by S Cinders
“Actually, you’re under arrest,” Scott said, being the last to enter. “Agent Scott Tabor, FBI.”
The smirk that had been on his face was long gone as Scott read him his rights.
“What?” the kid cried out. “I didn’t do anything.”
“You all but admitted you were an accomplice in my wife’s kidnapping,” Nate said, holding the kid a little tighter by the throat.
“That was Frankie! I didn’t do anything.”
“Where are they?” Scott demanded. “Do yourself a favor and work with us. If you don’t, chances are that you could be going away for a long time.”
The kid’s shoulders slumped, and he suddenly looked much younger than before. “I just needed some extra money to eat. Nobody will hire a high school dropout.”
“Save the sob story, kid,” Scott said sharply. “We need to know where Frankie Vauban took Mrs. Livingston.”
A loud sound almost like a gunshot rang through the air. Elliot ran to the door and opened it.
“Oh, thank God,” Mandy cried out and started running outside.
Nate dropped the kid and chased her out the front door. It was then he saw it—no, her. Kim was wrapped tightly in Mandy’s arms, looking none the worse for wear.
Nate had never considered himself an emotional person. He didn’t cry at movies or even most funerals. So, it would have never occurred to him that he would fall apart the moment he saw his wife was okay.
The ball of emotion welled up in the back of his throat and he couldn’t swallow or even breathe. He felt hot and faint at the same time.
“Nate!” Kim cried out, breaking the embrace with Mandy and running to throw herself into his arms.
Nate cupped her beautiful face and wiped away the tears that were coursing down her cheeks.
“I was so damn scared,” he whispered, kissing her forehead and then her lips. “What happened?”
Mandy placed a hand on Nate’s back. “Let’s get you two inside and then we can talk.”
Kim nodded and sank against Nate when he slipped his arm around her.
Helping her back inside and over to a table, Nate sat beside Kim, holding her hand.
“She’s fine!” the kid insisted. “You have no right to hold me now.”
Scott ignored the kid and looked at Kim for her explanation of what had transpired.
Kim blew out a breath to steady herself. “It wasn’t Frank, at least he wasn't the guy that took me. The skinny kid and another big beefy guy came into The Grind, locking the door behind them.”
“I’m not a kid!”
“Shut up!” everyone yelled at him.
“Anyway,” Kim continued, “the big guy said that Nate was hurt. I tried to call one of you to verify, but my cell wasn’t working. Then I picked up the landline and it was dead, too. Ask the kid. They had to have done something to make both stop working.”
Everyone glanced over at the kid, but he shook his head indicating that he wasn’t helping.
Nate couldn’t make the panicked feeling go away. He’d almost lost her.
“What did he want with you?” Nate asked.
“I don’t know. Nothing made any sense. The big guy hustled me out of here and took me down the block to an empty building. He didn’t talk to me or touch me. He just blocked the door. Every time I tried to walk away, he refused to move. I was scared, so scared.”
“Did he have a weapon?” Scott asked.
“I don’t know,” Kim answered shakily. “He didn’t show me one. I thought he would keep me there all night and then his phone buzzed like he got a text or call, and he let me go.”
“The kid was texting on his phone when I walked in,” Nate said, pointing at the kid’s pocket.
“Good to know,” Scott replied. “Looks like we have a phone number for the accomplice, maybe even a line to Frank Vauban.”
“Is Alyssa safe?” Kim asked.
Scott nodded. “We have a few agents protecting her. Looks like we will need to do the same for you, Mrs. Livingston. I’m sorry this happened to you.”
Kim tried to smile. “Thank you.”
“Let’s get this idiot down to headquarters,” Scott said, pushing the kid forward. “I’m going to need some more information, Mrs. Livingston. But it can wait until tomorrow. I am sorry your party was spoiled.”
“Hey guys! Am I late for the party?” Freddy called out as he walked in the door.
Everyone turned to stare at him
“What?” he asked in confusion.
Kim shook her head, a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob escaped her lips.
“Come on,” Nate said, holding her close. “Let’s get you home.”
“We’ll clean up,” Mrs. H called out, and Robert nodded his assent.
“Don’t worry about it, Mrs. H,” Freddy said, picking up some of the packages that had fallen to the ground. “I feel terrible leaving her here alone.”
“No,” Kim said, shaking his head. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Mandy came up and put her arms around her sister. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied, then looked over at Scott and the skinny guy in cuffs. “Why would you be involved in something like this?”
Hatred entered the kid’s eyes as he looked around the room. “Fucking rich pricks, you have no idea what it’s like to be hungry, to not know whether today is your last. You stand there judging me, but tonight you go home to your penthouse, and I have nothing.”
Nate took a step forward to get in the kid’s face, but Kim stopped him. “Don’t let your anger destroy your life.”
“What do you know about it?” the kid spat.
“More than you know.”
18
Kim lay awake late in the night, wondering if she had done the right thing. Nate’s arm was entwined with her own, cradling her stomach. The baby chose that moment to kick, as if he knew his parents were just on the other side.
Maybe it was the pregnancy that had swayed her decision, but whatever it was, Kim couldn’t allow charges to be pressed against Alexander. That was the kid’s name, Alexander Robert Stephens. He was sixteen years old and a product of the foster care system. He’d run away from the last placement six months ago.
The things he had said to her at The Grind kept rotating over and over in her mind. He couldn’t have known what her upbringing was like. His anger reminded Kim of how she’d often felt as a child. It seemed as if she and Mandy were the only ones going home to a crack house with abusive parents.
“Hey, are you awake?” Nate whispered groggily.
Kim smiled. “If I said no, would you believe me?”
Nate began to kiss the back of her neck, causing Kim to squirm. “I suppose I would have to convince you to wake up.”
Kim turned her head and captured his lips with her own. The kiss was sweet, passionate, and what Kim needed to help clear her mind.
Turning in his arms, Kim reached up to cup his face.
Nate growled into the kiss, nipping her lip then soothing it with his tongue. He slipped his hands underneath her silky pajamas until he could grab her naked ass. Kim moaned as Nate found the slick heat of her center and began to stroke.
“That feels so good,” she murmured against his lips.
“You feel so good,” he replied, turning onto his back and pulling her over until Kim was straddling his waist.
Sitting up, she felt the massive length of his cock straining against his boxer briefs. Feeling a little saucy, Kim ground her naked pussy against him. Only the thin layer of his briefs separated them.
“Fuck,” he drawled, closing his eyes and reveling in the enticing sensation.
She was soaking him through his briefs, or maybe that was pre-cum? It didn’t matter to Nate; all he knew was that he wanted to be inside of her, loving her.
Kim moved back slightly off of his dick.
“Don’t go!” Nate demanded.
Kim laughed. There was something about Nate that alw
ays made things better. He knew how to make her smile like nobody else could.
Running her fingers down his chest, Kim loved the way his washboard abs shuddered at her touch. He was in great physical shape, but that wasn’t why she loved him. Every look, every stolen glance, every moment they were together, Nate worshiped her.
Kim had no doubts of Nate’s love. She’d been silly to even consider that Alyssa would be a distraction to him. Slipping her fingers lower, she lifted the waistband of his boxer briefs and released his cock.
It bobbed before her, thick and pulsing. Kim couldn’t help the involuntary lick of her lips.
“Damn it, woman,” Nate moaned. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Amusement lit her eyes as she grabbed the hem of her silky nightgown and yanked it over her head. Not wearing any underwear to bed, she was naked and glorious in the pale moonlight.
“You are so damn beautiful,” Nate whispered reverently.
“You are insane,” she teased, and laughed when he grabbed her hips and moved her forward until she was once again seated on his cock. It would only take a fraction of an inch and his tip would be inside of her.
She rocked back and forth. It was exquisite torture for both of them, but soon it wasn’t enough. Placing her hands on his chest, she angled up and took his length deep inside of her, his cock stretching and filling her to the hilt.
“God, yes,” Nate moaned. “Ride me, sweetheart.”
Kim didn’t need another invitation. Pulling her knees in close to his body and balancing herself on his chest, Kim rode him hard and fast.
Sparks of passion were firing all around her and Kim knew she wouldn’t last very long. So instead of increasing her speed, she began to slow, letting the full length of his desire slip almost out of her before sinking back down again.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Nate chanted to Kim’s erotic rhythm. Over and over until he felt as if he could unravel at the seams.
“It’s so good,” she whispered, sitting up and driving him that much deeper.
Then she cupped her swollen breasts and began to tease the nubs with her thumbs, causing them to tighten into little rosebuds.
The erotic sight of his wife taking her own pleasure was almost more than Nate could stand. Her pregnant belly, her glowing skin, her full breasts. She looked like a goddess, and Nate wanted to worship her for the rest of his days.
He began to increase the power of his upward stroke. He loved the way her eyes widened in surprise and then darkened with need. Cupping her ass, he pushed harder and harder until her breathing was coming out in little pants and Kim was pulling on her nipples.
He felt the first wave of her release ripple through her, the contractions almost violent as she shuddered and came. But he wasn't finished with her yet. Rolling his hips, Nate continued to fuck her. His fingers slipped between to rub her clit, causing her first orgasm to roll into the second.
No longer able to hold on, Nate felt the heat at the base of his spine, the tightening of his balls, and the feeling of euphoria when his release washed over him.
Panting, they rode it out together, another beautiful example of what loving could truly be.
When the storm settled, Kim slumped down beside him, her eyes finally getting heavy.
Nate didn’t want to disturb her but knew that something had to have been on Kim’s mind to keep her up so late.
Leaning over to kiss her forehead he asked, “Is everything okay?”
Confusion clouded her vision for a moment before clarity seemed to sink in. “Yeah,” she said sleepily. “I couldn’t stop thinking about Alexander.”
“He got involved with the wrong people,” Nate said honestly. “Scott said that the FBI will be sure he gets in with a good foster family this time.”
What he didn’t add was that Alexander’s chances weren’t great. Mandy and Kim were lucky to have had each other. Alexander didn’t have anyone that cared if he lived or died. That was the problem with the streets. The organized crime families would give these lost kids a sense of identity, a purpose. All the while they often led the kids to prison or an early death.
“I could have been like Alexander,” Kim said, shaking Nate from his musings.
“No.” Nate shook his head.
But Kim was already interrupting. “I easily could have been in the same position. Do you know how many times I was tempted to take money from my parents’ dealers?”
Nate stiffened. “What do you mean?”
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. “I did some things when I was younger. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, but I knew it was wrong. My parents would tell me that I could have money for groceries if I would take a lunchbox out to a stranger’s car. It felt wrong, but we were hungry. Mandy would cry; she was younger and didn’t understand. I know what it’s like to be Alexander. To feel like you would do anything to just survive another day.”
“Baby, I am so sorry,” Nate whispered, pulling Kim in close. “I don’t know what to say, other than I am so damn sorry.”
“You know that therapist I’ve been seeing?” Kim replied.
Nate nodded against her skin.
“Dr. Cummings thinks it might be a good idea to spend a day a month down at the women’s shelter.”
Nate nodded again. “Is that something you might be interested in?”
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly.
“What is it?” Nate asked.
“I think I might want to do more.”
Nate was quick to reply, “Sure, what are you thinking?”
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “But I will let you know as soon as I do.”
“I love you, Kim,” he whispered before kissing her one last time. “Get some sleep.”
19
“It honestly depends on the size of the bleed and where it was located. Ms. Vauban was fortunate that her general health was excellent, and she was in good hands. We are thrilled that she received such excellent care by our city’s finest physicians…”
“Please turn it off,” Alyssa said, the sight of her Uncle Frank on television making her feel sick to her stomach.
“I’m sorry,” Scott’s younger sister Ivy was quick to say as she grabbed the remote. Turning the television off, Ivy looked around the room, anywhere but at Alyssa.
The silence after the blaring television was almost louder than before. Alyssa hated that Ivy was nervous around her. She hated that Scott felt responsible for her. And what was worse, she hated that they were in this position in the first place.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Scott called out from the kitchen.
Ivy winced. “Is that a threat?” she called back.
Scott strolled around the corner looking every bit the sexy FBI agent who caused Alyssa’s toes to curl. Despite all efforts to stop, Alyssa still felt the zing of attraction whenever Scott was nearby. He was like a lodestone, and she couldn’t help the magnetic pull.
“Since when do you cook?” Ivy teased her older brother. “I’m worried this might be an attempt to poison me.”
Scott scoffed. “Let’s be clear, the only person in this room that has ever tried to kill me—is you.”
Alyssa felt the nagging guilt brought on by the fact that she hadn’t tried to kill him, but her uncle had almost killed them both. She was dangerous to be around.
Ivy seemed to visibly relax with Scott’s presence. “I didn’t try to kill you,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You big oaf, I merely tried to serve you a traditional surf-and-turf dinner.”
Scott clutched his stomach and faked stomach cramps. “Right, because there are so many traditional seafood meals in Ohio. You know, being so damn close to the ocean and all.”
Ivy’s lips twitched. “How would I have known that turf had nothing to do with the lawn? Cows eat grass. I figured that people must eat it, too.”
Alyssa glanced up. “You fed him grass?”
Ivy’s cheeks heated. “To be fair, I was thirteen. I made a g
rass gravy to go over microwaved frozen fish.”
Alyssa swallowed involuntarily, a look of horror on her face. Turning to Scott she implored, “Please tell me you didn’t eat it.”
Scott grinned. “I did manage one bite. But I couldn’t even swallow it.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Ivy insisted.
“It was horrible, and you know it,” Scott countered.
Ivy’s lips twitched. “It really was horrible. I can’t believe you even attempted the one bite.”
“That’s what the emergency room attendant said as well,” Scott teased as Ivy threw one of the throw pillows at his head.
“You never went to the ER. You’re so dramatic.”
Scott laughed and tossed the pillow back. “Well, I should have when I grew that third nipple.”
“Ew!” Ivy yelped, covering her ears. “You are so gross!”
Alyssa looked from Scott to Ivy. Was this what having a sibling was like? Alyssa had loved and adored her parents, but there was none of this banter or rivalry that Scott enjoyed with Ivy. Alyssa’s parents had been more traditional.
Their family was very important. Alyssa had spent a lot of time with her grandparents. They enjoyed museums, art galleries, ballets, and concerts. It had seemed that their days were filled with charity events, benefits, and so many other things that just didn’t seem as important now.
She would have given anything for another day with her mom and dad. Just to tell them how much she loved them. Alyssa felt as if she hadn’t done that enough, hadn’t stopped to just enjoy her family. And now they were gone.
“Are you all right?” Ivy asked hesitantly. “I can get you some headache medicine.”
Alyssa wasn’t allowed most pain relievers; she had to be careful about blood thinners. “No, thank you for asking. I was just thinking.”
“Let’s do that thinking in the kitchen,” Scott suggested. “Dinner is ready.”
Alyssa got to her feet and began to walk into the kitchen.
“Why did you turn the television off?” Scott asked.
“My uncle was holding a press conference about me,” Alyssa replied in a low voice.
