Beloved Beast (5 page)

“I
can’t bear the
thought of any more crabs,” grumbled Crissy.

They had been on the move for days. During the day they either argued or were silent; during the night they made love, full of anger and despair.

“Whose fault is it that we lost most of our supplies?” asked Ramon cuttingly?

“I know. Thank you for reminding me,” she yelled.

“When I took you prisoner you were just a little mouse, and now you’re getting pretty brave. Perhaps I’ve treated you too gently.”

“You don’t like it, do you? You need someone that you can suppress and dominate.”

“I can still do that,” he snarled and grabbed her by the hair until she screamed in pain. “I can dominate you any time I want to.”

He kissed her roughly and although she pushed away angrily, she soon gave in and responded to the kiss with the same passion.

“I’ve already told you before that you can’t beat me,” he growled.

He stroked the material on her blouse and smiled triumphantly as her nipples hardened and she groaned. With his thumbs he stimulated the sensitive tips until her eyes glazed over with longing and she bent towards him.

He kissed her again and this time she nestled willingly into him. He began to undo her blouse and his hand searched and found the warm, soft flesh beneath. Suddenly he moved away from her abruptly and she looked at him in confusion. Was he punishing her again?

“What … ?”

“Shhhh!”

She listened, as he was doing, to the silence of the evening swamp. No animal sounds were to be heard, just the distant humming of a motor.

“Is it them?” whispered Crissy fearfully.

He nodded grimly and jumped to his feet.

“Pack the things together. We’ve got to get away right now.”

They quickly packed their belongings into both rucksacks. With trembling fingers Crissy did up the buttons on her blouse. Adrenalin pumped through her veins. She glanced at Ramon. He looked angry, but, under the circumstances, he seemed very calm. She trusted him. He would know what to do. He would protect her.

“Come on!” urged Ramon, and he took her by the hand.

“But the boat!” she said, irritated as Ramon pulled her further into the forest.

“Forget the boat! That won’t work any more. Anyway, they’ve got a motor boat, so on water they’re in a better position than us. If we have any hope, then it’s on land. Now, come on!”

She stumbled after Ramon. The ground was strewn with roots. If Ramon had not been holding her so tightly she would have fallen over a long time ago. He appeared to be incredibly sure-footed. And yet it was already getting dark and the visibility was very poor in this dense part of the forest. Crissy got a stitch but she knew this was a matter of life and death, so she clenched her teeth and carried on.

They could hear voices some way behind them. A shot rang out and Crissy suppressed a scream.

“Keep going!” Ramon ordered. “We’ll stay ahead as long as we don’t stop.”

A shot rang out again, but it sounded further away than the first.

“They don’t know where we are,” said Ramon and pulled her to the left. They crossed a damp valley and climbed a slope before he stopped.

“Take a rest. They don’t know where we are and it’s getting dark. They’ll probably spend the night on the boat and wait until dawn. We’ll make the most of the last light. We have to find a safe place.”

“They have guns and we don’t!” Crissy pointed out.

“I have my crossbow. That kills quietly and precisely. Don’t be afraid. I promise to get you out of here.”

She nodded. It comforted her to know that Ramon thought that the pursuers would spend the night on the boat instead of following them. It sounded logical. The swamp was a dangerous place and one wouldn’t give up such a safe sleeping place to search blindly in the dark, when one could do that so much more easily by daylight.

“Come on. We’ll go along there. If I’m not mistaken, we’ll have a good stretch of dry ground in this direction.”

Crissy woke up as Ramon was slipping his hand under her blouse and kneading her breast. It was still dark and relatively cool. She liked the heat that he was providing. The thin mat below her could not stop the cold coming from the damp ground.

He made love to her in an unusually gentle, slow way. Why could she not have met him under different circumstances? She was certain that he was the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. He had admitted that he needed her. She would not allow him to leave her in Brazil.

They had already packed their things before dawn broke. Ramon took her in his arms and kissed her. There was a strange feeling in this kiss and it made her nervous.

“What’s the matter?” she asked when he let her go.

“In case anything happens, I want you to keep going in this direction. I’m pretty sure you’ll find a ranger’s station up there. They’ll help you.”

“But what can go wrong? They’re a long way behind us.”

“Not far enough. I’m just saying,
in case
anything happens. No acts of heroism. I don’t have a problem with death. Don’t worry about me.” He shook her. “Run if I tell you to. Do you understand?”

“I don’t have a problem with death either,” she declared defiantly.

“Crissy! Your death won’t be a quick one. They’ll torture you. I don’t want to have to worry about you. You’ll do as I say! You’ll save yourself!”

“But then your death won’t be quick either!”

“I’ve experienced plenty of pain in my life. I can deal with it,” he said. “So promise me. Promise me that you’ll save yourself.”

“Yes,” she sobbed. “
Damn bastard
! If you do that to me then I’ll kill you with my own hands and tear out your black heart!”

He smiled.

“Let’s get out of here. It may not come to that.”

“Can’t we take a break? Please, I can’t go on!” begged Crissy, and held onto her aching side.

“We’ll rest soon. But this is not a good place. Keep going for a few more minutes.”

Ramon pulled her along and she stumbled behind him. Her straggly hair hung over her face and she was sweaty and covered in mud. Ramon did not seem to be put out at all by the speed at which they were going. He did not seem to be out of breath at all.

“I should have gone to the gym more,” she gasped breathlessly.

“What?”

“I said I should have gone to the gym more, then I wouldn’t be so done in right now.”

Ramon grinned at her.

“You’re doing really well. Come along here.”

They crossed a piece of muddy swampland. When they finally had fairly firm ground beneath their feet Crissy stood still, breathing heavily.

“Let me catch my breath.”

He granted her wish, took a look around, and came back to her.

“There’s a good place to rest. Come along here,” he said, and stretched his hand out to her.

She took his hand and followed him to a small clearing in which there was just one fallen tree. She sat on the tree stump and Ramon passed her the water bottle.

“Drink slowly,” he urged her.

She took a big gulp and gave the bottle back to him. He drank from it and shook the rest out over Crissy. She squealed.

“Hey, what are you doing? And anyway – we need that water.”

He laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

“No worries. Fresh spring water is pouring out of the hill over there. So we can fill up both of the water bottles.”

He gave her a squashed hazelnut-flavoured protein bar and she tore open the wrapper eagerly, biting into the bar with pleasure.

“Do you think we’ve shaken them off?” asked Crissy with a full mouth.

Ramon shook his head.

“No! I don’t think so. It’s not hard to follow our tracks. You can’t move here without leaving tracks. Also they’ll know where we’re heading.”

“Does that mean that you know where we now are?”

“Pretty much, yes. Did you think I’ve been stumbling around in this swamp with my eyes closed?”

“Well, everything looks the same and I thought you might not have been right here before.”

“I haven’t. But I have a map here,” he said, and touched his head.

“Men!” sighed Crissy.

He grinned.

“Unfortunately there aren’t any shoe shops or shopping centres here for you to orientate yourself by.”

“Oh! You monster!”

Ramon laughed.

“You started on this subject.”

A humming sound startled them and Ramon grabbed Crissy’s hand. She looked at him, frightened. He looked very worried.

“We must keep going. Hurry!”

They quickly packed up their things and put the rucksack on. Ramon took Crissy’s hand and pulled her along. They ran so fast that Crissy saw everything in a blur. She was now blindly taking Ramon’s lead.

Voices could be heard behind them and a shot whistled through the sticky air. Crissy’s heart raced, and as a second shot hit a nearby tree, she screamed. Ramon pulled her along mercilessly. Without warning, he suddenly threw her into a ditch. She screamed and rolled up into a ball, painfully hitting with a tree stump. She turned towards Ramon and wanted to tell him what she thought about his rude behaviour. He had thrown himself onto his front on the slope of the ditch and was aiming at their pursuers with his crossbow.

She heard a cry of pain and knew that he had hit someone. Although she despised violence she did feel a certain sense of satisfaction. These men deserved it more than anyone. They were murderers and did not even stop at innocent children. Shots whistled over the ditch and Crissy pressed herself against the ground as much as she could.

Ramon had killed another Mafioso and was now taking aim again, with a calm concentration that Crissy could only admire. He was not the sort of man to panic. Slowly and with deadly precision, he aimed at his victim and shot. The arrow buzzed audibly through the air and a yell confirmed that he had struck again.

He grabbed Crissy and pulled her to her feet.

“Come on! Carry on!”

“But there are two more men,” gasped Crissy and fought the impulse to turn back to see her pursuers.

“They’re being more careful now. We’re not safe in the ditch. We’ve got to keep going.”

“They’re following us!” shouted Crissy in horror, having quickly looked back.

“I know. Now come on. Get going!”

“I
can’t believe
we’ve left that damn swamp behind us,” said Crissy, and put the last few chips into her mouth.

Ramon grinned.

“If you want anything else to eat, order something. We won’t be going into any more diners. It’s too dangerous. Once the Mafia has set its bloodhounds onto us, it’s best to stay away from people who might recognise us. We’re not exactly your average-looking couple. Everyone’s looking at us here. By tomorrow at the latest Don Mario will know that we’ve been here.”

“What are we going to do now?”

“We’ll get hold of a car and do a big shop somewhere – for two days’ worth of food, clothes and other things that we need. Then we’ll head for Orlando. We’ll spend the night there and head for Miami the next day. “

“A big shop?” Crissy took a crumpled tenner out of her bag. “Sorry, but after paying for the food here, that and a few coins is all I have. Mario took my credit card off me.”

Ramon rummaged about in his rucksack and took out a credit card enclosed in plastic.

“I’ve got one!”

Crissy grinned.

“You’ve got a bank account, too, heh?”

Ramon nodded.

“Are you sure there’s still money in it?”

“If no one’s stolen it, there should still be 1.8 million dollars in it.”

Crissy laughed.

“Very funny!”

She fell silent as Ramon made no move to join her in laughing. He looked at her calmly before saying soberly:

“It’s not a joke.”

Crissy’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped. Up to now she had only seen Ramon, the outlaw, who lived with other freaks in the swamps.

“Why do you live in a hut in the swamps when you could have a villa in the Bahamas?” she asked.

“I wanted to.” A grin appeared on his face and he bent over the table a little to whisper to her: “I didn’t think the sewers were a very good place to live, even if it would suit a beast like me. They might look romantic in the films, but in the films you can’t tell how much they stink. So the swamps were more appealing.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided on the swamps,” answered Crissy, laughing. “Otherwise I’d have already been digested.”

Although she meant it as a joke, she suddenly got goose bumps, as she realised how true her words were. Yes, if it had not been for Ramon, the alligators would definitely have had her for dinner.

Ramon reached over the table, took her hand and squeezed it.

“I told you that I would get you out of the swamp and I have. I told you that I would take you to safety in Brazil and I will do that, too. Trust me.”

“You also said that you would leave me there alone. Will you also keep that promise?” she asked reproachfully.

“I’ve told you my reasons for that. It’s better that way.”

“Why Brazil?” asked Crissy, and threw a sideways glance at Ramon.

Ramon looked in the rear-view mirror and frowned. Crissy turned around and looked at the lights of the cars behind them. Then she turned to Ramon again. He seemed concerned.

“Is something wrong? Are we being followed?”

“There’s a car back there that has followed us through the last three turnings. It may be a coincidence, but …”

“But what?” asked Crissy, when Ramon did not carry on.

“I’ve got a feeling, and my feelings don’t usually let me down.”

“What are we going to do now?”

“Try to get rid of the bugger,” growled Ramon, and at the last second he turned the pick-up to the right, into a side street.

Crissy looked back again.

“Is he there?”

“Yes, that’s him! Hold tight! – It’s going to get uncomfortable now!”

Ramon turned the steering wheel sharply to the left and sped up. Crissy clung to the seat. Her heart started to race. She did not need to turn round to know that the car behind them had copied their manoeuvre. Ramon turned left and re-joined the traffic again on the main road. He raced at top speed through the town, alternately over-taking on the right and on the left.

“Yes!” shouted Ramon triumphantly. “We lost them at the last traffic lights. That doesn’t mean we can relax, though. We’ve got to get rid of this car. Orlando is full of the brothers. I’d be prepared to bet that every damn Mafioso here already knows that we’re driving this vehicle.”

Ramon parked the car in a side alley and they quickly got out.

“OK?” asked Ramon with concern, and stroked her cheek.

“Things are going really badly for me, but apart from that … apart from that everything’s fine. Don’t panic! I’m not going to faint.”

“You’re really pale, babe. I promise you we’ll make it. We just need to find a safe place for the night now.”

They put on their rucksacks. Ramon left the crossbow in the car. He could not walk through the town with that.

“Come on!” said Ramon, and took her by the hand.

They found a cheap hotel and rented a room on the second floor. It was not particularly clean but they did not care. The main thing was that, for now, they were safe.

“In the morning I’ll get us a new car.”

“It’s a pain that we had to leave so many things in the pick-up truck. Your crossbow …”

“They’re only objects, Crissy. I can get a hundred more of those. That’s not important. The main thing is that we got rid of those men. Tomorrow we’ll head for Miami.”

“And what will we do in Miami?” asked Crissy.

“Find a friend. He has a private plane. He’ll help us get to Brazil.”

“That reminds me – you haven’t answered my question yet. Why Brazil?”

“I have family there. They’ll look after you.”

“Why won’t you stay with me?” asked Crissy and put her arms around Ramon’s neck.

“I’ve already told you, and don’t think that you can change my mind. I’m not made for life in this world. I can live in the swamp. The people there accept me as I am. And anyway, I’ m a danger for you.”

“Ramon, I can live with you wherever you want. The danger doesn’t bother me. I can’t be without you any more. Please!”

He gently took her arms from around his neck and went to the window, turning his back on her. Crissy just stood there, and tears ran down her face. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she knew that he did not want that right now. He would just push her away.

“I’ll stay with you there for two or three weeks, until you’ve settled in, and so that I know that you’re OK,” he said quietly.

“But how can I be OK when you’re going to leave me?” she sobbed.

“Don’t make it harder than it already is, Crissy. Even if you don’t believe it right now, at some point you’ll realise that it was best this way. Then you’ll be glad. You’ll find a man who can walk down the street with you without everyone turning and looking because he’s a monster.”

“I wouldn’t care! Honestly!” she tried to convince him.

He turned towards her and glared at her angrily.

“But I would!” he snarled and rushed out of the room.

Crissy threw herself onto the bed and cried.

About an hour later Ramon returned. Crissy was sitting on the bed and looked at him. He closed the door and leant against it. She could not work out his expression – it was almost without any sign of emotion. Her heart was aching and her eyes burnt from the tears that she had shed during the last hour.

Suddenly he pushed himself away from the door and strode across the room. He flung himself on her like a ravenous animal. Her heart pounded wildly as he undressed her hurriedly and took off his trousers. He hungrily pressed his mouth on hers and kissed her firmly. His touches were rough and yet did not lose their effect. Her body was just eager for him to take her. Crissy pushed herself yearningly towards him and whimpered as he lay between her legs and went inside her without any further hesitation.

“You don’t know me at all,” he snarled. “You’ve been playing with the beast in the hope that he’s really only a little kitten!”

Ramon grabbed her by the hair whilst he carried on thrusting into her. She swung between pain and desire. She wanted him – she wanted to hold onto him – forever. She could see the anger in his eyes and she did not understand it. Hot tears ran down her face and she bit on her lip.

“You don’t want
me
– not the
real
me!”

His thrusting became faster as he closed his eyes and groaned.

“Damn you, Crissy!” he gasped before pouring into her, groaning.

Bathed in sweat, he rolled off her and lay there with his eyes closed, breathing heavily.

Crissy’s heart kept on pounding madly. She felt awful. Sobbing, she turned over and listened to his breathing. Why could he not just hold her again? She wanted his warmth and his tenderness. At the same time her sex burned with unfulfilled desire. At some point she finally fell asleep. 

Ramon had got out of bed and was looking out of the window. It would soon be light and then they needed to get a new car and disappear from here. But first he wanted to tend to something. He glanced at Crissy who was still fast asleep. Her eyes were still red from the tears that she had shed. He felt guilty. But it was better this way. He was convinced of that. It was no good for her. He had not been able to protect Angel and his daughter Alley. They died horribly in the fire. He should have died with them. It was not right that he was still alive. And it was not right for him to put yet another woman in danger because of his love. He could not bear to lose her.

He took a sheet of paper from the table. The guest-house logo was printed on it – a dragon holding a lamb –
how fitting
, he thought.
The beast with the innocent lamb
. No one could characterise his relationship with Crissy better. Sighing, he picked up the pen, with the same logo, and began to write:

Stay here in this room. I’ll be back in about two hours.

I’m getting a new car for us and then I’ll come to get you.

Don’t leave the room for any reason and don’t let anyone see you at the window.

Ramon

He put the piece of paper onto the table and took another look at Crissy before leaving the room. When he closed the door, a draught blew the letter off the table. It landed between the table and the sofa.

When Crissy woke up the bed was empty next to her. She looked around the room but Ramon was nowhere to be seen. Her heart beating rapidly, she got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Perhaps he was on the toilet. But he was not in the bathroom. Where could he be? Why had he gone away without saying anything to her? Would he even come back? Perhaps he had decided that it was better to leave her here.

There was a knock at the door. Perhaps it was Ramon, and he had forgotten the key. She went to the door and stood in front of it.

“Who is it?”

“Room service, madam. Breakfast has been ordered for you.”

Crissy’s face lit up. Ramon clearly had to deal with something and he had thoughtfully ordered her breakfast.

She opened the door and the smile left her face, as three men pushed her into the room closed the door.

“You? But …,” she managed to shout out in alarm before one of the men gagged her with tape.

Mario had thrown himself casually into an armchair and was smiling at her.

“Are you pleased to see me? I was almost afraid that we had lost you, but as luck would have it, you chose this specific guest-house.“

Crissy tried to free herself from the clutches of her ex-fiancé’s two bodyguards, but she had no chance against these brawny men.

“You must be wondering how I found out that you were staying here,” stated Mario, and crossed his legs. He took off his sunglasses and leaned forward a little, looking straight at Crissy. 

“After you got away from us, we looked for you on the streets for a while, until we found your car. After that I called a few people and told them to keep their eyes open for you and this … beast. And just imagine – I went and called my third cousin and what did he tell me? A couple fitting my description has just taken a room at his place. And just to put the icing on the cake – the beast has gone out and the mouse is all alone.”

Crissy tried to swear at him, but the tape did its job and her words were nothing more than an incomprehensible drone. Mario laughed and shook his head, as if in sympathy.

“Crissy, Crissy. I must say that it does make me a bit angry that you’ve got together with someone else so quickly – and, what’s more, with such an ugly monster as him. There’s one good thing – this way I’ll get Ramon because I’ll use you as bait.”

Crissy shook her head. She wanted to tell him that Ramon would not be coming back but the damn tape made that impossible.

“Do you know that Ramon and I are old … friends. We still have something to settle. That’s why we’re going to go on a little trip together now.”

He got out of the armchair and nodded to his bodyguards before leaving the room. Crissy was dragged behind Mario by the two men. They went down the stairs and Mario put an envelope on the counter.

“Give that to the bastard when he comes back!”

The man who had rented the room to Crissy and Ramon nodded. Then he looked at Crissy and shrugged his shoulders with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, lady. But family comes first, I’m sure you understand that.”

Crissy thought of a dozen words that she would have liked to shout at the swine if only her mouth had not been taped up. He had been given a lot of extra money by Ramon to keep silent. The bastard!

They left the guest-house by the back door and she was dragged straight into the car that was parked there, and the finishing touch – the bodyguards pushed her into the foot-well and put a rough woollen blanket over her, under which she not only started to sweat profusely, but also could hardly breathe.