by Piper Stone
I absolutely adored this man and there was no doubt I would lose him forever.
Finally able to breathe, I reached out, wanting nothing more than for Blade to hold me. A flash caught my eye, drawing my attention back toward the window. Everything in slow motion, I heard a crackling sound. Then I...
Chapter Ten
Blade
“God damn it!” I heard my booming voice echoing over the intense blaze. I cradled her in my arms, dragging us both back from the firebomb’s point of entry, the oversized front windows. Blinking, the smoke was acrid, stinging my eyes. I managed to wipe away a portion of soot, finally able to focus. The bomb was only meant as a warning or the entire place would have blown. I knew one thing without question. This was just the beginning of their wrath. However, their reactions had been much faster than I would have predicted, which solidified what I’d heard about the Salvadorian.
They wouldn’t stop until Crystal was dead. Was there another reason, a portion of her life she hadn’t mentioned? In my experience, organized acts of retaliation were usually saved for the most egregious betrayal, not for warding off thugs. Something was off kilter.
“Are you two all right?” Pappy yelled, his voice carrying over the melee. He held his arm over the front of his face as he backed away from the licking flames, hissing as he stumbled to his feet.
I’d heard the man’s name being used. I also ventured that he used to be a cop. I could smell them a mile away. There was no way of knowing whether he was onto me. Couldn’t care either. Whether or not I could trust him didn’t matter. In truth, I needed help getting her out of here. When she was safely protected in the middle of the bar, I peered down, easing strands of hair from her face and picking off pieces of glass from her clothing. Leaning over, I could tell she was breathing but there was a gash on the side of her neck and one near her ear. “I think so.”
“What the fuck just happened?” Pappy asked, his back hitting the end of the bar.
Pappy had his gun in both hands, carefully taking glances into the parking lot. I took a full inhale before answering. “Revenge.”
At that point, we could both hear the sound of screeching tires even over the flames. “Shit. These fuckers need a solid lesson in respect. I’m calling 9-1-1. Get Crystal the hell out of here before they arrive. I’ll take care of talking with the cops. They damn well better listen to me or I’ll have their jobs.” He wiped soot from his face before glancing in my direction. “And no, I don’t give a shit who you are or what you did in the past. You’re all right with me. The Charleston Police Department will learn only what they need to hear, but you have only a few minutes. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
I smiled, giving him a respectful nod. He had more to do with this than being a customer. “I appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it. Pretty clear how much the little filly likes you. She deserves a break. Hell, more than one so you better take care of her or you’ll have me to go through,” Pappy mused, half under his breath.
I snaked another glance at the blue hue of the fire, cursing under my breath before turning my attention to Crystal. “If you can hear me, I’m not leaving. I am getting you out of here.” Easing her head to the floor, I scrambled toward the bar, searching for her keys, finally finding them on the mat behind the bar. When I had her in my arms, I headed toward Pappy. “Thank you for your help. Get out of here.”
“Oh, I will.” He tilted his head, offering a smile. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re in the middle of, son, but I can tell you’re a good man. Take care of her. She’s a special lady who has no clue what she dropped into the middle of.”
“I will.” I had every intention of making certain she would live past tonight. I eyed the older man, the way his eyes were flashing. There was much more to Pappy than just a retired cop.
“What’s... happening?” Crystal asked in a scattered voice as she pawed at my chest, wincing as she blinked several times.
“A fire. A bomb. I’m getting you out of here. Just relax and trust me.” As if either one of us would be able to relax in any regard. She was no fool and neither was I. Escape would take careful calculating. I took guarded steps out the service door, glancing up and down the back alley. There was no one in sight but that didn’t mean they weren’t waiting in the shadows. “Listen to me very carefully. Don’t fight me. Just hold on.”
Moaning, she clung to me as I kept low, creeping along the side of the building until I reached the front. The blast hadn’t damaged much of the parking lot, leaving only a trace of glass covering her truck. I jammed the key into the passenger side lock, swearing under my breath as I opened the door, placing her onto the seat. She whimpered and reached for me, her eyes fluttering open and closed. “Blade,” she whispered.
“Just breathe for me.” I wasted no time getting into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. I’d been through this kind of shit too many times before in my life and grasped what we were facing. If the fuckers followed, we’d be sitting ducks. If they’d sent a warning shot in a manner of speaking, I had perhaps minutes to get her to safety.
“Zorro.”
“We can’t worry about him right now,” I insisted.
“No!” Crystal shifted, managing to sit upright. “I won’t leave him. He’s all I have! I’ll fucking walk if I have to.”
Hissing, I shot out of the parking lot, heading in the direction of her house. “Getting anywhere close to your house is risky.”
“I don’t care. I don’t give a damn about me!” Her conviction yanked at the very core of me. She snagged the handle, tugging at the unlock button. “You don’t have anyone or give a shit. I get that. I do. But I’m not you and I won’t leave him there to die.”
Gripping the steering wheel, I contemplated what we’d face. She’d never let this go. “Fine. I’ll get him.” One way or the other. The grip on the steering wheel was white-knuckled as I roared down the street, my eyes never stopping an intense scan.
She continued glaring at me for a solid five minutes before settling against the seat, her entire body quivering. Wiping dirt from her arms, she grumbled under her breath.
“How do you know Pappy?”
Sighing, she answered with a blandness in her voice. “I don’t know him. He’s been coming into the bar for a few months, at least every other day. He’s retired. Nothing else to do.”
What was a retired cop doing sitting in a bar every other day?
“Why, because he’s a cop?” she asked after a few seconds.
“Just curious.” I tried not to react. Now wasn’t the time to confess any of my sins.
“Somehow I don’t see you as the ‘just curious’ type,” she mused, her head tilted toward the window.
I rubbed my eyes before looking from one side mirror to the next, my nerves on edge and the adrenaline running high. I continued to have the distinct feeling we were being followed, but unlike stupid assholes from the gang, whoever was tailing us knew what he or she was doing. This unnerved me more than anything. The jerkoffs I’d tossed out were the aggressive type, enjoying the show as much as anything. These kinds of movements were organized. “What was said on the phone?”
“Just that I’d learn what they did to bitches like me. Take a number, buddy. Are they following us?” Crystal had regained some of her defiance.
“Not that I can tell.” Her glance in my direction was far too controlled, her expression blank. I couldn’t rule out she was in shock, which is why I left my thoughts to myself. “Try and relax.”
This time, she snorted then broke into a nervous laugh. “Did you see a guy in the bar?”
“A guy? One of the Desperados?” I couldn’t help but notice the way she wrung her hands.
“No. It was no one,” she muttered.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing, really. I just... I’m just overwrought. Okay?”
Uh-huh. Crystal was lying to me.
While the remainder of
the drive was without incident, I remained like a caged animal, prepared for almost anything. Almost. Whoever I thought was tracking us had disappeared, but a glitch stuck in my craw. There was more to this scenario than just the Desperados exacting revenge. In my mind, this couldn’t be any worse. Every thought I had concluded up the same way, the scenarios ending in one or both of us getting killed. I couldn’t rule out that Diego had more control over the goons than he’d let on, realizing my location and ordering a contract.
When I made the turn into her driveway, I cut the lights halfway up. The glow of her front porch light wasn’t necessarily a good indication, but there were no other cars visible. “Stay here.” I jerked the gun from my holster, checking the ammo. The weapon was ready to shoot.
“I have a bag by the front door. I was going to stay with Jessie. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. What little I have that’s important to me is inside. I mean other than Zorro,” she struggled to say, her eyes opening wide. For all her control, all her bravery, she was fighting breaking down.
Another thing to make me pissed off as hell.
“Understood. Stay here and keep the doors locked.” I grabbed the keys and waited until I heard the click of the locks before heading toward the front door, able to hear Zorro barking. The pup greeted me, and I took a quick walk through the house. From what I could tell, there’d been no breach, but something was off, an odd scent lingering in her house. Someone had been inside.
Zorro followed me as I walked into her bedroom, swinging the door open with a single finger and taking a deep whiff. Cologne. Men’s cologne to be exact. Possession. My possession. That’s all I could think about. Hissing, I took backward steps into the hallway. Maybe the asshole had dropped by earlier. The cheap scent was far too intense. The effects would only last for maybe thirty minutes, unless he’d wallowed in her things. I was disgusted at the thought. Damn it. She could deal with her boyfriend later. To hell with this. Getting in the middle of her life wasn’t going to change anything.
“Just you and me, boy.” Storming back to the foyer, I yanked her duffle into my hand and ushered the dog outside, swinging the gun back and forth as I made my way back to her truck.
Crystal snapped the lock, a series of moans slipping past her lips as Zorro jumped inside what would be the cramped quarters. “Baby. There you are. I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Zorro squealed as he crowded her space.
The damn truck was so small, but I managed to shove the bag behind the driver’s seat before getting in. Now, the rush was to get her out of anywhere she’d been seen. At this time of night, I’d be forced to take a chance, taking her to my motel room. Fuck this shit. My thoughts drifted to the kid at the garage. A plant? What about Dwayne? Maybe he’d been bullied into talking. Shit, there was no way of knowing. Now, I was second-guessing everyone, which meant I was in over my head, far too close to the subject. Safety first. Develop a plan. Activate said plan.
Hell, yes, tomorrow would be an entirely different ballgame.
Zorro barked for only a few seconds before settling down and I couldn’t help but notice the way he licked Crystal’s face and neck, trying to heal her wounds. The moment brought back far too many memories I’d tried to forget over the years, emotions that didn’t belong to a man like me.
I concentrated on the drive, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of activity. I waited on a side street, studying the parking lot of the motel, before heading immediately to the back and parking under a bank of trees. The vehicle would be difficult to see until morning. “We’re going to do this again, Crystal. Stay here while I check the room.”
“What if they find us, Blade?” she asked. I sensed a rise in her level of confidence, even if her voice remained small. She clung onto Zorro, caressing his neck even as she hunkered as far into the seat as possible.
“Then we fight. I won’t allow them to hurt you. That I promise.” I only hoped this was one I could keep. The area was devoid of activity, only one car passing by the entrance to the motel. The stench of cologne lingered in my nostrils, creating bile in the back of my throat.
I took the back stairs, sweeping the parking lot as well as the open hallway with my eyes as I crept along the wall. There were no lights on in the room, just as I’d left it. There was also no sign of forced entry, but as soon as I unlocked the door, turning the knob, I kicked it in, waiting. I breathed a sigh of relief, at least for the moment and flicked on the single light on the dresser.
We were in the room only two minutes later, the door locked and bolted. “Get settled as much as you can. It’s going to be a long night.” I immediately grabbed my weapon’s bag from under the bed, yanking out more useful firepower. The dog watched me intently, even as he laid on the bed, his tail flopping back and forth. I could also feel her eyes studying my every move, calculating what I was planning on doing.
“He likes you,” she said quietly.
“He shouldn’t.”
“Why do you do that? Why? You just risked your life to save me, yet you act as if you’re a terrible person.”
“I told you. I have my reasons.” After slapping a load of ammo into the Browning, I moved to the corner of the room, peering around the drapery every few seconds. But my senses were locked into the woman I cared about.
She grumbled and winced when she stood, panting as she struggled to remove a cell phone from her back pocket. “Fine. I don’t feel like arguing with you.”
“Keep that off. No matter what you do, don’t turn it back on,” I hissed. I knew well enough how easy it was to track her, just but homing in on GPS coordinates. When she hesitated, I snapped, “Turn it off!”
“Jesus!” Crystal was shaking but she did as she’d been directed.
“That’s the first thing they’ll do, check to see if they can pinpoint a location.”
“Yeah, I get it. I should have remembered,” she muttered and lumbering toward the bathroom.
The answer seemed out of place, but at this point I wasn’t going to drag her into any additional trauma.
“Bastards. They ruined everything. Everything.” Crystal sighed and continued on her path. “I had a good life here. Not perfect, but good enough anyway. You know? Fuck it. Who cares?”
I dared to glance in her direction as she stormed toward the bathroom sink, turning on the light and surveying the damage done by the fire. Even in her disheveled state, there was such grace and beauty about her, such utter strength. I found it difficult to take my eyes off her, even though I was the only line of protection she had.
Crystal washed her face, moaning only once when she cleaned the cut on her neck. All I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms, consoling the woman I was falling hard for. Swallowing nasty bile that had formed in my throat, I turned my attention back to the window. I saw visions of blood dancing in front of my eyes. What in the fuck was this really about?
“They aren’t going to stop. Are they?” Her words had no inflection, as if she was resigned to what was happening.
“No. They’ll keep on.”
“There has to be another reason. I just can’t imagine they’d waste this kind of time on me, even with your involvement.”
I stole another look, my cock swelling as she removed her top and bra, her actions stilted from her injuries. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?” Maybe Pappy had been eluding to a grand scheme of some kind. I thought about the other customers I’d seen. Not a single one of the drinking crowd had a criminal aura. Then again, looks could be deceiving. I would hunt Pappy down and have a lengthy as well as frank conversation.
She hesitated before answering. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“What, Crystal? I have to know what I’m dealing with.”
After pushing a strand of hair out of her eye, she leaned against the wall. “An employee of the bar was kiting money, or at least attempted to do so. He tried to make the transactions small, and they didn’t make any sense, but I know various creative accounting techniques
have gone on behind my back. I found evidence that I sent to my boss earlier today.”
“Was this employee affiliated with a gang?” The look of the bar didn’t indicate a real money maker. I highly doubted there was anything to do with whatever she’d found. Then again, what she found could be the tip of something much larger.
Exhaling, she shook her head. “That’s what I was wondering, but if he was, he hid it. The three amigos didn’t seem to know him either. A plant maybe? What if he was working for the Desperados?”
The news was interesting, but certainly not a reason to gun her down. “Might be a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in them. Had a lifetime to know they aren’t possible. Still, gangs aren’t organized. Right? Just machines. I can’t imagine those kids putting a bomb together. Not that bright.” She laughed nervously.
Had a lifetime... Another statement I’d need to understand at a later time. “This gang has a particular structure and is considered very dangerous. They have a leader who has powerful connections.”
“How do you know all this, Blade?” Another hiss left her lips as she yanked off her pants.
“I have certain sources.”
“Certain sources. You’ve only been here, what, two days? Or is that a lie? Was the bit about your motorcycle some ploy?”
I knew my gaze became more directed, even tinged with anger. Why was she doubting me now? “I told you the truth. I had no intention of staying more than a night, just to get my bearings.” My eyes roamed down the length of her neck to her arm, sending a shot of electricity coursing through every vein.
“You are running. Well, groovy.”
All I wanted to do was drag her over my knees and give her the spanking of her life for talking back to me. She made me absolutely crazy in every way. I might as well blurt out the question that had been weighing on my mind. “This guy you thought you saw at the bar, was he the one you had a recent date with?”
