Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Chapter 47Matt

forty-seven

MATT

L uke’s jarred features lit up instantly as the Tahoe made contact. Time moved in a different reality, as if through quicksand. The soundless horror dotted Luke’s face as he ripped the dog off the suspect and threw him. Cries from the animal were drowned out by the sound of flesh hitting metal.

The SUV struck them the moment the dog left Luke’s hands. The squelching sound of a body being whipped by carbon fiber rang in my ears. Luke catapulted over the hood, shattering the glass as he soared over the roof of the Tahoe before hitting the asphalt with a sickening thud. Luke’s life force drenched the vehicle in a torrential downpour of crimson iron. The violent momentum left torn skin and flesh in its wake.

The metallic smell of blood flooded my nostrils as my eyes took in the horror of the second body. The Tahoe ran over his head, completely pulverizing it, leaving nothing but a watermelon like mush of brain matter and skull fragments. Blood still sprayed out of the neck, the limbs still twitching, remembering their last haste as a living creature. The tires screeched to a halt.

I should’ve felt sick. I should’ve wanted to throw up.

The warm sensation of hope coursed through my veins. Euphoria manifested itself in a giddy laugh that bubbled out of my throat.

I won! I finally won.

My face stung as the rain threatened to break from the clouds. I pranced out of my Mercedes.

It was about God damn time he did what he was paid for.

The Tahoe idled noisily, and blood dripped off of it. One illegally tinted window rolled down as I faced the man I paid to run Luke over.

“Seems you took out your partner,” I laughed, fishing out the other half of the money from my suit jacket pocket.

The man inside shrugged, flashing me the gold grillz that decorated his upper and lower teeth. “I didn’t wanna share my money three ways and saw an opportunity.”

I nodded. “Too bad they weren’t switched. I would’ve loved to make sure that fucking pig was for sure dead.”

“I was going about fifty, and I felt every part of him hit this car, man,” he said, counting the dollars. The money was all there–eighty thousand. “Your smile tells me how fucking sick you are.” His laughter echoed as he greedily sniffed the crisp scent of the hundred-dollar bills.

I looked back at Luke, who hadn't moved.

He glanced in the rearview mirror. “You want me to go over him again? That’ll cost you extra, but I’ll do it.”

Mulling over the statement, I rubbed my sweaty palms down the thigh of my pants. The windshield frame stood empty, leaving only a few jagged remnants clinging to the edges while smoke billowed from the hood.

“No, I don’t have any more cash on me. I do wish you’d gone a bit faster,” I grumbled.

His gaze darkened as he undid his seatbelt. “Oh, you wish I went faster? How about I fucking lay your skinny ass out in the street right along with the pig?”

My voice hitched in my throat.

“I seen that bitch you’re fighting over. She’s a smoke show. Wouldn’t mind busting that pussy open a few times myself.”

Images of him inside my Livie coated my vision in red. A lowlife piece of shit like him would never be enough for her.

“I misspoke. Sorry.”

His venomous gaze held mine for a moment longer before rolling the window up. He left behind only the sharp squeal of the tires as a hint of his presence. My heartbeat sang through my entire body.

I made my way to where Luke lay strewn.

He rolled from his side onto his back, his skin ghostly pale, and his dark hair disheveled, with longer pieces sticking to his sweat coated face. I could almost taste the iron smell that infected the air.

His breath came out in wheezes, higher than his usual baritone. The God awful gurgling sound coming from him was stuck in his esophagus. The wet squelch of him choking on his own blood went straight to my hardening cock. His uniform was shredded, the bodycam laid in pieces.

Less work for me to do.

One of the sleeves ripped clean off, revealing an arm full of traditional, military black and gray tattoos just stopping at the wrist. My eyes fell over to his exposed midsection. Chunks of glass lodged themselves in his stomach, with shards dotting his abs. Every heave of his chest sent more thick, ruby fluid pouring out of him and onto the street. I moved closer, bending my knees and resting my elbows to admire him.

A large wound from his hairline down his eye just kissed the top of his cheekbone. It bled profusely down his face. His eyes moved behind his lids as if still seeing. Scraps of skin barely held on to the exposed muscle in his torso.

“I must hand it to you, Luke.” His name felt like poison coming out of my mouth. “You’re a great shot. Fast runner, too. Too bad you’re laid out in the street like the meaningless swine you are.”

I drew my fist back and punched him in the stomach; the glass sliced through my knuckles. I hated that I met solid muscle. He groaned but barely flinched as his eyes fluttered open. His pupils were tiny, barely visible in the blue of his eyes. They slowly dilated as blood ran down the corners of his mouth. He coughed, the force of it ripping a muffled scream from his throat.

I stood, kicking him in the side until my foot cried in pain at the force.

“You vile piece of garbage, I can’t wait to take Livie and fucking break her.” My throat protested at the volume, spit flew out of my mouth as his eyes met mine. It was like the mention of her name brought him back to life.

“You,” sounding like his throat was run through a garbage disposal, he spoke, “fucking bastard.”

My foot came down on his stomach, twisting the shards of glass into his cut open guts in hopes he’d bleed out. My temples pounded in tune with my heartbeat; how could he still be alive? I kicked him in the side of his head. The cords of his neck strained under the pressure. Shaking, I brought my heel down on his groin.

Payback .

Fucking swine.

I needed to get to Livie, and fast. Luke gasped for air. “I hope I’m the last thing you see.” I spat on him.

I felt his pockets and located his phone. The cracks in the screen spider webbed outwards from all four corners. The missed calls and texts lit up from Angel . I held his phone to his face, and after several tries, it unlocked. I pulled up their messages.

My heart sang a soliloquy of agony. My insides twisted, shredding as my eyes took in the heart wrenching nude photos of my sweet Livie.

I scrolled past several photos of her, some topless, and videos of them having sex in every way imaginable; I paused when I got to the most recent picture of her from this evening at a bar downtown. She was smiling, blowing a kiss, and captioned it, ‘ Can’t wait to have you when you get home tonight, baby, I’m ready to go. I’ll wait here.’

I pulled up her location. Memorizing it, I threw the phone back down and turned to leave. I didn’t get far before I heard the miserable grunts of pain from Luke. I turned in time to see him army crawling towards me, dragging his broken body across the asphalt, scraping skin and exposed muscle.

His vice-like grip closed around my ankle before I had the chance to run, dragging me down to the ground. I hit the asphalt face first as the hollow shell of a man’s fist tightened around me.

I twisted my body with my ankle, hoping to God it wouldn’t snap when I caught sight of him.

The devil had taken over his features, my heart hammered in my chest, beating up to a loud crescendo in my ears. His blue eyes focused on me, with blood covering half his face. Lying on his stomach, the tick in his jaw was visible. The cords of his neck pulsed with primal intensity.

“Get the fuck off of me!” Through unbearable pain, I kicked at his face with my other leg. The fragile bones gave under his unrelenting grip. A wail of despair that shook the foundation of my existence tore from my throat as Luke climbed up my body. The pungent aroma of his mortal injuries taunted my nostrils.

My leg throbbed with its own heartbeat as Luke drew back his fist, connecting with my face. The wet crack sent my neck rolling. I felt my nose give out under the force of it.

I reared back and punched him in the temples, sending him tumbling off of me. He panted on his side, his breaths labored. Luke glared at me as the blood gushed out of my broken nose. Pieces of his skin hung like a tattered curtain off his body.

Heat made its way up my leg from the ankle. My face throbbed in pain.

“You did this,” he grunted the words out. The words were strained, drowned in the sea of blood that flooded his lungs.

“And I would do it the fuck again. Your angel will be in my bed tonight,” I spat on his bloodied face again. “Stuffed with my dick, dripping my cum, and you’ll die here with your fat headed dog.”

He moved too swiftly for a dead man and lurched towards me. Helplessly stumbling back, my world spun on its axis.

“You won’t fucking touch her,” he growled, his bloody nails scraped into my skin.

My body trembled in anguish as my skin separated. Blood bubbled to the surface under his tireless grasp.

“I will fucking have her,” my voice quivered in the air.

I heard the whimpers then.

Almost inaudible at first before getting louder. The dog slowly regained consciousness. Luke’s breathing was irregular, like a tire losing air. Whispers of death clung to him. Fate’s claws were sinking into his passing earthly body.

The menacing growl filled my ears as my eyes caught sight of the brown creature limping towards me. The pitbull's back leg dragged, nearly detached, and his jowls dripped blood. He flattened his ears, lurching for me, attaching himself to the arm Luke had a grip on.

This plan turned into a fucking mess.

The dog shook his head back and forth viciously as my skin tore with every whip of his head. His eyes met mine as his pupils narrowed. The rumbled growl rippled through me as his nightmarish gaze refused to leave mine.

I have to get the fuck out of here.

I crawled with every muscle I had, forcing my body to move.

The powerful animal dragged me back two steps for every one I took forward as I progressed. He was solid, unrelenting muscle. Wailing sirens in the distance, and screams echoed through the stillness of the night.

Backup was coming. They’d find me. Adrenaline surged through my aching limbs, and I hauled my ass towards the Mercedes. Only flaps of flesh remained as his bloodied teeth sank into raw muscle. I was running out of time.

A whistle sounded. The dog's body froze.

“Rev? Ryder? Where are you, bossman?” the Hispanic accented voice called out. The dog turned to look behind him, releasing my mangled arm.

I clawed my way to my car by the skin of my teeth. Every muscle begged me to stop moving, to tend to my wounds. I wasted time. My bloody handprint hit the white exterior with a wet smack.

“Rev? Luke? Say something, y'all? I’m ready to blow this popsicle stand and get some grub,” called out the voice while the dog let out an ear splitting howl.

My hands automatically went to cover my ears; the pitch hit deep in my psyche.

I turned one last time to see the dog screeching next to Luke’s lifeless body. As its whimpers and howls got louder, I could hear the thudding footsteps of officers arriving at the gruesome scene that would meet them.

I didn’t have any more time; I painfully pulled myself the rest of the way in the Mercedes.

Slamming the car door shut, it was time to get this fucking show on the road. I wasn’t going to let this God given opportunity go to waste. My arm screamed in protest as I shoved the car in gear. I lurched back as the vehicle accelerated beyond its limits. The smell of burning rubber kissed my nostrils as I gave one last look in the rearview mirror.

No more looking back.

The time had come to finish what I started.

Time to bring Livie home.