walked towards me, snatching my head backwards as soon as he was within arms reach. I yelped in pain. He laughed.

"Shut your stupid ass up. How you been around me this long and still dumb as fuck is beyond me. You thought you was going to play me against this nigga?"

He controlled my head while pointing at Declan.

"What, you bitches think real niggas don't have each other's backs? As soon as he told me he was about to fuck you after telling you he was paid to kill me, I knew you was a conniving slut."

I wept.

"Those titties, that ass, that mouth belong to me, got it?"

"Yes, baby." I pleaded. "Please let me go."

"Fuck that. Tonight, my manz is going to finish what you started. And tomorrow, your bitch ass is gonna serve me breakfast in bed."

"I didn't do anything, I swear. Not even after he told me you were fucking Alayna."

"Your accountant? Who wants that bitch?"

I cut my eyes towards Declan now looking confused as hell. Still pissed, Omar slammed my body forward forcing my knees onto the cold cement. With my ass in the air, he exposed it from beneath my lingerie, then smacked it and said.

"Let's ride, my nigga."

I could hear Kavon's obese ass breathing heavily behind me.

"Not you." Omar warned. "Go outside and wait." He paused speaking to ask. "Where's X?"

Kavon answered. "Shit, how am I supposed to focus on that nigga with all this ass in my face?"

"Go find him and wait outside until I tell you to come and get this trick."

"That's fucked up, Omar. If I would've known you was going to ice me out, I would've at least played in her pussy or sump-in."

The cock of his glock was unmistakable.

"I'm joking, man, I'm joking."

"Kavon, your wife's about to find you on her front porch with a bullet in your damn head."

I heard a door slam.

"Declan, my man." Omar asked. "You ready to fuck this bitch?"

"Hell yeah," he proclaimed as he disappeared behind me.

"Wait." I pleaded while laying with one side of my face against the ground.

"What." Omar yelled as he crouched next to me.

"I told you Declan was paid to destroy, then kill you. Why am I being punished?"

"You only snitched after finding out your ass was on the line too and you expect grace? You better be grateful you still have a pulse. I would blow your fucking head off, but you're my cash cow, always have been. And it's because of you I'm able to buy out his contract even pay him triple to take out the motherfucka who ordered the hit on me."

"Please." I begged. "What about our son?"

"He needs to man up and with your ass finally broken, he will. Now close your fucking mouth."

The tape Julian's father placed over my mouth and black bag over my head caused my heart to race. My body ached, but when Declan snatched my hips back, I squalled in discomfort. I waited for the burn of his entrance. Instead, his grip loosened as he complained of chest pain. Irritated, Omar taunted.

"Nigga, let's go. I ain't got all night."

"I can't." His words slurred as I heard a thump.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Omar asked.

His own next sentence was a word salad. "Shit, pussy, breathing."

I listened as he stumbled, the chair behind me clanked against the ground. I sat up, hands still bound and my heart beating frantically as I took slow, shallow breaths inside of the lined bag surrounding my face.

My heart continued to race until echos of what sounded like a backfiring car surrounded me. Three shots, then silence. The squeak of a rusty door alerted me that I wasn't alone. The repetitive rustling, pause sequence made me hold my breath.

"Umph."

I heard a loud grunt, then another thump before footsteps grew closer to my location.

Shit.

My body stiffened when fingers touched my shoulders. I winced, keeping my eyes closed as the bag lifted from my head. 

"Hey."

The words sounded as though they came from someone under water. I began to cough quickly becoming nauseous as my shoulders shook with each dry heave.

"Be still so I can put this on."

The voice was deep. I opened my eyes to see a mask on his face and one in his hand. Before he slid the strap over my head, I glanced around noticing Declan on his back with his dick out and Omar staring at the ceiling barely blinking.

"You good?"

"Yeah." I muttered as the zip ties securing my hands were cut.

"Okay, let me help you up."

On my feet, he hugged me before asking me over and over if they did anything besides rough me up.

"No."

His mask turned to Declan, then back to me.

"No." I confirmed again. "The carbon monoxide kicked in before anything happened."

"Okay." The tone of his voice was void of the initial evidence of stress as he rubbed my back. "Let's get out of here."

I nodded, smiling at Kavon's wide frame, bloody and lifeless on the floor.

"Fat fucker."

Omar's gulp caught my attention. I snatched the gun from my rescuer's hand, then walked over to my son's father. Straddling him while standing, I asked.

"Never expected this did you?"

He gulped, unable to respond.

Chuckling, I replied. "Don't worry. I'll answer for you. It never crossed your mind that I could have this in me. Nah, you thought I would stay ignorant and dickmatized forever, but I didn't. Instead, I've been very studious."

I sat on his chest. Pleased as punch with his weak moan, I tapped the barrel of the gun against his cheek.

"Your most valuable lesson was how predictable you were. So predictable that you followed the bread crumbs I left to a mother fucking tee."

I glanced towards Declan, satisfied that his chest didn't rise nor fall.

"And that fool, he unknowingly stepped right in line with my plan."

I turned a battered cheek to Omar while cupping my ear.

"Was I really going to fuck him you ask?"

I shrugged while answering.

"Maybe, but he was always going to end up as collateral damage. I'm sure the good people of Paxton will remember him fondly though no matter how they find him and you lying here."

I wiped a lone tear from Omar's face. It's too bad he couldn't see my smile.

"Thanks for Julian though. He's truly the only good thing you've ever contributed to this world. And lucky you get watch from the depths of hell as he stays that way."

Helpless, he looked pitiful beneath me as my empathy forced its way to the surface. I've run behind this man for what feels like my entire life. I've been behind other women, drugs, lies, left behind when he went to prison. And through it all, I never stopped loving him, until now.

Standing, I aimed the gun at his forehead. The satisfaction that came with pulling the trigger was only matched by the orgasmic pleasure I received watching the evil soul I worshiped since I was a teenager drain from that man's eyes.

Now, I was at peace.

My companion cleaned the handle before placing part of it in Declan's palm. We then walked hand in hand, past Kavon and out into the dusk, the rain erasing our footprints as we strolled to the car waiting under a dilapidated bridge. Inside, we took off our masks and changed clothes as the driver pulled off.

"Thank you."

My hero smiled, then replied.

"No need. With the account numbers you gave Alayna to transfer Omar's money into, we straight. Just promise to take care of my manz, alright?"

I promised as he squeezed my hand. At home, Yasmin met me at the door. Though my face was scuffed and my hair disheveled I was eager to see my son.

"Mommy," he yelled as he ran through the front door.

"Hey baby. Did you have fun at Yasmin's last night?"

He nodded eagerly, then ran to the car. Holding his palm in the air he shouted, "High five Uncle X, high five."

"My man." He replied as he obliged Julian. "Have a good day in school okay?"

"Okay, bye."

Julian answered, then with all the innocence I vowed to protect, skipped into the house. Inside, I heard my son giggling in the kitchen. I crossed the threshold and smiled.

"Hey, Daddy."

My father beamed as he stopped tickling Julian to hug me.

"You alright?"

"Of course, are you?"

"Now that I'm out of that place I am."

"I know it was hard, but I needed you to be safe until all of this was done."

Daddy's brows furrowed with concern.

"But is it done?"

"Dr. Hatcher is paid, the new facility is financed and Omar is where he's supposed to be."

"Did he suspect anything?"

"Not a thing."

"And that big fella?"

"Secured, and he had no idea that I was the one who ordered the hit in the first place. Until last night though, I wasn't entirely sure he was my guy."

"Now that was the part of this I was the most uncomfortable with. I've never seen anyone put a hit on their own head."

"It's was what I had to do to get him to show his hand. And he did."

"What about his people? He told the truth about how their legacy runs deep in this town."

"That's about to change too. That big fella was the trustee of his family's assets, and last night he signed all of them over to the company he was forced to create in order to secure Omar's contract. The one that's now a subsidiary of Golden Ridge."

"When they find them, will Captain still be good?"

"Right as rain. And after he gets back from vacation, he's coming over for dinner."

Daddy chuckled.

"I tell you what. Ain't nothing I've seen that's worse in this world than a woman scorned."

I leaned in to whisper. "He ruined enough lives, Daddy. I'd be damned if I was going to allow him to destroy his."

Daddy watched his grandson put on his backpack.

"Have a great day, son."

"Ok. I'm happy you're home."

"Me too son, me too."

Daddy leaned in to whisper.

"Have you thought about what you're going to say when he asks about his father?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Today, his lack of concern is sufficient enough."

Finally satisfied with his questioning, my father pat my shoulder, then walked away. I answered a call while following Julian into the foyer.

"Geller residence."

"Good morning Ms. Geller, this is Samantha with Identify Security completing a follow up call related to your alarm activation this morning."

"Sure, everything was and is fine."

"Awesome, could you just verify your passphrase so that I may update your account with this information?"

I blew kisses to person I knew without a doubt loved me to life as he jumped into the back seat of Yasmin's truck, then answered.

"Sure, it's my life for his."

"Thank you, Ms. Geller. I'm glad everything is okay. Have a great day."

Waving goodbye as the nanny pulled out of the driveway, I replied.

"I will, Samantha. I most certainly will."