Nodding, he asked in a husky tone, “So, what’re you gonna get?”
Touching it herself, she could feel the fire inside her flaring up again. “I haven’t decided,” she said in a weaker voice.
He returned her hungry glare, pushing her against the wall and lifting a leg to gain access to her warm interior. Making love in the shower, Michael grinned; I like this. Kissing her afterwards, he whispered, “You think it’ll always be this way?”
She only smiled back, shutting off the water and reaching for a towel. They got dressed and had a late breakfast before they headed out to the garage to work on the bike for a bit. “I think I’m going to get a pink rose,” she later said out of the blue.
Not grasping what she meant, he stopped to look at her, while she slid her hand over her breast, lightly massaging her old wound. “To cover it. A pink rose.” Michael nodded his approval, and they closed up to have some lunch at the diner before taking his bike to the next town for a visit to the tattoo parlor there.
Walking into the café, they climbed into their usual seats and waited for Trish to make her way over to their table. “Hi guys,” she started, “We wondered where you was yesterday. The boys came back from yur place an’ said you wasn’t there after school.”
A sliver of guilt ran through Michael’s mind; they had forgotten the boys. He had begun to apologize, when she noticed the rings and squealed loudly, “Oh, my God! You guys got married, and you didn’ invite me!” she teased them loudly.
Michael looked across the table at his wife, who wore a smile larger than he had known she owned. “We didn’t actually invite anyone,” he replied calmly, “It was more of a spur of the moment thing.”
“Spur o’ th’ moment,” she challenged in a playful manner, “Fur as long as you was plannin’ it.”
He laughed loudly, “I was planning, not that we were planning. Once I asked her, it kind of became… urgent.” He could tell she wasn’t really upset, and the mood remained light and cheerful as she took their order and went to put it in.
Reaching across the table, he played with Tori’s fingers, so glad he could touch her. He would have asked if she were happy, but her face left no doubt as she sat in her usual quiet way. He liked that about her.
Enjoying the afternoon, they ate their meal in comfortable silence, and for a moment, Michael considered whether he should have told her about Enrique’s visit. He wondered what her reaction might have been. He knew he wasn’t going to mention it; it wasn’t worth the risk of upsetting her.
Sliding onto his bike behind him, Tori relaxed against him and wrapped her arms around to lovingly massage his chest while they rode. From time to time, he would reach up to touch the back of her hands, his contentment evident. Pulling up in front of the tiny shop, they made their way inside and stopped at the counter.
Tori looked up at the wall behind it, examining the pictures closely. She knew exactly what she wanted. Not seeing it, she asked the tattoo covered man behind the glass if they had any rose pictures.
A shelf to the side of him stood covered in three ring binders, and he slid his pudgy finger along the spines until he found the one he wanted. Pulling it out, he laid it on the counter for her to browse. Slowly turning the pages she became engrossed, giving Michael a chance to look around the shop.
Seeing the variety of artwork available, an idea occurred to him, and he turned, walking around the room and going over the designs on the walls until he found the one he wanted. Sideling up next to her, back over at the counter, Tori had found the one she desired and pulled down her shirt by the neck to show the guy the bite she wanted it to cover.
Eyeing her breast and the nonchalant way she had exposed it for him, he nodded his agreement, and that it could be done. Another equally marked man came to take her to the back and begin the process.
As soon as she exited the room, presumably out of earshot, Michael announced, “I wanna get one too. I want it to go in the same spot as hers, but I want that motorcycle over there,” he indicated the photo, “And I want TORI underneath it.”
The man spewed a surly laugh, and Michael looked confused, “Is there something wrong with that?” his voice slightly angry.
“No man, just always amazed when people put other people’s names on their bodies. As if their love’s gonna last forever. You get what you want, man; it don’ matter to me.”
Real philosophical, Michael observed to himself; jackass.
They both kept their new marks covered until the evening, when they were getting ready for bed. Michael showed her his first, as he felt especially proud of the way it had turned out. It wasn’t very large, only about four inches across, but the guy had done a fantastic job, and once it had healed, it would be perfect hiding inside the hair on his chest.
Tori appeared pleased when she saw her name etched in his skin, it causing her heart to pound that she meant that much to him. On her breast, she wore a new pink rose, which covered the reddish circular scar of teeth marks perfectly, and she displayed it for her mate with pride.
Staring at it, Michael moved closer and turned her, as he noticed something odd about one of the shadowed sides. Gently lifting her to catch the light better, he could see the letters MICHAEL worked into the edges of the petals. “So that’s what he meant,” he commented while grinning broadly.
Their love rough that night, the adrenaline of the day made them anxious. He enjoyed the feel of her and the way she moaned when he drove himself against her. He finished her again before him, and she breathed in deeply when she whispered how incredible it had been as they were drifting off to sleep.
Michael only smiled, kissing her neck while toying with her hair. Enrique’s visit still loomed in the back of his mind, and he wondered how long they would have before the other shoe fell.
Safe Place
The couple had been married a few weeks, and things were going smoothly. They had settled into a routine of sorts; early to bed, late to sleep. They both got up at 5:00 am to make a short run and exercise, and then returned home to enjoy one another’s sweaty bodies before their shower and starting the day. Michael loved to watch the way she moved; when she was naked, when she was dressed, either way.
He took every chance he could get to touch her, having been denied for so long. He had never been in love like this, and he knew it was the same for her. He still wanted to learn more about the bikes, and she became more patient than ever as she explained new processes to him and gave him the chance to use his hands to try on his own, observing as he worked. He liked that she watched him, making him warm inside.
Steven and Chris continued to come over every day, still having another month before school ended. Tori gave them lessons, teaching them to play the guitar when they didn’t have school work, and Michael thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening. He had worked for Indelible over four years; he knew what good music sounded like. Hers was more than good. Sometimes, he would allow himself to wonder if she would’ve been a musician in her original life.
Michael could feel himself becoming obsessed with her true identity. It bothered him that the Feds had gone to such lengths to obscure her age, and wondered if they secretly knew who she was, but hid it for some dark purpose. She had told him about her skills and having been created as some kind of secret weapon, and this bothered him deeply, as if it were only a matter of time before her past would find them.
He never mentioned Enrique’s visit to her, but it troubled him, as well. He remembered what the man had said about giving her his number, so when he noticed her wallet lying out while she showered, he picked it up to peek inside. Sure enough, he found the worn pink piece of paper folded in its place, and he felt tempted to remove it to dispose of the issue once and for all.
Quietly, he ran his finger across the ink. He considered the fact that she still held on to it, and wondered if she ever thought about the dark haired man who had sat across from him the morning she took his name.
Shaking the thought from
his mind, Michael had closed the wallet and left the paper inside. Enrique was her ghost, not his, and she the one who would have to discard the past when it was time. He tried not to think about it any further, but it remained difficult, knowing the man obviously wanted her back.
One particular Sunday, a short time after that, he had asked her something about her first memories, and she had opened up about it a bit more than ever before. It pleased him that she felt she could trust him, and had become willing to share.
They were seated on the couch, her guitar across her lap. “I had an amazing childhood,” she began as she caressed her beloved gift. “My first memory is of living in the rainforest in Brazil. It was a beautiful place, and I loved my life in the camp, with Henry and the others; free to roam the jungle and explore the world through the books that were given to me.”
Looking over at her book cases, he knew what she meant, as they were already gathering quite a collection of volumes.
“Those guys were so patient, never tired of my questions, always ready to tell me about things or share a story, or whatever I needed.” Tori looked out the window for a moment before she continued. There’s so much to tell, and still so much to hide.
When she was young, they spent their time preparing her, teaching her what she would need to know for later. Brian, her physical mentor, taught her to be strong and cunning. Bill had been in charge of math and science lessons, ensuring she had a strong foundation. Henry taught her history and art, and Marcus languages, writing and problem solving.
Each man had a part to play, each building a portion of her knowledge, and she learned because of her curiosity and eagerness to know more. Most of all, she liked to please them. Sometimes, their lessons overlapped, as all of them shared what they knew, each of them wanting her to be most like them. Tori never questioned their motives, as she loved her early life and accepted it at face value.
In addition to the group who lived in the camp with her year round, there were some who came and went with the seasons. When they left, Tori seldom thought about where they were off to or what they were doing. They were not her favorites, she explained, and she had no interest in the bikes they rode or the life that they lived. She felt happy with the four men who spent the most time with her. They were her family, more so than any of the others.
Eddie, leader of the Dragons, rode with the traveling group. He came into camp to keep track of her and her studies, and was waiting for the time to be right for her to begin the next phase of her education, which would be his part. He had also claimed to be her father, but they were not close, and she never believed it to be true.
Henry was the one who did his best to nurture her and taught her how to take care of herself. For many years, he bathed her and washed her hair, teaching her how to be clean and how to handle life’s little problems. And he taught her to play the guitar; she couldn’t forget that, and smiled wistfully as she spoke of it.
In the end, it was Henry who brushed her long ebony locks, washed her clothes, and cared for her physical needs. There were others who lived in the camp with them, but these were jobs that only Henry did.
Michael smiled at hearing how his brother had nurtured her. Remembering how it had felt like she had been made for him, he couldn’t help thinking that maybe she had been, and Henry had wanted them to be a couple after all.
Tori explained that she didn’t like Eddie’s visits to the camp. He often would hit or kick her in anger, or for no reason at all, and had done so ever since she could remember. Definitely not a patient man, he sometimes touched her in ways that made her uncomfortable. “You know, nothing bad or anything. It seemed like he wanted to hug on me, or for me to want to be around him, but I didn’t because I didn’t like him. I thought he was mean, so I avoided him.”
Tori felt guilty when she admitted that every time Eddie left the camp, she would hope he would never return. “I’m not sure that I wanted him to die. I only wished he wasn’t part of my life, and certainly didn’t want to believe he could be my father.”
“He was waiting for me to mature, and I hoped that would never happen either, but eventually it did… like my body went crazy. It was really hard for me,” she elaborated, “I had never been around a woman before, and suddenly I started growing in weird places and getting hair and the only people I had to talk to were men. But Henry noticed, and he had some books for me, like he knew I would need them or something, and he answered my questions if I had the courage to ask. It worked out.”
“I hated getting my periods though,” she confessed. “That was the worst. I couldn’t see why God made me a girl. So not fair.”
Michael laughed, “I’m glad he made you a girl,” he teased. Reaching over, he ran his hand up and down her thigh, giving her a squeeze of encouragement. “I’m glad you’re able to share this with me, but I’m ok if you don’t.”
Tori nodded her appreciation, but having started the conversation, she wanted to do her best to finish it. She swallowed hard, coming to the parts that would be the most difficult to share. As her body finished developing, Tori became curious about the men around her. They were different from her, and she seemed to hate that she wasn’t one of them, “But I got used to it,” she declared. “Got a little fantasy thing going for a while, thinking about what sex might be like.”
She paused for a minute to reflect, looking at her lap, “No one touched me back then, but I still remember thinking after the first time that it wasn’t anything like I had expected. But that wasn’t until just before we hit the road, so let me back up a bit.”
“Let’s see… When Eddie and the rest of the group came back to camp that year, after I finally started to change, he commented on how I had filled out since he’d been gone. That gave me chills, because I didn’t ever want that man to touch me, him or Red, either one.”
“So, I really looked forward to their going back out again, but this time they didn’t go. They stayed at the camp, leaving their bikes in storage and hanging out with us all the way up until we all left together. That’s when those of us who had been living at the camp became regular members of the Dragons.” She paused again, pinching and rubbing her lips for a moment while she collected her thoughts.
“It was during that last couple of years or so that they really put the final touches on my training. Taught me how to do some really bad shit. Guns, knives, a little bit about explosives and what not. I still didn’t get what for. Don’t get me wrong, I knew the Dragons were bad guys; I had been around them all my life, and it would’ve been hard to miss. I just didn’t know how bad. Or what was coming.” She looked a little forlorn, knowing how dark things were going to get in hindsight.
“I got good at it though. Henry and I were about the same height, and Brian had made me strong. Then Eddie started teaching me how to fight, and that was something I took to. I kept telling myself if I got good enough, someday I would be able to beat him, instead of him always beating on me.”
She gave a cynical grin, “A lot of it came down to my fault though. Guess you could say I brought it on myself, being stubborn and making bad choices sometimes. That’s how he got me most of the time; he would keep hitting me until I finally had enough and gave in.”
“So anyways, we finished up my training there at the camp, and we only had one last thing to establish. See, Eddie had this plan, how I would be traveling with the group, only no one outside would know I was really part of them, like a regular member, so I would be somehow hidden or some shit. He called me a secret weapon later on, and suddenly all this shit that happened at the camp made sense, you know? So here Eddie says it’s time for us to get ready to leave, and we need to get me ready for being out on the road.”
“He sent Paul and David to go get clothes for me, and I was pissed because I didn’t want to go on the road with them, or wear their stupid uniform, or any of that crap. I go to find Henry and I tell him I want to stay in the camp with him.” She smiled at the memory of Henry’s reaction to her deman
ds.
“He held me for a few minutes, rocking me back and forth like he used to when I was little, but then he says something weird. ‘I have to be careful, baby girl. Eddie wants to be your first.’ He said it just like that, and then he walked away, and I had no idea what he meant.” She bit her lip.
“But,” Michael interrupted, “I thought you said Henry was your first.”
“Oh, he was,” she clarified with a shy smile, feeling the color deepen in her cheeks. “Yeah, and you know that really pissed Eddie off. That’s why he kept Henry from touching me; I think so anyways.”
“We made love that night in his hammock; the only time a man touched me with respect, until Eli. Only now I realize what happened with Eli was just a game. Damn it.” She looked angry as she recalled the events and time she spent with the latter.
She gave a lengthy pause, and Michael pondered what she had told him carefully. “So what was your secret job then, making hits for the group?” Michael had been Special Forces, like his brother, and he had a suspicion their motives were far darker than what she had shared. “I mean, you did perform in that capacity.”
Nodding slowly, she agreed as the numerous victims she had taken became a wash before her. “I guess you could say, I’ve done my best to forget, but it still hurts that I hadn’t been strong enough to say no.”
“You know those people would’ve died either way. You know that, right?” Michael tried to console her. “If you hadn’t been the one to act, one of the other team members would have. The outcome would have been the same, regardless of who held the knife or pulled the trigger or what have you.”
“Have you ever killed anyone?” she asked him in a soft voice.
Taken by surprise, Michael looked at his hands. It had been a long time, but sometimes he still felt the guilt. “I did what I had to do,” he replied slowly, “We always do, right?” He gave her a half smile as he shifted his eyes to look into hers. “I wish I could say the pain goes away. It gets easier, but I’m not sure it ever totally leaves you.”
A New Life Series - Starter Kit Page 46
