Page 9 of Midnight Roots

I smile and nod. "Great, then I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, I'll show you how to cash up your shift. You can take your tips home. We pay weekly, by the way."

"That's fine by me." I give a slight bow. "Thanks for having faith in me."

Cece smiles. "Of course."

I take the apron off and hang it up on the back of the kitchen door before I leave. I see a truck parked out front, but I don't think anything of it as I walk toward my apartment. It isn't far, thankfully, and I think about the day that transpired. I'm going to have to learn the regulars’ names and their orders if I'm going to expect decent tips.

All in all, it was a good day, and I can now buy something to eat.

Chapter Eight

Heston

I don't like hanging around for the lunchtime rush, yet I found myself unable to pull out of the parking lot once I left. I needed to see her again. To look at her apple-shaped butt and perky breasts. I am rewarded after the lunchtime shift is over, and she wanders outside and down the sidewalk. She doesn't seem to notice me.

Good.

I don't want to creep her out.

I consider following her and seeing where she lives, but the streets aren't busy, and it would be a dead giveaway that I am following her. Instead, I wait until she's a safe distance away before I back away from the curb and drive toward the ranch. While I drive, I think about the things I did as a Staff Sergeant in the Navy—the thingswedid as a unit.

I remember one whore, so desperate to make it out of the country that she tried to trap one of my men, saying she was pregnant. She shouldn't have done that. The men didn't take kindly to being threatened.

Threats were dealt with swiftly.

We had dragged her away to an abandoned house, stripped her, and tied her up until we could decide what to do with her.

She had begged, of course. They always begged. They begged to be let go, promised not to tell anyone, and promised never to do it again. It was too late by then. What had been started had been started, and what had to be done was going to be done.

The men had put lit cigarettes out against her skin while she screamed profanities at them. They ejaculated over her, and some took advantage of her sexually. Then came the games. How many toes could we cut off beforeshe passed out? It turned out it was three. How many broomsticks fit in her pussy? It was five; the last one was forced and caused her to bleed. I'm pretty sure it left splinters when they ripped them out.

She begged for us to kill her, but that was the easy way out. She had threatened a team member. She didn't get off that easily.

I pull up to the ranchhouse and get out, starting my afternoon chores. I'm still thinking about that prostitute and everything we did to her. Then, my mind turns to Dillon. She isn't some cheap hooker who throws herself at guys. Not like Tessa. Tessa might as well have been a hooker.

I saddle up a horse to take a ride to the other side of the property to check if any of the cattle have given birth. I'll need to tag them and weigh them. A lot of the calves are being born now. It's a miracle to watch. I remember, when Ifirst started working on ranches, how little I knew and how quickly I learned. I've done things to cows people couldn't even think of.

I mount the horse and start to ride. The air blows in my face as I go, and the smell of animals surrounds me. I ride through the paddocks to the grazing field where the herd of cattle is settled. I ride among them, checking carefully to see if there are any untagged calves, but there aren't any. I'm sure we'll have a few new ones in the coming days. I sit astride my horse, ol' Charlie, and I watch the cattle as they graze. The dogs are lying at the one end, keeping an ear out for predators. They will alert me if anything goes down.

I turn Charlie around and start to head back to the house. I let him set the pace, moving along slowly and peacefully. This is a peaceful existence. That's what I can offer Dillon. Peace and simplicity. A place to lay your head and notworry. Not a crappy job in the diner that barely tips well, let alone pays well.

I reach the barn and unsaddle Charlie, leading him into a stall and brushing him down. He's sweaty from the ride and hot, but he's loving the fresh hay when I put it in. I grab some carrots and feed them to him one at a time.

Animals are so much simpler than humans. They know they serve a purpose, and once that purpose is fulfilled, there are other ways in which they can serve. Be it as meat or other commodities.

I can hear screams from the house, and I chuckle. Tessa sure has got a lot of energy for someone who's been hanging out all day. Too bad no one can hear her.

Honestly, she didn't pay any attention at all when we were driving in. There isn't another house for a couple of miles any which way.She's just wasting what little energy she needs. I will have to teach her a lesson about screaming like that, but for now, I need to get on with my chores on the ranch.

I muck out the other stalls before I lead the horses into them, and then I feed the pigs and change their water, giving them fresh, clean water to drink. They gobble up their food like, well, like pigs. It makes me smile. One of these porkers is going to make a fine roast over Christmas.

I'm going to have to gag Tessa tomorrow when they come to deliver the hay. I can't have people wondering why someone is screaming from within my house. For now, though, I just want to make sure all the animals are okay. My last stop is the chicken coop, where I check for any eggs I may have missed in the morning, and then I go inside to make some instant coffee.

Later, at Midnight, I wake up in a cold sweat with a hard-on. I can hear Tessa's pitiful moans from the guest room from where she took her beating. I doubt it was that that woke me up. No, it was a night terror, and now I'm rock-hard. I get up, bundle up the sheets into a pile, and strip off my boxers. My cock is standing to attention like a new recruit.

I hear Tessa's groans again, and it tightens my balls.