Research Required

by Amber Skyze

  Shit! Shit! Shit! He hoped they made it out of this mess alive. They could run and hide out at this house, but for how long? It was only a matter of time before they’d have to return to town and he knew Vinnie would be waiting for him. He pulled in front of the house. It was dark and he hadn’t seen another house for at least a few miles. That could work to their advantage. Maybe they were safe after all. Bailey let them in. She flipped the switch, but nothing happened.

  “No power.”

  She’d warned him this might be the case.

  What little light the moon provided wasn’t going to be much help. They needed something brighter.

  “Maybe we could get some firewood and start a fire.”

  “I have a flashlight in the safety kit in my trunk.”

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  A woman who’s prepared! He liked that.

  “I’ll grab it.”

  She touched his arm. “We’ll go together.”

  Was she frightened? He couldn’t blame her. This night wasn’t your typical “stay at home and watch a movie” night. His heart went out to her. She deserved much better than he was giving her right about now.

  Taking her hand, he led her out to the car, where they retrieved the flashlight together. Once he had it firmly in his right hand, she reached for his left. He felt the warmth of her touch radiate through him. It stirred his cock to life. He wanted to groan. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about sex, but he couldn’t help it. Bailey was so damn hot.

  Inside he flashed the light over the room.

  “Great. The dust is at least an inch thick.”

  He had to agree. This place looked like someone had deserted it a long time ago. There were sheets covering all the furniture. Dust covered the sheets. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and corners. Ethan wouldn’t be surprised if a few bugs and creatures were taking up residence. As long as any bats stayed away he was fine.

  “It’s just for the night, right?” He tried making light of the situation.

  “Yeah, just for the night,” she mumbled.

  “Let’s grab the firewood and get the fire started. This way we’ll have more light.”

  “Okay.”

  Luckily there were still some logs left over from the last time anyone was there. Ethan handed Bailey the flashlight and lifted a few logs into his arms.

  “Do you have matches or a lighter in that safety kit?” he asked as they headed back inside. The wood would do them no good without something to start a fire with.

  “I’m not sure. There’s probably something in the kitchen.”

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  Yeah, but will it be in working condition? He didn’t speak out loud. He didn’t want to frighten her more than she already was.

  “I’ll throw these into the fireplace. You go check the kitchen.”

  “Alone?” She grabbed the back of his shirt.

  “You have the light.”

  He looked up and the fear was written all over her face. She wasn’t moving without him.

  “We’ll go together. Just let me finish stacking this wood.”

  Her leg trembled against his side. Fuck! I’m an idiot. Once this was over and done with he wasn’t gambling anymore. He couldn’t continue to live life like this and he certainly didn’t want to involve anyone like Bailey or Jenna in his messes. They managed to get the fire going, which was no small effort. Once it was going strong they searched the cabin.

  “The bed looks okay. We can shake the dust off the comforter.”

  “Let’s check out the rest of the place.” His voice was rough, but he couldn’t help it. He was fighting a raging hard-on.

  Surprisingly there were a few towels in the bathroom closet. Some soap and shampoo were there too. Overall they were going to be okay for the night. Tomorrow when the daylight came they’d have to go to town and get some food and call Jenna. She was probably worried about her brother’s sudden disappearance. Then they’d have to figure out his next move.

  Ethan prayed Jenna was okay.

  They cleaned up the bedroom as best they could. Then they shook the dust from the sheet on the couch, removed it and settled in close to the fire. It wasn’t cold outside, but the fire felt good.

  Bailey nestled into his body. He wasn’t sure if it was for safety or body heat, because she was shaking.

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  “Do you think that guy will find us?”

  “I doubt it. We weren’t followed so that’s a good sign.” Ethan wished he believed the lies he was feeding her. He didn’t feel completely safe. How could he? Vinnie had tracked him down to Jenna’s without any problems, so what was stopping him from finding them in the woods? Nothing.

  He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. He used the blanket from the car and covered her.

  “Any warmer?”

  “Yes, thanks.”

  She buried her head under the blanket and settled on his lap. He prayed his cock cooperated right about now. The last thing he needed was to be hitting her in the head with a hard-on.

  Her warm breath on his leg didn’t make things any easier. He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to distract the urge to take her right there on the couch. They needed to keep their wits about them. They couldn’t get distracted by sex. Who the fuck was he fooling? He couldn’t get distracted by sex. Bailey was thinking about her safety, not fucking him. He was the idiot here.

  “Do you agree with me now?” she asked in her soft voice.

  “With what?” He kept his tone lower. He continued rubbing her silky hair.

  “You need to take the money I’m offering and pay those guys. You need to get them off your back for my sake and for Jenna’s. Everyone’s safety is at stake here.”

  He didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. He had no choice but to accept her offer. Once all this was said and done he’d leave for California, far away from Bailey and Jenna.

  The thought of leaving her left a hole in his heart. There was something about her—

  something he wasn’t used to. He thought he might be falling in love with her. 61

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  Nah. He couldn’t be in love with her. He just loved the great sex they had. That wasn’t love. He was thinking with his penis and not with his head. There was a huge difference there.

  “I’ll give Bruno a call in the morning and let him know I have some of his money. Maybe he can call off the dogs—temporarily.”

  “Good. Then we can resume our lives once again.”

  God he hoped that was possible. He hoped it wasn’t too late. 62

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  Chapter Five

  “You awake, Ethan?” Bailey gently nudged him. She’d been lying awake for quite a while, listening to rustling noises. Darkness filled the room. The moon seemed to be hidden behind the clouds. It was an eerie feeling lying there in the dark.

  “Hmmm.”

  “I think I heard something,” she whispered.

  “What do you mean you heard something?”

  She detected fear in his voice. Not the reaction she was hoping for, but he was awake.

  “It sounded like someone was walking around outside.”

  “It’s probably just an animal looking for food. If they smell our scent they’ll associate it with food.”

  She nestled closer to him. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  He wrapped his arm around her, making her feel safe.

  “Sorry for waking you.”

  “No problem.” He kissed her hair.

  Something stirred inside Bailey. She wasn’t sure if it was the fear or the need to get rid of the tension, but she wanted Ethan to make love to her. She wanted him to hold her tight and kiss away all her fears.

  Bailey bent her head so that she was close enough to kiss him. She felt his hot breath on her lips. When he didn’t move to kiss her, she decided to take things into her own hands
. She stretched, closing the last inches separating them. Her lips grazed his. At first he didn’t respond. She did it again. This time he responded. He wrapped his other 63

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  arm around her and pulled her tighter. That’s when she realized he was completely naked.

  Their mouths opened and he slipped his tongue over her threshold. Bailey readily accepted his tongue as it explored. Their tongues danced a tango, hands roaming the other’s body. His cock pressed against her stomach. It was hard and rigid. He wanted her too.

  She covered his penis with her hand and gently stroked him. She felt her pussy juices pooling at her opening. The need to be fucked grew stronger and stronger with every passing second.

  As if reading her mind, Ethan reached down between her legs and eased them apart.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered, rubbing her through her clothes. She nodded in the darkness. This was one time she was never so certain in her life. She needed Ethan.

  Ethan turned his back and reached down for his pants as she quickly removed her clothes. When he found what he was looking for, he quickly sheathed himself and nestled against her.

  His mouth returned to her skin as his finger gently eased into her opening. He kissed her neck and trailed up to her ear.

  “I’m going to make love to you all night long.”

  “Please,” she moaned. When had she become so needy? She never needed a man for satisfaction. She was more than capable of pleasuring herself with her hands or any of the vibrators she kept in the nightstand. Yet she couldn’t get enough of Ethan. She wanted more and more.

  She slipped a leg over his hip and nudged her opening against his finger. 64

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  Ethan continued sliding his finger in and out of her channel. Bailey couldn’t take it any longer. She wanted him inside her. Not his finger. She wanted to feel his cock pulsing against the walls of her pussy.

  Frustrated, she pushed him on his back and climbed on top of him.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  She knew he was stunned by her suddenly taking control, but she felt she had no other choice. She thought she wanted it nice and slow, but she was wrong. She needed it fast and hard.

  “Taking what I want.” As she finished her sentence she slid her pussy down his hot penis until it filled her completely. She rolled her hips, enjoying the feel of him stretching her walls.

  Ethan pulled her down into a kiss. Bailey accepted his lips and tongue as he explored her mouth. She continued rolling her hips and grinding her pussy against him. She felt the stirrings of an orgasm building in her stomach. Tingling sensations rippled down to her cunt.

  She rode him faster, charging head first into the orgasm. Ethan released her mouth and held onto her hips. He pumped into her, giving her every inch of his cock. As the climax showered her body Ethan slapped her ass with his bare hand. The heat from her ass cheeks mixed with the heat of his penis intensified the orgasm. Just when she thought her orgasm was going to subside, a new one began. Ethan took full advantage, pinching one nipple and bucking against her. His other hand cracked against her ass.

  “I’m going to come,” he declared. He released her nipple and grabbed onto her hips again.

  Bailey cried out in ecstasy as her pussy clenched around his cock, sucking him dry. She fell into a crumpled heap against his sweaty body.

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  “That was…” Was what? She couldn’t find the right word to describe the feelings and sensations he filled her with.

  “I know,” he replied, out of breath.

  She rolled off him and rested her head on the pillow.

  He scooted out of bed and disposed of the condom in the bathroom. As he walked past the window on his way back to the bed, Bailey noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A slight movement.

  “Ethan,” she whispered. “I think someone’s outside.”

  “What?” He froze.

  Bailey fumbled around in the dark for her clothes.

  “I swear when you walked past the window something moved behind you.”

  He looked out the window.

  “I don’t see anything.”

  “That doesn’t mean someone isn’t out there. What if that thug found us?”

  “What’s the likelihood of that? We didn’t have anyone tailing us.”

  “That you know of,” she spat. Fear crawled under her skin into the pit of her stomach. Her heart pounded in her chest. Dear God, please don’t let anything happen to us.

  “I’ll keep you safe, no matter what.” He crossed the room and threw on his clothes. Bailey sat fully dressed on the edge of the bed, listening for any sound of movement outside or, more importantly, inside.

  Once Ethan was dressed he gathered her in his arms. “We’re okay. I haven’t heard anything. Have you?”

  “No,” she confessed. It was quiet. Maybe too quiet. Maybe that was her problem. There was no noise.

  A creak in a floorboard startled them both.

  She gasped.

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  “Shhh,” Ethan covered her mouth with his hand.

  “I’m going to let go but please remain as quiet as possible,” he whispered. She nodded.

  He removed his hand and as much as she wanted to scream for dear life, she remained silent. Ethan got down on his hands and knees, looking for something.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in a hushed tone.

  “Looking for my bag.”

  That’s when Bailey remembered his gun. If there was an intruder at least they had an advantage. Not that they could call anyone from up in the mountains.

  “Freeze!” a male voice in the dark demanded.

  Bailey screamed.

  “And shut up,” he said.

  “Hands up where I can see them.” He flashed a light on his gun before flashing it on Ethan.

  Ethan obeyed and put his hands over his head.

  “You too, Blondie.”

  Bailey did as she was told. Her body shivered in fear. She wanted to burst into tears.

  “Move out here,” the man said, pointing the gun toward the other room. “And don’t try to be heroic, Ethan, or I’ll kill your girlfriend.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend, Vinnie. She’s just someone I met tonight. She’s kinda my hostage.”

  “Even better, so she’s very disposable.”

  Bailey didn’t like the way the conversation was going. She wasn’t disposable by any means. And what the fuck did Ethan mean his hostage? She came of her own free will.

  “Do I get to speak here?”

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  “No,” they both said.

  She quietly walked to the other room where two chairs awaited them.

  “Take a seat so I can tie you up.”

  “That’s not necessary, Vinnie. Besides, she’s my bankroll. I think you should let her drive into town and get the money I owe you.”

  “The boss is tired of waiting on you. He said to just get rid of you once and for all.”

  Bailey swallowed. She was going to die, be killed, right here in her family’s house. It didn’t seem fair. Why should she have to pay for Ethan’s mistakes?

  “He’s right, Vinnie. I have a ton of money in the bank. I’ll give you whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt me. I don’t care what you do to him.”

  “Thanks a lot,” he mumbled.

  Hadn’t he just said the same thing about her? Fuck him. She was going to save her own ass before his. He was going to throw her under the bus? Well, she could do the same thing.

  “Both of you shut up before I start shooting.” He waved the gun closer to their faces.

  Bailey didn’t say a word. She thought she’d pee her pants with the gun that close to her. She had to think. She had to get out of this situation alive. She wasn’t going to be defeated by some mobster. She hadn’t let the drug dealers take her down when she
went looking for her sister, this guy was no better.

  There was a little light left from the fireplace. He must have thrown a log on the fire. Outside traces of dawn were beginning to make an appearance. Soon it would be bright and sunny. They’d have plenty of light.

  He wasn’t scary-looking by any means. He was overweight and looked like he could be someone’s uncle. He honestly didn’t look like the type to hurt anyone. Why would the mob send someone like Vinnie to make an impression on Ethan?

  “What kind of money does this loser owe your boss?” she dared to ask. 68

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  “Let’s just say enough to piss off the boss.”

  “Yeah, but how much? I have money in the bank. I’ll give you whatever you want if you just let me go,” she pleaded. She didn’t want to be part of this mess. She had her whole life ahead of her.

  “So if I let you go get the money you promise to come back without the pigs?”

  “I wouldn’t call the cops. In fact you can come with me to the bank. Leave Ethan here.”

  “No,” Ethan demanded. “You are not to go anywhere with Vinnie alone. I’ll go.”

  “I think it’s better if I go. It is my bank account after all.”

  Where was this coming from? This bravado? If she was smart she’d just let them go and take all the money they wanted and be gone. If wiping out her life savings meant saving her life, then it was well worth it.

  Sadly, she didn’t want Ethan to just run off with her money. She didn’t care about Vinnie taking off, but she didn’t want Ethan to leave. In that very moment she realized she didn’t want to be without Ethan. She was trying to save him. She was in love with him. She feared for their lives and she didn’t want either one of them to die. If she could lure Vinnie away from here, maybe he wouldn’t shoot Ethan and he could escape.

  “I’ll decide who gets to stay and who gets to go,” Vinnie said. He still hadn’t tied them up. That was a good sign. His hesitance could mean that he was thinking about her idea.

  He threw the rope at Ethan. “Tie her up and if she doesn’t shut up I’ll gag her.”