Down at the Twist and Shout Ch. 05

"That's nice, baby-boy!" she murmured, "This all for me? Why thank you, kind sir!"

Johnny gasped as she slipped her lips over the swollen, slick head of his cock, her sly, wanton expression priming him for who knows what, but he knew she had something on her mind. As she suckled on him, she gently squeezed and milked his balls, keeping him fully charged.

"Oh God, yes..." murmured Johnny, shuddering as Justine rubbed her tongue along the sensitive tip of his cock.

Suddenly, she slipped her spit-sealed lips off his cock with an audible 'pop'.

"You taste nice, Johnny-Boy, but I bet you feel nicer! Wanna come try and see?"

Johnny slipped onto the narrow bunk next to her, kissing her even as his hands explored her firm ass, sliding his fingers inside the her panties to squeeze and fondle her buttocks and glide a probing finger over her tight little anus. Justine wriggled her panties of, assisted by Johnny sliding them down.

"What you want to do, Minou-Minou?" he whispered.

"Just fuck me, Johnny, fill me up, baby, make babies in me, make a baby in me tonight, please!" she begged.

Johnny quit fondling her, instead cupping her face in his hands, a concerned look on his face.

"Justy, I know you worried, I'm worried too, but I swear on Mama's heart, I will always be by your side. What's really goin' on, Minou? Talk to me, ma petite souce-fleur."

Justine looked at him in an agony of impending loss.

"Baby-girl, talk to me..." Johnny murmured, tilting Justine's face up to him.

Justine stared in his eyes, and Johnny, looking deeply into hers, saw the fear she was trying to hide.

"Hey, hey, it's all gonna be OK, you hear me?" he whispered, "whatever gonna happen, tomorrow gonna be the end of it, we got mos' the Atchafalaya jus' a-waitin' on us, they thicker'n fleas on a dawg out there, they got Miss Angel's frien's, mos' everyone I know, Lubin know, an' Audhemar know all jes' waitin' for them idjits to make a move, ain't no-one but them douche-nozzles gonna be feelin' any pain, you hear me, Minou-Minou?"

Justine shook her head, and grabbed Johnny, kissing him hard, urgently, while her hands stroked his face and her fingers combed through his hair.

"Make a baby in me, Johnny-Bear!" she hissed, "Now, right now, give me your baby, then I can let you go and do this thing. I know you have to do this, but first you have to do that one thing for me, then I can let you go. This is how it has to be, Johnny-Bear, so love me now one last time!"

"Ain't no la'last-time' 'bout this, Minou," he whispered, concern creasing his face, "I ain't gonna be no hero, I promise you I'll be back afore mornin's out, and yeah, I'll keep my head down, I got too much to lose; didn' I say I had me some marryin' to do?"

For once, Justine didn't grin at his overdone, 'down-home' accent, but when she looked at him, her eyes were glowing.

"Come here and do this for me, before you have to go do what you need to; make it good, Swamp-Thing!"

Johnny grinned back as he slid up next to her.

"Any time you're ready, li'l gal..." he murmured, smiling as she slid her leg over him.

Justine groaned as once more her man slid deep into her, lighting her nerve-endings with those delightful feelings once again. She tightened around him, making him gasp with pleasure, and then quests and revenge and everything else was forgotten as the old, old rhythm took them, and they moved against each other, pleasuring each other as they built to their final crescendo, a maelstrom of heat, and friction, and slippery, sweaty, velvety wetness, warm and wholly encompassing, a fiery heat that took them into that place where once again all that was existed was their joining, their love burning hot and warming them all the way through.

And then they slept, sure and secure in their promises to each other, knowing that the end was in sight, and they were already on the first steps of their way back home.

*

The following morning, twelve days out from their starting point, Johnny finished checking in with Lubin and his cousins waiting near the Basin Bridge crossing, grinned, and heeled the cruiser over to the right bank and tied up to a stout bank-side Jacaranda.

"OK girls, we less than three mile from the Basin Bridge, time to get ready, we hoofin' it from here on. Gather up your stuff, we got guide waitin' for us up ahead, sure don't wanna be late!"

Justine cocked an eyebrow at Johnny.

"Guide? Who?"

Johnny grinned at her.

"Ole frien' o' yours, Minou, jes' up ahead a ways, she bin waitin' since sunup. Bright, shiny, happy face, Minou, you gon' like this!"

They grabbed their gear and slipped onto the bank, going single file, Johnny leading, then Justine, then Mélette, with Odélie bringing up the rear. They proceeded in this fashion, stepping silently and carefully, keeping under cover, for about two hundred yards, when a soft whistle-hiss stopped them. Johnny grinned and whispered "You-all can come out, 's jes' us!"

Justine gasped as Kelly Delano stepped out onto the trail, her grin stretching almost from ear to ear as she blew Johnny a kiss

"Hey there, Big John!" she smiled, "glad to see you made it this far! Uncle Lubin and some friends are waiting just up ahead, you go join them, I'll take it from here!"

Johnny smiled happily.

"You sure are a welcome sight, miz Kelly, you clear on what we doin' next?"

Kelly nodded. "Lubin and the rest of the boys are laid-up just up ahead there. Me and the girls are going up to your cousin Bouvaise's place, I know the way there, and we'll fort-up and wait for you to come tell us it's all over and done. There are supplies and whatnot stashed there, we can hold out 'til you guys come get us, and yeah, I know, don't worry, we'll keep down and keep out of it, I already had the talk from Jean-Martin, Jean-Noël, Tommy, Lubin, Audhemar, everyone, really, so yeah, we're cool."

"Jes' so's you know, miz Kelly. Really don' want you-all gettin' hurt, not now this almost over an' done! I gotta go now, you gals, you-all listen to miz Kelly, she know whut she doin', this thing about ready to be done one way or 'nother, an' I don' want you-all in the middle of it, so you mind her, you do whut she say, an' I come get you 'fore the day's out, I promise!"

The three girls nodded in agreement, Odélie and Mélette wide-eyed and silent in star-struck astonishment at the fact Kelly Delano, THE Kelly Delano, was a part of this, that she was their Li'l Jean's friend, and she was here, with them, bank side on a minor bayou in the middle of nowhere. Kelly grinned at Mélette and winked.

"There's a couple of real cuties looking for you, honey, Hecky and Macky D, with Lubin's boys; they were like to come to blows over you, Lubin and Jean-Noël had to separate them, now I see you I know why!"

Mélette looked astonished.

"Hecky Lafontaine an' Mack Doubilliér part o' this too? How that happen?"

Kelly flicked an errant curl off Mélette's face and smiled.

"Seems they both reckon you're their girl, and they're along to rescue you! That's just the sweetest thing; I wish I had a pair of beefcake hotties like them fighting over me, I'm so jealous, honey!"

Justine nudged the girls back to reality, grinning at Kelly's almost invisible wink, and grabbed her pack. Johnny checked Odélie's rifle and the Ruger Hawkeye were both fully loaded and the safeties were on, checked Justine's Glock, and pulled her close for a last kiss.

"You-all stay outta this, OK? Ain't no reason you got to do anythin' 'cept stay down an' wait it out an' be ready if anythin' go down out your way. I gotta finish this now, Minou-Minou, but I be back; it's time to end this nonsense, an' we gon' do jes' that. Jes' keep yo' heads down, stay outta things, an' watch yourselves, got that?"

"Hurry back, my Johnny-Bear!" whispered Justine, smiling bravely, but with her heart in her mouth.

"Count on it, you an' me got some marryin' to do!" he grinned. "Now I really gotta go, love you, City-Girl, you an' Odie, too, Mellie-gal, an' Miz Kelly, you-all be careful too, you hear me? Y'all get goin' now, an' I see you on th' other side!"

With that, he slipped back into the dense cover along the bank and was gone. Justine sighed, missing him already, and shrugged her pack more comfortably. Not for one second had she considered telling him don't go, his place was living with her, not dying in some pointless, unwinnable war with organized criminals who never went away, who ultimately always won, no matter was brought to bear against them; telling him that wouldn't work, because she knew he had to do what he thought was the right thing, and right now that was dealing once and for all with the people who threatened their lives and future.

Kelly, intuiting what was going through her mind, took her hand.

"Justine, he'll be back, he promised you he would, and Big John's never broken a promise to anyone; no sleazy little parasite drug-lord is fit to lick his boots, he's like a force of nature, and when they realize what he's capable of, those fucking parasites are gonna shit and die. Just remember this; God forgives, Johnny doesn't, and they're about to find out what happens when you piss him off and threaten his family. I'd ask God to have mercy on their souls, but why bother? Johnny's gonna send them straight to Hell. His whole family are like that; if you're their friend, they'll hold back the tide, or storm the gates of Hell for you, but if you cross them, Hell's the least of your problems. Let's go."

*

The girls moved in single file through the cane brakes, Kelly confidently leading the way, until suddenly they came out of the cane into a sunlit clearing with a still, serene lake reflecting the cloudless sky, and fringed by verdant greenery, flowering Silverbell and Bald Cypress, and riotous masses of fragrantly vivid Honeysuckle mirrored in the glass-smooth water. A sturdy-looking shack built on a jetty reaching into the lake completed the picture of peaceful serenity.

"Wow, this is so beautiful!" exclaimed Justine, "you say this is Johnny's cousin's place? He's so lucky to live here, what a beautiful place!"

Kelly smiled at the black-haired girl and winked at the other two.

"I'd hold off on that for a minute, Justine, watch this!"

With that, she snapped off a dead branch from a hoary old swamp Cottonwood and threw it out into the lake. As it landed in the water, the surface literally boiled as a multitude of snapping heads rolled and tussled for what they hoped was a prey animal. Justine gaped at the sheer ferocity of the animals as the alligators tried to snap the prey from each other.

"Water's teeming with those things'" observed Kelly, "don't get to close to the water's edge, and don't go anywhere alone; come nightfall it's going to be real risky out here, Bouvaise told me they lie up along the banks "thicker than bristles on a hog's back", so let's get inside and get set-up before sundown, we need to be locked-down tight."

As the girls shouldered their packs, three men stepped out from behind the massive Cottonwood trees concealing them.

"Nobody move," said the swarthy, handsome man in the center of the trio, pointing his handgun unwaveringly at Kelly. "Drop your guns minhas pequenas belezas, (my little beauties) please, hands where I can see them, and don't make me use this, because I will. Do it, now!"

Odie and Mélette dropped their rifles as Kelly spread her arms, motioning them back a little. Justine stayed rooted to the spot, suddenly aware of the Glock handgun in the back of her waistband, and the huge saber-handled Bowie knives sheathed behind the two girls' backs. As she froze she noticed that, instead of trail boots like hers and the girls', Kelly wore light mid-calf moccasins, split at the toe like Japanese Tabi socks.

The man with the gun sighed theatrically as he motioned his two companions forward.

"Such beauty in a place like this, it's so fitting. You three young ladies will come with us, I know there are people who will be very pleased to meet you, so pleased they will pay me much money for the pleasure of your company. But only after me!" he smirked. "But not you, Miss Delano, you are too well known, I'm so sorry, but..."

He raised the pistol, and Kelly suddenly spun on her heel in a balletic roundhouse kick, slamming into his hand and sending his handgun flying. Kelly caught her balance, quickly adjusted the distance between them, and bowed backwards in a limber, gymnastic crab, her hands contacting the ground even as her feet flicked up in a perfect one-two scissors kick to the man's face, the balls of her feet crashing one after another into his face and knocking him back on his heels as she sprang upright. Before he could recover his balance, she bounded into the air and landed another flying kick to his solar plexus, but this time his body armor caught the full force of her kick and merely staggered him, not winding him as she'd hoped. Quick as lightning his hand reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her close even as his fist crashed into her jaw. Kelly folded, knocked out by the savage punch.

As Kelly launched her attack on Joao Ribeiro, his two cronies made a grab for Mélette and Odélie. Both girls whirled out of their grasp like greased eels and, as the men closed with them, both girls' hands flashed behind them, to the huge bowie knives sheathed at their backs. As the goons grabbed for them again, both girls, as though they'd rehearsed it every day of their lives, acting as one, almost reflexively, lunged out in perfectly timed thrusts at the two men, like trained fencers. The man reaching for Odélie gurgled as the giant knife angled upward through his open mouth and into his brain, driven there by every ounce of her strength, while the man reaching for Mélette sank to his knees, a giant gout of blood fountaining from the huge rent slashed in his throat by her razor-sharp knife; she'd chopped out at him so hard his head was nearly severed from his body.

Justine watch all this almost in time-lapse, clicks of static images unreeling; Kelly's attack, dropping as the man punched her, the blinding speed the two girls had reacted with, taking out the threats to their lives almost instinctively. Justine stepped back as Joao Ribeiro to a step towards her, his handsome face twisted with rage, Justine took another step back he advanced another step, and then it happened; she stepped back, missed her footing and landed on her butt, momentarily winded. Joao smirked in triumph, just as Justine remembered the handgun in the back of her pants' waistband. Time slowed to a crawl as she reached behind her, pulled the pistol, lay back, and, just as Johnny had drilled into her, brought it to bear with both hands steadying it, clicked off the safety, and aimed between her raised knees, feet flat on the ground, lining up on Joao, who grinned contemptuously at her.

For a split second she quailed; could she shoot a man down, even a piece of filth like Joao Ribeiro? Could she kill a man, just like that, just squeeze the trigger and put a bullet in him? And then her resolve hardened; this pig was going to rape her, he was going to kill Johnny and rape her repeatedly, and when he'd raped her enough times he was going to sell her so even more men could rape her. No, this stopped, right here, right now.

Joao smirked at the little girlie trying to get the courage to fire a Glock pop-gun at him; she had spirit, good, he was going to enjoy making her beg for death, but he was going to keep her alive for a very long time; she owed him, he was out here in this hillbilly shit-hole because of her, and he wanted payback. One more step, and as he took it, she fired, at almost point blank range, a rolling thunder of shots as she blew five jacketed hollow-point slugs into him; the first four rocked him, and the vest he was wearing absorbed most of the impact, injuring but not stopping him. Justine's aim altered as she panicked, and the last bullet hit him under the chin, on an upward trajectory from her prone position, and the massive damage hollow-points can inflict at close range was ably demonstrated as the top of his head exploded in a spray of bone fragments, blood, and brain matter. Joao dropped almost at her feet, an expression of utter shock marring his dead features.

Justine let loose the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Did that hurt, motherfucker?" she whispered, staring with no pity or remorse at the staring-eyed corpse, before flopping backwards on the ground, to stare unseeing at the sky as the knowledge she'd just killed a man chimed inside her. She thought she was going to fall into the same frame of mind Johnny had the other day down the bayou but she realized she felt nothing except satisfaction that the man who wanted to kill her Johnny was dead, he wasn't going to hurt her, or try and hurt Johnny, or pay someone to hurt Johnny ever again.

A soft curse from Kelly as she clambered shakily to her feet broke Justine out of her reverie. Kelly shook her head to clear it and blinked, staring at the scene of carnage. Blood stained the ground everywhere, and three staring-eyed corpses made liquid murmuring sounds as organs settled and dead lungs vented their dead owners' last breaths. She took in Mélette and Odélie mechanically wiping off their knives, faces blank and eyes unfocused, and Justine flat on her back and her arms flung out, pistol in hand, staring at the sky. She stared for long seconds at Joao Ribeiro's staring-eyed corpse, at the two men Odélie and Mélette had despatched, and sighed as she shuddered at the image of the three bloody corpses.

"Guys, snap out of it, bad place, we've got to get moving, NOW!" she whisper-shouted, reaching down to give Justine a hand up.

"Quick, search these guys, empty their pockets, grab their guns, and let's get out of here, there's blood everywhere, those things out there are gonna be up here any minute now, shake it!"

The four girls quickly went through the dead men's pockets, pulling out any and everything that could identify them, retrieving their handguns and clips, cells, ID's, before Kelly marshalled them.

"Ok, we need to get up into the cabin and locked down, it's going to get real dangerous out here, look..."

She pointed at several 'V's arrowing towards them in the still water of the lake.

"Grab your packs an' those guy's ID's, bug-out time, let's go!"

They quickly stuffed everything into Odélie's backpack and made a beeline for the cabin, Kelly hurrying them along and dancing with urgency as she herded the girls inside before darting in and pulling the door to, a surprisingly heavy door for such an innocent-looking cabin, the steel-banded planks of inch-thick seasoned Southern White Oak proof against a battering ram. Kelly dropped the bar and let out a gasp of relief.

"OK, we're safe now, food, water, bedding, it's all here. We won't be able to go out for a while, so I guess we sit tight and wait for Big John or someone to come get us. Make yourselves comfortable, we could be here a while."

There was a small, pot-belly stove in the corner of the shack, and a pile of stove-wood. Kelly quickly started a fire, and everything they'd taken from the three dead men was thrown inside, destroying all trace of them, and their cells were smashed with a small hatchet Kelly found jammed in the woodpile next to the stove.

Kelly finished by throwing the remains of the men's cell phones in the blazing stove and grinned tightly.

"Now we wait."

*

Johnny made his cautious, silent way through the brush, tracking the bayou but keeping low and out of sight, flitting from cover to cover until he stopped, grinned, and straightened up.

"I know you back there! What, y'all too good to say 'hi' to a ol' frien' now?"