***
Dinner was great. The company was great. Conversation was great. They even let him have one beer. Riddick didn’t like the taste but he sipped at it until the bottle was empty so he’d feel more like he fit in. It seemed to work. It was the most he’d talked with that many people in one gathering before.
Hours later, Riddick and Waters stood side by side, finishing up washing and drying the last of the dishes. After everyone else had gone home or back to their barracks, she’d finally loosened up a little and taken off her blouse, sporting the tank top underneath, yet apologized for her casual getup. Riddick didn’t mind. It gave him an excellent view of all her curves. He found her beautiful; so were countless other women, but there was something about Waters that was far more alluring.
Waters deposited a handful of silverware in the drying rack. “I have a little present for you, Riddick. I’ll be right back.” She snatched a corner of Riddick’s drying towel as he wiped a plate, then she left the kitchen.
He wordlessly dried off the silverware and stowed them in a drawer as he tried to guess what the surprise was. His imagination went all over the place, until Waters returned, holding a necklace in one hand. Silver, medium-sized chain, and a carved metal object on the end. He caught sight of two sets of elongated claws. Could it be...? He discarded the towel and snatched up the necklace and dangled it in front of his face. It was a figure of his favorite X-Men character, Wolverine, who posed with his arms crossed, metal claws out, a glare on his face crowned by his trademark wild hair.
“I thought you might like that, seeing as how you two are a bit alike.”
“Thank you, ma’am!” He looped the chain over his head and tucked the figure under his shirt.
“I was going to give it to you before dinner but I forgot after you gave me my rose.” She turned around and faced the rose, caressing its curved petals. “Such a nice rose. I’m glad Pond did more than try to corrupt you.” She yawned into a fist.
Riddick tentatively placed his hands on Waters’ bare shoulders. “May I?”
“I think a shoulder massage is exactly what I need right now. I’m so tense after bickering almost nonstop with Fink all week.”
He began kneading the meat of her shoulders, paying attention to where he felt stiffness and knots, and methodically eased them all out. His heart raced with the thrill touching her like this. Even though Waters was his guardian, they rarely touched or interacted like a mother and son. He couldn’t deny that every child needed parental figures in their lives but he was thankful that wasn’t how their relationship had grown. They were more mentor-student, but he wasn’t a child anymore.
He shuffled so his toes were on either side of her feet, their bodies as close as possible without touching. He leaned in and breathed in the scent of her shoulder-length hair. This was the smell of beautiful. He pulled some hair aside, exposing her neck. He inhaled again and planted a kiss just below her ear.
Gasping, Waters spun around and seized his wrists. “Riddick, what are you doing? Don’t do that.” She stared at him, eyes wide.
“But you want it.” Regardless of her grip, he caressed her jaw line, admiring the smoothness of her skin and the shape of her face.
“Not from you.” She gently pushed his hand away. “You’ve seen me date a couple men in the last few years. It’s inappropriate for such things between you and me. I’m your guardian. You should be chasing girls your age.”
“I don’t want them. They’re not like you.”
“Oh, Riddick.” She pulled him into a hug and lay her cheek on his shoulder. “You’re very young and both very handsome and intelligent. You have such a bright future ahead of--”
“We’re not related. You’re beautiful and intelligent. I can protect you.” He could tell she was trying hard to be gentle with her words but he couldn’t bring himself to believe she’d reject him so fast. Her body was saying one thing but her words another. Maybe he’d tried too soon, rushed into making an advance too fast.
Waters pulled away and gave him a hard look. “Riddick, stop. I am your mother and guardian. We are family. Do you understand?”
Bowing his head, he lowered his hands to his sides. “I’m sorry.”
She let out a weary sigh, then put her hands on his shoulders. “I’ve watched you grow up a lot--a lot--these past three years. Just wait a few more and you’ll start seeing in other women what you see in me. I promise. I love you. I always will, and as my son.”
Waters didn’t drop the “I love you” line lightly. This was maybe the third time Riddick remembered her saying those words, and he knew she meant it every time. While he still felt heartbroken, her words balmed the flat-out rejection. He pulled her into a possessive hug. This night wouldn’t stop his need to protect her and keep her safe. She would always be his.
“And never hesitate to keep bringing me flowers. I always like them too.”
“I will.” He’d bring a hundred flowers a day if that’s what it took to woo her. It didn’t matter for how long. He could be patient and wait a few years. They mutually let go.
“Now go get some sleep. You’ll be doing a lot of training with Kenner and Spark for the next month. We need to impress the higher-ups so Fink’s grumbling won’t have any bearing on your next promotion.” She kissed his cheek and saw him off.
12.
Riddick took a roundabout route to his dorm, taking out his Wolverine necklace now and then to admire it. They definitely shared strong animal sides, fierce tempers, and ruthless fighting ability, but every time Riddick fought, he tended to get into trouble, even though he wasn’t the one starting fights. He knew better than that. It was better to let others start it so he could finish it.
The only problem was, it was never a fair fight when the authorities weren’t looking. Lucky for him, he we able to heal unusually fast--not quite like the Wolverine, but something similar. That and he had a knack for escaping situations unfavorable to him. His unique physical traits were a blessing and curse. They were both why he got picked on and bullied, yet why he’d gotten where he was today. If he could perform well on Waters’ mission and get promoted, then he’d be dealing with a few less idiots.
Something about the barracks’ atmosphere felt off, like he was walking into danger. The lighting was normal, the tiled floors spotless and shiny, and the security guards had even let him in with no subliminal indication that anything was off-kilter, but something was.
He headed down the hall along the right side, his fingers itching for his knife. When he reached his door, he noticed that the coding shined green from being unlocked, which it shouldn’t have been, and he heard the rhythmic slap of flesh on flesh of two people having sex. What the hell?
Riddick drew his knife, adrenaline coursing through his system. He heaved the door open and lunged inside, then froze at the sight of Russel humping some girl tied to his bed, his BDU pants around his boots. He was taking her from behind while Thompson, their fellow flight member watched on. His hulking frame was seated at Riddick’s desk with his combat boots propped up on his pillows. Bastards!
His peers paused at the sight of him, giving Riddick a second to notice that the girl’s face was red, eyes watery and a gag in her mouth. She looked twelve, thirteen. His blood boiled hotter.
“Well lookie here,” Russel said nonchalantly. “The criminal has finally made it to the crime scene.” He pulled out and the girl whimpered, then he pulled up his pants.
Thompson got to his feet and cracked his knuckles. “Want me to hold him down for you, Russel?” he said in his nasally voice.
“Be my guest.” Russel bent over the girl. “The one who raped you is Riddick. Look at him real good right now. You tell anyone it was me and I’ll kill you. Got it?” Fresh tears rolled down her puffy cheeks and she nodded. Russel faced Riddick and thumbed his stitched brow. “You haven’t learned from all the towel parties, freak. Never undermine your flight leader.” He took out a cell phone and nodded to Thompson. He dialed three nu
mbers.
Thompson came at Riddick fast but his eyes gave away that he was going for the head. Riddick used Thompson’s momentum to skirt around and wrap his neck in one arm as he pressed his knife to his attacker’s spine. Thompson went stock-still.
A female voice sounded from Russel’s cell phone as he kept his eyes locked on Riddick’s. “Hello, ma’am, I need an ambulance to HQMC’s barracks, building seven-two-two, room one-three-zero.”
“Don’t you dare!” Riddick snarled, crushing his knife in his grip.
Russel smiled, baring his teeth. “Yes, ma’am. My friend and I walked in on someone raping a minor. We’ve got him in custody.”
Thompson elbowed Riddick in the stomach and bashed him in the face with the back of his skull. Stars erupted all over his vision. He slashed at the spine in front of him, then clutched the bridge of his nose.
Thompson went down, cursing.
“Shit, he just stabbed my friend. Hurry with the ambulance!” Russel’s phone beeped once. A moment later, his voice sounded from close to the floor. “Sergeant Tori, hurry over to Riddick’s room. He just stabbed Thompson!”
Riddick shook his head out and the stars began to disperse. He felt dizzy and disoriented but the rage coursing through him kept him conscious.
The girl lay dead still in his bed and Russel was kneeling over Thompson, who was clutching his lower back.
“Shit, Russel, I can’t feel my legs. I can’t feel them!” He continued cursing and writhing, but he moved only his torso.
The sight ate at Riddick’s rage but now wasn’t the time for empathy. He lowered into a fighting stance, knife ready.
Russel said, “You think I’m that stupid, freak?” He drew a firearm from his hip and took aim. “You’re not weaseling out of this.”
Staring down the darkened barrel, Riddick’s brain flew through a series of scenarios, weighing several decisions and their outcomes. Out of all of them, one jumped at him.
Russel switched off the safety.
With his greater-than-human speed, Riddick flipped the knife in his grip, then chucked it as he dodged. The knife buried itself to the hilt in Russel’s neck as he fired a round, the bullet sending concrete raining all over the room and the report making his ears hurt. That’d wake everyone in the barracks. Russel’s body slumped to the floor, his shocked expression seared into Riddick’s memory.
“Russel?” Thompson called. “Russel? Oh, god. Somebody hel--!”
Riddick kicked him in the head, hard enough to knock him out but hopefully not hard enough to kill him. There was no advantage to killing him as well. In fact, it’d make his horrible predicament worse. He threw together clothes, his firearm, and wallet, discarded his cell phone on his desk so no one could track him, then stood over Russel, who was lying in a pool of blood of both his and Thompson’s. Riddick looked away as he pulled his knife free with a squelch, then covered his mouth, vomit rising in his throat. He swallowed as the sensation of a serrated blade scraping along bone replayed in his head over and over, until he heard a girl whimper.
The girl!
Riddick went over and slashed the torn sheets binding her to his bead, then paused with the bloody knife poised between them. She’d be scarred for life after all this. It would be a mercy to kill her. She looked to be only twelve or thirteen. Her ravaged, half-naked body was caught in the middle of the transformation from girl to woman, her hands and feet disproportionately large, hips narrow, and legs beginning to grow long. She bunched the sheets around her like a cocoon. Riddick almost asked if she needed him to kill her. Instead, he wiped his knife on the bed, then tucked it back into hiding. “Will you tell them the truth?”
She hesitated, her wild, fearful gaze bouncing between her and the two men on the floor. “What if he tries to kill me too?”
“Do you want me to kill him for you?”
Her eyes widened even more and her face paled as she sank deeper into the sheets.
“Never mind. Just tell the cops Russel threatened to kill you if you told the truth, okay?” The girl swallowed and said nothing. He glanced out the window and hesitated. If he fled the scene, it’d look bad for him. If he took the girl home before the authorities could intercept him, it’d help his case. Hopefully. “I’ll take you home. Where do you live?”
“On b-base. Chickadee Street.”
Riddick wasn’t sure where that was but that didn’t matter. He found her skirt and flip flops on the floor and tossed them to her. “Are you feeling well enough to guide us there?” She just stared at him like a catatonic rodent. Heaving a sigh, he snatched her clothing and slipped everything on her, shouldered his duffle bag, then opened the window and scooped her into his arms. She wasn’t heavy now but after five minutes she would be.
She started whimpering and crying as he slung her over his shoulder and he crawled out the window. Once he hit the ground, he swung her back into his arms. “Which way?” She looked around, then pointed east. He took off, keeping to the shadows.